12 minute read
ARMOURY: G&G GK-12
FEEDING
THE BEAST
AFTER MUCH WAITING SUDDENLY IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF OPTIONS NOW WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING AN AK-12 REPLICA, AND THE LATEST MANUFACTURER TO ENTER THIS FRAY IS G&G! AFTER A LONG WAIT BILL FINALLY GETS HIS HANDS ON THEIR GK-12, BUT IS IT ALL THAT HE’D HOPED FOR!
Ihave to admit that with the horrific events in Ukraine still unfolding on a daily basis I have found it hard to write about a replica of a firearm being used in an active warzone, especially one that is being used by the aggressors to suppress the freedoms of another country’s population.
Even to a self-confessed “AK-aholic” like me, the AK-12 is a model that I find hard to get enthusiastic about at the moment, although as an extension of the AK family I can talk about it purely in airsoftdevelopmental terms. And airsoft rifles, especially an advanced AEG that combines the very latest internals and electrical operating systems all married up to an excellently achieved set of externals needs to be spoken about, so when it comes to the G&G GK-12 I will concentrate on, and address, two key areas, the AEG itself as a move forward in technological airsoft terms and the misconception that G&G “modern AKs” can only use proprietary magazines!
I first clapped eyes on the prototype GK-12 a while back, and I’ve been pestering my good friend Rick at G&G about this beast ever since! This means that the development of this latest AEG has taken a number of years from concept to realisation, and just shows that G&G continue to change, not just rushing out a new AEG because others have, and because it’s “on trend” at that particular moment, but taking their time to develop it properly so that ultimately what we as players receive actually is indeed the best thing they can produce given current technology.
I think we can all point to G&G AEGs in the past that have been less than “stellar” when released but that have actually turned out to be darn good guns after a little fettling and TLC. I can also point to new developments that haven’t worked quite as they should from the box, and even to few “dead ends”. What I specifically like about G&G most these days though, and the main reason I am always pleased and proud to work with them, is that they have actually listened to our gripes of the past, and shown with their more recent releases that they have taken note and acted upon our collective feedback.
Now many manufacturers SAY that they do this, but if you all knew the amount of time I spend talking to Rick at G&G each week (he is a very gracious listener!) I believe you’d be shocked! He always has a question for me as I usually do for him, and he also listens to what I, and we have to tell
him; I am certain not going to flatter myself that I’m the only person he spends so much time with, in fact I know I’m not! G&G WANT to know what we all think of their AEGs and GBBs, and they WILL action problems highlighted by us (and that includes you!) as users of their products.
Many of you might say that using the community as “final product testers” should not be a “thing”, and I’m largely in agreement with this line of thought, but with the sheer pace of technological advances in airsoft right now this does mean that AEGs in particular will be quickly brought to market to illustrate that “Manufacturer X” is with the program. That’s why I’m so pleased that G&G have really taken their time with releasing the GK-12, as although it does contain all their latest gizmos and goodies inside (I love a good technical term!), it’s been part of their long-term development program to bring us solid, functional, and most important of all, durable skirmishing tools!
FINE LOOKS!
When it comes to the GK-12 it certainly has all the right “party clothes” to please anyone that wants to own an AK-12 replica! I’m pleased to report that like other AK-12 models I’ve tested and used to date, G&G have been faithful to the “real” in their replication on this latest electric rifle! The GK-12 is built like a tank, and weighs in at a hefty 3565g, so just a little lighter than some of the others; if like me you’re used to a “classic AK” then this weight feels “right”, and this is a bruiser of a rifle with steel and alloy construction throughout. Like the “real deal” the receiver cover is another unique feature of the design as it has a permanently affixed top rail where the rear sight assembly mounts directly to the cover; this of course means that the rifle is all ready for an optic should you desire to fit one, and this is mated firmly to the dust cover.
This also means that the traditional rear “poplatch” has gone, and the dust cover is released instead by rotating the retained front locking arm above the cocking handle and sliding the entire cover back and up to access the battery compartment. With most of the other AK-12 replicas I’ve tested and used to date this locking arm has proved to be a little “sticky” to start with, but G&G seem to have got this nailed, and their locking arm has proved to be the easiest to use by far; they’ve really got this right, and it means that “in the field” battery changes are slicker than those of the competition. It’s a small thing, but oh-so-crucial in the midst of a skirmish!
There’s an ergonomic pistol grip modelled on that of the real rifle, more rails on the handguard, and a solid side-folding, multi-position stock. The excellent muzzle brake has been 100% replicated from the real thing, although in the case of the GK-12 it’s highgrade alloy rather than steel, which helps to shave a few grams off what is a pretty heavy rifle; thankfully the GK-12 outer barrel is threaded 14mm CCW rather than being fitted with a “QD System” (or not so “QD” in some replicas!) so it’s easy to fit a suppressor or tracer unit should you wish to, and once again thankfully the seating pin for the brake is retained so you won’t lose it if you’re changing out front-end options in-game.
Externally everything is lovely as far as I can see, and internally you get the latest G&G ETU, a pretty solid gearbox setup with 8mm bearings, all driven along by an Ifrit 25K Short Axis orange (25000rpm) motor and there’s a proper quick-change spring function should you need to use it; all you need to do is swing the stock open, remove the dust cover, and then… here comes the clever bit… depress the spring loaded gas tube plug at the sharp end and rotate it counter-clock to remove it! This becomes an 8mm allen key (the back of the gas tube plug!) you can then use depress the spring guide, rotate 45˚, and carefully remove the guide and spring… no need for an extra tool, you have all you need, and to install the new spring, simply reverse the steps… genius!
