FILL YOUR HANDS!

EVERY SO OFTEN AN AIRSOFT RIFLE COMES TO LIFE THAT SEEMS TO CROSS ALL THE BOUNDARIES OF PLAYING STYLES AND GAME GENRES, ONE THAT BECOMES AN INSTANT CLASSIC FROM THE MOMENT THAT IT HITS THE TRADE SHOWS, AND MOST CERTAINLY WHEN IT STARTS TO HIT SITES AND SKIRMISH FIELDS! EVER SINCE WE LAID EYES ON THE NEW LEVAR FROM G&G WE JUST KNEW WE WANTED ONE …AND BILL TELLS WHY!

It doesn’t matter what kind of airsoft you love to play, if you’re an out and out skirmish demon or a MilSim monster, as occasionally a new airsoft rifle hits the interwebz and everyone goes a little bit crazymad… in a REALLY good way!

Now Jase and I are very different airsofters in that I’ll have good dabble in any given genre and enjoy every moment if it means slinging BBs, whereas Jase is very much the MilSimmer in our midst (even used, and the test models have been given our usual thorough “beasting”!

I would be the first to point out that even with the very best QC in the world until a new model is used extensively in-game there is always a possibility of an unforseen issue no matter how rigorous production testing is, and I believe G&Gs testing to be amongst the most thorough out there these days. Indeed, one of the most expensive AEGs I own, the G&P Stoner, to shoot it!

I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge that there have been a couple of comments online concerning an issue in a minute number of LEVARS globally, and I do mean “minute”, and frankly I have further questions in relation to the models affected that I’ve seen images online of for myself. G&G have to their immense credit responded directly to this lightning fast, and I for one cannot ask any more from a manufacturer; if for whatever reason an issue is raised, however small it may be as in this case, then the manufacturer needs to look into it, and G&G have done so with remarkable speed, efficiency, and openness from what I’ve witnessed. I will tell you now that we have not experienced any issues in the test models of the LEVAR we’ve had access to or encountered to date, and we’re not seeing anything other than positive comments on the LEVAR in the majority of both “gen pop” and user groups… long may this continue as our experience so far has proved it’s a VERY fine airsoft rifle!

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

So, with that out of the way, what is the LEVAR, why does it appeal to such a huge cross-section of players, and why should you want one? Simply put, because it is 100% PURE UNADULTERATED AIRSOFT FUN!

The name kind of gives the game away from the get-go, in that the LEVAR (or LevAR) is a completely unique amalgam of old skool and new! It’s a leveraction (like the old cowboy Winchester, vibes of John Wayne!) rifle brought to the modern age, one that combines an AR upper with a dedicated leveraction gas lower mated to a thoroughly modern rail system, and to me it just looks cool. Basically you get everything that you get with a modern tacticool rifle with the added funtimes of the lever-action; gasdriven with the gas held in an internal reservoir filled via a nozzle in the pistol grip, the other huge plus for the LEVAR is that you can use all your existing AR-style AEG mags, although it does come with a dedicated that forms a hand-rest under the rail; the dedicated magazine is designed to work with this angle too, and looks great while it does so. On the LHS on the lower you simply have a mag release and on-off safety, whilst on the RHS there is a cleverly-designed, elongated mag release lever that allows you to drop your empty mag while your hand remains inside the lever!

The lever itself is nicely realised too; if you have ever look it up!) and the short rail still provides three, fourslot picatinny sections along with multiple M-LOKstyle mounting points at 3,6, and 9 o’clock (with a couple more offsets in-between) should you wish to fit lasers or taclites, with even greater acreage on the 15”! Up-top you get a full-length rail that continues onto the upper with G&Gs new fibre-optic low-profile battle sights fitted as standard front and rear; I found these a little difficult to use in their closed position on a standard AR, but on the LEVAR they work perfectly.

The upper is pretty darn standard AR, with the top rail perfect to add your optic of choice, and moving down to the lower, well, that’s where things get interesting! Although it’s obviously been designed to mate up perfectly with an AR upper the design is very different, with an enlarged, angled magwell it… and you’re all set, rinse and repeat!

On both the 7.5” and the 15” the stock is removable as it tightens onto a short picatinny rail at the base of the pistol grip; the 7.5” comes without a stock, but obviously the 15” version comes with the stock pre-fitted, with an adjustable cheek-riser (which you’ll need if you’re running an optic up to), and a rather nifty-looking “bullet rack” featuring fake rounds which is a sweet little touch. One word of warning here… the stock fit to the pistol grip is VERY tight and to fit or remove it you may be tempted to give it a tap with a rubber hammer… just remember there is a tiny concern right now in relation to the pistol grip/gas connection so just don’t wallop it too hard!

