In depth secondary: MK 23 NBB

Hi there, i`m back again !!

Today i want to share my thoughts about one of my favourite secondary (sometimes even used as primary too). It`s the legendary MK23 NBB!.Picture above is my personal MK23.
For you who doesn`t know before, this pistol designed originally by Tokyo Marui in early 2000.
Well, it`s 10+ years already now, yet TM NEVER update this design, which mean it`s working fine until now.

Personally i really like this pistol, then next i will go through the details, pros, cons, and tuning tips.

There are several things that set this gun apart from most others. First of all, it’s a package deal – it comes with the gun, a carrying case, a supressor, and a LAM unit. In addition to that, it’s cheaper than some guns – even with all the extra stuff. Finally, it’s an NBB – a NON-BLOWBACK, which means that when you fire the slide does not move and there is no recoil. This also means better controllability, especially when firing rapidly. Let`s take a look on pros and cons from my point of view.

PROS:

• Very Accurate. On 25 meter range, outdoor,  i can hit man sized target 8/10 with 0.2g bb`s.
• Very Silent. Due to absence of blockback system, NBB produce far lesser noise than GBBs, furthermore when supressor is attached. It sounds like "Blub-Blub-Blub". Even at 10 meter/ 30 feet, it`s really hard to notice the sound.
• Hop & Barrel are GBB compatible. Yes, i got what you`re thinking. Upgrading this gun become really easy since we have plenty GBB parts on market we can use.
• Supressor comes with the gun, not to mention exclusive LAM unit also.
• Pretty lightweight for it`s size. I also had KJW 1911, and it`s still slightly lighter than 1911 even with supressor attached.
• Fair price. 150$ at Ehobbyasia vs 165$ for TM Mark IV 70`s 1911 vs 129$ for TM P226.
• Great magazine capacity. The mag holds 24 rounds!!.
• Great gas efficiency. Stock mag can shoot up to 4-5 mag in single fill.

CONS:

• Too long when supressor is attached. Less tactical for CQB.
• Grip are too big and hard to handle for some people. Personally i take some time to adapt with this problem.
• HARD to find holster to fit it. Haha, i`ve solved this problem by making custom one.
• Double Action!!. You need to get used with LONG and HARD trigger pull on MK23, which contrast to most of GBB pistol especialy single action one, such as 1911.
• Non adjustable sight. I don`t really bothered by this one anyway.
• Tend to jam with cheaper bb`s. If you can afford this gun, then you can afford to feed it with decent bb.
• Leaky magazine while using Green Gas. Actually there`s still many misconception about this, as this gun are made to shoot lower pressure hfc-134a. TM used release valve technology to expell excessive high pressure gas (like Green gas). But there`s a modification you can do to overcome this if you want to use Green gas on it.(Coming on next article)

OVERALL

Performance (both with gas usage and general accuracy) is very good out of the box, even better if u do some tuning/ upgrades. Whenever enemies with AEGs rushing you while you`re HARD-Sniping in your hiding spot, just pull out your MK23, and spit back some rapid-fire to push them back (or maybe kill em all). Or while you are stalking around the field looking for nice spot, MK23 can manouver around and do corner-check, even respond quickly if enemy appears suddenly (doing this with your long, heavy bolt action spring sniper is not a very good idea). Up next, i will share my recent work with my MK23. Stay Tuned bros!

Learning from "Youtube Snipers"

Good night!
Recently, when you browse for "Airsoft Sniper", usually a youtube link will show up on result.
This link will bring you to youtube video of some recorded game of Airsoft Sniper in action from their Scopecam perspective.
For you dude whose got no idea about what i`m talking, here`s some link:
Youtube Sniper - vavann
Youtube Sniper - novritsch

For you who already knew them, now they are really popular, reaching over 300.000 views per video (they have a lot of them). Personally i also admire them. They made nice video, even non-airsofter watcher can enjoy. For us Airsoft Snipers, these videos can provide A LOT of knowledge for skirmishing. Let`s go furthermore! (you can watch the video first before continuing)

Lesson 1 - Use proper camoflaging
This is simple one. In his video, vavann clearly show us a proper gear for woodland environment (Ghillie-suit). We can see on some montage, player he hit hardly can tell where they`re shot from.
Camoflaging give you time to take aim and shoot, right before enemy catch you on their sight.

