Home Reviews Shadow Aps2sv Custom Maruzen APS2SV – Custom

Maruzen APS2SV – Custom

by Arnie

Maruzen
APS-2 ‘SV

Custom
by
Shadow

Stock
Specifications
FPS
Joules
Length: 1050mm
or 43 in.
Weight:

2500g or
88 oz.

Ammo
capacity:

25 rounds

Manufacturer:
Maruzen
Product
Name:

APS-2 SV

System: Bolt
Action/Spring
Built
Material:
Plastic
and metal
Detail: The
APS-2 SV is modeled after the Steyr SSG


SHADOW?
The review below is of SHADOW’s custom built Maruzen APS-2
SV. Barry Saitta, who is a machinist by trade, but does all of the upgrades
on SHADOW’s airsoft weapons, built it for SHADOW. SHADOW wanted the rifle
to be reliable and durable with no worries of gun breakage, it needed to be
able to achieve good range, so he could engage targets at long distance. He
also wanted it to be accurate at these long distances, but most of all he
wanted it to be silent, so with that in mind Barry set off to build the APS-2
SV “SHADOW”.


Picture of stock Maruzen APS-2 SV

APS2?
The APS-2 SV is the most common airsoft sniper rifle purchased; they are
quite cheap in price ranging from $265.00 to $320.00 depending on retailer,
you can also get a load of upgrade parts for the APS-2 SV.

Everything from heavier
rated springs, gas bolt kits, tight bore barrels, adjustable hop-ups, and
reinforced trigger mechanisms. You can mount just about any scope to the
rifle, and there is a weaver-type mount already on the rifle, you can even
attach a bi-pod to the rifle.

Out of the box, it has
decent power and range, but to get the full potential of the rifle, you’ll
need to upgrade it. The rifle has a fixed hop-up that is said to be set
for the Maruzen .29g Grand Master BBs. You can also attach a silencer to
the rifle, which makes the rifle very appealing, and let’s not forget about
the ORCA stock. So, as you can see the APS-2 SV have quite a big variety
of parts available and can be made into a very good sniper weapon. That
is probably why the rifle is so commonly used and is so popular with airsoft
snipers. So, with all that out of the way, let’s get on with SHADOW’s review
of his custom built APS-2 SV “SHADOW”.

So why an
APS-2 SV?

When I first purchased the Maruzen APS-2 SV, I was looking to just replace
my PDI M24 SOCOM. It was stolen from me (by a stroke of luck I got it back)
so I was looking to get another M24, but none of the on-line airsoft retailers
had any in stock at the time. One of the retailers told me about the Maruzen
APS-2 SV and that he had one in stock, I had read and saw pictures of the
APS-2 SV and was really not that impressed with it. But, I needed a bolt-action
sniper rifle and I needed one quick, so I decided to go ahead and get the
APS-2 SV. I thought once I was able to get an M24, I could just sell the
APS, Wrong! I totally fell in love with the rifle and now I use it 90 to
95% of the time. The rifle is so versatile, has so many upgrade parts, and
accessories you can just about build the best sniper weapon with it, and
when upgraded the performance will surprise you.

Out the box:
Stock the APS-2 SV right out of the box is not a bad rifle, I never chrono’d
my APS when it was stock, but it has been said. That the rifle in stock
form can/will shoot in the range of 275 to 300 fps and maybe a little over,
if I had to guess I would assume that to be a close guess on it’s velocity.
The range of a stock APS-2 SV is pretty good and with the right conditions
you could easily make shoots out to 55-60 yards, the accuracy may not be
there, but you’ll hit the target.

For looks the APS-2
SV is not up to par with the PDI M24 SOCOM or some of the other sniper rifles
that are out. The M24 is just a beautiful weapon to look at, has way more
realism to it, and the APS-2 SV looks more toyish but it can be improved
upon. The APS-2 SV is also very light in weight compared to the M24, that’s
not necessarily a bad thing, if you don’t want a heavy weapon then the APS-2
SV is a good choice.

