Marushin XM177E2 Plug-fire Review

Post by rizzo

http://arniesairsoft.co.uk/?filnavn=/reviews/marushin_xm177e2_pfc/marushin_xm177e2_pfc_review.htm

This review was done by a chap on www.arniesairsoft.co.uk who, it has to be said, is one of the nicest and most honest guys i've had the pleasure of knowing

Post by Madmike

Yes it is an excellent review! It helped me deciding to buy the Marushin XM 177 E2 a lot. I love the old factory built version but it was too expensive for me. So I bought the kit which is not too bad at all. Sadly it was VERY expensive here in Germany, even as a kit. But I have not yet given up dreaming of an factory assembled XM 177 E2 ...

Post by Mark

Yes, that was an excellent review! (One of the best in fact)

The factory assembled (older) version of the Marushin XM177 still had the heavy cast zinc bolt carrier that wasn't reliable due to the extra weight so, Marushin replaced it with the lighter aluminum bot carrier that added to the reliability.

The cast zinc flash hider might have been the best part of the older XM along with the 30 round Marushin magazine!

Post by R22master


Thank you all for your kind responses. The review was great fun to do and it has introduced a fair few new people to ModelGuns that would otherwise not have heard of them.

I didn't even know this forum existed before Rizzo pointed it out to me a few days ago, but here I am, signed up and ready for fun

If you have any questions about the review or the gun itself, feel free to ask.

Now what shall I review next?

Cheers all
_________________
R22Master: Cunningly disguised as a mature adult ->

Post by Madmike

Hello!

If you want a ready to fire AR-15 Carbine, I´d recommend to get the MGC M-725 M16A2 Carbine. It is for sale for USD 143 at denTrinity currently.

http://www.dentrinityshop.com/pl_collector2.jsp?cid=COL&bid=MGUN

This gun comes fully assembled and works very reliable out of the box. I think it is realistic. Pros: bargain price, very realistic detailed bolt, very reliable in semi and full auto, comes ready asembled. Cons: receiver is Heavy Weight plastic.

I have both, the MGC and the Marushin XM177E2. The Marushin needs much more work to get and keep it in full working order.

Post by Illuminati

i also had the m16a2 - but my reciever wasnt heavy weight plastic, is was metal.. which is odd. but as for realism etc its great, good weight, great price, and i never got 1 jam, ever!

Post by SgtPadrino

Got the kit in the mail the other day... it's been an adventure, to say the least. I didn't have any problems with assembling the receiver, but I got to the barrel and things just plummeted downhill. The charging handle is now firmly lodged inside the damned thing, leaving me scratching my head as to how that happened (had no problems inserting it, along with the bolt, which slides both in and out with relative ease) and how to fix it.

Took the entire thing apart last night and I'm going to tackle it again tonight. The next gun I get is going to come fully damned assembled, no matter what the cost or method of payment is.

Post by Spencerman

I know exactly how you feel. I have still got to finnish off my Browning Hi Power kit which I couldnt get to work properly once assembled, and got annoyed with and put to one side. Never went back to it, mainly due to lack of free available time lately to get stuck into something like that. That was all despite me being able to completely strip to component parts the real Browning Hi Power in a matter of minutes, and re assemble it nearly just as quickly (although some parts come out easier than they go back in!). I thought that it would be the easiest kit in the world to make. Still, it was a little bit of fun to build while it lasted, despite the frustration. Just need to make sure that I finnish it one day.
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Post by SgtPadrino

Actually, I think I've got the charging handle thing sorted out; I think I put the wrong spring into the latch, so I have to practically manually unlatch it to pull it back. For some reason though, the bolt is also catching on something; going to have to fix that too. Also, I can't seem to find the spring for the selector switch, so that thing's going to be pretty much useless until I do find it. The barrel is also incredibly wobbly and the magazine catch is way too sensitive, but I doubt that'll be much of a problem.

Watch my anger rise as I solve all these problems and the gun won't fire when it's all put together

Post by Mark

SgtPadrino,

Make sure that the firing pins retaining pin is staked in place in the bolt carrier assy or it might move side to side when it is installed into the upper receiver and lock up the action.

The barrel sould not be wobbly at all, especially if the barrel nut has been tightened enough. As for the magazine catch, turn the catch assy inwards in a few more turns and it should tighten up considerably.
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by SgtPadrino

Well, luckily for me a local gunsmith was happy to finish the job for me. The upside is I now know how an AR-15 works, anyway.

Quick question, does the M4A1 magazine fit the XM177?

Post by Madmike

No. Sadly only the current Marushin 20 rd steel mags and the old Marushin aluminum 30 rd mags fit to the Marushin AR-15s. Some say you can modify a real AR-15 mag, but this means modifying the mag catch whole, the feed lips and the spring, so it is quite tricky.

MGC mags have a slightly different size and do not fit.

Post by 2sharp

MadMike wrote:

No. Sadly only the current Marushin 20 rd steel mags and the old Marushin aluminum 30 rd mags fit to the Marushin AR-15s. Some say you can modify a real AR-15 mag, but this means modifying the mag catch whole, the feed lips and the spring, so it is quite tricky.
MGC mags have a slightly different size and do not fit.

