KEEPIN’ IT EASY!

BACK IN JUNE LAST YEAR WE RECEIVED A COOL LITTLE AEG FROM DELTA ARMORY (DA) TO INCLUDE IN OUR LONG-TERM TEST PROGRAM, BUT GIVEN THAT THE GUYS AT DA HAVE A WHOLE NEW FAMILY OF LICENCED REPLICAS ON THE WAY WE THOUGHT WE’D FOCUS BACK ON THEIR MK18 AND SEE HOW IT’S BEEN DOING SINCE IT ARRIVED WITH US… OVER TO OUR RESIDENT “MK18-AHOLIC” BILL…

Last month I had the great privilege of introducing everyone to the very latest AEG series from DELTA ARMORY (DA) in the unmistakeable and unique form of the FREYA, and I have to admit that I’m quietly excited to welcome an example of these stunning new ARs into the “AA ARMOURY” as one has been promised from mid-production run for me, and us, to check out fully.

You may wonder, with all the AEGs and GBBs that I get to see, just why I’m excited for the FREYA, and my desire to see this in the flesh is largely based on its uniqueness and the performance that I’ve seen over the last ten months from the DA Mk18 which has proved to be a really workmanlike little AEG based on one of my favourite platforms.

If you fancy an “off the shelf” Mk18, then you’ve got GREAT choices for both AEG and GBBR bases, some of which you’ll have seen in our RED CELL updates; we’ve been putting these super little ARs through their paces for some time now, and the Mk18 ALPHA from DA has really earned its place among the many models that we’ve tested, sometimes to neardestruction… whatever I’ve thrown at the ALPHA it just keeps on rockin’ and appears to want more of the same! appears to have been chosen to work together well, and all parts fit neatly and snugly together, with not a creak or wobble anywhere even after extended use. The ALPHA differs in a good way from my other, more “traditional” Mk18s in that it has a modern, almost “billet” styling to the receiver set, and as I said before this may cause some raised eyebrows among the “stitchbitch” fraternity but I actually like the approach that DA have taken with their receiver sets; you’re definitely not going to mistake this for anything other than a DA AEG as there are deeply engraved magwell fence and also inset to the forward

To return to my initial review... “if AEG is your preferred choice of “OS”, then the Mk18 models that are being offered to us by DELTA ARMORY are great models to look at! The Mk18 sits among the DA ALPHA and BRAVO ranges that we detailed in our introduction to the brand way back in Issue 150.” Running stock from the box the ALPHA has proved to be a really budget-friendly way of getting into the whole “NSW/SOPMOD/Mk18-thing” if, like me, that interests you, and even if it doesn’t because of the history, the ALPHA is a solidly made, short AR AEG that’s immediately ready to BB-up and get out onto the field with!

There’s also some handassist grooves machined into the front of the magwell, an aesthetically pleasing touch will also please that favour a “magwell grip” (not I, perish the thought!). Controls are 100% AR-norm so no issues there, and there’s a singlepoint sling-plate fitted as standard. The Mk18 has flip-up front and rear sights that come as a part of the standard package, and they work well, and the standard pistol grip suits me just fine as it’s a great, modern ergonomic design.

The stock fitted as standard is excellent, pretty darn solid on the buffer tube and resembling a mashup of the best features of the BCM Mod 1 and the Magpul MOE SL with the DA logo thrown in! It’s not a copy of either, but has a similar cheekweld profile and an easy-to-adjust pinch release and a soft rubber “squeeze-to-release” buttpad that makes changing out batteries in-game an absolute breeze!

Internally the Mk18 is also very, very solid with a 6.03mm precision inner barrel and a metal modernstyle CNC A-type, flat-face trigger as standard; inside there are solid high-quality internal parts with an SHS piston featuring full metal teeth, SHS delayer, 8mm bearings, rotary hop chamber, and a reinforced gearbox, and I have no issues to report on any of these.

Back To The Range

As I said at the outset when the Mk18 ALPHA arrived with us, I wanted to see how it fared for both CQB and woodland settings as it should be able to handle both well; this is one of the appeals of the Mk18 for me, the fact that it can work equally well in either setting should you wish to purchase a single AEG for both. I’ve now had multiple sessions on the 10m steels and the 30m woodland range.

At 30m things have really bedded in well even on the as-standard hop chamber and rubber, and I’m happily able to shut a .30g to the extent of the range with a nice flat trajectory. On semi the trigger response is VERY crisp, especially important when clanging the shorter-range steels, and as IRL the Mk18 is predominantly a CQB-oriented design, and that’s where it should always excel… and it certainly does!

The ALPHA model I’ve been testing was factory-set to 1.07 Joule/340fps and this has remained constant through the chrono over time, indicating that the spring fitted as standard is of good quality, and that the stock seals are not too shabby either. As a midcap player I was delighted with the polymer 120 BB model as standard, and this has continued to feed flawlessly throughout testing; I have now fully tested the ALPHA on all my usual AR mags, both STANAG and other, and I’m pleased to tell you that these all continue to feed perfectly too.

In terms of accessories I have finally settled on a combo that I like, although I feel there may be one final change needed… up on top I’m running a NPTECH 886 HOLO SIGHT for the reasons that Andy mentions in his article this month, and it’s a perfect optic for a CQB-oriented platform. I have a BIG DRAGON STUBBY FOREGRIP fitted (a fave of mine, cheap and with good battery storage!) along with some MP-style soft “ladder” rail covers; this helps me manage the front end effectively during fast targetto-target transitions - even in the wet.

Also on the front end I have an NP NX600L WEAPON LIGHT running on a “rat’s tail” and this is the one thing I still intend to change; of late I’ve been running a WADSN AN SL Single Port Button on my Mk18 GBBR and I love it, so I feel that for 15 quid or so this may have to be replicated on the Mk18 AEGs as it is super effective and efficient. Rounding things off “just for the look” I fitted a NP “MAWL” LASER BATTERY BOX and I think it looks great, and certainly “right now”! At the back end I did make one final change in that I fitted a PTS SYNDICATE MOE STOCK… again this is purely a personal thing but I find “CRANE-style”, good as they are, a bit to chunky when I’m using a helmet.

After the best part of a year the DELTA ARMORY MK18 ALPHA AEG is still rockin’ along just as it was as new, and in terms of accuracy it’s even better! I don’t feel that there has been any downgrade in the compression parts as the power level is still solid, but now that everything has settled in it does seems quieter, a good thing. This is a carbine that you can buy for a sensible price that looks utterly superb, feels solid still, and continues to impress me in terms of performance.

Given all of the above I am genuinely looking forward to the FREYA arriving as I’m told by DELTA ARMORY that the performance of the new rifle is even better! However, I will continue to enjoy the MK18 ALPHA as it is… a Mk18!

Have I mentioned I love a Mk18? The DA ALPHA is a good one!

My thanks go again to DELTA ARMORY for providing the test sample, and please do go and check out what www.delta-armory.com have coming soon! AA

“ON THE FRONT END I HAVE AN NP NX600L WEAPON LIGHT RUNNING ON A “RAT’S TAIL” AND THIS IS THE ONE THING I STILL INTEND TO CHANGE; OF LATE I’VE BEEN RUNNING A WADSN AN SL SINGLE PORT BUTTON ON MY MK18 GBBR AND I LOVE IT, SO I FEEL THAT FOR 15 QUID OR SO THIS MAY HAVE TO BE REPLICATED ON THE MK18 AEGS”