As for the stock internals,
the APS-2 SV isn’t as durable as the M24, the APS-2 SV’s stock piston and
spring guide are plastic whereas in the M24 they are metal. You can upgrade
the APS-2 SV to make it powerful as much as you can with an M24; the APS-2
SV comes with a fixed hop-up, set for Maruzen .29g Grand Master BBs. I did
try these BBs and find them to be a bit light even when stock, some have
said that the .3g BBs work better, and some have said the .33g work better.
I personally think that the .36g BBs work the best, that is pretty much
all I use in the rifle. I have used the .43g BBs, but they seemed to be
a bit heavy for a stock APS-2 SV. I highly recommend to anyone planning
on purchasing an APS-2 SV to experiment with the different weight BBs out
there on the market.


The custom built silencer mounted on SHADOW’s APS-2 SV.

One of the things that
also appealed to me about the APS-2 SV is the fact that you could attach
a silencer to the rifle. At the time when I purchased the rifle there were
no silencers available or they were hard to find, now you can get one and
have a few choices to pick from. I had a silencer built for me by a local
machine shop; it was made of aluminum and didn’t really silence the rifle.
It was more for looks; the only problem was even though it was made of aluminum,
it was still pretty heavy on the rifle.

The existing threads
in the barrel of the rifle where the stock flash hider is attached were
kind of light duty, and I was worried that a silencer would damage the threads,
so I rarely left the silencer on the rifle for long periods of time

One other problem with
the APS-2 SV is it is short in length, or at least for me it is (unlike
the M24 that has an adjustable stock). The APS-2 SV does have an adjustable
stock, but you can only make it shorter by removing one or more of the spacers
for the butt plate. For taller people or anyone with longer reaches, the
APS- 2 SV needs to be lengthened, this is an easy fix and all it requires
is making or getting additional spacers for the butt plate.

Let
the APS-2 surgery begin!
Now that I have went through my
impressions of the APS-2 SV in stock form, I will tell you what I have had
done to mine to make it a formidable sniper weapon system. The plan was
to build a sniper weapon that had good range, so I could engage my targets
at long distance. It would also need to be accurate at the distances that
I wanted or would be engaging my targets, but I also wanted a silencer for
it that functioned, and so that I didn’t have to worry about it damaging
the rifle. So, with all that in mind I turned the ideas and rifle over to
a friend of mine. Who is a machinist by trade and does all upgrades on my
airsoft weapons, his name is Barry Saitta, and I want to give him all the
credit for building and designing the rifle. Now known as the APS-2 SV “SHADOW”,
without his expert skill with fabricating parts, and his knowledge of what
upgrade would best give me what I wanted. The rifle you see pictured in
this review would not have been possible without him, so I would like to
thank him here for all his hard work and time.

The
guts:
I’ll start with what Barry did to upgrade the internals
of the APS-2 SV, but before I do I’ll tell you what it was upgraded with,
before she was transferred into the APS-2 SV “SHADOW”. When I received my
APS-2 SV for the first time, it didn’t stay stock for long, I knew that
to be reliable, durable, accurate and consistent the APS-2 SV would need
to be upgraded so a PDI 200% spring, a PDI steel spring guide, PDI V3 vacuum
piston, cylinder and a steel trigger mechanism was installed. The rifle
shot 400 fps and was quite accurate I was going to stay with the upgrade
parts that I had and only add a tight bore barrel. After discussing this
with Barry, I decide to go ahead and upgrade the internals again.

Here is what the APS-2
SV “SHADOW” is now upgraded with. It currently features a PDI 300% spring,
PDI steel spring guide, PDI L2 cylinder set with V3 vacuum piston, taper
cylinder head, and an OK 6.03mm inner barrel cut to length. The steel trigger
mechanism that was installed in the early upgrade will remain in the rifle
as it will now be needed to handle the 300% spring, as of right now the
bolt handle is stock but it will probably be upgraded with a FIRST reinforced
bolt handle later. Just to be on the safe side, don’t want the bolt handle
snapping off at the wrong moment with these internal upgrades, the APS-2
SV should shoot 500 fps, giving me good range and accuracy. You can read
the test results on how the rifle performed farther on down the review.


