Airsoft Canada - View Single Post

MaybeStopCalling · April 11th, 2016, 02:49

INTRODUCTION

Much of the information in the original guide is still relevant, but the guide itself was written four years ago and there have been quite a few changes since then. This post is intended to update as much as I can of that original guide with my own experiences. Glocks continue to become more popular, and with the increasing expansion of the airsoft community, more will be looking to upgrade their guns. Plus, I get the feeling that E-Luder may be just a tad tired of working on Glocks...

BACKGROUND

The Glock series of pistols have been around since 1982, created in response to an Austrian military request for a new service sidearm. The magnitude of Glock’s achievement cannot be understated - the requirements were seen as impossible, the industry heavyweights already had guns ready to go, and Glock’s factories had never produced anything more complicated than a curtain rod. But Gaston Glock’s outsider approach was exactly what the industry needed, and the Glock 17, named for the 17th patent filed by Gaston Glock, would soon become a household name. Through some excellent marketing, and sneaky strategy, Glock pistols soon became the predominant pistol used by militaries and law enforcement agencies worldwide. I highly suggest reading Paul M. Barrett’s Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun. It reads like something out of a soap opera, but it’s a fairly comprehensive account of the Glock’s (and Gaston Glock himself) rise from obscurity to the mantle it holds today.

Glock pistols come in several different sizes and calibers, all numbered by a non-sensical system that has no logic in it whatsoever. The important thing you need to know is that the overwhelming majority of Glocks come in three, double stack sizes: Full-Sized, Compact, and Sub-Compact. This will translate out in airsoft to Glock 17, Glock 19/23, and Glock 26 respectively.

GENERATIONS:

A lot of people get confused when someone refers to a generation of a Glock pistol. This does not have anything to do with airsoft. Glock pistols have gone through four distinct variations.

First Generation

Introduced as part of Austrian Army contract.

Second Generation

Introduced in 1988, moved serial number from polymer to embedded steel plate, added grip checkering and serrations to grip, and minor recoil spring assembly and magazine changes.

Third Generation

Accessory rail added, thumb relief and finger grooves added, locking block has additional pinning after 1998.

Fourth Generation

Dual recoil spring, new grip texture, adjustable backstraps with smaller frame, ambidextrous magazine release.

In short, unless you have an electric pistol or spring gun, you’ll never seen the first or second generation guns in airsoft. The majority of guns will be of the third generation, while the newest guns will be from the fourth generation. Unless you’re deadset on the third generation, try and find yourself a fourth generation frame for a build. Tokyo Marui Glocks will be of the third generation by default. The adjustable grip, texture, and new magazine release are reason enough to swap over.

PART REVIEWS

AIP HOPUP CHAMBER

Good

Does what it needs to. Good replacement for the TM unit when the pin on the left side goes, causing issues with a rough action or delaying cycling. Not a fan of the loose nuts that interface with the screws in the clamshell, but for avoiding stripping, I’ll take it. Sits fairly well in the PGC outer barrel. For those of you who like to shim your inner barrel inside of the outer, this hopup chamber isn’t quite tolerant of that for some reason. I had a couple of failure to feeds as a result of shimming, so once that as removed, the gun ran smoothly. Lockup between the nozzle and unit seems quite good - once the gun returns to battery, the inner barrel does not budge at all.

DETONATOR GL-01 NIGHT SIGHT

Good

It's a steel sight, near perfect replica of the Trijicon GL-01 found on most factory upgraded Glocks. Unlike the real thing, these dots are only glow in the dark. The dots are surrounded by white plastic for daytime use, and the front dot is slightly larger for speed of acquisition. Unless you can get a GunsModify Tritium night sight, these are what I'd suggest.

GUNSMODIFY EXTENDED SLIDE STOP

Satisfactory

The part drops in without an issue, so that’s good. Much less rigid than the stock slide stop, so it starts warping and distorting after heavy use. By the end of its lifespan on my gun (Approximately six months, 1000 rounds) the item was routinely causing the slide to not lock back. On this basis alone, there’s an issue. However, another issue may result from the way one holds the gun during firing. In my case, at least, I was routinely bumping into the slide release, causing an accidental slide stop when there were still rounds in the magazine. Modifying my grip resolved this issue, though I now prefer the stock slide stop for locking the slide back, and I resolve the lack of “purchase” on this item by racking the slide to load a new round from a new magazine. Now if only an airsoft version of the Vickers release was available…

GUNSMODIFY REINFORCED NOZZLE

Excellent

Little to say about this item. Made of a better polymer than the stock nozzle, it drops in, slides freely, and works well with the Nineball Dyna Piston head. Easily the best nozzle I’ve used, short of the Airsoft Surgeon nozzle. You will need to transplant the internals of your original nozzle into the new nozzle. It also fits very well into the TM hopup chamber, and the AIP hopup chamber. Avoid the first generation - they had a reputation for breaking, but the second generation items are solid. There are TM and WE Glock versions, so make sure you get the right one for your needs.

GUARDER STEEL NIGHT SIGHTS FOR GLOCK

Satisfactory

The good thing - it’s durable as heck. No fears of this thing breaking when I rack the slide off a table. The item also drops in without much fuss, which is perfect for most users. The downsides - the glow in the dark dots are painted on poorly, so they flake off over time. Second - the dots are way too large, to the point of being distracting when trying to use the ironsights traditionally. I would argue my dissatisfaction with the sights, apart from the dots falling off, are purely personal. For the cost of these items though, it’s not a bad idea to try them at all.

