carbon fiber a-5

family pic; original sl-68 II, pro-lite and my a-5 when i first got it. sl-68 II and pro-lite still rockin' after nearly 20 years!

my a-5 has since undergone some cosmetic mods: i shaved the rear sight and top rail smooth, filled in the name plate and relocated the top bolt.


work in-progress. shaved the grip smooth too.

the upper receiver was then covered with 3m di-noc carbon fiber vinyl in the graphite color. all pics are clickable to full-size:


cqb setup! completely useless lol. stock barrel cut to 4.5", tac-cap, 12-gram c02 drop-out changer with 15-degree asa adapter and a jcs folding stock.


with jcs stock extended.


increased capacity!


all business with my trusty 12" j&j ceramic barrel and was e-grip.


close-up showing the pattern in the vinyl. still pictures don't do it justice.


the "ugly" side.

that's all. stock internals, other than a lightweight hammer, spring kit and jcs rva to help tune it and make it more efficient (fva is full-open). receiver halves are polished inside, lo-pro hopper was lined with shelf foam so it doesn't make noise as i run.

Where did you get the carbon fibre vinyl and how difficult was it to apply? Looks unreal.

WhiterThanChalk wrote: Where did you get the carbon fibre vinyl and how difficult was it to apply? Looks unreal.

kind of a necro, sorry! i ordered it from ebay...you can get 12" x 12" samples for like $4. it's 3m di-noc carbon fiber vinyl in the graphite color, as i wanted some contrast with the black factory paint. it was kind of a pain to apply, as you could imagine. for my first (and only) time doing it, i think it came out ok. i also bought some vinyl adhesive from the same supplier; it's designed to help the vinyl wrap adhere better to tight corners and edges. applying the vinyl takes patience, and heat from either a heat gun or a hair dryer. you'll also need an xacto knife to trim the edges, and cut the vinyl on the top so you can take the halves apart. lastly, you'll want a vinyl applicator to squeeze all of the air out, and press the vinyl into all the corners and such.

watching tons of youtube videos on vinyl application also helps!

crazykid35 wrote: Cool gun! How do you get a A-5 to shoot accurately. I have one and it is the most un accurate gun.

how to get better aim? make sure your barrel is clean and dry. make sure your paint is clean and dry. use higher quality paint...you want the smoothest seams possible! it's the seam that will catch the air and send your paint flying in a larger cone. finally, practice shooting. you can have the "best" everything, but if you can't aim, you still won't hit anything lol.