G&G Armament Mauser G96

[DRAGON64]

&G Armament Mauser G96

Tactical Gas Airsoft Sniper Rifle

 

Table of Contents:

 

History

Ordering

Basic Information

First Impressions

Included

Rifle Specifications

Externals

Magazine

Performance

Internals

Modifications

Pros/Cons

Overall

 

History

 

Caliber: 7.62 NATO (.308 Win)

Operation: Bolt Action

Length: 1125mm – 1193mm (44.3 – 47 Inches)

Weight: 6.5kg (14.33 lbs) Empty without telescope

Barrel Length: 609.6mm (24 inches)

Twist, Right Hand: 1 turn in 12 inches (304.8mm)

Magazine Capacity: 10 or 12 round detachable box magazine

Maximum Effective Range: 914.4 meters (1000yards)

 

The Accuracy International PM (Precision Marksman) rifle was entered into a British competition in the early 1980s as a replacement for the Lee-Enfield derived sniper rifles then in use by the British Army (L42A1). The Accuracy International rifle was selected over the Parker Hale M85. The British Army adopted the Accuracy International PM in 1982 into service as the L96A1and outfitted the rifle with Schmidt & Bender 6x42 telescopic sights. In this configuration the rifle is capable of first shot hits with a cold, warm or fouled barrel. Tests with 10.89 g (168 gr) ammunition provided sub 0.5 MOA ten-shot groups at 91 m (100 yd) and the rifle was supplied with a telescopic sight, bipod, five magazines, sling, cleaning kit and tool roll, encased in a fitted transport case

 

Other Models in use: PM Counter-Terrorist Rifle, PM Covert Sniper Rifle, and the PM Super Magnum Sniper Rifle

 

Paraphrased from the following source:

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accuracy_International_Arctic_Warfare

 

 

Ordering

 

The rifle in this review was obtained from Airrattle, taking advantage of what appears to be new pricing strategy by G&G to get these rifles into the hands of more Airsoft-marksmen. The rifle was priced at $199 (USD), a sharp contrast to the price tag of $389+ (USD) from only a few months ago. This price appears to be in direct competition with the ARES and WELL who also make a gas L96 variant of Airsoft rifle known as the L96 AWS. The G96 rifle also takes on an Airsoft giant, Tanaka, who for many years has produced the L96 AICS rifle, which utilizes the L96 stock, with a Remington 700 style action. The G96 also sports a similar Remington 700 style action for its platform, with many enhancements, to be discussed later in this review.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI0VzvsP1cI&feature=channel_video_title

 

Basic Information

 

The G&G G96 is a gas operated bolt action sniper’s rifle. The chief propellant is propane or green gas, but the platform can be modified for high pressure air (HPA). For the sake of simplicity, HPA discussion will be left out of this review, but may be vital topic for further discussion and within this thread. The rifle has adjustable hop-up. The hop-up adjustment is accessed by a knurled knob on top of the included Picatinny rail. The rifle is equipped with a functioning thumb safety switch, which can be engaged after charging the bolt. The rifle is supplied with a mount for a bi-pod, but a bi-pod is not supplied as part of the system.

 

 

 

First Impressions

 

The G96 is shipped in two pieces and is packaged with each component having its own separate compartment for storage and shipment. The G96 is rather plain at first glance, yet it grabs your attention by looking heavier than it actually is. The rifle feels quite solid once the two pieces are married up. The stock makes up much of the weight and is nicely balanced. The exterior is smooth and sports a comfortable grip. The stock however does come with a fair amount of flash at all the seams and screw holes, giving the appearance of being unfinished. Almost as if the finishing step was left out of the stock production process. The barrel, trigger group and bolt assembly groups are pre-assembled and feel quite solid. The barrel assembly and stock assembled with two screws, which are nestled within their respective holes in the stock. They are two different sizes, but G&G conveniently supplies the required Allen wrenches to tighten them down with. The outer barrel on the G96 is one piece, in that there is no end cap to remove, which would allow for the install of barrel extenders etc. The US version also sports the standard bright orange tip. The one piece barrel and the unfinished look of the stock is the largest short-fall of this rifle in my opinion. The G96 came in Black only at this price; I did not find any options for the popular green color popularized by the L96 platform. Although fully licensed by Mauser, the G96 rifle is completely void of trades.

 

 

Edited March 4, 2012 by DRAGON64

[DRAGON64]

Review Continued...

 

Included

 

Included in the box is one 17-round magazine, two different sized Allen wrenches for stock installation, a small removable bipod mount, an un-jamming rod and an owner’s manual.

 

External Fit and Finish

 

The gun uses a nylon fiber plastic stock mounted to an AL 6061aluminum frame, which closely mimics the real L96A1. The stock is smooth, except for the flashing detail described earlier. The stock is also ambidextrous and fits quite comfortably, even when lacking some adjustability. Compared to many L96 platforms, both gas and spring operated, the G96 lacks the adjustable cheek weld that the competitor stocks come with. This does not detract from the rifle at all, as I have never adjusted the cheek weld on any of the other platforms that did have this feature. I will not miss it, as the stock makes a comfortable cheek weld. The barrel appears to be of very nice quality, including the paint that does not appear to easily chip. The barrel assembly mounts solid to the stock. The supplied bipod mount is a little loose, but is easily removed when not in use. The rifle balances nicely just in front of the trigger guard, about mid-ways of the magazine well. With the bulk of the weight aft, and balance at or near the leading hand, the rifle is not front heavy, and should keep the player from getting fatigued from aiming for long periods of time. The G&G G96 weighs in at 3890 grams (8.58lbs).

