31 minute read
RED CELL: TACTICAL AK UPDATE
RED CELL
FREEDOM FIGHTERS!
IT’S A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO THAT RED CELL FIRST LOOKED AT THEIR PICK OF “TACTICAL AKS”, AND IN THE INTERIM WE’VE SEEN YET MORE MODERN VARIANTS COME INTO BEING! ALTHOUGH THE AR IS UNDOUBTEDLY “KING” STILL WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT AIRSOFTERS BUY, THE WIDTH AND BREADTH OF WHAT’S AVAILABLE FOR THE DIE-HARD OPFORIST JUST KEEPS ON GETTING BETTER, SO NOW THE TEAM BRINGS THEIR EVALUATIONS UP TO DATE!
I’m going to keep my intro short for once, as the Red Cell Crew strangely had a LOT to say about the modern AK variants they’ve been using and abusing since we first looked at them in Issue 127! Of course we’ve seen some new members join the ranks of our testers like Dan and Stewbacca, and some new models come into the mix like the excellent ICS AEK and G&G GK-12 that I looked at in depth recently, and already love! These new Red Cell members are proving their depth of knowledge in “all things airsoft”, and the new models have been added to the long-term “torture-testing” program, and we’ll no doubt return to them in due course!
As many have noted the “tacticool AK” has really opened the doors for more general fielding of what was perhaps seen as only an “OPFOR gnu”, and although recent events in Ukraine are still horrifying out in the real world, what we have seen is some very good guys doing very good things… with a modern AK!
No longer is the humble yet venerable AK relegated to those who wish to create a back-to-basics OPFOR loadout, but instead it is once again being viewed as a tool of those modern-day warriors taking up arms to protect their own freedom, and from my perspective there is no better reason than that to fully embrace the “AK Life”. However, with that said, Red Cell have really got into it this month with twelve AK AEGs coming under the spotlight in one of our biggest reports to date!
Although we’ve not been able to go into tiny detail on every model that’s in the test pool this time, we will come back to them all as the program moves ever-forward. For now though, if you want the real lowdown on some of our faves, read on!
Dan: Of the “Big 3” who manufacturer AK-12 replica’s, LCT, E&L and Acturus (I’ve not mentioned the G&G as obviously this is only just hitting stores!), the Arcturus is the more unique version amongst these. This modernized AK replica features a full stamped steel body, with cast steel accoutrements. Where it departs from its competitors is in the use of an aluminium outer barrel, which will be disappointing to some looking for more authentic detailing. The muzzle brake is an interesting design that can be removed to reveal a threaded crown for directly attaching 14x1mm muzzle devices. Unfortunately, many examples that have come across my bench have these brakes jammed on severely tight from the factory and they require some fine hand-fitting in order to be easily removed without the assistance of tools.
The stock assembly is based off an AR-style buffer tube, and folds nicely to the left, while locking in place securely in both the folded and unfolded positions. It is also adjustable for length of pull and has a nicely textured rubber buttpad that grips the shoulder well. This is where Arcturus has a nice leg up on the competition as their receiver design allows for a true quick-change spring guide that doesn’t require lifting the gearbox out to access.
The magazines are nicely made from molded polymer and have clear viewing windows with round count markings on the exterior. Overall, these feel slightly larger than conventional 74 style magazines, but do seem to feed well and lock in solid to the gun. The bottom of the magazine was redesigned to have a flat base for better using the magazine as a support when firing from the prone.
Much like the real AK-12, this replica features a 4-position selector switch. On the real version, this would be safe / full auto / burst / semi, but on the Arcturus, the burst position is actually full auto as the gearbox lacks any hardware to create an actual burst function. I personally am not a fan of the selector design on the Arcturus as it is indistinct and too loose. The backside uses a piece of tack-welded metal with a stamped detent, which is technically supposed to index into the notches on the side of the receiver. It’s not a very positive and tactile feeling arrangement. On
a traditional AK, you would simply slightly bend the selector to apply more pressure against the receiver and increase the positivity of indexing. But on the Arcturus, this is not recommended due to the metal of the detent plate being rather brittle. It’s also not something that can be easily swapped out to say, the LCT selector, without changing all the selector linkage and axle in the process too.
