The Chinese company DBoys (or BOYI, whatever the heck they call themselves) recently released a Kar98k, supposedly the first of many in a long line of planned WWII replica guns. It seemed they were serious about it, as just a few weeks ago they re-released their Kar98k in REAL WOOD. Yes that's right. No more plastic stock. This one will look and feel like the real thing, especially since it ejects shells, just like the real thing, and you load it up one by one or via stripper clip, just like the real thing.

This is certainly no skirmisher's gun, however. A 5-round bullet limit and shell ejection make it terrible for running around, especially since it comes at only around 350 FPS in its stock form, which makes it a poor sniper rifle without upgrades. What it is good for, however, is collectors and reenactors, myself included! If you'd ever wanted an airsoft gun that you can easily use in plinking without getting in trouble with the law that looks and feels like the real thing, this is it. And what's better is that it's really cheap, since it's from an ACM company. And reenactors will appreciate its realism and the feel. This will force regular infantry to be careful with their shots, lest they miss and waste one of their precious 5 rounds, just like they did in real life. This is particularly awesomein low-cap games, where everybody is using realistic ammo amounts (Garands, even those converted from M14s, with only 8 rounds, Thompsons with only 30 rounds, MP40s with only 32 rounds), etc. So everybody is careful with their shots.

I'm definitely getting one. :D

Pros: AWESOME. Collector's/reenactor's item for sure. Low stock FPS means it's easy to let this gun into many game sites, even CQB games in case that's the kind of WWII scenario you're doing.

Cons: Awful for skirmishing. Need to buy more shells for about US$15 for 5 extra shells. I don't even know where to get stripper clips. :( May need to use real stripper clips, or have them made by machinists.

Last night I got me a brand new AGM MP001 a.k.a. "Sharpshooter", which is a low end clone of the Tokyo Marui VSR-10. I originally only bought it because I was on a tight budget. I needed the internals for a near-future Mauser Karabiner 98 (my favorite rifle of all time) conversion project. But I was expecting to be surprised, if that makes any sense at all. I've read a lot of good reviews for this bolt-action rifle, especially considering its price. So I was expecting a little spark of something.

And indeed I was not disappointed. In fact I was surprised beyond my expectations in some aspects. This blog entry is a sort of mini-review but not really. More like an account of what I like and don't like about it.

First, it was awesomely cheap. Costs only P1,900 at a certain shop in a hidden part of Metro Manila, a part I'm not particularly familiar with considering I usually only hang out in the north and east of the Metropolis. To put it in perspective, a medium-quality AEG costs about twice that price.

Anyway next was when the box was opened in the shop, I was surprised to see the black stock of the gun I was about to buy. I'd heard very good things about the fake wood on their wooden stock version, like how it was one of the most realistic-looking wooden stocks made of plastic ever made, etc. It looked even better than some actual wooden stocks haha. Anyway the black stock didn't disappoint. I'm not a particular fan of black stocks but I didn't think it would matter since I would eventually ignore the stock since I'll take the internals out and put it into a Kar98 conversion kit soon. So I picked just any random color they had out.

But like I said, I was really surprised when the box was opened. Standing there in front of it, I couldn't really tell from the looks of it that it was made of plastic. It looked more like matte paint on wood. Even to the touch, it doesn't really feel like plastic, except for the weight. The seams on the stock aren't very prominent, contrary to what I was expecting considering it's a cheap gun. So far, I'm very impressed visually.

It was chronoed at the shop to give off about 380 fps with .2 BBs. That seemed a little low for a bolt-action gun designed for sniping (it has no ironsights; needs a scope for aiming), which made me a little sad. It was advertised as a 400 fps gun in stock form. I hear there are a few simple mods out there that can easily boost its fps without buying upgrade parts yet, so I'll try those soon. I don't want a monster sniping weapon, since the Kar98 I'm building isn't going to be a sniper rifle anyway. I just want something that shoots heavier BBs like .23 and .25 (to simulate the Kar98's big 7.92x57mm ammo) with good range, accuracy and stability, as a testament to the original gun's good performance, while still not being too strong a gun to shoot at people within 50 feet.

Anyway. I tried firing it at the shop, and was also surprised with the bolt-action. I was told that the bolt-action of the MP001 is really good for simulating the Kar98, because it was stiff (just like the real gun) without being hard to do rapidly (just like the real gun).

So on the way home I was really happy. I had a brand new gun that would eventually turn into my favorite rifle of all time. However, when I got home, I got really annoyed. Why? I found out that the scope rings that came with my Tasco 3-9x40-E illuminated crosshair scope do not fit the 20mm railing included with the AGM MP001. Go figure.

So I set out to find 20mm scope rings and found them rather easily (though I was hoping they had them at Megamall today so I could go plinking with my scope, but it was not to be). I'll get those this Friday, along with a bunch of new BBs.

All in all I'm really happy with the gun. It's a little lightweight to feel like a real gun, and most of the weight is in the front and middle (with the butt stock being really light in fact). It feels great to shoot and makes a nice clapping sound when fired, making it a rather loud rifle, which is fine since it's going to become a Kar98, like I've repeatedly said.

I'm excited. ;D Can't wait for the conversion kit to arrive.