 Submited By: Nicholas L. on 11/02/2012
My experience With the APS AK-74 RIS Electric Blowback was not a very good one. I did get this from another retailer, but I feel a review here would do good things for shoppers. I no longer have it after the laundry list of problems I had with it. Perhaps I got a dud, but this is an in depth review of the ups and downs of this gun.
PROS:
- High FPS right around 400 FPS, perfect for an outdoors application.
- Electric Blowback.
- Full metal body.
- Adjustable rear AK style sight.
- Polymer RIS unit is installed.
- Magazine is a 500 round Hi-Capacity AK-74 style Magazine.
- Heavy, but not so much that you can't lug it around for hours.
- Metal Folding Stock
- Rate of Fire is average, but in an outdoors application, you don't need an insane Rate of Fire. You are going for accuracy, and you won't get trapped in many close quarters situations, so a high Rate of Fire isn't necessary if you can make shots count. Plus the average Rate of Fire and the Blowback makes it feel more like an AK!
CONS:
- Not even close to CQB legal (which is usually around 350 FPS), nor would I try because of the size of this, even when folded.
- Gigantic orange flash hider, which doesn't bother me, but it might bother some of you.
- 14 mm POSITIVE threading underneath the flash hider (which may not be a con for some), which forces you to buy an adapter if you have any flash hiders, mock suppressors, or tracer units with standard 14 mm negative threading. However, if you originally planned to buy an AK style flash hider, this probably won't be an issue, as many of those are threaded in the positive direction anyways. (check first though!)
- The metal the gun is made of what seems to be the lowest quality metal they could have used. Easily scratches and has an overall weird texture to it.
- The magazine is also a cheap plastic, not sure how long it will last you.
- Something I have never seen before and is in my opinion a major flaw. The folding stock is also low quality metal by the way. Anyways, it locks into place on the side of the weapon when folded, but has nowhere to lock when it is unfolded. With nothing to hold it in place, the rifle is annoying to shoulder with the stock out. And when you move the gun or shoulder it, the stock swings literally all over the place.
- The cover that you take off and put back on after putting in the stick type battery is so hard to get back on, I feel like it's a project in itself. Takes a bit of effort to get it back on.
- Bad accuracy! It veers to the left quite a bit and is in no way accurate, which is a major downfall in an outdoors scenario, where accuracy is key at longer distances. My JG MP5A4, which I got for $106, ($54 less than this!) is way more accurate than this at range. But I will give it to my JG MP5A4, it seems weirdly accurate for such a low priced gun.
- The iron sights are standard AK-74 style, but they do not line up with where the shot goes. More of an accuracy issue than a problem with the sights though.
- THE BIGGEST PROBLEM OF ALL. Keep in mind that my first shot with this gun was with an uncharged battery (completely stupid on my part, I just wanted to shoot it). The first shot didn't even fire, the bolt traveled half way back then locked into place. I figured that it was because I didn't charge the battery. So once I finally charged it, I tried to fire again. The bolt was still stuck. Keep in mind, since this is an Electric Blowback gun, it will not fire without pulling the bolt to fulfill the Blowback. I could hear the gearbox trying to fire and see the bolt struggling to move (moved a hair forward then right back). This problem persisted and the gun was utterly and completely useless. I fixed it by forcibly trying to pull the bolt back then pulling the trigger and letting go of the bolt simultaneously. This snapped the bolt back to its resting position. However, I could only pull the trigger once or twice (semi or fully automatic, didn't matter) before the problem happened again. After taking your finger off the trigger once you pull it, the Blowback would get stuck again upon a subsequent pull of the trigger. Basically speaking, the gun was inoperable and utterly useless.
GOOD ALTERNATIVES:
~ You could go with a JG AK style Electric Blowback for around the same price, or a CYMA AK style, which I hear are CYMA's best line of guns, although I have never used one. JG has lately been a very reliable company and are relatively cheap.
~ Alternately to this gun or the options I listed above, and for about the same price, the best deal on the market is undoubtedly the G&G combat machine series. G&G has fantastic top of the line internals (G&G is a top tier company for new players who don't know, and their Combat Machine (CM) series is their very reliable, but low cost series of beginner's guns). G&G CM's come with Polymer bodies and the reliable full metal G&G gearbox. (Once again for beginners: Polymer is a high quality type of plastic which is much more durable than ABS plastic and feels much nicer as well). Their M4 series is good for outdoors if you get one with a normal length carbine sized barrel (14.5 inches I think?). But these only fire at around 320-350 FPS, but this is easily upgradable with an M120 spring to make it great for outdoors. G&G also has a combat machine RK-47 (AK-47) that fires in the neighborhood of 400 FPS if you still want to go with an AK style gun, and this one will be good to go for outdoors for the most part.
~ [I personally own a G&G combat machine M4 raider (CM16) and I love it. While this gun only fires at 320-330 FPS, it has a good Rate of Fire and fantastic accuracy, as well a built in rail system, for only around $150. It's a sturdy polymer body and metal where it needs to be.]
Overall though, I did have a bad experience with this APS AK-74. Perhaps it is possible I got one bad one of ten good ones, but it is less likely. You may have a different, better experience than I with this gun. But I would highly recommend taking my advice on going with a G&G combat machine over this as a good outdoors weapon that is lightweight, cost effective, and quite durable and extremely reliable. I may or may not try another APS product in the distant future, as I do think I just got a dud, although I did some research and saw I was not the only person the locked bolt happened to on this model. If you must go with an APS, I hear the M4 line is less apt to problems than their AK series. If you wish to do an AK style though, I recommend another manufacturer. Seriously, try the Combat Machine line, they won't let you down, and they have some polymer Electric Blowback AEGs for $180-$200 if you wish to pay a little extra. | |