GUARDER GRIP FORCE ADAPTER

Excellent

A common description of this item is “It’s ugly and uncomfortable as hell… but it works.” Make sure you grab the version intended for your generation of pistol - The Generation 4 pistols have a differing adapter. It goes on with one pin, and drastically improves the grip in my case. Comfort wise, it’s pretty uncomfortable. But the pistol comes onto target faster, the sights line up all the time, and I don’t have to worry about slide bite. if you’re having troubles with the Glock grip, this might be worth a look. The item is made pretty well, it fits pretty tightly, and you can modify it to your liking. What’s not to like?

MAPLE LEAF DELTA BUCKING

Good

So far, it seems to hop consistently, and it’ll hop the heavier rounds. Maple Leaf advertises that this bucking will decrease range, but increase accuracy. I haven’t had the time to really evaluate this claim, but the bucking has given me results I’m comfortable with up to 100 feet. Be advised that you will need a barrel with an open bucking window, as the patch is larger than a closed window can provide.

NINEBALL TRITIUM NIGHT SIGHTS FOR G18C

Satisfactory

Let’s start with the good. It’s a tritium sight that is finished and machined well. In the dark, the red front sight makes aiming a bit easier. Some will complain that these sights are not bright enough - I would argue that with adjusted eyes, they are bright enough to work with, but to each their own. As a basic iron sight - fabulous. Easy to line up, the black paint is easier to contrast compared to the Guarder’s dark grey. The downsides, and the reason these sights are rated satisfactory… is the material. Easily a winner in steel, these sights are made of aluminium, with a steel M2.5 screw. They will strip after repeated use. They are fixable by tapping the resultant hole for M3 threads, which solves the issue somewhat… but still, easily avoidable. Seeing this makes me wary of using the sights to rack the slide. Get the Detonator GL-01 instead. Of note is that G18C sights will work in a G17, but not vice versa.

NINEBALL DYNA PISTON HEAD

Excellent

If there is one purchase you must make for a Glock, it is a ported piston head. You can choose between the Nineball option, the Speed option (Support a Canadian company!) or the Element option. I have had good success with both the Nineball and Speed piston heads, though the Speed piston head went into a Glock 19 I was working on, and the Nineball went into my own personal gun. A ported piston head works by tapping some of the gasses in the nozzle during the recoil phase of the action, and redirecting it underneath an o-ring that runs around the edge of the head, sealing it against the nozzle, but not creating excess friction. My efficiency went up to the point where I was able to get 52 shots out of a gun that had fired 24 previously. Not a bad change at all, and considering the cost of the item, well worth the money to combat the most common complaint about GBB pistols.

With a Glock, you generally will want to run the smaller o-ring provided by Nineball, as the larger o-ring will freeze and jam the gun under rapid fire. Every setup is different, so experiment. Signs that your fit is too loose include liquid propellent coming out of the ejection port during firing, or under the slide. Signs that your fit is too tight is your nozzle not moving freely, experiencing jams where the gun fails to feed after rapid fire, or requiring lubrication to keep firing. Lastly - don’t use the spring they provide you - your gun’s floating valve spring is more than sufficient and the Nineball one tends to waste gas.

PDI W-HOLD BUCKING

Satisfactory

It’s a good idea having a notch in the middle to align the BB pellet, but I’m amazed at just how quickly this item absorbs oil. Within a thousand rounds it was near useless, and had to be discarded. While it lasted, it worked very well, allowing me to hit a pie plate at 100 feet.

RATECH STEEL RECOIL ROD FOR GLOCK

Good

It’s a recoil rod, not much to it. Cycles well enough, though you will want to thread lock the base to the stem of the rod. It’s smooth and accepts most springs out there. At $13.00, it was a steal. It only gets a good rating since I can’t justify why this is a better part than the TM Marui part, apart from wearing much better than the painted TM part.

SHOOTER’S DESIGN HAMMER SPRING

Excellent

The Guarder spring breaks, the UAC spring is untested, and the TM spring is too weak. By virtue of actually working, this item earns an excellent rating. You may find that this item is not a necessary upgrade. But, if you’re having issues with light strikes in warm weather, or you want a bit of a velocity boost, then it’s an excellent purchase.

SHOOTER’S DESIGN BASEPLATES

Good

These plates fit snugly and hide the fact that your magazines belong to an airsoft gun. The downside is they will not take abuse well - a drop or two onto a hard surface from 4 feet and they’ll need replacing, typically due to a split at the edge where it rides onto the rails provided by the magazine. Then again, I don’t expect any airsoft baseplate to survive that harsh of a drop… so for what they’re meant for, they work, I guess. A downside is you will have to slide them forwards to refill on gas, but I got used to that quickly.

WE CO2 GLOCK MAGAZINES

Needs Improvement

All of the three I bought leak, the plug that holds the CO2 in strips, and none of these magazines function. I’m not sure if I got a bad batch, but given how well green gas works in these guns, definitely avoid these magazines.

GEAR REVIEWS

AIRSOFT DEPOT BLACKHAWK SERPA LEVEL 2 HOLSTER

Needs Improvement

It works as well as a SERPA does in theory, however the plastic is so poor that the pin holding the release paddle on backs out without a problem, and the release paddle itself is so poor that it flexes when pushed, meaning you can push in to release, and the gun will still be locked into the holster. Would not recommend, as the real holster is not much more and is durable.

BLACKHAWK SERPA LEVEL III DUTY HOLSTER

Excellent

You won’t see these often in airsoft, but they are fairly common as a law enforcement holster. The idea behind the Level III holster is that apart from the trigger finger release, there is also a thumb activated hood that holds the gun in, offering two levels of retention outside of friction. Apart from this, the holster is amazingly well built, the polymer doesn’t flex, the releases work without hesitation, and Blackhawk includes spacers to move the holster out from the body to accommodate body armour. As well, you can change the angle of draw, though I left it without a cant. If you want a weaponlight, however, look elsewhere.

