Modifying a Real Steel charging handle to fit a WA GBBR

[hwagan]

How to modify a Real Steel charging handle to work in a WA System GBBR

 

 

One of the most common failure points in the WA GBBR System is the charging handle; This is down to the cast aluminium alloy you'll usually find it to be made of not standing up to the constant battering by the bolt. The bolt hits a plastic or rubber buffer on the charging handle, which eventually fractures the metal and causes the charging handle to break. Whilst better made, or in some cases steel charging handles are available, I've found them difficult to get hold of. Real Steel charging handles can be bought easily, but I couldn't find a decent guide to modifying one, so here it is.

 

Parts and Tools required:

- Real Steel Charging handle (I used a Noveske one from MidwayUK)

- Old broken charging handle (Not essential but very helpful)

- Angle grinder (Or whatever it's called in the US)

- Drill/Dremel

- Elbow grease

 

So. You should have all of the above neatly lined up on a suitable workspace. Or, in my case, loosely scattered across my messy desk. Anyhow. First up, you'll notice the R/S Charging handle has little 'ears' on the sides - These need grinding off, like in the picture below. Doesn't need to be the tidiest job in the world, just sand them flush with the sides of the charging arm.

Should look like this with the ears removed (note, these pics are after the mod is complete):

 

 

Now you're going to need to remove some material from the bottom of the 'hook' - On the R/S charging handle, the bit that goes over the front of the bolt to pull it back is deeper. You'll need to grind this down by around 2-3mm to allow it to fit above the top of the loading nozzle/blowback unit. Should look like this when finished - I used the original broken charging handle to guage how much material needed removing.

 

 

Now, the charging handle will fit in the rifle, and function to an extent - It'll cock the gun, and you'll be able to use it on semi automatic. However, due to the lack of a buffer, the bolt will bounce off the front of the receiver a little, which causes problems with full auto. I've run my gun without a charging handle at all for an entire day, however I wouldn't recommend it - The bolt isn't designed to smack into the receiver, so a buffer needs to be added to enable full auto and cushion the impact of the bolt.

 

This is the part where having the old broken charging handle really comes in handy - You'll need to remove the pin and the nylon buffer from the charging handle. The pin is tapped out one way, and removed. This allows you to poke the buffer out of the hole in the charging handle.

 

Helpfully, the buffer from the existing charging handle fits perfectly in the hole for the gas key in the R/S charging handle. Once you've removed it, you'll need to match a drill bit to the size of the pin - Insert the buffer into the hole in the front of the charging handle, like so:

 

 

Once this is done, you'll need to secure it. You'll probably find it's a very tight fit in the hole - Use a soft punch of some sort (or in my case a pencil) and tap it into place. You'll then want to drop the charging handle in the gun and test a mag quickly to make sure the buffer isn't too far forward or back in the hole, and that both semi and full auto function correctly.

 

Once you've ensured it works, you need to pin the buffer in place. This is a fairly simple process; Find a drill bit that matches the diameter of the pin that goes through the charging handle; With the buffer in place, drill a hole the size of the pin clean through the top and bottom of the charging handle, precisely in the middle of the hook where the buffer goes. Should look like this;

 

 

Obviously with the hole going through the top as well.

 

Anyhow, now the hole is drilled through the charging handle and buffer - Put the pin in. I drilled the hole very slightly too small and pretty much hammered the pin through, and ground it flush on the top and bottom. However, if you do it properly you should be able to just do a neater job of drilling the hole than me.

 

 

Hopefully that all makes sense - It's a fairly simple process, but I couldn't find a write up of it anywhere so I figured I'd do one in case anyone else is fed up of replacing charging handles.

 

 

*Disclaimer - This was done with a G&P WOC, using all G&P parts, except for an RA tech hop/barrel. Not my fault if you do the mod for a King Arms/Prime/Inokatsu/whatever and it doesn't work!

[DFM56]

Great guide! I saw this mod mentioned all over the place when I was looking into a WOC but there were no detailed instructions anywhere. Glad to see someone took the time to write this up!