In terms of the latest Gen4 MOSFET functions the GK-12 benefits from easy to set modes and has: 1. Built-in double-shot selector switch. 2. Programmable pre-cocking mode. 3. Memory function; settings will not change after the battery is changed. 4. Power-cut activated when there is no BB in the chamber or empty magazine (this needs a Proprietary GK12 magazine, more on this later) 5. Warning light and sounds to indicate: • Low battery power: one warning sound and
flash per 1.5 seconds. • Malfunction (motor or gear jammed, low battery power, piston jammed): continuous warning sound and flash for 3 seconds when trigger pulled. • Sector gear misposition: warning sound and light flashes twice when trigger pulled.
Programming is simple too as you first switch to semi-auto, hold the trigger down for FIVE seconds (please note for safety that this will fire one shot), and when you hear a BEEP three times you release the trigger to enter the program mode.
After you are in program mode:
Default Setting
Hold trigger down for THREE seconds, continue to the BEEP and release the trigger to complete the program.
Pre-cocking
Pull trigger TWICE and hold the trigger on the second pull for THREE seconds, continue to the BEEP release the trigger to complete the program.
3-Round Burst
Pull trigger THREE times and hold the trigger on the third pull for THREE seconds, continue to the BEEP release the trigger to complete the program; full-auto has been programmed to 3-round burst mode.
5-Round Burst
Pull trigger FIVE times and hold the trigger on the fifth pull for THREE seconds, continue to the BEEP release the trigger to complete the program; full-auto has been programmed to 5-round burst mode.
MAG FRIENDLY!
So, inside and outside the GK-12 is exactly what I’d hoped to see, but there’s still one area that I’d like to address, and that’s the “proprietary magazine” thing!
Like many of you I already own quite a sizeable collection of AK AEGs and their magazines from different eras, and although I wouldn’t use the AKM/S “steelies” in an AK-12, my AK-74 mags might be useful as you only get a single G-08-196 120 BB midcap in the box. These will be available to add to your loadout if you want to stick with G&G, and they are a cracking replication of the real AK-12 magazine, but this is indeed a proprietary mag and works with the power-cut system to deactivate the AEG when the magazine empties and simulates bolt-lockback, and it’s true that with other magazines this function does not work.
However, when I brought this up with Rick (remember, he likes to give ALL the information!) he told me that other G&G RK(AK)-series magazines would work in the GK-12, although the power-cut
function would be lost. So confident was he in this that he kindly arranged for a sample of EVERY SINGLE G&G AK MAGAZINE including the fabulous 2200R drum to be made available to me for testing… and yes, EVERY RK mag fits and feeds perfectly in the GK-12! This is great news if you already have another G&G AK (RK) in your armoury.
However, with this in mind I got to thinking about my somewhat sizeable collection of “74” mags, so I tried examples from many other manufacturers and blow me if THEY didn’t all WORK with the GK-12 too, apart from one CYMA “waffle”, and frankly that doesn’t work with anything other than the AEG it came with bizarrely! Bolstered by the success with the “74” mags, as I already have a bunch of AK-12 mags from different manufacturers I duly tried all of these too… and yup, they worked in the GK-12 just fine, especially the D-DAY DMAG 30/130RDS variable caps!
So, bottom line is this, if you have an AK already, and you have mags that work with that, if you fancy a G&G GK-12 then take some mags with you when you “try before you buy”; I’m certain that you’ll get the same result as I did, although you will lose the powercut feature. Quite frankly, if that’s what’s stopping you from buying a GK-12 then you’re missing a trick!
So, to the proof of things! Fully up to spec inside and out, with ALL mags tested and feeding, and with everything pre-programmed to safe/3 round/ semi, the GK-12 chrono’d in at a mean of 1.36 Joule/384fps using .20g RZR BBs. A quick “in the field” spring change (easy!) brought this down to a more friendly 1.06 Joule/339fps. Now properly set it was time to pop up the steels and see what the GK12 was capable of. After correctly setting the sturdy and steady rotary hop wheel, on semi-auto using RZR .28BBs and using just the iron sights, the rifle performed really well out to 30m; flicking the safety lever to its full-auto mid-point I was soon knocking over those plates on pre-set three-round bursts. Back on semi and shooting prone I was still getting a 170mm group consistently, and that was with the hop still bedding! I reset again to full-auto and had at it with that big old drum, dumping continuous strings of BBs like it was going out of fashion, and for once I was in total agreement with Jimmy… WAY TOO MUCH GIGGLE FACTOR… and the GK12 handled this without a beat!
Whatever your thoughts and feelings may be at the moment in relation to the AK-12 as a real-world firearm, the G&G “take” ticks all the right boxes! As an AEG it shoots fast, well, and accurately; it’s solid as a rock, and it’s a great length for both CQB and woodland use. Now that I’ve answered my own question about magazine compatibility (thank you G&G!) you’ve got enough capacity available to you to get in a game straight away, and ultimately that’s what counts with any good AEG isn’t it?
Some things take time to get right, and in the case of the G&G GK-12 it has obviously been time thoroughly well spent.
This particular “AK” has genuinely been worth waiting for! AA
