Wolverine MTW Setup Guide: From Box to First Shots

Written by the Titan Forge Airsoft team

This is part one of our MTW owner's series. It takes you from an unopened box to a chrono'd, ready-to-play rifle. Part two covers PSI, dwell and rate of fire; part three covers hop-up tuning; part four covers leaks, efficiency and maintenance.

What you need before you start

Wolverine's own list for a standard MTW setup is short:

• A 7.4V LiPo battery — "Most batteries in the 250-500 mAh range will work", and it fits inside the buffer tube or grip
• A charged HPA tank
• A regulator operating in the 60–140 PSI range. Wolverine state: "We recommend the STORM Category 5."
• A flex line with Foster fittings — the standard in UK and US airsoft

If you're missing any of it, we stock tanks, regulators, lines and HPA micro batteries. If you're still deciding what to buy, start with our first HPA setup guide.

Step 1 — The battery

On a standard MTW: "Connect the LIPO battery to the connector in the grip. Install the pistol grip base plate to secure the battery in place during use."

On an MTW Battery Grip, use a 2mm hex key to remove the screw, install two CR123 batteries as marked on the tray, and reinstall the screw. On a Heretic Labs Tank Grip, connect the LiPo to the JST connector behind the side battery door, then use the power switch to turn the gun on ( | ) or off ( O ).

Step 2 — Tank, regulator and pressure

Mount the regulator to the tank: "Screw the tank clockwise into the regulator until you hear it pressurize." Before you do, lightly coat the tank threads with a silicone-based lubricant — Wolverine specify this in the STORM Category 5 manual, and it's a two-second job that meaningfully extends the life of the regulator's seals.

Now set your starting pressure — and here Wolverine's own documents disagree. The MTW Owner's Manual says: "If using a separate HPA tank, mount your regulator to your tank and set the pressure to 100 PSI." The MTW Quick Start Guide says: "Mount the regulator on your tank and set the pressure to 110 PSI." Wolverine don't reconcile the two anywhere we can find.

Our advice: start at the lower figure and work up on a chronograph. Starting low and creeping up towards your site limit is always safer than starting high and coming down, and you have to chrono either way.

If you're running a WRAITH X or a tank grip, the pressure screw is on the bottom of the tank grip or the top of the WRAITH X — "Use a 3/32" hex key to set the pressure to 110 PSI." On an "Unleashed" MTW, Wolverine state the WRAITH X pressure "is already preset for 1.3J" — still chrono it, since UK site limits vary and 1.3J is above some CQB caps.

Step 3 — Connect the line

"Connect the tank air line by pulling down on the collar of the Foster fitting and pushing the male fitting into the female." If you have a FRAC stock, extend the stock before connecting the line. If your gun has a QUAKE or WRAITH X stock, note the reverse for later: to take it apart you remove the tank first and "fire two shots to vent pressure."

Step 4 — BBs and the bolt catch

Wolverine's stated ammunition guidance for the MTW is specific: "We recommend BBs with a weight of 0.28g or higher", and "Always use precision 6mm BBs for this airsoft gun. Never use any used or damaged BBs." Our BB guide covers what "precision" actually buys you, and there's a dedicated HPA BB weight guide too.

Then the detail that catches almost every new MTW owner out: "Press the bolt catch to enable firing. This must be done each time a new magazine is installed." The MTW has empty-magazine detection, and after inserting a fresh mag you press the bolt catch on the left side to reset it. A gun that "won't fire" on a fresh magazine is usually this.

Step 5 — Fire modes (UK owners, read this)

The selector switch toggles between the modes currently loaded. To change which pair of modes is available: set the gun to semi and hold the trigger — "After 5 seconds, the board will advance to the next setting."

Wolverine's Spartan documentation lists the available MTW combinations as Semi / Full Auto (their stated US default), Semi / 3-Round Burst, Semi / 2-Round Burst, Semi / Semi (their stated UK default), and 2-Round Burst / Full Auto. Worth knowing that a UK-supplied gun is documented as shipping semi-only on both selector positions — if yours seems "stuck" in semi, that's very likely the configuration, not a fault.

Also useful: on BLINC-equipped guns you can enter Live Fire Tuning Mode by holding the trigger while connecting the battery, which gets you at dwell and rate of fire without the app. That's part two's territory.

Step 6 — Hop-up

"The amount of hop-up can be adjusted with the adjustment wheel accessible through the ejection port on the MTW's right side. Rotating the wheel clockwise will increase the amount of hop-up."

Wolverine's recommended bucking for the MTW hop is stated plainly: "We recommend the 70 degree Maple Leaf Macaron Bucking" — we stock the Maple Leaf Super Macaron. They also note that with the recommended bucking "lubrication is not necessary." Setting hop properly is its own job — see part three.

Step 7 — Chrono before you play

Nothing above tells you what your gun is actually shooting. UK sites work to an energy limit, not a pressure setting, and your reading depends on BB weight as well as PSI — so the only number that matters is the one on a chronograph with the ammo you'll be using.

An Acetech AC5000 is an inexpensive way to do this at home rather than discovering a problem in the queue at a site. Our joules guide explains UK limits and FPS-to-joule conversion.

Things Wolverine explicitly tell you not to do

• "Do not disassemble gun yourself. Always contact your local retailer."
• "Before disassembling the upper and lower receiver, always remove the magazine, disconnect the battery, and disconnect any air source."
• Don't store it with the battery connected (see above).
• "Never leave HPA tanks in direct sunlight (including during play), in parked cars, or otherwise submit them to excessive heat" — heat raises tank pressure to unsafe levels.
• "Always wear eye protection when operating your replica."

One maintenance note for British weather: "Your MTW contains steel components and is susceptible to surface rusting when exposed to moisture. If your MTW is exposed to liquids, be sure to dry it thoroughly and clean the surface with a silicone-based oil." After a wet game day, that's five minutes well spent — we stock silicone lubricants and maintenance kits.

UKARA: an MTW in a realistic colourway is a Realistic Imitation Firearm and needs UKARA registration or another valid defence to buy. We verify at checkout, and you can register by playing 3 games over 56+ days at Skirmish Wycombe Airsoft. See do I need UKARA?

Sources: Wolverine Airsoft MTW Owner's Manual, MTW Quick Start Guide, MTW Hop-Up Owner's Manual, MTW Spartan Electronics Owner's Manual, BLINC Owner's Manual and STORM Category 5 Owner's Manual, all published at wolverineairsoft.com. Where their documents disagree, we've said so rather than picked one.