Airsoft / Clearsoft - Long Term Reliability Study

[Ronan]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name
CA, SR-25

2) Date Obtained
August 07

3) Initial Cost
$950

4) New or Used
New

5) Mechanical Problems
CA crappy piston head

6) Aesthetic Problems
None (BEAUTIFUL AEG!)

7) Rounds fired between failures
~100, changed the piston head and no more problems.

8) Changes to Internals and Externals
Laylax piston head, Prometheus tightbore

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
With everything, over $1200. Currently for sale for much less (bills ftl).

10) Notes and comments:
Beautiful gun. The finish is TOP NOTCH. One thing to mention is that it does not like KSC Perfect BB's. Use Maxi BB's or (i'm told) Metal Tech.

[ProbeJax]

The key points are as follows:
1) Tokyo Marui P-90 (Red Dot Sight Model)

2) November 2006

3) 500

4) New

5) Mechanical Problems-None

6) Esthetic Problems -

-August '07 Right Backup sight slightly cracked from base. Left as is.


7) Rounds fired between failures -10,000-15,000 BBs, no failures

8) Changes to Internals and Externals

-Added sticky patch for installation of pressure switch for laser sight.

9) 400-450, not too crazy about selling this

10)The tuning piece for the red dot sight was made of plastic, and the part used to adjust the sight on the gun was metal. The plastic edges on the sight adjustment piece grinded off completly before I had the RDS correctly tuned. Turned the sight to original position using a knife, still haven't tuned the RDS properly yet. Laser sight used instead. Iron sight base cracked for no apparent reason. Occasional battery wobble, remedied by cramming wires tightly. No failures at all, great gun.

[Ribbish]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name (name of weapon on box, and weapon replicated if different from model name)
- Cybergun S&W M3000
2) Date Obtained
- November 26th 2007
3) Initial Cost
- $39.95 + Tax
4) New or Used
- New
5) Mechanical Problems (Gearbox issues, hopup issues.. basically functional performance related -- supply date of issue)
- I suspect it lost some f/ps but I'm not certain
6) Esthetic Problems (Paint damage, cracks in body, loose parts.. physical construction related -- supply date of issue)
- After removal and reattachment of the tactical grip, its become slightly loose
7) Rounds fired between failures (think how many bags of BB's used before it failed. If no failure, list rounds fired up to this point)
- No failures to date
8) Changes to Internals and Externals (upgrades, mods, dates)
- None
9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
- N/A

[LoricTheMad]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name
- Aftermath Kirenex (JG M4 S-System)

2) Date Obtained
- Oct 2007

3) Initial Cost
- $180

4) New or Used
- Used

5) Mechanical Problems
- Minor problems with a wire connection in the SIR/battery compartment. Fixed with electrical tape, no problems since then

6) Esthetic Problems
- Tan coloured furniture (grip, forward SIR, bushmaster stock)

7) Rounds fired between failures
- Approx. 400 before connection came loose. 2000 to date since repair

8 )Changes to Internals and Externals
- External only: Tasco Red Dot added earlier, replaced with Aimpoint replica of unknown manufacture

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
- N/A

10)Notes and Comments

So far, this gun has been a good, solid weapon. With only one minor problem so far, buying it used was a good idea. I wouldn't pay the full $300.00 Cdn for it new, since that money could be put to a better overall rifle or a high end pistol. Without a crono available to me, I cannot verify the company's claim of 370 FPS with .20 BB's

[AngelusNex]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name
TM, AUG special

2) Date Obtained
August 06

3) Initial Cost
$530
4) New or Used
used

5) Mechanical Problems
Fake bolt didn't work (very common problem), fixed through removal of none functioning bolt and replacing with duct tape

6) Aesthetic Problems
Thumb twisty piece that allows you to take out the barrel separate from the rest of the weapon went missing during a game. forward vertical grip broke while diving through a few trees(never really used it though), also, gas system block isn't on the gun... not sure if it came with it, if it did I have no clue when it was lost.