CYTAC GLOCK AIRSOFT GUN LEVEL 2 HOLSTER

Good

It’s like a Blackhawk SERPA, but not really. Very minimalistic, with a trigger finger operated release paddle. Of note is that the paddle on this holster has more generous tolerances, so the issues that plague the SERPA, such as debris behind the release, should be less problematic here. The holster is highly adjustable for cant, however, it is attached to the mount with only one screw… not exactly a failsafe design. On the plus side, it comes available for mounting on a paddle, a belt loop, a MOLLE adapter, or a dropleg rig. It’s a cheap and easy way to get a decent holster, and it’s very lightweight. Worth looking into, though make sure you thread lock the mounting screw when you find the angle you want.

SAFARILAND 6280 SLS HOLSTER W/ LEVEL 3 SENTRY

Excellent

I have never had a bad Safariland holster, and now that R. Nichol’s exclusivity contract has ended, these holsters are now commonly available in Canada. The SLS uses a rotating hood to retain the firearm in the holster. Holsters are made of Kydex, and are lined with suede to protect the gun. Friction fit can be adjusted with hex keys, and the SLS can be modified with several attachments to increase retention, such as the sentry, which is a tab that locks the retention hood, requiring that it be unlocked before use. Another device would be the SLS hood, which protects the hood from attempts to unlock from the front, such as an attacker. Obviously, if someone is physically attacking you in airsoft… something is not right. Anyways, the 6280 is their base duty holster model, and comes in models that support a weaponlight, or models that support the bare basics. When I received mine, i had to break it in slowly, as it was a stiff draw. I’ve fallen on the holster, banged it against just about everything, and it’s still my primary choice.

Safariland also makes an ALS holster, which locks your pistol into the holster without active intervention, such as flipping the hood up in the SLS holsters. You may find those better suited to your purposes.

STREAMLIGHT TLR-1 WEAPONLIGHT

Excellent

E-Luder, in his original post, recommended the M3X weaponlight as an effective light for a Glock platform. While I believe the M3X has several things going for it, I would suggest that times have changed, and the TLR-1 has become the better value. Available for around $150, it offers several variants, such as a high lumen model, and a strobe model. Adapters allow it to fit most firearms, and its metal construction makes it more durable than the M3X. The rotating paddle switch in the back allows for momentary activation, or steady activation. The TLR-1 mounts from the side, with a spring loaded rail mount. A screw tightens down the mount to ensure the light stays on the gun. I have had this light on a GBB rifle, a GBB pistol, underwater, and it has survived without issue. If you get one, you’ll get great value out of it. If you feel like it’s asking for a lot… well, it’s the price of two knockoff Surefire X300 lights, which will break eventually. Long-term savings for short-term investment.

MODIFICATIONS

UPGRADING

Many airsofters fall into the trap that they must upgrade things in order to make their gun better. While not entirely accurate, the airsoft guns of today are coming out of the box ready to go, and upgrading should be done on a basis of necessity. That is, unless required, one should not upgrade their gun. That being said, a hopup bucking and barrel are often the best changes one can make, followed by a hammer spring (if light striking) and a new piston head. Your needs will vary.

TRIGGER MODIFICATIONS

One thing I want to hit the brakes on is trigger modifications. The Glock has an excellent trigger for 90% of airsoft uses. It's a two stage trigger with a light takeup that runs into a wall. Pushing past this wall is akin to breaking a glass rod. It's hard and sudden with minimal creep. The rest of the pull is even shorter, with next to no overtravel. Reset quick, loud, and clear. A 150% hammer spring will make that break a little harder and less mushy. Unlike other pistols, there are no active safeties on a Glock. Your safety is you not pulling the trigger. Now, the real Glock can be modified for trigger weight and profile - you can have it as the aforementioned two stage, a consistent heavy pull, and anywhere from 2 to 12 pounds in trigger weight. On the airsoft one, you're at 2 pounds, if you're lucky. My personal gun comes in at 2.25 pounds to break the trigger. The recommended weight for a duty gun is at least 4 pounds.

So, why am I bringing this up? Because the market is full of Glock triggers that say they'll reduce travel and make the trigger pull shorter, more like the 1911. That's great, the 1911 trigger is amazing. New triggers feel awesome too. But the 1911 has two active safeties, and the Glock does not. Unless you're using the gun for IPSC or competition, a 2 pound hair trigger is a dangerous thing. Sure it might not be a real gun, but that pellet can do harm off of a negligent discharge, such as one from holstering, catching it on a branch or environment, or from unintentional contact of a finger, say in a stressful situation... like being shot at.

TL : DR - If it's not a competition gun, stop messing with the trigger's engagement profile.

FRONT RAIL BLOCK REINFORCEMENT & TAG SAFETY DELETE

The front rail block of a TM pistol and its clones is held down by a screw that connects vertically to the frame. That means that all the recoil will shear perpendicular to the screw’s orientation. Given the weaker plastic material the screw beds into, it’s only a matter of time before this pin shatters. What helps is packing the void that sits right behind the screw hole, but the ultimate way to prevent this problem is to drill a hole through one side of the pistol, to the other, through the front rail block where the slide lock spring sits, and to pin it in place with a metal rod. This modification has been posted before in this thread, looks realistic, and solves the issue, even after several thousand rounds. A drill press is recommended for this operation, and a nylon frame (Read: Not a TM frame) is required for durability.

While you’re in there, an easy modification is to remove the tag safety. Japanese laws require a safety on all guns, and well… the Glock doesn’t come with an active safety. Deleting this will remove this rarely used function, and perhaps more importantly, prevent your trigger from locking up under recoil. A couple of guns have passed through my hands, where the user described the gun locking up during rapid fire, or hard impact. Not something you want happening when you need the gun to go bang, and not something you want happening when you have an accessory mounted, making said switch inaccessible. To fill the gap left behind, Guarder makes blank tags that fit the void.

