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KJW M700 Review & Upgrade Guide

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  • KJW M700 Review & Upgrade Guide

    Good Evening All,


    This is my first "Big" thread so please bear with me...

    Before posting this I wondered whether it would be worth it.... I mean, It’s nice to have something a little unique isn’t it? But then it dawned on me that the only reasons I know how to upgrade my guns is through experimenting and through tutelage from other folk who have posted similar threads.



    With that, here is my quick review and not-so-quick upgrade guide to the KJW M700 Gas Sniper Rifle. This guide also is useful for the Tanaka M700 and M24 Gas versions and to a lesser extent, the G&G L96 Gas variants.





    First Impressions:



    If you’re reading this you have probably either have a stock M700 or are considering one – if it’s the latter, chances are you‘ve been hunting all over the web to find reviews, opinions and most of them will continue to state the same thing: HUUUUGE FPS and Wildly Inaccurate.... Both are true I’m afraid – but there are things you can do thankfully.



    Pros:



    Fantastic Build quality, not as good as the Tanaka but nevertheless, unless you own some really high-end kit; this is likely to be one of the nicest “in the hand” guns you’ll own. The stock feels solid, with a texture to it that allows a good solid grip. The bolt on this, being a Gas Rifle, has no spring to pull back so it has very little resistance other than the friction of movement – It’s akin to the force required to pull the bolt on a .22 Rim Fire Rifle (for those who’ve handled real-steel). This allows you to keep the Rifle on target between shots rather than having to jab the stock into your hip or shoulder to cock it each time. It also makes for a much more realistic action which is why we all like Gas Rifles.

    The hop can be adjusted via a small knurled wheel on the top RIS rail. Clockwise for more hop, counter-clockwise for less. A really nice and useful addition for adjustments on the go.

    Bipod mount and sling mounts front and rear are included as standard.



    Cons:



    In standard trim the M700 runs on a Pistol Mag’ sized Gas reservoir that has enough gas to shift about 20 rounds down-range at gradually decreasing velocities. It’s 10rnd Mag’ is phenomenally expensive at around £35 each (+ postage) and are difficult to source new, near impossible to find second hand and replacement seals are rarer that the proverbial Rocking Horse Sh*t!!

    The standard barrel is a 6.10mm and no, before you ask, I didn’t get that dimension wrong, it really is a 6.10mm barrel. That’s the airsoft equivalent of throwing a Golf Ball down a School Corridor. At 10M plinking in the garden I was lucky if my groupings were better than 10” square. A new barrel should be at the top of your list of priorities for this Rifle.

    It has a tiny RIS Rail that only really allows for mounting of a scope in one position. Forget about mounting some cool riser block to allow the fitting of ma-hoosive scope... the Hop Up adjuster stops that from happening.

    Trigger is not adjustable.

    Standard Hop Rubber is naff – Most likely covered in Silicone from using Green Gas – doesn’t give a great air seal.


    *******************************************


    Upgrades:



    If you type in “KJW M700 Upgrades” into any search engine you’ll get dozens of links to American websites mostly full of opinionated kids who run these rifles saying “get this upgrade from this store” and “get that upgrade from this store” and “mine shoots at a billion FPS and can hit a Nickel in orbit around the Moon” All well and good as some of the gun-techs in the states REALLY know their onions but their contributions seem to be few and far between.

    Also, in the States, where most of these Rifles live – they have better weather and so their usage is widespread and as such; aftermarket parts are readily available. US Postal regulations prohibit suppliers in most States posting replica Firearm parts Internationally which kind of knackers us UK users.



    Sourcing parts and upgrades for this Rifle will not be easy – Mine has taken 4 months, around 100hrs build time and almost £600 to get it to the stage where it’s at now. You need to be confident in custom work as you’ll have to modify your barrel to fit straight away.

    *******************************************

    So, let’s begin.



    Ø Barrel upgrade – The M700 has a wonderfully long barrel but typically it’s not a standard size or configuration. It is a VSR Cut barrel that is longer than any VSR barrel you can buy – so you need to buy the longest AEG barrel you can and cut it to fit then crown it to reduce the chance of burrs. You can get correct length barrels from China but I personally wouldn’t trust something as fragile as a barrel to make it from China without it getting damaged or bent.



    Ø Barrel Shortening - Best bet is to buy a Madbull V2 6.03mm 650mm Barrel for the PSG-1 and cut it to size using a Copper Tube cutter.

