USR-11 >>> Vz.24 converted

[ncthorn]

After spending a great deal of time trying to peddle this 400fps USR on the classifieds of various airsoft websites I finally gave up. Id always wanted a K98 variant rife and since this USR was originally planned to be used in a similar conversion that i chickened out on, I figured what do i have to lose. I must say that 2nd Bat's amazing M1903 conversions helped to rekindle my inspiration.

Here is a pic of its original form:



After spending time off and on planning for about two weeks I finally decided to take the plunge. One thing I learned right away was what a pain cosmoline can be as it is very messy and is tough to get out of small crevaces. The wood of the stock (walnut?) was also a major pain to try to dremel and i destroyed several bits in the process. The barrel was another place of difficulty as the hardened steel did not like being attacked by the dremel and in the end I was forced to use a piece of copper pipe as my barrel.



Above is a pic of the whole rifle along with a UHC M1911 springer and an authentic Imperial WWII Trench Knife made in 1943 and utilized by my grandfather in the Pacific. Notice the small crack between the upper hanguard and the stock, I plan to address this issue very soon.



This picture shows the front section of the Vz.24 notice the original front sight which has been fastened to a new outer barrel. I realize the aesthetic issues created by the black barrel in combination with the silver stock hardware and I plan to repaint the barrel as soon as I obtain an appropriate color of paint. Also take note of the hole in the upper rear portion of the front barrel band, this will be used in combination with a screw to make sure the barrel stays put.



The above picture is of the bottom of the Vz.24 and depicts the magzine/magazine release. not much to say here.



Here is a photo of the receiver, once again not a whole lot to say other than the fact that it is not crooked as it appears to be in the image.



Lastly is a picture of the sights. No I am not trying to kill my neighbors!

While this was definitely not a super simple job, it was definitely worth the work put in. Pictures of 2nd Bat's Springfields were a great help in my project. Simple tools (dremel, drill, hand saw, super glue lol) were all that were used in the project. Seeing as how most airsoft K98 variants run very expensive, I see this as an excellent alternative. If anyone is looking for help on their own conversion, please PM me! I will have internal pics up sometime soon. Thanks for looking and questions/comments are appreciated! Ill leave you with a price run-down:

HFC USR-11: $80
M120 spring: $15
Vz.24 stock: $10 (ebay bargain!)
Vz.24 barrel: $7
Trigger Guard: $9
Floor Plate: $3
Copper pipe: $5
Misc. Screws and sandpaper: $5
Paint: $5

Total cost: $139 ;D

[azeeze]

Outstanding job, looks great!

[ncthorn]

Thanks!

This is may first conversion and my first true WWII airsoft gun. Certainly not the last! ;D

[Cpl. Hicks]

Stunning, it's grand!

Great job. ;D

[Nimlas]

awesome!
I'd be even better if you painted all the parts to match.

[ncthorn]

Thanks for the compliments guys!

Nimlas- That is precisely what I plan to do. I am going to repaint the barrel to a silverish color and then i will do some weathering work on the receiver.

Im suprised no one has noticed the chunk of wood that I botched up and cut off by the mag release/hopup. I think ill just leave it as is as it adds to the battle worn look..... sorta....lol.

[CharleyNovember]

Nice job very remenisciant of my own K98 conversion.

[Gordak]

WOW OMG WTF!!!1!1

Good work!
-Gordak

[click]

Beeeuuutiful!! That is some amazing work there!!

How do you plan to get rid of the crack between the stock and handguards?

Click

[ncthorn]

Really in order to rid the rifle of the crack all I would have to do is sand off some more of the inside of the handguard. Not a hard job it is just a pain to identify where the interference is coming from.

On a sligtly different note, I believe I have an idea for my next project. The Delisle Carbine, I plan to make it look similar to this:

[Sturmmann13]

Is that a Lee Enfield Mk III with a .45 conversion, some cosmetic modifications and a silencer? looks cool! Can't wait to see this one!

[ncthorn]

well mine wont look exactly like that but will be similar. I plan to use a Colt .45 Magazine rather than the Desert Eagle .44 magazine pictured. Mine will also utilize a US Enfield M1917 stock rather than the British variation. Otherwise the two should look very similar. I just need to figure out where to buy an affordable M1917 stock.

[Ersatzjack]

Very nice. I'm a little jealous because you beat me by a couple of days in posting the completion of your project. I guess I'll just come back to this thread in a day or so and post my pics. I did a Yugo Mauser conversion along the same lines.

I like how your trigger is nicely centered. Mine sits farther back because of how the gun fit in the stock. It's good for when wearing gloves though. I see you used the plastic from the stock gun for the magazine release area. That is tricky. I carved mine but your solution allows for closer tolerances in that fussy area with the magazines. Did you chrono it? I assume you removed the weights when you put in the 120 spring. I was wondering about your velocity. I am going to put in a 130 spring. The 170 had to go when it was stripping the stock piston. I'm new so I don't really know what each spring converts into on the FPS chart. Anyhow - once again, good job. It looks nice. Needs a rifle cleaning rod though.

