New Racking Hardware

A great guy named Steve (DATA at the Aliens Legacy) was kind enough to offer some custom machined components to aid in connecting the Maruzen M870 to the SPAS-12 pump grip. This morning I quickly assembled them to check the fit.As you can see above, everything goes together perfectly. The machining he did on these parts is top notch and I'm really happy with how they work. As a side note, you can just barely see the groove/channel I put into the M870 receiver to make it slide into the SPAS-12 cage. Below you can see the parts as I received them:
The racking arms are OEM parts that have been trimmed down to the proper length to fit inside the grenade launcher. There's a curved band that connects the two arms as well as providing a mounting point for the aluminum key (oval shaped piece). Finally, the small rectangular plate with counter sunk hex screws to attach the pump grip to the racking assembly. Stay tuned for the final G/L assembly.

LED Counter Installation

I completed the illuminated ammo counter wiring and thought it was important enough to take some photos of. The routing for the wires was inspired by a member (lear60man) of the Aliens Legacy forum who used a similar method. Here's what the counter looks like when switched on:

The Matsucorp shroud kit comes with 2 counter windows. One has the area for the numbers cut out while the other is solid and just has a box etched into it. I'm using the solid variant. As a side note, I picked up some 6-32 hex drive screws to replace the Philips head screws seen above. Below is an inside look of the wiring layout: 

As you can see above and in the detail shot below, I created a channel for the wires to lay in and a place for the on/off switch at the base of the magazine well. The idea was to make the switch invisible when the weapon was being displayed/handled. To turn the counter on/off, simply drop the magazine a bit, and toggle the switch.

This close up shows the wire channel and the switch well that I routed using my Dremel and some small files.

This last photo shows the switch location clearly and the square recess I added to the magazine base so that the switch doesn't prevent the magazine from seating fully in the Thompson receiver. I will use hot glue to keep the electronics in place once the shroud is painted and ready for final installation.

Some Sling Shots

This is just a brief update to show off the cool screen-accurate 'Hero' sling that I received from Matt (mnoble2 over at The Aliens Legacy). He makes these from 8-stripe O.D. seatbelt webbing and metal hardware from WWII 58 pattern poncho rolls.
Here is a photo with the sling attached to the Pulse Rifle:
A closeup of the hardware and stitching:
I feel very fortunate to have acquired one of these before they sold out. Back to working on my counter installation...

The Hotness

I know it has been about a month since I last updated. I took a little break from the PR but still did some important work. With the summer heat upon us here in SoCal, I paid dearly for that slow month while working in the garage yesterday. First, a photo of my progress:
And, here's a list of what I've done since the last post:

• Install the stock with hardware/spring mechanism so that it can be adjusted
• Cut down the SPAS-12 grip (Still requires shell ejection notch and mounting hole)
  
• Fine adjustments to the shrouds to allow a tight fit with all components installed
• Trimmed trigger guard of M870 to fit ammo magazine area like the 'Hero' PR
• Completed all cuts in the SPAS-12 cage
• Cut out the LED counter window
  

Above: a closeup of the shell ejection port, Remington trigger area, and LED counter window. Below: a rear view showing the small spring loaded release nut to allow stock adjustment. I should have the LED counter hooked up with the batteries mounted soon. It will read '95' when switched on. I'm receiving some crucial parts from DATA over at The Aliens Legacy to connect the SPAS-12 grip to the racking arms of the M870. That should complete my build mechanically. I should be receiving my 'Hero' 8-stripe sling with hardware soon as well. Are we excited yet?

The Grenade Launcher

I had a major victory a few days ago. I was able to fit the Maruzen M870 into the SPAS-12 hand guard. Here's what it looks like:

I found that the width of the inside of the SPAS hand guard was too narrow to fit the M870 inside it without either distorting the hand guard (from it bowing outward) or cutting a shallow channel into the left side of the M870 receiver so that the pump groove of the SPAS cage can slide across it without distortion.
From these pics, you can see that I still need to cut the shell ejection port hole on the right hand side of the SPAS hand guard. I've marked it's location and shape in white colored pencil. On the left side, the slot for the racking arms to be connected to the pump grip is needed. The trigger guard of the M870 also requires some trimming to be accurate to the 'hero' Pulse Rifle.

I can't wait to get the whole Grenade Launcher behind me. I'm going to start working on the hardware to connect the racking arms to the pump grip so that I can cycle shells through the M870. It's probably the most complicated part of the build. Luckily, it's also probably the most rewarding part too. Collecting all the parts was the biggest challenge in my opinion.

The M870 Fiasco.

I wanted to post a picture of my Maruzen M870 airsoft shotgun, and a brief explanation of what I went through to get one. But first, a picture:
So this particular airsoft shotgun is not manufactured anymore. It is a pretty high end shotgun with realistic action. As it is a very good replica of the Remington model 870, I figured this was the perfect choice for the guts of my grenade launcher. All I had to do was find one. After weeks of searching locally and online, I found a seller and sent funds in exchange for a used M870. I went through nearly 4 more weeks of hell trying to get the seller to ship the item to me from the east coast. Lies were told, excuses made, and in the end I had to demand a full refund and continue my search. It was awful.
The day I received my refund, I managed to find another one. It is practically new with all the packaging, instructions, etc. I told this seller of my previous hassle and he took our transaction very seriously. I received my M870 2 days after payment. Here it is in all its glory. Now I'm going to start taking it apart and chopping in down to size so that it can fit inside the SPAS-12 hand guard. It will never look like this again. I think it's worth it.

Shrouded in mystery

Yesterday I started drilling holes in the SPAS-12 hand guard for the Grenade Launcher front block. I quickly realized that I needed a few new drill bits as mine weren't sharp enough. You don't want bits walking on you when trying to drill something as rare as a SPAS-12 hand guard! With the holes drilled, it was time to take the Dremel to the opening so that the block would fit in. That was really easy.

I also measured and drilled 2 holes in the base of the barrel vent to mount it firmly to the top of the SPAS hand guard. The first hole is at the front and lines up with the threaded hole in the top of the front block. The other hole is near the middle of the 10 vent holes. A hex screw secured by a nut inside the hand guard completes the mounting.

Once I had these parts aligned and properly attached to one another, I felt like trimming the shroud to fit would be in order. I didn't want to do this until the metal parts were. Trimming the shrouds went quickly. Granted, there is still some minor trimming left to improve areas like in front of the Grenade Launcher trigger guard and also the magazine well is a bit too tight. Overall, the amazing castings and pre-assembly from Matt (Matsucorp) are the reason my work is easy.

That's it for now. I'm focusing on cutting the shell ejection and loading ports in the SPAS-12 hand guard next. But before that, I have to get the grip chopped down to size. That should be fairly straight forward...I hope!