Tokyo Marui SAA.45 Artillery: Disassembly and Mechanism Explanation

In my previous post, I reviewed the Tokyo Marui Revolver Pro SAA.45 Artillery 5 1/2 inch Black.

This time, we'll disassemble the device while examining its internal quality and internal mechanisms.

Disassembly of the barrel section

First, we'll disassemble the barrel assembly.

We will now disassemble the ejector rod.

When you disassemble the ejector rod, you will find the following parts.

When assembling, pay attention to the direction of the pins.

Next, to remove the cylinder, unscrew the screws on the frame shown in the following photo.

One important point to note is that the screw on the other side is a dummy, so be careful not to turn it with a screwdriver (I did).

Once you remove the screw, the pin will come out and you can remove the cylinder without much trouble.

Next, we'll remove the barrel.

Remove the grub screw shown in the picture below.

Removing the grub screw will allow you to remove the outer barrel.

Once you remove the outer barrel, the part that secures the inner barrel will be revealed, so twist it to remove it.

Remove the inner barrel assembly by pulling it towards the rear.

The hop-up adjustment dial will likely come off while you're removing the inner barrel, so be careful not to lose it.

This completes the disassembly of the barrel area.

Now we'll start disassembling the hop chamber.

First, carefully remove the O-ring from the hop chamber.

The O-ring is very thin, so be careful not to cut it. I carefully remove it using a small flathead screwdriver to avoid damaging the rubber.

This completes the disassembly of the hop chamber.

Looking at the basic structure and components, it's clear that although it's for ages 10 and up, it features a fairly sophisticated hop-up mechanism.

Let's take a look at the parts that interest me.

First up is the hop packing.

This is the usual knob-type packing from Tokyo Marui. The packing shape is unique, but it resembles the one used in Tokyo Marui's electric handguns and compact electric guns, although compatibility is unknown.

This is the inner barrel.

The inner barrel was made of aluminum, and the hop-up window was made of a resin part. I think the reason for this is that it's cheaper than making the barrel and hop-up window as one piece.

This completes the disassembly of the barrel area.

Mechanism explanation

Here, we'll briefly explain the operating mechanism using the cylinder and the remaining frame.

Let's take a look at the cylinder.

The cylinder rotates because it is pushed upward by a rod on the frame.

This is the rod located on the frame side.

On the other hand, the rotation of the cylinder is fixed in place when a protrusion coming from the frame side fits into a recess marked with a bullet on the side.

This is the convex shape on the frame side.

This convex shape can be indented when pressed, and pops out when released, even when it's in the convex position (similar to a door lock).

These cylinders operate smoothly by switching between rotating and stopping their rotation.

Since that switch is linked to the hammer, let's take a look at the movable parts of the frame.

First, here's the frame in its hammer rest position, with nothing being done to the hammer.

In this position, the protrusion on the underside of the frame is visible, indicating that the cylinder is locked.

Furthermore, Tokyo Marui's unique technology extends the air outlet for firing forward to secure the dummy cartridge.

The mechanism works by having the dummy cartridge's projectile advance as soon as it is fixed in place, making contact with the hop-up chamber and drastically altering the air leak.

This is Tokyo Marui's unique technology, a device that makes air-cocking revolvers, which are notoriously difficult to fire properly, function correctly.

Next, let's look at the state where the cylinder can be rotated in the half-cock position.

Here, the protrusion lowers, and the air outlet lowers, freeing the cylinder.

The rod rises slightly to prevent the cylinder from reversing.

This mechanism allows the cylinder to rotate on only one side.

Finally, here's a shot of the hammer in the firing position, fully cocked.

XNUMX,The rod rises and the cylinder rotates.

XNUMX,A protrusion appears and the cylinder lock

3.The air vents extend and the cart is secured.

At this stage, the launch preparation is complete.

From this point on, I think the role of the frame can be summarized in the following points.

In addition to this, the trigger releases the hammer and discharges air.

Let's keep these things in mind as we break down the frame.

Disassembly of the grip section

Part of the grip is fitted into the trigger guard, so we'll remove the trigger guard.

First, remove the screws on the trigger guard.

Removing the trigger guard reveals the trigger mechanism.

We'll leave the trigger mechanism as is for now.

Remove the screws from the grip panels.

Removing the grip panels reveals the air cylinder, as shown in the following photo.

When the hammer is fully cocked, it pushes the piston via a linkage.

This mechanism shows that the force pushing the piston depends on the force that knocks down the hammer.

This suggests that the hammer's strength and the piston's spring load are closely related, and the spring load limit is determined by the hammer's strength. In other words, I believe a major reason the hammer is made of resin is to prevent unnecessary power increases.

Remove the screws on the cylinder cover.

Now you can remove the grip.

For those who only want to replace the grip, the system is a bit cumbersome.

Disassembling the frame

First, remove the grub screws located at the top of the frame.

Remove the screws that secure the side panel.

This will allow you to see the frame's mechanics.

The key point here is understanding the mechanism by which the air outlet moves back and forth.

When the hammer is half-cocked, the air outlet moves backward due to the hidden roller and arm shown in the following photo.

