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Snoopy's Initial Impressions of the KWA AKG-74M GBB


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After much debate, I ended up caving in and picked up a KWA AKG-74M Gas Blowback Rifle. There hasn't been a lot of info about the gun other than the usual dimensions which includes the length, and weight of the gun. Sure its a gas blowback rifle, but what else is there really about the gun?

 

The typical KWA quality can be expected from the AKG-74M. Much of the internal workings which include the trigger/hammer assembly is made of steel. The receiver is made of the same metal as the KWA LM4/ M4 AEG...it is not steel. The rivets are cast, and the steel side mount is held on by three tiny screws that go into it from the inside of the receiver. The furniture is textured polymer and is solid. The rifle is solid with a very slight play on the folding stock...you'll notice the movement if you look for it. The folding stock folds solidly into place. The safety/fire select lever clicks into place.

 

The front sight is adjustable for elevation as is the rear sight. The rear sight does have some wiggle on it though it shouldn't affect shot placement as much as the barrel/hop assembly. Speaking of which, the tip of the inner barrel protrudes just outside of the threads of the outer barrel and is fairly secure. 

 

Unlike other KWA GBB offerings, the AKG-74M does not require a hop adjustment key. The hop unit is similar in design to a G36 AEG. It is very sturdy and has a positive click to it. From shooting a few magazines through the KWA AKG-74M, I found that the hop up works very well. I am able to shoot upwards past 150 feet using .28g BBs. One of the characteristics of the KWA/KSC GBB hop still holds true on the AKG-74M. One click up, and the gun will over hop. Back it up one and the guns shots will seem like it needs a tad more hop. One thing to keep in mind is that KSC/KWA GBB's sometimes has a tendency of shooting up to 15-25 FPS lower than the previous shot. It doesn't happen very often but it does. That change in power affects the hop trajectory of the BB. Sometimes, the gun will shoot as if you have found the sweet spot of the hop setting...then on the next shots, it seems like it needs a little bit more lift.

 

Still, every shot that I put through the gun consistently shot roughly the same distance of at least 150 feet with my current setting. Shots that has that sweet spot back spin of course go farther than other shots. 

 

As far as velocity, my KWA AKG-74M chronoes around 380-405 FPS using green gas at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Much of the shots are in the neighborhood of mid 380's to mid 390's. A shot will occasionally chrono around 380 or chrono over 400. Depending on how picky you are about the consistency of your shots in both power and range...this may or may not be a deal breaker. I will say that you could expect at least 150 feet of effective range out of the gun so you will be competitive with it against AEG's depending on your playing style. If you're shooting well past the effective range, do expect that some of your shots will reach out to your target while others may not. Again, it depends on how far your target is. Chrono used was an Xcortech X3200. Ran some Bioval .20g BBs and green gas through the gun.

 

For those wondering about the felt recoil. It is minimal compared to the KWA LM4. It does however have a snappy action. 

 

About the "bolt lock" feature. The BB extractor comes into contact with the bb follower after the last bb has been fired. The magazine allows for "bolt lock" to be enabled and disabled with the use of a key located at the bottom of the magazine. Disabling the "bolt lock" feature allows for dry firing. That is, you can keep firing the gun even after all your bbs has been fired. 

 

A lot of people seem to be concerned about the metal BB extractor on the bolt slamming into the plastic bb follower in the mag when in the "bolt lock" mode. Quite honestly, I am concerned about the long term durability of this system. From what I've read, people think this is a design flaw...I partially agree with it. Thing is that the original design was by KSC. As we all know, KSC and TM GBB's are made to run on 134a. Considering the cool down effect and the fact that the bolt only really needs to travel only a couple of inches back for the hammer to reset back, it is possible that KSC kept in mind the fact that by the time the last round is fired, the bolt doesn't travel as far back as when it first shot. That means that the bolt's metal bb extractor does not slam into the plastic bb follower at full force. Using a more powerful gas however would not allow for the cool down effect to show as much. That means that on the last round with green gas, the bb extractor from the bolt slams into the bb follower in the mag at full force. Only time will tell how well the bb follower holds up against the metal bb extractor.

 

One way to "save" your bolt catch is to keep topping off when you play. That means you change your mags before the magazine runs out of bbs.  Another benefit of doing this is that you keep your mgazines on your chest rig or plate carrier instead of it moving around in your dump pouch. Topping off is also a good idea for when you push up as you'll have a full mag moving up...this also depends on how many magazines you carry with you. Anyhow, I digress.

 

Aside from the bolt catch concern, I have almost zero complaint about the KWA AKG-74M. The gun is a stud out of the box. It shoots hard. It shoots far, and accuracy is acceptable. I'll have to do more shooting with it to decide how it stacks up against the KWA KRISS Super V GBBR which in my opinion currently shoots the best out of KWA/KKSC's GBB line up.

