[reezo]

My Tanaka M40A1

For complete guides on my upgrades and more pictures, visit:
Reezo's Hideout

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More info on the gun:
[Tanaka M40A1 Resources on Reezo's Hideout]

The rifle has reached a full-steel status in upgrades and features the following:

1. Externals / Structural
- Dark Earth/Foliage custom paint job
- Guarder Mil-Dot 3-9x40 Illuminated Scope
- King Arms Spring Eject Bipod
- Guarder Cordura Cheek Pad
- PCS pre ban bolt

2. Internals (Commercial Upgrades)
- Prometheus 555mm 6.03 tight bore barrel (VSR cut)
- King Arms VSR hop up chamber conversion
- King Arms power nozzle (unrestricted)
- King Arms reinforced striker spring
- G&G steel cocking piece
- G&G aluminum hop up set (Part 91)
- King Arms steel impact plate (on long magazine)
- G&G power set (on stock magazine)
- G&G steel valve knocker
- G&G rubber set
- G&G reinforced magazine valve spring (on long magazine)

3. Internals (DIY Upgrades)
- Custom made rubber barrel spacers
- Part 91 optimization
- Trigger plate optimization

4. External Air Rig
- V-PAS ("Viper Precision Air Rig") dual-regulated air rig (accepts CO2 or HPA)
- Tapped long magazine

 

[reezo]

Like I said in your intro thread, I really like it. Although, some wear and tear would make it even better.

Eheh true! For once I don't fear of wears and tears in something I care a lot about sometimes I get too picky on keeping things in perfect shape.. eheh

 

[reezo]

Yes, it does. It is a PCS preban version, for some reason the store had it sitting there from the preban days, I suppose.

I disassembled the rifle, gaff taped the parts I did not want to get painted, hanged the pieces and used Sniper.Mk Flat Dark Earth, all the way.

I then waited for the paint to dry and assembled the rifle back. Then used Sniper.Mk Foliage Green flat paint in four diagonal, simple strokes: on the butt, on the handle, on the body+scope and on the barrel (close to the end).

Depending on the light you might see the green shades or not..they are kinda subtle but I did not want bright or shocking colors on it, for obvious smoothness purposes

I guess we guys share the same paint tastes, I also love the M40A1 plain and simple. It is both an aggressive, classic and noble rifle to look at, it is not high tech neither is it outdated..it is just timeless elegant I suppose

Three more pictures from today's trip:

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[reezo]

Would you tell me about those at-home mods you did? Where did you find them?

They are pretty much all here, by Stealth Killer Hamster:
http://www.airsoftretreat.com/forums/index.php?topic=40869.0

If you need any kind of help, feel free to ask. I would be honored to give some knowledge back after all I've read

Second picture is my new background.

Here is the picture exactly as I shot it..original size/quality:
http://www.mediafire.com/?ll4i5x38rarvgzj

 

[reezo]

You are welcome Cheese Man!

Woogie, you are right, I can't imagine the satisfaction of hearing "hit!" and just reloading, silent, the bolt

 

[reezo]

True, I can picture that!

Here is my new open nozzle, no restrictor (drilled it out manually..be careful to go squared on it if you do!).

Now, coupled with the PCS bolt, this IS a 100% preban version.

It will serve me well until I get the King Arms Chamber Conversion to fit VSR barrels (6.01..dreaming).

I could work my way to smooth the nozzle conduit by hand, using paper or a metal file tool (circular one) but I won't be hunting for a file now.. I can clearly see the nozzle is way open so I am ok..

 

[reezo]

The G&G aluminum hop up set (chamber) arrived today from Fire Support UK.

My original, plastic Part 91 (that is what it is called) has multiple tears scattered everywhere on it..I will make sure I post a picture of it so you can see how it was really falling apart.

The rifle worked anyway, because the tears are just minor and the entire piece still holds and stays together..but it is just a matter of time before it shatters completely..luckily I will replace it asap.

Sharing my childish excitement:

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[reezo]

Yes the Creation Steel chamber is an excellent component but I could not find any at the time of the order and I was in a hurry since Part 91 was literally falling apart: it has multiple lacerations, half-inch (around 1cm) long..

Most of the stores had the G&G aluminum part out of stock, too..so when I found it on Fire Support Ltd I ordered it without hesitation.

I might still get a Creation Steel Chamber in the future, maybe used if someone has a spare!

 

[reezo]

True, when I noticed the steel vs aluminum dilemma for that part 91 I also thought about weight..I have to make a lot of steep walk around these woods and the slightest reduction in weight is definitely welcome in the long run

 

[reezo]

Thanks Brick! I am glad you like it!

