Review of the G&G FS-51

[Jeremy A.]

I thought I'd go ahead and try to get a review of this AEG out on the web since I have not seen another comprehensive review of it yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Review of the G&G FS-51-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents:

 

1.)Purchasing

 

2.)First Impressions

 

3.)Packaging

 

4.)Performance and Sound/Weight distribution/Feel

 

5.)Disassembly, Modifications and Internals

 

6.)Effective Use

 

7.) Quirks/Things you might want to know

 

8.)Pros and cons

 

9.)Summary

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Purchasing:

 

 

 

 

I bought the G&G AEG from www.airsoftgi.com for the 10% off special that they were, and still are running. For $243.00 (originally $270.00) I got the AEG, a short manual that labels the parts and other simple information, a cleaning rod, a dark red flash hider cover, a rail mount, a receipt, and a piece of paper that let me know it had been chronoed at 330 FPS before leaving the shop in California.

 

After my order, I received an automatic email from ASGI with a receipt, which included all my order and delivery information. Following this, I also received several additional emails updating me on the status of my order, and the final email gave me the UPS tracking number for my package. I received the package from UPS 8 days after I ordered it, counting the weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Impressions:

 

 

 

The AEG came in an undamaged box from UPS, with a foam cutout where the gun rested. The packaging was good, the gun couldn't get slammed around while it was in the box, and everything was protected.

 

I was looking forward to getting this particular gun because I've had only good experiences with G&G so far, and I've always been a fan of the G3 series of rifles. I have heard that G&G guns come stock with a tightbore barrel, but I'm not able to confirm whether or not the stock barrel was a G&G 6.04mm tightbore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance and Sound/Weight distribution/Feel:

 

 

The AEG had a very high RoF with the ~M100 equivalent spring, and shot accurately for the most part. At 80 ft. the groupings were 8 to 9 inches at the most, which is good for any SMG length AEG. The hop-up works very well, and holds its place. I only have to adjust it a small bit for distances. It does seem to adjust almost to easily, so I put a small piece of electrical tape underneath the adjustment wheel so that it would not slip.

 

The day after I received the AEG, my package from Airsoft Atlanta arrived with a Prometheus 469mm tightbore, a Systema closed-type cylinder, and Systema Shims. I installed the tightbore along with a mock suppressor I got in the mail the same day.

 

 

The AEG weighs in at about 8 pounds with a full high capacity magazine and a 9.6v large battery (crane stock type). The gun is very comfortable to hold and fire, the iron sights are easy to use and are more versatile and easily adjustable than the iron sights on M14, AK, M4/M16, and G36 rifles, because the rear sight spins to allow for different adjustments, and they are not hard to see through with a facemask/goggles.

 

 

 

 

The AEG is full metal, and the only magnesium part of the rifle is the upper receiver. Unlike some other versions of the G3, and G3 variants, the outer barrel and bolt mechanism are all metal, so they don't snap of like a much cheaper, plastic version would. The charging handle is pulled back and locked in place to reveal the hop-up, which is hidden behind the mock bolt. The bolt mechanism gives a crisp, loud, and clean sounding clack, and does not sound like the toy that it is. The mock bolt is only drawn halfway back, unlike G&G's Mp5 series.

 

 

 

The only parts that are not metal are the stock, lower receiver, and the handguard.

 

 

 

The original flash hider was glued with red loctite onto the 14mm CCW threads, but with a hairdryer, a towel, and some gloves to protect against the heated metal I managed to unscrew the flash hider pretty easily. You will have to thoroughly clean the threads if you want to put on an aftermarket flash hider or mock suppressor easily. Also, the threads of the gun unscrew for some odd reason, and reveal another set of threads that are set too deep into the outer barrel/front sight assembly to attach anything to.

 

 

 

 

The FS-51 is a quiet gun, although not as quiet as the G&G M14, you can only hear the shots muffled impacts, mainly due to the polycarbonate piston head. The loudest part of the AEG during operation is the motor. If you upgrade the spring like I did, I'd recommend getting a stronger motor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disassembly, Modifications and Internals:

 

 

Disassembly is relatively easy for the most part. All you need to get to the gearbox itself is a long phillips-head screwdriver, and a set of metric hex wrenches.

 

First, you'll need to remove three pins; one that connects the upper and lower receivers, and two that hold the stock to the back of the lower receiver.

 

 

 

After you have the lower receiver in your hand, you'll need to remove the motor plate, motor, the two screws inside of the pistol grip, and a set screw in the selector switch.

 

 

 

The size of the hex wrench you'll need for the set screw in the selector switch is 1.5mm. (Be very careful to not round out the set screw! It is very easy to do. Also, do not lose the small spring and ball bearing under the selector switch, they are necessary to hold it in position so that it does not move freely.) However, if you do strip the set screw, I found that a drop of loctite super glue will hold it in place, and if you need to remove it after you have glued it in place, it is still possible to do so, and then re-glue it afterwards.

 

 

After this, just remove the hex screws from the gearbox, and take care to not let the spring guide come flying out at you when you open up the gearbox.

 

 

 

 

The internals seem to be fairly decent, although there is practically no lubrication inside of the gearbox. If you can, I'd recommend relubrication the gearbox when you can. The gears were shimmed well and I chose to not reshim them. The spring that came with the gun was ~M100, and chronoed at 330 fps with the stock barrel installed.