7) Rounds fired between failures
10 000 + then battery problem, Have put 10s of thousands more through without problem (I play allot and it's my best gun)

8) Changes to Internals and Externals
Got it with deepfire piston and systema v3 bearing spring guide, added red dot (any many other different sights/random accesories, too many to count), removed what survived of the vet grip since when i broke it was just in the way.

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
Thinking of selling once i get a new gun, $400-450

10) Notes and comments:
very, very sturdy gun, love the cocking action on it, I believe allot of it's not having problems has to do with my excessive compulsive maintenance on it ^.^

[Crunchmeister]

1. Manufacturer, Model Name

• Toyo Marui M4A1 Carbine

2. Date Obtained

• Nov 2007

3. Initial Cost

• $500 Cdn (more or less)

4. New or Used

• New

5. Mechanical Problems

LOTS of problems! I was told to buy a TM because they last and don't give the user problems. I tend to disagree with that statement.

• Trigger contact problems
• Selector plate problems
• Fired about 10 000 rounds and the spur gear stripped badly and needed to be replaced. Noticed that the nylon bushings on the spur gear had broken down significantly.
• Got about 200 rounds with the new gears because my mechbox snapped like a dry twig. There's no way the MS110SP spring should have done that to a mechbox after 200 rounds

6. Esthetic Problems

• None. Gun was aesthetically flawless when I got it

7. Rounds fired between failures

• About 10 000 before the gear failiure. Only test fired a couple of hundred rounds since the upgrade. Now dead. I've now replaced all outer parts with Classic Army and a new JG 416-style mechbox.

8. Changes to Internals and Externals

• MODDED TO A DIEMACO C8A2
• C8 metal body with trades and Cdn Forces markings
• Fuse holder in foregrip removed to accomodate a 9.6V nunchick-style battery
• King Arms ambidextrous mag catch
• Removed every last horrible TM part from the gun. It's now all Classic Army and JG
• Jing Gong HK416 crane stock

9. Resale Date and Value if applicable.

• I won't sell it. It's now a permanent part of my collection.

10.Notes and Comments

When I first got it, I was quite happy with it. It looked great, felt great, and shot accurately. Undortunately that didn't last long. I bought Tokyo Marui at everyone's recommendation because of quality. Now that's it's upgraded and working, it's an awesome gun, but there isn't a whole lot of TM stuff left other than the mechbox shell, piston / cylinder unit, front end, motor, stock and furiture. All these parts are just as good on the Chinese clones as they are on TM guns.

Altogether, I've sunk about $1000 into this gun to get it to its C8A2 look. In retrospect, I should have just bought a Jing Gong and upgraded it. I'd have just as good of a gun (considering all the upgrades I put on my M4) and I could have saved a couple of hundred bucks. Or for the same price, I could have the Jing Gong's internals completely upgraded with all Systema parts.

I don't find TM to be all its cracked up to be.

EDIT - March 30, 2008:

I've now replaced every TM part on this gun with Classic Army and Jing Gong. I just couldn't keep this gun running problery without problems with TM parts. Jing Gong 416 reinforced gear box is ordered and on the way.

[Rukus]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name
- TM m4a1

2) Date Obtained
- Dec 2006

3) Initial Cost
- $800

4) New or Used
- Used

5) Mechanical Problems
None

6) Esthetic Problems


7) Rounds fired between failures
over 20,000 rds no failures yet

8 )Changes to Internals and Externals
-aiming point replica sight, and a complete over haul of the mech box done before purchase, unfortunately can't remember all the upgrades except they were done. Also fuze area changed in foregrip to accomidate 9.6v nunchuck battery.

-When I first bought this rifle it fired at about 420 fps, the spring has settled since and is still firing between 405-410 fps. Good accuracy and excellent rate of fire.

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
- N/A

10)Notes and Comments

This rifle has severed me very well and haven't I really looked back. The minor problems it did have were battery related and didn't have anything to do with the rifle itself. It does have a slight barrel wobble, but nothing that can't be fixed. The only thing I will be changing is I will be investing into a metal body.

