Buyin TM sidearm

[WildBill357]

I am almost ready to buy my first GOOD airsoft gun....have a plastic HK416 (borrow a G&G carbine mostly) but want to try something from TM to see if they ar worth the extra %40 in cost (i dont doubt they are...im just finally gunna know for sure)...I guess im looking for a side arm that shoots consistently, w/ a mag that holds around 30 shots.....anything that is consistent and reliably accurate

found a Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 Stainless Version GBB Pistol for $300

that an ok deal?

[devbro]

stainless steel? As in with metal slide? just make sure that it has the TM logo on the right side of the firearm. you may need to change the slide to something metal in a year of excess usage.

If it is made by TM itself, it will shoot very accurately and worth every penny. In case you need to mod or fix anything on it, make sure to consult a gun dr for it.

[lurkingknight]

tm pistols and aegs come with no metal exteriors, if it's stainless it's just the finish on the plastic.

In canada new tm pistols go for around 260-300$ depending if there's a sale on.

[Ricochet]

Most TMs are solid out of the box and require little upgrading or modding. A PDI barrel and upgraded bucking are the only immediate go-to upgrades. You may place a stabilizer in the hop arm later on to help evenly apply pressure on the bucking, but that's not always necessary. TMs are typically very reliable and perform well on lower FPS, which is good because you can take the anywhere (inside, outside, etc) and won't stick BBs in people's faces. The plastic construction actually works for you instead of against as plastic is lighter weight and flexes with the gun as it cycles. Yes, TM guns are more expensive than some brands, but many brands are actually clones/copies of TM guns and their systems.

[e-luder]

The Hi capa stainless is just the like the Silver Deagle they sell. It's just plastic made to look like it has a "Stainless" finish. Tje slide is not actually metal but plastic. They first did this to their P226 line.

Anyways, The Hi-capa is a good choice, IMHO.

Im not going to regurtate what Ricochet said. it's pretty much spot on.

I will say this though.
Your group really need to travel to the mainland for Age verification.
I know your group has stated that the cost may be high to cross but its definitely beneficial for you guys in the long run.

Guns in our classifieds is much cheaper than Retail. Plus most are packaged deals. $300 can get you an upgraded Pistol with a couple mags, example.

Plus AEGs galore in there!!!

[WildBill357]

so Hi-cappa is a good choice for accuraccy and mag cap? also looking at the glocks 1911s and p226....but really just want it to be accurate (i will buy a replacement barrel for it at the same time if i need to) & hi mag capacity (28+).
@e-luder: if i could get into the classiffieds, i'd totally get a TM that has ALREADY been modified with the PDI and whatever else but its cheaper to just order it new and mod it myself then to pay bcferries the outrages vehicle rates to go get AVd...one day hopefully no biggy

[BrendanL]

I'll just add something quick, I resisted getting a TM pistol for years being turned off by the plastic and "wow'd" by the full metal clones.

I recently picked up a Hi- capa 4.3 and am in love with it. Slide is smooth as butter, I get a ton of shots out of a magazine and its a nail driver. I got a great deal on it and now don't think i'll ever go back, seems this sidearm will last me a good amount of time. Worth the money.

[JKxWKW]

Recently picked up a TM 226 and i love it. I think a downside of stock TMs is that the FPS is a bit low compared to others. I could be wrong or its just mine.

[lurkingknight]

I like the ergonomics of the 226 better than the hicappa. both have pretty decent aftermarket parts availability. the cappa probably has more bling options if you're building a race gun. For milsim/gaming I'd prefer the 226

[Ricochet]

Originally Posted by JKxWKW

Recently picked up a TM 226 and i love it. I think a downside of stock TMs is that the FPS is a bit low compared to others. I could be wrong or its just mine.

FPS on them is supposed to be low (300 - 330 stock). Though a tightbore and high flow mag valves will change that, but upping the FPS isn't necessary at all.

The TM P226 is an excellent gun, though the E2 version wasn't my favourite. The 1911s don't hold much gas in the mags due to being really thin, but the guns are solid.

[WildBill357]

thankx for all your input, after some research im thinking of waiting til i have enough for the hi-cappa 4.3....whats the different between the 5.1? i really cannt tell the difference in reliability by reading reviews..ppl love em both....but im looking for an accurate pistol, good on gass, 30+mag, cheap spare mags (i like at least 4 spares if the gun is gunna last me a few years..)

[e-luder]

http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=94413

Originally Posted by ILLusion

FAQ

Q1: Which should I get? A Hi-Capa 4.3? Or a Hi-Capa 5.1?
A1: That depends on what you want to use it for, and what you're willing to sacrifice for certain benefits of the chosen pistol.

4.3 Pros:

• Shorter overall length allows easier handling
• Fixed rear sight is more robust due to no moving parts for greater durability
• Single sided safety lever and shorter beavertail tang provides a lower drag profile
• Shorter (lighter) slide requires less time to cycle and requires less gas to cycle than the 5.1
• Integrated lanyard loop so you won't lose your pistol on the field.