 

 

 

^The motor gives a great RoF with the stock spring, I'd say 18 rounds per second, since my M14 and the FS-51 have the same stock internals, and my M14 gets 18 RPS. With an M110 spring and a small 9.6v or a large 8.4v, the motor does strain a little, and whines with quick semi-auto shots. Some RoF upgrades, or at least a 1500 mAh+ 9.6v will do you some good.

 

 

 

The piston head has large, water-droplet shaped ports, but the o-ring seems to be a little small. I'd recommend getting a slightly larger o-ring for a better seal, either from a retailer, or a hardware store (#14 o-rings work the best). The piston head has ball bearing bushings. This has held up to an M130 spring so far without any cracks or nicks in it.

 

 

 

The piston is a polycarbonate material with one metal tooth, and it seems like it will hold up well over time with a lower-powered spring. However, in my G&G M14, this piston is showing signs of wear after ~12,000 rounds on a large 8.4v and an M100.

 

 

 

 

The spring guide is made out of plastic, but it has ball bearing bushings. This has also held up to an M130.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Modifications/Upgrades:

 

 

-Systema closed cylinder.

-Prometheus 469mm TB.

-Deep Fire 200mm x 35mm mock suppressor.

-Leapers long rail mount.

-Relubricated and reshimmed.

-Systema reinforced gearbox.

-Systema low resistance rear wire kit.

-Prometheus hard piston.

-Systema cylinder head.

-KWA motor.

-KWA 2G bucking.

-Mad Bull M120.

-9.6v 4000mAh battery.

-Prometheus double-torque gear set.

 

 

 

 

 

The stock internals are fairly good, but in the long run, I would recommend several upgrades, especially if you upgrade the spring.

 

 

 

 

 

-I would recommend replacing the motor in favor of a stronger motor, such as the stock KWA M4/M16 motor. I have installed this motor in my FS-51, and with a large 9.6v and an M130, I am achieving over 20 RPS, and that has been confirmed using a sound capture/waveform program called Audacity.

 

-The pinion gear was showing a bit of wear after only a few thousand rounds with a Prometheus M110. The motor and pinion gear were definately not designed to take a much stronger spring than the stock spring.

 

-The motor connectors on the wiring seem to be a little brittle, one of mine snapped off and I had to replace it. Either replace just the motor connectors, or go an aftermarket wiring system.

 

-The piston might need replacing down the road. I have not put a considerable amount of rounds through my G3, but my M14 has the same piston, and I noticed a few signs of wear on it only after about 12,000 rounds with the stock spring (~M100, or 323 FPS).

 

-The stock cylinder head is not metal, and the seal is not as good as it could be. The o-ring seems just a little bit too small.

 

-The piston head o-ring is smaller than any other o-ring I have seen, and needs replacing if you want a good air seal. The stock KWA piston head o-ring provides a great seal, and also #14 o-rings from your local hardware store are a good replacement.

 

 

[* See quirks section.]

 

 

 

 

Effective Use/Performance:

 

I never had a chance to use this gun while it was stock, but with the instant trigger response and the ~18 BPS with an 8.4v when the gun was bone stock, this would make an excellent close quarters rifle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quirks/Things you might want to know-

 

 

-If you have trouble with the selector switch's set screw not holding it on, you can use super glue to hold it on and you will still be able to wiggle and work the switch off in case you ever need to. I found that the set screw would often come loose because of the vibration of the gearbox.

 

 

 

*-In case you install an aftermarket wire kit, you should know that...

 

G&G AEG's (or at least the Version 2 G&G AEG's, I have no experience or knowledge of their other gearbox type's wire systems) use a different selector plate and wiring system configuration. Usually the selector plate completes the circuit with the panel of copper it has on it, but in Version 2 G&G AEG's, this circuit is already completed without the need of a bridge on the selector plate. If you install an aftermarket wire kit, this connection on the selector plate will be needed, and if you plan on replacing everything to make it work, that's fine, but there is a cheaper and easier way to do this...

 

All you will need is super glue, and a small piece of copper, roughly the length that is needed to connect the two contacts in the wire system, and wide enough for you to be able to fold over the contacts for maximum surface-to-surface contact. Fold the copper piece so that it makes contact in at least two points with the prongs that the selector plate usually contacts, then place a very small amount of superglue in a place that will keep the copper in place, but make sure it's out of the way so it doesn't get rubbed off by the selector plate. This may take a few tries to get it right, but it should work just fine.

 

 

 

-It is possible to fit a battery larger than a large 8.4v, all you need to do is buy a crane-stock configured battery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pros and Cons:

 

 

 

Pros:

-Full metal, and not the cheap pot metal used by Chinese manufacturers.

-Easy to disassemble and upgrade.

-Easy to access the barrel and the hop up in case of a jam in the field.

-Large stock to accommodate a large battery (The maximum capacity is a large 8.4v).

-Comfortable to hold and use, without being to heavy on one end or the other.

-Gearbox cycles smoothly.

-Fairly accurate while stock.

-Iron sights are easy to use and adjust for different distances.

 

Cons:

-14mm CCW threads on the barrel need to be thoroughly cleaned if you plan on using an aftermarket flash hider or suppressor.

-The set screw under the selector switch can be a pain to deal with.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary:

 

 

 

When I opened up the gearbox, I checked for any premature wear and tear, and found none. All the internals are of good quality, as are the externals. The attention paid to detail is fairly good, and the gun has no annoying stock or body wobble. I am sure this AEG will last a long time with minimal maintenance. G&G has produced another great and fairly priced AEG, without cutting corners on materials.

Edited August 16, 2009 by Jeremy A.