11 minute read
ARMOURY: ARES M45 X-CLASS
IN AN X-CLASS OF ITS OWN!
THE “PISTOL CALIBRE CARBINE” CONTINUES TO BE A FOCUS FOR MANY AIRSOFT MANUFACTURERS AT THE MOMENT AND IT’S A TREND THAT, IF WE’RE HONEST, WE’RE ACTUALLY QUITE ENJOYING, AS THE INDIVIDUAL DESIGNS AND “TAKE” ON THIS HAVE BEEN PRETTY UNIQUE! WITH BOTH AEG AND GBB MODELS ALREADY ON THE MARKET, BILL THOUGHT HE’D TAKE A STEP BACK TO LOOK AT A LITTLE “PCC” FROM ARES, THE X-CLASS M(4)45!
What exactly is a “Pistol calibre Carbine” (PCC), and what does it mean to me? Essentially, it’s what it says on the can… a carbine-length platform (so, no longer than a 14.5 inch outer barrel in my mind) married up with a pistol-style magazine, either “9mm” for anything G-series-based, or .45 for a 1911-style. …and that’s it! As we’ve seen some fabulous designs coming from virtually all the main manufacturers worth their salt, it’s a marketplace that is fast becoming a little saturated and from recent social media blasts, we’ve all seen that are more yet to come! We’ve seen AEG and GBB “PCCs” and they’re all pretty cool, being based largely on existing technology but with some new outer party clothes to dress up in, plus some revised mechanics to take into account the “pistol” magazine. Most perform flawlessly, and in many ways are the ideal airsoft CQB tool but there are a couple of things that cloud the issue for me. Number one is a bit of a biggy in my mind, as a true “PCC” will work as a primary using THE SAME style of magazine as your secondary and in real life this is a joyous meld that means you only need to carry one style of magazine. Effectively, your pistol belt becomes your entire loadcarrying gear and you can carry a good load of mags without a chest rig or plate carrier! If you’re a player that likes running a “hi-speed, lo-drag” loadout, then the PCC should be tailor-made for you. However, apart from one of my favourite gassers, the G&G SMC-9, there are actually very few models that conform to this in airsoft form. The SMC-9 can use GTP-9 pistol magazines as well as extended versions and, as we note in “Shop Drop” this month, there’s even a big old drum on the way, hopefully before the year is out.
“But wait!” I hear you say, surely we class the SMC-9 as an SMG and not a PCC…? So, secondly, there is the misty/clouded area of where does a PCC end and an SMG or PDW start? If you take an SMG, for instance, then this also uses a pistol-calibre magazine but does so with a high rate of fire in mind. If you pigeon-hole a PDW as something that has that distinctive, minimalist sliding stock but uses a regular carbine-calibre magazine then all is good, but what we’ve seen in airsoft guise sometimes meets all those criteria… and then promptly throws them ALL in the bin! What we’ve seen to date are PCCs but with PDW stocks, and then PCCs that look more like an SMG… Let’s face it, the MP5, possibly the most famous SMG of recent times uses what is (effectively) a simplified “PDW-style” sliding stock… You see what I’m saying here? Basically, it’s as clear as mud!
With all of that in mind, I’ll turn my attention to the actual AEG that I’m
focussing on here, not a new model for sure as it first took my attention a couple of years back - and that’s the M4 45 PISTOL X CLASS (M45) from good old Ares that really ticks all those PCC boxes!
NEW TECH INSIDE AND OUT
First up, let’s have a look at what the M45 really offers us as players...
Essentially, what Ares offered us was a super-looking, supershort AR “PCC” but with some unique twists. At just 358mm long (with the stock collapsed to the side) this was one sweet package that appeared perfect as a sniper/DMR secondary. With the stock deployed and very solidly locked in place, that length extended out to 522mm with a PROPER sliding stock that housed a decent battery; Plus Point #1… no tiny specialist battery or PEQ box needed! However, this stock made use of some new tech in the form of a “contact point” battery connection (two connection points each on the buffer tube and upper receiver interface) which meant you had to have the stock extended for the M45 to fire!
This may seem like a negative to some (in that you can’t fire the M45 while the stock is folded to the left) but in many ways it favours properly aimed shots (Plus Point #2), plus when you carry it into a safe zone you cannot only remove your magazine and make clear, but you can also physically isolate the battery function very quickly
and easily to put the AEG into a totally safe mode (Plus Point #3). Both of these points are a positive for me… anything that encourages safety and proper shooting style are a bonus to me and the fact that you get that “proper” stock on a very short AEG works too. Then comes the other clever trick with the M45; the front-end modularity, which is Plus Point #4!