 

 

 

 

The bolt handle is of sniper quality and is very well made. The bulb is oversized, yet does not interfere with mounted glass using medium size scope rings. The feel is quite comfortable, and the charging operation is very easy and smooth, which is a major feature and draw of the gas operated platform.

 

 

 

There are no iron sights on the rifle, but the rifle is outfitted with a small top mount Picatinny rail that will accept most any rifle scope. The scope and rings selected should allow for use with larger goggles such as Arena Flak Jak’s or a paintball mask.

 

 

The safety selector lever sits on top of the rifle, at the back of the charging handle, and is activated by the shooters thumb. Although not ambidextrous, as I am a righty who shoots lefty, the selector lever works very crisply into each position.

 

The orange safety tip is not removable, as the outer barrel is a one piece design as previously described, and the tip is painted orange (US model). You can plainly see the inner barrel at the end of the outer barrel, as the inner barrel is full length and fits flush with the outer barrel.

 

 

The fit and finish of all components are quite acceptable. There are no gaps between any components, and everything is held together very securely. Color wise, all painted parts are a flat black, and the plastic components are a very dark black. The finish applied to the metal on the bolt does not hold up well, and has so far not resisted scratching.

 

Trademarks

 

The G&G G96 is void of trademarks. The only text states that the rifle is “Made in Taiwan.”

 

Magazine

 

The rifle is supplied with one magazine. The magazines are built quite well, and when filled with propane, do not leak. I have had the magazine hold a charge indefinitely thus far, and still fire three magazine bb fills without a recharge. The magazine insertion into the rifle takes some getting used to and is not straight forward; the player will need to release/open the bolt to the receiver, and hold open the magazine release lever in order to install or remove the magazine. This will all become standard practice with continued use. The magazine works as designed, and appear to be quite gas efficient I am able to get 35 - 45 shots per charge of gas.

 

 

The rifle is quite proprietary as far as the magazine is concerned, and as of this writing, there are no other after-market magazine designs available for the G96.

 

[DRAGON64]

Review Continued...

 

Performance

 

The G&G G96 is advertised to shoot 150 to 160 m/sec (492- 528 fps) with .20g bb’s. However, I have chronograph readings that point to much higher than advertised performance numbers. First shot from a fresh magazine, my chronograph read 659 fps (200.8 m/sec) for .20g bb’s. As you view the linked videos, you will see very high numbers recorded from 5-different weight bb’s. Also take note of average readings, which are all given in fps, to include extreme spreads. The extreme spreads show vast inconsistencies evidenced from the use of propane gas. Although not tested on this rifle, I can only assume similar performance from Green Gas.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEc_atuu998&feature=channel_video_title

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgmS5mZNHNY&feature=channel_video_title

[DRAGON64]

Review Continued...

 

Internal Build

 

I will not open the rifle until the warranty has expired (30-days). Until then, I can report that the rifle is sporting a measured 6.03 tight bore barrel. Although measuring the internal diameter of the barrel at one end with a digital caliper is not all conclusive, it is encouraging.

 

The trigger group is very basic in function, and is single stage with a very light pull. The trigger group and components are all metal, and appears to be non-tunable. Although not necessary, the trigger could really benefit from a two stage configuration. This would have been a nice compliment to the all metal construction.

 

 

Firing the G96 is a wonderful break from firing a spring rifle; the pull on the bolt is very light, comparable only to its real steel copy, and the pull on the trigger is extremely light. These attributes are much preferred, as a light bolt pull, and less resistance on the trigger will allow the player to make more consistent shots while staying focused on the target.

 

Modifications

 

Currently I have no modifications planned for this rifle. G&G has already installed all of the modifications into the rifle, that they have manufactured for years for the Tanaka m700 AICS and the KJW M700 Police gas sniper's rifles. These include better striker springs, upgraded rubber seals, and the power bolt. All G&G products comes standard with a 6.03 precision tight bore barrel.

 

Pros/Cons

 

Pros:

 

Strong external build

Solid design

The rifle is well balanced

Adjustable butt pad (for length of pull only)

Quality magazine

Upgraded cocking handle

Easy access hop-up adjustment

Hits hard at 500+ stock fps (chrono’d)

Lower MSRP, comparable to more established bolt action rifles prior to expensive upgrades

Comes with rail mount

Comes with all of G&G’s tried and true upgrade parts as standard issue

 

 

Cons:

 

Excessive flashing on all seams and bolt holes

No trades (does not really matter to me that much…)

650+ fps (201 m/sec) .20g velocity is too high for playing fields. This alone poses a safety concern, considering .43g bb’s still perform in the high 400 to low 500 fps range.

No choices available for outer barrel

The rifle is semi-heavy at 8.6 lbs

 

 

Overall

 

The G&G G96 is a solid choice for anyone in the market for a hard hitting gas operated sniper’s rifle! The build quality is very nice, although quite plain, and the rifles performance is quite exceptional. In a market where the L96 can be found on every Airsoft field in the world, the G96 stands out as a solid and sharp looking design. Future purchasers of this rifle will not be disappointed in their investment.

 

My Platform

 

Pictured below is my G96 with a Chinese Leupold M1 tactical rifle scope in 3.5-10 X 40. For the near future I will add a nice sling, and that will be all that this rifle needs**.

 

 

 

I will update the thread as I get additional helpful information; my goal is to shoot this rifle in stock form until it fails however long that may be. When and if I need replacement parts, the rifle will have plenty of fielded replacement components that are available from most retailer.

 

** This rifle may see additional benefits from a quality installed high pressure air (HPA) system

[Wingmann]

Excellent review. Thanks for your effort