Trasher

Just finished this... For ya all FAMAS owners out there.

That's a nice looking CIRAS there.

I have the CA249, so I don't know how strong is the STAR's feed cover, but be careful with the ELCAN. A team mate broke his Marui Knights receiver after he borrowed my Guarder ELCAN replica (weighs around 700g). Under a heavy and high-riding optic like this, the plastic flexes/twists and can break at the weakest spot (feed cover hinge, feed cover lock?). So check out the STAR feed cover carefully before installing your ELCAN, or get a railed metal feed cover from GP or CA (modding required).

SAW gunner needs no nice tight groups. Reliability, fire volume and range is over anything else (in this order of preference). The only use I see for a tightbore in the M249 is the +15-20 fps increase. Below zero temperatures can kill any AEG. At the last big op, in -8 Celsius enviroment a couple brand new, stock Marui Beta Spets died (split pistons), two different brand M16/M4s suffered broken gearboxes (at the same spot). Two months ago, I broke one Guarder piston in my CA249 in -5 Celsius. It just happens. Here is another teaser for Gundorsen, in case you missed it:

Molle II vest with two 200-round pouches.

My Guarder AKM with a custom made PBS-1 replica:

After 45-50k rounds, I dare to say, most of us don't need 2400 round motor driven hicaps. Size does matter. The 100-round pouch is much more compact in size... Crawling in the snow today was PITA with the boxmag. 1000-1500 rounds of "continous" firepower is more than enough for most situations, even for us, SAW gunners.

Any info on the ETA of the STAR 1500rd mag? It would be easier to mod that for the CA249 than making my own from a real soft 100-round mag.

ColDaz, My CA249 weighs in around 18 lbs fully loaded (boxmag, belt, large battery), make sure you wanna lug this beast around all day... If you do your part as a SAW gunner, you can go through high number of rounds pretty quickly. I fire about 3000-5000 rounds/game (short, controlled bursts), others fire 5-10 times more.

Broken bipod brackets will appear sooner or later... the design is the same as TOP/CA.

Hunk, Get the STAR: if you are on a tight budget, and/or you want a light support weapon, with very nice in-box accessories (solid case, autowinding mag). It's a good deal for the money. Get the CA: if you want steel receiver, metal parts, a bit more realistic look (M16 mag capability, adjustable sights, cocking handle), and full TOP accessories compatibility (external parts)... and lugging around a 16lbs gun is no problem for you. With a skilled operator, both guns perform well on the field.

My AKM:

Tell him that he is a miserable airsmith and he should leave his guns alone... and he should read the instructions before destroying the next piston.

Most TOP stuff fits the CA249 perfectly, and vice versa... It's a big mistake if STAR is not compatible with all the M249 accessories out there.

Brilliant idea...

My stock CA piston ran 20k rounds before I replaced it in the CA249. My Guarder polycarb piston snapped in 6-7k rounds... So I use the stock CA piston again, until replacement arrives.

The boxmag is not necessary for game play with the CA... Mine was ready to go out-of-box. I get steel frame, massive metal gearbox, metal parts, an M16 mag, and TOP external parts compatibility instead of a boxmag and solid case. It cost me $830 plus shipping. With the STAR you get a lightweight, somewhat less realistic SAW (weight, feel, handling), made from cheaper materials. The autowinding boxmag is a nice feature. If the new plastic gearbox design is right, I bet it's good buy for the money. $600 plus shipping. You get what you pay for. So what's your point again? Sell TO

There is always additional expense - especially with a high ROF, BB hose. You'll need a rail and red-dot, or an adjustable iron sight on the top of that STAR. You have to remove the plastic rear sight if you want to use an ELCAN/ACOG, or buy a railed feed cover. You will need steel parts kit for the bipod bracket, etc...

Guy selling a TOP SAW for the STAR because the looks of the CA is a turnoff. Oh boy...

Verymanynames, Buying a SAW is the start of a serious addiction. You have been warned.

Thanks for the review! Judging from the looks, it's a good buy for the money - especially for those who don't want to lug around a 20lbs SAW... Can we hear about field performance? As a CA249 gunner, I always carry one M16 hicap - in case something malfunctions in the boxmag (never happened in 20.000+ rounds)... Adjustable sights is a good thing even on a SAW. I use mine from the shoulder 90% of the time, and those first shots really count. A cheap red dot or low power ELCAN/ACOG scope can fix this problem on the STAR.

My teammate borrowed his GG-GR16 for a photo. Enjoy.