Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

[Polarblair]

So a while back I got back into airsoft after a few years away from the game. Only had enough cash for one RIF so wen for a WE SCAR. Loved playing with it during the summer but as soon as it started getting cold I discovered the biggest flaw with GBBR's. I tried a few things to combat cooldown including running propylene, none of which worked.
So I decided to convert to HPA and built a mag to test the concept with a battleaxe AEG mag as a base. This worked better than I could have hoped. I have seen a few great mod vids on youtube which used real steel mags so I decided to do the same, except this time with a Lonex flash mag as a base.

So this is my one day build including a few mistakes along the way to build V2 of my high cap gas mag.


These are the parts. H&K 5.56 mag with 3 dummy rounds, lonex flash mag, and the BB feed spring which you can find here:

http://www.strutsdirect.co.uk/produc...s-tl508-p-2106


So first its time to take the mags apart. The H&K mags disassemble by pushing the spring base plate up into the mag and then sliding the mag base plate forwards
You then get left with this:




Next I took the lonex mag apart. First thing I did was cut off the top.



This is the pull cord ratchet assembly and what it looks like inside. Space in the H&K mag was going to be limited so I wanted to know if this part could be separated and mounted externally. Unfortunately these parts can not be separated which leads to more fun later on.



The lonex internals didn't fit inside the H&K mag so I ground out one of the grooves on the side.


First fit:


The sides of the mag put too much pressure on the ratchet preventing it from spooling so I made another cut and bent a panel out to make a pocket for the internals to sit in.


Checking to make sure widened section will fit into mag clamp:


Was initially going to wrap the spring onto the cut AEG barrel section and fit that to the mag using epoxy putty:


Problem with this was that the feed spring came out of the H&K mag at a very sharp angle to connect into the WE mag. So to shorten the lonex internals I cut out part of the side to join the spring in further down:




Used MDF to make a small socket for the spring to sit in.

Took the cut AEG barrel out of the Mk1 mag and chamfered the edges to prevent blockages


Taped the spring section to the brass feed tube. This part has to be perfectly smooth and is vital to convert the BB channel in the WE mag from double to single stack


Pop it back into the WE mag and connected it to the H&K mag


Cut a section from the feed spring riser to allow for reloading


Removed the hatch from the bottom of the lonex mag and added it to the H&K mag


Tested it and its feeding perfectly. The lonex mag had a small screw which held the internals in place so will probable add that. May paint it but at the same time I've built up my scar from random bits and can't say I really mind that its not all the same colour. Quite like the worn look anyway.

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

BUILD UPDATE:

Was going to weld the cuts I made in the side but the metal is just too thin.
Instead used the old lonex shell as a donor and glued two strips to the side.
Still have to grind them down and paint but at least now there are no holes and its very robust. Also still fits neatly into the mag clamp so Bonus!
Bit messy but you'll never see it as its the inside face.



- - - Updated - - -

Just found this. Had no idea thats how the mags were painted. Deff going to do the same. Nice way to keep part of the original weathering at the top of the mag but still go tan in keeping with the rest. Will cover my patch job up nicely too.

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

After the epoxy cured, I ground the edges down, smoothed everything out ready to be painted and added a pin with a clip on the end to secure the lonex internals. At the same time its easy to disassemble for maintenance. Mounted the hatch back in and now all I have to do is the paintjob. Other than that its fully functional and ready to go.

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Test fire checking feed to see if it can keep up with ROF

[Strebor_7]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

image.jpg

Also been doing the same project and co pleated it today. Thanks Polarblair for you help also, figured I'd share my picture to. Very happy with the results.

[Scotty Dog]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

What you using as your air supply and regulator bud? Paintball gear?

I have to say it looked fantastic on full auto, smashing job on the fabrication of that mag system too.

[Strebor_7]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Yeah it's all essentially paintball gear, or classic airsoft. But the tank is just a basic 48 ci 3000psi tank, the reg is the same one the polarstar system uses/recommends it's adjustable, so it's pretty easy to get the desired fps. And with thae capability to lock it off so it can't be adjusted mid game.

[Scotty Dog]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Fantastic set up, just blows the polarstar gear out of the water with that blowback.

Whats it like on parts and seals? Is the internal build quality good enough to handle the HPA? It just seems to be too much of a winner!

I used to do a bit of paintballing in the past, but the build quality of pb markers always seemed significantly better than GBB rifles; I never thought the internals would be up to it?

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Thank you kindly good sir. The regulator is the Firebase Regulator which you most commonly see used with P* rifles.
You can get this here:

http://www.grangeairsoft.com/

Can't seem to navigate to the product page but that's the same place that supplied mine. The air bottle I use I purchased second hand from a paintball site through ebay. I've found with my heavy trigger finger I usually get a 3000psi 48ci tank to last half a day so I recently purchased a second one.

