[ILLusion]

Okay, installed the upgrades today with all observations and tuning made to achieve ~450fps using 0.20gram BBs and propane.


Parts that WON'T fit, work or are unnecessary:

G&G Outer Barrel Locking Nuts for Tanaka M700 & M24
Because of the way the A.I.C.S outer barrel attaches, it just won't fit this locking nut. You can attach it, but I can't see any benefit of it on the A.I.C.S.

G&G Power Bolt for Tanaka M700 / M24
Didn't try installing it, but it looks like it should just drop right in. The problem is that there is no PCS on it. Installing it will boost FPS, plus all the other upgrades I have in my gun it may be pushed to 700+fps. The air nozzle on this also looks like it's too short - mimicing Tanaka's first generation air nozzle for the M700 series.

G&G Steel Cocking Piece for Tanaka M700 / M24
Won't fit/work at all on the A.I.C.S. The valve knocker arm on this piece seems to be too short, and is prevented from pushing the valve knocker far enough to trigger the magazine's valve. I'd like to get a steel cocking piece for the A.I.C.S. as I noticed a good amount of wear on the stock part, even before I installed the enhanced striker spring. I'm a bit concerned as to how the enhanced spring will affect the durability of the stock part. Hopefully it will last long enough for the enhanced steel item to be released on the market.


Kits / parts with partial compatibility:

G&G Power Pack for Tanaka M700 / M24
This kit consists of: 1x Steel Cocking Piece, 1x Striker Spring, 2x Knock Arm & 2x Plunger
Everything in this kit fits fine, EXCEPT for the "steel cocking piece". Although this kit is also made by G&G, strangely enough, the steel cocking piece in this kit is slightly different in dimension as the steel cocking piece sold individually by G&G (see above: "G&G Steel Cocking Piece for Tanaka M700 / M24"). Regardless, neither the part in this kit nor the one sold individually will fit the A.I.C.S. Also of note, the cocking piece that came with this kit had improperly cut threads - I could not get the spring guide to screw in to this part as hard as I tried... eventually I gave up out of fear of damaging something.
I still haven't had a chance to try the Knock Arm & Plunger in this kit, but from disassembly and inspection of the magazine, it looks like these parts should drop in without any issue. They should increase durability of all related impact parts, especially of the impact plate - which is known to wear down and fail over time. The benefit of these Plungers are that they complete remove the need for the impact plate altogether.
The enhanced Striker Spring that this kit comes with is a welcome upgrade. Although installation is a real pain in the ass, it makes your shots much more consistent and predictable. Prior to installing the spring, my shot string with a stock magazine would consistently look something like this:

230fps
275fps
308fps
349fps
375fps
425fps
470fps
450fps
449fps
460fps
451fps

Notice how it would always start low and reach up to the expected velocity. This was shooting with no breaks between each shot. If I were to pause between shooting for a couple of minutes, my first shot out of that mag would again be unexpected low (typically in the high 2xx or mid 3xx range.) My assumption as to WHY this issue exists is because I am using propane, whereas this gun is designed for HFC134a.

After the spring was installed, the string tightened up with greater consistency, yielding a +/- 10fps spread averaging around 450fps. Initial shots from a new magazine would still yield a lower than expected number, although the velocities would pick up to expected velocities much faster (typically by the 3rd shot in the string). Again, if I wait a couple of minutes between shots, the first shot out of a string will be lower than expected, although not as low as without the spring. The spring is a highly recommended upgrade for propane users.

G&G Rubber Set for Tanaka M700 / M24
Easy install, The hop up sleeve and the gas route connector o-ring just dropped right on. However, the hop up bucking itself is not designed for the AICS, as the AICS uses a newer square design for the hop up hole in the inner barrel. Other M700 designs use a circular design. The AICS already has a great hop up bucking, designed with "V-hop" in mind. In other words, the hop up nub places TWO points of contact on the BB (not just one at the top) to stabilize the BB spin, and thus, improving accuracy.


Kits / parts that fit fine (with or without modifications):

Creation Aluminum Chamber for TANAKA M700 Series ( No. 91 )
Replaces the stock flimsy plastic part and increases inner barrel stability. And in my case, it increases durability too! As I took my gun apart to install the aluminum chamber and the tightbore, I noticed the stock part was cracked! Boooo... good thing I had this aluminum part handy. Fits perfect with no mods required.

G&G Valve Knocker for Tanaka M700 / M24
Required full disassembly of the gun and accessing the trigger unit to replace this unit. Noticed almost no wear on the stock part, so I see no real reason to replace the part... although it may be a welcome durability upgrade, now that I have the much stronger enhanced Striker Spring installed

KM Custom Magazine Part for Tanaka M700
Installation was fairly simple and installed together with the G&G Gas Route Connector Spring. All parts are installed in to the magazine. In other words, you'll need a kit for each magazine you have, in order to maintain consistency between mag changes. The only thing I need to complete this kit is the KM steel impact plate. Shot consistency seemed to tighten up greatly. Other assumed benefits to the kit are greater durability and better gas efficiency. As noted above regarding the striker spring, initial shot strings with a stock magazine had a very wide spread typically starting with below expected output. Once this custom magazine part was installed (along with the G&G Gas Route Connecter Spring), velocity consistency tightened up considerably. At this time, it is a highly recommended part for shot consistency improvement. Will perform more tests at a later date to see if it is the result of the Route Connector Spring alone, this KM kit alone, or a combination of both.

G&G Gas Route Connecter Spring for Tanaka M700 / M24
See above: KM Custom Magazine Part for Tanaka M700

KM 6.04mm TN Inner Barrel for Tanaka M700 A.I.C.S. ( 587mm )
Installation was fairly simple, but got hung up during reinstallation in to the outer barrel. Seems like the outer diameter is greater than the stock inner barrel. The A.I.C.S has a barrel plug at the end of the outer barrel, that helps hold the inner barrel stable, as well as provides an aesthetic fascia for the muzzle of the gun. Installation of the inner barrel in to this muzzle end piece was difficult and although it can be forced on, will be held in with a great deal of friction. Getting it together with a rubber mallet could work, but removal will be near impossible. I had to take a file to the last 1 to 1.5 inches of the inner barrel to reduce the diameter. Fits well now. I don't have a range to do grouping tests, but I did notice that overall velocity consistency tightened up. Velocity also increased ~7fps.






After all upgrades were installed, consistency hovered around +/- 3fps with a spread of about 10fps. Not bad at all for a bolt action gas rifle. Most shots hovered around 455fps, with some going as high as 460fps