Introduction: Whilst I'm generally of the opinion that the hi-cap M16 mags are some of the best around in terms of reliability and general lack of feed issues, as with any clockwork hi-cap that's trying to push loose BB's into your gun via a narrow tube from time to time you're going to get a mis-feed. Sure, you can minimise this with regular maintenance and using a decent brand of BB's but the issue is there just the same. When G&P announced a new product - a 130 round 'hybrid' (for want of a better term) that relied instead on an extended facsimile of the spring no-wind 'lo-caps', it sent a ripple of curiousity and excitement throughout the Airsoft community. On one side dedicated lo-cappers seem to be hoping this will tempt more players to their side - as well as helping provide a balance between hi and lo-caps mags. On the other you have the player - such as myself - looking for that extra reliability. There's nothing worse having managed to get yourself behind enemy lines, carefully aiming for that crucial shot only to have a mis-feed, your position blown and a lot of plastic in-bound from your intended victim. Whilst I've always loved the extra security that carrying a couple of lo-caps gives you for that crucial burst you simply can't carry enough in a normal loadout. So the advent of these new 'mid caps' seemed like a perfect compromise for me - reliabilty and enough extra capacity to make them worthwhile in a firefight. A quick order to AirsoftClub and a few days later they arrived at my door. So how do they hold up ? The first burning question is capacity - especially as depending on which site you've been looking at pre-sale claims varied from 130 to 160. The mags hold 131 rounds (and indeed the packaging they arrive in marks them clearly as having 130 round capacity). Finish wise they are similar to the Classic Army M16 hi-caps but the good news here being that they're a matt black rather greenish tinged - so they should be a lot harder wearing (appearance wise) then the TM ones which quickly tend to take on a scratched appearance. They are extremely solid - weighing slightly more than a standard TM hi or lo-cap (we're only talking a few grammes here so they're not going to affect your loadout significantly) and feature the same 'Adventure Line Mfg. Co. Inc. Parsons.KS.USA' in a slightly larger font that the TM lo-caps do. Build quality appears to be good - at least as good as you'd expect from the TM mags. Loading these was a little tricky at first - obviously the spring is a little stiffer as it compresses (we're trying to store and move twice as many BB's here as a normal lo-cap) - and I have to say I'd recommend using an electric BB loader <i>especially</i> if you attempt to load these in the field ! The feed as you'd expect is just like a normal lo-cap - although I haven't yet had a chance to take them out into a true gaming situation. So the early verdict ? I can't speak for lo-cappers - I don't really have an opinion either way so I'll leave it to you to decide whether the extra rounds in the G&P mag subscribe to your lo-cap principles :) For the rest of us though the answer is simply it depends on your playing style. For me these are worth every penny - the combination of no rattle, no winding and reliability make them ideally suited for how I play in woodland. Capacity wise they're also pretty much spot on - during multi-target encounters I'm generally only getting through 1/3 to 1/2 a standard hi-cap - so these should fit the bill perfectly. Being dug in and no-longer having to worry about mag-winding (or that awful 'whizz' at it winds down) or more importantly for me - mud getting stuck in the 'winding' wheel - allow me to get on with the business in hand. On the back of this then I've decided to alter my current loadout to work around them - employing 4 in the field, with an electric speed loader and old fashioned hi-cap just in case I'm needed to lay down supporting fire. If you're role is as a true support type player however with no requirements for stealth or silence then you're probably best off sticking to your hi-caps or C Mags. External Links: AirsoftClub Site links: TBA Comment on this review in the forums Last modified: Monday, April 14, 2003 4:54 PM Copyright 2003 ArniesAirsoft
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