I previously did an unboxing review of the Tokyo Marui Glock 17 GEN4.

This time, we'll be doing a small customization.
Basically, as I mentioned in my previous review, there's hardly any need for customization, but I personally don't like the stock Glock sights, so I'll focus on increasing the muzzle velocity while I'm at it.
Let's start by discussing the direction of the customization and the parts to be procured.
*This article aims to provide educational explanations from a mechanical engineering perspective regarding the safe hobby use of airsoft guns.
This does not promote acts of violence, the use of weapons, weapon modification, practical evaluation, or violation of laws and regulations.
Customization direction and sourced parts
The direction of customization will be based on the following two points:
- Replace with an easy-to-view website
- Increasing initial acceleration to a degree that does not significantly negatively impact fuel efficiency.
I will go.
The parts procured to meet the target are as follows:

PDI's RAVEN inner barrel for Glock 17, 97mm, inner diameter 6.01mm
・Miyagawa Rubber's hop-up packing, wide type for gas blowback gas guns, EPDM rubber
Garter's Steel Night Sights for Glock 17 GEN4
Maple Leaf's I key tensioner
Strike Arms Flow Valve Spring Very Hard
Bellhammer Grease Gold Grease No. 0
Bellhammer Grease Gold Grease No. 2
.
Basically, you increase the amount of gas discharged from the firing side by replacing the flow valve spring with a stronger one, and increase the muzzle velocity by narrowing the inner barrel diameter.
Now let's proceed with the customization.
Disassembly of the slide
We'll start with the field stripped state.

This isn't directly related to the current customization, but for reference, I'll disassemble the recoil spring.
Recoil spring disassembly
To disassemble the recoil spring, simply lower the washer connecting it to the outer barrel and remove the individual parts.

Next, we'll remove them one by one.

There are many parts, so you might forget the order. Please use this as a reference.
Disassembly of the outer barrel
First, let's take a look at the entire outer barrel.

First, remove the following screws to take the inner barrel assembly out of the outer barrel.

This will allow you to remove the entire inner barrel assembly.
Next, we'll disassemble the hop chamber.
We'll disassemble the hop-up adjustment dial by aligning the notch with the screw position.

This allows you to disassemble the entire barrel assembly.

Next, we will disassemble the blowback engine.
Disassembly of a blowback engine
First, remove the front sight from the slide.

Next, remove the screws that secure the rear sight to the blowback engine.

Now we're going to remove the blowback engine, but it's fitted into the slide and won't come off easily.

Here are some tips on how to remove a blowback engine.
As shown in the following picture, grasp the ejection port with the index fingers of both hands, and push the nozzle with your thumbs while spreading the slide.

Apply force gradually to remove the nozzle, being careful not to damage it. This will reveal the blowback engine.

back side

You can then simply remove the nozzle.
remaining bleach

Next, we will disassemble the nozzle.
The nozzle is held in place by a pin that secures the flow valve, so remove the pin.

You should be able to see the nozzle and pins from the back.

Here's an important point to note: when removing the pin, always insert your finger on the opposite side of the nozzle to prevent the flow valve from flying off while you remove the pin.

The flow valve can be removed once the pin is removed.

Now the slide can be completely disassembled.

Next, I will show you how to disassemble the frame, but since I haven't done a complete disassembly this time, it will be a simplified version.
If you're interested, I've included an explanation of the gas blowback mechanism, so please take a look.

Frame Disassembly (Simplified Version)
We'll start by removing the front part of the frame.
There are many parts to remove, but first, we'll remove the trigger return spring, screws, and slide takedown lever.

Next, we'll remove the pins that are holding the internal components on the front side in place.

Now you can remove the front chassis.
Next, we'll remove the hammer assembly. Remove the screws that hold the hammer in place.

Next, remove the pin at the base of the grip to detach the hammer unit.

Now you can take it apart.
If you ever want to replace the trigger or hammer spring, I'll explain how to do that in detail then.
I've written an article about the operating principles of gas blowback guns, specifically focusing on the trigger, hammer, and magazine. Please check it out if you're interested.

Checking and customizing parts of interest
I'll be taking a look at Bleach, which is the anime I've been most interested in personally.
I wanted to install a lightweight aluminum breech, but it wasn't available yet, and I was worried that I wouldn't be able to install the lightweight breech for the Glock 19 GEN3 (I've now acquired one, and I'll be installing it in the next post).
Let's compare them.
Upper

back side

To summarize the results, the structure of the part that receives the gas for blowback was different. Also, the gas cut-off timing appears to be different.
This is likely a solution to the difference in slide recoil between the Glock 17 and Glock 19. The fact that Tokyo Marui made a dedicated part for this shows their dedication; it's impressive.
Next is the main feature: the 15mm cylinder diameter.

Although it's not very fuel-efficient, it's a core component that produces a powerful blowback.
Next, let's look at the custom parts we'll be incorporating.
This is a comparison between the genuine product and Garter's steel night sights.

It glowed slightly when the lights were dimmed.
Next is the flow valve spring.
The left is the original, the right is the very hard version.

Strike Arms' very hard springs are significantly longer and have more coils than the original ones, which increases the amount of gas discharged from the firing side.
Next is the inner barrel.
Here's a comparison of the hop-up windows. The left is the genuine part, and the right is the PDI part.

