staticzero Posted November 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 I finally got my hands on a bullet belt. Here's a little trick I came up with to secure the belt in place in the tray. I used twelve rounds. Hook the last one through the slot in the mag, like so. Wrap a rubber band around the tray a few times like this. Lay the bullets in place and tuck the first couple under the rubber band. Another angle. Close it up, and you're good to go! I shortened the feed tube spring a bit, to let the rounds lay better. I'd not advise doing it. It's risky, and more trouble than it's worth. I took off five turns from the bottom side of the spring, the side that goes into the mag. I'd have taken off a few more, but I realized that the spring was too tough to enlarge the coils to fit over the feed tube properly. I may try and find a better solution at some point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UrPeaceKeeper Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 I finally got my hands on a bullet belt. Here's a little trick I came up with to secure the belt in place in the tray. I used twelve rounds. Hook the last one through the slot in the mag, like so. Lol its a good thing that you arent teaching em how to load a real 249! I think your bullets would be about an inch to far to the right and it wouldnt feed properly, but dang thats a fine lookin gun with it! Great work man! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staticzero Posted November 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Well the rounds would be coming out of the real box mag. They wouldn't be hooked into a slot in the hunk of plastic that seals the feed hole shut and holds the power and feed tubes in place. But yeah, the slot the rounds hook into is a bit too far back in the box mag, it makes it look odd when you look closely. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nanbova Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Really nice review......thx alot buddy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spartan490 Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) I emailed airsoftgi regarding the compatibility with CA and TOP aftermarket parts and here was their response: Dear Customer Hi, thank you for your enquiry. As this point, there is no aftermarket parts for this gun in term of exterior. The CA or Top parts will not work. We contacted few of our sources, and they are doing some planning on making RIS, metal front sights and etc for this gun. Thank you Hope this helps! Edited November 29, 2005 by spartan490 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
popeye Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) Okay, my M249 PARA came via UPS last night. I charged up a 1100 mah small type battery today and put in two brand new AA batteries. I loaded her up and took her outside for her trial run. I pulled the trigger and the motor went "pop pop pop" and then nothing The auto winder in the mag was just whirring away. I pulled the trigger again and the motor didn't make a peep. I went and got another small battery, plugged her up....and nothing I have looked at the contacts and they all appear to be in the correct position. I push the contact piece into the gun as far as it will go and still nothing. I know I am making contact due to the autowinder functioning properly. I am not getting carried away yet, but I am concerned. I looked over the diagram of the gun and i'm not sure whether it has a fuse or not. Anyone have any ideas where to go from here? Any help would be appreciated. Edit: Okay something is going on that I don't know how to diagnose. I plug the battery into the gun...I pull the trigger and the motor makes a small "hesitation" noise...and after pulling the trigger a few times, the battery is hot almost instantly. Anyone know what could cause this? Edited November 29, 2005 by popeye Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hillslam Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Sounds like a short or an open circuit. Which battery is hot? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staticzero Posted November 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 I'd say that either there's a jam (the gearbox is clear so you could take a look for something obvious) or the battery doesn't have a high enough discharge rate (not enough current is reaching the motor). My bet is it's the second one. Is the spring partially compressed? Use the button on top of the gearbox to decompress it if it is, and try it again. Also try a better battery if you can, all the 1100mAh Nimhs I know about are pretty weak. You're going to need a better battery to use this gun properly anyway, so invest in a good one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
popeye Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 Sounds like a short or an open circuit. Which battery is hot? I tried two 8.4 1100 mah and a 9.6 1100 mah. I noticed that two of them got hot and other than the gun cycling 3 or 4 times the first time I pulled the trigger...i've gotten nothing since. Of course, the only small connector batteries I have are 1100's. I don't have an adapter that will let me use a large battery. I guess i'll be heading to Hobbytown USA tomorrow to see if I can get this thing going. I sent an email to Airsoft GI advising them of my problem. I'll let you all know how they respond. I have full faith in them based on the things I have read. The battery concerns me because Static got his running with a 600 mah and I can't even get it to cylce with an 1100. I'll check for a jam and see what I can find. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hillslam Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) Staticzero is absolutely right on the battery need to use this gun properly. From my usage (with a CA, but its close enough that I expect the two guns draw rate to be similar) even a 1700mah battery loses substainial ROF during a long sustained burst. Depending on the draw, you could be asking too much of your battery. The mah is not theoretically tied to voltage, but in reality, having a bigger mah pool behind that 8.4 or 9.6 volts driving it helps it to stay constant. If you're cracking the gun open to look for jams, I'd still check for shorts too. A short would also do alot what you're describing. Edited November 29, 2005 by Hillslam Quote Link to post Share on other sites