Only advice I can give on HPA tanks is to make sure they're in test and NEVER use oil to lubricate the seal or this could happen to you:

This guy was LUCKY. He could easily have been killed had a piece of shrapnel pierced his skull. The incredible energy released through the valve is enough to instantly ignite oil based lubricants.

Never buy a tank second hand that's out of test and as far as carbon fiber composite tanks are concerned - if you drop it and chip the wrap - bleed the tank and dispose of it immediately.

Remember a HPA tank is essentially a bomb strapped to your spine and absolutely holds enough energy to kill you if mistreated.

[Strebor_7]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Well technically there's no extra ware as it's running the same psi as green gas ect, however you could say that there would potentially be more rounds going through it, so you could say it will break quicker, however just clean and lube like you should and it would last just as long as any other we, plus parts are very easy to get and pretty cheep in my opinion unless you go ra tech,but I personally have no issues with the standard parts, there all easy to fit to. Plus technically this idea can go on any system. So the choice is yours. The biggest good point for this idea is the cool down, with hpa there is pretty much none. So in winter gbb are still good to go.

Also there are other systems out there that utilise the hpa system, like the Daytonagun ( my next project) and the newly announced tip men gbb m4 which looks quite interesting.

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

As far as wear is concerned Strebor is quite right. As long as you keep an eye on the internals and keep things lubed and maintained it should serve you just fine.
WE SCARs have a bed rep as the Gen1s used to have a hinge plate which was made of thinner material and so did routinely fail at higher FPS. This was solved but in anticipation I did replace mine with an aluminium version made by TSC.

Im still using my original loading nozzle which has had god knows how many rounds through it from the previous owner who did not care for it well enough in the slightest.

What will most certainly fail over time will be the trigger mech. I replaced mine with a full RA tech set including the firing pin assembly. This will wear down faster than any of the other parts. Other than that the stock bolt and nozzle chamber are fine.

I had intended on upgrading them too for a heavier set just for more recoil - why not eh? However had to claim money back when parcel went missing. Those funds have now gone to a fast helmet and an action cam. No reason to think the gun wont last for quite some time in its current configuration but I'll be sure to let you know if something does fail and how that happened.

[Scotty Dog]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Top notch stuff, this has definitely been the most interesting sunday reading i've found in a long time! Congrats on the build bud, its really impressed me!

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

I'm considering making these for a fee with different levels. Prices would be for labor only. To help people save costs I would be happy letting people source their own parts. If I had enough interest I could also justify buying the kit and start tapping mags myself. I had mine done by a local engineer as it was cheaper than buying a kit. So prices would include tapping the mags but not the fittings required. (HPA fill nipple & 90 degree elbow fitting)

3) Real steel mag modified with lonex internals and dummy rounds. Free laser engraving into paintwork on side of mag alternatively laser cut stencil and logo sprayed on. (depending on complexity of logo/text) £60

2) Real steel mag modified with standard AEG internals and dummy rounds (much less modifying is required to real steel mag as the standard AEG internals are thinner) £45
Free laser engraving into paintwork on side of mag alternatively laser cut stencil and logo sprayed on. (depending on complexity of logo/text)

1) Standard AEG mag with internals (same as my Mk1 setup) - This would be the most basic model without engraving or stencil spray. £35

[Polarblair]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

Thanks for the shout out from Scout on his youtube channel. He caught me at my first shoot at the Depot in Glasgow. Great site, professional staff and highly recommended. They even provide lunch - what more could you want?

Now he didn't show what happened moments later which is nice of him but I'll fill you in just for fun.

Got tagged back in and continued in the same direction towards the stairwell.
The retaining clip on my receiver pin went missing at some point. This keeps the pin in place when the gun is assembled and also keeps it attached to the lower receiver stopping it from pulling out completely and getting lost.
Result was the scar coming neatly apart in two pieces in my hands mid firefight
No harm done as I found it lying next to me on the floor as I took cover and tried to put it back in. meanwhile I didn't notice the chap sneaking up on my position until he rounded the corner and nailed me.
Now there was no damage to the scar and although they do have a bad rep in terms of reliability - this was really just a fluke and shouldn't put people off. Putting in a new clip was a 10 second fix and I haven't heard of this happening to anyone else. On that day I just taped it up and carried on.

[mafiadragon]

Re: Dual HIGH CAP GAS MAG for WE open bolt GBBR - PIC HEAVY!

amazing build man, very interesting.

i've got a polar star set up, so hpa ready to go, might try this out.

thats if the funds become avaliable

i just want to ask, the real steel mag, is it needed? is it just for looks? could i get away with doing this to a lonex?