I'm not intentionally dogging your gun, its obviously rare and precious for a reason, so please do not think that. I wouldn't have created this forum if I had no knowledge of how the different types of Airsoft replicas work. Everything I'm saying comes down to physics, and the expansion of gas at certain temperatures. You would never be able to use the Asahi effectively in below 40* degree temperatures and that is a fact.
I live in Michigan, and you live in Texas, I have seen condensation form on the inside of an APS2's bolt, causing freezing vapor to exit the barrel destroying any chance of a descent shot. ANY type of gas gun would be useless in these temperatures after no more than five quick shots.
You are right about me never handling these replicas, but I know plenty well enough about how they work and I know gas rifles do not make good fieldable replicas, this is why I have been building my Maruzen non stop for three years. No matter what kind of technology you have in your gun, I can promise you it will never be as consistent as the simple spring, piston, and cylinder design. Unless you live somewhere the temperature never changes a bit.
What you have should be left on the shelf for pictures and hands only. Replicas would still use this technology if it were any better than an AEG or Spring rifle. I get down and dirty, and don't give a shit about throwing my two thousand dollar springer into a pool of muck. That's what I consider a true, fieldable rifle, in which a UTG L96 or clone VSR would be more useful to me in a Fall/Winter game than the Asahi WA2000.
Target shooting and actually fielding the rifle are complete and opposite things. You cannot comfortably take all your goodies on the field to nurse your gas rifle throughout the whole game. This is the soul reason I will never buy another.