popeye Posted November 29, 2005 Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) Yeah, upon further review of my situation I am going to wait to hear back from Airsoft GI before I open the gun and take out the gear box. I am pretty much thinking it is a jam or a short. I have looked at the scematics for the gun as well as the pictures Static was kind enough to post. The gun doesn't look to be very complex as far as wiring goes. EDIT: I heard back from Airsoft GI and this is what they advise. They said that a lower power battery can cause a jam in the gear box. That would make sense in this case. They also advise that you should press the spring release button on top of the box and this should release the jam. That leads me to my next question. When I push on the button, it barely (and I mean barely) depresses at all. Is this normal? What do others who have this gun find when they press the button? Edited November 29, 2005 by popeye Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staticzero Posted November 29, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 29, 2005 (edited) The battery concerns me because Static got his running with a 600 mah and I can't even get it to cylce with an 1100. I'll check for a jam and see what I can find. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The thing is, that was a NiCad battery, yours is a Nimh. mAh, strictly speaking, has nothing to do with it. NiCads tend to have a higher discharge rate than Nimhs. I'm not sure how much my 8.4v mini Sanyo Cadnica NiCad can put out, but it's way more than my 8.4v mini KAN NiMh pack can. Even the GP1100s can only do 10-20 (people have trouble getting them to turn over stock CA36s). In this case, the gun may need 25A to turn over from rest, but your battery can only supply 10-15A. Combine that with the increased resistance of two tamiya connectors and the mag plug, as well as 18AWG wire, and I have to conclude you're not getting enough power to the motor. It's going to seem like it's jammed in this case. However if you had a better battery (one with a higher discharge rate, even the same size/voltage) such as one of the Intellect mini packs (they can do up to 25-30A), it might be able to turn over just fine. BTW, did you try the anti-reversal lever release yet? My advice is don't do anything else until you can try it with a better battery. In the end, have a 8.4-9.6v Large type pack made with 14AWG wire and a female connector of your choice (mini tamiya if you don't want to mod the gun) using Intellect IB3800 Sub C cells. It'll be way more than you need to do the job, and about as much capacity as you can get. I recommend http://cheapbatterypacks.com for that. EDIT: I heard back from Airsoft GI and this is what they advise. They said that a lower power battery can cause a jam in the gear box. That would make sense in this case. They also advise that you should press the spring release button on top of the box and this should release the jam. That leads me to my next question. When I push on the button, it barely (and I mean barely) depresses at all. Is this normal? What do others who have this gun find when they press the button? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Except its not a jam in the gearbox, the gearbox is fine. There's just not enough power getting to the motor. It just seems like it's jammed. The same thing will happen with a low battery. Incidentally, this is exactly what I said to do before, lol. Try a better battery, and clear the jam [sic] with the release button. When you press the release, how much it moves is dependent on how far the piston was pulled back. It'll be different ever time. Edited November 30, 2005 by staticzero Quote Link to post Share on other sites
John Dee Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 popeye my old 8.4v Mini Type NiMH with 1000mAh with full charge will only fire 3 to 4 shots then the moter stops turning, But my newer 8.4v Stick Type NiMH with 1000mAh can turn the moter with no problem. I think old small battery just dont have the push needed for the gun. P.S My main battery for it is a large 8.4v Large Type NiMH with 3700mAh which lasted me all day (about 7000 BB's) with some 30 sec+ constent sprays Quote Link to post Share on other sites
popeye Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Okay, after consulting with Static and doing some checking this is what I found. I was using small type batteries from Batteryspace.com. I was using these because I don't have the correct adapter for a large to small connection. The batteries that I was using have a discharge rate of 10 amps. This really isn't close to what is needed. I will be order some 8.4 or 9.6 3300's that discharge at up to 30 amps pronto. In an earlier post it was noted that the users battery died instantly when he tried to fire the weapon. This could very well be the same exact event that I have experienced. I will post the results of the battery change. This gun appears to be a beast and it needs to be fed like one. On another note, I am extremely satisfied with the way this gun is constructed. It feels great. There is one spot that I have identified right away as falling far short. This has been mentioned in earlier posts but it definitley bears mentioning again. The clips that are used to plug the magazine into the gun are aweful. They are thin plastic and it appears that they will break at some point....then you are screwed. Hopefully the folks at Star are already looking at this, or are reviewing these posts and will take note. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Fourth Reich Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 I just bought a Star M249 a few days ago straight from this discussion. I thank everyone on here for their reviews and concerns. My questions stem from the new gearbox inside of it. I want to use this for a few months until they come out with the separate gearbox to buy. Then, I would just buy a new gearbox and put it into a shell of a CA M249. I really like the gearbox because of its compatibility. However, I want the feel of an all metal gun would that be feasible? if not , is there another option like the one I stated, aka can I get that gearbox in a completely metal gun? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AustinWolv Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Why would you want a separate mechbox for the CA249? Just buy an extra CA mechbox since they have them listed on their site, once they become available. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Fourth Reich Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) The reason I want to put a STAR gearbox in a CA is that CAs have a history of having not being as good.... These STAR gearboxes seem phenomenal. Plug and Play, practically. Change springs without removing the gearbox. From the many reviews I've read so far, the STAR gearbox is superior to the CA gearbox. I'd love to get the best of both worlds - a full metal M249 with an excellent gearbox. I will be getting my STAR M249. In 2-3 months, after the gearboxes are available for sale individually, I will sell my STAR M249, buy a CA M249 (preferably without a gearbox), and stick a STAR gearbox in it. Edited November 30, 2005 by The Fourth Reich Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AustinWolv Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 And you got that info from where? Please link these reviews you speak of. There is a CA249 thread on this very site where people have put extensive rounds through their CA249s without problems. The metal mechbox in the CA is going to be far more durable than a STAR plastic one. The CA one also features a quick-change spring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Omaha Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Wow, I can't wait for these CA damning reviews as well. The only problems that are found in the CA MKII is when people disregard the instructions, and turn the hop up so high, it jams the gun and kills the piston. And to think STAR has anything on CA is laughable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
eldelphi Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 In the end, have a 8.4-9.6v Large type pack made with 14AWG wire and a female connector of your choice (mini tamiya if you don't want to mod the gun) using Intellect IB3800 Sub C cells. It'll be way more than you need to do the job, and about as much capacity as you can get. I recommend http://cheapbatterypacks.com for that. Except its not a jam in the gearbox, the gearbox is fine. There's just not enough power getting to the motor. It just seems like it's jammed. The same thing will happen with a low battery. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Thanks for the link and the info. I just ordered mine.... don't know how cheap it really is... ($60.14 for everything u said to get, upgraded, shipping and insurance. but i know its worth it cuz the battery is a MONSTER. lol.) thnx. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staticzero Posted November 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) Upgraded eh? That's a pretty hardcore battery right there. I configured mine as 8xIB3800 cells (9.6v) with 14AWG and a female Deans, non-upgraded. $58.85 out the door. It's really excellent having a big mean battery like this around. It's as useful as a diagnostic tool as it is for skirmishing. It's a sound investment. Be nice to it and it will last you a long time, and see use in many guns! And to think STAR has anything on CA is laughable. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Well, I'm the one laughing then. • Anti-reversal latch release lever • Auto-winding box mag included • Box mag winding linked to the trigger out of the box • Quick connector hooks up power and ammo • At least least six pounds lighter fully loaded • Sweet gun case included • $570 or so cheaper (depending on model and shipping - that number is a Star Para + shipping and tax vs a CA Para + boxmag + tax, but with free shiping) Not so say the CA doesn't shine in a few areas of it's own, but the Star has nothing on it? Come on. Edited November 30, 2005 by staticzero Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Omaha Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Well, I'm the one laughing then. • Anti-reversal latch release lever • Auto-winding box mag included • Box mag winding linked to the trigger out of the box • Quick connector hooks up power and ammo • At least least six pounds lighter fully loaded • Sweet gun case included • $570 or so cheaper (depending on model and shipping - that number is a Star Para + shipping and tax vs a CA Para + boxmag + tax, but with free shiping) Not so say the CA doesn't shine in a few areas of it's own, but the Star has nothing on it? Come on. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I meant CA and STAR as companies. The guy stated that as if it was common practice for CAs to "having not being as good". But I see my wording could lead you to believe that. Although that is a very arguable, and opinionated topic. Comparing the 249s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
staticzero Posted November 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) I meant CA and STAR as companies. The guy stated that as if it was common practice for CAs to "having not being as good". But I see my wording could lead you to believe that. Although that is a very arguable, and opinionated topic. Comparing the 249s. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ah, never mind then. In that case I guess agree, for the most part. I wouldn't put it as absolutely as you have though. CA makes quality products now, but they're all essentially copies of existing guns with some (often cool and inventive, or just valuable) improvements. Don't get me wrong, they're stuff is great. I've been very happy with the CA stuff I own or have used. But Star (perhaps even more so than say, G&G, who is also very innovative in their own right) has given us a fair amount of original product, and gotten it right the first time, a lot of the time. And, they have more on the horizon. UMP, SL9 kits and forthcoming SL8/9AEGs, SOPMOD M14, AG36, L85s on the way, etc. Meanwhile, what's CA done that's truly original? I don't think it's fair to say Star has nothing on CA. MAYBE, maybe you can say CA has a proven reliability record, after all they've been at the AEG game longer (of course they weren't the hot S they are today in the beginning, mind you). But what major known issues are there with Star AEGs? There are one-off issues sure, but CA is hardly immune to those either. Edited November 30, 2005 by staticzero Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ze_Baron Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 (edited) If you don't mind my interjecting...I believe that on either the Star airsoft site or Zero-one.com it said something about a battery range of 2000-3300 mAh with the standard gearbox... Edited November 30, 2005 by Ze_Baron Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Omaha Posted November 30, 2005 Report Share Posted November 30, 2005 Meanwhile, what's CA done that's truly original? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> That is all customer preference. I don't desire original products. I desire better ones. Call me crazy, but metal hits the spot like no plastic can. No, I enjoy STAR products. I own their low caps. As it was stated earlier, product to product, STAR is the poor cousin. Nothing wrong with that though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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