Hi there!

So about 15 years ago, I decided I wanted to build a Pulse Rifle. After much research, I knew I wanted a full metal replica as close to a real steel as possible (but without the hassle of real steel). So airsoft it was. Took me a few years to source the SPAS cage and stuff, and even though I came pretty close to finishing my first build (see the only existing image here), there always was something I wanted to do differently: exchanging the Maruzen, metal shrouds, moving bolt, etc.

So here we are, 15 years later, and I believe I finally have the parts to finish this bi… erm, baby.
First of all, I need a grip to hold the whole thing. In this thread, you can find the start of my WIP, but here are pics of my modified real Thompson wood grip WIP:


Sanding of the sides done, reshaping partially done:


With the “lines” filed into the grip. I’ll have to throw away the file, because the angle is now crooked (due to the nails I used as a guide for straight lines…)



OK, now to the reason I’m excited about this WIP thread: I got a WE Thompson M1A1 GBBR airsoft gun and upgraded it with a steel kit (which was way too expensive…):



The whole thing is reeeally heavy already!
It can use real grips, so that’s why I used a real wooden Thompson grip (although I had to re-tap the threading as the angle was way off).

I couldn’t help it and had to make a video (you can really tell the weight of the steel bolt):
https://youtu.be/Au9kW6MQxLc


So, here’s a shot of the parts I have next to me right now, I should be getting new parts in the next few weeks and still have other parts in the basement that I will be working on, amongst them the HCG aluminum shrouds.



Stay tuned, I might even finish this thing within the next 10 years!

Cheers!
Roman

nice pieces, good luck

Spectacular foundation!

Watching with EXTREME interest. My rifle will either use the same WE GBB as a base or an upgraded King Arms AEG with metal lower receiver.

Friend just sourced me a gas PPS M870 and found it a steel bolt

_________________
Lt. Melissa L. Klassen, ALG
AL Colonial Admin. - Executive Officer (XO) -- 2021-2022
RCCM | Royal Canadian Colonial Marines - Commanding Officer (CO) -- 2021-2022

Read the AL Charter Rules & Regulations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i3gd9QUyIqI_6rfk8kpxspbKU-JT4MBAjLPxfCkvGJ8

This is almost the exact same story as me! I started with all resin stuff then have been upgrading first to a plastic AEG Thompson, then a metal/plastic AEG, now finally this same GBB (though I couldn't swing the cost of upgrading the bolt so it's going to be stock for me). Are you using a PPS M870 for the Remington?

I'm trying to organize getting some formed aluminum shrouds like the originals for mine.

We should share ideas and building tips!

Thanks for the positive replies, guys!



It‘s not just the bolt, basically, I replaced every part of the WE with a steel part. The externals and most internals are full steel now. It weighs about 4kg right now...



Alright, let me spill my secrets!
Staying with the all-steel theme, I was able to get an airsoft Dominator. Full steel! Check out my video here: (Dominator DM870 on top, APS CAM870 at the bottom)
https://youtu.be/aYoXZTQ9Eo8



Oh wow, very interested! Could you let me know the details?



Absolutely! That‘s why I created this thread.

Cheers!
Roman

Oh nice, I thought you meant you just upgraded the bolt on the Thompson! What'd you do with all your original aluminum parts? The steel barrel has a more accurate tip than the original that comes with the GBB, I'll just be machining a little collar to hide it when I make the barrel extension to match the Bapty hero. Yours will be very sweet with all steel! Been wanting to try to get a real wood grip for it, so if you have a good source let me know!

I went with the PPS mainly for cost (since getting any of the shell ejecting 870 in Canada is an expensive venture given they shoot below the limit for what you can import), but also because it has the correct shell lifter (albeit black) for the 870. Didn't like that the Dominator has a sort of weird custom looking version of it. APS would have been nice but again cost was the factor. I know the PPS at least you can drop in a real 870 trigger group so I have debated getting a used one with the correct chrome shell lifter, either that or I will just polish the black one up as well as I can.

