Rants: Everyday Venting

[Brisky]

Sigh...

These airsoft guns are extremely confusing...

I got the gun to fire at 320 FPS. (Feet-per-second. Speed of the projectile as it leaves the muzzle) A pinch on the slow side, but perfectly doable.

Then I took it to a match, and on the chrono check it suddenly shot at 140 FPS. WAY too slow. Something was wrong. Also evidently by occaisionall double feeding and failling to fire. The issues with double feeding and faillures stopped at the end of the match, but the muzzle velocity stayed as crappy as it was.


So, just now, I tested the gun out in the yard, and concluded the FPS was still too low. So I decided to try and dissasemble the gearbox, because given that the hopup unit and barrel were fine, that was the only place where the issue could be manifested.

Keep in mind: I have no idea about how anything related to the gearbox works.

I just dissasembled it. Took a look at the parts and got a basic understanding of how the thing worked, but couldn't see anything that was wrong with it. Then, I tried to reassemble the gearbox with all the parts in the right places and prayed to god that I didn't break anything before testing it out again in the yard.


The gun now happily shreds glass bottles to pieces...

What the hell? Are airsoft guns even supposed to be capable of doing that!? This stuff is soo confusing...

And how come merely taking apart the gearbox and putting it back together fixed the issue!? Am I just some sort of magical engineer, or was the gun simply on her period?

This hobby is gonna drive me absolutely crazy...

[Grey]

AEGs are famous for having bizarre issues that make little sense, that seemingly fix themselves. Bear in mind it might've been your battery. If it's a cheap one, they can do weird stuff to your gun.

I'm running low on cash again which means I have to ration my meals. Ugh.

[Brisky]

Well, better than starving, eh? Hope that gets sorted!

But, no it wasn't the wasn't the batteries. I swapped them out and recharged them but it didn't change anything.


If I were to trust my somehow sublime mechanical intuition, I'd say there was a fault somewhere, involved with the mechanism driving the nozzle.

Spoiler for Hidden:

First off, while removing the gearbox, I noticed that the nozzle was unusually set into the forward position.

After I had broke down the gearbox I decided to study its workings to see if I could find out how it worked. I noticed a mechanism that drove the nozzle (blasting the air from the piston into the barrel to propel the BB) back and forth, dependant on the position of the gear wheel directly linked with the piston. I found that it most scertainly was related to the loading of the BBs into the barrel, as well as allowing for the air to pass trough into the barrel, and sealing it against leakage into the hopup chamber.

The gear wheel had a smal pin attached to it, that would drive a plastic (spring tensioned) transfer bar to momentarily move the nozzle back at the appropriate moment, (in relation to the piston) to allow a BB to enter the hopup chamber, and then would drop the tranfer bar, wich under the spring tension would drop to the front, chambering the BB into the barrel, and sealing it for the air from the piston to propel it.

If this mechanism driving the nozzle would have for some reason malfunctioned, it could explain both the double feeding of BBs into the barrel, as well as the dramatic drop in muzzle velocity, because the nozzle may not have fully extended into the barrel, allowing for propellant air to escape trough the hopup chamber.


In this case, the malfunction could most likely be explained by the transfer bar somehow not having been seated properly at the place of its interaction with the secondairy gear wheel, (driving the piston) As I did not find any shards of broken plastic, or damage on the transfer bar.

The only problem I have with this, is that I can't recall any particulair event that could have resulted in this connection failling, meaning that it may just happen again, completely out of the blue. So, yeah... I hope that that does not happen... :\


However, now that I've reseated the transfer bar, it makes sense that guns muzzle velocity has dramatically increased again, most likely to the velocity it was shooting before the malfunction occured. (As I can't imagine the gun somehow becoming more powerfull from messing with the gearbox)

TL;DR version:

I know where the malfunction was manifested, why it exhibited it's properties, and how taking apart the gearbox solved the problem. But, I do not know why the malfunction happened, wich I don't like, because it means that it may happen again at any time...


Also, I guess that airsoft guns are just powerfull enough to be capable of killing glass bottles. :I

Now I feel even more urged to buy a protective facemask...

[Grey]

I'd always recommend using lower face protection.
If the problem reoccurs, perhaps you can buy an aftermarket part. My knowlege in AEGs is basic though, 'cause I use the good old VSR10.


Speaking of which, it decided to die on me earlier last week. The piston slam-fired (worn down seers) causing the whole cylinder to pull back and rip off the bolt handle. It also smashed the bb in the chamber and ruined my bucking. Woo more money to spend.

I'll have to prioritise food, but I'm getting bloomin' fed up of literally everything breaking. My mouse, my headset, my RIFs, my bag. It's like everything I own has decided now's the best time to give up right when I'm at my poorest.

Add onto that my Mum's been diagnosed with PTSD from my Dad's treatment of her, me being stuck in my brother's flat for going on three months now; I'm starting to go a bit crazy.

[Brisky]

Well, things unfortunately always seem to have to get worse before they get better, I'm affraid. But, that does mean that once you've seen it all, it will get better!

So, hang in there, chap! And I hope it doesn't take long before somethin' awfully inconvenient happens to your dad! (Like a prison or something)

[Grey]

Cheers, fella! Much appreciated.

The incubator at college got damaged when during the move from premesis to premesis, so now I have to wait even longer to get on with my research project. Not the end of the world seeings as I've got other stuff I can do, but it is a little annoying.

At least it's something I can include in my writeup!

[anoni]

I woke up at 9am today after a party and realize that I have no idea what to do for the entire day xD

[The Past]

I hate that when I'm out somewhere I get tons of ideas and details to add to my story and get super eager to note them but have nothing to put them on. I had plenty of time to write, but I had decided to leave my tablet at home because I thought I'd have work to do. Now that I'm home, I forgot most of the details plus don't have the enthusiasm I had then.

[Alessia Starfurr]

I hate that when I'm out somewhere I get tons of ideas and details to add to my story and get super eager to note them but have nothing to put them on. I had plenty of time to write, but I had decided to leave my tablet at home because I thought I'd have work to do. Now that I'm home, I forgot most of the details plus don't have the enthusiasm I had then.

smart phone? or do you not have one of those?

[Ori]

When you trigger ranked people and they start harrassing ya to quite smite

(And they were somewhat at fault anyway.)

[Trixsie Vixen]

I just found out my sister has died. 

[Brisky]

Well, [REDACTED], that doesn't sound like a very pleasant surprise.... :\

Saying that you "Just found out", I really hope that said sister was one of those siblings you, for the better, never really talked with, and never liked at all...

But in case it wasn't that, then damn, it seems to me that you've been trough quite enough [REDACTED], already. It's absolutely terrible that you have to deal with siblings leaving you as well!

Shurely, it'd be better if something nice starts happening to you, for a change...

You hangin' in there? :I

[Trixsie Vixen]

It only happened today but yes, we didn't keep in touch very well.  I feel I'm grieving for her and for the relationship we never had.

I'll be OK thanks Brisky. But I have to agree, I've had too much unpleasantness of late.

Even so, I'm lucky to have you guys.

[George]

Even so, I'm lucky to have you guys.

I'm on this site too

[Bricket]

I'm so sorry to hear that Trixsie.
If you need someone to talk to, Im' here