TM M1911 A1 - Gas blowback has new meaning!!!

[martinlb]

I've got a beautiful Tokyo Marui M1911 that I love shooting except for one thing:

For the first 3-5 shots on a newly-gassed clip, gas and oil literally "blow back" in my face. The area where it's coming from as you look at the back of the gun is right below where the hammer hits (small pin inside a circular opening - firing pin???) and just above where the hammer pivots as it engages to hit the pin.

This gun is also less powerful than my Western Arms pistol; I wonder if that's due to the gas blowing out the back of the gun rather than staying in the clip or blowing out the barrel. I did replace the barrel with a Nine Ball tightbore barrel, but a friend just got the same pistol, and his is unmodified and does it too. Is this "normal" for these guns, or can something be done to stop the stuff from blowing out of the back of the gun?

[hkssr20det]

What kind of gas are you using, and at what temperature?

[John]

Did you lube the pistol well? Some silicone oil on all rubber rings should help sealing those areas.

[martinlb]

Thanks for the replies!

Yes, I lubed it and that seemed to help some. The gas I use is PowerGreen, and I've experimented with warming the cans. That does seem to increase the pressure but didn't have any effect on the stuff blowing back at me.

The strange thing is that I replaced the stock slide, outer barrel and body with the PCG Springfield metal conversion. When I did this, I learned that what I had thought was a firing pin and o-ring behind the hammer was simply a small hex bolt.

:-\

I had thought that was the most likely place for the gas blowing back at me, but after taking the gun apart I now see that that's impossible.

The good news is that with the gun re-done it no longer seems to blow the gas back at me, so problem solved I guess without knowing what its source was...

And I can highly recommend the PCG kit for anyone thinking of doing their TM 1911 in metal. The gun is now really solid and has a very "crisp" feel when shooting it, and the re-do went very smoothly. I'm happy! :-)

[John]

Yeap, the TM 1911A1 begs to be upgraded with a metal frame/slide/barrel kit.

Here is mine.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v323/sv1cec/Airsoft%20Collection/TM1911A1/Dsc_0856.jpg

[CMDB]

After all your upgrades, how is the weight compared to a normal 1911 (~40 oz?)

Thanks, looks nice!

[John]

Well, I am not good with lbs and oz, so I can't tell, but the weight of the upgraded pistol is now about 950 gr, almost one kilogram.

[Brazos_Jack]

John,

Did you use the PCG kit? Who sells it in the U.S. How much is it in the U.S.

[hkssr20det]

No one sells the PGC kit in the US, at least that I have seen. If you want a PGC, buy it now before they go out of stock again. Don't sleep on PGC stuff, once they are gone, they are gone. PGC is one of, if not the best, metal body manufacturers. I have five guns with PGC bodies. All top notch, not a dud among them.

[CMDB]

Well, I am not good with lbs and oz, so I can't tell, but the weight of the upgraded pistol is now about 950 gr, almost one kilogram.

Thats about 33.51 oz or 2.09 llbs. That is pretty darn close!

[John]

I would say so. It's impossible to tell this pistol is not real, by holding it in your hand.

[martinlb]

I ordered mine from Hong Kong - took something kike a week+ to get to me, but most of that was a delay in getting the order processed. I don't have a lot of experience with airsoft upgrades or kits, but I can tell when something I'm working with is good quality or not, and my PCG kit was great.

My buddy has the same gun, and we compared the weight of his unmodified pistol to mine after I'd done the upgrade. It seemed to both of us that while the weight of the two pistols were pretty close, mine was a little heavier.

I can't figure out how to post a picture, or I'd show how mine looks now. Help??? :-)

[John]

Read the FAQ section, it explains how to include pictures in your messages. The link to our FAQ is in the blue line above the Sponsors Panel.

[martinlb]

Thanks, John, for the heads-up. Here's a picture of mine:

http://i244.photobucket.com/albums/gg13/martinlb/1911.jpg

[John]

Yeap, that's what mine looks like too, LoRL.

[martinlb]

Yeah - It looks like I've hijacked your avatar! :-)

Seriously, though, I am nothing but happy with how the upgrade went. Things fit just the way they were supposed to, and the gun just has a "feel" to it now that makes it a real pleasure. I completely agree with hkssr20det about PGC kits! Plus it was a lot of fun taking things apart, and then actually having them go back together.