I know someone that should be able to do the shrouds it's just a matter of sorting out the details and seeing if there is enough interest to justify/make it realistic for him from a dollars and cents standpoint.

Moosh needs a Spas cage if you happen to have access to another. I have been trying to help her find one too!

Unfortunately, I neither have a source for Thompson grips nor SPAS parts. The latter are the „holy grail“ of a PR build and I was lucky to get mine, took me almost 2 years to source one...

My WE parts have been added to my ever growing Thompson airsoft collection.
As for the Dominator, I know that with some work, a real trigger group should fit. I already got a trigger group (even the „police“ version, so trigger guard is steel too), but haven‘t gotten around to modifying it.
I‘ll most likely also modify the shape of the ejector port, but I‘m not at that point yet.

I already have the HCG aluminum shrouds, but depending in price and accuracy, I‘m very interested in the shrouds set.

Cheers!
Roman

So, here is a quandary I have faced and am not 100% decided yet, how do you plan to put your 870 into the Spas cage? There are only 2 options that I can think of, one is to cut the cage enough to allow it to slide in from the rear as a whole. The other is to sort of assemble it inside the Spas cage so as to not cut as much as the cage away.

That may not make sense...for the trigger group to go in you would have to cut a slot all the way from the back of the cage so it can slide in if you plan to slide it all in together. I am not sure if I have seen any photos of the hero from the right angle to see how it was cut. However, in the Bapty photos of the live fire hero during assembly you can see they put holes in where the trigger plate pins are, and the shot barrel is not inside it when the photos were taken. This to me says they assembled the 870 inside the cage.

Put the trigger group inside the receiver
Slide it in from the rear
Move the trigger group into place and put the pins in through the holes in the cage
Line up the barrel, bolt, forend tube assembly and slide in from the front
Lock it all together with the front block

May need pics to illustrate it all lol

Oh, I also am planning to make extras of an accurate 10 hole hero GL front block in aluminum at some point if you need one.

Hey, would u please put me in for one of those front blocks... , the only think I miss on my „Veteran“ build...

Thanks a lot at this point...!

Kevin

I actually did it like described here:
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=2156
and also cut off the small connection at the bottom seen in the last pic so that I can slide in the whole M870 from the rear.
I‘m not sure they added the holes in order to assemble the 870 inside the cage, maybe they were made in order to fasten the 870 to the SPAS cage with screws so that it won‘t move around... The upper barrel is slide-in anyways and might have been attached to the front block.
I don‘t think there‘s any pic of the 10-hole hero showing that section, and the shrouds most likely cover most of it anyways. So I made it to be as practical as possible.

Cheers!
Roman

That's clever how you used the nails as a guide to make straight lines on the grip. I love that kind of thing.
Just think about the look on peoples faces when you say, "hey , go ahead and grab that heavy-ass pulse rifle off the shelf".

I followed the same guide for cutting, if you cut that one connection it could slide in from the rear, but the trigger guard is too wide to fit through without milling it narrower, or making the entire notch in the bottom wide enough to let it slide through (see pic of my cage beside an 870). The one shot below of Ripley with the 10 hole/bapty/42 display/cameron hero shows that the forward remaining part of the trigger guard looks to be it's original width (this is the part of the trigger guard that has to be left in tack for the hammer of the 870 to function, can also be seen on the delta), so the notches most likely are widened.

I am somewhat inclined to believe the assembled the 870 inside the cage based on the fact that they took time to add holes for the trigger plate pins. I don't image they were added for maintenance of the 870, but what do I know? Both the 10 hole/bapty/42 display/cameron hero and the delta have these holes, marked with red arrows in my pics below.

I see your point.

However, seeing as - when you cut the little connection - the cage is flexible enough to be slighty widened by hand long enough for the trigger guard to slide in, and considering that the slot certainly had to be widened at the spots where the trigger guard sits in its final position, I see no downside to cutting off that small connection. As you pointed out, the available pics of ghe 10-hole hero don‘t show this section, so I chose to take the easier route.

