By now, most individuals should be well familiar with a dump pouch, or at the very least the concept of the dump pouch. It’s become a nearly ubiquitous piece of kit, and I’d almost say it could probably be found on 9 out of 10 of an Airsofters setup.

For the uninitiated, a dump pouch is a expanding, or non-expanding hollow pouch traditionally used to stow your empty magazines during reloads. In a bit of marketing fluff, these are sometimes also called “Sensitive Site Exploitation Bags” which are basically the same thing as a evidence bag or a gussied up dump pouch, but typically sold at a higher cost (you are paying for the name, after all…).

Continue reading “The Lowly Dump Pouch”

Since it’s Mundane Monday, I’ll take some brief time to cover an internal “upgrade” part I’ve been futzing with for a few weeks now: the Modify Anti-Reversal Latch.

I actually received this part by accident (thanks Evike!), as it’s not one I would typically order. Generally speaking, anti-reversal latches are something that simply drops into your gearbox and wham-o! You’re done. With this particular AR latch, however, I have found it to be the rather inglorious exception to that rule.

But first: what sets this anti-reversal latch apart from the myriad others out there? To start with, this latch has a ‘captured’ spring that is held in place with an E-clip. It also has a slotted shaft designed to allow you to release the latch via a screwdriver for ease of takedown. It’s also reputedly heat treated for extra strength. These are all great ideas, and if they actually worked then this would be an amazing anti-reversal latch.
Continue reading “Modify Anti-Reversal Latch: A Mixed Bag”

One of the really cool things about dropping a Retro Arms gearbox into a VFC SCAR receiver is that with a couple of small modifications you can have a true quick-change spring with ZERO removal of the gearbox required.

Installing the Retro Arms CNC gearbox shell requires a modification to the lower receiver to allow it to sit level – basically the removal of about a 1/2″ of polymer material (a “shelf” if you will) from inside the magazine well.

I ultimately decided not to drop a MOSFET into this gearbox since I wanted to retain the ability to remove the lower and not have any ugly wires snaking through the buttstock hinge area (which also creates a potential pinch point). So I removed all of the stock wiring harness, as well as gutted the wiring from the buttstock and ditched the fuse. I rewired the entire thing with 16 gauge Deans ultra-wire and reused the VFC contact pins and electrical contact hardware in the stock. Overall it makes for a really clean look; and coupled with the high speed gearset and the Systema Magnum motor it has excellent trigger response.  Continue reading “VFC SCAR H with Retro Arms Gearbox Conversion”

Traditionally, winter has always represented the “off-season” for Airsoft up here; that is unless you happen to be blessed with a sunny locale 365 days out of the year. But up here in the Inland Northwest there isn’t much really happening in the Airsoft scene for as long as the snow flies. Which is fine, as it gives me some time to finally get around to tackling some of my personal projects I’ve had stacking up for awhile now.

Continue reading “Winter is Here”

So I’ve finally gotten around to having some time to install the Generation 2 Tru-Hop bucking!

The Tru-Hop is what I would personally call the first commercially manufactured drop-in R-Hop bucking. Let that sink in for a little bit; because what the Tru-Hop is offering is all of the benefits of an R-Hop without the labor involved. I’ve installed hundreds of R-Hops now, and while they do get a little easier to do over time as your technique evolves, you can’t escape the labor factor they represent. Moreover, if you screw up, cut it wrong, or get the inner surface off a little bit, it can mess up your shots. Continue reading “Gen. 2 Tru-Hop Bucking Review”