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It was bound to happen, I just didnt think it was going to be so soon.

 

I finally got my hands on one of KWA's latest offerings. A KWA SR10. It is an M4 variant with a very high performance gearbox.

 

I still have a 1st generation KM4A1, I still use it as my primary, and it still runs smooth as butter. I know KWA has had their ear to the ground about what can be improved in the new generation of KWA AEG's. So I am really anxious to see what KWA has done in to improve an already solid AEG.

(Click on small images for larger view)

 

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The gun was packaged well in a simple black and silver box with "KWA" printed on the front.

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Pretty standard setup inside of the box as well.

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Included is the usual KWA Manual in english! (Imagine that) Barrel rod, sight adjustment tool, safety cap, allen wrenches and a 300rnd hicap.

 

EXTERNALS

The first thing I noticed about this KWA AEG was the new Matte Black finish. It is really nicely finished off in comparison to the previous KWA M4 offerings.

They also toned down the KWA trademarks that seemed to be griped about on the first run of AEG's.

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The SR10 features a free floating 25cm Knight's type railed handguard and employs a low profile gas block to complete the look. It has laser etched markings for quick reference when swapping optics on the fly.

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With the absence of the A-frame front sight, KWA added a Knight's type folding front sight. This sight retains the same type of silhouette that an A-frame type of front sight would have when viewed from the rear sight.

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The rear sight is an Arms style flip up sight mounted to the flat top rail. This sight is typically associated with S-System styled guns. One thing to note about the sights and other similar little details. They are so precisely casted and finished. I beleive this is a product of KWA's gas gun heritage. At any rate all the parts look and fit great.

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My rail did have a slight wobble that required me to tighten my delta ring. It is a quick fix but a little disappointing. I am sure KWA has already addressed this issue.

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Charginig handle pulls back the faux bolt to reveal hop up. Pretty standard stuff here.

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Forward assist is non functional. Included is a dual loop buffer tube sling mount.

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The gun utilizes a crane stock as a battery solution. Slides in and out smoothly with very little wobble. At no point does the sliding motion get interupted by wires or anything.

It slides smooth as butter even down to the shortest position. This is the first time I have encountered such a fool proof crane stock system. The battery loads from the buttplate, so the plugs in the front are just dummy's.

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Gucci'd up pic

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Old KWA M4A1 and New KWA SR10

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PERFORMANCE

 

Using .2g SIIS 5.94mm(full auto) BB's The gun chronoed at about 390 fps

5 shot string read like this...

1.) 390 fps

2.) 394 fps

3.) 388 fps

4.) 390 fps

5.) 388 fps

 

Shoots very consistently +/- 3 fps

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One of the main complaints about the original KWA m4 was the average range and accuracy which was mainly due to the bucking.

 

KWA sure rectified this problem with a Japan made Inner barrel and G2X

bucking. There is really nothing you can do to improve here other than use precision bb's.

 

Here is a shot of the barrel crown, bucking, and hop hop up housing. Very precision work here. The one piece outer barrel is rock solid and hugs closely to the inner barrel. The hop up unit fits snugly and precisely and the whole front of the upper reciever is reinforced with a steel insert. Everything about this set up screams DMR like accuracy. I was extremely impressed by the new set up.

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Here I used a slow shutter camera shot so that you can see the path of the bb.(.2g Matrix tracers)

 

Here is a 5 shot burst on Semi...

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Here is a 55 rnd mag dump of full auto. There is VERY little deviation from bb to bb. They Stream along the same path all the way to the target.

This is just awesome.

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INTERNALS/Disassembly

 

This is my favorite part of any review. Let's see if this gearbox lives up to the hype...

 

Remove rear pin...

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Remove buffer tube...

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Remove motor plate(Notice the brass threaded inserts)

Motor plate has been improved over the last model which resembled marui design. This one is better for cooling and motor adjustment.

 

The KWA motor is a great stock motor. Well balanced for ROF and trigger response.

 

I had a slight issue with one of the motor connectors coming loose. I gently crimped it and solved the issue.

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Ball Bearing spring guide also very similar to Guarder brand...

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Piston/Piston head

KWA has the best stock piston in any gun hands down. Reinforced first tooth, shaved down 2nd tooth and super strong build material.

The aluminum piston head has a ring bearing setup and offers perfect compression despite not being ported.

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Ported brass cylinder, Polycarb Cylinder head and metal air nozzle.

 

The Cylinder head seals extremely well with the cylinder.