SLIDE LAPPING FOR OPTIMAL FIT

Not so much on TM pistols, but for pistols that come from the factory with a metal slide, or if you’re trying to get a new slide onto your pistol, the action tends to be rough and gritty. Worst case, it’ll barely move due to friction and tight tolerances. This is a side effect of the paint applied to these items. What you can do is apply small dabs of metal polish inside the slide rails of the slides, and cycle it back and forth manually on the pistol until the action starts to smooth out. Less is more. What the metal polish does is it smooths out the roughness of the surface coating, making the slide cycle more smoothly than as it came from the factory. Of note is you do not want to overdo this - it’s much easier to remove material than it is to add. This means you must positively clean up all the metal polish when done. I’ve seen this to be most beneficial on WE/HK Glock pistols.

SLIDE LOCKUP (OR WHY YOUR BARREL WOBBLES)

Repeat after me: “Barrel wobble when the slide is unlocked is okay.” When the barrel is tilted and the slide is back, it doesn’t matter how much your barrel wobbles, as long as it’ll load a BB. This is a side effect of the Browning action used on the real Glock. What this means is, when your slide comes back forward, it will push the barrel forward and up, locking the chamber into the ejection port. It is only at this stage that you should be worried about barrel wobble. You can test for barrel wobble by doing the following: With the pistol unloaded and verified clear, push forward on the back of the slide. Shake the gun. If you can hear the barrel rattling in the slide, you have a barrel wobble issue. If you can’t, use your other hand to push the barrel muzzle around its cutout in the slide. It should not feel loose. if it does, you have a barrel wobble issue. If it feels gummy, or stiff, your gun is perfectly fine. Remember - if there is no wobble at all… your gun isn’t going to cycle. It’s simply too tight. Get a revolver if this is an issue.

This is why I wince when I see users modify the chamber area of their slides to unlock from the slide with greater ease. Specifically, filing a 45 degree slope into the top forward chamber area, so it rides under the slide more easily. While it improves cycling, it significantly impacts lockup, which kills your precision.

GLOCK 101

LUBRICATION

A common thing I see is a gun that looks like it’s been floating in a vat of silicone oil. This is not the right way of lubricating your gun. Nor is soaking it in Hoppes #9 or CLP. What you’ll want to do is use grease any time there is a metal to plastic or metal to metal contact point. Silicone should only be used on rubber seals, such as the piston head. White lithium grease is a tad too light for this usage, so I recommend Permatex Ultra Slick for most applications, with Permatex Brake Lubricant for extreme applications where the Ultra Slick is dispersing too quickly. These greases will remain on their contact points for the long term, unlike silicone oil, which will blow off extremely quickly due to its properties as a liquid.

When lubricating a Glock, you’ll want to lubricate the following areas with grease:

- Slide rails
- Recoil rod
- Inside the top of the slide
- Hammer assembly

Save the silicone oil for the piston and your magazines. Remember, less is more. Take it easy on the grease. Too much will slow everything down.

CLEANING

An airsoft Glock is extremely tolerant of abuse and a lack of care, but cleaning your gun will ensure that your investment lasts a long time, and that your gun will go bang when you need it to. Lucky for you, it’s easy to clean these guns. Start by field stripping the gun. This will separate it into the barrel, slide, recoil rod, and frame. Wipe down all of these components with a rag or shop towel to remove any excess fouling. You’ll then want to clean these items with All Purpose Cleaner (APC), then lubricate them before reassembling. With lubricant, less is more.

Barrel

You’ll want to run a cleaning cloth on a cleaning rod through the barrel first, followed by a rag soaked with APC, then back to the dry cloths until the cloth comes out of the barrel clean. Use a Q-Tip soaked in APC to clean the hopup bucking gently, then a new Q-Tip to dry it out.

Slide

You’ll want to focus your cleaning on the inside of the slide, as well as any part of the nozzle you can reach. Q-Tips will allow you to reach small areas. Hit it with APC, then dry it with a clean cloth. You’ll want to focus on the nozzle, and the grooves where the slide rides.

Recoil Rod

Not much to it. Pull the spring all the way towards one end, and wipe down the rod. Hit it with APC if you want, though the nature of the rod means very little grime remains after cycling.

Frame

You’ll want to clean it externally, then clean the slide rails and the action, as well as the trigger group. Q-Tips help. The magwell is an often neglected area, so really clean it. You will need a lot of APC for the magwell. Ensure the hammer is clean and that the rest of the hammer assembly is clear of debris.

CLONES

Bell

For the love of god, avoid these guns. The frames are cheap plastic and the mold quality is poor at best. The slides are brittle and poorly fitted onto the frames, and the best part about these guns is the carrying case they come in. A reputable gun doctor I spoke with refuses to work on these guns anymore - they don’t fit anything, they’re incredibly variable in quality, and the sad thing is a better gun is not much more. This is the Hi-Point of airsoft guns - a gun that's ugly, poorly built, and only has the promise of going bang every time you pull the trigger... and it even doesn't do that right. Issues I saw in a five minute period holding one of these guns were:

- Inconsistent blowback
- Failure to feed
- Failure to lock open when empty
- Structural failure of slide, causing fragmentation of slide nose

WE/HK

Not that bad anymore. Early models were known for barrel fractures and poor quality. The latest models are superb. If you can, get the HK models - these come with accurate markings. Get these guns if you’re looking for a great gun out of the box, and you don’t plan on making a build out of it. Great polymer too. Paint isn’t the greatest, but you can’t win them all.

KJW

They don’t make a full sized Glock, just a Glock 19 and some other models. Only partially compatable with TM pistols. To quote: “The worst pistol KJW has made.” Incredibly gritty trigger pull, lacks trigger safety, and the nozzle and piston head are not fitted very well. The slides are pretty nice though, same for the stock sights.