Unfortunately, much like soldiers have been dismayed to discover in the field, the replica shares the same design defect as the real AK-12 in that you can overshoot the final selector position and render the gun inoperable. In this case, what happens is the internal selector axle will fall off the selector plate and can’t pick it back up, despite rotating the selector to any other position. In order to remedy it, you have to pull the gearbox and realign the selector axle and selector plate. Airsoft manufacturers have a golden opportunity here to address this design defect and implement a simple fix, which could be as easy as a travel limiter on the gearbox or a flange that comes up the side of the receiver such as on a standard AK47/74 style platform.
Love em’ or hate em’ the Arcturus comes equipped with a Version 3 “hybrid” style gearbox. This uses a microswitch in lieu of the more traditional mechanical trigger switch and is basically a copy of the setup found on the Umarex UMP. The big downside to the hybrid gearbox design is that it prohibits one from fitting an aftermarket Electronic Trigger Unit, such as a Gate TITAN or Perun. Fortunately, most any traditional Ver. 3 gearbox will fit inside the body. So while it does incur the additional expense of a gearbox shell swap, users desiring an ETU do have options available to them.
The rest of the gearbox internals are standard Ver. 3 components. I would say the gears, piston and compression components are very reminiscent of King Arms internals in general quality and finish – or ‘above average’ . I find the motor to be slightly better than the LCT’s, with more torque and responsiveness, though it’s slightly muted by the mushy trigger design. In my experience, these tend to shoot a little hot out of the box, with most seeming to clock in around 1.6 – 1.7J (420 – 430 FPS) with .20g bbs.
The newest versions of these are now sporting an excellent rotary style hop up chamber that has a built in block to assist in properly locking in the magazines. The bucking is little better than
a placeholder and benefits from replacing. The inner barrel is a 6.02mm diameter bore and made from steel that is QPQ processed – a sort of nitrocarburizing hardening that inhibits corrosion. With a quality aftermarket bucking or R-Hop it turns in great results.
Overall, I feel Arcturus has its feet firmly planted in the middle between reasonably solid body construction and having better internals than CYMA, but is perhaps more limited on upgrade potential without incurring additional expense, namely a gearbox swap if one wants to use an ETU. On the whole, the platform will be more eminently accessible for the user who might need to immediately downgrade their spring to meet site limits and isn’t familiar with the process of removing a
gearbox as with competitor designs. Bill: Now in fairness I have written about the AK-12 history before, and Dan has really commented fully on what he’s seen on the workbench now this model has been around for a while. From my perspective as a user, and l like the “real deal” the Arcturus ATAK12 is solid as a rock, and weighs in at a hefty 3480g; if like me you’re used to a “classic AK” then this weight feels “right”; this is a bruiser of a rifle with steel and alloy used throughout the construction. Like the “real deal” the receiver cover is another unique feature of the design as it has a permanently affixed top Picatinny 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.
As an AEG it shoots fast, well, and accurately, it’s built like a tank, and it’s a great length for both CQB and woodland use (700mm stock folded/880mm stock open/950mm stock fully extended). With the two magazines that come with it you’ve got enough capacity from the box to get in a game straight away, and in my opinion you would have to go a LONG way to find as good a thoroughly modern AK for under UK£300.
Dan: Standing as direct competitor to the Arcturus in the same pricing bracket, the LCT AK-12 is perhaps the most prominent and well-known example on the market as it was amongst the first replicas of the AK12 available. These are outfitted with a stamped and riveted steel body, and a mixture of cast and stamped external fixtures, including the outer barrel, which is made from a solid tube of steel. The fit and finish of the externals is top notch, with everything being tight and nary a wobble in sight. It soon become apparent that this is a replica that can take a serious beating and brush it off like it’s “just another Thursday.”
The stock assembly locks up very securely, and the release button tends to require some extra force until it’s truly broken in well. Unlike the Arcturus, there is no access to the spring guide from back here, however. While the gun does come with a quickchange spring guide, there is a reinforcement bar extending across the top of the receiver, prohibiting one from accessing it without lifting out the gearbox.
LCT’s AK-12 magazines are probably the main weakness of this replica, being not as nicely made as Arcturus and possessing LCT’s traditionally weak magazine springs. They lack the bullet window design and the body material feels more like plastic than polymer. In my experience, most end users of these typically swap to different brands of magazines in order to rectify feeding issues.