“UP-TOP YOU GET A FULL-LENGTH RAIL THAT CONTINUES ONTO THE UPPER WITH G&GS NEW FIBRE-OPTIC LOW-PROFILE BATTLE SIGHTS FITTED AS STANDARD FRONT AND REAR; I FOUND THESE A LITTLE DIFFICULT TO USE IN THEIR CLOSED POSITION ON A STANDARD AR, BUT ON THE LEVAR THEY WORK PERFECTLY”

And here’s the good bit; as much as the LEVAR is already a unique beast, the fact that it makes use of an AR-style upper means that the sky is the limit when it comes to how you can put things together just as YOU like them, and folk, like those at governed by how fast you can work the lever action, but this is very smooth in operation, as is the trigger itself; you do need to ensure however that you cycle the action fully and you also need to make sure that you get your fingers out of the way though, as this gal can bite ya!

This performance is extremely consistent, and I have to say that I find the LevAR utterly charming, and it’s proved to be no slouch in terms of build quality or

Patrolbase here in the UK, have already proved that the upper is compatible with other G&G M4/AR uppers so that you can REALLY play around with things in the future. The hop is G&Gs excellent (from the box) rotary, and all the inner-barrel hop parts are AEG compatible should you wish to customise and upgrade things further.

Downrange

So, all well and good… and incredibly funky and fun… as far as we’re concerned, so now let’s have a look at how the LEVAR performs!

My Take (Rangetime, 7.5”): As new the LevAR loaded up with its full complement of 36 0.20g BBs and charged with VORSK V6 gas fully lived up to my expectations. Through the chrono the rifle delivered a consistent average of 1.02 Joule/332fps over a string of 10 BBs which is perfect for all sites. With the hop reset (this is easily accessed by cocking the rife to open the dust cover, and simply adjusted) to .30g BBs and using the G&G “irons” at 10m unsupported I was able to group 10 BBs within 25mm, and I could easily hit my “sandbag” at 30m. The rate of fire is of course performance either. I will go as far as saying that this is a replica I will genuinely love owning as it has HUGE character, and is quite unique… and I’m certain that as owners let their creative juices flow, the uniqueness of LevARs in the wild will only become more pronounced as this is a rifle that just screams to be customised!

For the 7.5” version I decided to turn it into a bit of a “stealth assassin beast”; G&G have now confirmed that they will offer the stock as an accessory, and they kindly sent me one with the rifle. As I said before the stock fits (like gentle-rubber-hammer-time VERY!) snugly onto the short picatinny at the bottom rear of the pistol grip, and once secured it ain’t going anywhere. Next up for me was to fit a suppressor, and the big old VORSK QD version that is an accessory to the VMP-1 sang to me… so that’s what went on and it looks awesome as far as I’m concerned, although I did need to fettle a short outer barrel extension (silver still in image) to give enough space for the suppressor to seat over the muzzle device. I chose my favourite short optic for up top, the NUPROL NP OPTICS - 1.255X26 IR, and this also looks the business.

A couple of things still to do until I’m completely happy though; first up I need to pop the NP optic onto a QD mount, and I would REALLY love to have a really quick-detach stock on the rear. The first is easy, but the second one is a little harder as until G&G design a QD side-folder stock, or someone makes a picatinny adapter for the angled pistol grip so that I can fit my First Factory stock, it’s the “stock stock” or nothing… ultimately I want all the accessories to be QD so that I can run the 7.5” “minimalist Mare’s Leg” perhaps with a bespoke holster and then add options as I need them.

So, would I use this as a skirmish rifle on a weekend? I’d have to say maybe, as if you’re a bit of a “spray-er and pray-er” this isn’t going to be for you, but with a little TLC and the right accessory setup the LevAR could be a great sneaky-stealthy option, and I believe that many will come to love it as such. However, if you’re thinking of dabbling in anything themed, especially some kind of “Fallout-style” or similar game, then this is a rifle that will give you an enormous edge over the springers and bolties, and you’ll have a whole lot of fun doing so! Fill your hands you post-apocalyptic SOAB!!!

Ben’s Take (In-Game 15”): G&G’s LevAR Rifle, does it live up to all the hype? Well, let me start off with the fact that it has a great look which is very much in line with the hype! It is an awesome-looking platform and as I’m sure everyone knows it is compatible with other G&G top receivers which is a welcome bonus; definitely part of G&G’s out the box thinking and taking their game to a new level!

