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Lessons learned from upgrading a Tac 41

6331 Views 48 Replies 8 Participants Last post by  TenshouYoku
5
Hey Folks,

So I got a Silverback Tac 41 a few months ago and was impressed with the out of box performance (except the spring power but I expected that). After doing some research, I determined that the best options for upgrades were either to buy the Silverback upgrade parts or purchase the Stalker upgrade parts.

I decided to go with the SB parts after some persuasion. The Stalker parts are quite expensive and the Tac was shooting consistently around 250 Ft (75M) with a M150 and AEG hop unit.

I purchased:

Silverback Advanced Piston Head
Silverback GBB Hop Unit
Silverback GBB Cylinder Head
Angel Customs 6.01mm 420mm barrel
Silverback Triangular Outer Barrel 420mm
Silverback Carbon Fiber Suppressor Short
Silverback Advanced Hop up Wheel
Novritsch Spring Shims
Novritsch 3-9 scope

The angel customs barrel was lapped/polished and R-hoped by our good friend SiliconeSword. The original plan was for him to install one of his SS-Nubs into the Hop unit with a lapped barrel and R-hop patch.

After the work had been done he sent the barrel/chamber back, and boy was the lapping and work he did super impressive. Unfortunately there was no hop being applied to the bb...UH OH.

Lesson One: The SB Hop chamber really only works with open barrels without a bridge. This is something I likely should have figured out quicker since the barrels that SB sells for the GBB chamber are bridgeless. After figuring that out I had to take apart the work he did and remove the R-Hop patch. Then I began the process of removing the bridge with a file.
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Luckily I had an extra Maple Leaf Autobot 60 degree sitting around. I put it on and tried to carefully install into the unit.

Lesson Two: You must be very careful installing the bucking into the GBB unit. The GBB unit goes together very differently than the AEG Chamber and has a metal sleeve that goes over the bucking. If you do not lube it well with something that will not impact function, it could rip the bucking.

Also DO NOT try to insert the bucking into the sleeve as in the picture below. You should slide the sleeve in from the muzzle and let it slide up the barrel and over the bucking. I tried to force it the other way and ripped my bucking.... 💩

I ended up having to order a Maple Leaf Autobot Silicone 70 degree and also ordered the Silverback Advanced Hop wheel because the plastic nub that comes with the SB hop units is a little lack luster.

After receiving the wheel/nub and the bucking I installed everything without ripping the bucking (Yay!). Unfortunately I was still not getting hop applied... I was very frustrated.

Lesson Three: Just because its made by Silverback, doesn't mean its going to be as good quality as it is expected to be. After a lot of trial and error I finally determined that the ramp under all the wheels was not contacting the Nub. It was as if the GBB unit was too tall with where the wheel attached, or the nubs were too short for the unit.
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After figuring out the issue, I came up with the idea to add material to the top of the nub. I actually used the laminated paper backing in the packaging for a bucking. I added two layers using super glue and finally had success with what I expected for this hop up.

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Here is a video of the results : Silverback Tac 41 shooting 200 and 275 feet

In summary, I am very pleased with where my rifle performance currently is but am kinda bummed by some of the quality control of the Silverback parts. At this point, I kind of wish I had just gone with Stalker parts off the bat and had my barrel lapped as well. I will be opening a support ticket with Silverback about the nub but am glad to have a solution for it in the meantime.

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Anyway thanks for reading my long winded post. Let me know if you have any questions on it.
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This looks great. I'm currently working on upgrading my own TAC41. Currently I've only done the spring (Rapax 3j) and piston (WASP), so I'll be referencing this for some other upgrades in the future.
This looks great. I'm currently working on upgrading my own TAC41. Currently I've only done the spring (Rapax 3j) and piston (WASP), so I'll be referencing this for some other upgrades in the future.
Those are both good choices! I've heard lots of good things about the WASP. Of all the SB upgrades, the advanced piston head was the most impressive and had the biggest impact on performance (other than the lapped barrel).

I highly recommend getting a lapped or high polished barrel at some point. Its a great upgrade.
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Those are both good choices! I've heard lots of good things about the WASP. Of all the SB upgrades, the advanced piston head was the most impressive and had the biggest impact on performance (other than the lapped barrel).

I highly recommend getting a lapped or high polished barrel at some point. Its a great upgrade.
Do you have links to these (or any of the upgrades you installed) by chance? I'm still new to airsoft and finding the right parts sometimes is difficult.
Do you have links to these (or any of the upgrades you installed) by chance? I'm still new to airsoft and finding the right parts sometimes is difficult.
Which parts specifically?
Which parts specifically?
Honestly, any or all haha. But at least the barrel you recommended.
Really any old inner barrel will work, but what matters is that it is straight.
I like 6.01 barrels, and I like stainless, and Angel Custom is both of those for about the best price in my area.
The best barrel I've used is a DaVinci, which is as good as a Lambda but just with a little more attention to detail, which is pretty much the same as PDI. All those three are dead straight and have a centered bore, but it will certainly cost you.

