Star M249 Para Examined...

[eldelphi]

Sorry about your gun man. This usually happens to new runs of guns. My friends CA 249 has been busted more than its been shooting. All of which are results from poor QC.

 

Anyway, pull the handle back towards you and then rotate it upwards. Also you just pull that metal shoulder rest up. Its pretty tough but it does come up. After its up, you just slide the end of the stock off reveiling the storage area in the stock. Great place to store a bag a bb's 

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Thanks dude. I've contacted Airsoft Gi. Hopefully we can work something out. I hear they have GREAT CUSTOMER SUPPORT. wink wink.

[SubSeven]

Thanks dude.  I've contacted Airsoft Gi. Hopefully we can work something out. I hear they have GREAT CUSTOMER SUPPORT. wink wink.

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Hehe, I also contacted them....hope they really do try to remedy the problems.....(knock on wood)

 

On a side note, did you even try firing the gun yet? I would love to know if your box mag feed good.

[eldelphi]

Hehe, I also contacted them....hope they really do try to remedy the problems.....(knock on wood) 

 

On a side note, did you even try firing the gun yet? I would love to know if your box mag feed good.

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heh. well i couldn't resist, so i plugged it in. ( and indeed a small piece chipped off. ugh) I was planning on dry firing a bit, just to see what it sounds like but my battery died instantly. What was intersting tho was that when i removed the magazine, a few BB's fell out (about 6 or so) And i know that i did not load them in there, which leads me to beleive that someone in the store was using it b4 they shipped it. hmmm. Quality check maybe?.. store display model?.. 'shrug.

[Nr.IV]

Whats the size of gearbox ? (Looking for a gearbox for a custom guns)

[Rev Golightly]

Hi Guys one of the best threads I have read, its now a toss up between the Star minimi or waiting for the new SA80's.

 

Got to thank Static for some very informative reading

 

[popeye]

What was intersting tho was that when i removed the magazine, a few BB's fell out (about 6 or so) And i know that i did not load them in there, which leads me to beleive that someone in the store was using it b4 they shipped it.

 

Lets see....it comes to you broken and there is evidence that it has been used. I guess we can all deduce that the person that used it, broke it. I would certainly hope that Airsoft GI would take care of this right away. From what others have said about their service, I imagine they will.

 

Even still, I know that is very dissappointing. This is one of the unfortunate realities of the world of airsoft. You always have to wonder whether something is going to work when you get it, or if you will have to make repairs and modifications before you even get to use it. For the money we spend you would expect everything to work perfectly out of the box. This is the only hobby that I know of that suffers from this problem.

[Spluh]

NM...

Edited November 24, 2005 by Spluh

[eldelphi]

Lets see....it comes to you broken and there is evidence that it has been used.  I guess we can all deduce that the person that used it, broke it.  I would certainly hope that Airsoft GI would take care of this right away.  From what others have said about their service, I imagine they will.

 

Even still, I know that is very dissappointing.  This is one of the unfortunate realities of the world of airsoft.  You always have to wonder whether something is going to work when you get it, or if you will have to make repairs and modifications before you even get to use it.  For the money we spend you would expect everything to work perfectly out of the box.  This is the only hobby that I know of that suffers from this problem.

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Airsoft GI said they will exchange the broken box magazine once i've sent the defective one back. Which i guess is good, but now, i have to WAIT again for an item that never should have been broken in the first place. AAAARRRRGGGH.

 

Does anyone know if using a adapter on the battery will affect the guns performance. I have a large 8.6v 1900MAH type battery with a large male connection. However this gun takes a mini female connection. If i get a converter to convert my large male port into a mini male port, then connect it to the gun, will it still work as intended? or will the conversion mess up the gears, etc?? just curious. thnx.

[Goose5x5]

Airsoft GI said they will exchange the broken box magazine once i've sent the defective one back.  Which i guess is good, but now, i have to WAIT again for an item that never should have been broken in the first place.  AAAARRRRGGGH.

 

Does anyone know if using a adapter on the battery will affect the guns performance.  I have a large 8.6v 1900MAH type battery with a large male connection.  However this gun takes a mini female connection.  If i get a converter to convert my large male port into a mini male port, then connect it to the gun, will it still work as intended? or will the conversion mess up the gears, etc??  just curious. thnx.

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Sorry to hear you'll have wait for your new box mag eldelphi.

 

On your question for the battery to boxmag connection I have gone with the converter option you mentioned and the everything works great so don't worry about any issues there.

 

Goose5x5

[airsoftgi]

most of the time, star tested out the magazine. We dont sell display model on the internet. We are contacting STAR for replacement parts at this time.

[staticzero]

Airsoft GI said they will exchange the broken box magazine once i've sent the defective one back.  Which i guess is good, but now, i have to WAIT again for an item that never should have been broken in the first place.  AAAARRRRGGGH.

 

Does anyone know if using a adapter on the battery will affect the guns performance.  I have a large 8.6v 1900MAH type battery with a large male connection.  However this gun takes a mini female connection.  If i get a converter to convert my large male port into a mini male port, then connect it to the gun, will it still work as intended? or will the conversion mess up the gears, etc??  just curious. thnx.

