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With a few exceptions, this is the business plan of almost all the entire airsoft industry.

Awww yeah.  Super Shorty version incoming  

FPR steel bolt, looks much more realistic than the original, cycles the same as before.   

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I see that the steel shell rims/caps are out now. Not sure if I want to get them though. Super expensive to replace all caps on your shells and the age old question of steel vs. aluminum (mainly the extractor I supposed?) comes into play.

 

I saw them on eHobbyAsia but their site is super slow right now so can't get the link. But it was $29.90 USD for a 4-pack. OEM alu ones are $11 USD for a 4-pack.

 

Now that I think about it. Which part of the APS CAM870 does a steel shell rim interact with that can potentially cause issue?

 

  • Loading ramp, steel (?). No issue.
  • Pump-arms, steel. No issue.
  • Magazine tube/follower, just a vessel, no stress/wear per say. No issue.
  • Bolt/bolt face, aluminum. Possible issue?
  • Shell extractor, ???. Unknown?
  • Shell ejector, steel, no issue(?)

 

If the extractor is steel, of equivalent "hardness" as the new steel shell rims, I guess it could work?

 

But again, if you have, like me, 40 shell, that's 10 packs at $30 USD a pop. $300 USD to convert all rims to steel... :o

 

I haven't ran my shells enough to cause wear to the point of failure but some of the pics people post of their shells make me a bit worried. Anyone that has had actual issues with the OEM alu rims getting worn to the point of failure?

 

Thoughts?

 

EDIT: Speaking of alu vs. steel. I find APS aluminum to be extremely soft. I mean, possible worse than WE pot metal/zink mix. I had 2 or 3 accessories, I think one was the barrel / mag tube clamp sling attachment, the other was the rail mount thingy and something else.

 

Anyhows. When installing all of these items, the parts are alu themselves, and the screws are of course steel. Even when hand-tightening the parts down with very little force, it caused the threads in the alu parts to strip right out, from basically no force at all. Rendering the items useless and in the trash bin. I mean, WTF?

 

Also noticed this for the shell caps when I took them down for maintenance. Mark, marr and burr up so easily. And my service cut has barely enough structural integrity to be usable without the primer center hole deforming into a blobb.

 

Oh yeah, two of my 4 screw mounting hole threads for the magazine tube clamp in the receiver have stripped :(

Fortunately the magazine clamp and tube are held in place more by the force of the magazine tube extension pushing the outer barrel back, but... Might have to drill some holes around the external perimeter and put some screws in just to make sure it doesn't come loose. New receiver is 90 USD and still the same soft alu of course so...

Edited by NonEx
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Here they are: 

 

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/sat-stainless-end-cap-for-aps-cam-870m-shotgun-shell.html#.VwKvB_l95aQ

 

Also has anyone experimented with changing out the stock aluminum parts with the TiN coated steel ones from APS?

 

My main thought was the magazine tube cradle but since the threads stripped in my receiver I doubt it will do me much good.

 

Also bought one of these off of eBay, APS Dynamic follower: http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/a-p-s-dynamic-follower-for-cam-870-shotgun.html#.VwKvUPl95aQ

 

I am experiencing double feeding shells from time to time on mine, where one shell goes in the chamber and another gets stuck under the feed ramp. Meaning I have to take off the mag tube to get them out.

 

I think this is mainly due to my shell latch arms being a bit worn and deformed from tinkering about. So I am going to replace those with a spare set I have.

 

One more thing. There's a replacement shell ejector kit out now. http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/a-p-s-ejector-replacement-set-for-cam-870-shotgun.html#.VwKu_fl95aQ

 

But looking at how it is installed in my APS CAM870, is it not like, riveted in the receiver? How does one simply replace that? :o

Drill out the existing one and pound in the new ones with a hammer and on a huge anvil or something? 

Edited by NonEx
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on a real M870 the ejector spring is permanently installed and replacing it means either expensive gunsmith work, or, more easily and cheaply, a new receiver.

 

So Im gussing its kinda similar on the APS. Probably put in with rivets. Youd have to pop them out and sink new ones using a press, most likely.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Just an observation here for those who like the SAI 870. The APS CAM870 SAI model for $500 USD is a pretty good deal if you look at everything that is included compared to the original full size wood kitted version at $430 USD.

 

The SAI styled parts and reinforced parts listed (which gives you about half a working shotgun) on APS website alone add up to a value of $617 USD by themselves so :o

 

Just sayin'.

Edited by NonEx
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SAI is nice, still needs some tuning out of the box, but better then the standard versions. (So I heard) 

 

I don't think they are really reinforced, they just have that metal coating to give the gold look.

 

THAT BEING SAID, I would gladly prefer a sai version over the police, etc versions.

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Nah, a lot of them are upgraded from pot metal or aluminum to steel parts with the TiN coating on it. So not just the standard parts with TiN coating. That would be a total rip off.

