Tac-41 - really dissapointed.

[BrizzleBloke]

Hello folks, newbie here, ive had my Tac41 for about a year, ive figured out lubing everything makes a huge difference to consistency, ive changed springs, i tried the spring spacers. Ive lubed the cup to make sure the piston seal is good.

However, the range is just sucky. Ive tried 28's 4's and 45's and am constantly out ranged by aeg and gbb players.

The site i play uses FPS as the limit, which is 354 for 0.4. and its sitting there fairly consistently with a 90nm spring, Rapax2.3 is too powerful.

Am i expecting too much? I can see the bb's drop way before the target, and im getting hit if i engage too close. Too much hop? - However it shoots straight for a while but just seems to get tired and fall out of the air!

Would a VMP help, or do i need to go whole hog and barrel etc.

Its just so frustrating, i just expected to have more of a tactical advantage.

All help very much appreciated.

 

[rj1986]

I would try new hop rubber + nub, and whilst you're there a new barrel (if you're feeling flush). Whilst my Tac 41 has just been dressed up and only had a spring change in it, the reviews say OOTB it should be pretty good.

Whack the hop up to overhop the 0.4's then dial it back to see what the flight path is.

A VMP wouldn't help address the issues of range/accuracy (i don't think, but happy for someone to correct me)but for more fine tuning and getting that last 5/10 fps.

 

[Rogerborg]

Ahoy and welcome. I'm very sorry to hear that, and surprised too. My TAC-41 (gen 2, after they fixed the feed ramp) has been one of the very few airsoft purchases that's actually performed as advertised, right out of the box with just a spring change.

Your energy is spot on 2.3J, so that's not the problem.  It sounds like you're just very under-hopped.  Do you actually see a difference in BB trajectory as you increase the hop?  You should be able to send .28g BBs into low earth orbit with a decent amount of hop applied.  If not, on the off chance that there's something damaged in there, you could try a Chub Nub, or replace the hop rubber, or waaaaait a second.

When you say you've lubed it, including the "cup", have you put any sort of lube, like silicone oil, inside the barrel, hop unit, or inside the cylinder (or into the mags)?  Is it possible that you've fouled the hop rubber with lubricant?  And have you tried cleaning the hop rubber (and barrel) with a barrel cleaning rod and some paper towel / fabric patch, ideally with some isopropanol?

Hang in there, it's a decent design and we should be able to figure this out.

 

[BrizzleBloke]

Thanks @Rogerborg. 

So after reading you post I pulled the bolt out and cleaned it out properly, took the nub out also. Im tempted to send it into longbow for a service to see if they can help me figure out whats going on. I could really do with finding another Tac41 owner, a range and a couple of tinkering hours to spend side by side to see if we can figure out whats going on. 

Kind of feels like im just guessing and messing without someones more experienced eyes on it than mine  

But shopping list now i think is probably new barrell, hop rubber and chub nub. 

 

[Rogerborg]

The stock barrel is fine, and replacing it won't have any effect on whether it's hopped properly or not: that's all down to the hop unit, rubber, and nub.  Actually, stock everything should be fine, I suspect there's something wrong there.

I'd again ask whether you're seeing any hop effect being applied, particularly with 0.28g.  What's the hop set to?

 

[BrizzleBloke]

Ok .

I'll get it set up with some 28s and have a play later. I can just about get 20m cross the backyard for range. Ill also drop in the stock 75nm spring and post the results. 

 

[Badgerlicious]

20m really isn't enough to test hop up properly. A basic amount of hop will get you that far, and issues that aren't severe (like everything moving around) usually occur after 30m-40m. It should be getting to at least 70m stock. If you really want to waste a bit of money, and you don't have an easy range to measure out, a rangefinder can be had for about £100, so you can check real distances. though estimating on google maps on your local field is a cheaper but more difficult option. 

I do second Rogerborg's opinion that the hop rubber got lubed, which would have some pretty bad effects on the hop up.

One thing, if you haven't tried, is to check air seal. Plug the EMPTY barrel with a finger (empty that feed tube, be 100% sure) and fire it. It should at least cushion the piston, and not get the dry fire slam. Or if it's very good, you should be able to hold a bit of air pressure and hear it release when you remove your finger. With the consistency it's probably not this. but it's worth ruling out. 

