The new magazine is very similar to the TM and CA hicaps, although there are a few tell-tale differences to the keen eye. :) Looks: First up is the colour, it's a slightly more light gray than the TM mags, but no worries there, as the real magazines aren't all the same colour. The AE mag is on the left while the TM mag is on the right. You'll notice that if you place the mag on it's side you'll see that the spot weld marks are slightly more visible (those little regular indents) - that's where the folded metal has been joined up in the manufacture process.
At the top the plastics aren't quite up to the same quality as the TM mag. In these two shots you can see the AE compared directly to the TM version, and you can see that the two plastic halves at the top don't quite line up, and that there's minor mold imperfections.
At the base of the magazine you'll see the manufacturer's markings. The TM gives the Adventure Line MFR markings, whilst the AE has stamped on the bottom: AIRSOFT ELITE Now I have to say that being different to the TM magazine is not a bad thing per se, I simply compared it to the TM magazine as this is what most people will be used to looking at. Internals: In these two shots the AE mag is to the bottom, whilst the TM mag is to the top, as you can see the internals are for want of a better word identical. One point of note is that you'll need a 5/64 Torx bit to get the AE mag to bits, and a 3/32 Torx head for the TM mag.
To strip the mags you simply undo the bolt at the bottom, depress the tags that poke through the mag side about 1cm down and then slide the plastic internals out the steel cover. When you reassemble, do make sure that the bolt is nice and tight otherwise it'll undo itself when you least expect it. Compatibility: I tested this particular magazine in both a TM M733 and the new CA M15. The mag was a nice snug fit inside the mag well with both test rifles. Fitment was a bit more sloppy in the CA receiver, but that's only to be expected as the CA mag well is slightly wider (TM mags wobble in there too). Performance:Winding and capacity/performance is not the same as the TM model though, specifications have been published that it can empty up to 80% of the magazine with one complete wind. It took roughly 100 'finger-winds' to full prime the AE hi-cap. The results of the tests were as follows:
It's worth noting here that if you fill the magazine, wind it, and then top up, you can actually get 350BBs in the mag, but don't overfill other wise this leaves no free room for the mechanism at the bottom of the magazine to rotate. The tests were conducted with 0.2g BBs, and after a full wind, the release catch at the top was slide back and the BBs allowed out against a back pressure to slow the mechanism and flow down. The BBs pushed out from a full wind were then weighed on some very accurate scales. The results are the average of 3 tests each. As you can see the Airsoft Elite magazine does allow you to fire more BBs per full-wind, and in our tests emptied well over half the magazine, 30% more than TM's magazine. Please do bear in mind that these were both brand new magazines, so the mechanism will free up and therefore expel more BBs per wind as it is lubed and used in the field. AE's claim of up to 80% per full wind therefore, although not proven in these tests, cannot be disproven either. When tested in an actual AEG for firing purposes, no dry firing or misfires were exhibited, and it performed just as well as the TM equivalent. Conclusion: Well the AE mags are much cheaper than the TM equivalent, and are built to the design. You get at least 30% more shots off per wind, and they're cheaper to boot. Sure they might lack some of the visual refinement found on their more expensive brethren, but most mags look the same after they get used, scratch and generally battered in use. Half of my own hi-caps are missing most of their paint after regular usage. Given the fact that they are available in the US for less than current available imports, I can't see much reason to buy any other 300 round hi-cap. External Links: AirsoftElite Site links: TBA Comment on this review in the forums Last modified: Monday, October 6, 2003 2:05 PM Copyright 2003 ArniesAirsoft |
