ARMOURY: SA-E21 PDW

EDGING OUT THE COMPETITION

SPECNA ARMS ARE ON AN ABSOLUTE ROLL AND IT SEEMS THEY RELEASE MORE NEW MODELS OF AEG EACH MONTH AND HEAD IN NEW DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME! BILL HAS SPENT SOME TIME WITH ONE OF THE LATEST MODELS TO BE RELEASED, THE SA-E21, AND BRINGS IN HIS FINDINGS…

Ihonestly think I’d be hard-pushed to think of another AEG manufacturer that has consistently released so many models and variants in such a short space of time, as although Specna Arms have been knocking around for a while now, their recent output can only be described as “prolific”! I remember seeing the brand appear on the Gunfire stand several years back with a small range of “AR-inspired” models and, if memory serves, our very first mention of them actually spelt the name wrong!

I believe it would now be impossible to make that same mistake, as Specna Arms have become an “airsoft household” name, with a wide range of retail stockists throughout Europe and further designs on expansion into the US market (if their presence at SHOT Show is any indicator of intent).

And the fact is that they have the goods to back all this up and they continue to innovate and inspire with new models to suit any (and every) airsoft player out there - models that are well-built, well-priced and perform from the box. This, ultimately, is what we, the players, truly want if we’re honest, as although we are bombarded with words, pictures, and videos from folk telling us to “fettle, change, and upgrade” our AEGs and GBBs, what most of REALLY want, especially at the moment, is to get out and play a game!

It may surprise many of you that most of the airsoft

guns I personally own and use these days are internally “stock”, as what you get as standard from the likes of Specna Arms are AEGs that actually have most of the bells and whistles we used to add internally, fitted as standard. It wasn’t so long ago that MOSFETs, for instance, were the stuff of fantasy and being able to set your AEG to anything other than semi or “full chat” wasn’t even an option we considered. Tightbores were things that the “techies” fitted - and don’t even get me started on the size of batteries…

Although we are constrained right now in our ability to actually get out and use our airsoft kit in earnest, the fact is that in my opinion we are living in somewhat of “golden age of airsoft”, where most firearm models are available as really quite excellent airsoft replicas and our choice is bigger and wider than ever. And that, to me, is where manufacturers like Specna Arms (there are others!) have stepped into the ring with gloves raised to take on all comers in a thoroughly professional way.

Not only are we seeing the “business model” of airsoft changing but, as I have said before, we are seeing airsoft manufacturers going their own way to pursue design concepts of their own and turn those concepts into reality. Trust me, from conversations I had at SHOT earlier this year, there are those in the “real shooting” community that are looking quite hard at what the airsoft world is creating right now and new relationships forged by Specna Arms with

“THIS, ULTIMATELY, IS WHAT WE, THE PLAYERS, TRULY WANT IF WE’RE HONEST, AS ALTHOUGH WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH WORDS, PICTURES, AND VIDEOS FROM FOLK TELLING US TO “FETTLE, CHANGE, AND UPGRADE” OUR AEGS AND GBBS, WHAT MOST OF REALLY WANT, ESPECIALLY AT THE MOMENT, IS TO GET OUT AND PLAY A GAME!”

the likes of Daniel Defense promise great things for the future!

NEW AND GOOD TO GO

Now that’s all very well and good, but you may well ask how all of that relates to the SA-E21 EDGE AEG model that I received for evaluation from Specna Arms? What I will tell you is that this is the first model from them I have had to try that features their own take on the “PDW” sliding stock, so I’ll address that first.

Although I saw the Specna Arms design a little while back now, this is the first time that I’ve had the finished product mounted on an AEG and I have to say that they’ve done a tremendous job. Whilst a “PDW Stock” can only be SO different, this one is very neat and functions very well indeed and when it is compressed it is neat, tidy and mates with the battery compartment and receivers perfectly, in fact you’d be hard-pressed to slide a fag paper between the joins!

When open - and there are three positions for this - the stock is as solid as a fixed version and although the polymer pad is small for me (all PDW pads are small for me!), it’s a great shape which means you can shoulder the little carbine well. The release of the sliding stock is also very neat in that you have a “paddle” to the left but with a button on the right that will also activate the release; a small thing but well-thought out and efficiently achieved!

This new addition is nothing less than I’d expect, as the EDGE is a line of AEGs that combines an array of solutions and technologies hard to find in others on the market, most certainly at the price. It is a series that stresses great craftsmanship and care for all external parts. Every element of the EDGE series, not just this E21, has been made and fitted with the utmost care in every detail and the body even features a Nano Coating that prevents scratches. The body also bears Specna Arms markings as well as an individual serial number.

