Tokyo Marui M&P9

[DeltaZero]

Just finished this. Its running like train and looks fantastic. Detonator slide cerakoted McMillian Grey, Nebula Frame in Magpul OD, controls in Graphite Black. 

 

[mimesis]

Just finished this. Its running like train and looks fantastic. Detonator slide cerakoted McMillian Grey, Nebula Frame in Magpul OD, controls in Graphite Black. 

 

 

 

OK, give us the low-down on the innards.

[DeltaZero]

OK..

 

Externals: 

Detonator M&P9L Slide (CeraKoted McMillian Grey)

Nebula/Guarder Frame (Stippled/CeraKoted Magpul OD)

Guarder Serial plate (CeraKoted Graphite Black)

Detonator VTAC Sights

UAC Trigger (Cerakoted trigger safety lever, none of that red stuff here!)

Detonator Outerbarrel (CeraKoted Armour Black)

Ready Fighter Catalyst Mag Release (not pictured)

Ocean Custom Tactical Steel Recoil Rod

 

Internals:

UAC Ultra Lightweight BBU

UAC Aluminium Loading Nozzle

UAC Aluminium Piston Head

UAC Match Grade Steel Hammer & Sear Set

UAC Match Grade Steel Trigger Lever

Nine Ball Gas Routers

Nine Ball Hammer Spring set

Nine Ball Purple Hop Rubber

TK Twist Inner Barrel

Nine Ball NEO-R High Bullet Valve

SA Recoil Spring 150%

SA Light 20% Fast Trigger Spring GBB

All misc screws etc replaced with high quality steel equivalents

 

I think thats everything? :/

Edited May 28, 2016 by DeltaZero

[NonEx]

That's some project

 

Nice when it finally comes together, eh?

 

And OCD alert on CeraKote, no capital K please

[DeltaZero]

Damn right it is! Im surprised everything works so well together, hardly any fitting issues, few bits of filing on the trigger lever and the frame a slightly..

 

As for the K.. Not sure why I did the caps.. I recall seeing it with a capital somewhere but just checked the official pages and no caps.. Apologies my good sir.

 

 

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[mimesis]

Internals:

UAC Ultra Lightweight BBU

UAC Aluminium Loading Nozzle

UAC Aluminium Piston Head

UAC Match Grade Steel Hammer & Sear Set

UAC Match Grade Steel Trigger Lever

Nine Ball Gas Routers

Nine Ball Hammer Spring set

Nine Ball Purple Hop Rubber

TK Twist Inner Barrel

Nine Ball NEO-R High Bullet Valve

SA Recoil Spring 150%

SA Light 20% Fast Trigger Spring GBB

All misc screws etc replaced with high quality steel equivalents

 

Thanks!! Impressive.

 

So, the hammer and sear set works OK in this build?  Didn't you have problems with them before?

[uscmCorps]

Externals: 

Ready Fighter Catalyst Mag Release (not pictured)

Just a word of caution about Catalyst mag releases, while they do make dropping the mag a little easier that's also a double edge sword. If you have the gun lying on its mag release side and grab it off the deck you may accidentally depress the mag release and drop the mag when picking it up. On a real gun that'll potentially be life threatening only having one round in the gun. In airsoft, obviously not life threatening, but you could damage your gas mag. Not saying it's a bad product, just something to keep in mind. I have a few for my real guns but have reverted back to the OEM mag release because of this (experienced it first hand during a Ken Hackathorn class a few years back). Witnessed another shooter accidentally drop their mag this very way during a USPSA match last year.

 

That's an awesome build though. Hat tip to you for making it all work together and great aesthetic taste. I love my airsoft and real M&P9L's. So much so that I just bought a couple more back up M&P9L's (RS) as I have had to retire another M&P9L last month. Interesting tidbit about the RS M&P9L, most people in the firearms world (myself included) assumed that S&W had retired the M&P9L and are sticking with the M&P 9Pro 5". Turns out that isn't the case. It appears that the M&P9L is still commonly available however S&W has now reserved it for LEO's only. So you won't see them readily available on the civvie market, but I see them at almost every LE dept shop I go to. At least here on the West Coast.

So, TLDR: RS M&P9L is not discontinued, but now a LEO dedicated model.

[DeltaZero]

Thanks!! Impressive.

 

So, the hammer and sear set works OK in this build?  Didn't you have problems with them before?

 

I got them to work in this build, not sure if the hammer housing is somehow different slightly or the parts mesh slightly differently but they worked straight away. I got confused to took them out and dropped them back into my other M&P ATEi 5" and had the same issues as before so reverted back to the old parts. Maybe theres some tolerance issues but its been running fine without them and just an upgraded spring set so I'm not so fussed. 

 

Just a word of caution about Catalyst mag releases, while they do make dropping the mag a little easier that's also a double edge sword. If you have the gun lying on its mag release side and grab it off the deck you may accidentally depress the mag release and drop the mag when picking it up. On a real gun that'll potentially be life threatening only having one round in the gun. In airsoft, obviously not life threatening, but you could damage your gas mag. Not saying it's a bad product, just something to keep in mind. I have a few for my real guns but have reverted back to the OEM mag release because of this (experienced it first hand during a Ken Hackathorn class a few years back). Witnessed another shooter accidentally drop their mag this very way during a USPSA match last year.

 

That's an awesome build though. Hat tip to you for making it all work together and great aesthetic taste. I love my airsoft and real M&P9L's. So much so that I just bought a couple more back up M&P9L's (RS) as I have had to retire another M&P9L last month. Interesting tidbit about the RS M&P9L, most people in the firearms world (myself included) assumed that S&W had retired the M&P9L and are sticking with the M&P 9Pro 5". Turns out that isn't the case. It appears that the M&P9L is still commonly available however S&W has now reserved it for LEO's only. So you won't see them readily available on the civvie market, but I see them at almost every LE dept shop I go to. At least here on the West Coast.