April 11th, 2016, 02:49	#977
MaybeStopCalling Green Synergy Trader rating Join Date: May 2009	INTRODUCTION Much of the information in the original guide is still relevant, but the guide itself was written four years ago and there have been quite a few changes since then. This post is intended to update as much as I can of that original guide with my own experiences. Glocks continue to become more popular, and with the increasing expansion of the airsoft community, more will be looking to upgrade their guns. Plus, I get the feeling that E-Luder may be just a tad tired of working on Glocks... BACKGROUND The Glock series of pistols have been around since 1982, created in response to an Austrian military request for a new service sidearm. The magnitude of Glock’s achievement cannot be understated - the requirements were seen as impossible, the industry heavyweights already had guns ready to go, and Glock’s factories had never produced anything more complicated than a curtain rod. But Gaston Glock’s outsider approach was exactly what the industry needed, and the Glock 17, named for the 17th patent filed by Gaston Glock, would soon become a household name. Through some excellent marketing, and sneaky strategy, Glock pistols soon became the predominant pistol used by militaries and law enforcement agencies worldwide. I highly suggest reading Paul M. Barrett’s Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun. It reads like something out of a soap opera, but it’s a fairly comprehensive account of the Glock’s (and Gaston Glock himself) rise from obscurity to the mantle it holds today. Glock pistols come in several different sizes and calibers, all numbered by a non-sensical system that has no logic in it whatsoever. The important thing you need to know is that the overwhelming majority of Glocks come in three, double stack sizes: Full-Sized, Compact, and Sub-Compact. This will translate out in airsoft to Glock 17, Glock 19/23, and Glock 26 respectively. GENERATIONS: A lot of people get confused when someone refers to a generation of a Glock pistol. This does not have anything to do with airsoft. Glock pistols have gone through four distinct variations. First Generation Introduced as part of Austrian Army contract. Second Generation Introduced in 1988, moved serial number from polymer to embedded steel plate, added grip checkering and serrations to grip, and minor recoil spring assembly and magazine changes. Third Generation Accessory rail added, thumb relief and finger grooves added, locking block has additional pinning after 1998. Fourth Generation Dual recoil spring, new grip texture, adjustable backstraps with smaller frame, ambidextrous magazine release. In short, unless you have an electric pistol or spring gun, you’ll never seen the first or second generation guns in airsoft. The majority of guns will be of the third generation, while the newest guns will be from the fourth generation. Unless you’re deadset on the third generation, try and find yourself a fourth generation frame for a build. Tokyo Marui Glocks will be of the third generation by default. The adjustable grip, texture, and new magazine release are reason enough to swap over. PART REVIEWS AIP HOPUP CHAMBER Good Does what it needs to. Good replacement for the TM unit when the pin on the left side goes, causing issues with a rough action or delaying cycling. Not a fan of the loose nuts that interface with the screws in the clamshell, but for avoiding stripping, I’ll take it. Sits fairly well in the PGC outer barrel. For those of you who like to shim your inner barrel inside of the outer, this hopup chamber isn’t quite tolerant of that for some reason. I had a couple of failure to feeds as a result of shimming, so once that as removed, the gun ran smoothly. Lockup between the nozzle and unit seems quite good - once the gun returns to battery, the inner barrel does not budge at all. DETONATOR GL-01 NIGHT SIGHT Good It's a steel sight, near perfect replica of the Trijicon GL-01 found on most factory upgraded Glocks. Unlike the real thing, these dots are only glow in the dark. The dots are surrounded by white plastic for daytime use, and the front dot is slightly larger for speed of acquisition. Unless you can get a GunsModify Tritium night sight, these are what I'd suggest. GUNSMODIFY EXTENDED SLIDE STOP Satisfactory The part drops in without an issue, so that’s good. Much less rigid than the stock slide stop, so it starts warping and distorting after heavy use. By the end of its lifespan on my gun (Approximately six months, 1000 rounds) the item was routinely causing the slide to not lock back. On this basis alone, there’s an issue. However, another issue may result from the way one holds the gun during firing. In my case, at least, I was routinely bumping into the slide release, causing an accidental slide stop when there were still rounds in the magazine. Modifying my grip resolved this issue, though I now prefer the stock slide stop for locking the slide back, and I resolve the lack of “purchase” on this item by racking the slide to load a new round from a new magazine. Now if only an airsoft version of the Vickers release was available… GUNSMODIFY REINFORCED NOZZLE Excellent Little to say about this item. Made of a better polymer than the stock nozzle, it drops in, slides freely, and works well with the Nineball Dyna Piston head. Easily the best nozzle I’ve used, short of the Airsoft Surgeon nozzle. You will need to transplant the internals of your original nozzle into the new nozzle. It also fits very well into the TM hopup chamber, and the AIP hopup chamber. Avoid the first generation - they had a reputation for breaking, but the second generation items are solid. There are TM and WE Glock versions, so make sure you get the right one for your needs. GUARDER STEEL NIGHT SIGHTS FOR GLOCK Satisfactory The good thing - it’s durable as heck. No fears of this thing breaking when I rack the slide off a table. The item also drops in without much fuss, which is perfect for most users. The downsides - the glow in the dark dots are painted on poorly, so they flake off over time. Second - the dots are way too large, to the point of being distracting when trying to use the ironsights traditionally. I would argue my dissatisfaction with the sights, apart from the dots falling off, are purely personal. For the cost of these items though, it’s not a bad idea to try them at all. GUARDER GRIP FORCE ADAPTER Excellent A common description of this item is “It’s ugly and uncomfortable as hell… but it works.” Make sure you grab the version intended for your generation of pistol - The Generation 4 pistols have a differing