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The tappet is robust. It has a specially ground cam profile to work with the included sector chip. The spring hook is also beefier than a normal Ver 2 Tappet.

Here is the KWA tappet(Black) next to a King Arms tappet(Red).

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The gearbox was redesigned to resist front end failures.

- Thicker reinforcements

- elimiminated 90deg angles

- "zippered" gearbox halves

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9mm bearings

You can have your m160 spring and still run bearings. Full auto DMR anyone???

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Trigger block post!

This is what failed on my first KWA M4. It looks like they rectified this issue by eliminating 90 degree angles at the base as well as almost quadrupling the size of the thing.

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Gold plated trigger contacts

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Wiring was a combination of PTFE 2 conductor and this piece of super industrial coiled wire(nickle plated as well) I believe this is what makes the crane stock work so well. Solder joints were good throughout the gun.

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Hop up unit

Seemles construction equipped with a brass stabilizer ring

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RAS/RIS

Constructed very similarly to the real deal. Extremely solid once properly tightened just like the real thing.

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That's it for internals. Obviously KWA sets the bar for building a killer gearbox. There isn't another gun in my 21 AEG arsenal that can boast a better gearbox.

 

Pros

- Revamped externals

- Free float RAS

- Best gearbox on the market

- Battery crane stock

- flip up sights

- Lipo ready

- Unrivaled customer service

- range, accuracy and consistency of a top dollar DMR right out of the box

- The included high cap magazine feeds wonderfully and can empty in a complete wind

 

Cons

- Ras/Ris needed tightened

- No trademarks?(personally I could care less, but alot of newbs will cry about this)

- I would have liked to see a sling point up front, or rail attached but the buffer tube mount does allow for quick handling straight from a magpul DVD.

- motor connector came loose after 900rnds and needed to be crimped slightly.

 

*edit*

The bucking is actually called the "2G bucking" not 2GX or whatever I called it. Also, KWA staff has advised me that the RAS has been fixed on all models.

 

CONCLUSION

 

KWA has done it again. They wanted to make the best performing gun possible, for the best price possible and they delivered. This is the gun you want to get to dominate on the field. It was made exactly for that reason.

The folks at KWA know what a skirmisher wants in an AEG, because they will be right next to you at the next Big Op. They are really connected with the end users, both in the field and on the net. They hear what you are saying and put it into action. This latest line of KWA AEG's is proof.

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Edited by GoLgO 13
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The improved finish on the body is a welcome addition.

 

How positive is the selector switch?

 

It is smooth and clicks into each position. If you watch the mag compatability video, I click it to safe towards the end where you can clearly hear it "click" into safe.

 

Thanks for the comments guys

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Very nice and thorough review. I was gonna buy an A&K Mk43, but you've convinced me to get a KWA now.

 

Except now I have the dilemma of either the SR12 or the SR10

 

Would the SR12 offer a dramatic grouping increase or is it more worth it to buy the SR10?

 

Nothing noticable, just get whatever one you like the looks of better.

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I am guessing not because the SR10 doesnt use an M4 length 7" gas system.

 

Anything you can mount to a rail you can use though you have 25cm of rail to work with.

 

I guess i am a bit confused of what you are asking, A RIS mounted m203 does not need to attach to the barrel as well as the railed handguards.

 

You can always get a different KWA model which would suit your M203 needs. All of the latest models have the new gearboxes and hop ups.

Edited by GoLgO 13
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Very nice review! I think you covered all the talking points well and it's good to see a solid review from a knowledgeable airsofter of one of the new KWA M4s.

 

Looks like a great gun overall and I'm pleased to say I now have a new KWA KM4 RIS on the way from Airsoft GI ^_^

My only points of concern are the metal non-ported piston head and the potential for needing to re-crimp the motor connectors. The motor connector thing is no big deal at all, but you'd think after going through all that trouble to reinforce the front of the gearbox to prevent shell breakages they would have had enough sense to use a polycarbonate ported piston head instead of a metal one that would pose greater risk of cracking the gearbox shell over time. Ah well, might just have to replace it with a G&P explosive piston head at some point if I get too concerned about it.

 

In any case, great review! I hope you continue to enjoy your KWA and here's hoping I like mine just as much :D

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  • 3 months later...

Have any SR10 owners been able to compare the accuracy of the SR10 against other hop systems? Namely an AUG or M14? I'm seriously considering getting an SR10 but the M4 hopup system has never been noted for superior accuracy and/or consistency. However, seeing as KWA uses their spiffy new bucking, I'm wondering by how far they've closed the gap.

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