So, TLDR: RS M&P9L is not discontinued, but now a LEO dedicated model.

 

Yeah I am aware of the issues with the catalyst mag release, this Guarder/Nebula frame seems to hold the mags slightly tighter than the stock frame and the mag release itself is slightly stiffer so I don't think it'll be too much of an issue but I will keep an eye on it don't worry, I keep the stock mag release in the case with both M&Ps so it's easy to swap out! 

 

Cool fact about it being LEO dedicated. I really wish we could get into the shooting scene here in Blighty as much as you guys are in the States, I love the M&P platform and would love to shoot it RS along with many others but it seems airsoft is my only release for the time being! I was born over there so have dual citizenship, I'm slowly chipping away at my fiancé to make the move over there! 

[gogojuice]

I finally got a reply back from the dealers listed by Mimesis...

 

Both are out of stock  

 

I can't believe how hard it is to find a couple of springs for this?  

 

Anyone have any other thoughts on where I can get 2 recoil springs from?

 

Thanks

[DeltaZero]

If you're having issues I seem to recall TM G17 springs are a reasonable substitute..

 

 

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[gogojuice]

Thanks Delta.  

 

There are a lot of Glocks out there.. I'll take a look, should be easier to find I hope.

[mimesis]

I finally got a reply back from the dealers listed by Mimesis...

 

Both are out of stock

 

I can't believe how hard it is to find a couple of springs for this?  

 

Anyone have any other thoughts on where I can get 2 recoil springs from?

 

Thanks

 

DenTrinity seems to have everything you need: http://www.dentrinityshop.com/pr_list.jsp?cid=OTA&bid=RSG

[NonEx]

Wii Tech directly?

 

http://www.wiitech.com.hk/product-list.shtml?path=17_119

[BioRage]

Thanks Delta.  

 

There are a lot of Glocks out there.. I'll take a look, should be easier to find I hope.

 

Airsoftparts in toronto, has the gun modify 125% recoil springs for 17.50, just add the two, and use the springs from there.

[mimesis]

Internals:

UAC Ultra Lightweight BBU

UAC Aluminium Loading Nozzle

UAC Aluminium Piston Head

 

 

Curious as to your experience with how smoothly the nozzle travels back and forth inside the BBU.  Just got mine and had to do a little filing on the inside of those raised lugs that seem to connect upper and lower "rails" of the BBU, just to get the nozzle to fit into it.

[cav.]

Curious as to your experience with how smoothly the nozzle travels back and forth inside the BBU.  Just got mine and had to do a little filing on the inside of those raised lugs that seem to connect upper and lower "rails" of the BBU, just to get the nozzle to fit into it.

 

It's a drop in fit. Didn't have to file anything to get the nozzle working smoothly.

[DeltaZero]

Neither me.. I've got two complete sets now and neither had an issue..

 

 

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[mimesis]

Hmmm, must have been unlucky.  The two protruding locating rails on each side of the nozzle would not go past those little vertical raised lugs that connect the upper and lower parts of the BBU.  Jiggling the nozzle around, I could see where the anodizing was coming off the inside/back of the lugs.  It's free now, but metal on metal doesn't seem to make for the smoothest to-and-fro motion.

[uscmCorps]

Two new slides available:

• 5" SAI-style long slide

• 4.25" SAI-style full size slide

 

Not my taste, but it's always good to see more options coming out. I do wish they'd do a 5" 9L and 4.25" full size slide with full top serrations but no 10-8 markings to match my real guns ... but that's just me I guess.

[Inspector]

I purchased one of the 5" nova SAI slides from Boom Arms. The finish isn't the best but for $105 they're decent.

[uscmCorps]

I've yet to see an aluminum finish that looks close to the steel Melonite finish that S&W applies to their slides. Best case they look cerakoted. Nova's finish is generally ok, not as good as Detonator but still decent. And like you said, for $105, very good for the money.

[mimesis]

Help!  Removing the pin that holds the rocket valve in place, in the UAC aluminum loading nozzle.  I can't make it budge.  On one side the pin is flat, whereas on the other side the end of it looks more like a roll pin (tiny hole in the center).  Looking into the nozzle, the entire pin seems to have raising ribbing right along it.

 

Getting the pin out of the TM nozzle was hard enough--no indication that one end (hidden) has that raised/textured tip, so that you're supposed to hammer out from the other side.

 

I've tried significant force on the UAC and am getting concerned that I will deform the aluminum of the nozzle if I hit it much harder.

 

Is the pin supposed to come out in one particular direction?  Did others find it hard to shift?  Any pointers?

[DeltaZero]

In the UAC nozzle it's a threaded bar, you'll need a very small Allen key to get it out. I'd be careful removing that bar now as you may have put stress on the threading.

 

 

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[mimesis]

OK, so egg on my face.

 

What I thought was the roll pin-like end of the pin that secures the rocket valve, was actually a microscopic hex socket, and the "ribbing" on the pin is of course actually threading.

 

Despite my hammering, I was fortunately still able to get enough purchase on the hex socket hole with the tip of a watchmaker's screwdriver to unscrew the pin.

 

Hopefully, somebody with benefit from my blunder.

 

P.S. here's the one instruction/warning they provide, about the "scoket set screw":

 

http://www.uacofficial.com/product/tokyo-marui/aluminum-loading-nozzle-for-tm-m-p9/

Edited June 26, 2016 by mimesis

[mimesis]

Guarder's latest.