BlasterTech Parts: Rapidstrike Mag Release, 5kg Elite Spring (Updated 18/6/17)

I recently ordered a couple of things from BlasterTech (BT). Within that package was a Worker Stryfe mag release, a Hellverine (Hellcat mislabelled as Wolverine), 2 BT Rapidstrike mag releases and a BT Elite 5kg spring. I've covered the Worker mag release and Hellcats before, so this post will be focusing on the RS mag release and the Elite 5kg spring.

The BT Elite 5kg spring (top spring) is a pretty standard upgrade spring. It's intended for Elite clip system blasters such as the Retaliator, Rampage, and so on. I decided to put it in my Tri-Strike.

As expected, it fits and works just fine. Chrono data can be found here. To be honest, I was expecting a little more, however it does seem to feel a little weaker than some of my other upgrade springs for Elite clip system blasters. Priming the Tri-Strike with this spring certainly is not that difficult, and does perhaps feel a little easier than priming some of the other upgrade springs I have. BT's 5kg Elite spring costs 10AUD, which is pretty standard for a regular upgrade spring.

EDIT 18/6/17: A retest of the BT spring (see updated chrono sheet) has yielded less disappointing results. In my blue pump Retal, I was getting 87-91fps with both Koosh and Elites, while with a Hobbymods spring, the same Retal was getting around 93-95fps. The Tri-Strike saw similar trends, though with substantially less impressive numbers. The BT spring is certainly a little weaker than the Hobbymods spring, however the performance difference is pretty small.

The BlasterTech RS mag release is a 3D printed part styled after the Worker Stryfe mag release. It has much of the same look, though is a little shorter. BT offers extended mag releases for Rapidstrikes, Demolishers and Modulus' (all are slightly different designs), in orange, blue and black.

Here's the BT mag release next to the stock part (with a homemade lever mag release).

Installation is very simple, just remove the old mag release parts and slot in the new one. I feel it is worth noting that the while the main hole through the mag release part is nice and loose, on one of my mag releases, the top hole that attaches to the mag lock itself is a little tight, and I believe this adds a little unnecessary friction to the mag release system. I think widening that hole slightly would make it a lot smoother. The other mag release I bought had no such issue.

The BT mag release is a relatively short mag release, at least compared to say the Gavinfuzzy mag release. It's still perfectly easy to actuate with the middle finger of your trigger hand, but grabbing it with your off hand while removing the mag is a little more difficult than with a longer lever. It's for this reason that the mag release on my Bullpup RS will be staying the Gavinfuzzy design, but for my other conventional RS builds, the BT mag release works nicely. It looks decent and works smoothly, and is easy to actuate while not being so long as to potentially become an issue. If you're after a relatively shorter lever mag release for the RS/Demolisher/Modulus, the BT mag release is certainly a good option, especially for its reasonable price of 5AUD.