Now is this platform for me? No, not really my cuppa tea, but I had the great opportunity given to me by my good friend Ritchie who lent me his LevAR 15” rifle to use in-game, and I actually quite enjoyed my time with it surprisingly! Fresh out of the box, it was something different to use and adapt to; not properly zeroed in with scope that was mounted, I adapted and overcame and adjusted my aim. The LevAR cocking action functioned flawlessly and was very, very smooth; however, I did find a couple of times on retracting the lever that my trigger finger accidentally caught the trigger and I fired prematurely as the trigger is very light and sensitive...again, I’m just not used to this platform, but I soon got the hang of it!

I didn’t have any issues with what I thought would have been the issue to deal with; giving it the overlook inspection, the mag release button is close to ones trigger finger, and I know there

“WITH THE HOP RESET (THIS IS EASILY ACCESSED BY COCKING THE RIFE TO OPEN THE DUST COVER, AND SIMPLY ADJUSTED) TO .30G BBS AND USING THE G&G “IRONS” AT 10M UNSUPPORTED I WAS ABLE TO GROUP 10 BBS WITHIN 25MM, AND I COULD EASILY HIT MY “SANDBAG” AT 30M” were some people questioning the placement of that mag release, but I didn’t come across this as a problem… my only real issue was my short arms! So often I find with a full stock rifle that to shoulder it just feels a little too awkward for me but I just about managed with the LevAR; I found using the rifle canted seem to work best for me when I was in the medium to close ranges where I got a good number of kills. I used the rifle fully shouldered with the scope for medium to long shots with which I also got a couple of kills… all with a rifle that wasn’t mine and that I’m not yet fully used to!

I feel though that the LevAR rifle would work best HPA-adapted as to me being a gas-blowback-primary user mostly this rifle just felt “off” and by that I mean it didn’t seem to have that feel of power that the rifle should have; it sounded a little weak from the muzzle, yet it still performed well. I just believe for that the consistency with HPA would be the way forward with it.

So, would I say it lives up to the hype? Yes and no; it’s got the cool looks and some adaptability, it does perform well but that also depends on the person using it, as in you really have to want to have this style of platform and be comfortable with it. It’s not for me I personally as it doesn’t feel comfortable with my short arms and with my style of play (although I’ve yet to try the 7.5”!) as I need that quicker semi/full-auto action, but I would definitely be okay with borrowing one for a game just to switch up how I’m playing from time to time, or to use on the range for a bit of fun!

It will be cool to see in the future what other people do with this rifle, things like changing out the top receiver and what furniture they add to it for their own unique individual look. Overall it is a beautiful looking platform, functions well, and shoots well. I still think it would be better HPA, and maybe in future G&G could come up with possibly a shorter style stock for us hobbits lol! Maybe then I would feel more keen about it… however I still enjoyed my time using it and was quite satisfied with the kills I got, and that’s all that matters!

So, there we have it, two opinions that ultimately say the same thing… the G&G LEVAR works, works well, and is a whole heap of 6mm fun! Whether or not this platform is for you will of course depend on your airsoft “tastes”, but the fact is that the LEVAR is with us to stay, and I can certainly see it building up a hefty fanbase, and a whole heap of innovative aftermarket part options.

For now though the fact is that virtually every retailer I know with any stock of the LEVAR is already sold out, and there are still players keen to get their hands on one! Does it have an inherent fault? A tiny number of models may have as is sadly the way with all things manufactured, but G&G and their distributors are commendably already well on top of this, so I believe that you can buy with confidence in the knowledge that if anything were to go awry you will be very well looked after.

This to me is what the airsoft industry needs more of; great new models with unique operating systems and design, that function perfectly from the get-go, with some good old customer service support to back them up! In my opinion G&G should be rightly proud, not only in respect of their creation in the form of the LEVAR, but also in how they have reacted to even the thought of a problem; this to me is what makes a great airsoft manufacturer and why I enjoy working with my friends in Taiwan so very much… contrary to some opinions, they do care, and they care deeply about what they create.

My thought right now is that the LEVAR is a wonderful creation, one that shows real flair for unique design, and a true understanding of what it means to make a new, mainstream airsoft rifle that is fundamentally different, and all the better for that. In the hands of a player with the right mind-set I believe it will prove to be a platform for those that enjoy the thrill of the hunt like Ben, and I shall be watching out for tales of this in the user groups! Personally I shall be enjoying the LEVAR 7.5” in some further range sessions, and of course I’ll report back further after more extended use.

My thanks go to my good friend Apple at G&G and to NUPROL for facilitating the delivery of our test sample… it will get used and abused, and you WILL be getting feedback as it does! Thanks also go to Matt at NUPROL and to Josh at KRIOS PHOTOGRAPHY for their kind assistance with images used in this review. AA