Moving to the selector switch, we again have a
CYMA CM.076A
Price: iro UK£135.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 3000g Length: 530/740mm Magazine Capacity: 450, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.0 Joule/328.9fps Hot Chrono: 1.02 Joule/332.9fps Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com
E&L ELAKS74UN-A MOD A PLATINUM
Price: iro UK£440.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 3140g Length: 495/735mm Magazine Capacity: 120, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315.1fps Hot Chrono: 0.94 Joule/318.2fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
ARCTURUS AT-AK01
Price: iro UK£185.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 3300 g Length: 800/880 mm Magazine Capacity: 120,will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.03 Joule/334fps (After Spring Change) Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331.8fps (After Spring Change) Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com
NUPROL ROMEO NOMAD BRAVO
Price: iro UK£299.00 Age: Four Years Weight: 3500g Length: 805/875 mm Magazine Capacity: 500, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.02 Joule/332.9fps Hot Chrono: 1.03 Joule/333.5.9fps Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
ICS CXP-ARK
Price: iro UK£365.00 Age: One Year Weight: 3365g Length: 638/884mm Magazine Capacity: 520, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 0.87 Joule/307.4.1fps Hot Chrono: 0.88 Joule/307.8fps Taclite Compatibility: Railed Polymer Foregrip Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.icsbb.com
G&G RK74E ETU
Price: iro UK£299.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 2980g Length: 690/810mm Magazine Capacity: 115, Proprietary Magazine Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
SPECNA ARMS SA-J10 EDGE
Price: iro UK£140.00 Age: One Year Weight: 3370g Length: 800 - 885mm Magazine Capacity: 130 (2), will accept most AK style Cold Chrono: 1.08 Joule/342.3fps Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/343.9fps Taclite Compatibility: None (AK105-Length Rail Will Fit) Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.gunfire.com
DYTAC SLR AK105
Price: iro UK£320.00 Age: One Year Weight: 3200g Length: 625/800mm Magazine Capacity: 500, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/338.1fps (After Spring Change) Hot Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340.2fps (After Spring Change) Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail and M-LOK Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk
ARCTURUS AK-12
Price: iro UK£220.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 3480 g Length: 700/880/950 mm Magazine Capacity: 30/130, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.13 Joule/336.3fps Hot Chrono: 1.1 Joule/337.9fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Sections Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com
LCT LCK-12 EBB
Price: iro UK£480.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 4215 g Length: 865 - 955 mm Magazine Capacity: 130, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.08 Joule/336.7.9fps Hot Chrono: 1.08 Joule/338.1fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Sections Suppressor Compatibility: Dedicated Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
TOKYO MARUI AK102 RECOIL
Price: iro UK£450.00 Age: Seven Years! Weight: 2960g Length: 602 - 848mm Magazine Capacity: 90, 480 Hi-Cap Available Cold Chrono: 0.95Joule/320fps Hot Chrono: 0.97Joule/324fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Sections Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk
G&G GK-12
Price: iro UK£480.00 Age: New Weight: 3585g Length: 880-985mm Magazine Capacity: 120, will accept most AK-style Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/339fps (After Spring Change) Hot Chrono: 1.06 Joule/339fps Taclite Compatibility: Standard Rail Sections Suppressor Compatibility: 14mm CCW Supplied By: www.guay2.com
4-position safe / auto / burst / semi design true to the real AK-12, with the last two positions actually being ‘auto’ and ‘semi’, respectively since there is no provision in the gearbox for an actual burst mode. This selector functions much like a true AK selector does in that it slightly curved to apply tension against the receiver. Thusly, it enjoys distinct and positive indexing, while being a superior and simpler design to Arcturus’s offering.
Regrettably, however, our design defect is also readily apparent here, as the LCT version can also have a selector plate failure induced by overshooting the selector position. This issue also exists even if equipping the gearbox with an ETU, such as the Gate TITAN – although I feel it’s exacerbated as the change in wiring position allows the selector plate to slide forward even more. To wit, if you have the selector switch just slightly past the last semi-auto notch, and tilt the rifle muzzle down or give it a light tap on the buttplate, you can cause the selector plate to slip out of position. I’ve largely fixed this by gluing a physical stop to the side of the gearbox shell to limit the amount of forward travel possible by the selector plate. But ideally, I would like to see LCT and Arcturus implement a long-term fix by incorporating a hard stop into the gearbox molds or changing the trigger guard design to have an extended flange like the 47/ 74 series have.