adapter. It goes on with one pin, and drastically improves the grip in my case. Comfort wise, it’s pretty uncomfortable. But the pistol comes onto target faster, the sights line up all the time, and I don’t have to worry about slide bite. if you’re having troubles with the Glock grip, this might be worth a look. The item is made pretty well, it fits pretty tightly, and you can modify it to your liking. What’s not to like? MAPLE LEAF DELTA BUCKING Good So far, it seems to hop consistently, and it’ll hop the heavier rounds. Maple Leaf advertises that this bucking will decrease range, but increase accuracy. I haven’t had the time to really evaluate this claim, but the bucking has given me results I’m comfortable with up to 100 feet. Be advised that you will need a barrel with an open bucking window, as the patch is larger than a closed window can provide. NINEBALL TRITIUM NIGHT SIGHTS FOR G18C Satisfactory Let’s start with the good. It’s a tritium sight that is finished and machined well. In the dark, the red front sight makes aiming a bit easier. Some will complain that these sights are not bright enough - I would argue that with adjusted eyes, they are bright enough to work with, but to each their own. As a basic iron sight - fabulous. Easy to line up, the black paint is easier to contrast compared to the Guarder’s dark grey. The downsides, and the reason these sights are rated satisfactory… is the material. Easily a winner in steel, these sights are made of aluminium, with a steel M2.5 screw. They will strip after repeated use. They are fixable by tapping the resultant hole for M3 threads, which solves the issue somewhat… but still, easily avoidable. Seeing this makes me wary of using the sights to rack the slide. Get the Detonator GL-01 instead. Of note is that G18C sights will work in a G17, but not vice versa. NINEBALL DYNA PISTON HEAD Excellent If there is one purchase you must make for a Glock, it is a ported piston head. You can choose between the Nineball option, the Speed option (Support a Canadian company!) or the Element option. I have had good success with both the Nineball and Speed piston heads, though the Speed piston head went into a Glock 19 I was working on, and the Nineball went into my own personal gun. A ported piston head works by tapping some of the gasses in the nozzle during the recoil phase of the action, and redirecting it underneath an o-ring that runs around the edge of the head, sealing it against the nozzle, but not creating excess friction. My efficiency went up to the point where I was able to get 52 shots out of a gun that had fired 24 previously. Not a bad change at all, and considering the cost of the item, well worth the money to combat the most common complaint about GBB pistols. With a Glock, you generally will want to run the smaller o-ring provided by Nineball, as the larger o-ring will freeze and jam the gun under rapid fire. Every setup is different, so experiment. Signs that your fit is too loose include liquid propellent coming out of the ejection port during firing, or under the slide. Signs that your fit is too tight is your nozzle not moving freely, experiencing jams where the gun fails to feed after rapid fire, or requiring lubrication to keep firing. Lastly - don’t use the spring they provide you - your gun’s floating valve spring is more than sufficient and the Nineball one tends to waste gas. PDI W-HOLD BUCKING Satisfactory It’s a good idea having a notch in the middle to align the BB pellet, but I’m amazed at just how quickly this item absorbs oil. Within a thousand rounds it was near useless, and had to be discarded. While it lasted, it worked very well, allowing me to hit a pie plate at 100 feet. RATECH STEEL RECOIL ROD FOR GLOCK Good It’s a recoil rod, not much to it. Cycles well enough, though you will want to thread lock the base to the stem of the rod. It’s smooth and accepts most springs out there. At $13.00, it was a steal. It only gets a good rating since I can’t justify why this is a better part than the TM Marui part, apart from wearing much better than the painted TM part. SHOOTER’S DESIGN HAMMER SPRING Excellent The Guarder spring breaks, the UAC spring is untested, and the TM spring is too weak. By virtue of actually working, this item earns an excellent rating. You may find that this item is not a necessary upgrade. But, if you’re having issues with light strikes in warm weather, or you want a bit of a velocity boost, then it’s an excellent purchase. SHOOTER’S DESIGN BASEPLATES Good These plates fit snugly and hide the fact that your magazines belong to an airsoft gun. The downside is they will not take abuse well - a drop or two onto a hard surface from 4 feet and they’ll need replacing, typically due to a split at the edge where it rides onto the rails provided by the magazine. Then again, I don’t expect any airsoft baseplate to survive that harsh of a drop… so for what they’re meant for, they work, I guess. A downside is you will have to slide them forwards to refill on gas, but I got used to that quickly. WE CO2 GLOCK MAGAZINES Needs Improvement All of the three I bought leak, the plug that holds the CO2 in strips, and none of these magazines function. I’m not sure if I got a bad batch, but given how well green gas works in these guns, definitely avoid these magazines. GEAR REVIEWS AIRSOFT DEPOT BLACKHAWK SERPA LEVEL 2 HOLSTER Needs Improvement It works as well as a SERPA does in theory, however the plastic is so poor that the pin holding the release paddle on backs out without a problem, and the release paddle itself is so poor that it flexes when pushed, meaning you can push in to release, and the gun will still be locked into the holster. Would not recommend, as the real holster is not much more and is durable. BLACKHAWK SERPA LEVEL III DUTY HOLSTER Excellent You won’t see these often in airsoft, but they are fairly common as a law enforcement holster. The idea behind the Level III holster is that apart from the trigger finger release, there is also a thumb activated hood that holds the gun in, offering two levels of retention outside of friction. Apart from this, the holster is amazingly well built, the polymer doesn’t flex, the releases work without hesitation, and Blackhawk includes spacers to move the holster out from the body to accommodate body armour. As well, you can change the angle of draw, though I left it without a cant. If you want a weaponlight, however, look elsewhere. CYTAC GLOCK AIRSOFT GUN LEVEL 2 HOLSTER Good It’s like a Blackhawk SERPA, but not really. Very minimalistic, with a trigger finger operated release paddle. Of note is that the paddle on this holster has more generous