 

I guess reinforced is the incorrect wording but they are certainly stronger and "improved".

 

You can see on their website where they specify it for each item.

 

Also the C-plate has a completely different shape in the new TiN version.

Edited by NonEx
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I did a little bit of experimenting today. One of my shells was experiencing a lot of friction between the valve stem and the channel it rides in, which was making it hard to trigger. Following the advice of a user on the Airsoft Canada forums, I drilled out the channel with a 1/4" drill bit:

 

SQsEUNX.jpg

 

This immediately produced a number of improvements:

-The friction in the channel is gone and the valve slides smoothly.

-The charger knob (the part you screw to lock in the shell) doesn't stick to the shell, which makes it easier to charge the shells.

-The shell expels less gas when it 'sets' itself while unscrewing the charger knob. Where before it was a bang, now it's just a quick hiss. This means more gas in the shell, and less wasted.

-The shells extract more smoothly from the gun, since the channel doesn't 'stick' on the firing pin as much.

-According to the user on Airsoft Canada, the key improvement here is that it reduces wear and tear on the firing pin, which in the long run prevents part breakage.

 

There is one downside, which is that now the reduced friction and wider channel make it easier to accidentally trigger the valve, but with the shells packed as per my tutorial above it's not an issue since the collective mass of the payload resists the valve moving.

 

So, I went and applied this mod to my other 34 shells, and they all seem to be working great. It doesn't take a lot of work- unscrew the shell base, remove the O-ring, drill it out with a 1/4" bit, remove all shavings with a toothbrush, reinsert O-ring, reinstall base. Simple.

 

Also, if anyone is still using 12g CO2 cartridges to fill the shells, stop. They're really, truly awful for this application and seem to only deliver gaseous CO2 instead of liquid thanks to their minuscule volume. Unscrew the 12g adapter, screw in your choice of full-sized CO2 tank, marvel in the increased power and reduced cost of operation. The shells consume a lot of CO2 when filled with liquid (I got about 100 fills out of a 12oz tank before it started filling gaseous CO2), but the power difference is absolutely worth it, and if you live near a store that will refill your tank it's pretty economical.

Does the wider opening affect the priming position as per your guide with presetting the valve with a bb? Does the wider channel allow the vale to move further forward than one un-widened?

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When placed in the charged, use a wrench in the space between the top of the shell rim and the fill locking pin to apply pressure downwards on the shell when filling it. Try that. I have to do that on some of my shells.

 

nx_aps_charger_pressure.jpg

Edited by NonEx
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Unscrew the cap, and try filling it with just the metal, i had some shells where i screwed on the plastic in a weird way so the shell would just expel gas as soon as i tried to fill it.

 

Wha?

 

Does the plastic shell not act as an intermediary funnel to force CO2 from the charger up into the metal CO2 container of the shell?

Which is why I say to push it downwards to create a better seal. Maybe I completely missed how it works :o

 

Yeah well of course replacing the o-rings is step 1 :P

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Anyone seen a review or handled the new 870 marine ? Curious if the finish is painted or if it is mediablasted alu, been burned before with stainless finishes that looked good in pictures. Also the magtube looks different from my standard 870 (which soon might be 4 sale)

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I am STHLM based

 

It is a piece of art!

 

(Guess I kind of have to think so since the amount of money spent otherwise would have caused a serious cognitive dissonance)

 

Going from black painted pot metal and aluminium to steel is as big a step as going from abs plastic to metal.

The bluing is perfect and there are plenty of little details that shows remarkable craftsmanship.

 

I was afraid that the receiver would have lacked the shell ejector which probably would be a b-ch to attach.

But is already installed in much better quality than the original.

 

4922e405fa337c24e96028a4b9850ed5.jpg

 

The top wave pattern of the steel version is very nice compared to the plain ribbon top of the standard version. Not sure how well it corresponds with the RS police magnum which generally is finished in a grey parkerised finish with black bolt.

 

64fa3a00b9e48b68c719fca0229ad6fc.jpg

 

The blued finish is really nice compared to the matte black. Inside the steel receiver I had to do some serious cleaning since there was a lot of grinding particles and residue left.

But with a rough cloth and then some lube the bolt ran smoothly.

cfb66b1f758855221cbac0e2492e49c4.jpg

b3f29b01d0fcaf0ad15e5f094988f9ef.jpg

 

Another great stroke of genius is the elimination of the moronic magazine cradle. In the steel as well as the RS version you just screw the tube on.

 

70fa9d41e4c0fb6d4a4b95336cd8aa74.jpg

 

Another thing that was a bit of a surprise was the included bolt.

Unsure what generation it is but it seems to be of good quality with a round pushpin head. When comparing it to the old one I realized that the base was completely different. It is made for a RS spec cradle. Which struck me as a good idea but why the fruitcage haven't they included a cradle or at least said something about it in the description!?!

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