9 minute read
ARMOURY: ARCHWICK L119A2
LABOUR OF LOVE
HAVING SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF TIME AT ARCHWICK, AA LEGIONNAIRE “STEWBACCA” HAS HAD A VERY PRIVILEGED INSIDE VIEW ON THE LONGER-TERM DEVELOPMENT OF A FEW OF THEIR ONGOING PROJECTS. IN PARTICULAR, THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS UNDERTAKEN TO REALISE ONE OF THEIR UPCOMING CENTREPIECE ITEMS, ONE THAT HAS CAUSED A FURORE AMONG THE UKSF IMPRESSION COMMUNITY - IN THE UK IN PARTICULAR - BUT WHICH ALSO HAS A HUGE FOLLOWING IN THE WIDER INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT COMMUNITY: THE L119A2 GBBR!
The Colt Canada L119A2 Armalite derivative rose to international fame in the real steel arena with its employment by the Special Air Service (SAS) and, in particular, the Nairobi terror incident in Kenya, where a lone operative (who happened to be training nearby) single-handedly strolled into the foray and resolved the situation to great media and political plaudit, with L119A2 in hand and clad in a mixture of civilian and Multicam equipment (which has become a go-to impression for many avid fans of special forces and MilSim games).
Recognising the clear popularity of the platform (and realising that it sits in the specific niche typical of their chosen projects), the team at Archwick decided to undertake a somewhat leviathan task for their first GBBR product - a genuine licensed replica, with a truly monolithic upper receiver akin to its real counterpart, authorised and detailed to the most realistic extent possible. As with all their products, this would be produced with typical fastidiousness and attention to minutiae, no doubt in order to satisfy the increasingly pernicious discerning collectors and shooters within their customer base who will find any faults if present.
Bearing this in mind, it is clear that Archwick’s L119A2 project and its resultant array of products and components - including the presentation style transport cases and even the required installation tooling included - are, like all their products, a labour of love.
Announcing their intent to roll out the product with social media releases just prior to the Military Outdoor & Airsoft exhibition in late 2020, in Taipei (MOA 2020) and then showcasing their prototype along with some real steel optics mounted and a bilingual information pack on display sporting “Obi Wan Nairobi” himself, “Christian Craighead” (as he has made himself known as on social media), kicking in Kenyan doors as advertising for the L119A2 - similar to operation Nimrod’s effect of catapulting the HK MP5 into popular culture.
Aside from being the only officially authorised and trademarked version of the L119A2, what else sets Archwick’s offering from the rest of the replicas, from a variety of manufacturers who have scrambled to answer the end user’s desires? Archwick are ensuring they not only have collector level buyers satisfied with their level of detail, appropriate trademarks, surface treatments and of course their build quality, they are also ensuring as broad a user base as possible, with a variety of models compatible with frontline manufacturers ARs. The first production release to hit the market will be a complete gun built off the well-proven GHK internal operating system, with GHK dealing direct with Archwick to supply the internal
components and “raw” basic lower receivers. These are then finish machined externally and surface treated to give the markings and appearance of a Colt Canada lower which, once populated with the GHK fire control components, is then fitted with the Archwick-produced aluminium buffer tube, related spring and buffer, an ASAP style ambidextrous sling mounting ring plate, ambidextrous charging handle, polymer ergo-pistol grip, CTR telescopic polymer stock which, upon completion, is then joined by the upper receiver assembly.
This Archwick upper assembly comprises the centrepiece monolithic aluminium upper receiver, locally produced and well regarded A-Plus CNC machined hop unit and inner barrel, as well as the Archwick produced steel outer barrel. The outer barrel has to be installed with the included tubular tool due to the lack of access near the front of the receiver, as the external picatinny rails are of course integral and thus the barrel requires a long tool with a castellated end to aid tightening of the barrel nut from the barrel’s front end during fitting.
Being released in July 2020 and already with multiple hundreds of units accounted for in the order books, the Archwick team really have their work cut out for them in terms of volume to be produced and the obvious demand for the product. The GHK versions will be supplied with the upper & lower receivers individually completed but separated within the kit cases.