[hwagan]

Thanks man I couldn't find a guide anywhere myself, so I figured this'd be handy for anyone in the same situation! Now to save up for a VLTOR BCM Gunfighter II to try it on...

[TheFull9]

Nice write up mate, I think this is going to come in very useful for anyone out there running a WA, possibly might even work with some of the other systems. Either way, given the somewhat fragile nature of these types of rifles in airsoft, it's always good to be able to take one part out of the equation and never have to worry about it.

[hwagan]

Nice write up mate, I think this is going to come in very useful for anyone out there running a WA, possibly might even work with some of the other systems. Either way, given the somewhat fragile nature of these types of rifles in airsoft, it's always good to be able to take one part out of the equation and never have to worry about it.

 

Thanks man; I can't see it being impossible to do the same for a WE or KJW, other than maybe some minor dimensional differences I imagine any GBBR AR15 charging handle probably works the same way... Guess the buffer could be different in the other systems.

 

Still, I figure if this is designed to sit in a metal box full of miniature explosions it should stand up to a slapping about from an Airsoft BCG. I think it's definitely a lot easier to own a GBBR if you just accept the fact you're going to be replacing parts now and again, and you'll need some basic fiddling skills. Saying that mine is still going strong and it's done thousands of rounds now - Needs a new loading nozzle finally, but that's a price I'm willing to pay now and again!

[TheFull9]

Well, I said I'd do it, and as with pretty much everything in my life it took me a long time to get around to but here it is. Acutal Armalite charging handle modded for my WOCs:

 

 

 

 

I didn't do nearly as clean a job as hwagan, but I'd had the damn thing just sitting in my cupboards for so long I just wanted to get it sorted. Works a treat so far, feels much smoother and just more satisfying overall to action these guns now.

[hwagan]

 

I didn't do nearly as clean a job as hwagan,

 

 

I was about to say the opposite; Yours doesn't have that same 'Burnt to a crisp by an angle grinder' look to it There's also the fact adding any R/S part to an Airsoft gun makes you at least 30% more dynamic, and 17% more attractive to women and bears.

[TheFull9]

Well all I used was hand files and a hand drill so it shouldn't be burnt, heh. The drilling was what really took the time, I slipped just a millimetre when I put in my centre punch mark first time and when I started drilling the hole was out of place, but it was so close that the new punch point would've had to have been inside the counter-sink I'd already formed and that never works. So I flipped over to the other side and fortunately managed to punch right in the centre the second time. Not sure exactly which metal Armalite used but it took aaaaages to drill the complete hole for the roll pin to hold the nylon in place. Once that was done though a little hammering back and forth and the insert was in there solidly, it's not going anywhere, ever. The spigots on the sides that steady the assembly inside a RS upper came off super easily with a really old *bramston pickle* file that my dad had buried in a tool box, finished them off with a 2nd cut then smooth files, just used the 2nd cut and smooth for the lower front section to remove the part that causes interference with the nozzle.

 

Lesson for next time (if there is one) is to file off the spigots first, because trying to put the damn thing in a vice to do the drilling for the roll pin with them still on was a nightmare. No idea what I was thinking on that one, must've had mental horse blinkers on or something.

 

It's a strange part though to be honest, the main portion that rides in the top of the upper receiver is anodised, but the actual handle and then the first inch or so are just painted. Didn't even think that was possible, but I'd say it was worth at least 45% extra dynamics.

[hwagan]

That'd explain why yours came out a fair bit tidier looking; I used an angle grinder to remove the ears and the lower portion that interferes with the nozzle, and I used a dremel to drill the hole through the top/bottom of the hook. I can safely say, a dremel is not the appropriate tool and it took bloody ages!

 

I'll definitely be taking a bit more time and care when the new one arrives, as well as using far more appropriate tools. It's good to know it can be done with hand files and a hand drill, I'm not exactly the neatest person when it comes to power tools.

 

Strange about the dual finish on the Armalite one; It shows in the pictures but I figured it was oil or something else altering the look of the finish. Either way, I'm sure the finish will hold up better than the original version, as well as the charging handle actually staying in one piece... To this day I've not seen a G&P charging handle last more than 2 thousand rounds or so at most.