 

[fingerpuk]

Did you find the issue, as I have major issues with my Tac-41. It’s stock aside from changing the spring to the higher power one it comes with, and I added the Medusa hop wheel. I cannot get to 70m, certainly not with any accuracy.

 

[Hudson]

I had similar issues with mine, which was annoying.

I read the reviews and spoke to people that owned them and thought it'd be a great addition, with little needed doing to it.

This wasn't the case unfortunately.

Using it in its basic setup (barring a 2J spring & metal spring guide), The stock hop and barrel just didn't give enough lift for 0.45s.
So I decided to give the metal VSR style unit & barrel a chance with a flamingo bucking and the hadron nub.

Besides the nub not fitting the silverback unit without a bit of sanding (despite it being advertised as drop in), even this didn't solve the issue.
I ended up having to buy the stalker unit and bucking in order to get it to actually work anywhere near how I expected it, so that might be the same for you unfortunately!

 

[Punisher3990]

Honestly sounds more like a hop/setup issue than needing loads of upgrades. A TAC-41 at ~2.3j should still outrange most AEGs with good consistency. The “flies straight then suddenly drops” symptom usually means insufficient or inconsistent hop lift.

First thing I’d do:

• Deep clean barrel + bucking (make sure no silicone oil got into hop/barrel)
• Use only .40s or preferably .43/.45s
• Try adding slightly MORE hop, not less
• Check nub/contact patch alignment

The stock TAC can perform really well, but the nub is often the weak point. I’d upgrade nub/bucking before spending money on a barrel. I would also highly recommend the Mesdusa Hop wheel.

A VMP/WASP can help consistency, but won’t magically fix poor hop lift and are generally more for controlling the FPS a bit more.

I tried to drop a chub nub into the stock SBA hob unit and it got stuck, had to heat a small hook and melt it to remove. After that I got a Pegasus hop unit, Tac Nub , 510mm ML Crazyjet and Flamingo 70 Bucking and it's been a dream.

Disclaimer: I am a new TAC41P owner, but I have modded mine over the last few weeks, and it works very well. 70-80M and avg 2.2J, but highly accurate.

 

[fingerpuk]

Ok, so after fun airsoft games tomorrow I shall:

- thoroughly clean
- lube the bits that need lubing
- order a (what bucking do you suggest?)
- order a (what nub?)
- try at 70m again

 

[fingerpuk]

Ok. Is this kit going to be the simplest route: https://www.skirmshop.co.uk/ultimate-tac41-upgrade-kit-330mm-barrel-20-25-joul.html

 

[Punisher3990]

Ok. Is this kit going to be the simplest route: https://www.skirmshop.co.uk/ultimate-tac41-upgrade-kit-330mm-barrel-20-25-joul.html

Click to shrink...

I dont have the Stalker stuff but when I researched my upgrades there were a few people who had mixed results with the scorpion unit. quite a few mention its harder to tune than the VMP also. I can send over these if your interested. I would highly recommend reasearching and making an informed decision over going the easy route with a bundle package.

If your set on upgrades its worth mentioning that Skirmshop have the VMP back in stock for £38. While it wont fix your hop issue directly its still a good upgrade overall and they are often out of stock everywhere in the UK or £70+

 

[BrizzleBloke]

Crikey, cant believe i started this thread way over a year ago. (ive lost my login). But the Tac ended up just sitting in its case mostly due to funds and a swap in site meant that the fps had to be lower and the stock spring was too powerful... anyhoo.
Have tried:

1. 0.4s
2. Deep Clean
3. Emptybarrel plug test
4. Medusa wheel
5. ChubNub
6. Polycarbonate hob unit
7. New silverback bucking

and.... nope still getting about 35+m out and dropping like a stone regardless of hop. Genuienly no hop or full hop i was aiming into the treetops to get any sort of distance. On the weekend it was gutting to be outranged by AEG's again. What gets me is its not that complex of a machine and it is well designed, but something isnt right. Do i just have a lemon tac41, maybe a bent barrel?

