GraniteFraggle

Ah. Bugger it - in all my excitement I hadn't realised it was a mere springer. 🤦‍♂️

Depending on price I'm quite tempted by the 6.5 or 4 inch M29. I wonder what the power output is on green/propane? I know it'll be polymer/ABS but the lightweight appeals. I already have a skirmishable pair of Rhino 60Ds but they weigh a tonne, as does my modded DW 715 (10 minute job to make either site legal or a borderline insane piece). I love the Ares 686 but while I'm waiting for the combat magnum a 6.5" M29 with shells could be a lot of fun. I've considered the Wingun S&Ws but whilst the Rhino was consistent given their power output I do wonder if they're a bit inconsistent plus they're not in anyway site legal. I had an old (like 20 years ago old) Tanaka M29 with a zeke metal kit - the Ares is actually nicer looks wise & obviously performance wise. If the TM one has a properly adjustable hop & you can get it up to 270+ on green it could be a lightweight winner. I've not had hands on with their other gas revolver (the Python) but depending on the retailer its either 180 (!) or 280 plus its never really appealed. So yeh TLDR, adjustable hop & 270-280 & it could be lovely. TM hops tend to bje good out of the box & easily fettled.

This month's is our dawn raid after the overnighter- if you want to see how airsofter's look/sound after no sleep, about 12 miles of running round like lunatics & loosing several fights with clumps of gorse then this is your huckleberry. At least the light, dawn chorus & views are nice!

Lovely little piece. I'm on a 24hr event this weekend starting this afternoon. I'm not using mine as I want to keep the weight down - the luxury of a second sidearm is just that fir this game. I plan on opening up mine for a clean & I'll update my review with some internal pictures. Hows the accuracy with the super short barrel? I've been really impressed the hop. Can't wait to see what the 6.5 inch is like!

I'd like to apologise to Gavin's mum. Anyone got a hose I can borrow to clean her up?

Yeh I took it in at the weekend. Sadly, their engraver can't cope with the finish on the Ares

Erk sorry to hear that guys! I've hammered mine - I run it alongside my 1911 and it's just way too much fun to use. Been getting lots of kills with it Would be nice if we got a diagram of the internals - I'll open her up for a lube/clean after my next game. I'll be sure to take some photos.

Averages around 30-40 which is perfect for the longer more free form games. The odd day you might get more - visiting team/stag do (and so far the ones I've encountered have been great - but that's probably due to the game type).

Oof! I always tape any of my split grip CO2 revolvers before play as if anyone is capable of loosing half a grip it's me. If you got it from a UK retailer I'd definitely ask them to see if they can replace. Off to Wilmslow for my sins today so I'm popping into Tangodown to ask about trades.

If you're after something thats not your average speedsoft/paintball place it is. Physically more challenging & requires more fieldcraft. 240 acres with mature woodland as well as moors. Stunning countryside & my favourite place to play even if I you do feel it next day!

So I've finally made time to learn some basic video editing (Davinci Resolve fellow nerds) & after being blown away with what you can actually do these days from the comfort of your living room I've started to unleash some unasked for & unwanted in game footage. You won't find hit markers, "elite sniper" setup shots or "cheaters exposed" here, just real, in game footage from longer more cerebral games. Sorry speedsofters, or Kicking Mustang fans this probably this isn't for you. Its more the sort of thing I'd like to see, but isn't really out there.

Goddamit, I forgot to update! Its been live for a little while now, the much anticipated Ares 686 series' first release - the 3.5". https://fraggle-soft.co.uk/ares-686-3-5-co₂/

Yeh it's a shame about the lack of trades - but as I said in my review it's those damned licensing practices that are to blame. Umarex have the S&W license so it's unlikely to be resolved. Having seen the engraving quality that Octagon provided for this one I might plump for them over Redwolf for the 6s. I do need to speak to Tango Down though first & see if they can do it with the correct font/logo.

There you go - my work is here is done - plus you're a 1911 man I see You should get yourself over to my local site. Do you have both the 2" & the 3.5" - how the 2"? I didn't pick one up as I thought the 3.5" would be the shortest skirmishable barrel, plus I thought I'd best save instead for the longer barrel models as I'm having them as soon as they show up in HK. Very happy to see the manual online (finally!) although disappointed to see it doesn't have the useful *internal* diagrams I was hoping for. It does reference what I think will be the at least the 6" model (Apr-004). Not sure if its a 4" or ? though the apr-003. Roll on May!

Not yet - planning on popping over to Tango Down in Northwich to get her done in the near future. Looking forward to taking her out again on Sunday. Mine came from Redwolf - no hop key or manual though. Did yours come with them?

My full review is up,chrono & 15m target results are up. Skirmished with her Sunday - 18 shot - 8 kills. Yes I was sad enough to count https://fraggle-soft.co.uk/ares-686-3-5-co₂/

Ares have confirmed to me the the 6" - what they're calling the Combat Magnum will be released in May. Take.My.Money.

So a quick & dirty report now my 3.5" is here, thanks to Red Wolf. The bad - no manual or hop adjustment key. No markings, unless you have them done yourself. My local guy is primed .... The good - everything else! Hop is a bit fiddly to set - clockwise for more, anti-clockwise for less. *EDIT****** Chrono'd again with my Acetech 6000 Mkiii - I thought the values were way too high. Its absolutely beautiful - from the grips (unstained in my case - which is fine, I'm looking forward to working some bees wax into her), to the spinning chamber action (no other revolver really touches this) is stunning. Trigger pull I can't give you figures on but having shot a lot of real steel (pre-ban in the UK) it feels right. Very smooth, very smooth indeed. Its loud - anecdotely similar to the wingun. The shells make a lovely sound if you slot them in one by one into the chamber. Consitency is way and above wingun - see FPS below as a result I would happily take and get a body shot at 30m, maybe 40m. I need to test her in the field really Looks like that new shell design has paid off. Shells are lovely (R-P 357 Magnum - "Remington-Peters" 357 Magnum). I haven't tried the moonclips - I'm running her with HKS 586-A speedloadeers on my belt as a secondary sidearm loadout. