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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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1
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18610
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7/4/08
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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Average Rating
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100% of reviewers
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£147.00
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9.0
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Description:
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KWA's first AEG
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Keywords:
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KWA G36C AEG
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crimsonfalcon07
Registered: October 2006
Location: Boulder, CO, USA
Posts: 178
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Review Date: 7/4/08
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Would you recommend the product? Yes |
Price you paid?: £147.00
| Rating: 9
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Positive aspects of the product (pros):
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Cons:
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KWA G36C Full Photo Review
By The Crimson Falcon
The G36C is one of the most beloved assault rifles/carbines in modern warfare, featuring appearances in numerous videogames, as well as finding a niche as the main rifle in the movie Equilibrium. With its sleek, shark-like good looks, and brilliant engineering by Heckler and Koch, it is not surprising that it became well loved in airsoft as well. KWA, the new innovator in airsoft skirmish-ready weapons, released a G36C this year, and the good folks at KWA USA were kind enough to send me a sample to review for you. So, let’s take a look at this amazing gun, which marks KWA’s first real foray into AEG’s.
Table of Contents
First Impressions
Real Steel History
Appearance/Feel/Build Quality
Internals
Function
Performance
Accessories and Modifications
Pros & Cons
Ordering
The Final Word
First Impressions
The box, upon pulling it from its hiding place among the packing peanuts, is the usual beautifully detailed KWA box. It is nicely colored with a good-looking glossy picture of the gun. Here’s a shot of the box:
So, let’s take a look and see what we get. Now, as I lift off the cover of the box, I have to admit that I love G36C’s. They’re sleek, deadly looking guns, and, thanks to the folding stock, they’re supremely portable. So, you’ll have to forgive me if I sound a bit biased about how cool a G36 is… Okay, so let’s see what we’re getting:
You’ll note that there is a cutout for a vertical grip, which is sadly not included. It comes with the usual assortment of extras, from the magazine, barrel cleaning rod, and KWA literature, to the muzzle cap, which is a great safety feature, and I’m glad to see it on this gun. Okay, I’m desperately wanting to play with it, so I’m going to get right to the real steel background.
Real Steel History
I spoke with the owner of world.guns.ru, which is one of the single most useful resources for people doing research on guns, and he graciously has permitted me to cite some of his information. Here’s what he has to say about the G36C:
 http://world.guns.ru/assault/hk_g36c.jpg" alt=" http://world.guns.ru/assault/hk_g36c.jpg" class="bb-image" />
“The receiver and most of the others external parts of the G36 are made from reinforced polymers, with steel inserts where appropriate. The bolt carrier rides on a single guide rod, with the return spring around it. The charging handle is attached to the top of the bolt carrier and can be rotated to the left or to the right. When not in use, the charging handle aligns itself with the axis of the weapon under the pressure of its spring, and reciprocates with the bolt group at the top of the receiver. The ejection port is located at the right side of the receiver and features a spent cases deflector to propel the ejected cases away from the face of the left-handed shooter.
All the major parts are assembled on the receiver using the cross- pins, so the rifle can be disassembled and reassembled without any tools.
The G36 is fed from the proprietary 30-round box magazines, made from translucent plastic. All magazines have special studs on the sides, so two or three magazines can be clipped together for faster reloading. The magazine housings of the G36 are made as separate parts, so G36 can be easily adjusted to the various magazine interfaces. The magazine release catch is located just behind the magazine, in the G3 or AK-47 style, rather than on the side of the magazine housing (M16-style).
The side-folding, sturdy skeletonized buttstock is standard on all G36 rifles. It folds to the right side and does not interfere with rifle operation when folded.”
From: http://world.guns.ru/assault/as14-e.htm
Appearance/Feel/Build Quality
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As is usual with KWA the overall detailing is very good, and the externals are durable, but they’re not extraordinary, with one exception—it comes with a large handguard to fit a large battery, and frankly, it looks great, as well as being quite useful. However, the overall look and feel do not differ to any significant degree from a TM or JG G36C exterior. But, KWA is innovative primarily with regards to the internals. So, let’s take a closer look at the gun, starting with the stock. I have always liked the way the G36 stock looks, since its smooth curves and sleek shape remind me of the tail of a shark. The KWA G36C stock is made out of durable ABS, which doesn’t really feel like a polymer stock, but still feels strong and durable. There is no wobble when it is locked out, and the hinge is very smooth. It locks neatly in place on the side of the receiver, and is very comfortable, with a nicely textured buttplate. The button to allow it to fold is on the left side, and works flawlessly.
   
The grip is a standard HK style grip, with no texturing. The grip is nice and comfortable, and the motor plate screws are of good quality. One thing that I really like about these guns is that the trigger guard is large, so they’re great for winter airsofting, when you’re likely to be wearing gloves.
The receiver, like a real G36C, is made out of a durable polymer, probably ABS or nylon-fiber. It is still nicely detailed, although without trademarks, and the selector switch clicks cleanly but firmly from safe to semi to full auto. I will note that evidently the G36 is supposed to have two round burst fire mode as well; it would be interesting to see KWA add that feature. Like on all HK guns, it is accessible from either side. The selector switch markings are carefully painted in red and white paint. There are no visible seam lines or burrs.
The only trademarks say: “KWA KG36C, Kal 6.00 mm, 85-168888, 02 05.” I’m not sure if the serial number is unique or not, but it’s a nice touch. There’s also an MIT (Made In Taiwan) sticker and a safety warning label, both of which are removable.
One notable feature that I really like as well is that it has a functional ambidextrous (or ambisinistrous) bolt. When you pull back on the charging handle, the breech opens, which provides easy access to the hopup.
 
We next turn our attention to the magwell. The magazine well is clean, with no burrs to inhibit swapping of magazines, and the magazine fits and feeds perfectly. The magazine catch is appropriately stiff, and holds the magazine in effectively, but it is not difficult to insert or remove the magazine. It also fits other magazines, including TM and JG magazines. The magazine itself is a 470 round high capacity magazine. It is slightly translucent, and has KAL 6 MM markings on it. It has the G36 connections to allow the user to stack magazines for quick swapping in combat.
  
We should also look at the distinctive top C-rail, which is low mounted, and does not contain a scope like the K or E versions. It is a standard Picatinny rail, and can fit a wide variety of optics. The C-rail also includes front and rear diopter sights of HK design. The front sight does not appear to be adjustable, like on the real steel version, but the rear sight is adjustable, and can be zeroed to your shooting style. Here are some shots of the sights:
  
We can now take a closer look at the distinctive large handguard. The handguard is big enough to hold a large battery, although a 9.6V large-type might be quite tight. It is well made out of durable plastic or fiber composite, and sports 3 accessory rails that permit you to mount a variety of accessories, such as lasers, lights, and grips. It can be removed by taking out a pin in the top of the handguard.
  
