BATON BM-45 CO2 GBB FDE 3rd Lot Customization #1

In the previous installments, we explored the disassembly and customization options for the Baton BM-45 CO2 GBB.

First, let's summarize the areas for improvement that became apparent during the review and disassembly process.

Improvements and modification methods

Let's review and list the areas for improvement.

We decided on the following method to renovate this area.

We will proceed with this.

We will now proceed with the actual customization.

Chassis assembly, custom

We'll now integrate the trigger into the chassis.

I'll be applying Bellhammer No. 0 Gold Grease, which I often use to improve the trigger's movement.

Bellhammer No. 0 Gold Grease
This is a classic, top-quality grease. No. 0 is a low-viscosity grease. I generally use No. 0 for resin-to-resistance and resin-to-metal connections.

Install the trigger into the chassis and you're done (please refer to the disassembly article for installation instructions).

Next, we'll assemble the hammer unit.

Let's lay out each part as a review.

Since these parts are basically metal-to-metal combinations, apply Bellhammer No. 2 Gold Grease when assembling them.

Bellhammer No. 2 Gold Grease
This is a classic, top-quality grease. No. 2 has the same ingredients as No. 0 but with a higher viscosity. I primarily use it for metal-to-metal connections.

I started assembling the knocker, but I discovered a misassembly right out of the box.

The component we're focusing on is the copper-colored pin, which was assembled as follows straight out of the box.

Upon closer examination of the shape of the pin insertion point and the shape of the pin itself, I realized that the top and bottom were reversed.

We will now assemble this pin and the knocker.

Next, we'll combine it with the hammer and sear.

When the pins are assembled correctly, the play in the sear is significantly reduced.

I imagine that the incorrect assembly of this pin caused excessive play in the sear, resulting in a poor trigger feel and incorrect movement of the thumb safety.

The order is different, but when assembling the hammer, please pay attention to the orientation of the pin that supports the hammer.

Next, attach the cover to the base of the black hammer unit.

Place the disconnector on top of this cover.

Next, we'll install the knocker lock and knocker spring on the opposite side.

Insert this into the chassis and assemble the positioning pins for the hammer unit.

For installing these types of pins, the following three tools are helpful and recommended.

Signet Pin Punch Set
It's not a luxury brand, but it's a recommended mid-range brand in the automotive industry that offers good value for money. Plus, it's inexpensive.

Eagle Force Maintenance Bench Block for Handguns
It's incredibly convenient to have. Moreover, it's designed for handguns but can also handle longer firearms, making it very useful. In fact, I personally didn't see the need for their M4 version.

Vessel Plastic Hammer
It's inexpensive, sturdy, and long-lasting. For a good balance of control and power, the 1-pound size is recommended.

Finally, assemble the screws that secure the chassis to the frame, and you're done.

If assembled correctly, the relative positions of the trigger and hammer unit will be as shown in the following picture.

The sliding properties between the parts hadn't been bad up to this point, so there was no need to use the standard rotary tool for machining.

I assembled it carefully and correctly, following the basics.

Safety and hammer spring assembly

Next, we'll assemble the safety and hammer spring assembly.

Assemble the chassis by attaching the pins and springs while applying Bellhammer No. 0 Gold Grease.

Next, let's look at the safety-related components.

The movement was poor during the test assembly, so I'm going to polish the shaft of the thumb safety with a rotary tool.

left

Right side

It looks like the half-finished paint job is getting in the way, so I'll use a rotary tool to buff it and remove the paint.

Dremel High-Speed ​​Rotary 4000
This is my go-to rotary tool that I always use. Having this expands the possibilities of your DIY projects. There are two popular models, the 3000 and the 4000, but I recommend the 4000 because it comes with a set of tools and has more power.

I forgot to take a picture after polishing.

Next, let's look at the leaf springs, which are a distinctive feature of the 1911 series.

Apply Bellhammer No. 2 Gold Grease to the contact and sliding parts of the leaf spring components.

