Home Reviews Gp M16 Mag G&P 130rnd M16/4 mag

G&P 130rnd M16/4 mag

by Arnie

G&P
130rnd M16 ‘Mid caps’

by
Mark
‘Blondie’ Ormerod
.

Stock
Specifications

Ammo
capacity:

130
rounds

G&P


Introduction:
Whilst I’m generally of the opinion that the hi-cap M16 mags
are some of the best around in terms of reliability and general
lack of feed issues, as with any clockwork hi-cap that’s trying
to push loose BB’s into your gun via a narrow tube from time
to time you’re going to get a mis-feed. Sure, you can minimise
this with regular maintenance and using a decent brand of BB’s
but the issue is there just the same.

When
G&P announced a new product – a 130 round ‘hybrid’ (for
want of a better term) that relied instead on an extended facsimile
of the spring no-wind ‘lo-caps’, it sent a ripple of curiousity
and excitement throughout the Airsoft community. On one side
dedicated lo-cappers seem to be hoping this will tempt more
players to their side – as well as helping provide a balance
between hi and lo-caps mags. On the other you have the player
– such as myself – looking for that extra reliability. There’s
nothing worse having managed to get yourself behind enemy lines,
carefully aiming for that crucial shot only to have a mis-feed,
your position blown and a lot of plastic in-bound from your
intended victim. Whilst I’ve always loved the extra security
that carrying a couple of lo-caps gives you for that crucial
burst you simply can’t carry enough in a normal loadout.

So
the advent of these new ‘mid caps’ seemed like a perfect compromise
for me – reliabilty and enough extra capacity to make them worthwhile
in a firefight. A quick order to AirsoftClub
and a few days later they arrived at my door.

So
how do they hold up ?
The first burning question is capacity
– especially as depending on which site you’ve been looking
at pre-sale claims varied from 130 to 160. The mags hold 131
rounds (and indeed the packaging they arrive in marks them clearly
as having 130 round capacity). Finish wise they are similar
to the Classic Army M16 hi-caps but the good news here being
that they’re a matt black rather greenish tinged – so they should
be a lot harder wearing (appearance wise) then the TM ones which
quickly tend to take on a scratched appearance. They are extremely
solid – weighing slightly more than a standard TM hi or lo-cap
(we’re only talking a few grammes here so they’re not going
to affect your loadout significantly) and feature the same ‘Adventure
Line Mfg. Co. Inc. Parsons.KS.USA’ in a slightly larger font
that the TM lo-caps do. Build quality appears to be good – at
least as good as you’d expect from the TM mags.

Loading
these was a little tricky at first – obviously the spring is
a little stiffer as it compresses (we’re trying to store and
move twice as many BB’s here as a normal lo-cap) – and I have
to say I’d recommend using an electric BB loader <i>especially</i>
if you attempt to load these in the field !

The
feed as you’d expect is just like a normal lo-cap – although
I haven’t yet had a chance to take them out into a true gaming
situation.

So
the early verdict ?
I can’t speak for lo-cappers – I don’t
really have an opinion either way so I’ll leave it to you to
decide whether the extra rounds in the G&P mag subscribe
to your lo-cap principles :)

For
the rest of us though the answer is simply it depends on your
playing style.

For
me these are worth every penny – the combination of no rattle,
no winding and reliability make them ideally suited for how
I play in woodland. Capacity wise they’re also pretty much spot
on – during multi-target encounters I’m generally only getting
through 1/3 to 1/2 a standard hi-cap – so these should fit the
bill perfectly.

Being
dug in and no-longer having to worry about mag-winding (or that
awful ‘whizz’ at it winds down) or more importantly for me –
mud getting stuck in the ‘winding’ wheel – allow me to get on
with the business in hand. On the back of this then I’ve decided
to alter my current loadout to work around them – employing
4 in the field, with an electric speed loader and old fashioned
hi-cap just in case I’m needed to lay down supporting fire.

If
you’re role is as a true support type player however with no
requirements for stealth or silence then you’re probably best
off sticking to your hi-caps or C Mags.

by
Mark
‘Blondie’ Ormerod
.

External
Links:
AirsoftClub

Site
links:
TBA

Comment
on this review in the forums


Last
modified:
Monday, April 14, 2003 4:54 PM
Copyright 2003 ArniesAirsoft




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