[ncthorn]

Unfortunately I have not chrono'd it but I would assume that it is firing at around 400fps. I did mess up my inner barrel a bit while doing the conversion (I tried to reduce its outer diameter so that it would fit in the original rifle barrel, bad idea for sure as it wond shoot straight or consistently) so I am in the market for a new Hop-up and a tightbore. I do also plan on getiing a cleaning rod for it as well, as for when however I am unsure. I cant wait to see your conversion!

I also would like to announce that the construction of the magazine for the Delisle has begun (easily the biggest worry of mine entering into this new project). This one will be quite unique as It will feature a hybrid magazine that operates similarly to Schmitty's tube/pipe design but rather than feeding directly into the hop-up, will feed into a modified VSR magazine. This should eliminate the necessity for a mag release and therefore the gun should come out looking quite a bit cleaner.

[jimseery]

I too started a similar conversion and i would make several suggestions. See if your local library has a copy of "Mauser Military Rifles of the World" and if they do spend some time with it. Many of the later variations had the handguard cut off in front of the sight. That would eliminate a whole bunch of your "crack problem". Remember Bondo, Plastic Wood, JB Weld and Krylon are your friends.
You've done a supurb job. Like Ersatzjack I'm going to have to finish up my Springfield project and post some more pictures if I'm going to have any "thread cred".
If you can't find a copy of "Mausers" pm me, I have one and will try to answer any questions.

[CharleyNovember]

I tried to reduce its outer diameter so that it would fit in the original rifle barrel, bad idea for sure as it wond shoot straight or consistently)

That is very odd. My inner barrel for my APS2SV fit right inside a real steel Mauser LargeRing barrel. Almost like it was meant to fit. Has anyone else had a problem with the inner barrel from a USR11 fiitting inside a real steel barrel or has everyone else use a pipe for the barrel? Also a note about cutting the barrel down. I used a metal cutting bandsaw as a dremel just will not do the job cleanly if at all in my experience.

[Sturmmann13]

BTW love the knife. M3's rock! I actualy found mine in the woods behind my house. It was in a leather scabbord.

[ncthorn]

I too found it to be rather suprising that the USR barrel would not fit down the Mauser's I would have figured that the ~8mm inner diameter would have been perfect for the USR's inner barrel. Unfortunately, this was not the case and I was forced to buy copper piping to do the job. I did get lucky at this point though as Lowes carried the perfect size for the job (1/2" pipe). I think I may make a few more of these but I'm not sure if i will sell any. The Delisle project has me fairly stoked as I dont believe Ive ever seen an airsoft variation of it.

Haha thanks Sturmmann! My grandfather who carried that knife came by the house today while I was not home and my brother showed him the rifle. He was quite impressed and can't wait to see my future projects.

[Ersatzjack]

To AllAmericanDan (aka CN), and others...

I am using the front of the Mauser barrel on mine. I cut it with a hacksaw and the barrel did have to be drilled out a tad. I think the gunsmith (I didn't do this step) took it to 10mm. The regular barrel fits in not snugly but "perfectly" like a free floating arrangement. I haven't shot it yet so I don't know about accuracy. I'm waiting for the weaker spring before I shoot it much. The Mauser barrel extends about 6" past the other barrel so it will be interesting if accuracy is effected in a bad unpredictable way.

[jimseery]

I've got the same problem with my Mauser barrel and am going to try and drill it out with a "long" 3/8 drill. I'll let you know how it turns out.
I dug into the Mauser book and as far as I could see none of the VZ models had the shortened handguards. Sorry.

[CharleyNovember]

perhaps it is the difference between a APS2 barrels OD and the USR11? I wouldn't think there was 2mm difference but I guess there could be.

[2nd Bat]

I am so glad to see others doing this type of project. AA Dan was my original inspiration and apparently my project has inspired others as well. The gift that keeps on giving. Thanks Dan and I love seeing the results of other peoples work. Keep em coming guys!

I have my two remaining Springfields and am delighted with them. I am going to be using one at Lion Claws 5 where I will play the Nomatic tribal chief leader. I have a cool leather pouched bandoleer and will gather up the rest of my impression which should be kind of fun to put together. I am hoping they will allow me and my buddies to bring horses as that would complete the Afghanistan tribal look.

[applestrudel]

Sorry to dig up an ancient thread but would a mp001 be useable for a conversion like this? because the new dboys k98 just won't cut it for me.

[2nd Bat]

As disussed elsewhere I have used the MP001 in a number of conversions. It's a very good gun for the price. It shoots hard (over 400 FPS right out of the box) and it is very very inexpensive. With that said I would caution you that it is not compatible with the VSR it copied to the point that it can accept any upgrade parts. In addition I think it was designed at the extreme of it's tolerances. I have had one break and have received reports on others. If it was just the gun and it broke after a fashion I wouldn;t have a problem with it. It is after all and inexpensive gun and more or less disposable. If however you've gone to the trouble of mounting it into a WW2 rifle stock and doing all the steps needed for a conversion my recommendation is you spend a little more and get one of the better made clones. TSD,
BAR-10, USR. If cost is no object of course get a Marui and spend big buck on upgrade parts

[CharleyNovember]

I would suggest the same as 2ndBat. VSR,USR,BAR-10 Not so sure on the TSD.

[Boots]

very nice, how much?