tolerances, so the issues that plague the SERPA, such as debris behind the release, should be less problematic here. The holster is highly adjustable for cant, however, it is attached to the mount with only one screw… not exactly a failsafe design. On the plus side, it comes available for mounting on a paddle, a belt loop, a MOLLE adapter, or a dropleg rig. It’s a cheap and easy way to get a decent holster, and it’s very lightweight. Worth looking into, though make sure you thread lock the mounting screw when you find the angle you want. SAFARILAND 6280 SLS HOLSTER W/ LEVEL 3 SENTRY Excellent I have never had a bad Safariland holster, and now that R. Nichol’s exclusivity contract has ended, these holsters are now commonly available in Canada. The SLS uses a rotating hood to retain the firearm in the holster. Holsters are made of Kydex, and are lined with suede to protect the gun. Friction fit can be adjusted with hex keys, and the SLS can be modified with several attachments to increase retention, such as the sentry, which is a tab that locks the retention hood, requiring that it be unlocked before use. Another device would be the SLS hood, which protects the hood from attempts to unlock from the front, such as an attacker. Obviously, if someone is physically attacking you in airsoft… something is not right. Anyways, the 6280 is their base duty holster model, and comes in models that support a weaponlight, or models that support the bare basics. When I received mine, i had to break it in slowly, as it was a stiff draw. I’ve fallen on the holster, banged it against just about everything, and it’s still my primary choice. Safariland also makes an ALS holster, which locks your pistol into the holster without active intervention, such as flipping the hood up in the SLS holsters. You may find those better suited to your purposes. STREAMLIGHT TLR-1 WEAPONLIGHT Excellent E-Luder, in his original post, recommended the M3X weaponlight as an effective light for a Glock platform. While I believe the M3X has several things going for it, I would suggest that times have changed, and the TLR-1 has become the better value. Available for around $150, it offers several variants, such as a high lumen model, and a strobe model. Adapters allow it to fit most firearms, and its metal construction makes it more durable than the M3X. The rotating paddle switch in the back allows for momentary activation, or steady activation. The TLR-1 mounts from the side, with a spring loaded rail mount. A screw tightens down the mount to ensure the light stays on the gun. I have had this light on a GBB rifle, a GBB pistol, underwater, and it has survived without issue. If you get one, you’ll get great value out of it. If you feel like it’s asking for a lot… well, it’s the price of two knockoff Surefire X300 lights, which will break eventually. Long-term savings for short-term investment. MODIFICATIONS UPGRADING Many airsofters fall into the trap that they must upgrade things in order to make their gun better. While not entirely accurate, the airsoft guns of today are coming out of the box ready to go, and upgrading should be done on a basis of necessity. That is, unless required, one should not upgrade their gun. That being said, a hopup bucking and barrel are often the best changes one can make, followed by a hammer spring (if light striking) and a new piston head. Your needs will vary. TRIGGER MODIFICATIONS One thing I want to hit the brakes on is trigger modifications. The Glock has an excellent trigger for 90% of airsoft uses. It's a two stage trigger with a light takeup that runs into a wall. Pushing past this wall is akin to breaking a glass rod. It's hard and sudden with minimal creep. The rest of the pull is even shorter, with next to no overtravel. Reset quick, loud, and clear. A 150% hammer spring will make that break a little harder and less mushy. Unlike other pistols, there are no active safeties on a Glock. Your safety is you not pulling the trigger. Now, the real Glock can be modified for trigger weight and profile - you can have it as the aforementioned two stage, a consistent heavy pull, and anywhere from 2 to 12 pounds in trigger weight. On the airsoft one, you're at 2 pounds, if you're lucky. My personal gun comes in at 2.25 pounds to break the trigger. The recommended weight for a duty gun is at least 4 pounds. So, why am I bringing this up? Because the market is full of Glock triggers that say they'll reduce travel and make the trigger pull shorter, more like the 1911. That's great, the 1911 trigger is amazing. New triggers feel awesome too. But the 1911 has two active safeties, and the Glock does not. Unless you're using the gun for IPSC or competition, a 2 pound hair trigger is a dangerous thing. Sure it might not be a real gun, but that pellet can do harm off of a negligent discharge, such as one from holstering, catching it on a branch or environment, or from unintentional contact of a finger, say in a stressful situation... like being shot at. TL : DR - If it's not a competition gun, stop messing with the trigger's engagement profile. FRONT RAIL BLOCK REINFORCEMENT & TAG SAFETY DELETE The front rail block of a TM pistol and its clones is held down by a screw that connects vertically to the frame. That means that all the recoil will shear perpendicular to the screw’s orientation. Given the weaker plastic material the screw beds into, it’s only a matter of time before this pin shatters. What helps is packing the void that sits right behind the screw hole, but the ultimate way to prevent this problem is to drill a hole through one side of the pistol, to the other, through the front rail block where the slide lock spring sits, and to pin it in place with a metal rod. This modification has been posted before in this thread, looks realistic, and solves the issue, even after several thousand rounds. A drill press is recommended for this operation, and a nylon frame (Read: Not a TM frame) is required for durability. While you’re in there, an easy modification is to remove the tag safety. Japanese laws require a safety on all guns, and well… the Glock doesn’t come with an active safety. Deleting this will remove this rarely used function, and perhaps more importantly, prevent your trigger from locking up under recoil. A couple of guns have passed through my hands, where the user described the gun locking up during rapid fire, or hard impact. Not something you want happening when you need the gun to go bang, and not something you want happening when you have an accessory mounted, making said switch inaccessible. To fill the gap left behind, Guarder makes blank tags that fit the void. SLIDE