So, there are certain things I detest… Crane Stocks and PEQ boxes being high up on the list. AEGs generally have enough room inside the buffer tube for a reasonably big lipo  pack… However, Certain replicas do not have the luxury of battery space in the buffer.

Having used a Tokyo Marui Recoil Shock for a fair few years it’s been something that I’ve found several workarounds to… One very popular method is the “Magpul Mod” used to hollow out a Magpul .70 extended butt pad, Initially these mods required the addition of a velcro strap… More recently they have been improved upon by the more careful use of cutting jigs and a router, Or in some cases a milling machine with a preset cutting program dialled in. There are several people claiming to have invented this mod, But without wanting to stir up a hornets nest I’ll not mention any names…. God forbid I miss out some random dude who modded a magpul pad and he decides to get all antsy in his pantsy.

However, There are two key drawbacks to the Magpul Mod…

Firstly, It will only work with a Magpul stock… If you want a CAR15 or LE Stock, Or something more unique then your screwed.

Secondly, The mod allows the movement of the stock, But not to the same degree as either the SOPMOD system or a front wired recoil. Often you find your unable to close the stock to its most compact position, and if you can then there’s rarely enough adjustment to allow it fully extended.

Another way around this is to hide the lipo in the front rail, Usually you’ll require a thin, split pack lipo, the addition of 3mm bullet connectors can often assist in low profile builds, As will the removing of some unrequired material on either the barrel or the rail.

The Daniel Defense RIS II type rails such as that found on the Mk18 Mod 1 and M4A1 SOPMOD Block 2 will generally have a little too much material on the lower section to comfortably hold a suitable lipo. With a lot of this section of the rail not being required for the structural integrity and being virtually invisible from the outside, You are able to cut down a large section of this without any noticeable negative impact. I’ve had this done on both the Mk18 and Block 2 rails and it works well…

When cutting this section out, Its advisable to do so with a milling machine… In this case I was lucky enough to call upon my Dad, A precision engineer (Useful to know one, Invaluable to be related to one!)… A very simple job for him to achieve a high quality of finish in a short amount of machine time. As usual he completed the job in quick time, But his parting words were… “I’m not doing the skivvy work for you, file off the burrs yourself” so here I am with a nearly but not quite completed cut section…

Filing the edges and putting a slight chamfer on the inner section is pretty important… Having seen first hand what happens when a lipo is cut, I’d rather not sacrifice my Block 2 to the lithium gods!

After this, its a simple matter of finding the best way to route the wires and tuck in the inevitable excess… You can then replace the lower rail section and bolt it up again… (Pro tip, rail covers on the bolts)…  If your not wanting to either lose the bolts or repeatedly thread-lock them, its a lifesaver. I’ve become very used to swapping out lipos in the rail… I have never had the need to swap out  lipos in game so its not an issue for me, But be aware that it will add minutes to your battery changes so think first before you decide on this method of lipo storage.

One of the great things about hiding your lipo in the front is that you can create a unique looking recoil shock build, Its surprising how many people give it the once over and don’t  spot the lipo… Even those who do, remark at how it doesn’t take anything away from the build aesthetic.

I’m not going to take credit for the method i’m using, Cheesy from Cobalt was the guy  to give me the inspiration to follow this course, His own previous Block 2 build being wired in an identical fashion.

The only slight niggle is that sometimes, The gas block can become a nuisance… I removed it in my Mk18 build, But in my Block 2 it doesn’t cause any issues. If you decide to try it for yourself, all I can recommend is… Have the best tools you can to hand for the cutting (Or send it to someone who does) and Measure twice, a third time for luck and then cut!