 

This writing isn't about format. Its more on content, :P

 

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Photos and description:

 

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KWA AKG-74M

 

 

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KWA AKG-74M Hop Dial (does not require a hop key).

-The hop bucking has the sponge bob squarepants nub sticking down the inner barrel to give the bbs backspin.

 

 

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KWA AKG Bolt Lock Key (turns the bolt lock feature on and off)

 

 

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KWA AKG Magazine ( B means the gun allows for blank firing)

Feed lips are polymer. Not metal. This keeps the BBs from being gouged when chambered into the gun.

 

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KWA AKG-74M Trademarks. Engraved but not hilighted.

 

 

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KWA AKG-74M Piston...moves back with the bolt as it should.

Edited by sacairsoftsn00py
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I checked out the AKG about a week ago at the local shop where I do tech work. I initially thought it felt fairly decent, But I thought it to be *way* too light for an AK74M. The pistol grip also felt a bit skinny even for a regular AK, and I wonder if that wasnt made out of spec on purpose ( I could be mistaken here, as my GHK with RS furniture wasnt there at the time to compare). Also a quick look at the loading nozzle and follower didnt bode well, for me. The loading nozzle was reinforced with a metal tip it seemed, ala the LM4. However, the followers on the magazines still seemed to be made of regular plastic.

 

I can only imagine that over time this means that the followers will wear out and the bolt stop will cease function until the follower is replaced, as is the case on a gun like the SRC AK, or even the VFC Mp5. This is a terrible system, and given how both GHK and friggin' WE of all people have already solved this issue, I dont see how KWA and KSC think they can get away with using it.

 

Overall, after testing one for a few minutes, It felt fairly solid to me. however my previous reservations remained. The light weight is forgivable and is, in all honesty, probably favorable to the average player. However, the bolt stop system seems to be doomed to failure. One need not look further then the KWA Mac-11 to see that the idea of metal hitting plastic is a bad idea. (Speaking of, why are there no metal loading nozzles for Mac-11s yet?)

 

If the bolt stop, however, can be forgiven, I am very sure that KWA can be trusted to produce a well functioning GBBR.  At least assuming that the receiver isnt made out of 3 loosly fitting parts for no apparent reason.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hard to say as its fairly new in the market. Colder weather means less pressure....less pressure means less stress on the internals as compared to say...90 degree Fahrenheit game days. As for cool down. Check youtube for videos. For performance...check youtube as well. You don't know whats on until you check it out.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

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Good luck dude. Mine has been sitting in the gun bag waiting for my AK rig to be built by HeadOn Tactical.

 

For now, I'll be rocking the GHK G5 GBBR as I have a rig for it...plus that gun seriously kicks butt performance wise. Quite possibly my fave Airsoft gun right now.

 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

 

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Very cool tquilha :P

 

I'm particular with my gear so I have to have custom rigs made for my stuff. I like running kydex retention in pouches. I don't like having to fiddle around with bungee cords. I like topping off so I don't have to drag heavy mags in my dump pouch and having kydex retention pouches allows for quicker drawing/reinserting when topping off.

 

Single m4 mag pouches do work, but they're not quick enough as they are on the tighter side when reinserting the mags into the pouch because the locking tabs catch on them. Typically, M4 mag pouches are 2.75" wide. I'm having that width adjusted along with specific kydex inserts made for the rig so the locking tabs do not catch on the pouch when reinserting. I'll post photos when my rig gets done. HeadOn Tactical and I are still working on what my rig would look like as he's waiting for his restock of Multicam fabric to come in.

 

Haven't looked into having a longer bolt travel. I doubt it'd have any benefits though less you consider a lower rate of fire a benefit. Also, we would need for the recoil buffer system to be in place. The AKG is designed so the bolt traveled that distance, I don't think rigging the bolt to travel farther would be a good idea. Its a system that works.

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The hop is pretty nice too. Its a pretty darn good shooter.

 

Now im considering picking up a ghk ak....the 2013 version after shooting the ghk g5 (I own 2). Not sure if you've looked at them but they are excellent shooters. Fps output is pretty darn consistent. It doesnt jump around.

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk 2

 

 

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  • 2 months later...

After 2 and a half months of owning this, I finally got the chance to field it over the weekend.

 

My verdict still stands...between the kwa lm4, akg, and kriss, the vector still wins out in terms of precision.

 

The akg shot well. I used kwa .25g bbs. The shots went down range very well. There were some strays which was remedied by sending more bbs towards the targets. Perhaps the hop bucking needs more breaking in. I'll keep at it with the field testing and report back with my observations.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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