4.3 Cons:

• Shorter barrel does not achieve as high velocity or accuracy as the 5.1
• Fixed rear sight can not be adjusted to compensate for windage or elevation deviations for more precise shooting
• Single sided safety lever is not "lefty friendly", or not ideal for competitive shooting where the shooter is required to shoot with left hand only. This is fixable, through the purchase of ambidextrous safety levers. It is not a difficult upgrade.

5.1 Pros:

• Longer barrel provides higher velocity and accuracy than the 4.3
• Longer overall length provides easier natural pointability
• Adjustable rear sight can be adjusted to compensate for windage or elevation deviations for more precise shooting
• Ambidextrous safety levers allow versatility to operate the pistol with either hand.

5.1 Cons:

• Longer overall length may make the gun a bit more cumbersome to manipulate and handle than the 4.3
• Adjustable rear sight has many small parts in it that can potentially break
• Longer (heavier) slide takes a bit more time to cycle and requires a bit more gas to cycle (not really noticeable with the stock plastic slide.)

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Q2: How do I disassemble "such-and-such" part? How do I disassemble the Hi-Capa?
A2: Watch this video:

YouTube - Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa Disassembly

This is a complete disassembly of a Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 down to almost every last piece. Single stack series TM based pistols (such as the 1911 / MEU / Detonics / etc) follows similar basic concepts.

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Q3: How do I assemble "such-and-such" part? How do I assemble the Hi-Capa?
A3: Watch this video:

YouTube - Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa Assembly

This is a complete disassembly of a Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 down to almost every last piece. Single stack series TM based pistols (such as the 1911 / MEU / Detonics / etc) follows similar basic concepts.

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Q4: I want to use a silencer... I'd need a threaded barrel. What can you tell me about that?
A4: If you want a metal threaded outer barrel, all of the existing mass produced threaded barrel products:
- Are difficult to source
- Causes a mechanical hindrance which results in anything from cycling issues to excessive gas consumption to physical damage/excessive wear to your slide.

The latter is due to the way a traditional barrel functions and what happens when a weight (the suppressor/tracer) is attached to the muzzle. The result of a tilting barrel combined with a heavy object on the muzzle, will shift the balance of the barrel, and cause the top of the chamber to bear a lot of pressure against the underside of the slide. A hard friction against the moving slide doesn't bode well for reliability, function and gas efficiency.

Because of the lack of a "proper" product on the market, ILLusion Kinetics has developed an outer barrel that is fixed, does not tilt and you could attach silencers on your pistol and it would still fire fine.

The threaded portion is actually machined to the muzzle of the barrel, so it's rock solid and can be machined in any thread size you want. The generic size is 14mm-.

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Q5: What is "LDC"? What is a "Long Dust Cover" versus a "Short Dust Cover"? What is the "Dust Cover"? What's the difference between a 5.1 LDC and a 4.3?
A5: "LDC" = Long Dust Cover. It refers to the frame's dust cover (the front/muzzle portion of the frame... it acts as a cover to keep dust out of the internals.)

Here is an example photo of the differences:





The top version is standard Marui Hi-Capa 5.1, with a standard "short" dust cover type frame, with scalloping in the muzzle of the slide to mate with the end of the short dust cover.

With an "LDC" setup (like the 4.3 and the 5" on the bottom), you'll notice that besides the longer dust cover on the frame, there are also no scalloped cuts in the slide. It is what we call "block cut" to mate with an LDC frame.



Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how you want to configure it... some people like the look of a block cut slide on a short dust cover frame, or the look of a scalloped slide on a long dust cover frame, but purists will scream bloody murder if you do such a thing. There ARE real steel manufacturers that mix it up on occasion, but it's generally rare to find an not preferred since snag points are created at the muzzle end of the slide (due to the overhanging corners.) Mixing a block cut slide on to a short dust cover frame can cause damage to the bottom corners of the slide at the muzzle and/or can damage your holster as well as create difficulty in holstering the pistol. This is why scalloping exists on slides.

Reversing the parts, putting a scalloped slide on a long dust cover frame can build up dust/dirt/grit around the scalloping where it meets the frame. This would tend to be counterproductive to the purpose of a dust cover.

For clarification:
Despite the 4.3 having a shorter barrel (4.3") than the 5.1 (5.1"), the Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 4.3 actually has a LONGER dust cover than the Hi-Capa 5.1. Look again at the photos. The Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa 5.1 would have what's called a "Short Dust Cover", whereas the Hi-Capa 4.3 would have what's called a "Medium Dust Cover." A full block cut 5.1 would have a LONG dust cover - typically, these can only be found through aftermarket manufacturers, or by clone manufacturers (such as WE.)