The stunning looking E21 that I received in Specna’s new “Half Bronze” colour scheme is one of the shortest of their ARs, a true PDW length at just 570mm with the stock compressed (660mm with the stock fully open) and it’s fitted with a 150mm

M-LOK free-float rail. This rail is only two slots long but is just big enough to fit the included foregrip and additional accessories if you want them, plus there are QD sling points at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. The top of the E21 has a continuous top rail from front to back and comes with flipup BUIS of Specna’s own design, which are very functional and easy to use. There’s also a QD pistol grip that provides easy and rapid access to the motor without having to use tools.

Internally we’ve now become quite blasé about the quality that Specna Arms offer as standard and this little carbine features a factory-fitted MOSFET X-ASR module from GATE. This high-quality MOSFET looks after the internal components, improves the trigger reaction and extends the lifetime of the electronics and the battery. It will also help you diagnose basic malfunctions inside the AEG - and there’s even a neat little “crib card” included in the package to help you troubleshoot on the go!

The E21 has a short 6.03mm precision inner barrel that helps with accuracy; the barrel works in tandem with a new type of a rotary hop chamber that allows for very precise and “set once” adjustment. The E21 also features the ESA Quick Spring Change System, so it’s simple to quickly change the power to field conditions without having to access a workshop or a set of special tools. All you need to do is remove the stock assembly to gain access to the spring, so that it can be removed without having to pull out or disassemble the gearbox and Specna even throw in an extra M90 spring if full-time CQB is your preferred medium!

At the beating heart of the E21 is the ORION gearbox,

“WHILST A “PDW STOCK” CAN ONLY BE SO DIFFERENT, THIS ONE IS VERY NEAT AND FUNCTIONS VERY WELL INDEED AND WHEN IT IS COMPRESSED IT IS NEAT, TIDY AND MATES WITH THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT AND RECEIVERS PERFECTLY, IN FACT YOU’D BE HARD-PRESSED TO SLIDE A FAG PAPER BETWEEN THE JOINS!”

which is based on a reinforced frame and equipped with a main spring release. The ORION gearbox is rated to work with springs up M140. As well as the gearbox itself you’ll find a reinforced polymer piston with steel teeth, aluminium air-sealed nozzle, aluminium double air-sealed cylinder head, aluminium double air-sealed piston head with bearings, a set of steel gears, and 8.mm bearings.

BBs DOWN RANGE

The E21 is a really easy AEG to work with due to its ultracompact size. The battery is housed inside the mock buffer tube that forms part of the sliding stock assembly, and the compartment is easily accessed by simply unscrewing the tube. I fitted an 11.1V LiPo, which is a little bit of a squeeze given the small space, but once in, the battery disappears from sight.

The E21 comes with a pair of Mid-Cap 125BB S-MAG magazines, which have an unusual but visually appealing characteristic as they feature an amalgam of the Specna Arms logos! This actually makes them very tactile though and the S-MAGs are designed for smooth and uninterrupted feeding of BBs even with a high ROF. I did, as usual, try a whole heap of other “AR” mags though, and all of them worked perfectly.

So, all set up it was off to the targets for some range time and the E21 performed just as I expected… wonderfully! It’s a super little carbine to work with, with great ergonomics and a very positive cheek weld even with the minimalist stock. Adding the short foregrip makes it very easy to drive the muzzle from target to target and the overall length of the rifle, the full 660mm for me, makes it easy to work with, even in tight spaces. Once the rotary hop was set, an easy control to adjust, the E21 was shooting a straight shot out to the end of the 30m range at a site-friendly 1.09 Joule/344fps average on a .20g RZR BB. The trigger is light yet crisp, with very little lag so it’s easy to get consistently accurate shots away time after time. Switching it up to full auto sends a nice stream of BBs downrange in quick time…

In conclusion I would say that if you are looking for a “PDW-Style AR”, then the SA-E21 PDW EDGE is certainly most worthy of your consideration. It’s a great looking replica, especially in the “Half Bronze” style, performs just as well as it should out of the box, is solid as a rock, and at just £231.00 at the time of writing it’s an awful lot of little gun for the money!

Many thanks indeed to Gunfire who kindly provided me with the AEG sample for this review. You can check out more details on the SA-E21 PDW EDGE and the rest of the extensive range of Specna Arms models by visiting www. gunfire.com. AA

“IT’S A GREAT LOOKING REPLICA, ESPECIALLY IN THE “HALF BRONZE” STYLE, PERFORMS JUST AS WELL AS IT SHOULD OUT OF THE BOX, IS SOLID AS A ROCK, AND AT JUST £231.00 AT THE TIME OF WRITING IT’S AN AWFUL LOT OF LITTLE GUN FOR THE MONEY!”

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