Ultimate BB - IPSC trainers for 2009

Following our articles in 2007 and public interest gained in the gas-blowback realm of airsoft competitive shooting in America, our dedication to serve the community by offering medium to high end pistols blossomed. As early as 2002, the techs had primarily dealt with repairing GBBs. And any honest person who has tried their hand at house-tuning a GBB will admit it requires both finesse and a driven intensity to achieve the desirable results needed for competition beyond skirmishing.

Every collector and professional competition shooter should know that airsoft gas pistols are a viable and economical alternative for practice at home. They range from crap to quality, so choosing one depends on the size of your wallet and how dependable and realistic you want your target shooting experience to be. In the USA, a strong sense of creativity and adaptation permeates our culture. This yearning to fill the void for entertainment especially in hard economic times can be fulfilled through IPSC style shooting. And during the current 2008 recession, it makes a whole lot of sense to “shoot” for BB-IPSC as the best alternative when the weather outside is harsh and there’s less cash for even reloads at the range!

So, without further discussion regarding our philosophy and methodology on constructing a high specification gas pistol (all of which you’ll find in our 2008 GBB articles), let’s jump right to the 2009 BB IPSC race guns from our armory.
The first things considered when building a true IPSC BB gun variant are the shooter’s needs. Sparing you the details on all the internal intricacies which you can read about in the ’07 and ’08 GBB reviews, we focus here on the process to manufacture and assemble the aesthetics and framework that are just as important when it comes to competitive practices and training.

Function and beauty remain the Q Armory philosophy of building real scale airsoft trainers. From SMGs, long guns, and to SAWs, the challenge of retaining realism while integrating function is no less for our handguns. And years of working with Western Arm’s 1911s had us convinced that the price point would be better achieved using a Marui based design. Also the fact that the aftermarket realm for Marui’s GBBs has gained a substantial ground that will have staying power for our client’s investment when tune-ups and replacements are sought after.

An example of the original design features based on the real steel parent:

Drafting up a blueprint on the specifics, we then make two drafts with specifications that are cross-checked with the real gun and the user’s expectations, and then relay these with the project technician and the CNC programmer to compare notes. [In this instance, we consulted with Clarence Lai whose long standing reputation with CNC processes and gun replication for BB-IPSC is unrivaled.]

The final design concept is drafted based on the combined requirements. External look and feel and internal function and action all need to be considered for the gun to properly function. In most cases, a true custom piece can take up to 90 days from concept to production model while keeping the price around $1K.

How we achieve custom specifications is partially a trade secret, but here are the basics...

Slide with flat top, no dovetails or front iron sites required when scoped – using either 6061 or for the bigger wallets, 7075 AL solid billet, the CNC mill gets to work!

Matching 5 and 6 inch STI double stack 2011 frame luckily existed as an aftermarket parts. So we chose the 6 inch in order to make some custom mill points. The 6061 aluminum with the authentic STI replicated engravings suited our purposes well since it is both forgiving and retains the non-corrosive alloy characteristics desired. After in-house milling was performed, an achieved warrior’s style blade handsomely matched the groove work on the slide.

Trigger weight: 1.5 lb pull – unlike a real handgun, airsoft springs are much softer. Adjusting the fork and associated sear release angles requires experience and a lot of testing to assure the desired result.
Trigger Type: Here, a modular trigger (with artistic blue anodization) activates our modified fork spring and adjusted according to the above weight desired. As with real steel, there is an expected non-active draw distance before sear release occurs.

Grip Safety: Active or deactivated setups are both allowable by USPSA and IPSC rules. In this case, our client desired a deactivated safety to avoid undesired hang-ups.

Compensator design: The beautiful (3 top & 1 side) porting design mimicks STI’s style; additional hairline grooves create a continuous flow from slide to comp:

Scope mount capability: Not shown, but later added, the client can add a real 4 MOA C-More with aluminum mount as shown on the real steel.

Large magwell: Assists with mandatory reloading on the IPSC course. There's no doubt that the impression here is near exact!

Unlike our neighboring US airsoft retailers, we don’t charge full-bore price for each part when a complete custom gun is special ordered. This is with thanks to our tight network and decade history with RWAS, 90% of the components are usually acquired for you at an affordable price. So all said and done, if you want to go the limit and OWN a masterpiece, call on us and we will deliver!