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Q6: What parts can you swap?
A6: Pretty much EVERYTHING! Here is a basic list of items currently manufactured under the ILLusion Kinetics brand:

• Frame (steel or aluminum, different lengths/shapes/colours)
• Slide (steel or aluminum, custom designs/shapes/styles/colours/lengths)
• Barrel (stainless steel, one piece, fixed for infinite durability of slide or tilting for realistic action, custom chamber engravings)
• Sights (fibre optic, steel, fixed, adjustable)
• Trigger (Aluminum, different shapes, different colours, adjustable pull length)
• Trigger Stirrup (Stainless steel, adjustable pull length - combined with adjustable trigger can provide a 1mm trigger pull for competitive use)
• Mag Catch (Stainless steel polished silver or black oxide steel, pre-centred for attachment of enlarged paddle)
• Slide Catch (Stainless steel, different finishes, matte or polished)
• Hammer (Steel, different shapes, lighter weight for faster lockup times, hardened surface and re-shaped hooks for smoother/lighter trigger pulls)
• Hammer Strut (rigid hardened steel for faster lock up times and greater hammer response)
• Sear (hardened surface and re-shaped hooks for smoother/lighter trigger pulls)
• Sear Disconnect Lever (polished stainless steel for greater durability and smoother movement)
• Valve Knocker (hardened steel for greater durability and more solid valve strikes)
• Valve Knocker Disconnect Lever (polished stainless steel for greater durability and smoother movement)
• Blowback Unit (light weight aircraft aluminum for faster slide cycling, integrated piston head for better air seal and shot to shot consistency)
• Leaf Spring (stainless steel, provides lighter trigger pull)

And some other parts that are available from other manufacturers (I carry many of these as well):

• Grip (different shapes, colours, sizes)
• Beavertail (Grip) Safety (different shapes and styles, polished stainless steel or black oxide steel)
• Safety Levers (different shapes and styles, single side or ambidextrous, polished or matte finish stainless steel or black oxide steel)
• Slide Catch (different shapes and styles, single side or ambidextrous, polished stainless steel or black oxide steel)
• Inner Barrel (different lengths, different bores, for greater accuracy and/or velocity)
• Hop Up Rubber (improves seal/velocity/consistency/accuracy)
• Loading Nozzle (greater durability)
• Piston Head (better seal, improves gas consumption and cycling speed)
• Titanium Screws (lighter weight)
• Main Spring Housing (different sizes/shapes/finishes/colours)
• Shock Buffers (increases durability of slide to frame contact, can short-stroke for faster cycling speed)
• Floating Valve (increases velocity, shot consistency and improved gas consumption)
• Floating Valve Blocker (greater durability)
• Recoil Spring (increased cycling speed)
• Main Spring (improved gas reliability)
• Loading Nozzle Spring (replacement)
• Floating Valve Spring (increased velocity)
• Plunger Spring (replacement)
• Valve Knocker Spring (replacement)
• Valve Knocker Disconnect Spring (replacement)
• Mag Catch Spring (replacement)

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Q7: What should I upgrade? What parts do you recommend I upgrade?
A7: Aesthetics are a personal preference, so for the sake of this guide, I will exclude aesthetic decision. I'm not going to pick what you wear for the day, so I won't tell you how your pistol should look.
However, the choice of performance parts is dependent on what performance characteristics you're after. This is, one of the most common questions asked, and the answer is as broad as the question itself. It comes down to "what performance characteristics would you like to improve?" And this will now segue in to the next section... Performance Characteristics...







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[Ricochet]

Last Sunday I was at one of the local fields and was engaged in a conversation with a gentleman about the merits of CO2 pistols. We were discussing the high velocity and he was talking about how his gun shot too hot for most fields and couldn't use it often. I asked him what the effective range of his gun was and he claimed about 60' of solid accuracy, though I've seen a bunch go more myself. I showed him my TM MK23, upgraded with a PDI barrel, new hop rubber and a small hop mod I did to help stability. All in it shoots around around 340 FPS on 0.20g or less. Firing it into the woods the BBs sailed nearly 200' accurately.

[Zeroroaster]

That whole FPS thing is misunderstood...much like horsepower. It's useless if you can't control it. An efficient and well managed 340 fps is certainly nothing to snort at. That said, for the firearms classification of 366fps or higher in this country, I try and keep my rifles around 370 with .2's (I only play on outdoor fields). I can keep the gun internals nice and loose which means they last forever. Concentrating on the air management and BB delivery I still get 85 yards+ out of my G36 (r hopped, etc,etc) and it runs all day on a 9.6V NiMh. I fire .3's out of it so the wind and foliage doesn't bother it so much.

As for a CO2 pistol, yeah my 1911 is a little hotter but still under 400 with .2's. 50 yards? No sweat with .3's. If it isn't shooting that far, it's broken. hehehe

[Ricochet]

The 366 FPS or more thing is strictly for import and has nothing to do with ownership. In order for legal ownership it just has to be able to cause serious bodily harm, such as taking an eye out, which I can do at 200 FPS with a point blank shot.

Out here many fields have a limit of 400 FPS, with a DMR limit of 450 and a sniper limit of 500. My primary is shooting around 390 with 0.20g and I run it on 0.28g or 0.30g. What drives me nuts is almost every DMR gun (401-450) doesn't shoot as far, as consistently, or efficiently as mine, just hotter and more dangerous.