VFC's Getting a New Gearbox (Quick Change Spring)

[AnthonyG]

It looks like VFC guns will be getting a new gearbox in the not-so-distant future.
I can't find much information online, but did stumble across a few images:

It looks like it will feature an "Easy Change Spring" system, among other enhancements.

I'd like to take the opportunity to discuss the merits of a quick spring change system. Are they really all they're made out to be?
Do those of you with guns that allow you to change the spring "on-the-fly" find yourselves using the feature a lot?

Discuss.

[BenG]

still using trigger contracts from the 1990s, glad they are getting rid of their old piston, I swear I saw this same diagram about a year ago?

[Drakker]

These systems are great for beginners, they can easily swap springs and have a CQB legal gun, they could also have a lower power gun for their first few games until they get used to it and know their MED (haha, yeah, like new players are really doing that...).

The benefit are also for the stores and resellers worldwide who have to deal with customers in many different countries with different laws. If it becomes increasingly easy to make guns "canada compliant", so with a bit of luck, prices might end up being lower in Canadian stores for these models.

In the case of M4s/M16s, this is not as helpful, as your stock will screw in the spring guide and require some disassembly for swapping springs anyway. But it does make playing in the gearbox a lot easier, as you can close the gearbox without the spring in it and get a free hand to hold on the trigger or anti-reversal latch spring, instead of holding a screw driver in your spring guide helplessly trying to close the damn thing without having pieces fly all over the place.

[pestobanana]

This has already been out for some time now.

VFC realised their old pistons and tappets were sometimes problematic and swapped them out in 2015.

The quick spring change system works for the gearbox, and uses an extended buffer tube screw to maintain spring guide alignment. The receivers themselves are still the same, so it is still required to remove the gearbox from the receiver to change the spring.

One thing they did not note is that the selector plate is now plastic instead of metal. Minor detail, since its just a selector plate.

I like all the changes VFC has made, except for the bearings. I preferred their steel bushings. I have never seen their bearings fail, however if they were subjected to high stress from upgrading, they will inevitably fail.

[cetane]

It looks like a nice shell. Only change I'd like to see is 4 drilled/tapped holes for grip screws.

And I'm glad they got rid of the upper receiver tab cutouts. I much more like a continuous piston guide rail (although I think that isn't new...?) that's the one thing I've liked about g&g's crappy gb shells

[BenG]

Originally Posted by cetane

It looks like a nice shell. Only change I'd like to see is 4 drilled/tapped holes for grip screws.

And I'm glad they got rid of the upper receiver tab cutouts. I much more like a continuous piston guide rail (although I think that isn't new...?) that's the one thing I've liked about g&g's crappy gb shells

also on that topic the shell still needs to be radiuesed from the looks of things

[AnthonyG]

Originally Posted by Drakker

In the case of M4s/M16s, this is not as helpful, as your stock will screw in the spring guide and require some disassembly for swapping springs anyway. But it does make playing in the gearbox a lot easier, as you can close the gearbox without the spring in it and get a free hand to hold on the trigger or anti-reversal latch spring, instead of holding a screw driver in your spring guide helplessly trying to close the damn thing without having pieces fly all over the place.

Originally Posted by pestobanana

The quick spring change system works for the gearbox, and uses an extended buffer tube screw to maintain spring guide alignment. The receivers themselves are still the same, so it is still required to remove the gearbox from the receiver to change the spring.

So, in summary... It's still going to take me the 15 minutes to strip off all the fiddly bits to actual remove the gearbox before I can even do the quick change.

The main benefit from a tech'ing standpoint seems to be re-assembly of the shell.

[cetane]

Originally Posted by AnthonyG

So, in summary... It's still going to take me the 15 minutes to strip off all the fiddly bits to actual remove the gearbox before I can even do the quick change.

The main benefit from a tech'ing standpoint seems to be re-assembly of the shell.

Unless it is stuck in a body that has a threaded in buffer tube or threaded extension piece for the buffer tube to sit on. I have 2 G&G lowers that have threaded in extensions. If the qd spring guide ears fit through the lower with the extension threaded out it would be easy enough.

1. Unscrew buffer tube screw from spring guide
2. Remove above hardware & slide out buffer tube
3. Unscrew extension from lower
4. Remove spring guide.

