Echo 1 M28 accuracy upgrades?

[Myers]

Hey guys, got a few quick questions.

No Limits last Saturday was pretty much my first actual day sniping, and I gotta say, I love it. I love it enough to justify spending cash upgrading my M28. I'm not really looking into increasing my FPS because the gun is already shooting ~430 with .30s. My biggest concern is increasing my accuracy. After playing, I noticed that at the end of the BBs flight path it was curving slightly in any direction, completely throwing off my shots. It also seemed like even the slightest bit of wind would send my shots in a completely random direction. By slight wind, I mean it could literally be blowing 1-2 MPH and would throw off my shot. In my SCAR, it seems like wind isn't effecting the flight path nearly as much, and my SCAR is chronoing in at ~330 with .23s.

Now my question is, is 430 FPS with .30s a little high? I was debating on buying some .36s or maybe even .43s to see if that would increase my accuracy. Would that be a good choice, or should I try a new barrel or bucking? The M28 is completely bone stock, and I'm planning on replacing/upgrading parts as they break, so internal parts I'm not too interested in unless it's going to increase my accuracy. It already has barrel spacers pre installed, so there's no need for those.

If a bucking or barrel is suggested, what would be my best parts to get? I want the best of the best, so the price isn't necessarily an issue. I mean, I'd like to save money, but I understand that sniper rifles can be very expensive to upgrade, so I'm prepared to shell out a decent amount.

Any ideas/advice will greatly be appreciated. Sorry if I'm coming off as a noob, but I'd rather get some advice before I spend a ton of cash on parts that aren't going to help me at all. Thanks in advance guys.

-Myers

[fuzzywolly]

You will be surprised how much a heavy weight bb can affect performance. I ran .28s in my rifle shooting above 450 fps and switched to madbull .4s, due to curving issues, and slight winds affecting shots, and it yielded great results. I ran .4s in my 375 fps bolt action rifle, and loved how it shot. So I recommend for yours at least .36s but .4s would do some wonders and are the bbs I prefer. (I have tried .36s but found the .4s to work better for me)

With that said, try the heavy weights first, and I think you will be pleasently surprised. Then if you feel the need for further upgrades beyond that, then go for some DIY mods such as shimming the hop up, and some upgrades that you have listed.

[Myers]

Awesome, I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only person dealing with curving issues with lighter BBs. I will definitely try some .4s when I restock my BB supply. Might even get a small bag of .43s just to see how those work. Thanks a lot Fuzzy.

[Overkill]

I know that getting a different hopup bucking (or even a special nub) can improve the side spin effect. Typically you have a single nub impacting the top of the BB in dead center (hopefully). Diagram = (nub): >O :(BB). I know they have buckings that impact the top of the BB evenly such as V-bucking or curved buckings. <O or (O. They supposedly provide a more even friction distribution and a better backspin on your BB.

As for heavy BB weight, I can attest to their success. We have a guy on our team who uses a JG BAR 10, and he uses 0.4's. I remember him saying 0.3's are too light, and that they are harder to chop through a layer of vegetation or two with (Darn leaves!).

[Ike]

Do the usual stuff first- clean your barrel and bucking and make sure both are free of lube. Shim the hop-up arm and the barrel as Fuzzy said, making sure that everything is stable and you're getting good compression. Your velocity of 430fps with a .3 roughly translates to 525fps with a .2. I'd call .36g BBs the bare minimum for anything over 400fps, so you're going way too light. Pick up some .43s, wash them, let them dry, and try again.

[fuzzywolly]

And just to clarify, when shimming the hop up, do a simple test first and examine your chamber for wiggles and anything that is not in place tightly. I just checked my stock VSR chamber and with a custom arm and new bucking (which appears slightly thinner), when the chamber is assembled, the barrel/bucking wiggle back and forth. Obviously shims were needed, including some teflon tape on the barrel to simply "take up space" and provide a "tighter" fit in the chamber.

Try using scotch tape for shims, I used it instead of note card shims and it worked great!

[Myers]

Thanks for the input guys, I would try all of the above but the rifle is currently not in usable condition. Like I said in a different thread, the hop up will not engage. I've disassembled and reassembled the hop up completely multiple times to no luck. I have no idea what is wrong with it and it's pretty disappointing considering I've only fielded the rifle once, and I absolutely LOVE it.

[fuzzywolly]

I feel like I posted in the thread, but might as well say it here too. Check the bucking, make sure it is aligned correctly. You can check by looking through the chamber hole and seeing if the bucking appears to be "squishing".

Common issue when working with a chamber for first time. (heck I still mess up here and there)

[Myers]

Yeah I tried that already, and it appears and feels like its in the right place. I almost just want to have someone who's more experienced with the internals to take a look and see if things look right.

[sgttom]

Feb 27, 2012 19:26:04 GMT -5 Ike said:

Do the usual stuff first- clean your barrel and bucking and make sure both are free of lube. Shim the hop-up arm and the barrel as Fuzzy said, making sure that everything is stable and you're getting good compression. Your velocity of 430fps with a .3 roughly translates to 525fps with a .2. I'd call .36g BBs the bare minimum for anything over 400fps, so you're going way too light. Pick up some .43s, wash them, let them dry, and try again.

Glad to here this. Maybe after I switch to 36s I will be more satisfied with my rifles accuracy. I've been using 28s recently and shooting over 450fps.