8 minute read
ARMOURY: SPECNA CORE C03
SOLID TO THE CORE
HUNTING AROUND FOR A GUN HE COULD LEND TO FRIENDS, OR USE IF A PRIMARY WENT DOWN, PHIL BUCKNALL TURNED TO SPECNA’S CORE RANGE TO SEE IF HE COULD FIND SOMETHING SUITABLE FOR AROUND £120…
Anyone who has read the magazine in the past few months will know that I am quite the fan of Specna and their line of affordable, yet feature-packed, range of guns. I was first introduced to them back in May last year when I was at the Northern Shooting Show and was thoroughly impressed by both the size of the range and the quality of the guns. I was passed one of the CORE range to have a look at; the CORE is their entry level range but still packs a hell of a lot of gun into a more than reasonable price point. In fact, with a bit of searching around, it is possible to get one for around £120 …maybe even a little less! I was so impressed with the CORE guns I saw at the show that I bought one of the EDGE series, with the GATE X-ASR Mosfet installed pretty much straight after the show, followed by two of the H series - their take on the famous HK416 rifle. Then more recently, I decided that I’d get one of the CORE guns to keep as a loaner for if I had a friend who wanted to come along and play or if someone’s primary went down. I wanted a gun that wouldn’t cost the earth but one I also wouldn’t be too upset about if it did get broken. For £120 I figured this would be perfect.
So, what does this amount of money get you then?
In the box there is: • The gun - obviously! • A polymer hi-cap magazine • Instruction manual, stickers, a Specna lanyard • Spare M100 spring • Battery and charger
So, it’s quite a good offering. Personally, I wouldn’t use the supplied battery as I’ve always found them to be of low quality when you get one included with a budget gun. I cannot comment as to whether this one was or not, as I use Titan Li-ion packs and that is what I ran when playing with the CORE CO3.
EXTERNALS Starting with the externals, I was completely blown away by the gun once I’d been told the price! There are obviously areas where costs have been saved, so this M4 has a polymer receiver, which actually feels very sturdy and nothing at all like the creaky plastic of days gone by. It also bears the fully-licensed trademarks for Rock River Arms. The controls are where you would expect to find them on an AR pattern gun and they work very crisply; theres no mushy fire selector here. The plastic pistol grip is the traditional A2 style and mounted on the polymer buffer tube is a plastic cranestock with a rubber buttplate. The stock can easily swallow a 7.4v 7000mah Li-ion Titan battery pack, so that should be enough to keep you going for, well, …erm, about three months! The outer barrel is metal as are a few other components but like the receivers, the rail is polymer - although I haven’t had cause to complain about it and it doesn’t flex or otherwise move about in use. It feels like a very sturdy gun from the tip of the muzzle to the buttplate; there is nary a creak or squeak from it and the receivers are mated together very nicely, minimising any slop there,
which is common on AR pattern guns both in Airsoft and the real world.
INTERNALS Internally is a perfectly functional gearbox. I have heard (anecdotally) of some people having issues with theirs but thus far, in over 5 months I haven’t encountered any issues in both of these and the EDGE series which have the upgraded Orion gearbox. The shimming and compression seem okay and the gun, once the M100 was installed, was approx. 330fps/1.01J with a 02.g BB. Changing the spring couldn’t be easier, which is just as well given this gun is targeted at beginners who will most likely not have the wherewithal, or desire, to strip an AEG. It utilises the ESA system so all you have to do is remove the buffer tube and then you have access to the spring guide. A quick turn to disengage the lugs and you can pop the new spring in; then it’s simply a matter of reversing the steps.
The inner barrel is a 363mm long, 6.03mm tight bore that is mated to a plastic rotary hop up unit. This has plenty of adjustment and easily coped with my usual 0.28g BBs and giving an effective range of around 55m. The BBs did go further and up to 60m they might still have had some effect but they had started to spread out a little and were beginning to drop after this. For normal engagements it is more than capable of holding its own against guns that cost a lot more. It is consistently accurate and has a very useable Rate of Fire (RoF) - approximately 15-18 rounds per second with this particular one. I really hate high RoF guns with a passion, so I’m pleased to see this has a more realistic rate and is broadly similar to a real M4’s RoF.
One problem I did encounter was the hi-cap magazine that came with the gun. In a word, it was rubbish! Luckily, I had a box of the mid-cap S-mags and I was able to use these for testing and in subsequent games.
The supplied magazine worked once and then it refused to lift any BBs in the feed tube. I imagine that the spring broke or some other component in the clockwork winding mechanism. I understand this is not an isolated incident but Specna are aware and are looking at it from what I have been told, which is good and I hope they rectify it asap, as it is literally the only fly in the ointment for this gun.
I have used this as a loaner and also myself if my back is hurting a lot, as it is by far and away the lightest gun in my collection, coming in at 2.5kgs. This lightweight makes it very “flickable”, so moving and shooting is a breeze and you can easily walk around shouldering the gun for extended periods without fatiguing and still being effective when the time comes to return fire, or launch your attack. I would be perfectly happy to run this as my main gun and have done in several skirmishes. It has the scope to be upgraded as you develop from beginner to more experienced player but if you move on to more exotic or expensive guns, then you haven’t lost a lot of money if it gets sidelined - although that would be a shame, as this would make an admirable back up or loaner or maybe even a gift to someone else who has just started on their airsofting adventures and needs a bit of help.
Would I buy another one? Yes, most definitely and I think that should tell you everything about it.
Until next time - stay safe folks! AA
Airsoft & MilSim News Blog
@airsoftmilsimnewsblog
AWARD WINNER
WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM
If you have any old kit or gear tucked away in a cupboard, garage or shed that you have thought about sticking on eBay, or a forum to get rid of it, then why not donate it to the Pilgrim Bandits instead and Tez will make sure any money raised from its sale will go towards helping even more people – and you can be sure of the undying gratitude and thanks of those who it helps to live again.
Please contact Tez on either his mobile: 07748 800 981 or email: terry.arnett@pilgrimbandits.org
The best watch brand you’ve never heard of.
You won’t find Nite watches in high street jewellers, department stores or marketplace websites - not because they don’t ask us to, but because we prefer to deal directly with you. We know that by operating this way we are missing out on selling many more watches, but we don’t mind.
We enjoy getting to know our customers – hearing their stories, sharing their passions and celebrating their milestones. Dealing directly with our customers is good for you too. Instead of a large portion of your money going towards expensive middlemen, extravagant watch displays and celebrity endorsements, we’re able to invest that back into our watches.
The result of this means that our watches offer superb value for money whilst being tailored to our customers’ needs with features such as the market leading Tritium illumination, Swiss made movements and scratch-resistant Sapphire crystal found in each and every Nite watch. OK, so you’ve heard of us now. Explore the full collection online and see what you think.
