sunburnthammer Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 After some delays from customs owing to my UKARA number expiring during transit my Tavor has finally arrived. I thinks this might be the first review as I have found nothing elsewhere on the web and no videos save for the S&T promo one from before christmas. Unfortunately I havent put any rounds through it so can't comment on range/accuracy/fps, just aesthetics, which seem to be on alot of peoples minds when discussing Tavor AEG's. I have been worried that it would be a poor plasticy representation as per previous S&T Tavor examples, I cant comment on the Ares ones. In the box I got the gun, mag and manual , thats it, no cleaning rod or any other parts. It is however very well packed. First things first as you will see from the photos, the supplied mag I thought was small, especially compared to the Lonex flash mags also pictured. Minor issue? its a metal made mag. Picking the gun out of the box I can happily say that it felt very solid. I was very fearfull of it being a creaky piece of . However it would appear that the main boy is of polymer construction as the listings said. It does have a seem running through the middle of the body but it is glued shut unlike the FS2000 I think the finish is quite nice on the polymer, there are a few small glue marks on the underside of the body. It has been well moulded and details are sharp as you can see on the pistol grip. The RIS rails, sights, barrel, flashider are metal, which I suspect is the difference between the Professional and explorer models, that and it having a polymer body as opposed to ABS plastic. There are no IMI trade marks, but "Made in china" is stamped in small font at the rear of the body. The charging handle opereates and exposes the faux ejection port and also the hop unit. The release button is the large one behind the magazine and I think also works as a spring release. I found that if the ejection port cover is half open when you have finished firing that if you cock the charging handle and release it, it closes fully. This leads me to the blow back function. I also run a TM SOPMOD so compare it to that. It is very very loud. It does not seem to have a recoil function like the TM range but it is still a very crisp, and I will say it again, very loud, blowback. The battery compartment is easily accessible and comes fitted to a small tamiya connector. I used a 7.4 1200 stick lipo to see how it fired and this battery was just a dash to big. However the space for the battery is wide so there are plenty of squarer lipos that fit, probably with more capacity than a 1200. The listing states that the void will fit a mini Nimh battery. The cavity extends back towards the pistol grip. The front grip locks securely in and must be the easiest battery compartment to access I have encountered. The butt pad at the rear of the gun can be removed by first pushing through a locking pin. The pad opens at a hinge at the lower rear exposing the motor and also access to the spring which can be quick changed. In summary, very built in my opinion especially given the price. I think the addition of metal parts and a polymer body makes a huge difference and transforms it into a sturdy and realistic representation. The rate of fire and trigger response is the only gripe I have at this pre-firing stage. Again I dont have the stats for this and it might just be because I am used to using AEG's with a very high rate of fire. I had been waiting for this to arrive from order for nearly two months. Maybe my opinions on bullpups or the Tavor have changed since then but I think this is a real Marmite gun, especially for me a common M4 monkey. As such I am not sure I will keep it down to my preference alone as opposed to any physical issues with the gun. Its still nearly half the price of the Ares Tavor at $230 and has the blowback function to boot, so even if you not sure whether you like a Tavor or not its certainly a cheaper option than what is already out there and possibly better in build quality than the Ares. Specifications :Length : 672 mm Inner Barrel Length : 415mm Shooting Mode : Safety, Semi-Auto & Full-AutoWeight (Gram): 4650 (With Box)Gearbox Type : Full Metal 8mm bushing gear box with Electronic blow back (EBB) system and Quick Spring change function.Color : BlackPower Source : 8.4v (Mini type)Magazine Capacity : 300 roundsMaterials : Polymer and metalBullet Type : 6mm BBPower (Muzzle Velocity) : 350 FPSManufacturer: S&T Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wild_XIII Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Nice review, a couple of questions. Do you know if the blow back can be disabled? How stiff is the magazine release? I know the Ares one suffered from having a weak spring so mags had a chance to drop out. Cheers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted January 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Dont know if the EBB can be disabled, I am no techie, but I am aware that other EBB's (CYMA AIMS) can be disabled. Mag release is completely solid. Absolutely no issues externally. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Rogue845 Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Sounds to me like they've cloned certain elements of the Ares design, like the bolt release and the quick change spring. It would be interesting to know how much of a clone it is. Asn an owner of two Ares Tavors, a source of spares would be a welcome prospect. The trigger response is a little slow on the Ares one as well. Does the S&T have a long trigger pull (like the Ares)? Or is the slow response due to dome other factor? