Anyone Know Anything About Airsoft Guns?

[BarryinIN]

The youngest has taken some interest in archery after seeing the movie "Brave" a while back. We needed a couple of things yesterday- Sunday- when the only stores open were big box stores. We ended up at a Gander Mountain I had never set foot in before. We got what we needed, then she found the toys, and I found the clearance area.

Among the clearance items was a returned Airsoft set with an Airsoft HK MP5 and P30 pistol, BBs, etc. Umarex made it. Originally $130, now $18, but returned because "Rifle jammed". Pieces were missing, but I dug around the bin until I found all but the battery charger.

The pistol hadn't even been out of the package.

Both kids have shot a 1911 Airsoft pistol while I shoot a CO2 pellet pistol for practice. The grip on it doesn't fit the youngest kid very well, so I had been keeping my eyes open for something smaller, like a Walther PPK. The P30 isn't smaller, but the grip shape might be enough different to help.

The pistol was spring action (manual cocking for each shot), so nothing great, but it had a metal slide and felt like the weight was right.

I figured it was worth $18 for the pistol and BBs, and bought the set.

The pistol works fine. It seems to fit her hand better.

The MP5 actually works fine- in single shot mode. Shoots hard too! We were shooting leftover tomatoes on the vine, and it was sinking them into the 'maters pretty far. Sights are right on. Surprised me.

Typical greedy me, I was ready to write off the MP5 but now that it sorta works, I want it all. I want it to rock and roll.

I have no idea what I'm doing.

The instructions suck. Pictograms with maybe 20 English words across the entire sheet. I found out today I was loading it wrong yesterday, but not from those instructions. It is "dual power" which I have deciphered to mean it works off either spring power or battery: spring for single action (pull the cocking handle for each shot) and battery for semiauto or full auto.

Spring action is fine. Cock it, press the trigger, it goes pop, and a BB comes zipping out.

It's the electrics that do nothing. I am afraid to start taking it apart because it looks like I'll be breaking plastic.

If I load it and run the cocking handle with the selector set to auto, it sounds like it feeds a bunch of BBs in, I press the trigger, it makes electric whirring sounds, and nothing happens. Sometimes it pops and spits one out like in single shot. Sometimes it whirs. This has me thinking there is a screwed up switch, since it doesn't always do the same thing. But it never spews out a bunch of BBs on auto, so I'm guessing that's not the only problem.

I am guessing that anything Umarex Airsoft is the same thing internally, just having a different shell.

So: Does anyone have any knowledge of this stuff? I've given it next to no attention before. I figure there is probably some simple fix to it, like poking it with a paper clip in the right spot or something silly like that.

I guess the thing to do is contact Umarex USA. Or keep going as a single shot. What the heck, since it seems to shoot well, it will give decent indoor practice as it is.

[BarryinIN]

I found takedown instructions online and will start there. I didn't see any yesterday, and now they are everywhere.