I suppose any lower could be modded to do that, but one would want a lathe (with some sort of jig to hold lower) or mill to machine the back of the receiver extension down, then thread it and make a thread in extension or have the tube thread right in. I remember some acm body has threaded in buffer tube to the lower. Might have been shs or super shooter...

Zci body with threaded adapter: http://www.clandestineairsoft.com/ex...ody-p-833.html

[pestobanana]

Originally Posted by BenG

also on that topic the shell still needs to be radiuesed from the looks of things

Radiusing isn't really necessary as long as your shell isn't shit and you aren't doing 500+ FPS without shock dampening.

I just think they should make the MOSFET standard for all of their AEGs, not just the Avalon series and use 16 AWG wire instead of 18. A motor upgrade would also be nice.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by pestobanana

Radiusing isn't really necessary as long as your shell isn't shit and you aren't doing 500+ FPS without shock dampening.

I just think they should make the MOSFET standard for all of their AEGs, not just the Avalon series and use 16 AWG wire instead of 18. A motor upgrade would also be nice.

That is true, I still do it to all gearboxes i work on, call me old fashioned. I concure, this is 2016 not 2007 its not hard at all to integrate a mosfet into the design of the gun, it doesnt even have to be in the gearbox shell although it is nice when its done that way. Personally a motor upgrade is meh, krytac implimented it but they half assed it with the synthetic neo magnets, its much better then ferrite, and certainly better then VFCs current offering, but its not something to rave about, come to think of it I dont think there is a stock motor I dislike more then the VFC motor.

As far as quick change spring systems are concerned my krytac has one that is of the same desiegn as this one, and I like it alot, it makes gearbox disassembly and reassembly very easy, and secondly when you do do a spring swap it does save some time, you dont have to worry about accidentally bumping some shims around etc, its a nice feature. However it is not as great as the ares Quick change spring system, the buffer tube screw comes off and then a second screw goes all the way through to the spring guide and the spring guide is then part of the piece that helps hold the buffer tube, so swapping the spring can be done with the gun fully assembled and if you have yourself a long screw driver as you should if your removing buffer tubes, the spring swap takes less then a minute, it really is great, if only they made their recievers out of decent quality aluminum.

[pestobanana]

Back when AEGs had to be imported at 407+ FPS, VFCs came in at 450 FPS and had a ~22 TPA neo motor. The VFC black ferrite motor isn't really that bad. Its no worse than any other stock ferrite motor. If you upgrade the magnets, the armature is actually not bad.

[RainyEyes]

I just want to point out that I agree with the aforementioned: it will definitely be easier for beginners.

When I was first getting into the sport it took me about $100 of "tuition" before I learned how to reassemble the gearbox. The qc system was wonderful when I got the new v2 aps hybrid gearbox shells. Wished more companies used them since I reassembly is not easy for beginners.

All I wanted to do was pew pew inside and it easily costed me many hours and bucks not well spent.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by pestobanana

Back when AEGs had to be imported at 407+ FPS, VFCs came in at 450 FPS and had a ~22 TPA neo motor. The VFC black ferrite motor isn't really that bad. Its no worse than any other stock ferrite motor. If you upgrade the magnets, the armature is actually not bad.

Funny I actually blew one of the coils in mine when I was abusing the crap out of the stock internals while waiting for my parts to show up, was the only stock part to break other then the wiring, I was shocked to say the least, and wiring really wanst the guns fault, I scrapped it somehow and it happened to short.

[Rydock]

The quick change spring in my KWA saved me from a ruined day one time. Brought my gun to the field and their chrono read it hot for some reason. Luckily I brought a lower powered spring with me and my castle nut wrench. Took me less than 3 minutes to take off my buffer tube and swap the springs.

Can't really live without it, especially if you only own one rifle and plan to play at different fields with varying FPS limits.

[lurkingknight]

Originally Posted by Rydock

The quick change spring in my KWA saved me from a ruined day one time. Brought my gun to the field and their chrono read it hot for some reason. Luckily I brought a lower powered spring with me and my castle nut wrench. Took me less than 3 minutes to take off my buffer tube and swap the springs.

Can't really live without it, especially if you only own one rifle and plan to play at different fields with varying FPS limits.

this will not apply for the vfc. their lowers still have the buffer tube and screw setup from their previous version, so like almost all other v2s that advertise QC springs, you need to remove the gearbox to get to the back of the gearbox. It doesn't save a whole lot of time, though it reduces the chance of losing stuff if you're attempting these shenanigans at the field.