Cheers!
Roman

Alright, I got some parts out of storage:



The stock is a very tight fit over the upper receiver. I‘ll need to bend the sides outward a little bit, but haven‘t had any luck (I tried hammering a wooden wedge between the sides and left it in there a few days, but I think the wood was too soft). Any ideas?

Cheers!
Roman

Yes it would be much easier that way, I may go that route myself, but I do hate making more modification to the cage ha ha!



Parts look great!

That's a tough one, mine is a little bit loose so I had no problem. If you have a vice you may need to clamp it in there and give it a few hits with a hammer (and a block of wood) to bend it into the shape you need.

I get what you mean. I had to support my courage with a few sips of Whisky, and then it was like cutting through butter. Or as if I had a huge box of replacement SPAS parts in the shed.



Yeah I tried that. Probably the wood was too soft, but preferably I‘d want some hand-tool to bend the walls out from the inside. Like a „reverse vice“... hmm...

Cheers!
Roman

if it's just a little tight then I would probably just use a file on the inside to create some space

cheers

Watching this thread with great interest. I love how the steel kit is looks - I googled it and saw the price and yeah, it's pricey, but your pulse rifle is going to look great when completed.

I agree. The only way to widen that part is by removing material from the inside of the stock, the Thompson, or both.

Incidentally I don't think anyone makes a screen-accurate 8-hole vent and stock do they?

Harry

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Thanks for both your inputs!

I feel that the stock might fit quite well over the Thompson, but that the metal has been bent inwards slightly in the center of the stock, see here:



At least it seems to be much easier to slide the stock over the Thompson further at the back of the stock, the sides seem to be further apart there. That's why I'm trying to bend the metal back outwards a bit.

In case the fit is still tight once I manage to bend the stock sides, I will of course sand it down as much as necessary, but at the moment I'm still trying to tend the sides apart. Unfortunately, every method I used up to now was unsuccessful. The metal is very hard and just hammering in a piece of wood didn't work. I might have to heat the metal up with a torch...

Cheers!
Roman

I did mine in an almost identical manner to yours. I think I used something like 40mm square hollow bar. I didn't need to bend it and I can't remember if needed to file it or not. Perhaps the back end of your Thompson is a little bigger than mine.

I think you'll get a better finish overall if you remove material from the inside but you pays your money you make your choice

the metalwork you have looks fantastic by the way. Did you mill it out yourself?

cheers

So I just bought an upgraded WE M1A1, with New Generation full steel kit, and Mafio Steel Trigger.

Would love to see an update on yours

_________________
Lt. Melissa L. Klassen, ALG
AL Colonial Admin. - Executive Officer (XO) -- 2021-2022
RCCM | Royal Canadian Colonial Marines - Commanding Officer (CO) -- 2021-2022

Read the AL Charter Rules & Regulations: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i3gd9QUyIqI_6rfk8kpxspbKU-JT4MBAjLPxfCkvGJ8

Congrats on your purchase! The WE M1A1 is great, but the NG steel kit makes it incredible!

Funny you should bump this thread right now...
My job usually keeps me very busy, and I've recently moved into a new house as well, so that's what kept me from much progress in recent times.
But just within the last month, I finally solved the problem of the narrow stock, through the wonders of technology unheard of:

A set of "reverse pliers" I found on eBay. I managed to comfortably widen the stock at the problematic place, so now it fits like a glove.

Also, with the move into my new home, I figured I could use some sort of metalwork equipment in my garage:



I already cut down the Dominator DM870, will drill out the holes in it (once I get the necessary drill bits), have my machinist prepare the connector to the action bars, and several new parts are on their way as well. Also, I'll be able to weld some stuff over christmas at my buddy's workshop, so the stock (and hopefully the barrel vent) should be done soon.

So all in all, it looks like I might actually finish this thing in this decade (knock on wood).

Cheers!
Roman