BATON BM-45 CO2 GBB FDE 3rd Lot Slide Disassembly

Although quite some time has passed, I'd like to introduce the Baton BM45 CO2 GBB that I previously mentioned.

This time, we'll be disassembling the slides.

As always, I proceed by disassembling the parts, noticing any issues, assessing their condition, and considering the direction of the customization as I go.

Fieldstrip

I'll remove the slides.

Move the slide back slightly and remove the slide release pin (red wavy line in the photo).

Now you can disassemble the slide.

Let's take a look at the slide release pin.

The paint on the sliding parts is peeling off. I suspect the paint on this product isn't very durable.

Next, let's look at the slides.

It looks like a typical 1911-style gas blowback slide with no particular distinguishing features.

It's hard to see in the photo, but the hop-up adjustment dial can only be accessed by removing the slide. While it's a shame that more and more models now allow hop-up adjustment without removing the slide, this design isn't particularly problematic.

Normally, I would measure the weight of the entire slide assembly here, but I forgot this time. Subjectively, it feels neither heavy nor light; it seems to be the standard weight for the 1911 series.

Disassembling the slide

Next, we will disassemble the individual components of the slide.

Barrel disassembly

We will now remove the slide return spring.

Here too, we observed paint peeling on the parts.

The return spring seems to have a stronger load than a regular GBB, likely to match the strength of the CO2 model. Also, there was no shock-absorbing cushioning material.

Next, we'll remove the barrel bushing in order to remove the barrel.

The plate can be removed by twisting it.

Now you can remove the entire barrel assembly.

This procedure is specific to the 1911 series. In recent models, the barrel bushing itself is often absent.

Let's take a look at the entire barrel.

The outer barrel is made of metal and has a nice plating. Because the outer barrel is made of metal, it has holes drilled in it as a measure against malicious use, as is customary.

The hop-up adjustment dial is similar in shape to the standard design of Tokyo Marui gas blowback pistols.

We'll start by disassembling the outer barrel.

The outer barrel is unusually secured with grub screws and Phillips head screws.

Other side

Removing these three screws will allow you to remove the outer barrel, revealing the inner barrel and hop-up chamber.

This completes the disassembly of the barrel area.

Let's take a moment to review the overall layout of the components.

Please note that since the parts were completely disassembled and then rearranged, other parts besides those mentioned above have also been taken apart.

Disassembly of the inner barrel and hop-up chamber

Let's take a look at the hop chamber.

It looks like a perfectly ordinary structure.

We will now disassemble the chamber.

Let's open the chamber.

Just as its appearance suggests, the internal structure is also simple, and it seems to use a system where the hop arm is pushed down by a cam on a dial.

Let's take a look at each part.

This is a hop-up arm.

The part that presses the packing is angled. Even though the packing is pressed in at this angle, the hop-up is a bit weak, so I'll think of some way to fix this when I customize it.

Front

It was the type with a hole in the center, which is common in Tokyo Marui products. Personally, I prefer the long-range hop-up arm.

Next is the inner barrel.

The inner barrel is made of aluminum and has a black anodized finish. There is no tapering at the tip; it's a simple tube, and the inner diameter measured with calipers was 6.05mm (a bit on the thin side).

The hop-up window has a rectangular shape, which I personally find bothersome, so I plan to change the part during customization (to prevent the hop-up from dropping too easily).

Next, let's look at the hop packing.

Let's take a look at the packing from the opposite direction of the ammunition feeding.

Let's try crushing the hop packing.

It has a rather unique shape. Apparently, it's called a TK-W packing.

The idea behind hop-up is probably that when the BB is fed, it is held down by a flat surface, and then when the BB is fired and passes through the packing, it is given rotation by a bifurcated long-range contact.

However, since the protrusion seems small, I feel like the hop-up won't engage unless you press firmly with the arm. In fact, in a review, the BBs fell out when the hop-up was at its minimum setting (it worked properly once the hop-up was adjusted).

