A review for a WICKED Airsoft AEG!

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USMarineC

Jun 10 2007, 12:07 AM

Classic Army M249 MKII SAW
Review
By Logan S

Specifications:
Weight: Unloaded- 16.5 lbs
Loaded- 24.5 lbs (With CA 2400rnd Drum Mag)
Length: 41 ¼”
FPS: 322-344 w/ .20g Bbs (Cronographed)
ROF: 1000 Rounds per minute (RPM)
Battery: 8.4v
Cost: $875
Magazines: M16/M4 series, M249 Drum Magazines
Metal Parts:
Forward and rear receiver
Feeding tray cover
Rear sight aperture
Buttstock Plate
Charging handle
Trigger and trigger guard
Carry handle
Outer barrel assembly
Bi-pod
Front sight
Mechbox

Contents:
1. First Impressions
2. The Feel
3. The Mechbox
4. Shooting
4.1 Accuracy
4.2 Hop-up
5. Skirmishing
6. Durability
7. Overall
8. Accessories, Magazines and options
8.1 Magazines

1. First Impressions

I ordered the Classic Army M249 MKII SAW from Airsplat.com (I know, It had the cheapest shipping though) for $875. Along with the gun I purchased a 8.4v Ni-Cad 1700 mAh, 10,000 AE white .2g Bbs and eight STAR Real-cap M16 magazines. After waiting for 5 days the box arrived. I was ecstatic.

I immediately opened the package and pull the M249’s box out. After looking at the box for a moment I pulled the cardboard covering up. There she was, I looked upon my gun.

At first I was blown away by the pure size of the gun. Measuring in at 41 ¼”.
I pulled the gun out of its polystyrene lump and felt the sheer weight.
I shouldered the rifle and looked down the sights. The sights consist of a loop sight on the front and a M-series peep hole sight. The foregrip of the rifle being plastic, I did not know what to expect. I was quite happy with the quality of the plastic, it felt incredibly strong. I felt confident that I would not brake it. The stock was also made of the same material, though I am slightly disappointed.
I had read that the stock was a two-piece construction, and I had read that some people had issues with the stock splitting along the seam. I, in anticipation taped the stock up at two points to reinforce the molding seams. But lo and behold, I dropped the rifle and the stock began to split. The tape did its job and held it together, and I have yet to have a problem since then.
The heat shield is made of the same plastic. The heat shield looks good. Though if you purchase the MKII variant you will not be able to remove the heat shield without scratching the paint on the outer barrel underneath.

The flash hider is all metal. An M-series “Birdcage” style flash hider. The orange paint looks fine, but should be easy to remove.
Another realistic touch was the Rate Of Fire adjuster. The ROF adjuster is on the end of the gas tube under the front sight. It has no function as an Airsoft adjuster. It does NOT change the ROF.

2. The Feel

The M249 is incredibly large and heavy. The M249 is not a CQB weapon.
For all of it weight, the gun is very comfortable(for me) It has a nice grip and feel. The foregrip is comfortable for a short time. The weight of the gun pushes down on your outstretched wrist. Which causes mild discomfort. The M249 is made almost entirely metal, giving the gun a beautiful heft.

After a few hours of play the gun begins to weigh down on your arms. But if you are strong enough to carry the weight. The M249 is an excellent weapon.

Overall, the feel of this gun reminds me so much of the Real Steel variant. It has the same weight, fell and heft. Pure awesome.

3. The Mechbox

One day I decided to take my gun down. It took me four hours to take almost every part from this gun. The gun comes with an Allen key, fit for the Buttstock plate. Unfortunately you need to use more than just that Allen key. I hade to search the house for Allen keys to open up the gun and Mechbox.

After I found the necessary Allen keys, I proceeded to open up the gun. It took two and a half hours to take the gun down to the frame. I took the Mechbox out of the receiver, I was surprised at the weight of the Mechbox itself. It weighed 5.5 lbs! The shell is made of solid metal. Very well molded. I pulled off the one half of the Mechbox’s shell. I looked at the gears, piston, motor and spring.
I pulled the gears out of their pin holes. three gears. I then took the spring out of the cylinder along with the piston and a piece that holds in the spring.
I checked all of the wiring and the leads. They were all in beautifully. After the initial inspection of the workings, I lube the internals.

I then started the long process of putting the gun together again. It took another two hours.
Overall I am quite satisfied with the quality and construction of the Mechbox.

4. Shooting

Since receiving the CA M249, I have put just under 115k rounds through the gun. I have had few problems with the gun.