If you buy a PCC or PDW you generally get a really short AEG, but that means you’re stuck with the original length and only through a lot of work can you change this. Not so with the M45, as it has one of the best modular front-ends that I believe I’ve ever seen (until the MUTANT which I’ll return to later) and that is SO easy to use that it’s almost a no-brainer! With the M45 you get from the box (and a very small box it is!) an uber-stubby 100mm quad rail system which incorporates the inner and oversized “.45” outer barrel, along with the hop unit. By simply pulling down on the pull-tab beneath the ring that mates the entire frontend assembly to the upper, you can release the entire unit and replace it with a different one. Ares have made a whole range of accessory front-end units, flash hiders and parts to help you with this. I did mention that the M45 outer barrel is physically larger than that you’d find on a regular carbine (20mm at the largest dropping to a 15mm thread covered by a knurled cover), so this will cause some challenges if you want to fit a suppressor or tracer unit but that’s nothing an adapter won’t easily solve and, quite frankly, the chunky barrel adds to the overall look.
So, a couple of unique things that really make the M45 different already but as usual, both the internals and externals are quality too! Inside you get the EFCS that I’ve already talked about a lot recently, so that means you can set up the X45 as you like it. There’s also a new slimline motor fitted into a slim pistol grip with an entirely new rake angle that works well and makes this a great choice for players with
smaller hands but equally makes it instinctive to use (Plus Point #5). Externally, the build is lovely and of tank-like metal construction; it really feels like you could give the M45 some serious “hammer-time” and it would come back at you laughing! The fit and finish of everything is first rate and neat additions like a functional bolt release for the “.45-sized” ejection port, full ambidextrous controls, and a clean flat-bladed trigger make the M45 something a little special!
SMALL PLATFORM, BIG PERFORMANCE!
Now, I have to say that as a big guy, REALLY small ARs are something I don’t usually get on with, especially those with “PDW” stocks but the proper sliding stock of the M45 makes all the difference! This is a really easy AEG to work with due to its ultra-compact size and, as the battery is housed inside the buffer tube, the compartment is easily accessed by simply popping off the easy-to-remove stock. I fitted an 11.1V LiPo (which is actually easy to do with the M45) and once in, the battery totally disappears from sight. The M45 comes with two magazines; a short pistol-style 55 and a longer SMG-style125 (and yes, there is a drum mag), plus all magazine variants are designed for smooth and uninterrupted feeding of BBs, even with a high ROF.
So, all set up it was off to the targets for some range time and the M45 performed just as I expected; like a little fire-cracker! It’s a super little carbine to work with, with great ergonomics and a very positive cheek weld thanks to the full stock and the newangle pistol grip. This is pretty much the same rake as a 1911 (cool move Ares!) so if you use a 1911 or Hi-Capa then it will feel very natural! Adding a short foregrip as always makes it very easy to drive the muzzle from target to target and the overall length of the rifle (the full 552mm for me) makes it easy to work with, even in tight spaces. Once the rotary hop was set, an easy control to adjust, the M45 was shooting a straight shot out to the end of the 30m range at a site friendly 0.89 Joule/311fps average on a .20g BB.
The flip-up sights that come as standard are a smaller version of the excellent ones fitted to most of their carbines these days, and their neater size fits the aesthetic of the M45 well …they work just as effectively as their larger siblings. The bladed trigger is light yet crisp, with very little lag so it’s easy to get consistently accurate shots away time after time, just spot-on for an AEG that potentially will be used on semi-only for CQB, although full-auto on an 11.1 rocks along nicely too!
I would say that if you are looking for a “PCC-Style AR”, then the M45 is certainly most worthy of your consideration. In terms of my own use, it sits perfectly alongside my Hi Capa and .308 DMR to dominate the mid-ground between the MED of the .308 before I need to transition to a sidearm proper if things really go to R-S! It’s a great looking replica, performs just as well as it should out of the box, is solid as a rock, and with for-the-future-modularity built in it’s an awful lot of tiny gun for the money! Like them or loathe them - and Ares appear to attract just as many detractors as fans - I believe that Ares are actually amongst the true innovators of airsoft right now and that’s come from over ten years of really getting into the market to find out what works and what doesn’t, both in terms on design, operating systems and new technology.
Back in Issue 126 I had a good look at the latest MUTANT design and was really impressed with their modularity and it struck me that this is something that I personally originally saw from Ares in the M45, so it’s great to see a system continue to evolve. However, as good as and as innovative as the M45 was (and is), I do hope that a manufacturer will soon come up with a TRUE PCC that uses the SAME magazines as our favourite handgun models… This is going to be a big ask, especially if it’s in AEG form but I believe that whoever does this first will have a market-dominating system on their hands.
So, Ares, if you’re listening, it’s time you created a kick-ass AEP to go alongside the M45 X-CLASS! Go on, I double dare you…
Many thanks indeed to www.iwholesales.co.uk who kindly provided me with the AEG sample for this review. You can check out more details on the M45 and the rest of the extensive range of Ares models by simply visiting their website. AA
STRETCH PANTS
BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN / SRP: £69.95