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheWere-Donkey Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Great review, just wondering if its possible for you to do a bit on how it performs once you've had a chance to try it? Thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted January 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 1) trigger pull is long which might be responisble for the low ROF. Could also be down to wiring/type of motor. 2) If I decide to keep it then I will post an update once its been tested in the field. I dont have the range in my garden to get a good idea. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Half Trigger Posted January 29, 2013 Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 Nice review, looks like a sweet rifle. How long did it take to get to you in the end then? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted January 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2013 nearly two months. If my UKARA number had still been valid it would have under two weeks easily. The delay was all in the UK Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted January 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2013 Will just add that I have measured the battery space. I would say that these are the maximum sizes. 1350mm long, 375mm wide, 200mm deep. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Blobbykiller Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Nice review, looking forward to hearing about the range/ accuracy of this thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Half Trigger Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 nearly two months. If my UKARA number had still been valid it would have under two weeks easily. The delay was all in the UK Yeah I can imagine, damn customs taking their time. Let us know about its performance when youv skirmished it. I've seen a few people looking out for these, they seem to be an increasingly sought after weapon which makes it sound like a good platform so I would like to hear how it serves. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Nath Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 (edited) Anyone got any comparison to the previous version of this gun (explorer model afaik)? Edited February 4, 2013 by Nath Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ollie_ty Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 He's selling it. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Half Trigger Posted February 4, 2013 Report Share Posted February 4, 2013 Aha didn't take him long! Clearly not an amazing gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted February 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2013 Bit of a rash generalisation there half trigger.. I can only count for the exterior which I think for the cost is very good as it hasn't even seen the cold light of day. I am selling it but only because I'm not sure if I want a bullpup and since ordering it ages ago my circumstances have changed meaning I am hardly going to use it. Would rathervsomeonevelse got to enjoy it. Arnie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted February 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Have also rectified the ROE issue. Hada spare 7.4 2600mah crane stock lipo lying around. Fit easily in the battery space with room left. Now fires at a very comfortable rate. Still might keep this!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Half Trigger Posted February 6, 2013 Report Share Posted February 6, 2013 Bit of a rash generalisation there half trigger.. I can only count for the exterior which I think for the cost is very good as it hasn't even seen the cold light of day. I am selling it but only because I'm not sure if I want a bullpup and since ordering it ages ago my circumstances have changed meaning I am hardly going to use it. Would rathervsomeonevelse got to enjoy it. Arnie Aha true. And tbf I'm not a fan of bullups at all either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Snoop-Uk Posted March 9, 2013 Report Share Posted March 9, 2013 I know this sounds silly what's the gun function with poly mags like the Canadian or e mags ? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sunburnthammer Posted March 10, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2013 If had tested the gun with them I could have told you. However I didnt Quote Link to post Share on other sites
3vi1-D4n Posted December 31, 2013 Report Share Posted December 31, 2013 (edited) The S&T isn't bad for a project gun. I have the explorer version. Many of the issues with the ARES, the S&T has solved. First thing they did was to get rid of the mechbox mounted hop unit, and added a spring to push the hop unit towards the mechbox. They also free floated the outer barrel, rather than the ARES with a two piece mounting. However it is not without some work required. Here is the amount of work required to have it working at DMR accuracy. - Added a front barrel bushing onto the outer barrel to stabilise the inner barrel. (tolerance issue) - New motor (the original motor was p00p, like the ARES) - Element H-hop nub - Madbull blue hop rubber - Adjusted the trigger pull by setting the trigger rod further forward - Lighten the trigger pull Its using a 7.4v 1800mah on an m120 spring at 15 rps, shooting 420fps. Overall the trigger is now light and responsive with a quick trigger response, with less travel than an AK/MP5K trigger. Worthwhile as a DMR. Downside is because the barrel is a light profile free float, accuracy on auto suffers. I also added around 500gs of counterweight to the front where the battery compartment would be, total weight now is around 2.9kgs so the gun feels more balanced. I have done similar mods to an ARES and because of the better materials used the total weight is at 3.9kgs which is way too heavy for a carbine. Edited December 31, 2013 by 3vi1-D4n Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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