Airsoft Action - 10th Anniversary Edition

armoury
SOPMOD
However, if AEG is your preferred choice, then
the Daniel Defense Mk18 SA-E19 EDGE that’s being
offered to us by Specna Arms is a great model to look
at! This has been in the Red Cell Test Pool for a while
now and still continues to delight us. Running stock
from the box it’s yet to let me down in any way. There
are no frills, no bells and no whistles, just a solidly
made short AR AEG that’s immediately ready to BB-up
and get out onto the field with.
The Mk18 has been manufactured in cooperation
with EMG Arms in the USA and every part of it
appears to have been made and fitted with the
utmost care and attention to detail. Internally the
Mk18 is what I have come to expect from Specna
Arms and for a “stock gun” that’s top notch! Inside
you get a precision 6.03 inner barrel that provides
accuracy from the get-go, both on first and followup
shots; this barrel works in tandem with the rotary
Hop-Up that allows for very precise adjustment of
the BB spin. The carbine also features a factory-fitted
X-ASR GATE Mosfet and the ORION gearbox which
is rated to work with springs up M140. As well as
the gearbox itself, you’ll find a reinforced polymer
piston with steel teeth, aluminium air-sealed nozzle,
aluminium double air-sealed cylinder head, aluminium
double air-sealed piston head with bearings, a set of
steel gears and 8.mm bearings.
I have to say that the Mk18 AEG has definitely
rekindled my love for all things NSW in ANY game. It
looks great, feels great and shoots excellently. So as
far as I can see, Specna Arms and EMG have got this
very, very right and I look forward to seeing what they
do with that Daniel Defense licence next, although
with very little effort I believe the Mk18 will make a
superb base for very passable “Team Six” carbine!
BLOCK 3
Heading back again to that very informative briefing
document from Crane, “BLOCK 3” is, as they say,
all about “Emerging Capabilities” and a big part of
this is the Upper Receiver Group, Improved (URG-I).
Whilst not having so much fanfare with all the addon
goodies, the “BLOCK 3” setup appears to be as
follows:
• Colt M4 Receiver
• Daniel Defense 14.5” CHF barrel with midlength
gas system, also available in 10.3” with
carbine length gas system
• Daniel Defense pinned gas block
• Geissele Mk16 Super Modular Handguard in
Desert Dirt Camo
• Geissele Airborne charging handle in Desert Dirt
Camo
• Colt M16 BCG
• Surefire 4-prong flash hider
The Upper Receiver Group,
Improved or URG-I initiative was
launched by the United States
military to refresh rifles used
by some of its units that had
been using similar platforms
from the “Block program”. The
URG-I is designed to upgrade
the current Mk18 and SOPMOD
Block 2 versions of the M4 and
boasts improvements over its
predecessors, such as an updated
M-LOK handguard, charging
handles, a suppressor-compatible
flash hider and new barrel.
Available with both 14.5” and
10.3” rail systems, the URG-I has
been designed to provide users
with a lightened upper
receiver
which
provides increased
parts life whilst
maintaining
modularity
with
accessories previously
provided as part of
the overall SOPMOD
program. Though
primarily issued to
USASOC personnel,
the URG-I has now
been spotted in
the wild with
a number of
USSOCOM
elements.
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