Sterling E11 conversion Airsoft & real parts

thd9791 · Jun 22, 2018

So...

I got one of those airsoft L2a4 sterlings and started this project

I have an M47, identical to a 1943 M40

thing is.... I got a piece of steel and quickly found out I cannot properly manipulate it. I was using a heat gun, smashing it in a vice and stomping on it on the floor and I have really poor folds.

does ANYONE have a steel scope rail, or is anyone able to machine one? I have measurements... I'm just worried the scope will make aluminum or brass sag under the weight.

Thanks.... I'm covered in metal shavings, bruises and burns...

Halliwax · Jun 23, 2018

i made my friends out of aluminum. with the bends and having it bolt into the rear sight we have zero sag in it

thd9791 · Jun 23, 2018

halliwax said:
i made my friends out of aluminum. with the bends and having it bolt into the rear sight we have zero sag in it

That's excellent! How did you do the S curve up front? Little tab first?

Trooper_trent · Jun 23, 2018

scottjua helped me with mine since I don't have the tools but I think we did the s curve longer than needed in order to get the leverage, then cut it off at the right length, and then cut out the tab. I THINK.

thd9791 · Jun 23, 2018

Trooper_trent said:
@scottjua helped me with mine since I don't have the tools but I think we did the s curve longer than needed in order to get the leverage, then cut it off at the right length, and then cut out the tab. I THINK.

dammit - I thought of this today at work... cut it AFTER bending it

*facepalm* debating heading to aluminum or something..

Trooper_trent · Jun 23, 2018

thd9791 said:
dammit - I thought of this today at work... cut it AFTER bending it *facepalm* debating heading to aluminum or something..

We ended up using steel because it bent easier than aluminum without breaking. We tried heading the aluminum with a torch and it still cracked. Definitely wasn't any easier than the steel.

thd9791 · Jun 28, 2018

I need to post some pictures ASAP, I think I got things together.

With some advice from Anakin Starkiller, I used JB Weld after accidentally pressure fitting some original parts (the handle), a piece of wooden dowel and the old airsoft barrel inside. Theres JB weld inside too, and the spring!

Bengrim09 · Jun 29, 2018

Pics would be nice, I’m considering buying an airsoft later this year and I would like to see how this turns out

Halliwax · Jun 29, 2018

That’s the one I did for my friend. 1/8 aluminum flat stock from Lowe’s

I don’t know if 1/8 is too thick. To me it looks fine, but I’m no e11 expert and have seen others use 1/8

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Trooper_trent · Jun 29, 2018

Same. 1/8 steel from Home Depot.

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cboath · Jun 29, 2018

halliwax said:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180629/f1e65127a7f71931ee0d1a990a8d250c.jpg

That’s the one I did for my friend. 1/8 aluminum flat stock from Lowe’s

I don’t know if 1/8 is too thick. To me it looks fine, but I’m no e11 expert and have seen others use 1/8

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks very nice. What'd you bend it with?

thd9791 · Jun 29, 2018

I bent mine using a vice, ball peen hammer and a butane torch: heat it, wham it and repeat. Put the part of the mount you want flat inside the vice by the way. Mine kept coming up a quarter inch short and I think it’s because of where I put it in the vice and some geometry from when you bend metal. To fix this, I ground the forward tabs profile into a half circle so it could sit against the closest point in the circle.

heres where I am. I literally gutted the air soft and ended up jamming things inside and cold welding them: old fake air soft barrel (I plan on plugging it too) then a piece of wood (drilled out the holes) and then the old bolt (smashed, cut, JB welded and stuffed) on top of the original handle. That’s a weird one to describe... the air soft handle was installed in a very long cut-out and the apex kit I got had a rather small area around the handle and magazine. I cut the handle down to an eyeballed rectangle that I thought matched, and after some wrestling I got it stuck up inside the air soft. ****. So I hammered all this stuff in, and then dropped the spring in there and cold welder everything I could together. The trigger just wobbles and the lever on the side won’t move anymore. Everything’s stuck in place and ain’t going anywhere.

I may may try to patch the hole behind the handle and replace the stock with the old one ...somehow. I haven’t even though about the different types of blasters yet, I got in a little over my head.

DarkLyte · Jun 29, 2018

Following!

Halliwax · Jun 30, 2018

cboath said:
Looks very nice. What'd you bend it with?

Torch, vice, and 3lb hammer

Then used my mill to mill the little tab that sits inside the hole to lock it in place.

To test the right angles I pre bent a piece of welding rod to figure where to mark the aluminum

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newmagrathea · Jun 30, 2018

Nice stand, where did you get that?

Great thread, I'm going to be doing one of these builds sometime in the near future.

halliwax said:
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180629/f1e65127a7f71931ee0d1a990a8d250c.jpg

That’s the one I did for my friend. 1/8 aluminum flat stock from Lowe’s

I don’t know if 1/8 is too thick. To me it looks fine, but I’m no e11 expert and have seen others use 1/8

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Halliwax · Jul 2, 2018

newmagrathea said:
Nice stand, where did you get that?

Great thread, I'm going to be doing one of these builds sometime in the near future.

That’s not mine, I built the e11 for my friend. I believe they are quest design stands. He grabs them off Etsy

He has a few of their stands

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

cboath · Jul 2, 2018

halliwax said:
Torch, vice, and 3lb hammer

Then used my mill to mill the little tab that sits inside the hole to lock it in place.

To test the right angles I pre bent a piece of welding rod to figure where to mark the aluminum

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was afraid of the torch part

I needed one to get my grenade apart for the obi, but i had to heat the @#$% out of it compared to everything i read. I bought a bar off the 501 boards, but it turns out the airsoft distance is about 1/2" longer than the actual L2A3 distance (the bar's a bit short

)

thd9791 · Jul 2, 2018

cboath said:
I was afraid of the torch part I needed one to get my grenade apart for the obi, but i had to heat the @#$% out of it compared to everything i read. I bought a bar off the 501 boards, but it turns out the airsoft distance is about 1/2" longer than the actual L2A3 distance (the bar's a bit short )

I KNEW it was longer! I was complaining about it feeling a tad long yesterday

Anyways, if you can get ahold of a small piece of steel, the butane torch I have is the size of a pencil, got it from home depot. I had to refill the butane like every 2 min so get an extra can, but it was easier than soldering.

propmainiac · Jul 3, 2018

When I built my scope rail it was 1/8 thick and about a 1/2 inch wide steel. To make the bends I cut the back of the bends with a Dremel first then heated them with a propane plumbing torch. Then bent it in a vice.

OdiWan72 · Jul 3, 2018

Will you clean up the cold welded areas? Looking quite messy atm

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