Magpul PTS Masada vs. Bushmaster ACR

A customer came in at work after hours today to show us (Jasper and I) this beauty. He shared with us some of the details and procedures about the real ACR that I have done my best to remember and add after the break.

Which one is the Magpul PTS Masada ACR AEG? Which one is the Bushmaster ACR? Its all in the details…

I’ve taped over the serial number of the ACR owner’s gun. For fun, I did the same to the PTS Masada on the same place where that serial number is on the real ACR.

I’ll give you a few hints – the real ACR is an non-restricted firearm as per Canadian firearm rules. It does not have any prohibited parts (like a suppressor). It is illegal for civilians in Canada to own firearms that are capable of full-auto fire.
Honestly, PTS did a really good job with the Masada AEG – overall dimensions and texture of materials feels spot on. Weight is slightly more front heavy on the real ACR, thanks to the longer, match barrel that this user has. Pistol grip is slightly fatter on the PTS Masada, as a result of having to fit a motor inside the pistol grip. Other than that…

Enough of my thoughts – do you want to take a look at the inner workings of a real ACR? Pictures after the break… and bonus intel about something new that relates to the Masada/ACR in Airsoft at the very bottom.

LCT AK 104 Front End

so pretty.

Anyone who knows me (or sees me on the field) will tell you that I’m pretty big on externals. I love tinkering with things like rails, stocks, optics, illumination, lasers, etc. Not everything gives me an in-game advantage (if anything, some of it is just effectively dead weight) but boy, does it look cool.

After the break, a quick look at what is quickly becoming one of my favorite AEGs, both externally and internally – my LCT AK 104. Specifically, the front end.

Tokyo Marui MP7A1 GBB & Action Loading Muzzle

Quick preface: If you’re looking for more info and a shooting demo of the TM MP7, you’re reading the wrong article. If this is what you’re looking for, I suggest you check out (some of) the videos on the Marui MP7 GBB done by a guy going by username KhanSeb on YouTube – he does some very nice shooting demos of many, many Airsoft guns. I’m fairly certain he’s got a few other clips featuring the Tokyo Marui MP7, both demonstrations as well as game play footage as well.

My KWA MP7 GBB is a SMG that I’ve come to respect after shooting it. When Tokyo Marui released their MP7 GBB late last year, I was interested to see how it would be before picking up my KWA. I only recently had a chance to hold one myself, as a few arrived at work a few months ago.

The TM MP7 GBB is in fact a very fun gun to shoot. The kick is noticeably more substantial than the KWA’s light blow back action. Though it doesn’t seem to be quite of an efficient gas system as in the KWA model, I’m hoping to get to try out the legendary TM GBB accuracy and range as it performs in this gun one day soon (I mean, TM puts a similar hop up design into their GBB’s as is in the venerable VSR-10 sniper rifle… how can that possibly go bad?). The space that I plink in at work during down time is not nearly long enough for the hop up to even kick in.

This first photo is the best look I’ve gotten inside the hop up unit thus far (there are video clips all over YouTube demonstrating how to expose the craftily hidden hop up adjustment dial, but asides from that, this angle is the only other look I’ve personally had at the Tokyo Marui MP7 hop up chamber). I didn’t want to take it apart any further than this as this is a gun for sale at work. As much as I want to tinker with it, I’ll leave that up to the person who buys it… oh wait, that might be me (if there’s still one for sale, when I can afford it).

I spent some time at work taking apart the bolt carrier group in the Tokyo Marui MP7, as our demo gun had a blown out loading nozzle – the following article is a result of the photos I took and observations I made while doing that repair.

Guarder TM MEU Metal Kit

I ordered a Guarder Metal Slide and Frame for Tokyo Marui MEU with TRP Markings through work. This is my first complete aftermarket 1911 metal frame installation project. I’ve retrofitted entire 1911 GBB’s into new OEM slides and frames before, and even slides and frames from other gun manufacturers (not to mention doing the same job on a few Marui/KJ/Prime P226N and countless TM/PGC/Guarder Glocks) But… I just wasn’t prepared for the headaches (plural, not singular) resulting from trying to put this one together.

Though it may look and feel nice now, it turned out that the lower didn’t fit together nearly as well as I thought it should. With hours of sanding, polishing, testing and repeating that process, I think I have finally worked it all out. Read on for my thoughts on this process.

Happy Birthday, Overhoppers!

Its been one year since my first post to Overhoppers. According to WordPress, there are now:

• 26 subscribed followers

• 190 visitors per day (approximate)

• 245 posts

• 88,143 views

Links to Overhoppers posts have popped up on forums around the world, business Facebook pages like Blade-Tech, blogs and news sites like Popular Airsoft… even Wikipedia.

On behalf of Dizzy, thanks to all of you for continuing to stop by and commenting – you have all helped Overhoppers grow and we do appreciate it.

