I'm working on a document that will cover many performance characteristics (such as this one) and how to improve it, but just so you get the jist of it, improving gas consumption breaks down in to two concepts:

1. Conservation of gas and improvements in gas efficiency
2. Reduction in gas consumption

For the former, the theory is to seal up any and all areas where gas may be wasted in order to harness the maximum amount of gas energy for the required task (whether it's to shoot the projectile or to move the slide.)

The latter draws thought in to what it is that causes gas to be consumed, for how long, and in what volume. The primary solution for this is to reduce the amount of required potential energy as much as is possible, ie by removing as much resistance as possible by creating a slide assembly that is as light as is absolutely possible, and installing a recoil spring as light as is manageable. The secondary solution is allowing the timing mechanism (that control the gas flow) to complete their cycle as quickly as possible. The two solutions can be (and in many ways, are) intertwined.

In my experience, yes, original TM mags almost always perform better than clone mags in almost all aspects.

Do 20mm flashlight ring mounts fit on the TM 5.1 rail?

The rail is not to Weaver or Picatinny spec... it's close, but not the same.

The only way I can answer that is:

It depends on what ring you are using. Some may fit. Some may not. It depends on how stringently it was designed to require the Weaver spec. Picatinny is a looser spec. Airsoft is all over the place, and some rails and accessories may not follow any specs. Asking about a "20mm rail/accessory" is very broad. it's almost like asking if "a fruit" tastes like an apple.

I've begun filling in some primary areas of this thread.

Refer back to the first few posts.

A tag on gear question.

Will a SF 6004-56 (with rail, but no light) securely hold a non railed TM MEU?

I haven't had experience with this situation before, but I *believe* it would fit with a slight bit of wobbling due to the MEU frame being a bit smaller than a railed frame.

Can anyone confirm this?

Nova and Nine Ball parts reviews/opinions?
 

I'm looking at these two for a MEU project:

Nova housing magwell for Marui 1911
Nine Ball metal outer barrel (SAS) for Marui 1911

Has anyone used either of these products before? Were they drop-in fits (I'd hope so), and what was the fit like in your GBB? How about performance - tangible benefits/disadvantages to using these parts (yes, I understand that the outer barrel has threads and the extended magwell allows for easier insertion of mag-to-gun)?

And is this even the right section for this question?

Nova MSH is nice. Adds a significant amount of weight to your pistol. Drop in fit in to a Shooters Design frame.

Flared magwell aids in faster reloads.

Can't say about the Nine Ball barrel.

Only problem with NOVA MSH for me was their stop-pin, it does not actually "press-fit" and is loose, so I had to use adhesive everytime when I get one, and as such you can't access the hammer spring anymore...But aside from that, great product.

Personally I hate 9Ball stuff, so I'd stay away from it. Though I have never used their outer barrel before.

Thats actually something worth mention to ProG4 about, threaded straight barrel for 1911/MEU, in stainless or black finish. I think that will sell well....

It most definitely would.

Thanks to both of you... I sort of figured that I might as well just PM you instead, but heck - all information on the world wide web should be there for all to see! ... at least, something like that.

Already have it in production... just not in black finish. Not possible to do at this time. Stainless steel doesn't oxidize to black that well...

See post #2 - FAQ, Q1.

Ah I didn't know that, thats good to know....

Hey,

I got a firefly hop up soft for my TM 5.1 and when I look into the hop up rubber, it has 2 square notches with a ditch in between (pic below). The stock hop up rubber that came with my 5.1 does not have these notches and has a smooth interior instead. Did I get the right hop up rubber? If so, how do the 2 notches spin the bb? It looks like it would obstuct more than spin the bb.

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h1...t/IMG_2900.jpg

I have the same hop up rubber, so yes, you got the right one as its advertised in ILLusion's retail thread as one for the marui GBB series. If there was something wrong with it, they wouldn't be marketing them. I'm sure they serve a purpose but I as well, am unsure of what they do exactly.

TM MEU/1911 grip panels: I'm going to start searching for flat-bottomed grip panels to match a MSH magwell, and I would prefer wood grips to synthetic ones. Thus, what grip panels are compatible with TM/TM-compatible single stack 1911's? Also, RS grips - yea or nay?