Surprisingly, the original parts seem to have a more carefully finished window area. This window area often has edges and burrs, so you should remove them slightly with a round file.
Next is the side view. The engraving on PDI's product looks really cool.

Next is the barrel tip. They both look pretty similar.

Next, let's compare the hop packing.
Genuine hop

Miyagawa's packing

Miyagawa's has a bifurcated protrusion.
Since Miyagawa Rubber's gaskets are made of EPDM, they can absorb oil, so be careful not to apply too much grease or too much silicone spray.
If you give them too much oil, they'll absorb it and get fat.
On the other hand, the nitrile rubber used in Tokyo Marui's genuine packing is highly resistant to weathering, ozone, and oil. It is a type of rubber often used in environments with high oil content, such as gasoline engines.
The last part is Maple Leaf's I-key.

These are fairly small parts, but I'm going to install them because I want to use a long-range hop-up system.
We will carefully assemble these parts.


Here's a point to note when installing: Miyagawa's packing is harder than the genuine part, so the hop-up arm may give way and the hop-up protrusion may tilt.
Therefore, you need to bend the hop arm slightly to adjust it so that the hop-up protrusion comes down straight.

With Marui's cantilevered arms, rigidity can sometimes be insufficient, so I think anyone replacing the hop-up bucking with an aftermarket one should definitely check how the hop-up works.
After making the adjustments, it will descend straight down as shown in the following picture.

Finally, apply Bell Hammer Gold Grease No. 0 to the inside of the blowback engine, and No. 2 grease to the other parts, then assemble it and you're done.
This was the last site I exchanged with.

Next, apply Bellhammer Gold No. 2 grease to the frame as well.

All that's left is to assemble it, move the slide back and forth by hand to spread the grease, and then wipe off any excess grease that has seeped out.
Next, we will check the actual firing performance.
Live-fire performance verification
The shooting conditions were the same as usual: the magazine was full of gas and the surface temperature was around 30°C (about body temperature).

The BBs used were S&T 0.2g bio BBs, and the muzzle velocity was measured with the hop-up set to 0.

It doesn't make much difference if the hop is 0.
The short barrel length is probably the limit to how much gas can be discharged, even if the output is increased.
In such cases, applying hop-up often increases the initial velocity.
This is the initial velocity when the hop-up amount is set to the maximum setting.

This is the initial velocity of the fourth shot fired in a continuous sequence.

Compared to the original setup, a stable increase of over 4 m/s was achieved.
Since it's completely in a flow-like state, the drop in muzzle velocity is likely to be significantly reduced even when using heavy ammunition.
If you're interested, please also check out my review of the chronograph.

Fuel efficiency
Fuel efficiency.
This is the weight of the magazine with a full tank of gas.

This is the weight after firing 25 rounds from a single magazine in succession.

25 shots consume 3g, which works out to 0.3g per shot. I'm a little puzzled that this is a decrease of about 0.03g compared to the original 0.33g.
Was the measurement in the stock condition inaccurate, or did the improved operability due to grease? In any case, 0.3g per shot isn't bad, but it's not great either.
Next is a video showing the operation.
Tokyo Marui Glock 17 GEN4 Custom
I don't think it will have much of an impact on its operation.
With this, I was able to increase the initial velocity while I was at it, by changing the sights.
G&G Bio-Bullets 0.2g
It's inexpensive and accurate, so I use it for a wide range of purposes, from performance testing to airsoft games. It's been my favorite since it first came to Japan (around 2008). It lasts a long time for a biodegradable product.
G&G Bio-Bullets 0.25g
It's 0.25g. I generally use 0.25g BBs when playing airsoft.
Summary
As a result of the customization, the final specifications incorporated the following parts:
・PDI's RAVEN Inner Barrel for Glock 17, 97mm, Inner Diameter 6.01mm
PDI is a company you can trust and that has a proven track record. The shape of the hop window is very elaborate.
・Miyagawa Rubber's Hop-Up Packing, Narrow Type for Gas Blowback Aircraft, V2, Silicone Rubber
Gaskets have evolved without me even noticing.
・Garter's Steel Night Sights for Glock 17 GEN4 (Note: GEN3 versions will not fit).
It was the cheapest on my favorite website. I also like that it's made of steel.
・Maple Leaf's I key tensioner
I don't think this is absolutely necessary in cases like this. You can substitute it with something like a plastic sheet.
・Strike Arms Flow Valve Spring Very Hard
Please purchase directly from the store's online shop.
I find it very useful that they sell various springs with different loads for gas blowback guns (I got permission from the store to post this).
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.
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.
will be important.
This Glock 17 is a very well-made model in its stock form, but if you're looking for something a little different, or if you want to extend your shooting range even slightly, please use this as a reference.
I finally got my hands on the lightweight aluminum breech I've been wanting, so I'm sharing the installation process and its performance in actual shooting tests.

・Tokyo Marui Glock 17 GEN4 Gas Blowback
It has amazing performance and I highly recommend it.
・Tokyo Marui Glock 17 Common Spare Magazine
I'm so happy that the magazines are cheaper compared to other companies.












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