Moving to the interior, we have a traditional Version 3 gearbox design with the inclusion of a quick-change spring guide and we’ve bumped up to some beefy 9mm bearings vs. the usual 6 and 7mm stuff more commonly found in Version 3’s. Upgrade-oriented individuals will be happy to note that these can accept pretty much any aftermarket ETU’s too. LCT’s sport a strong steel gearset, albeit they still suffer from overly thick axles that require a good deal of leverage to extract from the bearings. The compression parts are honestly quite good for a stock gun, featuring a CNC aluminum piston head, aluminum double O-ring cylinder head and a POM air nozzle, which also has an O-ring. These all greatly contribute to the largely excellent air seal and FPS consistency of LCTs. The piston is of reasonably good quality and has a sintered steel rack. A ball bearing steel spring guide is also standard. I would like to see LCT incorporate a thin backer plate to prevent spring guide tilt, which is a problem on these, but for now, users can use the flat screw from Retro Arms to address this. The motor is an old design and pretty lackluster in light of modern Neodymium and brushless fare.
LCT has greatly improved the quality of their inner barrels since their first inception and now feature a 6.02mm bore diameter with reasonably good internal finish. Like essentially every AEG ever, the stock bucking is nothing to write home about. That being said, it’s balanced out by what I feel is the best OEM AK chamber made, aside from Real Sword.
At the same price point as the Arcturus, it would be understandably hard to pick between the two. The LCT is probably the “best buy” for the end user who wants something eminently upgradable with lowered expense as you can retain many of the stock components. It also has a more genuinely constructed steel body, and realists will appreciate the steel outer barrel. It’s held back from true greatness due to various minor quibbles, most notably the magazine and anemic motor, as well as the selector switch flaw. Fortunately, these are all addressable after the fact, and amongst upgraded AEG’s, the LCT can be fashioned into a true beast, easily harnessing the intrinsic accuracy of the Version 3 design.
Bill: Again Dan nails all the crucial points when it comes to the LCT “take” on the “12”, and my experience to date with the LCK-12 has been largely positive. As usual the team at LCT have done a cracking job by bringing us not only the AK-12, but also the “larger calibre” AK-15, which of course in our world will fire the exact-same 6mm BB… I’m not knocking this as it’s great to have choice, and perhaps some folk will look to the “762” as a base for some kind of DMR, but for me at least the AK-12 is the all-important one here! LCT have looked at the major design details that make the LCK-12 different to its forebears, and again as usual, they’ve done a pretty fabulous job! Although I am certain that some out there will find fault (like the laughable “trunnion” debate that came up when the AEG launched… yawn…) but the fact is that LCT have delivered their take on the latest Russian military rifle, and a bloody good take it is too.
The only criticisms I can make is that I wish that
LCT had added the two-round burst setting of the real thing and fitted a slightly more robust motor; yup, that’s it, my only criticisms from a user perspective! If you like the OPFOR role then the LCT AK-12 will be the right RIF for you; it has all the benefits of existing AKs with the added utility of a thoroughly up-to-theminute design, along with all the benefits of a topquality AEG!
Stewbacca: As it happens I acquired my TM AK102 EBB 7 years ago to the day from writing this. My teammate Lewis and I did a large order
direct to Echigoya in Japan to directly import two AK102s one for each of us, and he also got the M4 NGRS as well, just arriving in time for a big Copehill weekender which was also somewhat of a team reunion for some of our further flung members who had moved countries since our heyday.
I ran my AK102 EBB all weekend without any issues as such, I had already acquired four very small 7.4v LiPo battery units to fit in the pistol grip of my QBZ97 which is also a pain for battery space. With the TM AK102 EBB the battery compartment is in the front of the upper gas tube and accessed by swinging up the takedown lever used on the real rifle to release the gas tube. Thankfully the small batteries I already had were also a perfect fit for this space so I had interchangeability between my main guns in terms of power source.
Running a 6094 style plate carrier with a shingle magpouch I carried the eight 75 round midcap magazines in pairs taped together at the bases to make “jungle mags” which worked excellently for fast reloads and making the most of a triple mag shingle by storing three pairs of mags with the front ones hanging out in free space and the rear ones fully retained in the pouches which made for stable carrying and very easy retrieval seeing as I had the whole front mag exposed, obviously if you were using this setup in a less CQB environment you might worry about messing up your mags or going prone either due to the sheer bulk, or getting the exposed mags dirty, but for my purposes this wasn’t an issue and I tended to use the setup from then on until I left the UK as it was very convenient and comfortable. There are also 300 round hicap mags available and I had two black and one of the classic orange AK74 style ones to supplement or replace the mid-caps should their more limited ammunition prove insufficient. The recoil mechanism was somewhat of a novelty for me at the time, and having not had any gas guns aside from pistols back then it was something I quite enjoyed, however in hindsight it wasn’t all that strong or convincing now when compared to the likes of LCT’s more recent offerings with much heavier recoil weights inside, or a gas gun of course. Performance wise I continued to use the AK102 at the likes of The Gaol and regularly posted 0.2g rounds through roughly A4 paper sized holes in the cover available there from as much as 30-40m without too much difficulty. The side folding stock was relatively stable and comfortable, and the addition of the sight mounting shoe did enable me to make use of an ACOG style scope to reach out and stretch the legs of the platform effectively in many cases, I also had an RMR mounted the rear sight replacement rail as well as a torch and laser on the side stub rails of the tactical grip.