[Firewalker]

1) Make and Model
-- M16-A2, Tokyo Marui
2) Date Purchased
-- January 2006
3) Cost
-- $450
4) New/Used?
-- New
5) Mechanical Problems
-- Feeding issues caused by improper seal caused by cracked plastic body. (nov 06)
6) Esthetic Problems
-- Crack developed in upper receiver tab, stock side (july 06)
-- Cracked off the upper receiver tab completely during skrim (nov 06)
7) Rounds Fired Between Failures
-- 10 from the top of any mag before feeding issues would occur (apprx 2500 total)
8) Changes to Internals & Externals
-- Added RAS (August 2006)
9) Resale Date and Value
-- N/A
10) Notes:
-- parted out internals for another project (VLTOR M-16 mod) in August 2007, as they performed rather well.

[damage]

1) Make and Model
-- Maruzen Type 96
2) Date Purchased
-- Summer 2007
3) Cost
-- $900
4) New/Used?
-- Used
5) Mechanical Problems
-- N/A
6) Esthetic Problems
-- N/A
7) Rounds Fired Between Failures
-- N/A
8) Changes to Internals/externals
-- New Upgrade Spring
-- New Spring Guide
-- New Piston
-- New Trigger
-- New Hop-up unit
-- New Cylinder
-- New Cylinder Head
-- New Hop up Sleeve
-- New Tightbore inner barrel (Nov.07)
-- New Outer barrel (Nov.07)
-- New Flashider (Nov.07)
-- New Scope Mount base (Nov.07)
-- New Inner barrel spacers (Nov.07)
9) Resale Date and Value
-- $2000
10) Optional - Notes and Comments
-- Deadly accurate BASR that I tuned and owned. Awesome workhorse.

[damage]

1) Make and Model
-- Maruzen APS2 SV
2) Date Purchased
-- Fall 2007
3) Cost
-- $350
4) New/Used?
-- Used
5) Mechanical Problems
-- N/A
6) Esthetic Problems
-- N/A
7) Rounds Fired Between Failures
-- N/A
8) Changes to Internals/externals
-- New Upgrade Spring (Nov.07)
-- New Spring Guide (Nov.07)
-- New Piston (Nov.07)
-- New Trigger (Nov.07)
-- New Hop-up unit (Nov.07)
-- New Cylinder (Nov.07)
-- New Cylinder Head (Nov.07)
-- New Hop up Sleeve (Nov.07)
-- New Tightbore inner barrel (Nov.07)
-- New Outer barrel (Nov.07)
-- New Reciever (Nov.07)
-- Used M1 Scope w/scope rings (Nov.07)
9) Resale Date and Value
-- Dec. 07 Sold for $1500
10) Optional - Notes and Comments
-- Another deadly accurate BASR that I tuned and owned.

[damage]

1) Make and Model
-- Japan KSC USP .45 OD
2) Date Purchased
-- Fall 2007
3) Cost
-- $250
4) New/Used?
-- Used
5) Mechanical Problems
-- Hop up feeding issue
6) Esthetic Problems
-- N/A
7) Rounds Fired Between Failures
-- N/A
8) Changes to Internals/externals
-- New Metal Slide
-- New Recoil spring and Hammer
-- New Hi-flow Valves
-- New Full frame rail adaptor
9) Resale Date and Value
-- N/A
10) Optional - Notes and Comments
-- Blowback and recoil kicks so hard.

[Firewalker]

1) Make and Model
-- Berreta 92FS Perfect Version, Western Arms
2) Date Purchased
-- December 2005
3) Cost
-- $435
4) New/Used?
-- New
5) Mechanical Problems
-- N/A
6) Esthetic Problems
-- Rear sights missing (fall 06)
-- Inner barrel external seal ring broke, does not affect performance (nov 06)
7) Rounds Fired Between Failures
-- N/A (About 500 total)
8) Changes to Internals & Externals
-- N/A
9) Resale Date and Value
-- N/A
10) Notes:
-- Duster Only!