Shooting this gun is a huge amount of fun. The sound of the gun is loud and threatening.
The gun shoots at around 322-244 FPS. It has an relatively accurate range of 125-150 ft. Combat effective range is about 175-200. I am able to hit a man sized target at around 150 with relative ease.
The gun fires at the high ROF of approximately 1000 RPM. This means this gun eats hundreds of Bbs and still comes back for seconds. It has cost me a lot of money.

4.1 Accuracy

The M249 is decently accurate, though it doesn’t compare to a gun with a similar barrel length. I can get 6” groupings at 100ft with .20g Bbs and the stock barrel. The gun has an decent amount of zingers, unfortunately. I have found that using a 7.2v battery instead of the 8.4 decreases the amount of zingers. Though you have to sacrifice some ROF, But I think its worth it.

4.2 Hop-up

The Hop-up in the CA M249 is quite good. The knob is located underneath the feed tray cover. The hop-up is very stiff, Meaning it doesn’t move during combat or firing. I have adjusted the hop well. I am able to shoot and hit a target at 210ft. It is a rubber hop-up.

5. Skirmishing

After attending one large OP, and a few small friendly skirmishes. I love the M249.
I attended OP: Midnight Sun. which was about 7 hours long. I carried my M249 for almost the entire time. The weight only began to show its ugly head in the last 30minutes of the OP. The gun never jammed, never misfired and never died out. I used a 7.2v 3300 mAh battery. It lasted just under 9000 rounds. During the skirmish I got 19 confirmed kills and I shot 15,000 Bbs.
One of the major drawbacks of this gun. Is the terrible maneuverability, To be very combat effective you need one or two troops to protect and keep the enemy of your back. But in a big OP, that shouldn’t be a problem. At the OP:MS I had a DM and two rifleman with me at all times.

During CQB skirmishes, this gun has major issues. This gun is NOT for CQB, I found that out the hard way. Unless you go all Rambo and hold the gun at your hip and not aim the M249 is disgustingly bad at CQB.

Overall the M249, is a great skirmish weapon. If you are a M249 SAW gunner, many players will appreciate your determination. After being assigned to my Fire team, one player hugged me in happiness at having a SAW gunner.

6. Durability

The CA M249 is made almost entirely out of metal, making this gun extremely durable. I have smacked the barrel into trees, rocks and walls. The only things I noticed was a few cosmetic issues. Not serious. During the course of the skirmishes, I have dove into cover and smacked my gun into many things. I have also had to throw my M249 over a small wall, to assist a few of my men over.
This gun is quite durable and resistant to almost anything.

The one thing on this gun that is not durable is the paint. After having the gun for a few months. the paint has chipped on some many places. Though I like it, it gives the gun a used look.
Some people may not like it. Some of the areas it has chipped,
The Bipod hinge, along the edges of the receiver, near the front sight, the charging handle, the magazine well and the Buttstock plate. The paint will chip the outer barrel if you have the MKII variant and you try and take off the heat shield.

7. Overall

The Classic Army M249 MKII. This gun strikes fear into the hearts of the enemy on the battlefield. This gun creates more of a psychological threat than a physical. This gun is heavy and large. This gun is beautiful. I could go on, the CA M249 is just a monster. A heavy piece of equipment. A support gun, A gun that I love. I take pride in fielding this gun.

This gun very heavy gun, mine with the drum magazine it weighs just under 25lbs. Even with the weight I can still run around and command my fire team without it getting in the way. The gun is made from some really good materials, it feels like I could use the M249 as a hammer, if need be(not that that is likely)

I have a bad habit of throwing myself into some cover and using the gun as a cushion, not the best idea, however. I have many a time smacked my gun against a tree while running, fell on the gun, drop the gun and its still holding up really well. No problems yet.

Overall the gun is not for the wimpy, weak or the “weekend” airsofter, its a hardcore piece of equipment that I fell in love with.

8. Accessories, Magazines and options

The M249 has a myriad of cosmetic accessories. Ranging from RIS foregrips to Tan/OD grips and Buttstock. The M249 has the option of having a top rail on the feed tray cover, three different foregrips and many other external upgrades.

8.1 Magazines

The CA M249 is very versatile in the types of magazines that the gun is compatible with. The gun can take CA, Top and STAR drum mags (with the proper adapter) The M249 also is compatible with CA, TM, MAG, STAR, ICS, among many other companies M4/M16 magazines. This allows you to carry more rounds.

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