Therefore, I'm thinking of increasing the arm's travel during customization to address this issue.

This completes the disassembly of the chamber.

Disassembly of the blowback unit and breech

Next, we will disassemble the blowback unit.

Before that, we'll remove the plate that prevents notch grinding on the slide.

Remove the screws and the plate will come off.

I'm grateful that many recent products have measures in place to prevent this notch wear.

Next, we'll remove the screws on the rear sight.

This slotted screw helps to secure the breech in place.

Next, press the filing pin at the rear end of the slide that secures the breech.

This part is a little tricky; you have to press the pin while lowering the plate.

My method was to press the pin with a pin punch while moving the punch, and that worked well for removing it.

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.

This will allow you to remove the entire breech assembly (the rear sight will also come off).

Let's change the orientation and arrange the parts.

The rest is simply a matter of the parts being fitted together, so I'll carefully remove them and examine each one.

ピストンカップ

I'll change direction.

The piston diameter was 14mm. It's not as large as the recently popular 15mm pistons, but the gas pressure is high enough that the blowback is sufficiently strong.

The piston cup looked like a custom-made part.

Next, let's look at the nozzle.

I'll change direction.

Next, let's look at the flow valve for switching gas routes.

Because it uses CO2, the gas route switching timing is incredibly fast compared to a regular gas blowback gun.

Let's take out the flow valve.

You can remove it by unscrewing the screws shown in the next picture.

I took out the flow valve to take a look.

The flow valve itself doesn't have the rotation stopper that's popular these days, and it looks like a more conventional design from a while ago. However, an O-ring has been added, so the gas seal is tighter and the gas route switching seems to be crisper (I think the inclusion of an O-ring is unusual).

This completes the bleaching process.

For confirmation, here is the overall arrangement of the parts around the breech.

I think this product has a good balance of initial velocity, kick power, and fuel efficiency, so I didn't feel the need to customize the inside of the breech.

slide

Finally, let's look at the slide with the parts removed.

back side

It's painted with a rare green alien grease.

Next, let's look at potential problem areas from the perspective of slide cracking, which is a common issue with CO2 models.

The base of the site.

It looks like a place where stress would concentrate significantly, but the wall thickness is decent, so I think it will be alright.

Ejector port

Some parts seem to be made of thinner material, but I think it will be fine since it won't be subjected to much impact.

Slide forward

It looks a little dangerous.

The area circled in red here is the mold's cutting edge (split surface), and it appears to be the cutting edge of three molds, resulting in a sharp corner shape. Although sufficient wall thickness is maintained in each section to address this, microscopic cracks may form at the corners, and stress can concentrate on these microscopic cracks, potentially causing the part to break even with sufficient wall thickness. Therefore, caution is advised.

As for my design techniques, since it's unavoidable that multiple molds will have sharp corners at the edges, I add a reinforced material that acts like a crack barrier to prevent cracks from propagating when they occur.

However, this might be difficult for products with model-like elements, such as airsoft guns, due to limitations on their external shape.

The material is a resilient nylon resin, and the thickness in potentially dangerous areas is also quite good, so I think this is a relatively durable model.

This concludes the slide disassembly process.

Click here for the article on stress concentration.

Summary

Overall, my impression of the slide breakdown is that it's a solid and well-organized presentation.

To put it negatively, you could say it lacks innovation, but to put it positively, it seems like you can't go wrong with it.

The quality of each component was fairly good, so I think it will be a stable and enjoyable game to play.

The downsides were that the assembly was a bit loose, the screws weren't tightened properly, the paint job was a bit weak, and there was some mysterious grease applied. I think these are some of the shortcomings of overseas production.

As for customization points, I think it would be even better if the hop-up pressure was increased and the inner barrel was replaced or modified.

That concludes the slide disassembly section.

Next time, we'll disassemble the chassis.

If you're interested in how gas blowback guns work, there's an explanatory article available, so please take a look 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.