OPFOR TACTICOOL

NOT SO VERY LONG AGO IF YOU WANTED A “TACTICOOL” AK FOR OPFOR USE THEN YOU’D HAVE TO CREATE IT YOURSELF, BUT THESE DAYS THE HUMBLE AIRSOFT KALASHNIKOV IS NO LONGER A BASIC THING OF WOOD AND STEEL, BUT IN MANY UPDATED FORMS A PLATFORM THAT’S JUST AS “OPERATOR READY” AS ANY AR! BILL GETS HANDS ON ONE OF THE LATEST MODERN AK VARIANTS FROM ARCTURUS AND LIKES WHAT HE SEES!

It’s been a little while since I put on my beloved OPFOR MAPA hat on and got some serious rangetime with a new AK, as obviously these days Stewbacca tends to be the one testing these at source in Taiwan. Thankfully, on a recent visit to iWholesales here in the UK, I managed to lay hands on one of the models I’ve been keen to see since it first launched, and that’s the ARCTURUS K9 CUSTOM.

In years gone by if you wanted to own a really good “tactical AK” then it was a case of buying a decent donor and then buying all the parts that you wanted to fit onto, and into, it. For a long time these would have been “real steel” parts that in the main required a fair amount of not just fettling but out and out re-machining to get things nice and tidy. Of course these days you can pick up airsoft-specific parts that in the main will fit your “6mm BB” AK straight from the box or packet, and that’s brilliant! Probably like you I am constantly scouring the interwebz for new and interesting models, and ARCTURUS is another brand that in recent years has been quietly but steadily gaining ground with some very cool releases, and some very clever collaborations, most strikingly with our friends over at PERUN in Poland. I first saw the “AT” model appearing online some years ago ago, but then they started appearing with retailers based in the UK, and it wasn’t long before I had one of these in the extensive range some very tidy upgrade parts and you could say that ARCTURUS most definitely continues to have my, and our, attention!

Solid Foundation

The drive for the “modern AK” has been with us for a while now, and I’m certain that poor old Mikhail must be spinning in his grave

That’s high praise indeed, and rightfully so, as ARCTURUS have really forged on with their range of AEGs, and our collective experience with them to date has been overwhelmingly positive. Add to their now- of “the old and bold”, and the rise of teams following bunch of us that have played together and hang out at the shop socially that use “Tacticool AKs”; in recent times the shop has seen a rise in the sales of AK models, and I would have to draw the conclusion

“THROUGHOUT THE ARCTURUS RANGE THEY USE SOLID MATERIALS LIKE FULL STEEL OR CNC ANODIZED PARTS; SOME ARE STEEL STAMPED AND QPQ PROCESSED, AND THIS IS FAST BECOMING A STANDARD IN THE AIRSOFT INDUSTRY. WITH 8MM BEARINGS, HIGH SPEED MOTORS, MICRO SWITCHES, AND SPRING TENSION RELEASE SYSTEMS MOS AND ARCTURUS ENSURE QUALITY INSIDE AS WELL AS OUTSIDE” that these two things are connected.

Originally ARCTURUS AEGs started their life with MOS Manufacture in China who are best known for their E&L Airsoft and Meister Arms brands, and now they have reached out to European partner brands like PERUN to enrich their already solid offering. MOS specialise in airsoft, and have been providing a high-quality products for years, delivering the most exclusive AEGs, parts and accessories. They also manage the shipping and warehousing for their partners, and years’ experience have allowed them to build up an efficient logistics network to ensure their products reach the retailer, and ultimately the end user in a timely fashion.

Speaking of quality, throughout the MOS/ ARCTURUS range they use solid materials like full steel or CNC Anodized parts; some are steel stamped and QPQ processed, and this is fast becoming a standard in the airsoft industry. With 8mm bearings, High Speed motors, Micro Switches, and Spring Tension Release systems MOS and ARCTURUS ensure quality inside as well as outside… more on this later!