Lesson 2 - Positioning
After watching videos several times, you might notice that these Snipers got their target from either side/flank/rear or from some good distance where enemies can hardly spot them. This also a basic of proper engagement, maximizing your best advantage as sniper which is "Longer Distance". Good cover spot can also be winning factor.

Lesson 3 - Compensate wind
On a windy day, even if you`re using heavyweight bbs, you first shot will just got blown by wind. These situation also appear many time in videos. Then what the dudes did? They quicly take followed up shot, and compensate for wind by moving their crosshair against wind direction. If you quick enough to take follow up shot while compensating, after your first shot miss, you have better chance of hitting the target.

Lesson 4 - Use secondary on proper situation
Some videos also showed us when these Sniper got flanked, surrounded, or spotted. Then swifly they just pull out their pistol, giving a fierce fightback against approaching enemies. Even if they got hit in the end, at least 1 enemy got hit as well. Good trade.

Lesson 5 - Use heavyweight BB`s
Just forget if you think that you can shoot like they did on videos if you are still feeding 0.2 or 0.25 on your sniper rifle, its NOT gonna work the same. See on description tab on each videos, you can see what bb`s Vavann or Novritsch using. So, sniper grade bb`s are not negotible. Personally i use 0.3 /0.36 depends on rifle setup and skirmish field.

Well then, thats all i can tell after watching these Sniper Scopecam videos, they are both fun and educative. I suggest you to watch some for good reference on how to play Sniper role in Airsoft.
Maybe you can also make your own if you wish :D.

I`ll be back with more post, so stay tuned !

Maximizing BASR Sniper rifle before upgrading

Finally, i can get back on posting, this week was kind of busy one for me.

By the way, I have a short story as background for my topic today.
There was one of my skirmish friend whose began building his BASR plattform around year ago.
I can say this guy capable of throwing some serious cash to on his project gun.
So, he was building a APS96 / Well MB01, and unfortunately ended up spending over 8 mil Rupiah  (around US$ 700 at that time), and in my opinion it`s a bit too much.
There`s a day when we gather together before skirmishing for a "field-zero". In short i ask this friend to lend me his rifle for a couple shots (i was curios of what 700$ gun can do). After shooting last shot from it`s mag, nothing impressed me, yes maybe fps was HOT, but accuracy are lame, even on par with my cheap Chinese clone VSR. Yes, he also tried my rifle as well.

Even though he didn`t said it directly, i can tell he agreed also that the setup didn`t work as effective as amount of cash he boasted he threw on the rifle. Branded parts and expensive rifle DOES NOT guarantee maximum performance if you don`t know how to set up your rifle.

So, let`s find out what to do to maximize your rifle.

1. CLEANING UP & REGREASING
(If your working with Japan rifle, just skip, and go to no.2). Chinese manufacturer, usually overdo lubing their guns, most of ACM guns i purchased got it`s internal soaked with unknown lube.
So, for me it`s a must to disassemble the whole gun, degrease ( you can use alcohol or other degreaser), clean up, and finally regreasing all of parts. I use silicone oil for cylinder assembly, lithium grease on trigger box, receiver,and screw holes. Use a VERY THIN coat of lube in cylinder area to prevent fps inconsistency, then you can go crazy and put as many as you wish on trigger assembly.
Please make sure NOT to lube nozzle tip, hop up & barrel area even a bit to (again) prevent shot inconsistency and  slipping bb`s.

2. CHECK HOP UP SYSTEM
This part determine your rifle`s accuracy and consistency, so while doing maintenance, cleaning hop system can be put on priority list. Regularly check hop up bucking, make sure its not torn, not oily, not dirty (you  can soap wash it if necessary).
Peek inside your inner barrel, make sure its clean and shiny (ram it with cleaning rod if not).
Check your hop arm, make sure it`s working properly.
And lastly do multiple check on barrel-chamber-hop-up alignment while reassembling

3. CHECK ON COMPRESSION
Often ignored, but compression problem can cause rifle to perform poorly even with expensive upgrade parts. For you guys who doesn`t know, you can do compression test on cylinder by just pushing the piston forward while closing nozzle tip with your finger (doing this without main spring is easier), if piston can be pushed forward easily, then you have a leak. To fix this, you can either replace o-rings on piston or/and cylinder head. You can experiment with different size of o-rings for best result. Lubing also improves smoothness of operation and airseal on cylinder, personally i use 100% silicone oil with a very light amount (can also experiment with different viscosity).