Also, that outer looks seriously sick, I wish that we had more stuff like that in airsoft, and actual firearms as well.
Reminds me of this Instagram post from some Russian guy a long time ago.
Automotive tire Tread Wheel Air gun Machine gun
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Really any old inner barrel will work, but what matters is that it is straight.
I like 6.01 barrels, and I like stainless, and Angel Custom is both of those for about the best price in my area.
The best barrel I've used is a DaVinci, which is as good as a Lambda but just with a little more attention to detail, which is pretty much the same as PDI. All those three are dead straight and have a centered bore, but it will certainly cost you.

Also, that outer looks seriously sick, I wish that we had more stuff like that in airsoft, and actual firearms as well.
Reminds me of this Instagram post from some Russian guy a long time ago.
View attachment 21233
Yeah I like it a lot. Its actually done in some real rifles but its not common. Unfortunately, my cammo job makes it hard to tell that its triangular lol.
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I finally got to field mine last weekend after I'd HPA'd it and.. I finally see it as a viable rifle, but it definitely took more than it should have.

Removing the orange tip wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped. My idea was to heat it up in some boiling water, enough to loosen the glue keeping it on, and remove the metal pin holding it in place. Keep that pin in your mind. To prevent excessive condensation from getting on the inner barrel, I figured I'd remove that first, and it was a total pain to get it out. The disassembly videos made it look so easy to remove the hop unit and barrel unit, but their version didn't have an orange tip. And so after trying to remove the inner barrel with extreme force from both ends (pushing the barrel out from one end, and pulling the hop unit out from the other).... The hop unit finally came free. Without the barrel.

Turns out that metal pin we mentioned earlier was also firmly holding the inner barrel in place. Ripped bucking, and a warped inner barrel. So I bought a 4 piece bucking set from Evike to replace it.

So I tried using another barrel I had, however due to silverback's almost proprietary buckings, it didn't fit quite right. Remove the barrel and bucking, shredded another bucking. Bought a new OEM barrel from skirmshop, and installed the barrel. BB's weren't getting any hop, carefully removed the barrel to inspect the bucking...... Shredded another. Placed another order for some more buckings.

Bought the STALKER kit and 2.8J RAPAX spring, and after lots of configuring... I could only get it up to 2.2J with the STALKER piston, 2.8J with the stock piston. Bought the 3+ RAPAX and managed to tune it to 2.8J, but the hop was still getting minimal effect, and ended up having to do the same and add a layer to the adjuster to get the hop up to engage. The magazines are extremely sensitive, simply tapping the release tab will release all the BB's - so putting them into a pouch and reloading is a very dangerous game. Reloading takes some getting used to as well with the Gen1 feed ramp, you need to insert the magazine flat, even though it feels and look more like an AK's hook-and-swivel magazine. Nonetheless, finally it started getting some more range, but I was missing the short pull bolt of HPA.

I bought the SDiK for the rifle, as well as 4 extended magazines, and the Gen2 feed ramp so that the reloading was a bit easier. I managed to modify all the magazines to be less sensitive, and fielded it last week, and.. it's a viable rifle now. But with that said, let's look at the purchases:

Tac41 $390
4x Small Magazines $80
2x 4-Set Hop Buckings $30
510mm OEM barrel $30
STALKER Scorpion $100
RAPAX 2.8J $20
RAPAX 3+J $20
4x Large Magazines $160
Gen2 Feed Ramp $8
Mancraft SDiK $150

Not to mention shipping...

But what's actually in use right now?
4x Large Magazines $160
Obviously a bucking $30
OEM Barrel $30
Gen2 Feed Ramp $8
Mancraft SDiK $150

... While yes, a lot of this is because of inexperience (shredded buckings and barrel) and preference (STALKER/SDiK/Magazines)... This is the most I've spent on a rifle that was a waste of money. The small magazines were swapped for large magazines. The feed ramp was replaced to make reloads easier. The first set of hop up buckings were shredded just through assembly and disassembly. The original barrel was ruined in the process of removing the orange tip. The original Piston was swapped out for a STALKER piston, which then lowered the joules, so I bought a 2.8J spring for it to only put out 2.2J, so I bought a 3+J spring, only to scrap all of that and get the SDiK. I was kinda hoping this would be my Striker replacement, but there's still some work that needs to go into it.


