Pistol Magazines and Their Clones
 

So I came across the WE clone of the TM Hi-capa 5.1 and was wondering why is it that WE is cheaper? Is it because the air efficiency is not up to par with TM or are the magazines that are both suitable for TM 5.1 and We 5.1 have very little differences?

Also what about the WE 5.1 CO2 Mag for the TM 5.1 would that damage the gun with the 350 fps?

CO2 Magazine
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tchlink:top:us

WE Clone
http://cgi.ebay.com/WE-MG-02-HI-CAPA...QQcmdZViewItem

TM mag
http://cgi.ebay.com/Marui-GBB-31rd-M...742.m153.l1262

quality control... Ive heard that WE's aren't built as well as TM's....

second hand knowledge though....

Just Chinese clones of higher quality Japanese guns. The mechanisms are all the same, we sell WEs full line at the store I work at, and a coworker has a Marui Hi-Capa. The only thing different about them is the WEs slide and frame are made from cheap pot metal, and most of them have Caspian trades. They also say "WE Tactical" or something on the grip. I would not recommend them.. They are cheap, for a reason. As I tell just about every customer you get what you pay for. The WEs have a great seal between the chamber and the blowback unit, but only KWAs select fire glocks are brought into the store broken more often than WE hi-capas and 1911s.

If you want a Hi-Capa, speaking as someone who has used Maruis, fired more than my fair share of WEs, and has some Western Arms, get a Marui. Upgrade the hell out of it. Thank me later.

And using CO2 in a Marui is a horrible idea. Your blowback chamber will probably just explode, and come, taunting you, flying out your ejection port like shrapnel.

The WE guns are very cheap in Asia, like about $100 or less. The finish on the cast parts is crappy, out of spec tolerances and flash that has been known to cause everything from rough slide movement to poor mating of the mag valve/cylinder inlet.

The CO2 mag in a stock Marui gun will likely be too much pressure and cause you to be buying a new Marui. Definately not recommended. Also, the cool-down on CO2 is pretty extreme, sometimes I couldn't empty half the mag on a single 12g during spring/fall use. Same for the standard mags though too.

Buy a WE if you are willing to have more than one of them. Sometimes 1 gun doesn't work at all, it'll just dump gas back onto your hand and fail to lock the slide on empty mag. But, changing slide/frame combos between guns usually fixes that. It's that poor tolerance issue that usually is not user repairable, especially for new guys.

Both regular magazines are interchangeable. But like was said I would VERY MUCH recommend AGAINST putting the WE CO2 magazine in the TM. The CO2 mag makes for violent recoil even in the heavy full metal WE.

and this is why Airsoft Canada is the best place for information!

My WE Luger is actually a very well made gun, however, I've only had it a couple of weeks and the mag has already sprung a leak - not at the valves, but at the seam that holds the base and body together.

wow fast response and thank you all once again

Wow, aren't we cheeful tonight :D

Yupp. TM is king.

Example : TM 2011 vs WA 2011=
-TM on top in Accuracy (1-2" groups with .28's at 29 feet, fired in rapid succession, with hop-up set to factory default).
-TM on top in simplicity.
-WA on top in build quality.

Example #2 (slightly unrelated): TM G17 vs KSC G19 =
-TM on top in Accuracy (.5" at 29ish feet, shot with propane, with .28's, and again, at factory Hop-Up)
-TM on top in Stability/Reliability.
-TM on top in Blowback.
-TM on top in Simplicity (again)
-KSC on top in Build quality, and overall feel (only extends to plastics...so technically TM wins this too)....

Hmmm.
Any idea (roughly) how many rounds you've put through it? Also, are you using green gas or plain propane (or both?) ?

Note on the CO2 mags: RWAS site says not to use them in the TM Hi-Cappa. I'm not sure how much of a velocity increase they provide, but I've noticed that one can get around three mags worth of BB's out of one CO2 cartridge. (ambient air temp about 70 F.) Oh yeah... important efficiency tip... hold the mag upright when you pierce the cartridge. If there's a bit of venting during the piercing, holding it upside down will cause liquid to vent instead of gas and reduce the number of shots you get.

If you use a CO2 mag in your stock TM Hicapa you'll make it asplode almost instantly.

Someone should try it and get some video of it. Any takers?

I used propane + silicone oil only. I put maybe 250 rounds through it before the leak started. The gun itself is flawless, really. It feel solid, a substantial weight, and performs quite well in terms of veocity, range and accuracy. I'm really quite impressed with the gun. It seems to be a very well-built piece.

But the magazine definitely isn't very good. I don't know if this is typical of other WE mags too. I'm going to try to dismantle the mag and soak the seal in silicone old to see if that helps. If that doesn't work, I'll have to consider a more permanent sealing solution to repair it.

Sure, just send me a TM Hicapa and a C02 mag :D.