Aside from the typical issues with getting used to the AK mag reloads (as this was the only one I ever owned throughout all my time in airsoft so I never really acclimatised to rock and lock mags aside from when using the SVD as well) I did however find it to be a very consistent and effective AEG, unsurprising from Marui, I suppose, and it was ideal for MilSim weekenders and CQB room clearance with its shorter overall profile and folding stock along with the optics and illumination I added to it.
Certainly not a bad gun by any measure, although the charging handle did eventually shake loose from the bolt body on mine as it was a separate piece rather than an integral piece of the geometry, but aside from that failure it never had any other issues to speak of in my years of fielding it.
Bill: Love them or hate them Tokyo Marui are still a name to be reckoned with in the airsoft market, and woe betide any manufacturer out there that doesn’t keep a careful eye on what they’re doing. Although TM are notoriously bad at speaking to airsofters outside their native Japan (although these days at least they are trying…), many players love them for good reason; somehow they imbue their AEGs with a little “unicorn dust”, performing stupendously out of the box even if the power level seems low.
I’ve always found that TM AEGs perform amazingly, and to this day I STILL have NO IDEA how they manage to get the range and accuracy they do! I ‘ve been running the TM 102 through the chrono regularly on .20g RZR BBs and recorded a massively consistent and site friendly 0.95Joule/320fps over an extended period. Using just the iron sights, which are indeed easily adjustable, and .28g I am easily able to hit targets and group pretty tightly at the limit of the 30m range!
Now I don’t know exactly what refinements TM have made to the 102, but the system does deliver a far stronger recoil than their “74” and indeed other EBBs I’ve had from them in the past. Is it up to the par of a GBBR? No, not even close, although with each “generation” TM seem to coax just a little more from their internals! The real plus of the TM system v a GBBR though is that even when it’s warm, firing a GBB rifle will eventually have cool-down effects that will affect your overall performance, rate of fire and range; with the TM 102 you get all the benefits of the gasser WITHOUT the cool-down which makes it a year-round rifle!
Boycie: The RN47 I reviewed, thank you again KWA, is still going strong! I really like the AR feel with the way the AK style mags lock in to the magazine well. Since the review, back in issue 119, November 2020 of Airsoft Action, internally it remains the same as when I received it, except for a hop rubber change to suit our UK climate. I’m regularly getting good range and accuracy from the RN running my currently preferred RZR .28 BBs. My usual preference is to carry only four of the KWA 120BB mags, with an AE-sized speedloader as back up for the longer games.
I also really like that I have the ability to swap uppers with other rifles in the KWA range like the TK45 & TK45C. This gives me the option to pick whatever set up appeals for the days play. I only have one AEG with a ‘fet fitted but I think after a good amount of use it’s time to open the gearbox to have a look at how the internals have held up, but also that may be the opportunity to fit a Titan inside and give it a few other light tweaks
Externally the RN now sports a longer rail and outer/inner barrel; this only adds a couple of inches over all to the rifle in standard form. The balance, to me, feels better with the change of front end components. I’ve also changed the muzzle device. It still runs a PTS MOE foregrip and Element PEQ15. In order to slim the RN47 down from the original review build, I now rarely run the Nuprol NX600S light. Where I need some light indoors usually the PEQ light is enough or I will switch to my trusty Umarex Glock 17 with taclight if I need that little more illumination.
Over the lockdowns I have been quietly working on a new addition for the RN47 which is the KWA recoil effect. Some may have already added recoil with the standard RM4-type recoil set but this is where I made something a little different. I really like the slither-style stock and this is where the challenge came in… more to come on that modification in a future issue!