A magazine for the British "L85A1" fit my XM-177 perfectly, didn't fire it very much though.

Post by Madmike

Do they feed right? That would be a great substitute for the expensive and hard to find 30 rd marushin mags!

Post by Madmike


Well, I don´t want to bring you down, but the latest MGC AR-15 series has one major drawback: They are made out of Heavy Weight Plastic. This material is much more prone to breaking than the ABS (earlier MGC AR-15s) or light alloy (Marushin or very early MGC paper cap M-16s) materials. The receiver lock lug broke on my M-725 M16A2 Carbine upper receiver one day although the model was almost brand new. A similar breakage happened to a friend of mine with his MGC M4A1.

Post by Claymore

Yep big problem with HW material, slides break very easy if you get a jammed round and HW barrels in some models are an absolute nightmare. HW is great for look and weight but there are some parts on these models that would just be far better making in plastic, would be cheaper as well i would of thought.

Post by Mark

Guys,

I have fired all of my HW modelguns with many rounds and I have handled them/field stripped them many times in the years that I have had them. I have not had any breakages aside from the firing pin on my KSC M93R due to "dry firing"

Not saying that any one here does this but, if you treat HW modelguns like they where made out of steel then they will break. If you handle them like they are toys and be careful with them they will last along time. The HW compound can be fragile especially in cold weather and it will not withstand side impact very well as the HW plastic is simply ABS resin with zinc powder mixed into it. The zinc of course, never liquefies during the injection phase and remains suspended in the ABS plastic. This creates all sorts of weak spots depending on the amount of zinc powder that is introduced into the ABS.

Marushin seems to have very strong HW guns and they seem to know just how much zinc it takes to make a strong yet fairly heavy modelgun. A while ago, I dropped my HW Marushin PPK/s 6' onto an edge on my safe. It hit the edge of the safe with the slide. The only damage caused by dropping it on the edge was a tinny chip broke out of the sight "rail" This chip is merely an appearance problem that's all.

Now, some HW modelguns are fragile due to the real gun design than the material due to the complex contours and modern steels allow firearms to be thin yet strong. When these guns are copied as HW modelguns, they don't have the benefits of these material strengths due to Japanese law(s)

Now, do you fire/handle your prized MGC/KSC/Marushin/Tanaka/CAW etc? Depends on a few things I would think.

1. The available parts situation. (in case it breaks.)

2. How you handle it. (Rough? Nicely?)

3. Manufacturer. (see 1.)
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by DOC

I`ve had the same breakage as madmikes but on an M4A1, I`ve also heard about at least two more going the same place .
In addition my HW bolt carrier has developed a nice long crack although this seems to still be working ok for the moment.
In my opinion this HW is no way near as durable as the ABS , my tip :
If funds allow it buy one ABS for use and one HW for very light use or display/collecting .

I`d also agree Marushins HW is better than this latest MGC stuff .

DOC
_________________
We need guns...lots of guns....

.... well anything mechanical that can kill people is interesting ...

Post by Mark

Doc,

I have noted that with my HW M4 and the M725, that the receivers take-down pin has been exceptionally tight. I am sure that this is true on all of the HW MGC M16's Just why this is true I haven't taken the time to investigate. The fact that the pin is hard to push out just might be causing the uppers to break in that fashion.

There just might be some binding between the upper receiver and the lower that should be eliminated. I think other than the occasional weak HW component (due to air pockets etc in the ABS/zinc mix etc) that there are other reasons why the HW models break.
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by Madmike

I didn´t mean to put anyone done, neither to blame MGC. But my M725 was almost new, never fired when it broke, and I really handled it with care. Maybe it was faulty from production, I don´t know. I still like my MGC AR-15s very much and I would recommend them without thinking a second. But I thought it would be fair to warn others and tell them about my bad luck.

Post by Mark

Hi MadMike,

I didn't intend to suggest that you treat your MGC's roughly in any way. I know that you enjoy your M16's more than any other guns. I also know that you would not abuse them in any way. There are however, people that I know that don't take care of their modelgun(s) or treat them with respect. (I have been guilty of that myself)

I showed one of my favorite modelguns (HW KSC M93R) to a friend and he handled it like it was a real, steel gun before I stopped him and related that it was a brittle toy.

Things happen to us all and sometimes to our modelguns as well..
_________________
Wanted to buy: MGC Sten MK3....trades?(still)

MGC MP40 Marushin MP40 Nakata MP40 TRC MP40

Modelgun manufacturers, past and present:CMC,CAW,Hudson,HWS,LS,MGC(R.I.P. 1960's~2007) Marushin,Marui,Kokusai,Shoei,Tanaka and Western Arms

Post by Spencerman

mark wrote:

I showed one of my favorite modelguns (HW KSC M93R) to a friend and he handled it like it was a real, steel gun before I stopped him and related that it was a brittle toy.

I too have made that mistake once. Now I tend to be a little more reluctant to hand my babies over to anyone, after a friend of mine absolubtly loved one of my pistols, and couldnt resist tucking it into his waist band to reenact some bad cop movie. Before I could say anything he had drawn it out, scratching the slide on his belt buckle. The upside was that over time the scratch faded, but the memory of that heart rendering moment lives on in my memory.