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My box mag came with a few BBs in it too. However, I believe it's because I asked ASGI to test the gun before shipping it out (which they informed me they did do). This is something I always ask for when I order a gun even if it seems like it's already the stores policy to do it, and something I usually do myself before leaving the store when I buy a gun locally. It helps ensure I get a working gun out of the box, and it potentially saves trouble for me and for the store.

 

As for your connector issue, it should be okay. Just keep in mind that the more connections you introduce into a circuit, the more resistance. It's not the best thing in practice, it would be better to replace the connector on the battery.

 

It's bad form to have a male connector on the battery, by the way. Who built it for you like that? If nothing else it makes it pretty darn incompatible as all the airsoft guns I've encountered have the male on the gun. Or am I misinterpreting you? You said your battery has a male, but the gun takes a female, but you want to step down the male on the battery to a mini male. Color me confused...

 

Regardless, you'd have to step down the size anyway, and this not uncommon to have to do. All it's doing is changing the connector shape, really (as long as you use good wire). You should be fine. I'm not really sure how you think it's going to mess up the gears or anything. It may affect your ROF a tiiiiiiny bit, but as you're using a large type battery, presumably this small increase in resistance isn't going to keep enough current from reaching the motor to affect anything substantially. Still, I'd avoid using an adapter personally.

 

On the topic, I recently replaced all the connectors in my gun with Deans, as is my standard practice. There were no issues with fit as far as the gearbox connector in the body goes, for anyone interested.

Edited November 24, 2005 by staticzero

[Slo]

My boxmag as well had bbs in it - about 10, but I think it was just STAR doing QC testing on the mags to make sure they feed. It'd take a retailer forever to test out every single box mag they get.

 

As for the adapter - I ran into the same problem and have one running on mine. No effect on ROF. I'm running a 9.6 2400 mah though so I couldn't tell you for sure.

 

A question to all STAR M249 owners - did you have a hell of a time adjusting the hop up the first time? For cryin out loud, I had to use both hands on the allen key to get the sucker turning and even then it was stiff as anything. Finally got it adjusted, but jeez, I thought I was going to break the screw twisting it like I was.

[eldelphi]

My box mag came with a few BBs in it too. However, I believe it's because I asked ASGI to test the gun before shipping it out (which they informed me they did do). This is something I always ask for when I order a gun even if it seems like it's already the stores policy to do it, and something I usually do myself before leaving the store when I buy a gun locally. It helps ensure I get a working gun out of the box, and it potentially saves trouble for me and for the store.

 

As for your connector issue, it should be okay. Just keep in mind that the more connections you introduce into a circuit, the more resistance. It's not the best thing in practice, it would be better to replace the connector on the battery.

 

It's bad form to have a male connector on the battery, by the way. Who built it for you like that? If nothing else it makes it pretty darn incompatible as all the airsoft guns I've encountered have the male on the gun. Or am I misinterpreting you? You said your battery has a male, but the gun takes a female, but you want to step down the male on the battery to a mini male. Color me confused...

 

Regardless, you'd have to step down the size anyway, and this not uncommon to have to do. All it's doing is changing the connector shape, really (as long as you use good wire). You should be fine. I'm not really sure how you think it's going to mess up the gears or anything. It may affect your ROF a tiiiiiiny bit, but as you're using a large type battery, presumably this small increase in resistance isn't going to keep enough current from reaching the motor to affect anything substantially. Still, I'd avoid using an adapter personally.

 

On the topic, I recently replaced all the connectors in my gun with Deans, as is my standard practice. There were no issues with fit as far as the gearbox connector in the body goes, for anyone interested.

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I agree. its always good to have the store check the gun b4 they ship it to ensure that the item works and enduce a level of quality control. So like i said, maybe thats what they did, and it was simply damaged in transit. it happens. And i am glad that Airsoft Gi will replace the box mag, even tho it may or may not be a fault of their own.

 

I don't know much about batteries and voltage etc. My friend showed me this online battery store where i learned about the male/ female typs of connectors.

 

http://www.batteryspace.com/index.asp?Page...ROD&ProdID=1006

 

I beleive I need something like that, but reversed. At the bottom of that page is where i learned which is male, and which is female. Is that correct? I have attatched a pic of my battery connectors, and my understanding of them. Maybe it will celar some things up.

where did u get your battery from Static? maybe ill just order a new one; can u link me? thnx,

[staticzero]

Ah. So you have it backwards. The large one in that pic is female. The Male goes into the female, see. This is how I've always known them, and how I've seen it represented on other sites. This arrangement with the female on the battery is standard practice.

 

I can see how it could be the other way too, since the male pin is in the female connector, and visa versa. So, if you go by the pins the large one in your pic is male. But, if you go by the connector, it's female. Confused yet?