4. DIY MODS
There are so many DIY upgrade that you can do for very cheap cost, such as Inner barrel polishing, Cylinder head polishing, Custom hop-up nub, Spring guide ring, Custom barrel spacer, etc. Details and guide can be found also on this blog (some are still on progress)

Well, thats all for this post, so if you are just started with your rifle, do these things to maximize it, before throwing cash on it.
Hope it`s useful, see again on next post!

Spring BASR Slam-Firing

When you pull your spring rifle bolt back, normally piston with catched by trigger assembly sear, and will only release when you push the trigger.
But sometimes after you pull the bolt back, piston fail to catch and the spring pushing the whole cylinder to the front, thus you can`t shoot normally.

Here are checklist of possible problem and it`s solution, (sorted from the most common).

1.
Problem:
Piston end wear out (happens on stock piston), this usually after prolonged use of the rifle, moreover with higher powered springs.

Solution:
Get replacement/ aftermarket piston.


2.
Problem : 
Loose screw between receiver and trigger box.

Solution: 
Tighten all screw.


3.
 Problem : 
Worn out trigger sear.

Solution: 
Replace Trigger sear/ the whole trigger system if possible.


4.
Problem :
Missing cylinder ring (on VSR there are 2 white plastic rings located inside receiver, 1 ring on TYPE96 model) the ring serve as spacer between receiver and cylinder, without these ring, cylinder will wobble inside the receiver.

Solution: 
Try to find it, they are rarely can be found anywhere!. Or you can make one with delrin rings.

DIY Spring BASR Upgrade Head Cylinder Head

Picture above tell us everything about "upgraded" cylinder head made by PDI.

The product itself has a pricetag of around $50. Hardly Affordable (for me). It`s a nice upgrade to have on your rifle, but if you are short on cash (like me), there is a way to achieve similiar performance, just by using stock ones. It takes some work, but the result are worth it. So, let`s begin.

Basic Idea:

We are going to make our stock cylinder to produce better airflow (as previous picture said :D).

I often call this mod "Port &Polish". If you are an automotive fan, you might know this term, for those who doesn`t, Port &polish is a method of increasing engine`s performance by enlarging and smoothing  both of intake and exhaust port for better airflow. It`s the same method we will be using.

Tools Needed:

Dremel/ Drill

Sandpapers ( Coarse one for removing material, Fine one for smoothing)

Polishing compound ( ex:Brasso)

Piece of cloth

How to:

1. Disassemble your rifle, until you can take out cylinder head, then remove O-ring on cylinder head.

2. Put your cylinder head nozzle on dremel/drill head and lock it.

3. Your cylinder head will turn as you start your dremel/ drill, start sanding the edge of cylinder head until no sharp edges left on it, but don`t take too much material away, or fps will drop!

4. When the you are satisfied with the shape, dip piece of cloth to polishing compund, and polish   cylinder head

5. Clean up the whole thing, install O-ring back, and assemble the rifle, and we`re done. :D

Doing this mod will give you +5-15 fps, and more consistent fps which means better accuracy &grouping.

Secondary/Sidearm for Sniper

While playing Sniper role, especially with long-barreled, heavier, slower fire-rate, lesser ammo gun, sometimes we might  want to have an additional weapon to fill the role that our primary weapon can`t do. There are some aspects we have to consider whether to have secondary or not.

Lets go further about secondary/sidearm with FAQ.

Q: What secondary/sidearm stands for?
A: Additional weapons system aside from your primary, which, serve as backup/situational gun.