About the steel vs aluminum dilemma for that part 91..I thought about weight, too..I have to make a lot of steep walk around these woods and the slightest reduction in weight is definitely welcome in the long run

Little update on the upgraded piece: I opened my bag of tricks and found some awesome upgrades that I could do right away.

You can read more about it here:
http://www.airsoftsniperforum.com/phpBB/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=2523&start=0

 

[reezo]

Some more upgrades arrived! Here they are in all their shipping beauty (lol).

I successfully installed the G&G valve spring and the rubber set..I hope my hop up is back now

Here is a comparison between the stock and G&G Rubbers:

They look exactly the same (except for the color) but the G&G rubbers feel sturdier when you squish them with your fingers..so I am assuming they are made of a more resilient rubber polymer.

I could not install the King Arms Chamber conversion and tightbore barrel because I need a bucking first

I must say the G&G magazine valve spring is harder than the stock one but my custom spring was way harder..do you think the harder the better? (sounds dirty, I know..)

 

[reezo]

Nice, then I might even reinstall my custom one which was twice as strong (with the G&G spring being like 50% stronger than the stock one).

For 3$ I put that in my cart, having 34$ of shipping from Redwolf..

With the current upgrades set I must set the Tanaka M40A1 is fairly impressive:

- more than 60 shots fired (30+30, 2 gas refills total, 6 groups of 10)
- absolutely no fliers
- 100% hit-ratio
- firing from an unsupported, standing position
- to a tree at 50m (roughly 164 feet)
- tree width around 75% of a human torso
- .40g Madbull BBs
- almost zero wind

Since my signature is going to change, I am going to freeze the current upgrades set for posterity:
- PCS bolt (preban)
- G&G Aluminum Hop Up Set (part 91)
- G&G Gas Route Connector Spring
- G&G Rubber Set
- King Arms Reinforced Striker Spring and Steel Impact Plate
- Stock inner barrel, no spacers, no polishing (and no cleaning at the time of the test lol)
- HFC Top Gas
- Madbull 0.40 Heavy BBs

 

[reezo]

Nice! I was hunting for comparisons, indeed!

Tomorrow I am going to get a KA hard bucking and I will install the KA chamber conversion along with the 6.03 555mm tightbore barrel. I'll let you know how it performs, I am going to get some good feeling for it before I do any change, otherwise it will just be placebo

Today I've done some 70m shooting from a pile of wood logs into an abandoned building which had a glass window approximately the size of a 32 inch TV. Medium to strong winds (constant left to right crosswind direction) ..I recorded around 80% accuracy..I was supporting my rifle using the wood logs..not fully supported but still better than nothing The shots that missed were still REALLY close to the target.

Tests continue..I am going to purchase some lighter BBs as well, I was thinking .30g and .36g could be good for testing, what do you think?

 

[reezo]

Thanks for the info guys! I just got the KA bucking before getting the Nine ball which is still out of stock at a local store here.

I installed the VSR chamber conversion, 6.03 TB and KA nozzle along with the KA bucking.

I am still testing the gun, the accuracy for the moment seems impressive but then I was getting great performances before the change, as well. All tests I must take have to be done at least 200 ft in order to see the difference.

UPDATE 1: More tests done. Even if firing from an unsupported position, the accuracy is outstanding. I am having a hard time deciding which setup is going to be better but for the moment I am sticking with this one (just because the custom installed upgrade parts list is longer lol!)

I can't wait to do some groupings test because I can clearly see I am hitting the same leaf over and over..I did not think such accuracy was possible with spherical projectiles..wow.

Good thing I got the G&G Rubber Set etc. so I can always revert to the stock chamber and hop up when I want to do a comparison.

I've also installed two custom rubber spacers along the inner barrel, the whole structure is now incredibly solid and the barrel itself is so centered I could see it stand in the middle of the outer barrel without the final muzzle being installed..really cool, it is amazing how these little things work when combined..

..and I love the airsoft world, where no stock gun is outstanding without your own love, care, time spent tweaking and some additional bucks to get the good upgrades and test them out.

UPDATE 2:
The whole thing works really nice! I opened it up after a hundred shots and noticed the KA bucking developed a small dent, because the metal bar from the KA conversion started digging in it, against the inner barrel..good thing I have another KA bucking to use (if I want) before getting the Nine Ball.

I cut a small patch of aluminum adhesive paper and put it directly on the spot where the hop up metal piece presses against the bucking. This will make it a little more resilient and prevent air seal problems (if any).

