G-hop Mod and New Goggles

Like I said in yesterday's post, I broke the AUG's hop-up bucking. Today I got a new one from a local shop, and also decided to buy goggles... somehow. As I've said before, the mask is not ideal since you lose so much peripheral vision. Now I have a pair of clear Bollé Tracker II goggles. They fit nicely and do not limit my vision basically at all. They come with a bag, cleaning rag and an elastic band that connects to the temples.

G-hop Mod

I'll preface this by saying that I've used this G-hop installation video from Youtube user TopHatRunner as a guide to building my G-hop, so all credit goes to him. I'm mainly paraphrasing it below.

If you're doing this mod, you'll need the following:

• an extra hop-up bucking
• a sharp knife (x-acto or similar)
• small file or sandpaper
• superglue
• (optional) tweezers
• (optional) toothpick for spreading the glue

Installation

This guide only applies to the AUG regarding the hop-up unit removal, otherwise it's standard for any AEG as far as I know.

To start, remove the barrel with the hop-up unit.

Remove the hop-up unit clamp to release the unit.

Remove the hop-up unit by gently pulling and twisting at the same time. Make sure the hop-up bucking does not get caught in the unit.

With the hop-up unit removed, gently pull off the hop-up bucking.

Gently turn the bucking inside out, beware of tearing it. You can use a blunt tool, such as a hex wrench, to help you.

With a sharp knife, cut off the excess of the nub on the inside of the bucking. Finish off with a file or sandpaper until you're flush with the rest of the surface.

Repeat the above with the ridge on the opposite side, and place the bucking aside.

Take the other, extra bucking, and cut out a patch that just covers the window on the end of the barrel. If you make it too small, you can't glue it on properly. If this happens, simply cut out another patch.

Apply a thin coat of superglue on one edge of the window. Use a toothpick or similar to spread the glue. Place one end of the patch onto the glue. Tweezers are a great help at this point. Once the glue is set, apply a similar thin coat on the other edge of the window and glue the other end of the patch on.

Once the glue has set, simply turn your modified bucking back right side out, and slide it back onto the barrel. Make sure the ground down bits are on the sides of the barrel, and not on the patch you glued on.

Take your hop-up unit and adjust it all the way off. Reinstall the hop-up unit in the same manner as you removed it, and install your barrel back on.

Test shoot to see the effects. You will most likely need a lot less hop than you've used before, since the contact patch in the barrel is larger. If you're seeing your BBs veer off the either side, your hop-up unit is likely tilted to one side. Remove your barrel and adjust.

I'm getting great range and consistency with this rather simple hop-up mod, hope you will, too.

Second Game

Today was my second game. We started an hour earlier than usual and trained urban assault tactics on a team level. The game location had a nice abandoned two storey industrial building so we could practice room clearing, taking stairwells and the like. Pretty cool stuff, although my mask made it pretty awkward. I need to be turning my head all the time to counter for the tunnel vision, especially to avoid tripping over things. During the game itself I was a bit cut out of the communications loop since most everyone else is using radios. Might have to get one myself later.

The AUG has some weird hop up problems. I don't seem to get very much range, even when I adjust it. It also doesn't seem to have very much power when compared with the guns others were fielding. I will have to investigate. Otherwise I'm pretty excited with the it with the angled foregrip and the reflex sight. It feels good to hold and target acquisition is quick. I think the sight is not quite zeroed in though, I'll need to zero it one day.

I also like the selective fire trigger. Half a pull gives you semi-auto shots, pulling it back all the way and it goes full auto, so no fiddling with a selector is needed. There's quite a bit more pull required for it to go full auto though, there might be something it's snagging on.

The one point sling I have seems to be a bit too long. It might have something to do with how far back the AUGs rear sling mount is sitting. When the gun is hanging down, even with the sling as short as it will go, I can't reach the grip even with my hand straight.

I also managed to shoot myself in the hand with a ricochet, simply because I didn't take into account the fact that the barrel is somewhat lower than the sight. So when I thought I was aiming out of a broken window, the barrel was actually pointing at the window frame. Oh well, you live, you learn.

Other than that, it was loads of fun again, and even the ricochet was funny after it stopped stinging.

Game Time!

I'm back from my first ever airsoft game. It was arranged on an abandoned, overgrown industrial lot, which was pretty sweet just in and of itself. Long grass and a small wooded area mixed with the decaying ruin, broken glass and rusted machinery made for a pretty Zone-like atmosphere.

The holo sight is yet to come through in the mail, so I was mainly spraying and praying with the AUG most of the time. I managed to get a kill, though, as I was hiding behind a desk in an otherwise empty garage and a group of enemies approached. Put enough BBs their way and some of them were bound to hit!

The mesh mask is a bit of a problem occasionally. The way the goggles sit so far away from my face, I have very little peripheral vision and need to constantly stare at my feet lest I fall down a ditch. And still I did. Luckily it was dry and I wasn't going too fast.

I'm writing this about an hour after the game ended, I've just eaten and I'm completely knackered. The adrenaline rush was incredible, and the group, despite my apprehension, were a great bunch of guys. Definitely doing this again. As soon as I get some sleep first. Damn I'm so beat.

So It Begins

A friend of mine has been trying to get me into airsoft for a while now. He's been part of an active local group for about half a year and says that I could join too. I must say I'm a bit torn. On one hand it sounds like fun, but on the other it seems childish. I'm already over 30, after all. The last time I played with toy guns was more than 15 years ago. He's rather adamant that it's great fun, though, so I finally agreed to go out and buy some eye protection. Everything else, he says, they can lend me so I can test the hobby out before committing.

Like the complete newb that I am, I just walked into a local airsoft shop and let them know the situation. The words used were along the lines of "I need eye protection so I can try out this thing tomorrow". Perhaps worded less elegantly, but still. They sold me a mesh wire face mask and off I went, waiting for tomorrow with mixed feelings.

This is what 19 € buys you

Fashion statement of the year? And no, it's not the light, the whole thing is a bit crooked.

The two parts are held together by plastic pins and tabs and are easily separated so you can the goggles alone.

The mask attachment tab runs through the same opening you use to thread in the headband.

The whole thing comes with spare parts in a sprue not unlike on scale model kits. Handy if you lose any of the tiny bits.