We will now install this leaf spring into the chassis.

I checked the positional relationship between each component of the hammer unit and the leaf spring, and it seemed okay, so I proceeded to assemble the grip safety and hammer spring (the label "thumb safety" in the photo below is incorrect; it should be "grip safety").

Next, tilt (or raise) the hammer and insert the thumb safety.

Now that the chassis is almost assembled, let's check the movement of the thumb safety, which was the main issue.

First, with the hammer in its normal position, move the thumb safety.

It doesn't properly enter the safety zone.

Next, tilt the hammer to activate the thumb safety.

He entered the safety zone smoothly.

This resolves one of the issues: the thumb safety problem.

After researching online, I found that many units have incorrect thumb safety mechanisms, so the cause is likely due to incorrect pin assembly.

Based on these results, when the hammer is in its normal position, the thumb safety is prevented from moving by the shear, meaning the thumb safety should be almost immobile.

If the pin is incorrectly assembled, as in my unit, the sear becomes loose (because the hole diameter in the sear is larger than the diameter of the pin), which prevents the thumb safety from moving, so it seems that the thumb safety can be moved even in the normal position (with the hammer upright).

Finally, attach the grips and the chassis assembly is complete.

After checking the operation of each part, I found that it moved quite smoothly and looked good.

Conversely, if it weren't for the assembly errors, the parts would be manufactured with considerable precision and each part would function reliably, so it's a shame.

That's it.

I've omitted the detailed assembly instructions here, but please refer to the detailed article on disassembly for more information.

Considerations regarding incorrect pin assembly

The main cause of the thumb safety issue this time was simply a mis-assembly of the pins. I'll give my personal, general thoughts on this problem (I'll omit the details and technical explanations).

This is a simple assembly defect, and at first glance it looks like a careless mistake in a single assembly process, but from my experience, it's a serious problem, and I feel that the cause lies equally with all three parties: sales and planning, the development team (mainly design), and manufacturing (including quality control) (which somehow reveals the overall capabilities of the company).

From the perspective of sales and planning, I question whether the development and manufacturing teams had a thorough understanding of the specifications of the product they wanted to create, or whether those specifications were effectively communicated (in this case, the operating conditions of the thumb safety).

For example, the operation of the thumb safety on the 1911 series (which only operates when the hammer is down) is something that should be taken for granted by the designers, so I wonder if it was properly communicated to the development and manufacturing teams.

This time, it worked correctly after being assembled properly, so it seems okay for the design team, but I doubt whether the information was properly communicated to the manufacturing team.

From a sales perspective, the key is to verify the functionality of delivered products, gather feedback from the market, and transmit that market feedback information to the planning, development, and manufacturing departments.

Next, from a design perspective, the key is to avoid designing in a way that allows for incorrect assembly in the first place. For example, if using stepped pins, you should make a large difference in diameter between the left and right sides so that they can only be assembled into specific holes (in specific directions), or you could even consider a different structure altogether.

Especially for internal components that are not visible from the outside, like in this case, it's difficult to check them during manufacturing process inspections and quality checks, so I think it's essential to design them with great care.

Improving manufacturing quality, including preventing manufacturing defects, during the development and design phases, based on this approach, is a subtle but crucial task, and it was one area where many Japanese companies focused their efforts and excelled (unfortunately, this is now in the past tense).

The media and others tend to focus on flashy developments and designs like new inventions and new mechanisms (what the public calls cutting-edge products), but personally, I think that improving quality at every stage (from upstream to downstream) and having the development and design capabilities to consistently produce basic elements (screws, gears, springs, bearings, etc.) are far more important (especially in mass production development).

*For example, while the focus tends to be on the electrical components of vehicles like EVs, everything except the control system, motor, and battery is actually mechanical. Drones are pretty much the same.

The reason I think it's important is that the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was largely caused by a single faulty O-ring in the fuel tank, and the Apollo 13 disaster was largely caused by a screw that was left in place during the manufacturing process, so I think it's quite important.