BTW thanks again for all the suggestions on this thread, i appreciate how hard it is to diagnose stuff remotely

 

[Punisher3990]

That's very odd; the TAC41 is normally a great rifle.

The bit that stands out to me is that there's virtually no difference between no hop and full hop. That makes me suspect the hop mechanism or the interaction between the nub and bucking more than a bent barrel.

A few questions:

1. When you wind the hop from minimum to maximum, can you actually see the BB trajectory change at all? Can you get it to overhop, or does it just keep dropping regardless of the setting?
2. Which hop unit are you running now, and is the Silverback bucking definitely the correct type for that unit? (There are AEG hop units and GBB and the buckings are different for each too)
3. Have you checked that the nub is sitting centrally over the barrel window and that the bucking isn't twisted? Sometimes if the bucking twists, the bit inside doesnt enter the window properly, meaning the hop isn't applied. Can you see the bucking poking through the window if you look through the barrel?
4. What energy is it actually putting out on the BB weight you're using, and how consistent are the chrono readings?
5. When you did the empty-barrel seal test, did it hold pressure properly or expel it all?
6. Is your chub nub loose in the hole? (lol) when i added a chubnub to the stock SBA hop unit, it got stuck and wouldnt move at all. the nub should be loose and fall out of the hole freely and require no force to remove

I'm not convinced it's a bent barrel. If the hop isn't applying any meaningful backspin, changing the barrel won't solve the underlying problem.

If the hop genuinely makes no discernible difference across its adjustment range, I'd focus there first. If you can get a noticeable change in trajectory but it still won't lift heavier BBs, then I'd look more closely at the bucking, nub and their compatibility.

At this stage, if all that checks out, I'd be inclined to get Silverback or a specialist tech to inspect it rather than spending more money on upgrades. You could try asking LongbowBB but I know he is crazy booked up, he might still be able to help if you drop him an email, though. He is one of the best sniper techs I know of.

There must be a reason it's performing like this, and hopefully you can narrow it down without replacing every part!

 

[BrizzleBloke]

thanks @Punisher3990 I really appreciate your continued support.

1. Yep, hop seemed to make no difference what so ever!
2. Its the Silverback genuine polycarbonate unit, it came with a 60degree bucking, have just pulled it all out to check for tears etc, it all looks fine.
3. Yes checked, the bb stopper gets in the way when checking throgh the barell.
4. Currently 315 fps 1.8 (ishjoules) - pretty consistent only a small deviation.
5. Yes, the pressure is impressive, im not at all concerned about the pressure seal.
6. Ah so this was interesting, i changed it out mid day yesterday as i noticed it was really tight, back to stock wheel and nub.

I do think the next step is send it to a tech

 

[Punisher3990]

The ChubNub being too tight is a fairly common issue, I think. I've seen people sand them down slightly to get a better fit. If it's too tight, the tension from the hop rubber might not be enough to push it back up when you wind the hop down, meaning it could be staying engaged even when you reduce the setting. Plus i can say from experience when that thing gets really stuck its very difficult to get it out. I had to heat a small hook and melt it into the nub to pull it out.

It definitely sounds like there's some sort of issue with the hop assembly, though it sounds like you have checked most of the common problems. How does it shoot with lighter BBs? Does the hop work with those, or do they still drop off in the same way?

I'd consider seeing if LongbowBB could take a look at it, although, as I mentioned, he is very popular and often fully booked; no harm in dropping him an email and asking though. Kingdom of Airsoft is also another top choice, though I am unsure if they tend to do Bolt Action snipers

 

[Hudson]

It sounds like the issue I had with my Tac41: it just wasn't providing any lift.

I couldn't solve it as it was unfortunately, so I went with an aftermarket hop unit with VSR Buckings & barrels that sorted it.

 

[Punisher3990]

It sounds like the issue I had with my Tac41: it just wasn't providing any lift.

I couldn't solve it as it was unfortunately, so I went with an aftermarket hop unit with VSR Buckings & barrels that sorted it.

Click to shrink...

Aye, I did the same, got a Hadron Pegasus, Tacnub and Flamingo bucking along with a Maple leaf barrel and never looked back.

Very odd, though; typically, the SBA stuff is good to go out of the box. Perhaps there were a few bad batches out there.