TM G17 questions

[Caelum]

Well I am looking at buying a TM G17 from my local airsoft store, and I love the way it feels in my hand, but I have some hesitations. I have read just about every review I can find, but most are box openings/ first impressions, and the rest seem to focus on the problems. Is it really woth the money?

Everywhere that I look, I hear that the slides and frames break on these guns fairly quickly. The front posts in the frames crack and shatter, and this is amplified when using propane/ the cansoft version of the frame.

If I buy it, I plan on using duster (does anyone know where to find it?), until something breaks, then trying to order a guarder frame (even these are said to break), provided I can find a seller in Canada.

Does anyone know who on ASC to buy the frame from?
Is there a brand frame that is more durable?
Note: I know of the JB weld fix, and that does not seem right to me. I want to be able to upgrade what ever part I need, and cementing a piece in place seems wrong.

I was wondering how accurate and far reaching these guns generally are, with a tight inner barrel, and some other basic upgrades.

Any comments are welcome, although I would like to hear from first hand owners.

Thanks

[Off_kilter]

if you like the feel of a glock and aren't really hung up on looks get a KWA ATP. they are very inexpensive and are amazing shooters.

I had a TM g18C that was upgraded to the tits by someone here on the forums and it would barely empty a mag.

The ATP gets three full mags of shots with one fill of gas.

However if you keep the plastic slide and run duster i'm sure the TM will last a long time as thats what it was designed to use.

Sorry if that was a little sporadic.

[e-luder]

Originally Posted by Caelum

Well I am looking at buying a TM G17 from my local airsoft store, and I love the way it feels in my hand, but I have some hesitations. I have read just about every review I can find, but most are box openings/ first impressions, and the rest seem to focus on the problems. Is it really woth the money?

Everywhere that I look, I hear that the slides and frames break on these guns fairly quickly. The front posts in the frames crack and shatter, and this is amplified when using propane/ the cansoft version of the frame.

If I buy it, I plan on using duster (does anyone know where to find it?), until something breaks, then trying to order a guarder frame (even these are said to break), provided I can find a seller in Canada.

Does anyone know who on ASC to buy the frame from?
Is there a brand frame that is more durable?
Note: I know of the JB weld fix, and that does not seem right to me. I want to be able to upgrade what ever part I need, and cementing a piece in place seems wrong.

I was wondering how accurate and far reaching these guns generally are, with a tight inner barrel, and some other basic upgrades.

Any comments are welcome, although I would like to hear from first hand owners.

Thanks

G17's are generally the most reliable out of the three GBB Glocks from the Marui family. But they by far not invincible.

What you have read is correct. The front screw casing on the STOCK frame generally breaks. Sometimes in a few rounds and sometimes hundreds. It depends on what spring and what type of slide you are using. BUT rest assured, that it will break. It's just a matter of time.

The JB Weld fix isn't permanent per se as you can still pry the front chasis from the frame using a simple flathead screwdriver and manpower. Though it may not seem like a good idea, I would only recommend doing this after your screw casing has shattered and there is no other way to bolt the chasis to the frame. If you're worried about the permanance of the fix, just put enough on the very front part of chasis while keeping the rest free of JB Weld. That way it can be pried open and you wont damage the frame at the same time.

To be honest, G17 owners don't really even notice if their screw casing is busted or not until they do a full breakdown of the pistol some other reason. And to be honest there really isn't many reasons why you would takedown the front chasis in the first place. Most of your concerns will lie in the hammer assembly in relation to the lower portion of the gun.

Guarder is the only manufacturer that I know of that makes replacement frames. You can ask retailers from ASC to get you one. Long_bong does custom orders i think.

In terms of accuracy, in stock form the gun isn't terribly inaccurate nor is it incredibly accurate. What the TM Glocks have is consistency. It is very easy to pin point and estimate where the bb's will fly in a G17.

From a distance of 40ft, my groupings stayed consistant with a 4-8inch grouping on the stock barrel and bucking. But you can still up this statistic by getting a good bucking and good tightbore.

In terms of longevity, my G17 has lasted me nearly two and 1/2 years. Granted it's beefed up with crap you don't really need on the gun but I have yet to replace a single part. and these upgrades were installed on the gun a few days after i received it. Proper maintenance of the gun goes a long way. Using proper lubrication, proper fitting of aftermarket parts should you choose to upgrade and knowing how to troubleshoot the gun in a simple way is key. You don't want to to be continually harrassing the gun by doing full take downs every week.