[Crunchmeister]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name

• Classic Army M15A4 rifle

2) Date Obtained

• Nov 2007

3) Initial Cost

• about $700 Cdn including battery and shipping

4) New or Used

• New

5) Mechanical Problems

• None

6) Esthetic Problems

• None

7) Rounds fired between failures

• No failiures or problems after about 20 000+ rounds in stock form. No more than 400 rounds since its upgrades, but I don't think it will fail anytime soon.

8 )Changes to Internals and Externals

Note that after 20 000 rounds that all internals were pretty pristine. The piston, which is the 'consumable' part (and known to be problematic with CA) showed no wear. Parts were upgraded because I wanted to increase performance, and not to repair worn parts.

• Systema silent cylinder & piston head set
• Systema polycarbonate piston
• Systems bearing spring guide
• Systema Area 1000 tappet plate
• Modify airseal nozzle
• Prometheus MS110SP non-linear spring
• Systema hopup rubber
• 9.6V 3800 mAh Intellect battery.

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.

• No reason to sell this gun unless I was to upgrade to some other full metal M16 rifle. Seriously, this gun MAY disappear if I get a Systema PTW. Not before.

10)Notes and Comments

Great gun for the money. Looks great, feels good, accurate, and is very solid. It feels like it could take a real beating and still perform well.

CA M15s seem to have a history of issues with their pistons and piston heads. After 20 000 rounds, I experienced no failiures. Upon upgrading the gun, I found the stock internals to be in excellent condition with very minimal signs of wear. The only stock part that showed any wear was the tappet plate where the nub on the sector gear contacts it.

UPDATE: April 20, 2008

I fielded this gun for the first time today and it was my main gun for most of the day. It was reliable and accurate. And it fires very consistently too, which makes corrective aiming a breeze. The new battery brought up its rof from 12 bb/s to 18 bb/s in short bursts. In sustained fire, it easily shoots at least 22 or more, making it very effective for laying down supressive fire. The larger battery also allows improved trigger response time in semi-auto quite drastically. This gun is getting one last upgrade - a tightbore barrel, and I will then consider it the perfect gun for me.

[Crunchmeister]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name

• Western Arms Beretta 92FS 'Perfect Version' INOX with white grips

2) Date Obtained

• Nov 2007

3) Initial Cost

• $275 including shipping

4) New or Used

• Used

5) Mechanical Problems

• None

6) Esthetic Problems

• None

7) Rounds fired between failures

• None - put about 500 rounds through it.

8 )Changes to Internals and Externals

• Installed a stiffer recoil spring taken out of my all metal KJW M9 when I upgraded its spring.

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.

• This gun is the esthetic crown of my pistol collection. It's not going anywhere.

10)Notes and Comments

This is a beautiful gun. The finish is amazing. It's hard to believe that it's not metal. It even has a cold, metallic feel. The weight is ok for ABS. It shoots well, although I find it weak on 134A gas compared to my other pistols, even my KSC Glock running on duster (before it's metal upgrade). I run it on a combination of duster and propane (80 / 20 mix). Gun runs GREAT on this combination. It's weaker than propane alone (that scared me - WAY too powerful for a plastic gun). The 134A + propane combination, paired with the stiffer spring gives the gun good power, excellent and consistent accuracy, and should keep the plastic slide safe. It's easily the most accurate of all my airsoft pistols.

[Styrak]

1) Manufacturer, Model Name
- TM AUG Civilian, HBAR Barrel

2) Date Obtained
- August 2007, from the ASC classifieds

3) Initial Cost
- $450

4) New or Used
- Used

5) Mechanical Problems
- None

6) Esthetic Problems
- Gas port/block whatever you call it was/is missing. Doesn't bother me. Don't notice much.

7) Rounds fired between failures
- None - don't know how much the previous owner put through it, I put 1500-2000 rounds through it myself

8 )Changes to Internals and Externals
- Systema M120 spring and Systema bearing spring guide.
- Metal bushings (already installed when I got it)
- HBAR barrel (already installed when I got it)
- Metal bipod

9) Resale Date and Value if applicable.
- This is my main gun, probably won't be selling it anytime soon.
- Worth quite a bit because of the HBAR barrel

10)Notes and Comments
- Very nice, reliable, accurate gun.