LAPPING FOR OPTIMAL FIT Not so much on TM pistols, but for pistols that come from the factory with a metal slide, or if you’re trying to get a new slide onto your pistol, the action tends to be rough and gritty. Worst case, it’ll barely move due to friction and tight tolerances. This is a side effect of the paint applied to these items. What you can do is apply small dabs of metal polish inside the slide rails of the slides, and cycle it back and forth manually on the pistol until the action starts to smooth out. Less is more. What the metal polish does is it smooths out the roughness of the surface coating, making the slide cycle more smoothly than as it came from the factory. Of note is you do not want to overdo this - it’s much easier to remove material than it is to add. This means you must positively clean up all the metal polish when done. I’ve seen this to be most beneficial on WE/HK Glock pistols. SLIDE LOCKUP (OR WHY YOUR BARREL WOBBLES) Repeat after me: “Barrel wobble when the slide is unlocked is okay.” When the barrel is tilted and the slide is back, it doesn’t matter how much your barrel wobbles, as long as it’ll load a BB. This is a side effect of the Browning action used on the real Glock. What this means is, when your slide comes back forward, it will push the barrel forward and up, locking the chamber into the ejection port. It is only at this stage that you should be worried about barrel wobble. You can test for barrel wobble by doing the following: With the pistol unloaded and verified clear, push forward on the back of the slide. Shake the gun. If you can hear the barrel rattling in the slide, you have a barrel wobble issue. If you can’t, use your other hand to push the barrel muzzle around its cutout in the slide. It should not feel loose. if it does, you have a barrel wobble issue. If it feels gummy, or stiff, your gun is perfectly fine. Remember - if there is no wobble at all… your gun isn’t going to cycle. It’s simply too tight. Get a revolver if this is an issue. This is why I wince when I see users modify the chamber area of their slides to unlock from the slide with greater ease. Specifically, filing a 45 degree slope into the top forward chamber area, so it rides under the slide more easily. While it improves cycling, it significantly impacts lockup, which kills your precision. GLOCK 101 LUBRICATION A common thing I see is a gun that looks like it’s been floating in a vat of silicone oil. This is not the right way of lubricating your gun. Nor is soaking it in Hoppes #9 or CLP. What you’ll want to do is use grease any time there is a metal to plastic or metal to metal contact point. Silicone should only be used on rubber seals, such as the piston head. White lithium grease is a tad too light for this usage, so I recommend Permatex Ultra Slick for most applications, with Permatex Brake Lubricant for extreme applications where the Ultra Slick is dispersing too quickly. These greases will remain on their contact points for the long term, unlike silicone oil, which will blow off extremely quickly due to its properties as a liquid. When lubricating a Glock, you’ll want to lubricate the following areas with grease: - Slide rails - Recoil rod - Inside the top of the slide - Hammer assembly Save the silicone oil for the piston and your magazines. Remember, less is more. Take it easy on the grease. Too much will slow everything down. CLEANING An airsoft Glock is extremely tolerant of abuse and a lack of care, but cleaning your gun will ensure that your investment lasts a long time, and that your gun will go bang when you need it to. Lucky for you, it’s easy to clean these guns. Start by field stripping the gun. This will separate it into the barrel, slide, recoil rod, and frame. Wipe down all of these components with a rag or shop towel to remove any excess fouling. You’ll then want to clean these items with All Purpose Cleaner (APC), then lubricate them before reassembling. With lubricant, less is more. Barrel You’ll want to run a cleaning cloth on a cleaning rod through the barrel first, followed by a rag soaked with APC, then back to the dry cloths until the cloth comes out of the barrel clean. Use a Q-Tip soaked in APC to clean the hopup bucking gently, then a new Q-Tip to dry it out. Slide You’ll want to focus your cleaning on the inside of the slide, as well as any part of the nozzle you can reach. Q-Tips will allow you to reach small areas. Hit it with APC, then dry it with a clean cloth. You’ll want to focus on the nozzle, and the grooves where the slide rides. Recoil Rod Not much to it. Pull the spring all the way towards one end, and wipe down the rod. Hit it with APC if you want, though the nature of the rod means very little grime remains after cycling. Frame You’ll want to clean it externally, then clean the slide rails and the action, as well as the trigger group. Q-Tips help. The magwell is an often neglected area, so really clean it. You will need a lot of APC for the magwell. Ensure the hammer is clean and that the rest of the hammer assembly is clear of debris. CLONES Bell For the love of god, avoid these guns. The frames are cheap plastic and the mold quality is poor at best. The slides are brittle and poorly fitted onto the frames, and the best part about these guns is the carrying case they come in. A reputable gun doctor I spoke with refuses to work on these guns anymore - they don’t fit anything, they’re incredibly variable in quality, and the sad thing is a better gun is not much more. This is the Hi-Point of airsoft guns - a gun that's ugly, poorly built, and only has the promise of going bang every time you pull the trigger... and it even doesn't do that right. Issues I saw in a five minute period holding one of these guns were: - Inconsistent blowback - Failure to feed - Failure to lock open when empty - Structural failure of slide, causing fragmentation of slide nose WE/HK Not that bad anymore. Early models were known for barrel fractures and poor quality. The latest models are superb. If you can, get the HK models - these come with accurate markings. Get these guns if you’re looking for a great gun out of the box, and you don’t plan on making a build out of it. Great polymer too. Paint isn’t the greatest, but you can’t win them all. KJW They don’t make a full sized Glock, just a Glock 19 and some other models. Only partially compatable with TM pistols. To quote: “The worst pistol KJW has made.” Incredibly gritty trigger pull, lacks trigger safety, and the nozzle and piston head are not fitted very well. The slides are pretty nice though, same for the stock sights. Last edited by MaybeStopCalling; April 15th, 2016 at 20:56..