Before picture of SHADOW’s Maruzen APS-2 SV

After picture of the Maruzen APS-2 SV “SHADOW”

‘Beauty
is in the eye of the owner…’
For the cosmetics to give
the APS-2 SV “SHADOW” it’s awesome looks, as you can tell it basically looks
the same as it did in the before picture, only it has a silencer and the
sun shade for the scope has been added to it in the after picture. I’ll
start with the silencer it does function and silences the rifle quite nicely,
you do still hear the “tang” of the piston hitting, but the sound of the
expelling air is virtually silenced. The silencer is made of T-6 6061 aircraft
aluminum that is very light, extremely strong, and was the best material
to make the silencer from.


Custom built silencer is 15-3/8” in length.

Business end of the custom silencer.

The stock length of
the inner barrel is 400mm and the plan called for the outer barrel to be
lengthened to 24” with silencer attached. Barry and I both decided that
to get better range, it would be best to lengthen the inner barrel, and
being that the outer barrel with silencer attached would be a full 24”.

The inner barrel was
going to have to be lengthened too, so an OK 6.03mm inner barrel was purchased,
the OK inner barrel is 599mm in length, and so it would need to be precisely
cut down to 522mm. A full 122mm longer then the stock length of 400mm, the
inner barrel would extend all the way to the end of the silencer.

A plug was made from
a piece of solid plastic rod, and a hole big enough for the inner barrel
to fit through was precisely drilled in the center. This plug was inserted
into the existing outer barrel to help hold the new longer inner barrel
in the center, and it would also help in the prevention of barrel wobble.


The custom-built Maruzen
APS-2 SV “SHADOW”

The silencer was going
to be an extension of the outer barrel, so to attach it securely to the
outer barrel the outer barrel would need to be equipped with outer threads,
so the silencer could be threaded on to it. This was done with a thread
cutting tool, and was a pain-staking, nerve-racking process from what I
was told. The threads would have to be prefect and match with the threads
in the inside of the silencer, where it threaded down onto the outer barrel.

Once, this was done
the internals for the silencer was constructed, if you remember at the beginning
of the review, I stated that I wanted the silencer to function. So, to do
this a baffle with sections or spaces was built and then each section or
space were wrapped individually with fiberglass insulation, and then the
whole length had foam cell insulation pulled over it. The silencer is 15-3/8”
in length and 5-¼” in diameter measured across it‘s 44mm, the end
plates are made of 1/16” aluminum flat plate and the rear plate had a piece
of aluminum hollow tubing milled down to just a shade under 1” welded to
the inside of the rear plate. Which was cored in the center so it could
slide over the outer barrel and the interior of the aluminum hollow tube
was tapped with threads.

The rear end plate was
stamped with a special stamping tool and press to get it it‘s shape, the
front plate was drilled in the center and is what will be the exit hole
for the BB coming out of the inner barrel. Measurements were critical and
needed to be precise so measurements were checked, re-checked, and then
checked a third time. Both end plates were welded on the main body of the
silencer. Then a whole lot of grinding and sanding on the weld marks to
make them smooth and unnoticeable was done. Once, the silencer was completed
it was cleaned, prepped, primed, and then painted flat black to match the
rest of the rifle.


BlackHawk Industries Tactical Eye Relief Cheek Pad

Onto
that stock…
Now, that the silencer was completed the focus
was turned to the stock and as I said, at the beginning. The APS-2 SV is
short in length or at least for me it is and for taller people or anyone
with a long reach, will/might have some problem with that. Either getting
additional spacers for the butt plate or making your own spacers can easily
fix this. I did try to make my own spacers, as I could not find anywhere
to buy additional spacers for the rifle. Some of you might be thinking why
didn’t I get the ORCA stock and I’ll reply with I just didn’t like the way
it looked. After, looking at it at varies websites on APS-2 SV, it just
didn’t appeal to my taste.