Long story short, I was rather dismayed by most of the experience. Day one, before it made it to the field, the rifle was unusable after trying to remove the orange tip. Yeah, that's kinda on me, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Right now I'm happy where the rifle is, but I just wish the journey wasn't so long to get here.
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I finally got to field mine last weekend after I'd HPA'd it and.. I finally see it as a viable rifle, but it definitely took more than it should have.

Removing the orange tip wasn't as straightforward as I'd hoped. My idea was to heat it up in some boiling water, enough to loosen the glue keeping it on, and remove the metal pin holding it in place. Keep that pin in your mind. To prevent excessive condensation from getting on the inner barrel, I figured I'd remove that first, and it was a total pain to get it out. The disassembly videos made it look so easy to remove the hop unit and barrel unit, but their version didn't have an orange tip. And so after trying to remove the inner barrel with extreme force from both ends (pushing the barrel out from one end, and pulling the hop unit out from the other).... The hop unit finally came free. Without the barrel.

Turns out that metal pin we mentioned earlier was also firmly holding the inner barrel in place. Ripped bucking, and a warped inner barrel. So I bought a 4 piece bucking set from Evike to replace it.

So I tried using another barrel I had, however due to silverback's almost proprietary buckings, it didn't fit quite right. Remove the barrel and bucking, shredded another bucking. Bought a new OEM barrel from skirmshop, and installed the barrel. BB's weren't getting any hop, carefully removed the barrel to inspect the bucking...... Shredded another. Placed another order for some more buckings.

Bought the STALKER kit and 2.8J RAPAX spring, and after lots of configuring... I could only get it up to 2.2J with the STALKER piston, 2.8J with the stock piston. Bought the 3+ RAPAX and managed to tune it to 2.8J, but the hop was still getting minimal effect, and ended up having to do the same and add a layer to the adjuster to get the hop up to engage. The magazines are extremely sensitive, simply tapping the release tab will release all the BB's - so putting them into a pouch and reloading is a very dangerous game. Reloading takes some getting used to as well with the Gen1 feed ramp, you need to insert the magazine flat, even though it feels and look more like an AK's hook-and-swivel magazine. Nonetheless, finally it started getting some more range, but I was missing the short pull bolt of HPA.

I bought the SDiK for the rifle, as well as 4 extended magazines, and the Gen2 feed ramp so that the reloading was a bit easier. I managed to modify all the magazines to be less sensitive, and fielded it last week, and.. it's a viable rifle now. But with that said, let's look at the purchases:

Tac41 $390
4x Small Magazines $80
2x 4-Set Hop Buckings $30
510mm OEM barrel $30
STALKER Scorpion $100
RAPAX 2.8J $20
RAPAX 3+J $20
4x Large Magazines $160
Gen2 Feed Ramp $8
Mancraft SDiK $150



... While yes, a lot of this is because of inexperience (shredded buckings and barrel) and preference (STALKER/SDiK/Magazines)... This is the most I've spent on a rifle, that's only just now beginning to perform a year after I got it. I was kinda hoping this would be my Striker replacement, but there's still some work that needs to go into it.

Long story short, I was rather dismayed by most of the experience. Day one, before it made it to the field, the rifle was unusable after trying to remove the orange tip. Yeah, that's kinda on me, but it left a bad taste in my mouth. Right now I'm happy where the rifle is, but I just wish the journey wasn't so long to get here.
Yeah I've seen a few of your posts. Seems like you've had a bear of a time getting your rifle where you want it. I actually used your post to understand how to get the pin out of the orange tip...so thanks for your sacrifice on that lol.

You're right that the materials that SB put out make installation of stuff look a lot easier. Getting the piston head off to put the advanced head was a rough experience. I will say that the GBB hop unit has a sleeve that makes getting the bucking in/out a lot easier but the fact that material needs to be added to the nubs is absolutely unacceptable to me. I have sent an email to SB to see if they can address it but from the reputation for quality that SB has and the price point of the rifle, I would expect that issues these large wouldn't occur.

Also the sensitivity of the large magazines is ridiculous. I simply cannot keep the magazine in a mag pouch and must hold the mag gingerly before the match starts...

All that said, it is still the best performing sniper rifle I have had. I am able to hit center mass most of the time at 275 feet. It is extremely easy to take down the cylinder and update those parts and the barrel and hop unit is still much easier to work on than the SSG10 I previously owned.

Moral of the story for me is that for the hop unit you should likely purchase a Stalker Kraken. In fact, I would say for most upgrades just spend the extra money to go with Stalker or Faceless.
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Thank you!!! Also what does lapp mean lol?
@SiliconeSword would be the one to explain the process for that and benefits.

It essentially uses polish to sand/polish away all imperfections in the barrel to create an extremely smooth and close to perfect surface.
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Lapping is a type of polishing, commonly used for precision machine tools, hydraulic pistons, and some gun stuff among other things.
There is honing, which is rather rough and is for removing material quickly and removing high spots. Lapping is like honing but finer, up to a mirror polish, and usually done after honing. And polishing is just polishing everything, not removing high spots/bumps that may be around.

