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[shortdog]

I'm looking for a new rifle. When I get back stateside, I'll be playing a lot.
I want to go gas, because I don't like fighting a spring bolt when I'm trying to cycle. The tanaka one sounds like the better buy, because of the gas system they use. I hear that it is very stable regardless of the temperature outside.
I am more comfortable with Classic Army, I have never bought Tanaka, I have heard that their gas guns can be complicated.
Also what upgrades would I be looking at if I wanted to push the FPS to around 550?

[XavierMace]

My CA M24 using a gas cylinder shoots right at 500fps on Green Gas with AE .25g BB's.  Tanaka's gas system is much better because it's actually designed to be a gas gun.  The CA is a conversion on a spring gun effectively.

[ctres94]

I have heard there is a lot to be considered with a gas sniper rifle depending on the temperature where you play. if you play in the cold, you may want a hpa (high pressure air) rig or something of that sort to help with consistancy. also, I hav e heard that a gas gun will never be quite as consistant as a spring, but they can however come close. you might actually have better luck in the sniper section.

[WindowsXP]

Getting the FPS on the Tanaka to 550 shouldn't be too hard with propane, G&G power pack, and an unrestricted nozzle. The hop-up will need some fiddling to make it as good as it can be, though.

[Travis]

I have a Tanaka m24, and just received my CA m24 today. I am impressed with the CA so far, and have been kind of unimpressed with my Tanaka's accuracy of late. I think my Tanaka needs new impact plates...

Hard to say which s better. They both have incredible build quality, the Tanaka I would have to say is a more beautiful gun. The CA feels better, but has the whole springer stupid mags and and long bolt pull. For all year around the CA I think would be better, but you always have the option of HPA or Co2. The Tanaka is a much more fun to play with. It's a tossup.

If you have any questions about one vs other, just ask.

[XavierMace]

Getting the FPS on the Tanaka to 550 shouldn't be too hard with propane, G&G power pack, and an unrestricted nozzle. The hop-up will need some fiddling to make it as good as it can be, though.

Tanaka's will do 550 on green just with an unrestricted nozzle.  My AICS was 475-485fps on propane with .29 SGM's once the power pack was installed with the valve at 50%.

[joker8baller]

I loved my Tanaka M24, unrestricted, with PCS. It was an amazing rifle, very accurate, and it felt very nice.

My CA M24, I never upgraded myself, so I don't know too much about it. It was a fun rifle, definitely not AS fun as the Tanaka, but it shot well, and it was cheaper than the Tanaka.

Personal choice: The Tanaka for me.  FPS variation with the gas system that the Tanaka uses is very little. Never above 8-10. Propane is an excellent source of gas, and if you choose to use Green, you need to clean the bucking every so often. However, I have definitely hit 200+ shots with the Tanaka, and have for sure hit a 250ft target with minimal wind. Very consistent rifle. If you choose the full upgrade route, you can get the rifle hitting amazing groupings. Stealth Killer Hamster on this forum, actually has a picture on the forums of his groupings with an upgraded Tanaka rife. IIRC, the Tanaka M24 also comes with a tightbore stock.

[XavierMace]

Tanaka's bolt action rifles are probably in the top 3 for most accurate guns out of the box.  I've had two now and they both shot fantastic out of the box.  Far better than my CA M24 or KJW M700. 

[shortdog]

Ok. I'm I think I'm going to go tanaka. So what kind of parts will I need?
It sounds like Rifle, tight bore, 6.01,  G&G power pack, and an unrestricted nozzle.

Propane is more reliable than green gas right? Would I need to get some kind of propane adapter for the gun or mags?
I've don't have a lot of experience with rifles, what other upgrades would be useful for accuracy and continous use?

[joker8baller]

Propane just has the added benefit of not having Silicon injected. If you use green, you should clean your bucking out every so often.

An unrestricted nozzle can either be bought by a user on here (Thinks his name starts with an F), or you can aim to get an export version of the gun, which should have the unrestricted nozzle.

G&G Power Pack is great though. I mean you can get your rifle shooting in the low 600's if the temperature is right outside...

I'd look into trying to source a Best Gun Hop-up Kit. Pretty rare, but makes the hop-up that much more consistent than the original one... Otherwise, there's a few other options, including one that converts the Tanaka to a VSR hop-up.

Propane adaptor, for the propane can. It basically makes the nozzle for a standard coleman tank to a typical Green Gas nozzle that fits on a gas gun. The alternative is to tap the magazine and make an external airsetup.