Q: What can be used as secondary?
A: Short-barreled AEG (MP5, shorty M4, P90), GBB pistols, NBB pistols, AEPs, or even Spring Shotguns! (last one is not recommended), usually with lower fps ( under 350 fps).

Q: Why we need secondary? When will it comes in handy?
A: Usually when clearing CQB areas (doing so with long-barreled rifle sucks, i did it before), providing quick counter-fire when flanked/ spotted while moving, engaging target at closer range (lower fps reduce injury).

Q: Which platform to choose?
A: Anything that you are comfortable with. For me, personally, i will take either AEPs/ NBB/ GBB pistol.

Q: When to use/ not to use?
A: You DO NOT want to use secondary when you CAN engange target with primary weapon (Sniper rifle have better hit chance than a pistol or even an AEG!), except your target are really close to you, that using primary can cause injuries. I usually pull out my pistol on EMERGENCY situation, where i have no choice except face to face shootout, or when roaming around CQB or clearing rooms.

Q: What aspects to be considered while choosing secondary?
A: You want something that can shoot continiously (high fire rate if possible), easy to carry/ portable, lightweight, easy to operate, having decent magazine capacity.

Q: How many mag to carry for secondary?
A: For me, just 1 mag is enough. If you have more budget having 2 are still ok, more than 2 are useless (you are a Sniper, not Pistolier :D)

Q: Is it necessary to upgrade secondary?
A: Absolutely NOT, better invest your money on primary weapons and good Sniper bb`s for it.

Q: Why Spring Shotguns are not recommended?
A: It`s simply doesnt fit some requirements. Fire rate are slow, dimension are quite large making it harder lug around along with primary rifle. Rather than relying on shotgun, i prefer carrying no secondary (stay around friend with AEG is a better idea).

Q: How about AEG as secondary?
A: Go ahead if you find yourself comfortable with it. P90, MP5k, MP7 are potential candidates.As for me, GBB pistol/AEP doing just fine and more compact than AEG.

Q: If i`m taking pistols, which are best??
A: Hmm, this one can be a bit too long to be answered here. I will give more in depth experience+reviews about pistols on another post...So, stay tuned! :)

Ideal Inner Barrel Length (Spring BASR)

As i promised before, here are another post about Ideal Inner Barrel Length for Spring BASR.
Being different in design, tuning Spring BASR are slightly more tricky than AEGs. (Check out Ideal Inner Barrel Length (AEGs))

As for maximizing inner length to achieve optimum FPS, longer range, better grouping, and less noise when shooting, we need to set up our cylinder to be having 2.4 x more volume than inner barrel. Many senior airsofters has proven this to be the best ratio for high performance Spring BASR. (i worked all BASR my guns based on this too, and it works ! :D)

Basically, we need to work our compression parts to achieve the "Perfect Cylinder-Barrel Ratio" of 2.4. Don`t worry, i`m not a mathematician either, so i will explain these calculations in simple yet understandable manner. To make it easier, i have prepared some picture,

Still confusing?? 

Let`s make some simulation.

Say we`re building a VSR-10, we already replaced cylinder head, piston, etc, and now we need better barrel.

1.First of all, decide which inner barrel diameter we want, for example 6.02 mm

2.Next step, calculate our cylinder volume with first formula on picture where D stands for cylinder Diameter, and L stands for Length (please start to measure the length from end of port/hole on cylinder to top surface of cylinder head). On our VSR rifle we have cylinder diameter of 22.3mm, and compression length of 96mm, so (3.14 x (22.3/2)²) x 98  =  37.475

3.Then, use last formula to calculate best barrel length.

 (37.475/2.4)/3.14/((6.02/2)²) = 548.867

So using 548.867mm x 6.02 inner barrel would be the best for our current gun ! :D. But you can also improvise by rounding up to 550mm to make the ratio shrink to 2.395 (less ratio usually means lesser noise when shooting, but too low will drop fps too), or go with 500mm to make higher ratio (more power to use heavier bb`s, but more noisy). Ratio of 2.4 is not absolute, you can add up or  subtract a bit towards your preference.

Thats all for today`s post, read again from beginning if you dont get it, but if there`s any question, feel free to post, i will answer as soon possible. 

By the way, Happy Sunday! :D