To add some weight to
the APS-2 SV, which will help stabilize the rifle when you are setting up
for a shot Barry filled the hollow stock with expanding foam that he sprayed
into the stock, and once it set up he cut and filed any excess foam off.
This was done before the butt plates were installed and it did add a little
more weight to it, and it made the stock feel more solid too. This was done
with the barrel assembly removed off of the stock, and caution should be
taken as to not get any foam pass the rear part of the trigger guard. I
also added a BlackHawk Industries,
Tactical Eye Relief Cheek Pad to help raise my line of sight, so
my eye is even with the scope and it helps with aiming due to the low profile
of the APS-2 SV’s stock. You can get one of these cheek pads for about $20.00
from www.blackhawkindustries.com.

FPS limits and
all:
Being
that the team I am on has a set limit of 500 fps with .2g BBs on all sniper
weapons with a minimum engagement range of 70 ft. there was no reason why
not to bump it all the way up to the limit. So, the barrel assembly was
disassembled, cleaned, and the new upgrades were installed. A new PDI 300%
spring to replace the existing 200% spring, PDI L2 cylinder with V3 vacuum
piston, taper cylinder head, steel spring guide, and the new tight bore
inner barrel was fitted into place. The K2 steel trigger box was kept, as
it would now be needed to handle the 300% spring.

The bolt handle is stock
and should be able to handle the heavier spring, but later it will be replaced
with a FIRST reinforced bolt handle, just to be on the safe side. I would
experiment again with the different weight BBs to see what would be best
for the new upgrades, but more then likely I would stay with the .36g BBs.
If I do find out that a lighter or heavier BB will work better then I will
use those, but I have had great success with the .36g BBs and they seem
to be the good happy medium for the fixed hop-up that I was looking for.

The other accessories
that you see on the rifle I pretty much just stayed with what I was originally
using. Hey! If it ain’t broke, don’t fit it. Right? ^_^ So, starting with
the bipod that is mounted on the front of the stock. It is the Versa-Pod
bipod and you can get one from www.tapco.com
for about $60.00. The reason why I decided to go with the Versa-Pod bipod
is for the fact that it had fully adjustable legs with a maximum lift of
11-1/4” and a minimum lift of 8”. It can be quickly detached and attached
with just a push of a button to lock and unlocked the bipod. The adaptor
stays in place and can be used as a small handgrip, allowing more comfortable
shooting and better control; it also has a sling swivel with push-button
sling release.

Bipod To mount the Versa-Pod bipod all you need to do is just remove the barrel assembly, place the mounting adapter for the bipod as far forward to the front of the underside of the stock, center it on the stock, and with a center punch, make a index mark. Now, drill a hole through the stock where you made the index mark the same size as the mounting bolt, you will need to get a slightly longer bolt and if you can’t find one that is quite long enough. Just go with the one that is closest and you can use washers as spacers or shims. Then all you need to do is tighten up the bolt, but don’t tighten it to tight, or you could crack the stock. It is plastic… remember? One of the features that I liked about the Versa-Pod bipod is the fact that you can remove it and put it back on with hardly any effect. The other reason is that you can tilt the rifle from side to side if need be, and the bipod stays in place. It has proven to be the best, most versatile bipod I have never used.

Sling
As for the sling, you can go with just about any sling you want; it is really
up to you and what your personal preference is. There is an endless supply
of different types of slings out on the market today. I was not really concerned
with the sling, just wanted one that looked good, was of quality material
and built, no more then a 1-¼” in width, and adjustable. So, I went
to the local hunting store and find a black, 1” wide, adjustable, military-type
web nylon sling for about $10.00, it works just fine and looks sharp too.

Scope
For the optics of the rifle, which is the most important
part of any sniper weapon. Not saying that you can’t snipe without the scope,
just you need some kind of sighting system on your rifle. The APS-2 SV does
not have any iron sights on it like the APS-2 OR, which is like the Hunter
Version of the Maruzen APS Series. I kept the same scope that I originally
bought for the rifle which is the Leaper’s AccuShot Series Scope that www.tapco.com
offers, and my choose for magnification was the 2.5x-10x with a objective
diameter of 56mm.

