Airsoft Action 06 - Feb 2012 | Page 14

My only criticism is that there are no sling mounts as standard. I know that as an M4 style buffer tube there are plenty of aftermarket sling adaptors for end users to choose from, and same again with a front rail mount. I suppose that not having any as standard will allow the customer to choose from using a single or three point sling, whichever they prefer. Forward of the receiver is the 240mm metal rail system (in black) which is standard 20mm Picatinny style. The top rail is just over 170mm in length, but the four rails provide all the space you will need to mount every accessory you could possible require in a game. The aesthetics are topped off with an AK74U-style flash hider. The magazine supplied with the rifle is a 140BB AK74 Magpul PTS P-Mag mid cap. This is quite transparent, so you can see how many rounds you have in the mag at any point, and has a dark earth base plate. In Use By now, having given the exterior a good and thorough going over, I figured it must be time to see if the Beta Project V3 gearbox (and the rest of the internals) was built to the same high standard. With a fully charged 8.4v 1300mAh stick battery fitted and the mag filled with Madbull Precision Grade 0.2g BBs, off I went to my test area. I set the stock to suit me and locked it in place. As it was brand new out of the box, I ran through 10 mags with the hop just slightly turned on. Flicking it between full and semi-auto, the selector still felt sturdy and showed no sign of intentions to loosen up. Doing a succession of double taps on semi, the trigger response was surprisingly good. On auto the AK just kept chucking out round after round, as it should. After 10 mags I set the hop roughly where I thought it should be and tried a short burst. All the BBs were hitting my targets at both 100ft and 120ft, so I selected semi again and fired some more double taps. These were still thwacking into the targets. Rather impressive I thought… Better whip out the chrono! The blurb for the official UK spec version (distributed by Edgar Brothers) says that the Tactical AK should be running between 360-370fps. With the hop turned fully off I was achieving 340-349fps, which is probably even better. After resetting the hop to where I had it earlier, I was getting 326-335fps. Summary As with most things in life, first impressions count – a lot! Beta Project, as a relatively new company, has a lot riding on this AEG, but what a way to make an impression. First it’s a well-thought-out and manufactured AK; second, the collaboration with Magpul PTS makes for a totally unique and funky-looking rifle, setting it apart from the rest. The more I used it the more I could feel the quality. The weight is spot on so you won’t get tired lugging it around all day. It feels so sturdy and ro bust that you won’t worry about it breaking when it falls over in the Safe Zone or when you clonk it into a door frame when room clearing. It fires really nice and consistent and the fps out of the box means you shouldn’t get any grief on any game site I can think of. So if you are looking for one rifle that isn’t an M4 but will cover all of your gaming requirements and allow you to mount all your goodies, then look no further! What else can I say? I really, really like the Beta Project Tactical AK – but then again I do love my Marmite on toast! ■ SPECIFICATIONS Beta Project AK Tactical Weight: 3,500g Build: Full metal receiver, rail system and flash hider; ABS stock, pistol grip and magazine Length: 820mm stock collapsed; 900mm stock extended Gearbox: Version 3 Hop up: Adjustable Magazine: 140BB AK74 Magpul PTS P-Mag mid cap Battery: 8.4v stick type Velocity: 340-349fps (hop off); 326335fps (hop on) Price: Around £360 014 February 2012