Steely Slide Stopping Success

Is it wrong to be this exctited about a fairly small piece of technical innovation? If it is, I don't want to be right.

Around a year ago, I bought a second hand, run down KJW KP-08 with the hopes of fixing it. The four CO2 magazines that came with it had leaky valves, but most other things seemed to be in ok-ish working order. I put the gun and mags in a box and stored them for later. Once I now finally got around to replacing the valves and testing the magazines, I was faced with a new problem.

The old, original slide stop was so worn down that it would not stay put in the gun when shooting, and eventually decided to attempt evacuation at the most inopportune moment. The result (as best I can deduce and reconstruct the events) was that the slide slamming backwards hit the stop, and broke it in two.

At first I thought of just getting an original replacement part, but I've had my fill of pot metal parts lately, and decided to shop around a bit. That's when I came across this KF Airsoft steel slide stop for the Hi-Capa. I thought it brilliant, as I would not have to worry about it breaking again. Once it arrived, though, I was pleasantly surprised even further.

In addition to the stronger-than-original build material, the take-down pin is not a single piece, but a sleeved structure. What this allows is for the weight and force of the slide to rest on the sleeve, leaving the actual slide stop lever to rotate freely inside. In other words, you can have the take-down pin as tight as you want without it affecting how the stop itself functions. This is simply brilliant. I don't know who originally designed this, but it's damn marvelous!

As with all things airsoft, though, some modification was necessary.

As seen in the above image, there's a metal nub protruding from the inside of the stop, which would hit the feed lips and the side of the magazine, preventing proper seating and functioning. So, what else was there to do but break out the file set and get to work?

I filed down a bit, tested the fit and worked until nothing pushed against the magazine.

As a result, I ended up taking down the protruding nub entirely and shaving the backside of the retaining tab as well in order to secure proper fit.

I reassembled the gun and had a test fire. I'm now getting a very positive lock with this part. It's better, in fact, than the original one, and it cost just a few coins more than an OEM part!

It's (sadly) not everyday that you come across airsoft parts that surprise you this way. I'm pretty stoked this one did! If you have any similar experiences, please do share them below!

DIY P90 Sling Adapter

The biggest milsim event in Finland is coming up again, and just like last year, I'll be part of the HQ staff. If there was a lesson learned from last year, it's that you need very little gear when you're sitting in a tent most of the time. As a result, I thought I'd take my latest project, the P90, with me.

Alas, the gun has no sling point to speak of. After a bit of research, I found some examples of how you can sling the gun. As it happens, I had previously saved some webbing and plastic buckles from a pair of trousers I had to discard. A thought occurred.

These bits would be turned into a sling adapter in what was to become my first tactical gear sewing project. Luckily, we have a sewing machine handy.

The first bit was simple, just sew the female buckle onto the webbing.

Next, I sandwiched the D-ring between the buckle and the two layers of webbing. I would rather have used a plastic D-ring, but this was all I had available (and I was eager to get going).

It took a few tries to get right.

The flip side is not the prettiest, but it works.

The top side looks quite nice for a first ever project.

The next step was to thread the webbing through the hole on the underside of the gun and tighten it so that when the buckle is closed, the webbing is tight.

The loose end could be pushed into the same hole.

It's not exactly Tactical Tailor quality, but it's mine. I'm pretty happy with this little project. With a single point sling, the gun hangs under my arm at exactly the spot where my hand reaches the grip instinctively.

Do you have any sewing projects you've done? Please share in the comments below.

Review: Odin Innovations M12 Sidewinder

This time we have something a bit different. This is the Odin Innovations M12 Sidewinder speedloader for STANAG (M4, M16 etc.) type magazines. It boasts to be the world's fastest speedloader, and after putting it through its paces, I have no reason to doubt that claim.

This piece of kit was kindly provided for review by airsoftzone.com. At the time of writing, one unit retails for €49.90. The price might seem steep, but this thing is a far cry from the flimsy, see-through plastic things most of us are used to.

The speedloader comes packaged neatly and plainly. There's no excessive material, but still enough to keep the unit safe from most bumps and scratches.

Usage instructions are clearly printed on the side of the box, and highlight the main features of the speedloader. The most innovative thing about the Sidewinder is that the BB loading mechanism is equipped with a clutch, which will start slipping once the magazine is full, so you'll always know when you have a full mag, and overfilling the magazine is not possible.

The Sidewinder is capable of holding 1600 BBs when full, and the outer dimensions enable it to fit into a standard two magazine pouch with ease. Components are nylon fiber reinforced, which should guarantee a long service life. The speedloader seems very well made. All parts fit together neatly and there are no burrs left over from moulding. All in all the level of fit and finish is really high.

Operation is very straightforward. After filling the loader with BBs, you attach the magazine as you would into a gun. This is definitely a plus, since you don't have to hold the magazine in place, and there's no need to worry about spilling BBs everywhere. The crank handle swivels 180 degrees to allow easy stowage and fast operation. Then you simply turn the handle (or wind - on the side, punny) and once the magazine is full, you can release it with the push of a button.

Magazine compatibility seems good, at least with a limited set of testing. I had a PMAG, a metal Dboys M4 magazine and an ARES Amoeba mag. Each fit in well and stayed in place during loading. The ARES mag needed a bit of an extra push to seat all the way, but still worked as intended.

One possible thing to note with the Sidewinder is that it seems the last 6 or so BBs will not exit the loader despite how much you wind. This is something to keep in mind if you intend to load various magazines with different weight BBs.

My only gripe with the otherwise solid look and feel is the fact that most parts, especially the crank handle, are plastic. Nylon reinforced plastic is definitely strong, but the way it looks still makes me wonder about the durability. Odin Innovations are offering a one year guarantee for their product, so I'm fairly sure my worry completely unjustified. Personally, I'd prefer metal parts, but that's just my own preference.

If you find yourself needing a sturdy, big and quick speedloader to go with your STANAG magazines, I don't think you can really go wrong with the Sidewinder in any way.

As a final note, while the Sidewinder is only compatible with STANAG out of the box, there are 3D printed adapters available that allow you to use other magazines. I, however, have no experience with them, so I can't say how well they might work.

You can find the Odin Innovations M12 Sidewinder on the airsoftzone.com site here.