The Leaper’s AccuShot
Scopes are fairly cheap in price ranging from about $50.00 to $100.00, but
they are very good, quality-built scopes. They have a one-piece tube, which
makes it a stronger design, their lenses are multi-coated which helps reduce
glare and gets a clearer view. They are nitrogen filled so they don’t fog
up, they are waterproof, shock proof, and they come in a matte black finish.
And best of all they have a lifetime guarantee. The reticle style is the
standard Duplex with windage and elevation adjustments ¼” (1 click
@ 100 yds.), a field of view 41’-10’ @ 100 yds. The scope is very light
in weight only weighting 25.4 oz. with a length of 14.6”. You will need
to get the 30mm rings because the tube diameter is 30mm; the APS-2 SV comes
with a weaver-type mount already attached to it, so you don’t have the worry
about finding a mount for it.

Big objective scopes
allow more light to come in, which can cause glare problems. So the Leaper’s
Sun Shade was a definite must have item for the scope which can be removed
when there is low light, and put back on if the sun goes high and bright.
I also equipped the scope with Quake
Industries, Inc.
Bushwacker Optic Len Covers that are available
from www.quakeinc.com
for about $8.00 a piece. These are flip-up lens covers that slip onto the
ends of the scope and with a slight flip of your finger they pop open and
up out of the way. You can get black lens covers or yellow lens covers;
I would recommend the black lens covers.

Finished?
Barry finally completed building the APS-2 SV “SHADOW” and called me to
tell me he would be delivering it to me that evening, while on the telephone
with me. He told me he fired 5 test rounds out of the rifle and they were
the Maruzen .29g Grand Master BBs. He said, that the rifle was also quite
hard to cycle the bolt, but I was expecting that with the 300% spring. He
also said, that the trigger pull felt a little heavier and when the trigger
finally did release the BB shot out and curved straight up almost instantly.

That evening when Barry
delivered the rifle to me I decided that I would wait till I did the testing
before I tried to cycle the bolt myself. I had prepared for the initial
testing and had on hand varies weight BBs these included the Maruzen .29g
Grand Master and Maruzen .3g BBs, along with Straight .36g Sniper Grade
BBs and .43g BBs. I tried to get some .33g BBs, but was unable to locate
any on-line retailer that had them in stock. I started with the Maruzen
.29g Grand Master BBs first, loaded 25 rounds into the magazine and popped
the mag into the rifle.

I figured that the scope
would need to be zeroed, due to the fact it was removed from the rifle while
it was going through the transformation, but I needed to see how the BBs
were going to react to the new upgrades. So, zeroing the scope would have
to wait for now. I set my targets up one at 100 ft., one at 150 ft. and
another at 200 ft. with the mag loaded into the rifle and the rifle sitting
on the bench rest. I reached for the bolt handle and with a smooth, easy
upward motion I began to cycle the first round into the chamber. As Barry
had stated on the telephone, the rifle was quite hard to cycle as I began
to pull the bolt handle back and then forward again. This was no surprise
to me as I had heard that the heavier springs like the 250%, 300%, and higher
springs would make the rifle harder to cycle the bolt.

The
first shots:
I was in the sitting position at the bench rest
and I thought to myself that it was going to be a challenge to cycle the
bolt when I am in the prone position. But, that is the price I will have
to pay. I took careful aim at the center of the 100 ft. target, breathing
in deeply three times and on the last breath, I held and slowly squeezed
the trigger. I then knew what Barry was talking about the differences in
the trigger pull; it did seem to be a bit heavier. So, I release my breath
and again readied myself for the shot, knowing that my squeeze would need
to be adjusted to compensate for the new trigger feel. I took careful aim
at the target again, taking three breaths, and holding the last one I slowly
squeezed the trigger, and it released. Sending the Maruzen .29g Grand Master
BB, straight out and up as soon as it left the barrel. I was quite happy
with the silencer as it silenced the rifle rather nicely, you do still hear
the “tang” of the piston hitting, but it’s not that bad. Anyway, I again
cycled the bolt for the next shot still using the .29g BBs I wanted to give
each BB weight a decent chance, so I was going to fire at least one full
magazine of each weight of BBs. Well, the next and just about all the others
accept for a few shots that curved off to the side weren’t any better and
they went straight up as well.