    Once cut to the right length you’ll need to use a Countersink drill bit to remove any edges from the end of the barrel and give a nice clean finish. For good measure I then got some fine grade sandpaper (240 grit) and ran it round the inside lip of the end of the barrel to ensure the inner coating tapered out correctly.



    Ø Applying the VSR “cut” - Once the Barrel is cut to the right length you’ll then need to cut the groove into the Hop Up end to ensure the new Hop Rubber you’ve bought seats properly – There are guides available to avoid this stage (often referred to as “The Teflon Mod’” but I’ll let you decide how you’d like to proceed. Me personally, I like to do it properly.

    If you compare the standard barrel to the one you’ve just shortened, you’ll notice that on the Hop Up end the cuttings in the barrel are very different – You now need to cut a circular groove into your new barrel to match the old barrel. I did this by “tracing” the line of the old barrel into the new one using a scribe or other sharp pointy object that will scratch the line into the new barrel so you have a point of reference.



    The next bit is very fiddly tricky – You’ll need a battery drill with at least a 10mm chuck, the packaging sleeve your new barrel came in, a friend you trust and a SMALL file.

    1) Cut your Barrel sleeve into a 8” section and de-burr the ends,

    2) Insert your barrel, end-first into the drill and tighten (not too tight or you’ll warp the end of the barrel),

    3) Apply a generous amount of Silicone Grease to your barrel and slide it into the Sleeve – You now have is a rudimentary lathe!

    i) Ask your friend to fire up the drill while you hold the sleeve – don’t run the drill too fast or friction will build up in the sleeve and this can warp your barrel.

    ii) With the sleeve in your hand or resting on something solid, start pressing the file into the line you marked earlier. You are now cutting the grove into your barrel ready for the VSR Hop Rubber.

    iii) ***Important*** Do NOT let the groove cut deeper than the existing cut lines in the barrel. You need to ensure that the Hop rubber sits in this groove and fits slightly high when resting (this allows for a better air seal when put back into the Hop Chamber)

    iv) Best thing is to cut a little and then test-fit the Hop Rubber. When you are happy that rubber fits perfectly, clean the Silicone off your barrel, take it out of the drill, apply a tiny amount of Silicone grease into the groove you’ve just cut (this allows for a constant air seal) and stand back and admire your magnificent, custom-cut barrel! – You are awesome!!!

    v) Before fitting back into your Rifle, first fit the barrel into your AEG using a standard AEG Hop Rubber and run a High Cap Mag’ or two through the barrel to “bed it in” – Running 500 rounds through a barrel should smooth any imperfections in the barrel’s inner coating making it much more consistent much more quickly. 500 - 600 rounds at Bolt-action speeds would take all day and use a LOT of gas J



    Ø Barrel Spacers – Are not available for the M700 – Take a roll of insulating tape (any colour you like) and wrap it around the Barrel about 10 times and check for a fit – you want it to be snug, a tight fit with a little twisting required to fit is best. I used 3, spaced equally down the barrel. Reapply until your happy – finish by CUTTING the insulating tape at an angle, don;t just tear it off as it’ll get caught in the outer barrel.



    Ø Replacement Hop Rubber – This is a very personal choice. Debates rage about the benefits of one type of Rubber over another but everyone agrees that a Hard Type Bucking (Rubber) is best. Personally, I settled on the Firefly bucking but have a Nineball waiting to go in case I fancy a change. There are threads that run for 12+ pages on this subject so I won’t go into it.



    Ø Bolt Modifications – The Bolt on your M700 is not something to fear, it comes apart with 2 grub screws and you only need to replace 2 elements, the Striker Spring and the Flow Valve Rubber. The annoying thing about the latter upgrade is that you can only buy the piece of rubber you need as part of a £13 upgrade set – now £13 for a single piece of rubber may seem ridiculous but it allows for a better, more consistent air seal against the Mag’s valve and this is important. The Striker Spring is usually sold as part of a set which includes an uprated Striker Plate for your Mag’ which is also important considering the pounding your Mag’s valve will now take with the upgraded spring. Expect to pay around £15 delivered for the Rubber Seals and a further £30 for the spring and Impact Plate. You can get the spring separately for about £4 but you’ll need to upgrade the Mag’ eventually so may as well get both!