 

I get my batteries from http://cheapbatterypacks.com these days, though I didn't get the battery I'm using in my M249 currently from them. I plan on ordering a 9.6v pack built with Intellect IB3800 SC cells from them soon (with a female deans and 14AWG wire).

Edited November 24, 2005 by staticzero

[eldelphi]

Ah. So you have it backwards. The large one in that pic is female. The Male goes into the female, see. This is how I've always known them, and how I've seen it represented on other sites. This arrangement with the female on the battery is standard practice.

 

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See thats what i would think as well. But according to the website that i linked earlier, the large type is MALE, not female. wierd. Ok, well i get the point. thanks for the link.

 

Personally I can't give my thorough opinion of this gun as of yet being that i have such a suckie experience so far. But I can say that the gun itself raises a few issues:

 

i kidna wish it was metal. ( Sorry to be a killjoy guys.... I should have gone with the CA. Curses!) Because its plastic, i am so afraid it will brake. It just doesn't feel solid to me. My G&G UMG is plastic as well, but heavier than this gun. (Granted i have a laser and foregrip installed but it feels rock solid. No movement, No wobble, No delicate parts.). I'm not worried about wear and tear of the UMG cuz i know it can handle it. The Star M249 however feels hollow and i am afraid will crack at the first bump.

 

Warmonger knows how to use fiberglass: i don't!: if it drops and breaks,I'm screwed...unless he wants to open a repair shop. lol. And as cool as the modular gearbox design is, it would suck if the feed connector gets permanently damaged, cuz then your whole gun is done for. lord forbid!

 

Its a little front heavy and when u hold it by the handle, without bb's in the mag, only the batteries, the MK2 tilts up. I would think it would level off. wierd.

 

Fell free to disagree, I'm just saying what i personally know as of now. This might help someone down the line. I'm hoping my skepticisms change once the mag is replaced and its field tested. God i hope so. otherwise... anyone wanna trade?

[eldelphi]

I took Subsevens advice and put a bag of bb's in the stock which adds enough weight to the back to make the gun feel a bit more solid but its still not balenced. but it IS a good start. Me likes, me likes.

[The Original SaXoN]

I'm going to start sounding like i'm whining soon but has anyone tried after market cosmetic parts to see if they fit? top plates, foregrips, handgrips etc. Or even just tried swaping over parts from the TOP/CA M249's to see if they fit?

[SubSeven]

I'm going to start sounding like i'm whining soon but has anyone tried after market cosmetic parts to see if they fit? top plates, foregrips, handgrips etc. Or even just tried swaping over parts from the TOP/CA M249's to see if they fit?

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Im possibly going over to my buddy's house Sunday to mess around with his CA. I plan on seeing what, if anything, in compatible with the STAR.

I'll keep ya posted on what I find.

[birddog]

Interesting observations....

Edited November 25, 2005 by birddog

[Slo]

Well guys, here's my AAR after a full eight hours of skirmishing:

 

The Para performed absolutely beautifully - fired about 4500 rounds through her and she kept rockin and a rollin. No problems feeding, no mechanical failures, nothing except the sweet sounds of, "Oh ****!" and "Get down!" when the barrel was pointed in the OPFORs direction.

 

Just for the a note, I'm using totally stock internals except I replaced the piston o-ring with a TM o-ring off one of their pistons. I held back installing any kind of after market piston because I'm interested to see how long the stock STAR one will last. Did inspect it after a full day and it looks fine - I'm also running a 9.6V 2400 mah in my gun too - not recommended, but I'll live with it if it breaks since i have a box full of upgrade and spare parts.

 

Anyhoo, the gun itself held up well - it was banged around, thrown into the dirt, slung quickly over the shoulder, etc and not a single creak, crack, or loose part - except being a little sandy of course.

 

In my opinion, and from my own personal experience, STAR has themselves a real winner here. My only gripe is that I want the cloth mags - it'll make it so much easier to crawl with. The box mag makes it nearly impossible to crawl quickly over the ground to adjust your fire.

 

-Slo

 

PS: I will have some action pics shortly - waiting for a buddy of mine to send 'em my way. They're obviously staged, but look cool nonetheless.

[HeuteGegangen]

Sounds great Slo! Reliability both externally and internally are very important in an airsoft weapon. Do you have any skirmish pictures?

[The Original SaXoN]

Sod it, Slo has sold it to me. I'm going to get me one! I'm still interested if aftermarket parts fit but I'm sure STAR will start to do their own, like the canvas 100rd mag that's coming out. Other manufacturers would be stupid not to do parts judging by how popular it is already. Sign me up the the STAR M249 club !

[Angry]

I think I'm going to get a Para instead of an L85, it just seems better value for money. Plus the write-ups posted here give me a good feeling about it

[Slo]

Well, I promised some "action" pics of the Para and here they are though they are close encounters of the blurred kind . . . my buddy's camera obviously doesn't know what focus is . . .d'oh. But they still look kinda cool . . .

[eldelphi]

" ... close encounters of the blurred kind" haha, that's awesome. Think of the blurr as 'artistic expression. Nice pics, otherwise.