As you can see, there have been numerous historical accidents and malfunctions where the cause lay in the basic components of machinery: screws, gears, springs, and bearings. Therefore, I want engineers to learn more about history and understand for themselves what is important for a machine.

Next, from a manufacturing perspective, it appears to be a simple assembly defect, but judging from the number of thumb safety defects I've seen online, it seems possible that the work instructions themselves are incorrect rather than being assembled incorrectly by chance (specifically, there are no instructions regarding the direction in which the pins should be assembled).

I suspect the manufacturing team didn't notice (or didn't care about?) the shape of the pins when they were translating the design drawings into specific work instructions.

Furthermore, I have questions about the inspections at each stage of the process (after assembly) and the check items for the final product inspection (operational check).

These incidents suggest a lack of overall management and poor communication.

This incident, where the pins were simply assembled in the wrong direction, is a simple example, but often these seemingly minor issues are the root cause of larger problems within an organization. Therefore, it's crucial to take even small issues seriously, identify the cause, address it, and use that information to grow (and prevent recurrence).

I may sound arrogant up to this point, but when I was a young designer, I encountered similar problems many times and was scolded by various people (I was yelled at by scary but great, technically brilliant senior colleagues) before I finally understood it (it took me quite a while to understand it, as I kept making these kinds of problems).

These kinds of simple yet important problems aren't taught in school (I don't think even PhDs understand them), so in the world of manufacturing, you learn by inheriting knowledge from your seniors, practicing and overcoming challenges yourself, and gradually internalizing the knowledge through experience (in the academic world, you have to combine so many different disciplines that simply being an expert in one field isn't enough).

I suspect that Mr. Baton doesn't handle all aspects of planning, development, manufacturing, and sales himself, but rather collaborates with various companies, which makes it even more challenging for him.

I look forward to seeing what kind of products they will release in the future as they gain more diverse experience, learn from it, and evolve (at the time of writing, it seems to be the BG-17?).

Even something as simple as assembling a single pin made me think about all sorts of things because of my profession.

As a column that teaches us about failures like this, there is a column article about the world's first series of jet passenger plane crashes (one of the world's three major mechanical accidents), so please take a look if you're interested.

A column about the world's first series of jet passenger plane crashes (one of the world's three major mechanical accidents).

This article was supposed to be about customizing the BM-45, but it ended up being quite long because I went off on a tangent and ended up writing about internal company matters, starting with an analysis of a misassembled pin. So I'll end the article here.

Next time, we'll go from customizing the slide to completion and testing its shooting performance, so please check it out if you're interested.

Baton BM45 CO2 GBB
You can choose the color at the link provided. Black, black grip, and FDE (the model featured in this blog) are available.

BM45 Spare Magazine (Type-N, gasket, improved lip)
This is the latest magazine from 2022. Please note that the TYPE-N is an improved model with a modified lip and gasket, so be careful not to make a mistake when purchasing.

・1911 CO2 Magazine (Type-NL, gasket, lip, improved version with increased ammunition capacity)*Note: When attached to the 1911 or BM45, the CO2 cylinder will be visible from the outside.
Before I knew it, a version had appeared that had switched from single-column to double-column ammunition, increasing the magazine capacity from 15 rounds to 27. It seems the BN-SILENT HOWK is the main ammunition type, and with BM45 and 1911 versions, the CO2 cartridge is visible from the outside. It's a tough choice between ammunition quality and appearance (it's about 1000 yen more expensive than the one above).

・Baton (PUFF DINO) CO2 12g cartridge
These are genuine gas canisters. The manufacturer is Puff Dino, but Baton is the authorized distributor and treats them as genuine. It seems that only these canisters are eligible for the 3-month warranty. You can choose between packs of 6 or 50.

Marushin CO2 12g cartridge
I think Marushin offers the best balance of price and quality. You can choose between a set of 5 or 30. However, you will no longer be eligible for Baton's 3-month warranty.