Upgrading an older Marui

[Twelvecarpileup]

Hey everyone, got a Tokyo Marui 552. Love the gun, love the accuracy. However when I've played woodlands I've noticed that it's starting to show it's age.

It's accurate, but the FPS is a little low which is starting to be an issue but not the end of the world. I was wondering are the older Marui's worth doing a significant amount of upgrades? Or would I be better starting with a newer gun and not investing money in an older gun?

[RainyEyes]

If you truly love your 552 you will give whatever it needs to get well again.

Completely up to you if you love your gun or your wallet more.

[Kos-Mos]

There is no such thing as an older marui.
If it works, it's a Marui.
If it does not work, it's a fixable Marui.

If you like it, bring it to a reputable gundoc.
I would guess it just needs a new motor, bushings, maybe gears depending on how much wear there is.
You might want to throw a M110 spring and new hop-up rubber in while at it.

[Twelvecarpileup]

Thanks for the quick responses!

Wasn't planning on tossing it, but just wanted to make sure there weren't any issues with the older TM's that breakdown later in life or if I should avoid upgrading it at all since I've heard that some of the TM "magic" goes away once you start to muck with it.

[ThunderCactus]

Depends what you want to do to it.
If you want to turn it into a high performance 40rps 420fps laser gun, it's actually cheaper to buy a new gun.
If you just want to get it back up to stock fps, then no big deal. Just replace the piston, piston head, and air nozzle.

[Gato]

If it's al older marui, part of the issue might just be that it's time for a tune up. Cleane out, re-greas and reshim.

Either way, like ThunderCactus said, if you want to push the high end of things and build a WMD of a gun, 40+rps at high FPS, a new gun is going to be a better option.

If you just want to replace old parts and keep her around or just above stock FPS, hand her off to a reputable tech and tell him what you want. He'll clean her up, do the work and get her going like new.

Definitely worth getting the work done if you like the old gun. Some people have issues with the materials, wobble or creakiness of TM, but they're fantastic guns. I wish I'd never gotten rid of my TM P90.

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

Depends what you want to do to it.
If you want to turn it into a high performance 40rps 420fps laser gun, it's actually cheaper to buy a new gun.
If you just want to get it back up to stock fps, then no big deal. Just replace the piston, piston head, and air nozzle.

Or those parts may be fine and he just needs a new spring.

[BloodSport]

What do you consider low fps for a TM?
If around 300, then that is normal and it is working perfectly fine, and personally I would leave the gearbox alone and keep it stock.
And in that event, get yourself a TK twist barrel, they work amazing with stock TMs and increase your range and accuracy.

[RainyEyes]

Originally Posted by Styrak

Or those parts may be fine and he just needs a new spring.

I second that. If it's an old marui the spring is probably losing tension. The gb could definitely do a tune-up and some replacement o-rings if compression is a problem. But the spring may be a definite replacement.

[Twelvecarpileup]

Originally Posted by BloodSport

What do you consider low fps for a TM?
If around 300, then that is normal and it is working perfectly fine, and personally I would leave the gearbox alone and keep it stock.
And in that event, get yourself a TK twist barrel, they work amazing with stock TMs and increase your range and accuracy.

Around 250, sometimes lower (which I know a marui is around 275ish new).


Thanks everyone for the tips, emailed a local tech to get a quote. Not looking to change it to a beast as I play pretty casual. Just wanted to know if it's worth paying someone to do maintenance/work on it.