Reviews

The T-N.T APS-X Hop-Up System

Dom

This review was long overdue so I apologize to everyone at T-N.T / Impact Force, but it's not too easy to test a GBB inner barrel Hop-Up rubber combination during wintertime in Europe unless you have a heated indoor range. The only CO2 gun I have was not compatible with the T-N.T APS-X Hop-Up I received so I had to wait until the arrival of the RWA GRP. With the help of the GRP I was finally able to see the full potential of the APS-X set.

I have received the unit without its original packaging and it was already installed in a WE 1911 Hop-Up chamber. Before disassembling, I noticed that the pressure plate (bucking) has a small piece of aluminum glued to it. Basically that piece serves as an I-key but this method is a whole lot cheaper. Because the inside of the rubber is shaped the way it is, the APS-X Hop-Up must be installed under a flat bucking. If you install it under a normal pressure plate or with an H-key then the claw-shaped rubber pieces will turn towards each other and the rubber won't give you the desired effect.

After disassembly, I found Teflon tape on the barrel which provides an improved fit inside the chamber and better air seal. If that's not enough, the rubber is glued to the chamber, but it is removable after some heat from a blow heater. Every possible modification was performed on this chamber to minimize air leaks. These modifications (regardless of the platform being an AEG or GBB) usually give you some extra FPS but the most crucial thing is the shape and size of the rubber where it meets with the loading nozzle. As you can see on the images, the shape of this rubber is entirely different and its inner diameter is slightly smaller than traditional rubbers. It is pictured next to a standard Marui and the original RWA rubber. The barrel is an "air cushion directional inner barrel" and it is supposed to create an airflow around the BB so that it won't touch the surface of the inner barrel and starts to bounce around the chamber.

When I fitted the APS-X assembly into my TM 1911, I gained 20 FPS using a TSC CNC chamber. With the GRP the FPS gain was very minimal, it only made the numbers more consistent and the second magazine with the same CO2 cartridge finished with higher numbers (290 instead of 270 FPS). The main selling point of this barrel-rubber combo isn't the FPS gain but the accuracy and extra range. Of course extra FPS sometimes helps you achieve better range and accuracy and gamers use heavier BBs with higher FPS but most standard Hop-Ups can't spin heavier BBs enough. This is where this rubber comes into the picture. T-N.T claims you will have a straighter range out of your replica. For the chrono test I used 0.20g GFC Rockets and a UFC chrono.

During my test, the rubber put enough spin even on 0.40g BBs but I found out that the ideal weight is 0.25 or 0.30g BB (of course with the given FPS of the GRP). For the grouping of the GRP with its original barrel, please check my previous review where I tested the GRP under the same conditions. As far as effective range I would say 40m but only under ideal conditions, no wind and warmer temperatures and this is not bad from a "secondary" replica. The videos made by Impact Force show you a nice trajectory out of an AEG at 74m even under windy conditions. First you can see the result of the 10m range fixed, then the 30m fixed. For the range test I used Blaster Devil 0.25g BBs. 

This is the price list I've received from Impact Force (also available on their website) and I converted the prices in USD at current exchange rate. As you can see it's not one of the cheapest upgrades but certainly worth the price as far as a $33 upgrade for a 1911. You gain FPS and accuracy without messing with the loading nozzle or valves. If we look at the AEG versions, a standard carbine length barrel costs nearly $70 so it has to do wonders to justify the price. For the 1911 it really does wonders so you can't go wrong with it. I am looking forward to try the AEG version.

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