Like my old AT- AK04, the newer ARCTURUS K9 CUSTOM carbine is an absolutely classic example of this, as it provides a modern, clean look with precision performance. If you look at this particular AEG from end to end the only giveaway that it’s an AK is the central section combining the lower receiver with the top cover. In this area you’ll find the traditional AK selector, but even this is upgraded with a “tacticool” thumb rest. Going to the rear of the K9 you’ll find a rock-solid buffer tube with singlepoint sling plate, along with a super “MOE SL” style sliding stock with a rubberised “Rapid Mounting” buttplate, and in addition to the up-to-date stock there’s a modern, ergonomic motor grip, the angle of which I find very comfortable indeed.

Go forward from the receiver group and you’ll see a lovely slimline rail made from high-quality alloy that looks great a feels just right in the support hand; you have 2.5 M-LOK style slots on the base of the rail, a 9-slot picatinny on the top, and two 3-slot picatinny rails at 3 and 6 o’clock so there lots of space for mounting accessories. One thing I REALLY love is the JMAC CUSTOMS LAF (LOUD AND FLASHY) style muzzle brake, but this is on a standard 14mm CCW thread if you wish to replace it with something more traditional or a suppressor/tracer… I cannot see for the life of me why you’d want to though!

Externally the K9 is absolutely flawless, with not a creak or wobble apparent anywhere, and the 3200g weight makes it feel solid in the hand and gives some real reassurance that it’s going to stand up perfectly well to any in-game abuse you can throw at it!

One thing that personally I would like to have seen included is a railed top cover for optics mounting, but you can add one as an accessory if you wish so that’s a pretty simple fix. As it is you have a side-rail on the lower for mounting COMBLOC style scope mounts, and a pretty standard rear leaf/front post AK-style iron sight arrangement which is perfectly usable… of course you could also just use a drop-in rail to the rear leaf sight box, add something like a T1 and call it done… lots of options here…

Internally the K9 is DEANS/T-Plug wired to battery storage as “AK-usual” underneath the AKM-style topcover, and oh my, everything is super, super neat once you remove that cover. There’s also a DEANS to Tamiya connector included in a little goodie bag, along with an ARCTURUS wristband, some other swag and even a sticker set!

Although there’s nothing uber-fancy like PERUN parts inside the K9, what you do get is the ARCTURUS RS™ PERFORMANCE KIT fitted as standard… Remember that range of “upgrade parts” I mentioned earlier? Well, they’re pretty much all already inside the K9 when you lift it from the box, and this includes;

• PCP Grade Precision Inner Barrel

• CNC POM Nozzle w/O-ring

• CNC Steel Cylinder Nozzle

• Amass DEANS T Plug

• 15AWG Wiring

• V3 Zinc Die-Cast Gearbox

• Steel Powder Gear Set

• 8mm bearings

Downrange

Huge thought and attention to detail has obviously gone into the K9, and this shows on the range! In testing the K9 came in at 1.01 Joule/330fps on my usual .20g “chrono” BBs. Once I was happy with the power level I upped to .28g and the shot distance was great, sending the BBs right to the extent of the 30m range with a dead-flat trajectory; after running a couple of full mags through the K9 I was able to achieve a nice tight group, and switching to full-auto delivered a line of BBs straight to target.

The K9 comes with two magazines as standard, a 320 BB hi-cap, and a 130/30 variable model; this variable model can be easily changed by removing the magazine “cassette” and simply flipping a clearly marked switch! Both magazines feed perfectly, and are black “74” style; between the two you get a lot of game options, so bloody well done ARCTURUS! I also found that my other AK mags (Steels, “Bakelites”, and waffles, reals, mid’s and hi’s) all worked perfectly in the K9 so, if you have a collection like me, then you’re set and good to go!

Overall the ARCTURUS K9 CUSTOM is one hell of a package. It’s beautifully put together and finished, it’s internally super-tidy, the parts are completely bombproof, and it shoots really, REALLY well. And the best bit? It costs around 300 quid in the UK! Yup, you heard that right, a top-of-the-line “tacticool” AK with everything you need to get in the game for a real “mid-range” price… If you’re not an “AK Guy” already, then this AEG could well change your mind!

My sincere thanks go to the guys at www. iwholesales.biz for providing the test sample, and please do be sure to visit their website to check out the other models from ARCTURUS along with much, much more! AA