As noted by off_kilter, the gun does have a tendency to be a bit of a gas hog. Even on a G17. This is because the STOCK piston head is not the best in terms of seals. But at the same token, you can improve this by installing the right pieces to better conserve your gas efficiency.

And while I agree with Off_Kilter that the KWA ATP is great alternative, they can be very finicky to troubleshoot. When KWA/KSC Glocks fail, the fail hard. Sometimes, the most obvious diagnosis isn't necessarily the right one. Marui's set of internals are much more easier to work with if the gun fails.

With all that said, Marui Glocks are generally still one of the better performing pistols. Maybe not as accurate as their Hi-caps nor stronger than their 226s but their internals will still last you a very long time. The only real concern is that front casing because there is no real way of "fixing" it.

If you're going to buy a Glock, buy either a Marui one or a KSC/KWA one. These two will definitely be worth the money....

[Ross]

I had a marui g17 with an aftermarket metal slide. Nothing on it broke. Used nothing but propane.

[Caelum]

Thanks very much for your timely replies gents, you all persuaded me that it was a worthwhile gun! I literally just walked back in the door with a TM G17. Very excited to begin playing with it.

Are there any suggestions as to parts or brands I should look at? I'm thinking of replacing the frame as soon as possible (preventative measure), a new inner barrel, hop up rubber, and eventually a new magazine catch, slide catch, new slide and outer barrel. Am I missing anything crucial?

I do need to research into improving the gas efficiency, and finding out exactly what parts will do the trick. Short stroking is one way to do this correct?

[e-luder]

Originally Posted by Caelum

Thanks very much for your timely replies gents, you all persuaded me that it was a worthwhile gun! I literally just walked back in the door with a TM G17. Very excited to begin playing with it.

Are there any suggestions as to parts or brands I should look at? I'm thinking of replacing the frame as soon as possible (preventative measure), a new inner barrel, hop up rubber, and eventually a new magazine catch, slide catch, new slide and outer barrel. Am I missing anything crucial?

I do need to research into improving the gas efficiency, and finding out exactly what parts will do the trick. Short stroking is one way to do this correct?

WIP: Upgrading you Tokyo Marui Glock

I hope that helps...

[Caelum]

Looks like I have a fair amount of reading. Thank you very much for all your help!

[Styrak]

Originally Posted by Caelum

I do need to research into improving the gas efficiency, and finding out exactly what parts will do the trick. Short stroking is one way to do this correct?

Not replacing the slide with a metal one would help, but I see you're doing that anyway...

[e-luder]

^what he said...

You'll easily get around 1 1/2 to 2 mags with the plastic slide.
You should give time to adjust yourself to the gun. Feel it out, so to speak. Only then will you know what NEEDS to be upgraded and what you want to improve in terms of its performance and functionality.

[anthon]

Originally Posted by Caelum

I'm thinking of replacing the frame as soon as possible (preventative measure)

Don't do this. Your acting as if you just bought an all plastic WE....The gun is going to last you quite a while out of the box, and all your doing is spending money when it does not need to be spent. Use the gun and when the frame does break, repalce it then. its not like if the frame breaks the gun has to be thrown out or anything. Might as well get a little return on the gun rather then spending more out of the box.


(with propane, trust me, your gonna get the duster, and your going to quickly move to propane, they can handle propane, and once you try it, you will never, never go back to duster. The duster is way, way to weak on the gun. I used duster for literally one round and went straight to propane.....but if you want to give it a shot, do a search for " 134a " and you will find a thread I made last year on where to find duster in the GTA)

[Caelum]

Small update: I've been busy breaking in the gun, and I love it! The guarder frame I purchased off the classifieds just arrived, and I'll be putting it in once I run out of duster.

I noticed that the bb tends to veer to the left about 4 inches from 20 feet away. I can compensate for it, but I'm wondering if I can do anything to fix it, short of putting in a tight bore barrel and new hop up rubber. I'm using airsoft elite .2's/.23's.

Perhaps I just need to break the hop up in a bit more, I have only put about 300 shots through the gun, and have been keeping it very well lubed.

Any ideas?