    Air Seal Rubber Replacement – This is really simple, from the 3-pack of Red Rubbers that you now have - you only need the round one.

    i) Remove your Bolt from the Rifle and turn it upside down

    ii) Using a pair of tweezers or needle nose pliers, remove the rubber by giving it a good pull – It’s a friction fit so will come out with a little wiggling.

    iii) Coat the OUTSIDE of the new rubber with Silicone Grease and press into place but not all the way

    iv) Reinsert the Bolt back into the Rifle and push it almost all the way back into the breach. Insert the Mag’ until it locks in position and then complete the cocking process.

    v) Your new seal has now been pressed into place perfectly in relation to the height of your Mag’

    vi) Apply a thin coating of Silicone Grease to the outside lip of the Rubber and you’re done.



    Striker Spring Replacement – This is just as simple as the above but does require semi-stripping the bolt down. Once reassembled, the bolt will be noticeably “Tighter” and the trigger will be harder to pull. This is the perfect time to Grease the bolt internals to ensure longevity.

    i) Remove your Bolt from the Rifle and turn it upside down

    ii) Remove the two Grub Screws you can see – the bolt will now separate in to 2 halves. Place the half with the loading nozzle to one side, you don’t need to do anything with it.

    iii) This will take some fiddling but you need to rotate the Bolt Handle until the groove inside the Bolt Collar lines up with the underside of the bolt – You may need to apply some force to the end of the bolt to make room but it will become apparent when doing it.

    iv) Once removed you will see a spring held in place by a Black plastic Collar – this collar split into 2 when you compress the spring. Compress the spring and remove the two halves of the collar and keep them safe.

    v) Apply a thin layer of Grease to the shaft that the Spring sits over and slide on the new Spring. Again you will need to manoeuvre the bolt in such a way that you can compress the new Spring to reinsert the collars.

    vi) Reassemble the bolt.


    *******************************************


    That’s about as much as you need do to the front end of the Rifle – You will find now that the Groupings you can achieve will have increased dramatically. Remember that if you are running your M700 on “Airsoft” gasses as opposed to Propane you will need to clean your Hop Rubber after every game otherwise Silicone from the Gas will foul the rubber reducing its effectiveness. This is not an issue with Propane.



    For ultimate consistency and to really get the M700 shooting perfectly you need to eliminate the only other variable that’s left......... Airsoft Gasses!!! I’ve built a fully adjustable Air Rig for mine that runs on CO2. It cost less than £150 to make and has transformed the performance of my M700 10-fold. I’ll explain how to make that Air Rig in another post sometime in the future



    I’ll hopefully update this thread with images when I figure out how to do it properly.



    I hope you find this useful and to anyone thinking of buying the M700 remember...... as a base weapon, it’s superb. It’s one of the best platforms for a Gas Sniper Rifle that I’ve ever built on. BUT – in standard form it’s just not reliable enough to compete with Springers.



    My one in the picture has cost almost £700 to build but it’s always a topic of conversation in the Dead Zones and people are always asking “how I made it”............




    All the best,



    RunningRabbit

    A couple of pictures of mine to show what's achievable:

    Pictures are over 6Mb each so here's a link to my SkyDrive: http://sdrv.ms/19CyTMs - Enjoy!
    ****************************

    **insert witty remark**

    ****************************

  • #2
    Re: KJW M700 Review & Upgrade Guide

    Thankyou very much, that was extremely informative! I wish it was illustrated with photos, but there you go - maybe it will be me that does an illustrated guide based on your instructions!

    Having spent so much on the gun, what do you wish you'd known in advance, and what do you wish you'd done differently? Looking at the price list you posted, I deleted all the 'cosmetic' and accessory items, and concluded thus:

    Originally posted by runningrabbit
    KJW M700 - £179.99
    Madbull v2 6.03mm 650mm PSG-1 Barrel (Cut & Crowned) - £34.99
    Fire-Fly Bucking - £13.00
    G&G Bolt Rubber Set - £13.50
    G&G Enhanced Striker Spring - £7.49

    Action Army 28rnd Long Mag - £79.78
    Custom Products V2 LP Regulator + Gauge Port – Blue - £62.28
    Machining Costs for Mags - £20.00
    11/32" TCT Drill Bit & 1/8"NPT HSS Tap - £12.39
    ACM CO2 Charger - £9.99
    2x Micro-Pressure Gauges - £6.49
    ASA Gate - £6.99
    Inline 1/8" NPT Macroline fitting - £4.49
    ASA Stop (Thread Protector + Tap Washer) - £5.99
    3ft Macroline - £5.00
    2x 90o 1/8" NPT Macroline Fittings -£6.49
    12oz CO2 Tank + Coil Line - £48.99
    Rifle & Upgrades: £248.97
    CO2 Rig: £268.88
    Combined Total: £517.85

    I've removed the accessories as I'd definitely accessorise the rifle differently (I'd try to bury the CO2 rig in the stock, for example) but I'm especially interested in the CO2 rig as that part of your build is transferrable as an assembly between rifles (that is, I could build an identical one and use it in a Tanaka, for example). Could you elaborate on your unusual choice of regulator (why the US-made one over a Palmers, for example) and what bit of the magazine(s) needed to be machined?