I don't think this is going to cause any performance drop, although I am trying to get all the information possible to prevent the future Nine Ball purple bucking from developing even the smallest tear.

Are tears on the rubber bucking normal? I know it is rubber against two metal pieces (the hop up dent and the inner barrel cut) and I know the hop up nut is not pushing too hard against it.

Maybe the KA bucking is crappy in terms of durability?

 

[reezo]

Thanks CM..Since this is the first bucking I've ever used (Airsoft noob, as told before ) I was starting to worry about all the metal-pieces interactions with that bucking, thinking that maybe I had forced something or assembled it the wrong way, even slightly.

Truth is, there is little to no chance to install the VSR bucking in the wrong way and I was extra careful.

So I guess it IS a crappy rubber polymer used...

 

[reezo]

Are you hitting the same leaf at 200ft? I doubt my KJW could hit the same forest at 200 lol.
It's good having another non HPA gas rifle to compare mine with... Even though it does show up how rubbish mine shoots.

Lol the same forest one made me crack laughing

Anyway the casual leaf-hitting tests and the 200ft sentence were not related.

I was about to get the same leaf (approximately the size of a hand open palm) from approximately 30 meters, from a standing unsupported position. That just meant that nothing "is wrong" with the current way the rifle operates.

However, to really get into serious testing, I will need to get at least to 200 feet if I want to compare the KA chamber conversion (which implies a new inner barrel, the KA chamber, the new bucking etc. etc.) against the stock barrel with the G&G rubber set hop up.

That is what I meant, only this time I made sense eheh

 

[reezo]

No problem at all I am going to get some BBs and start a more serious zeroing of my sights. Since I installed the latest upgrades I need to reset its zero.

I am shooting a little to the left and I can't seem to have any more "room" for going left with my zero..something could be wrong with the scope mounts...mh.

 

[reezo]

Thanks for the assistance!

This is my scope:
Guarder 3-9x40 Illuminated Mildot Scope

..and this is its mount:
Accushot 30mm deluxe edition high rails

"A little" does not make much sense, you are right

I tightened the middle rail screw first and then, using both hands simultaneously, I tightened the first and third screws.

I put the scope on its rings, placed the rings by hand and tightened them just a little (by hand), then rotated and moved the scope to adjust for best field of view and orientation. I then tightened the two screws on the rings that are closer to the muzzle, little by little by keeping them even and looking through the scope to see if it was changing orientation (tilting left or right).

I then moved to the two screws on the rings that are the furthest from the muzzle (or closest to my eye) and tightened both evenly. I then moved to tighten the rest.

The rings look evenly tightened from one side to the other, I know this does not mean much but..

I am going to do all the zeroing with zero to minimum hop up, preferably ZERO as I have no way to determine how much is "minimum"

I wouldn't care much about elevation zeroing, I used to shoot a little higher than my zero when shooting at targets closer than 40-50 meters. It's the windage zero that gives me the creeps

I keep my Allen wrench in my stock pouch because I tend to lock the knobs when I am done shooting, at least until I get a super uber zero setting that works

PS: I might have set the windage zero right..(I mean "correctly" not "right" as in the opposite of "left" LOL! ) it is too early to say because I wasn't able to set a paper target correctly: too many people around my house and my cat being incredibly cheezburger-ly curious about the rifle muzzle..plus my girlfriend who could pop up of the front door any minute

..but I've been shooting to a nearby chimney from the inside of my bedroom, keeping the windows slightly open just as much to let the BB out..and shooting only when a car passed by (the reinforced striker spring from KA makes it a lot noiser!)

 

[reezo]

I did that because I wanted to take out as many variables as possible..when zeroing. Then I took some shots with no hop just to see how the entire upgrades set reacted..then I introduced hop.

It was just for testing I usually use hop now that my KA bucking is not punctured (replaced it with a spare one I had) it works pretty well, not great but well.

By testing shots with and without hop one can analyse the deviation in the BB direction..and find if it is due to the barrel itself or the hop unit. Luckily it seems my gun shoots dead straight when no hop is used and deviates randomly left or right when hop is used..but just to prove the KA bucking is kinda shitty.

The KA hop up arm is flat, maybe I could try make me some H or V shaped pieces

 

[reezo]

The Spartan and King Arms are the same I think..at least they look exactly the same.

Do you think the Best Gun Kit would do better? Most say it is just the same..the KA/Spartan conversion rely on the hop up rubber you put..TM and Nine Ball purple being the favorite ones..maybe it has to do with the way the nub pushes the rubber on the BB?

Argh so much testing so much money