Next, I popped the next
magazine into the rifle it was loaded with Maruzen .3g BBs and it didn’t
shoot any better with those BBs either. Pretty much the same as the .29g
BB, straight up. So, after I fired all 25 of the .3g BBs I loaded the Straight
.36g Sniper Grade BBs into the magazine. I was looking forward to seeing
how these BBs would react to the new upgrades, as these were the BBs that
I have been using in the rifle and find them to work the best. I popped
in the freshly loaded mag into the rifle and slowly, easily cycled the bolt.
I took careful aim at the 100 ft. target, taking three breaths; I held the
last one and slowly squeezed the trigger. It released and out came the BB;
I was quite surprised at the results. The .36g BBs shot out straight and
went a little farther then the .29g and .3g BBs, but curved upward too.
I would have bet that they would have been the ones that would shoot the
straightest and farthest before dropping off. I fired off all 25 rounds
just like I did with the .29g and the .3g BBs, but to no avail. I was hitting
the target, but not the way I like and I didn’t plan on engaging any targets
at 100 ft. or less. One of the reasons I upgraded the rifle in the first
place was to get extended range and accuracy.

The only BBs I had left
to test was the Straight .43g Sniper Grade BBs and I was hoping that they
would be the ones that solved my problem. So, after I fired all of the .36g
BBs out of the magazine I loaded up the .43g BBs in the hopes that they
would be the ones. I again thought that it may be the scope that needed
to be adjusted, but I decided to go ahead and test the .43g BBs anyway.
With the freshly loaded magazine full of .43g BBs, I popped the mag into
the rifle, slowly and easily I cycled the bolt and took my usual three breaths.
Holding the last one I slowly squeezed the trigger, it released sending
the .43g BB hurling down to the 100 ft. target. BAM! Hit the target, just
to the left of the center mass where I was aiming. Whoa, what a relief I
thought I was in big trouble if the .43g BBs didn’t work.


Conditions were satisfactory, scope was zeroed @ 100 ft.

Target
practice:
After, firing all 25 rounds of the .43g BBs and
pretty much shedding the 100 ft. target I decided it was time to zero the
scope, so I reloaded the magazine with the .43g BBs. Popped it into the
rifle, went and set up a new target then set up to zero the scope. I positioned
the rifle on the bench rest, took careful aim at the new 100 ft. target,
dead center of the x10 ring, took in a breath, held it and slowly squeezed
the trigger. It released sending the BB down to the target and hitting it
about 3 inches to the left from where I was aiming.

I fired four more rounds
at the target and they all hit just about the same place, so I adjusted
windage to the right and again took aim. I again took aim at the center
of the 100 ft. target, took a breath, and slowly squeezed the trigger. It
released sending the BB down and right into the center x10 ring, right where
I was aiming. After firing four more BBs into the 100 ft. target and pretty
much hitting in the same area, I moved over to the 150 ft. target. I again
took aim at the center of the x10 ring and took in a breath, slowly squeezing
the trigger. It released, sending the BB down and into the 150 ft. target,
just slightly to the bottom of the x10 ring where I was aiming.


Compensated for 2 to 3 mph winds, blowing right to left.

Not bad, that’ll work
with no problem, so I set my sights on the 200 ft. target and again I took
careful aim at the x10 ring, slightly holding the crosshairs just to the
top of the center ring. I took in a breath, slowly squeezed the trigger
and it released, sending the BB down to the 200 ft. target, hitting just
to the left, lower part of the center ring where I was aiming. Again, not
bad and I could compensate for a shot like that easy, so I fired four more
rounds at the 200 ft. target, compensating for each shot till I hit right
where I wanted too.


Compensating for added distance & wind blowing 2 to 3 mph, right
to left. Aiming points are indicated.