External air would be the best route, a bit costly, and requires you to carry a tank. Allows you to regulate FPS, and very very very little variation.

[Travis]

Yes, propane doesn't have silicone additives. Keeps your hopup dry. A propane adapter is a must.

First you should probably get a 2roy hop conversion along with a 555mm vsr barrel and vsr bucking of your choice. Cheapest place I have seen them is AEX. You could get The BG if you can find it. I think Evike has them.

If you want the ultimate in FPS consistency, then you should convert to Co2 or HPA. A long mag is also a good thing to have.

Are you going to be buying everything new?

His name is Forse. http://www.airsoftretreat.com/forums/index.php?action=profile;u=7907

You would have to carry a Co2 or HPA tank, but you can make a compact unit that uses 12g. Magnumbb makes them if you don't want to do it yourself.

[shortdog]

yes I want to buy new.
Are unrestricted nozzels not available in the states or something?
What do these upgrade parts do for the rifle exactly? I've never gone very indepth with my gun upgrading, just springs and gears. And I've never understood much of what goes into guns.
What are these, The Power pack, the unrestricted nozzel, I know what hop up does, but what makes the VSR one better?
And what is a BG hop bucking?
I know I have a lot of questions, thanks for the help guys.

[Travis]

Well, if you have never done really in depth upgrading, then I recommend you first buy the rifle and then see if you want anything more out of it. You may like it stock.

Tanaka recently took out the Power Control System from there sniper rifle line. I believe that they had to start making restricted nozzles because of local Japanese laws. The export versions are the Tanaka's without the restricted nozzle (not for sale in Japan). If you end up getting a restricted nozzle, you can open it up for more FPS (I think you just drill the nozzle out, not sure). You can buy KA v2 nozzles from AEX, or from Forse.

The G&G power pack does a variety of things. Gives you a new striker spring for more FPS, replaces the old plates with a plunger, etc... Basically it mods your mag to be more consistent and give more FPS.

The stock hopup in a Tanaka isn't known for being great. The VSR conversion hop allows you to use VSR bucking that wrap around your entire barrel like a normal bucking. The slot design in the 2roy kit also makes it easy to replace that steel rectangle that presses on the bucking with a piece of whatever shape you want in the hopup. One of the biggest advantages is that with the VSR conversion, you can use VSR barrels. This means that there is a huge variety to chose from, the best of which are said to be PDI and EdGI.

The Best Gun kit is older than the VSR conversion and is still considered to be a great upgrade. I think it is made in a limited run now, so they are hard to get. The kit consists of: a new hopup housing, a new hopup bucking, and a nozzle to better position the bb behind the hopup. They also include a jig tool for cutting our standard barrel to a square cut, and a plastic piece to pound your nozzle in without damaging it.

All this is from memory, so if I made any errors, feel free to correct me  

[shortdog]

So the powerpack is for magazines? So it would have to be done for each mag, that kinda sucks, but I guess I wouldn't be carrying too many.
With an unrestricted version, what kind of power could I get with no power upgrades.
Is the powerpack where the gun gets the bulk of its power?
Would I need the VSR hop conversion to use a PDI or promethius barrel? Either way, I would want a good hop up, and a great barrel.

[Travis]

Yes, except for the striker spring. The G&G power pack has enough for two mags.

Can't really remember exact stock fps, but it should be somewhere around 500fps. The power pack does increase FPS, but the bulk of it comes stock.

I believe PDI and Prome make barrels for the stock tanaka, but they may be hard to get. VSR barels are everywhere...

[shortdog]

the stock m24 (unrestricted), a VSR hop hop up conversion, tight bore barrel, and an upgrade to propane, would make a pretty effective weapon. I think holding off on the power pack would be a good idea, until I see a necessity for it.
Is it possible to overload the system with too much power, and just wreak the internal parts? I've had problems with stripped gears, and burnt out motors in my AEGs over the years. I know there aren't gears or motors in a gas weapon, but what kind of things can break, and what sort of maintanence is necessary?

[Travis]

Uh, I suppose it is possible to overload it, not likely unless you are really getting out of hand. Tanaka's can run at high fps with very little wear. Over time you will want to replace the plates on your mags from getting dented from the striker. The G&G power pack will replace those.

Anything can break, but the only thing I hear of breaking often is the hopup housing. It is a plastic chunk you slide your hopup in. It has a screw that you attach the housing to the stock with. Some people over tighten this screw and crack the housing. So, don't over tighten the middle screw. A new one costs ~$50.