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: KJW M700 Review & Upgrade Guide

      Hey guys, thought I'd put my two cents in here, now that I have gotten hold of my very own KJW m700 running off Co2... which incidentally was the one RunningRabbit built! (huh...)


      First things first: another important modification to your rifle that MUST be done, and was overlooked by RunningRabbit in his guide, is to the Magazine!. Do NOT allow the magazine to wobble when it has been inserted into the gun. A wobbly magazine is bad for gas consistency as well as efficiency, so shim it to prevent it from moving. Dead easy fix: the way I did it was I got a Pokemon card, cut it in two, and placed the two halves down the inside of the magazine shell. The metal bends ever so slightly outwards, (by the width of two Pokemon cards) and thus makes the magazine a better fit in the rifle. (It also explains as to why my three rifles are all named after Pokemon- it's the cards I've used!)


      Item number two on the list to mention: A lot of people like the concept of sticking a small rig in the stock of the gun. To do this, one must use Co2 capsules for the rig to be small enough. Problem number one is that you'd end up taking the butt-plate off a million times in a day, and that'd get frustrating. More importantly though is problem number two: Co2 capsules can sometimes let out Co2 in the form of liquid, which can cause havoc in regulators and destroys consistency. Co2 capsules/cannisters/bottles are meant to be kept upright at all times to prevent the liquid from escaping (This explains why Co2 pistols are rifles mainly put the cartridges in the magazines/handles of the gun.) There are ways around this, including filters and expansion chambers which help convert liquid Co2 into gas, but these add size, weight, and reduce gas efficiency, which totally negates the point of having a smaller rig in the stock.
      TLDR/: Co2 capsules aren't designed to be used horizontally!


      Item number three on the list: Regulators. Massive debate about this still. Palmers regulators are excellent. But then again there are lots of other regulators out there which are deemed excellent as well, which are much cheaper. IF you are wanting to run Co2, I believe Palmers would be the way to go still, as most other regulators (including Custom Products) are built for HPA nowadays. IF you are wanting to run HPA, then I believe you can get better bang for your buck than Palmers: personally I'd much prefer a Firebase Redline as they're cheaper and come included with a blow-off valve as well as a tournament lock. AKA 2 Liters are also known to be exceptional, and Bob Longs are also pretty good.
      It is also worth noting, that regulators must be "bedded in". When they arrive, they usually take time to "settle", which can vary from 100 to 2000 shots, so I hear. After that, the fps consistency usually settles down and becomes tighter.
      IF you're regulator is a little old, and the consistency has started to deteriorate, then rather than buy a new regulator, most people prefer to "rebuild" it. Rebuild kits are available at a fraction of the price of the regulators, and usually consist of piston heads and o-rings.


      For those that didn't know: SLIDE CHECKS can also be a useful part of an HPA/Co2 setup. Slide checks prevent any gas from escaping, once you've "broken" the line. You can quickly detach the rifle from the tank, without turning the gas tank off, without losing ALL of the gas.



      Finally, IF I were starting from scratch, I would like to mention that my ideal set up would be a Guerilla Air 13ci (Cubic Inch) tank, for it's small size. These come with a myth regulator which can take the pressure down to 400PSI. I would then run a firebase Redline as these are known to be consistent in the lower pressure zone for airsoft rifles (50-150PSI). I would place the regulator in the stock of the rifle and have it hooked up to the magazine by macroline. Then out of the side of regulator a very small macroline to protrude from the side/back of the stock with a quick detach and slide check onto coiled hose. I'd carry the small tank on my belt.


      Scheck
      Last edited by Rogue9; 20 February, 2014, 03:07.
      Bust a move.

      sigpic

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: KJW M700 Review & Upgrade Guide

        This is one HELL of a revival, where in the UK did you get your machining done on your mags etc...

        I am looking to get my gun upgraded next year (early next year) and i am going to be buying parts for my M700 over the next few months. Any help for links on where to buy things or where you got work done would be GREATLY appreciated. PM me if you have too for external links to other sites. Thanks again and love the post

        Comment

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