Now, I decided to see
if I could hit a target set out to 250 ft., definitely the farthest I have
ever tried to shoot before with the rifle.So, I set up a target at 250 ft.
and set up for a shot, taking careful aim, compensating as I did for the
200 ft. target, aiming slightly right and up a bit from the top of the center
ring.

I took a breath and
held it, slowly squeezed the trigger, the trigger released, sending the
BB down to the 250 ft. target. It hit three to three an half inches below
and to the left a bit from where I was aiming. The next four shots I tried
to compensate for, but none of them were consistent. They still weren’t
bad and I still would hit a man-sized target at that range. I figured that
if I just kept it within the 220 to 230 ft. range, I wouldn’t have any problems
hitting my intended target(s). So, with the initial testing and the scope
zeroed in all was left was to be put through the combat test, an actual
skirmish on the battlefield.

Combat
tests:
The day came for the actual combat test, it was a
bright sunny day about 60 to 65 degrees, few clouds, very light wind. The
team I am on decided to play CQB scenarios, so I was assigned to provide
security overwatch for the outer perimeter of the killhouse. Before we would
begin any game, we would need to clock the rifle and check to see what velocity
it was shooting at. The rifle chrono’d at 510 FPS with .29g BBs, with the
.36g BBs it shot 460 FPS and with the .43g BBs it was shooting 410 FPS.
Now with that out of the way and as long as I used BBs over .29g, I would
be able to use the rifle with no problem.

So, moving on to the
game, the killhouse is a two-story plywood building with three windows in
the front of the second level, two windows and an entrance door in the front
lower level. There is also an exit door at the lower rear of the building
and a rooftop hatch that can be accessed from the second level. One side
has two windows located in the second level, if you stood looking at the
killhouse, they would be on the left-hand side. My job was to set up a shooting
position in the front left-hand corner of the killhouse, this would allow
me to cover all the opening of the building, and I would also cover the
rooftop, in case the opposing team tried to put a shooter on top of the
building.

Two assaulters were
set up at the rear of the killhouse to provide security for the rear of
the building. They would deal with any opposing team members trying to escape
out the rear of the building. I decided to set up about 200 ft. out from
the left-hand corner of the building, positioned behind a group of small
trees. I used the trees as an aiming support to help steady my aim, I was
in the standing position, this would make it easier for me to cycle the
bolt.

Once I set up and the
rear security was in place, the signal for the assaulting team was giving.
They moved in on the right-hand side of the building and with radio commands
I advised they of the situation. I could see two shooters in the No. #1
upper window, two shooters in the No. #3 upper window, and one shooter in
each lower window. Rear security reported that they were taking fire from
and returning fire to shooters on the rooftop. I was unable to see the rooftop
shooters from my ground position, so the rear security team would have to
deal with them.


Lead, advised me to
eliminate any and all targets of opportunity, so with the order given of
“Weapons free!” I took aim at my first target, which was one of the shooters
in the No. #1 upper window. He was trying to look and see where the assaulting
team was staging. I aimed for the upper part of his arm, as he was turned
facing sideways of me. I began my breathing control, held my breath, slowly
squeezed the trigger and with a light puff, send a BB slamming into the
lower part of his arm, just below his elbow. With a surprised look on his
face, he shakes his head and went out of sight. The second shooter was peeking
out the window trying to see where the shot came from; I could hear him
yelling to the others, that there was a sniper somewhere in the tree line.

The other shooters in
the No. #3 upper window were firing suppressive fire into the tree line,
but to no avail. I took my next target into sight, aiming dead center of
his chest, taking a breath, holding, I slowly squeezed the trigger and sent
a BB slamming into the mid-section of his torso. He too dropped out of sight
and the other shooter jumped to the side of the window. I could just barely
see him, so I took careful aim for the left-side of his chest, taking a
breath, holding, slowly squeezing the trigger, I send a BB at him but it
struck the wall behind him. So, he ducked to the other side of the window,
out of sight, I quickly turned my attention to the lower windows and couldn’t
see the shooters that I had seen before. I radioed the assaulting team and
informed them that I had eliminated two shooters in the upper level, was
unable to see the shooters in the lower level.

