M16 Illuminated Magazine � Tracer Unit - ArniesAirsoft

Author

Redhawk

Registered: September 2004
Posts: 319

Review Date: 22/6/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �13.00 | Rating: 8

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Inexpensive, innovative design, self-sufficient, doubles as standard magazine, hours of night-time entertainment.
Cons:	Only works with M16 series guns, first few shots are not illuminated.

When the Tokyo Marui Tracer Unit first appeared I found it to be a fascinating device. It was shaped like a silencer and when attached it allowed your gun to fire glow in the dark BBs that brightly light up when they pass thru the tracer unit. I thought it was a neat gadget and had my share of amusement, and it was the only time when playing in a dark room was a necessity. But as time passed I lost interest in the device and it was left collecting dust.

Now G&P has redefined the tracer unit, creating an innovative patented design that rivals Marui's own invention. According to G&P's website and if my understanding is correct, SIIS holds the patent for the illuminated magazine. G&P's tracer unit is actually one step ahead of Marui's in price and practicality. When compared to the Marui Tracer Unit, it's about one-third the cost and nowhere as cumbersome. There's nothing to attach to your gun, no adapters to fiddle with and the whole unit is fully self-contained. And when you don't want to use the tracer feature simply remove the batteries and use it as a standard magazine.

But it does have its shortcomings. For starters the capacity is limited to 130 rounds before having to reload (you certainly would have to buy several if playing in a game). And as of this writing it's only available for M16 series rifles. And if you read on these are not the only flaws.

The unit comes packaged like the standard 130-round mid-cap magazines, with the exception of a sticker indicating that it's an illuminated magazine. And from a quick glance it's identical to a regular magazine. One would need to take a closer inspection and notice that the tracer magazine has a switch right behind the loading slot. The unit also is just a hair heavier than the standard magazine.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-package-t.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-side-1-t.jpg

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The magazine comes with batteries already installed. In order to change batteries you would need to remove the hex screw at the bottom. Once that is done the unit can be removed from the outer shell. Then simply remove the screw from the battery compartment and you're there. The unit uses three 1.5v AM5 N LR1 batteries.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-bottom-t.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-battery-t.jpg

To activate the unit, push the switch down and the bluish-purple LED comes on and is visible thru the loading slot. When the magazine is inserted into the gun the switch is automatically depressed, turning on the LED. The switch is always on as long as the magazine is seated in the gun. This, of course, drains battery life, whether you're firing or not.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-top-t.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-led-t.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/gpmag-internals-t.jpg

As mentioned the magazine holds 130 rounds, but I find that the spring gets pretty tight and it's not easy to cram up to 130 (I usually stop at 120). As the BBs are loaded into the gun and fired, they pass by the LED and are lighted up. But when the BBs leave the magazine and go into the gun, a few are stored in the gun's loading chamber. This in turn creates a small problem. The BBs are no longer exposed to the light and they quickly lose their luminescence. Therefore the first few shots will not glow (or if you seize fire momentarily and then resume). This is another flaw in the unit. Because of this BBs are being "wasted" due to them not having the glow effect.

I used Marui 0.2g Tracer BBs, which are green. Other brands include Straight, Digicon, SIIS, with weights usually in 0.2g and 0.25g. Excel also makes biodegradable ones in green and orange. The BBs do glow in the dark even when not illuminated, but the room has to be very dark. They can be illuminated simply by shining a flashlight on them. To take full advantage of the tracer unit it should be used at night or in a dark room.

When fully loaded and fired in full auto, the effect is a continuous string of green light (depending on the rate of fire). You can alternate tracer BBs with regular ones by putting one tracer for every four rounds. Or alternate green and orange for an interesting effect.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/tracerbb-1-t.jpg

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y20/airsoftpics/tracerbb-2-t.jpg

The red streaks in the photos are from the laser sight (in motion) photographed in high shutter speed

At G&P's website it states the unit is for Marui M16 series, but I'm sure it can be used in other brands of M16s as well (I use it in my Marui SR-16). If your gun can use the G&P 130-round mid-cap magazines, then the unit can be used in your gun. It's unknown to me if G&P plans to expand the tracer to other magazines such as AK, MP-5 (if possible), G3, etc. This is a brand new concept and may depend on how successful it will be. But for now the M16 model is your only option and it does provide plenty of nocturnal fun. It's cheaper than Marui's, but only if you plan to buy one or two for casual plinking. But if you plan to play in games then you'll most likely need several, which means it'll actually cost you more. The unit does have a few flaws, but I believe it's more realistic by not having to attach a device to the muzzle of your gun (like Marui's). And if the LED ever breaks down, you'll still have a functional magazine.

Ranger_Captain

Pissin' people off one post at a time

Registered: July 2005
Location: West Point, New York
Posts: 1,229

Review Date: 2/3/09

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �13.00 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Cheap way to use tracers, well built midcap, metal construction
Cons:	Non

G&P M16 Illuminated Magazine

I can't really say anything negative about this little midcap. I bought it in lue of buying a Tokyo Marui tracer unit since I don't like the appearance of a silencer on my assault rifle nor did I want to compromise the gun's overall short length.

I've used this magazine on a few occasions and they've all been positive. I always use the Evike Matrix .20g glows (I know it's a sin to use anything from Evike but these really are the cheapest, most realistic way to use tracers in any big way). I find the mag to feed flawlessly into any airsoft M-Series I've tried it in thus far, which includes Marui's, G&P's, Classic Army's (both pro and sport lines), Star's, and KWA.

A key thing to note when using this magazine is that on the first few shots from the mag the bb's tend not to glow. I believe this is because the light can't really effect the bb's already up the feed tube into the gun but after those two or three shots you get a nice glowing stream.

I made use of this notably at the Ai:500 Operation blackjack and I actually found it to be pretty useful since it was far to dark to really track my shots into buildings and such.

Overall I'd give these mags a 10/10 because they do their job perfectly and yet still retain a very solid, weighty build that feels like it can take a beating.

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Cadet, United States Army
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