Bill: From the moment the “white prototype” version of the NUPROL ROMEO came into being Ross kept me fully in the loop with development, and it was more than exciting to see his “Project AK” take its first faltering steps into the light of day. Once
again, Ross, Mark and I pored over details, and I know for a fact that the two of them argued over even the tiniest parts!
Fast forward to November 2018 and, knowing that the container from the Far East was finally due in, you could cut the tension with a knife. “Nuprol Project AK” had finally come of age, and the “ROMEOs” were born! Again, Ross sent me a picture of the very first ROMEOs to be unpacked from the container at the Nuprol warehouse and I sat back in my office chair and breathed a sigh of relief as the finished production models looked to be absolutely stunning!
Are the ROMEOs what I hoped to see from NUPROL? Yes, they are, and more! If I still lived in the USA this is pretty much exactly what I would build for myself in 7.62x39mm, right down to the neat little sling plate under the buffer tube! The models feature superb high-strength and high-quality parts that have been used to the very best effect, and the net result, in my mind, is a stunning, up-to-the-minute AK. I 100% believed at the time of release that the ROMEO (the BRAVO NOMAD for me!) Series would be another roaring success for NUPROL, and I’ve been proved right in this given the number of friends I see rockin’ these splendid “tacticool AKs”; in the words of my favourite AK meme, “Nyet! This isn’t the 1940s any more Grandpa!”
Jimmy: There was a time when I loathed an AK, I will not lie, and I would have happily chosen an AR platform over one any day of the week without hesitation. They say over time the human palate alters and food you once disliked will eventually become something you enjoy, and well, this for me has come true on both the food side of life and my approval of an AK platform!
That said I’m still not completely converted mainly because I am not really a fan of the old skool styling of what many know to be an AK. By old skool I mean AK’s in the original form. I prefer a more modernlooking rifle and my love today for an AK is focused mainly on the modern tactical styling which appeals heavily to me. Give me a buffer tube with a sliding stock, a monolithic tactical rail system and a chunky grip and you’ve sold it to me.
I recently acquired my own “tacticool” AK in the form of Nuprol’s Romeo Recon Bravo and I can honestly this thing is a great bit of kit, as it looks the business and gets the job done. Having owned it now for nearly a year I very happy with its performance; there are a few small changes I have made but nothing that will detract from what it really is. The main body is rather heavy and with that weight comes rigidity; I have felt some AK’s which don’t give any confidence in strength.
Having the fixed buffer tube allows me to fit any AR stock that I desire and gives an amount of adjustability that’s perfect to get that “feel” just right. I love the handguard it is a chonky piece of CNC alloy with a top 20mm Picatinny and KeyMod mounts on the sides and underneath allowing for whatever attachments you see fit to use. The dust cover offers a full length 20mm Picatinny rail also for mounting dots or optics. On the left side of the receiver you will see an offset bracket allowing for another mount giving the user a slightly higher mount, so should the dust cover need to be removed your zero will not be affected as it is fixed to the receiver.
One thing in particular I am not a fan of is magazine wobble in any platform, and I have experienced a fair few AK variants that have very wobbly magazines. This is not the case with the Nuprol Romeo and the mags sit very snug thanks to a very neat little spacer plate that comes as standard! I’ve found that the Romeo does not accept some mags although it’s happy with most, but then this is airsoft and no two mags are the same! I can confirm STAR 90BB midcaps fit in it perfectly, but it’s just a shame they are 90BBs lol! I do however have a CYMA drum mag which fits very well now it has been slightly modified… of course I do, I have a reputation to uphold!
Bill: I’ll bring things to a close this month by focussing on what must be my most regularlyused AK, and that’s the E&L ELAKS74UN-A MOD A PLATINUM! Although I’m a huge fan of all of the family “Automat Kalashnikova”, and as much as I like my custom-CYMA (which is still a brilliant skirmish-AK itself!), I have to say that my personal favourite both in real and replica form is the smallest member, the AKS 74U. Over the years there has always been one of these in my personal airsoft collection, although the one that I find myself returning to time and again for “in-game” is the little E&L. With a retail price iro UK£300 this is one hell of a performer; okay, I am biased because I love the SU so much as a model, but after owning many I have to tell you that this is genuinely one of the very best AEG versions I’ve ever encountered. The externals are absolutely spot-on and rock-solid, the internals are the very best they can be, and the performance is first rate; in truth I can say that I will never buy another modern SU-style AEG as this has seen me through many a game and is still every bit as good as when I first got it! AA
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