Following on from this premium level full gun assembly, will be the Tokyo Marui MWS GBBR platform compatible kit. This will comprise the same upper receiver assembly and barrel installation tool, as well as Archwick produced CNC lower receiver bodies, the same ergonomic pistol grip, ASAP style rear buffer plate, machined buffer tube, buffer and spring, all of which will be supplied separately in the cases, with either the end user or dealers performing the final installation of the required Marui internal or cosmetic components.
Once this version is completed the next platform in their sights is the Tokyo Marui NGRS recoil AEG range. Looking to cater for the more foul-weather player base (in terms of those who just can’t get along with GBBRs where they live and play, or otherwise just prefer the electric life), clearly there’s something for everyone who wants to get their special forces gear on, regardless of whether they prefer to run on gas or electric. The kit cases not only ensure that the guns arrive at the end user in pristine condition, they also provide an excellent carry solution to and from sites, allowing the user to break the upper and lower receivers apart and store them in the cases, which look very “grey man” and thus ideal for those who have to move through public spaces or transport to get to games.
Along with the external components and detailing, Archwick even went to the extent of having curved and knobbled heat shields stamped from aluminium sheet to really add the little details and finishing touches to the replica, while their buffer tubes also
buck the typical industry trend of taking an extrusion and slapping a base plug in the end. They actually machined them entirely from solid; a near insane level of investment in time and effort to ensure the finished article not only looks as close to the real thing as possible, but even mimics its build process and quality by making use of a level of production that will surely spoil skirmishers, and satisfy the most discerning aficionados.
Similarly, the attention to detail in terms of polymer component production is evidently a hangover from their prior Mk13 Mod 7 products, which made extensive use of separate external polymer components all bolted to the chassis in a manner true to form of the real steel counterpart, even though it made it a much more expensive to produce. Although the pistol grip is the only Archwick made polymer component, the type of rubberised material used and the realistic two-part construction of hard mechanical liner with mounting hardware and softer ergonomic outer skin that gives a pleasant feel in the hand and is textured for extra grip, ensuring that every level of the process extols their capabilities.
In terms of the prototyping and pre-production efforts, there were numerous iterations and minor issues I witnessed which were all dealt with to a great deal of attention, ensuring the end product would meet the end user’s standards. Making use of another manufacturer’s internal components entailed repeated tweaks of the upper receiver internal geometry and related CNC programming to ensure proper fit and function, as well as avoiding any machining marks in the finished article, which is then shot blasted for further smoothness.
The function of the internals also required a process of tuning and tweaking to ensure a reliable and consistent recoil of the gas parts and accurate coaxial fitting of the machined Aluminium buffer tubes. At times the cadence during full auto fire would alter due to friction or imbalances, but the team worked hard to reiterate the combinations of spring rates and buffer weights to get the L119A2 running like a sewing machine, while also giving it quite a pleasant recoil impulse - less abrupt than some of the other GBBRs I’ve used.
Similarly, attaining the perfect surface finish lead to a move away from the initially intended genuine Cerakote painting of components, as this was found to chip from the sharp edges of the stub Picatinny rails too readily. The decision was made to instead hard anodise the receivers; the next challenge thus became colour matching of the lower and upper receiver bodies, which initially posed a minor nuisance as the two are made from dissimilar Aluminium alloys (7075 and 6061 for upper and lower respectively). Therefore, the initial experiments with anodising resulted in slightly different shades which then required repeated treatments until the appropriate process and colour
matching was obtained.
Throughout all of these trials and tribulations I saw the Archwick team apply their experience and problem-solving abilities well and strive to give the end user the level best in quality of both the appearance and function of their L119A2 GBBR series, producing a platform that looks and feels the absolute business, which shoots straight and reaches out far, especially on heavier BB ammunition weights. I’m sure the upcoming Marui NGRS AEG system will be given the same consideration, although, hopefully, won’t present the same internal balancing issues due to its electric operation.
With this ever-expanding range of signature top tier products to entice end users, whether they’re a discerning collector of replicas of service weapons, or the avid MilSim skirmisher who has to have every minor detail of their kit up to par, Archwick look set to keep turning out top notch airsoft guns and accessories that will have people reaching into their pockets.
I’d like to once again extend my thanks to Nelson, Ray & their team for accommodating me so often and continually being so open with their production and development process, so I can bring their attention to detail to our reader’s attention. AA
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PHOTOGRAPH TAKEN UNDER STUDIO CONDITIONS - GBBR CHECKED CLEAR - MAG EMPTY