News: Magpul PTS RM4 ERG Series

 

According to an article on Popular Airsoft, Magpul PTS will soon release its new PTS RM4 ERG (Electric Recoil Gun) system in August.

This is the first time I’ve heard of it, but the RM4 seems to be Magpul PTS’s version of the Tokyo Marui Next-Gen AEG platform, with a recoil/shock system and a functioning bolt catch that locks the gearbox on an empty magazine.  It appears that the RM4 will be “co-distributed” by KWA, although whether this means KWA is in fact the OEM for this is unclear.

The most significant difference between the RM4 and the Tokyo Marui Next-Gen AEG is the ability of the RM4 to take normal AEG magazines, unlike the Next-Gen TM which only accepts Next-Gen TM magazines without an adaptor. Using normal AEG magazines will, however, not enable the functioning bolt catch, which is to be expected. The magazines themselves seem to operate the functioning bolt catch differently as well, operating with what appears to be an elongated follower that somehow locks the gearbox, presumably through the hop chamber? Interesting. It’s certainly different from the lever mounted in the rear of the Next-Gen TM and PTW magazines.

I presume (though I could be wrong) that the “shock” will come from a weight moving back and forth in the buffer tube, similar to the TM design.

Still unknown at this point how much of the gearbox is proprietary (I’m presuming most of it will be, since most of the TM gearbox is proprietary). I’m hoping Magpul PTS has found a way to keep most of it V2 compatible, but I presume time will tell. Otherwise, this is another new platform and another new attempt to move airsoft technology forward, which is always a good thing in my book.

Defense Review: Mil Civ

The Reptile House

Great article about MIL CIV (see what I did that time? Mil Sim/Mil Civ). Click the quotation below to head to the article:

“Even with all the various optics and accessories offered under the Special Operations Peculiar Modification (SOPMOD) program for the rifle, soldiers are opting to outfit their rifles with certain items. They’re seeing what the top shooting competitors are using to win competitive shooting events like 3-Gun, and what is working for the majority of shooters, and they recognize what wins in a match can also help them win on the battlefield.”

Quoted: Jeff Gurwitch and DefenseReview.com

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News: VGC NJPC AOR1

I just caught wind of an upcoming VGC product via Facebook – a “New Jerk PC” in AOR1. This looks much better than how the Flyye offering will likely turn out (mentioned previously here).

Materials look very good, they remind me of those on Drift’s Crye JPC (size medium, Multicam) – though not an exact match from looking at photos, they look much better than what the TMC, Emerson and the newly announced Flyye replicas offer.

The real NJPC’s distinguishing feature is the closed-top lids on top of the integrated mag pouches. These flaps do cover up an extra row of MOLLE, leaving one row exposed. VGC’s current photograph featuring their pre-production NJPC has flaps that are a tad too long – this has been pointed out by a few people on VGC’s Facebook page already.

VGC posted this second photo with the following description:

VGC new product 2.0 ” AOR1 NEW JERK PC”

**preproduction sample only**
***Molle and ribbon color will be fine tune***

((Coming before fall 2013))

It does look very good, I think I’ll wait for one of these instead of a Flyye 6094 in their semi-believable AOR1 pattern. Honestly, I’m not too comfortable with a 6094A design. Same goes with the 6094B. Only reason why I like them is the integrated mag/radio pouches in the cummerbund and the large, velcro-lined kangaroo pouch.

Though I have not yet fully tested a JPC, I really do think that I would enjoy using a JPC way more. That being said, I prefer wearing size large plates, so here’s hoping that VGC produces their NJPC in large! (The sizing of their AOR2 6094 Type A has some conflicting information out there on the internet, though Spartan.AT’s review does state even though the VGCxFFI 6094 is supposed to be a medium due to the “A” designation, medium plates are a bit loose and that there is probably enough space for a large.)

The VGCxFFI AOR2 pattern I own in my Combat Set looks quite similar to the real deal (with the exception of the black pixels being really, really black), so I would hope that VGC’s AOR1 pattern would have the same sort of repro accuracy. The photos lead me to believe so, at least.

Update: JK Army has these available for pre-order for $135 USD ($145 retail price with $10 discount for pre-order ETA Sept-Oct 2013). Note that the material is 500D as per the product description.

Review: MAG Magazine Springs for PTW (Strong)

Got PTW mags that are just too stubborn to feed anything heavier than a 0.25g reliably, without chopping? Solution – buy the MAG Replacement Magazine Springs for Systema PTW (Strong Type).

Read on for my review and some related musings after the break.

DIY PRC-152 Blade Antenna

A blade antenna… made out of a blade of grass! Get it?

In the above pic, Dirt shows us that blades of grass make effective PRC-152 blade antennas. Clarity of reception and range of broadcast increased by over 9000 percent.