By Kornkob
Published: March 2005
G36c Large Battery Classic Army Foregrip
The Tokyo Marui G36 is one of the most adaptable EGs on the market. With piles of accessories, kits and upgrades to a gun with one of the most modern internal designs, this compact AEG is an excellent product. One of the limitations of the G36c is the fact that, by design, the foregrip will only hold mini cell batteries. This was most definitely done to keep the dimensions of the foregrip as close to the real steel G36c as possible.
Now, mini batteries are a much maligned accessory. While they generally only come in the 600 mah variety (with a few peeking over the 1000 mah mark) they simply don't have that much juice. Some players find that they have to change batteries 2 or even 3 times in a single event. (My own experience is different-but then I tend to fire fewer rounds rather than more). Now, changing the battery in a G36c is a really simple process, as compared to, say, the placement of the battery in the M4 so it's not a huge deal, but enough to give one pause.
Cold weather is another place where mini batteries stumble. The tiny cells freeze up all to easily when the weather starts to dip down into the 30s and below. Those of us in cold climates certainly have to take that into account.
After market fixes
Both First Factory and Classic Army came out with a solution to the battery size problem in the G36c. Adding a little depth to the foregrip and a mini to large tayama connector converter, it allows one to place a large battery in the foregrip, where only a mini fit before.
Now, before I went to this option I had ordered the ICS PEQ and slapped that on one of the rails. While the PEQ was pretty nice, sporting a 1700 mah battery and a red dot laser, it also added to the weight of one side of the front end. Additionally, there were a couple instances where brush got caught in the gap between the laser case and the rail, throwing off my aim or hanging me up for a second. Pretty quick I decided that, while I liked not having to change batteries as often (especially at the kinds of games I most love: constantly tactical for a whole day or more) I couldn't live with the PEQ on one side of my gun.
So I went shopping. In the end I went with the less expensive Classic Army foregrip. Even though the price difference was only $10 between the 2 and CA's reputation for less than admirable parts is certainly out there, I wasn't finding reviews on the grip that were panning it. I decided in the end to save the $10 for another day.
CA Foregrip Arrives
I ordered the foregrip and a battery from Airsoft Extreme in California. A few days later my package arrived here in Wisconsin. Despite my desire to tear into it immediately, I had to put it on a shelf for a few days (after inspecting to make sure there was no shipping damage) because real life was once again interfering with my hobbies. When I was able to return to my hobby, I pulled out my gun and the box from AE and took a closer look at the foregrip.
The grip is visibly different. There are some design differences from the original to accommodate the larger battery. Obviously the grip has to be 'deeper' in order to allow for more room below the barrel. There is an extra row of venting along the barrel and some extra lines on the grip that differ from the sleek, simple look of the original.
Additionally, the texture of the part is in contrast with the stock grip. Where the stock grip has a smooth, almost shiny surface, the CA grip seems to be textured, much like the CA G36 magazines are. This gives the part a more matte appearance than the stock part. While this can be a good thing for you 'nightsofters' out there, it also means that the part will pick up and retain dirt-something those of us who like to keep our guns clean will find troubling. On the other hand, the spray paint Michelangelos in the audience will probably find that rougher texture is much more likely to take and hold primer and paint.
Myself, I found the extra texturing to be something of a non-issue. I like the extra purchase that the less smooth surface gives me. Except under very close examination, the differences are hardly noticeable. I suspect that the texture differences are less a factor of how they are designed and more related to the type of plastic and the fabrication method, since other CA parts I've seen seem to have similar finishes.
Prepping for installation
As I said previously, changing the battery on a G36c is a very simple process. Pop one pin on the foregrip and push it forward. The grip comes off and the battery dangles by it's cord-if you don't catch it. (Obviously it's not advisable to let the battery drop and hang by it's cord as it pus unnecessary strain on the wiring.) Reversing the process replaces the battery.
In my case I had to take some extra steps to prep for installing the new foregrip. I had previously installed a longer rail on the bottom of my foregrip, as well as 2 shorter ones on the sides, in order to mount accessories. I also needed to remove the PEQ I was currently using as a battery box, so I could transfer the rails to the new foregrip.
The side mounts for the rails are fairly similar to the stock foregrip. They are raised sections with metal threaded mount points inside. The stock screws, as one would expect, thread in perfectly.
