Plates On The Cheap

New plate carrier vests often come with some sort of foam inserts to hold the vest in shape. They're usually not very tough or rigid though, so the illusion of a ceramic plate isn't really there. To fix this, you can always buy ready made dummy plates, but what if you are on a budget? Then this quick guide is just for you.

If you happen to have an IKEA nearby, you can source some plate materials very cheaply. The LEGITIM series cutting board just so happens to have measurements that closely match the Medium SAPI plate (24 x 32 cm for SAPI plate, 24 x 34 cm for the cutting board). The thickness of a single board is about half of a ceramic plate.

The tools you'll need are a saw, a straightedge and a file or some sand paper (possibly glue). If you want to get fancy, a hot air gun or some hot water may also be in order.

To begin, take a straightedge and mark the corners of the board for cutting (the angle is about 45 degrees), or follow the shape of the foam insert that came with your vest.

Next, simply saw off the corners, and finish by either filing or sanding down any rough edges so they don't scratch and tear the inside of your vest.

If you want to get fancy, you can use a hot air gun or some hot water and bend the board to get a curved plate. Use a form, such as a piece of pipe or similar to get a symmetrical shape (I'm doing simple straight ones here).

Glue two boards together for a thicker plate, or put the board in front and the foam insert on the back for a more comfortable wear.

You'll be ready to operate in no time.

Let me know in the comments how yours turned out!

ASG/JG AUG A3 disassembly

The following describes the disassembly of the ASG AUG A3 automatic electric airsoft gun. The ASG AUG is a Jing Gong manufactured rebrand, so this guide holds true for the JG AUG RIS as well. Should be useful for other AUG models as well, excepting the parts referring to the rail assembly.

You will need the following tools:

• allen wrench, 3 mm
• allen wrench, 2 mm
• flat-headed screwdriver
• small phillips-head screwdriver

Disassembly

Begin by removing the magazine and battery if present.

Press the button on the side of the buttstock assembly halfway down. You will notice when the two halves of the gun become separated. Be careful when pushing the button, as it can exit the gun's frame completely if you push it far enough. It can be put back with some effort, but it's much easier to avoid the hassle altogether.

Slide the front assembly and the buttstock apart and place the buttstock half aside.

Unscrew the two allen screws on top of the rail and place them aside.

Flip the front assembly around, and you will see a hole in the rail with a set screw inside. Unscrew it about halfway to release the rail assembly.

The rail assembly should now slide free of the gun. If it is a tight fit, you can place a flat-headed screwdriver in the slot between the barrel and the rail assembly. Wrap the head with masking tape if you are worried you might scratch the metal surface.

Slide the rail assembly off and place aside. As you can see, I did not unscrew the rail assembly set screw out when I took the gun apart, so I scratched the underside of the barrel housing. Luckily it is only a cosmetic fault that will not show when the gun is assembled.

Unscrew the set screw in the barrel housing to remove the front outer barrel.

The barrel is no free to slide out, revealing the inner barrel sleeve (aluminium) and the inner barrel (brass). I've added masking tape on the sleeve to make it fit more snugly, thus reducing vibration.

There is a small tab on the decorative gas selector which can fall out and be misplaced. I have yet to find a real purpose for it, as it has no effect on the function of the gun, but I've chosen to keep it in.

Pull back the charging handle and lock it in the groove on the frame.

Twist the knob and rotate the barrel housing anticlockwise. The barrel housing is now free to slide out of the frame.

Slide out the barrel assembly and place the frame aside.

Unscrew the screws on the top and bottom of the barrel housing to release the barrel.

Slide the barrel out of the housing and place the housing aside.

While holding the hop-up unit and the barrel together, unscrew the two screws on either side of the hop up unit. The hop-up unit is spring-loaded and will jump out a bit if you don't hold on to it.

Slide the outer barrel and the barrel sleeve off and place aside.

This concludes the major disassembly of the ASG AUG A3. The hop-up unit disassembly is described in a separate post.