When the hammer is fully cocked, the air outlet moves forward via the link below.

with thisThe role of the frame, explained in the mechanics section, and the forward and backward movement of the air outlets are now realized.

Next, we'll take out the hammer mechanism.

First, remove the screws that secure the side panel.

Take out the hammer mechanism.

Here, we will focus on the rod that rotates the cylinder.

First, in the initial state, the hammer is in the rest position.

You can see that one end of the rod is connected to the hammer, and when the hammer moves, the rod moves in conjunction with it.
*The spring will fly off, so it is omitted.

This is the half-cocked state, where the cylinder is free.

You can see the rod rising slightly in conjunction with the hammer. Because it's only a slight rise, the cylinder doesn't rotate, and the rod is only positioned to prevent the cylinder from reversing.

This is the fully cocked state, where the cylinder rotates and locks.

Here, the rod is fully raised, the cylinder rotates, and locks into place.

with thisThe role of the frame, explained in the mechanism section, and the vertical movement of the rod are now realized.

Looking at the remaining frame, you can see the roller that pushes the air discharge hose.

The cylinder is fitted in, and it looks like it would be difficult to remove.

Disassembly of the hammer mechanism and trigger section

Next, we'll disassemble it while looking at the trigger mechanism.

The photo below shows the trigger spring, which is the spring in the protruding part that locks the cylinder.

The spring on the protruding part of the cylinder lock looks like the image below.

I'll skip the photos of removing the trigger spring and move on to removing the trigger pin (safety).

It is in its removed state.

Next, remove the pin that holds the protrusion for the cylinder lock.

The pins are press-fitted, so a pin punch and a bench block are very useful (in fact, you can't disassemble it without them).

Finally, remove the pin from the hammer. Be careful, as this pin has a specific direction.

This completes almost the entire disassembly.

The movement of the hammer, trigger, and the protrusion for the cylinder lock.

Now let's look at the movement of the parts that work in conjunction with the hammer.

First, let's look at the relationship between the trigger, hammer, and the protrusion for the cylinder lock.

This is the initial state, the rest position.

The cylinder locking protrusion is pushed up by the spring, locking the cylinder.

The valve is half-cocked and the cylinder is free.

In the half-cocked position, the protrusion for cylinder locking is pushed down by the hammer's cam, releasing the cylinder lock.

It's in the fully cocked position.

The cylinder locking protrusion rises again, overcoming the hammer's cam, and the cylinder is locked.

This should help you understand the mechanism that moves the cylinder lock protrusion up and down at the appropriate timing, as explained in the Mechasm section.

The mysterious cook mentioned in the review appears in the following location:

The cylinder locking protrusion overcomes the cam to lock the cylinder, and the trigger engages in the half-cocked position.

It's unclear whether this condition was intentionally designed or occurred unintentionally. If the hammer's cam position had been shifted downwards or its length increased, the hammer should have been able to settle into three positions.

The actual model has a four-position hammer, so perhaps that's why they focused on that detail?

This completes the general breakdown and explanation of the mechanism.

Summary

My overall impression after disassembling it is that it's quite complex and has a large number of parts for a product intended for ages 10 and up, and it's very well made.

Because the contents are quite dense, disassembling it will take a considerable amount of time. If it's your first time, you should allow about 1 to 1.5 hours.

What surprised me when I disassembled it was the full-spec variable hop-up mechanism and the cartridge loading/unloading mechanism. These details show a commitment to creating a product that is not just aesthetically pleasing but also highly accurate as an airsoft gun.

The other mechanisms are on par with those of other manufacturers' revolvers, and considering it's for ages 10 and up and the price, I think it's quite impressive (excluding Tanaka's Pegasus series).

Based on the content, I felt it was worth more than the price.

One point that concerned me was that it's practically impossible to increase its power due to its mechanical design.

In terms of the firing mechanism, the load of the spring that pushes out the air depends on the hammer strength, so I don't think there's much room to increase the spring load. If you want to increase the muzzle velocity, you should probably make the barrel thinner or longer rather than modifying the air cylinder system.

Also, the only minor drawback is that easily customizing it by changing the grip is a bit troublesome. Another minor issue is that, being a mass-produced item, the grease application is somewhat sloppy.

I mentioned a few points of concern, but overall, I think it's a very well-made and excellent product.

I hope this will be helpful in understanding the mechanism and disassembling it.

Next time, I'll assemble it while customizing it, taking into account the fact that the grease application was insufficient.

・Tokyo Marui SAA .45 Artillery 5.5 inch
This is the model I reviewed. You can also choose silver at the link provided.

Tokyo Marui SAA.45 Cartridge
I think adding an extra set beyond what's included will make reloading even more fun.

Tokyo Marui SAA .45 Cavalry 7.5-inch Custom
The 7.5-inch Cavalry model is a custom edition and is a bit more expensive.

Tokyo Marui SAA .45 Civilian 4.75 inch
The 4.75-inch civilian model is available in black and silver. The grip has a wood grain finish.

I've also written other airsoft gun reviews, so please feel free to check them out if you're interested.