The rear security had
eliminated one of the rooftop shooters, but not before the rooftop shooters
had eliminated one of them. Lead, informed me to provide cover fire for
them as they were going to begin their assault on the building and try to
make entry. I advised him not to assault as the building was still heavily
fortified, but he felt they could assault the building with minimum resistance.
As the assaulting team made they way to the right side of the building,
the remaining rooftop shooter had set up a position to the far right-hand
corner of the rooftop. He popped up and opened fire on them as they tried
to make it to the side of the building, hitting two of them and sending
the remaining team members back into the cover of the trees. I then have
a clear shot and focused on him, taking aim on the center of his back, I
took a breath, held it, and slowly squeezed the trigger, sending a BB right
into the lower part of his back. He dropped out of sight and I informed
the remaining assault team that the threat was eliminated. Now with just
three assault team members left, we would have to go with an aggressive
entry, so I moved my position to cover just the front of the building, firing
two to three rounds into each window. This was to let anyone in the rooms
know I was still there and if they stuck their heads out for a look, I would
pop them. I radioed the assault team to go and they went into action, eliminating
the shooter through the window of the lower level, as I watched all the
other openings. Once, they went inside it would be up to them, all I could
do is watch for any movements from any of the openings.

Conclusion
As
for the outcome of the game, it didn’t turn out to well for the lesser
number assault team, but lessons were learned. As for me, I learned
that I now have a very potent sniper rifle, with great range and accuracy.
I definitely made the right decision to upgrade it as I did, as it proofed
it was well worth it and I am quite pleased with the performance of
the APS-2 SV “SHADOW”.

Here is my overall
view of my custom-built APS-2 SV “SHADOW” on a scale of 1 to 10 with
10 being the best possible rating:

Appearance

8-8.5/10

Build
Quality

7.5/10

Performance

9-9.5/10

Value
for Money

6-6.5/10

Overall
Potential

7.5-8/10

I’ll explain each
rating and why I give the rating that I did.

The appearance
is quite nice and I am pleased with it, very sleek looking and the silencer
added appeal to it, but it still has a bit of a toy-look to it.

Build quality
is very good and I am speaking of the upgrade work and how well the
silencer is built, and the added accessories, if it wasn’t for the so-so
stock. It would have scored a little better rating.

Performance,
all I can say is this thing ROCKS! the performance is incredible and
I am very pleased with it.

Value for the
money
With what I spend on it, some would say that I went a bit
overboard on it and it did cost far too much. The silencer alone was
$300.00 that included materials and labor; the upgrade parts totaled
$311.00 not including shipping and labor that was just for the new spring,
L2 cylinder set, piston, and the tight bore barrel. And of course, I
threw in a nice size tip for Barry for all his hard work and long hours.

Overall potential,
this rifle has very good potential, the performance is incredible, lacks
a bit in the looks department, but overall it‘s very nice. There is
still some things that I may do to the rifle, like installing a FIRST
reinforced bolt handle and maybe and I mean a big “maybe“, an
ORCA stock. But, I’ll keep everyone updated on all the new improvements
that I do on the rifle and of course how it continues to perform.



If anyone has questions
about my APS-2 SV “SHADOW”. Please feel free to e-mail me at confirmedkills@hotmail.com.
Remember always wear proper eye protection, be safe, and have fun.

DISCLAIMER:
The above review is the sole opinion of the author of the review and
does not reflect the opinions of this Website or it’s administrators,
associates, partners or sponsors.

Special thanks
to Barry Saitta

– for his tireless effects, hard work, and long hours as without his
expert skills in fabricating parts and his knowledge of upgrading airsoft
weapons the APS-2 SV “SHADOW” would not have been possible.

Internal
Links:
TBA

External
Links:
TBA

Comment
on this review in the forums


Last
modified: Wednesday, May 9, 2001 9:37 AM
Except where noted copyright 2001 ArniesAirsoft
.
Images from the film ‘Predator’ are © 20th Century Fox




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