The outer barrel is solidly made, and there is a standard G36 flashhider on standard 14mm CCW threading. The wiring appears nice and thick, and there is a good quality fuse. Overall, I have to say that the externals are very good, although I would love to see some better trademarks.
CAOC Externals Rating: 46 out of a possible 50 points.
Okay, let’s take a look at the internals, and go through a brief disassembly guide.
Internals
Taking down a G36 is really very easy. First, remove the front receiver pin that connects the magazine well, which allows you to pull forward on the magazine catch, and then fold the magazine well down and remove it from the gun:
Next, remove the allen screws on each side of the receiver in the rear:
Then, fold the stock and remove the allen screw in the rear of the receiver:
Turn the gun over and remove the Phillips screw in the motor plate:
Now you should be able to separate the gearbox from the rest of the gun. Set the selector to semi, and push the hopup forward to avoid breaking it, then fold the nozzle down and out, and remove the whole deal from the gun.
Next, press out the pin near the magazine catch:
This allows you to separate the gearbox from the gun:
You’ll notice that the gearbox is very good looking, with 8 and 9mm metal bearing bushings. It is also reinforced, making the already strong V.3 gearbox extremely durable. Here’s a closer look:
The gearbox internals are fully upgraded, with metal spring guide, strong polycarbonate piston, reinforced steel gears, strong tappet plate, etc. It is well-greased and shimmed, and made out of very durable parts, so it is unlikely to need any upgrades. The stock spring appears to be an M120, and it sports a powerful motor as well. Other than the quality of the parts, it’s a standard V.3 gearbox in design. The gears, while strong, don’t look as thick as the gears on the KWA M4, and do not look to necessarily be designed to handle LiPO, although the gearbox clearly can handle a LiPO battery as well as any fully upgraded AEG. Greasing and shimming has been well done, although I’d like to see white lithium in there. In short, this is another gearbox that is built to last, and really looks very good.
CAOC Internals Rating: 43 out of a possible 50 points.
But, of course, looks and durability are not as important if performance is terrible. So, how does it perform?
Performance
Naturally, the first question that you are asking is how powerful the gun is. I’ll start by mentioning that power means nothing if it’s not accurate as well, although accuracy can be improved by using heavier bb’s (if the hopup can handle them). That being said, the KWA G36C is plenty strong enough. It is easily can bottom capable, but cannot penetrate the top or bottom edge. It clocks in at about 396 fps averaged over 10 shots, although I expect it to settle to around 380. I’ll also mention that a carbine (or any AEG) should probably not be upgraded beyond 400-450 fps for safety reasons, and so, aside from maintenance, you don’t need to do anything at all to the KWA (except for accuracy and tightbore upgrades).
Okay, let’s take a look at the accuracy. The KWA G36C has a nicely adjustable hopup and a brass inner barrel specced to 6.05mm +/- .03mm. Interestly, PDI is currently claiming that 6.05mm is the perfect ID for a good balance between range and accuracy, and that 6.08mm is more accurate than 6.01mm. I’m going to be testing this, as DBCustom Airsoft is sending me a G36C barrel to test in this gun. So, let’s see how well it does. As usual, I’m shooting my tests from 100 feet, from a sandbag stabilized prone, under no-wind controlled conditions. I’ve fired a full auto 15 round burst and a 10 round semi grouping. I’m surprised to discover that the G36C is actually more accurate than the M4, for some reason:
In any case, I’m quite pleased with the accuracy already, and I can’t wait to see how it will perform with a DBC barrel installed.
Accessories & Modications
This gun has several accessory rails, so you can fit foregrips, lasers, lights, and any manner of replacement handguards on it. There’s also an adjustable sniper stock for the G36C that can be installed, Best Gun carbon steel barrels, and a variety of other external upgrades. I plan on probably installing a nice weapon-light from www.matchstickglobal.com, but other than that, this gun is pretty solid.
Pros & Cons
Pros
8 and 9mm bearing metal bushings
Reinforced gearbox
Fully upgraded internals
Functional bolt
Adjustable sights
Durable construction
Decent trademarks
Large handguard
Three accessory rails
Good stock power
Good stock performance
Affordable
Pretty much perfect out of the box
Cons
Lacks real steel trademarks
It’s not free
Inner barrel isn’t crowned
Doesn’t come with a battery
You don’t have one yet—go buy one
Ordering
This gun is only available from KWA USA Authorized Resellers. A list of Authorized KWA Resellers is available at http://kwausa.com/where_to_buy.html. For more information on this model, you can also look at the KWA USA site: http://kwausa.com/products_g36c.html. Average cost is 295 USD shipped.
CAOC Overall Rating: 89 out of a possible 100 points.
CAOC VPC Rating (Value Per Cost): .302
The Final Word
I think it’s clear at the end of the day that the KWA G36C is easily one of the best G36C’s on the market (if not THE best), and it is quite affordable, costing less than 300 shipped. The durability of the gun is solid, and the internals are great. I have no idea why this gun is so cheap, but snap it up while you can; it’s a great deal. While the externals are not perfect in their realism, they still look and feel great (I’m having to look really hard to find flaws), and the large handguard is definitely a nice touch. I would not hesitate to recommend this gun over the TM version, for instance. I think KWA may very well be the next leader in affordable and skirmishable high-end guns.
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Average rounds per kill with the M16 in Vietnam=50,000. Snipers averaged 1.3 rounds. The cost difference was $2300 v. 27 cents.
The ASGAR Project: http://groups.google.com/group/asgar?hl=en
Armory:
Too large to list.
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Registered: October 2006
Location: Boulder, CO, USA