It will significantly improve accuracy in most cases, unless you are rocking an EdGi barrel which are already lapped.
Yeah I've seen a few of your posts. Seems like you've had a bear of a time getting your rifle where you want it. I actually used your post to understand how to get the pin out of the orange tip...so thanks for your sacrifice on that lol.

You're right that the materials that SB put out make installation of stuff look a lot easier. Getting the piston head off to put the advanced head was a rough experience. I will say that the GBB hop unit has a sleeve that makes getting the bucking in/out a lot easier but the fact that material needs to be added to the nubs is absolutely unacceptable to me. I have sent an email to SB to see if they can address it but from the reputation for quality that SB has and the price point of the rifle, I would expect that issues these large wouldn't occur.

Also the sensitivity of the large magazines is ridiculous. I simply cannot keep the magazine in a mag pouch and must hold the mag gingerly before the match starts...

All that said, it is still the best performing sniper rifle I have had. I am able to hit center mass most of the time at 275 feet. It is extremely easy to take down the cylinder and update those parts and the barrel and hop unit is still much easier to work on than the SSG10 I previously owned.

Moral of the story for me is that for the hop unit you should likely purchase a Stalker Kraken. In fact, I would say for most upgrades just spend the extra money to go with Stalker or Faceless.
I think I saw your post on the tac41 page, but if you happen to have both the long and short magazines, I highly recommend swapping the release tabs and stretching the spring just a bit. I've got 4 of both, and while I don't need 440rds for a 30 minute skirmish, it's nice to have. Nonetheless, I run all the magazines in pouches and have had minimal issues. No more carefully inserting or removing the magazines from pouches, no more carefully loading the magazine. I can drop the magazine and not really have to worry about it anymore.

I did have a couple instances that I think the release tab's spring on one of the magazines was too tough, and after going through half the magazine the main spring didn't have enough force behind it to push the BB's past it. Took a tap or two to get them to fed again, but it's a small price to pay considering the alternative was having to deal with super sensitive magazines.
I think I saw your post on the tac41 page, but if you happen to have both the long and short magazines, I highly recommend swapping the release tabs and stretching the spring just a bit. I've got 4 of both, and while I don't need 440rds for a 30 minute skirmish, it's nice to have. Nonetheless, I run all the magazines in pouches and have had minimal issues. No more carefully inserting or removing the magazines from pouches, no more carefully loading the magazine. I can drop the magazine and not really have to worry about it anymore.

I did have a couple instances that I think the release tab's spring on one of the magazines was too tough, and after going through half the magazine the main spring didn't have enough force behind it to push the BB's past it. Took a tap or two to get them to fed again, but it's a small price to pay considering the alternative was having to deal with super sensitive magazines.
Was there a video that you used to do this or did you just go by trial and error?
Was there a video that you used to do this or did you just go by trial and error?
It's on the forums somewhere. I saw the aforementioned video. It looked like it made a huge difference.
Was there a video that you used to do this or did you just go by trial and error?
My apologies for not getting back to earlier on this, but it's on the Tac41/Tac41 Owners Group - here's the link to the Facebook Page it was posted in, the link to the post, and the video on Google Drive... Seriously, why are there like a dozen different owners pages for every platform on Facebook? There's the Tac41 Owners Club and the Tac41 Owners Group. Same thing with the Striker - the Striker Owners Club and Striker Owners Group. I hate having to post things in two groups, especially when posts need to be admin approved and won't get approved for like 6-72 hours.
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My apologies for not getting back to earlier on this, but it's on the Tac41/Tac41 Owners Group - here's the link to the Facebook Page it was posted in, the link to the post, and the video on Google Drive... Seriously, why are there like a dozen different owners pages for every platform on Facebook? There's the Tac41 Owners Club and the Tac41 Owners Group. Same thing with the Striker - the Striker Owners Club and Striker Owners Group. I hate having to post things in two groups, especially when posts need to be admin approved and won't get approved for like 6-72 hours.
Thanks man.

Lol yeah there should probably only be one group. The fact that there is a owners club and an owners group is funny/dumb.
Seriously, why are there like a dozen different owners pages for every platform on Facebook? There's the Tac41 Owners Club and the Tac41 Owners Group. Same thing with the Striker - the Striker Owners Club and Striker Owners Group. I hate having to post things in two groups, especially when posts need to be admin approved and won't get approved for like 6-72 hours.
This is one of the reasons I do not use Facebook. Too many different "groups" to get answers out of. Hell I still have some posts that have yet to be approved and those are going on almost a month.
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