Got the Guarder metal kit for the Mini Uzi.
These parts are cast aluminum.
The Mini Uzi comes in an Airsoft version as well as the .177 BB gun shown here. Nobody seemed able (or willing) to confirm if this kit would fit the BB gun, nor could they detail what the differences in the two versions might be. Once again the buyer is on their own. But of course.
Although the gun is advertised as all metal, that's not true. The internals are metal and quite stout, as are some exterior details, but the upper & lower receiver housings are ABS plastic.
The aluminum upper comes in two halves, while the original plastic upper is one piece.
The metal parts omit the "Made In Taiwan" logo, and add other details.
Grip is in place on the new housing to check the fit ...
The first step in making the swap is getting the thing apart. All pretty straightforward until you get to the rear sight, which must be removed to pull the inner frame out. And the first step in getting the sight off is to remove the tiny oddball set screw shown below. This takes a 0.9mm hex key, nothing you'll find in any average hex key set. After all, it just wouldn't DO to use a more commonly available screw size.
After removing all the screws in the bottom of the plastic housing, the plastic must be flexed a bit to get the inner frame out. That's when you discover the elongated alignment pins cast into the housing. These fit into the metal inner frame and lock it into position. The housing must therefore be flexed to allow the frame to pass over these pins and come out.
Now it gets interesting.
The aluminum frame also has these pins. They're both cast in the right side upper receiver.
The metal housing is not going to flex like the plastic, and attempting to do so would probably break something.
Not a very well thought out design.
This shows the metal right side upper and the internals that have to mate up with it.
Note the two elongated pins and corresponding slots.
I filed this pin down to about 1/4 of it's original height. That limited the amount of flex needed to get everything to snap into place.
In retrospect I should have also filed down the other pin. As it stands, getting everything apart again means flexing that housing more than I feel comfortable doing. A better design would have been to eliminate these pins altogether and use several screws up through the bottom of the housing.
Next issue ... not all the holes are drilled correctly.
As shown below, one screw wants to go in crooked. Had to stretch the hole in the housing to get it to go in straight.
Always test fit stuff
To get the left side upper in position, the instructions (online, such as they are) say to remove two small round pins molded into the right side upper, and they indicate exactly which pins. I carefully filed them off. This isn't optional. Attempting to flex the housing over these pins will almost certainly crack the housing. Also, do not tighten up any screws until the left side is in position, this allows more wiggle room.
And finally, when everything was back together, the magazine wouldn't stay in. The mag latch didn't latch.
Oddly, it did when I assembled the lower receiver by itself.
But there's maybe 0.010" difference in the height of the plastic and aluminum lower housings, just enough that the mag tops out against the upper frame, and doesn't quite allow the latch to engage. Turned out to be an easy fix .... just filed a bit off the top of the mag latch.
Done. And working properly. Success!
Now it's an all-metal gun.
When they say it's not an easy kit, they're right. But that's not because it's complex, it's actually a pretty simple gun.
IMO the problem stems from the fact that the kit has a few basic flaws, which can be successfully managed IF one knows in advance.