The bottom is slightly confusing however in that there's a distinct design flaw that seems like it should have been pretty obvious. There are the same metal threaded points to screw rails into on the bottom and they are spaced correctly. The raised ridge is also there and appropriately designed.
However, in order to get the bottom rail to lie flat, one would need to forego the sling mounting point. This is specifically designed to follow the curve of the bottom of the smaller foregrip. The designers of this foregrip did not take this into account as they boxed out the leading edge of the stock to make room for a large battery. With the front sling point installed, the rail is about 10 degrees from being parallel to the bottom of the grip. This would cause issues with any laser and some flashlights that were intended to be mounted here and may present stability issues.
Had they added more depth to the raised ridge on the bottom, moving the rail further out from the grip, this sling mount point would have had enough clearance to set down firmly to the grip with no play. While this is not a huge failure it certainly isn't an impressive bit of engineering. Even if you opt to leave the front sling mount off, you'd need to buy a new, shorter screw to install it.
For those of you out there who are now thinking, 'Those fools at CA screwed that up' hold up. I consulted with someone I knew had a foregrip from First Factory--- he's got the same design flaw.
Now I've corrected this somewhat using a little ingenuity and a hardware store. I picked up new, slightly longer screws and a set of plastic washers intended to be used for repairing leaky faucets. Using these to provide more depth to the mount points, standing the rail off that crucial ¼ inch, I've managed to get the rail to sit nearly parallel to the bottom of the grip.
Once the rails were installed I was almost ready to install my new foregrip. First, I had to figure out how I was going to get that HUGE battery into that tiny little foregrip.
Dropping in the Battery
When you look at a large battery and the G36 Large foregrip separately, it's hard to imagine that the battery will ever fit. In fact I was concerned that I was going to have to make modifications to my gun to make it work, something I really didn't want to have to do. Then it occurred to me that I was putting the cart before the horse-maybe I needed to give it a try before I started jumping to conclusions.
The battery simply won't get jammed in there flat. A large battery is simply too wide to go into the grip flat without putting strain on the sides by pulling them apart. However, by turning the battery at a 45 degree angle and sending it in, it slides in neatly, flopping flat at the last second to lie neatly at the bottom of the grip. Taking it out was a simple reversal of the process.
Now, with the increased capacity of the large battery one shouldn't need to change it very often. However, if there ever is an instance where your battery winds down and you need to change it, it is notable that changing this battery will take a lot more time than changing the stock minis. While I was able to change batteries previously without having to set anything down or use 2 hands on any one part, pulling the large battery out really will require both hands to twist and pull the thing out of the grip. A minor consideration to be sure-but still something to remember.
Finally attaching the connector converter is the last thing you'll need to do. Since the G36c has a small connector, the included small to large connector is required to make this work. I found attaching it in advance to the battery worked best.
Installation
One of the distinct advantages of the TM G36c over the ubiquitous M4 and similar variants, is the ease of removing the foregrip, which is where the battery is stored. In the stock G36c you pull one pin, push forward and the battery almost literally falls out into your hand. Reversing the process puts it back. Changing a battery in a G36c is one of the easiest things to do.
Putting this after market grip on the gun is pretty simple, although it is not as smooth as the original part. In addition to being slightly heavier, the larger connectors on the large battery get in the way somewhat when sliding the grip into place. There is also a certain amount of vertical play in the grip, making alignment of the pin mount point an extra step. On the stock grip the holes line up without effort, while the Classic Army foregrip has some extra play. This extra play helps get the grip into place but it does take some getting used to.
Once installed I did encounter an unexpected problem: the extra height made it impossible for me to put my G36c in my rifle case with the vertical grip installed. I use a breakdown shotgun case which is slightly shorter and slightly less wide than a 'normal' rifle case. With both my red dot and vertical grip installed, the G36c simply would not fit in the case-it was just too tall. A minor problem that is easily solved by removing the vertical grip.
Summary
The G36c is a solid gun out of the box. Reviews of the gun are uniformly good. The one mild rebuke TM gets relates to the use of a mini battery to power this weapon system. Classic Army stepped into this void. Putting together a solid after market part to allow the use of a large battery, CA has a good product, in spite of one mild design flaw.
Attractive, well designed and solidly constructed, the CA G36 Foregrip is moderately priced at $65 +shipping (stateside). While the total cost of ownership does climb a bit when a decent large battery is added to the shopping cart, for long games or games in cold weather (especially sub-freezing) a large battery can make all the difference.
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