Oct 13

Written by:
10/13/2003 9:56 AM 

 

First Impressions

 

After reading much about this capable replica, I was overjoyed to find one in my area for a decent price. Though it is used, it was in good shape and was almost completely original. KWC is not producing this model anymore and it is becoming rarer to come across. Upon first view, it appears to be a little ungainly looking. It seems that the hand guard is entirely too short to be used with the full stock that is common on these models. It would appear a little more at home with a collapsible stock similar to the M4 editions. Other than the first appearance, it has a good presence as an Armalite. Most details are correct for the rifle and many of the parts are metal straight from the factory. Having been an AEG user for most of my airsoft time, I was unaccustomed to seeing a gas inlet coming out of the stock and it was a little hard to get used to it detracting from the appearance.

 

Appearance

 

Although the real steal A2 has a much longer hand guard this rifle still has the basic overall appearance of the original. Unfortunately, for all of you that love to have the correct markings on your replica, this one is devoid of them. Most parts are marked with only the company markings or KWC logos like the ones on the grip. The receiver is identical to a real steal M4 as far as dimensions go. As for external metal parts go this rifle is covered with them, the butt stock back plate, butt sling mount, charging handle, sight adjustment system, forward assist button, fire selector lever, trigger, magazine release button, bolt release paddle, dust cover, hand guard lock nut, three piece outer barrel assembly, adjustable forward sight, forward sling mount, and flash suppressor. As far as internal metal parts go this replica is literally full of them, the internal gas chamber, expansion chamber, trigger housing, back gas block, forward gas block, and almost all the internals of both gas blocks. All this metal gives this rifle a very good weight. It actually weighs about 8 ounces less than the real steel M4 unloaded. The only plastic parts are the butt stock, upper and lower receiver, grip, upper and lower hand guards, and the outer sheath of the barrel at the last 3 inches (though the plastic is around a metal outer barrel). Talk about one tough replica.

 

Loading

 

The loading of the KWC magazines is very similar to loading the TM ones. Using a loading tube, you attach it to the top of the magazine, fill it full of rounds and use a rod to push the rounds into the magazine. The only major difference between the magazines is that the KWC version has a brass top collar that extends above the top of the magazine. The magazines hold 68 rounds (much like the TM ones) and fed them flawlessly into the air in a fountain shape when the collar was pressed down simulating being fed into the rifle (in other words the rounds went everywhere when I accidentally hit the brass collar while loading a magazine). After loading a couple magazines, we lubricated the magazine and the magazine well to be sure and have a smooth loading. We were not disappointed as every round fed perfectly and had no jams or misfeeds. We loaded a magazine with some of the cheapest rounds we had on hand and tried the test again. We found that it has loose enough tolerances to allow even slightly warped or burred rounds to fire easily, though they did not fly straight. One difference between this loading system and the TM style system is that the brass collar is all the way inside the breech when the magazine is loaded. This allows every round in the magazine to fire instead of leaving one or two in the loading system like some TM magazines will do (especially the hi-caps). We only experienced one round remaining in the breech on one occasion and it fell out during the reload.

 

Firing

 

Though this replica was not new when we got it, it was in pristine shape and we assume a new one would be very similar in performance. One of the drawbacks to a gas replica is if the ambient air temperature is low you will see a decrease in the performance as the gas pressure begins to drop along with the temperature. We tested this replica on an 89° F day. The two bottles of HFC134 attached to the external gas rig measured 88° F and were putting out roughly 120psi. With these conditions remaining steady, we placed the rifle in a vise and started the test. Unfortunately, this replica's stock statistics are not that great as far as long-range accuracy mainly due to the 10" inner barrel and its loose tolerances. Earlier measurement found the barrel diameter to be approximately 6.06-6.09mm. In addition, a deciding factor in the lack of accuracy was the fact that there is no kind of hop-up or similar accuracy correction unit. In its stock condition with .2g rounds, it was shooting a moderate 6" group at 50' at 310fps. With .25g rounds, the velocity dropped to 295fps but the accuracy seemed to remain constant, verifying the short barrel as the accuracy culprit. Surely, with a longer barrel and some form of hop-up, this is remediable (and it has, as in our Projects section). During full automatic firing, the rifle performed quite well and we experienced no problems with it. The only downfall was that on the second magazine we were experiencing a drop in velocity due to the gas bottles becoming cold. With controlled firing technique, it performed as well as a typical AEG, albeit much quieter. An advantage to this type of replica is that when your magazine is empty the rifle stops shooting like a real steel version.

 

Strengths and Weaknesses

 

As far as strong points go, this rifle has a lot of them. With the mainly metal construction, it is very strong with very little body flex to it. As far as durability goes, this rifle exceeds the stock TM AEG for average strength across the body. This M16 edition also does not have the inherent barrel wobble that the TM ones typically have. This replica is also very modifiable (if you have the courage to do it). It accepts many of the original M16/AR15 parts such as grips, slings, sight rails, and much more. In addition, most parts real-steel parts can be put on this capable rifle if modified slightly (see the Projects Section). As far as internal modifications go, it is not nearly as simple as an AEG. Though the internal action is very simple it is also very sensitive to alterations due to the pressure that is exerted on most of the parts. JoeSnuffie and I both have one of these rifles that we have highly modified and are very pleased with their performance. As for weaknesses, there are still a few. Mainly there is a tendency for the lower receiver to crack on the right side near the selector lever. Even though this is fixable it is still a nuisance as when it cracks is does not keep the gas system tight together and a leak is experienced then. Another down side is having an external cord to deal with when moving around; it takes quite a bit of getting used to. In addition, do not plan to use the internal gas chamber for more than a couple magazines as it begins to lose pressure very fast. The different type of magazines is also a hindrance since you cannot loan your magazines to a teammate unless they are using a KWC rifle as well.

 

Overall

 

I find this rifle to be very nice. With its robust nature, it will likely outlast many of the other brands of rifles that are around. As far as having to use gas, it is well worth it for this kind modifiability and available power. With simple changes, this rifle can be something to fear on the field, with a price that is not. Most of these replicas you can find for around $200 in like-new condition.