'Physical Appearance'
Finish is not so good, the color is a bit flat, and there are tool markings on some areas. My Glock 23 fit well into the unit, but some adjustment was needed to push the muzzle tube in so it will be closer to the muzzle of my unit. The muzzle tube is held in place by a screw at the bottom that can be tightened or loosened to adjust the muzzle tube's position. Overall fit to the unit is good, but there is a slight gap on the bottom behind the grip.
The whole thing smells like the plastic inside a new car, so I imagine it is made of the same or similar material. I found that wiping the whole unit with tissue paper thoroughly removed much of that smell.
Balance is not so good, weight are focused either to the front, or rear of the kit. It is also noticeably heavy, and I find it a bit bulky.
There are two locking lugs, one on each end of the kit. These lugs were quite difficult to pull out or push in, The help of a Philips Screwdriver as a punch and a hammer are needed to punch the lugs in or out. The seller said on the original Roni, these locking lugs were much easier to manipulate.
Fit of the main moving parts is a little bit shaky, but not too much that you would notice during shooting. The stock wobbles a wee bit, but pretty steady when shouldered. You need to push the button all the way down to release the stock for extension/retraction, but it clicks into place solidly. The cheekpiece rocks back and forth a little bit when you manipulate it. The foldable foregrip also wobbles a bit, and sometimes gets stuck. You need to slap it in the sort of reset it, then press the button that allows folding/unfolding. You also need to push the release button deeply to fold/unfold the foregrip.
Here is the link to the pics: http://rhk111.multiply.com/photos/album/20/2011-12-14_EMA_Airsoft_Glock_Carbine_Conversion_Kit
'Shooting Results'
Shooting was done using 50 rounds of .40 S & W Semi-Wadcutter Teflon Coated rounds, assumed to be the standard 180 grain loading. Distance was 13 meters using a Target Board.
First issue was the RECOIL. It was pretty strong, makes me wonder how the heck I was able to handle that kick shooting free hand. Its not as if my shoulder ended up bruised, but you can clearly feel the snap-kick to your shoulder. My theory is that the polymer frame of my Glock 23 wasn't able to flex and absorb some of the recoil, so it ended up being transmitted through that plastic body into my shoulder.
Second issue was the POINT OF IMPACT as opposed to the point of aim. It definitely was low, around 6-8" lower. So if I aimed on the chest, it hit the target's lower abdomen. If I aimed at the head, it hit the center mass. Windage mercifully was spot on center. However, I actually shot better free hand than with this kit. But then again, I did notice I was able to shoot a little faster using this kit, hitting around one round per second at a stretch.
The front locking pin pushed out about 1/4 of its length out after about 25 rounds, so I had to hammer it back in. Of course after the remaining 25 rounds, it rose back up again a bit. The seller recommended to have it replaced by a threaded screw in part by a Machine Shop, which I will try to do when I have the time.
Here is the pic. Notice also the rough workmanship of the unit up close:
'Stovepiping Issue'
There were no failures to fire or squib rounds (thankfully), or breakage of any of the part. However, the biggest issue was STOVEPIPING. Out of 50 rounds, around 10-12 of those ended up stovepiped. But this issue I feel has something to do more with the Glock rather than the kit. The problem is that my Glock tended to eject cases at 12 o'clock, with the shells ending up 6-8 feet behind me. This is not much of an issue when shooting free hand. But when shooting with the kit, the kit has a clearance of about 1 1/2" from the top of the slide, and this is not enough for the shells to consistently eject out due to the way my Glock ejects its cases.
This problem could be solved if my Glock's Extractor could be made to eject at the ideal 45 degree angle or 1-2 o'clock. That way the shells will consistently clear the clearance between the kit and the top of the slide. I think I might need to consult a gunsmith on this one.
'Muzzle Finish Flame Damage Issue'
Another issue I found was the damage to the finish of the muzzle of my slide and barrel. I found a lot of residue on the muzzle end of my gun after firing, and when I removed the residue, I found that some of the finish were removed. This definitely was flame-damage on the finish. In hindsight, I think it was a mistake to adjust that muzzle tube closer to my gun's muzzle.
I think I should've just left it at its original extended position, allowing a little bit more space for the muzzle blast to expand to. That maybe would've meant less flame damage on my gun's muzzle. I have since adjusted the muzzle tube back to its most extended position.
Here is the pic:
'Front and Rear Sights'
I felt one main reason I did not shoot as well as I did free hand, was the fact that I was not used to the rifle sights. They were airsoft folding sights, and they were also wobbly even in the locked up position. I later had them replaced with Magpul PTS imitation folding sights, which were a bit more solid in the locked position. Plus it had a quick, snap up action. I don't know how well I will shoot with these new sights, I guess I'll find out in the next shooting session.
'Parting Shot'
I didn't shoot as well as expected, but I shot a bit faster. No breakage issues, and I only had that stovepiping issue during the shooting session. That flame damage issue is a bummer, though. I love my Glock, and seeing it disfigured this way is a bit disconcerting.
But I had SO MUCH F-U-N shooting it. I haven't shot a long firearm in a long while, and this one reminded me how fun it can be. I actually wanted to shoot more than the 50 rounds I tried out, but it was getting late, so I decided to just continue it again later.
That flame damage issue makes me want to pause a bit if I want to shoot more rounds, but because I adjusted the muzzle tube, and the finish is already damaged anyway, then might as well try to shoot it again.
Also because of that issue, I am not sure if I can recommend this kit to others to try out. Unless of course, you have a unit with Stainless Steel slide and barrel, then you would not have to worry about any flame damage issue to the finish.
I wonder if the original Roni has this same flame damage and/or stovepiping issue? If not, then perhaps it would be worthwhile to upgrade to the original ...
(End of Series)
Update, 2012-05-04 – Sold off my EMA Airsoft Roni for Glocks last month, April 2012, so no further reviews planned for this Carbine Conversion Kit. I actually wanted to do more evaluations with it, but I got busy with my other Glock projects. Those other Glock projects were doing so well, so the EMA Airsoft Roni became less and less of a priority to me, until I finally just decided to sell it instead of having it taking up useless space in my room. I hope that the review in the short time that I've used and owned it will be a bit of help to others out there who might be considering this for their real steel Glocks.
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