Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

[Junglespy]

I wanted to get peoples opinions on something that I've been thinking of doing for some time.

It's been about a year since my rifle was last in the hands of someone in the know (tech wise) and I was contemplating buying a new set of gears, hop rubber and spring to give to my local site tech to install for me for a small fee. An MOT-type service for a rifle if you will.

Now, there's nothing wrong with the performance of the rifle as it is at the moment; but I'd rather get it installed while I've got the cash than have it happen a couple of months down the line when I'm skint...

Like it says in the title, do you think this is just good practice to keep my favourite toy ticking over or needless expenditure?

[loki7491]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

These are electro-mechanical toys.

Your **insert gun here** may last forever out of the box. My gun, the very next one off the production line my last half the time...

Do you have a back up?
How much will it all cost?
How long would it take you save that cash during a "skint" period?

The whole mechanism is only as solid as it's weakest part. I have blown 2 engines on Mitsubishi L200 pick up trucks just by servicing them. Once back up to full spec, the worn engine blew!

I spend my life fixing other peoples problems and although it pays the bills, i have to say so many faults are user induced.

"if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

If it starts to give unusual noises or actions, get it done then.

Just my 2 pence worth

[seansamurai1]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

Theres nothing wrong with upgrading, however what that sounds more like is replacing parts that dont really need it. What you could do is get it in for a service and get the tech to check things over before committing to buying things that arent required.
Whats to say the new gears wont fail 2 months down the line? It happens.
How old is the gun and what make are the gears already in there?

[Junglespy]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

@ Loki. Fair point well made; thank you for your reply.

I don't have a backup weapon which was the main reason I was thinking along these lines.
It probably would cost me between £50 and £65 including the installation -

@ Sean. The rifle is a stock CA M4 just over a year old, so I would imagine the internals are of a decent standard from stock. I haven't treated the rifle badly, had a bit of an issue previously with a battery box that, because of it's size, didn't let me fire on semi; it sounded like it was cycling too fast for the gearbox to catch up. I guess this has led to some worry I may have damaged the gears. It works fine now because I use mini type batteries all the time.

The other thing is that recently I've found it more and more difficult to get the hop right; a lot of shots dipping quite a lot no matter how much I turn the wheel...

You make a good point that the new gears aren't guaranteed either.

Perhaps it's time for me to grow a pair and open up the rifle myself just to see? My worry has always been that I wouldn't be able to get it back together...

[PureSilver]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

Needless expenditure. You don't need spare parts until the original parts don't function properly. You don't need to purchase spare parts until the originals break, unless you know that they are going to break very soon or the parts are going out of production and need to be stockpiled. Replacing parts that work with parts that might not is an expensive exercise in futility. For all you know, your gun might break something that you haven't predicted, and then you'll be out of cash. If you really are worried about being out cash later, set some aside now, but don't buy anything yet.

Regarding opening it yourself, don't get in deeper than you can get yourself out of if it's your only primary. Most things (as above) are broken by their users, not by wearing out, and if it isn't broken, you don't need to look inside it. If it ISN'T your only primary, and you are interested in learning how it works, then by all means have a look around inside and take photos as you go to remind you how it goes back together.

[Junglespy]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

Thanks for your reply, PureSilver. That's the type of reply I'd hoped for. I guess there isn't any time for being over-cautious in Airsoft!

I, naively, hadn't thought of the possibility of something major breaking and needing replacing in the future. Foolish me.

Time to get another primary to tinker with, then!

[The General]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

I would put that money to one side and save up for a second primary gun. By the sounds of it you are worried about reliability and in airsoft that word is an oxymoron.

If you have 2 primary guns and one goes down in a game, then you are covered.

[sparrowhawk]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

do you know the exact make n model of your classic army?

[Johnno]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

If it aint fecked don't fix it ;-)

[Junglespy]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

do you know the exact make n model of your classic army?

I know it's an M15A4 Carbine, if that's what you mean?

[sparrowhawk]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

yes but i am interested to know if its a proline or sportsline

[alex4]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

Buy yourself a 'fixer-upper' as a backup shooter. Take it apart, then put it back together. Then take it apart again, and upgrade a few internal bits, and see how it works. Repeat ad infinitum. I wouldn't mess with my primary unless I had to, but a backup can be a good testing ground. Plus you'll teach yourself some tech in the process.

[sparrowhawk]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

well straight off the bat,it looks like he needs to change the hop rubber, and maybe nub,so its not exactley opening it up

[Junglespy]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

Sorry sparrowhawk, it's a pro line.

Like I said, the fact that the hop is starting to go downhill made me think the rest of the internals may do so soon. So, to be safe, I was willing to swap everything out at the same time. I know there's no warranty or guarantee after they've been replaced so it was an option to make the change before being made to do so.

[PureSilver]

Re: Good Practice or Obsessive Compulsive?

The hop will wear down much, much faster than the rest of the internals of a decently made gun, not to mention being much more vulnerable to things like silicone oil (that wouldn't have any effect on the rest of the weapon). It is both entirely conceivable and probable that the rubber (and perhaps the nub) is worn and the rest of the gun is totally OK. Unfortunately with AEGs almost everything in the gun is a consumable part that wears out over time (rubbers, nubs, springs, pistons, gears, batteries - even gearbox shells eventually) with really only the body and the wiring being unaffected, but those all wear at different rates. I would definitely inspect the hop-up rubber, replace if necessary and test before taking more drastic action.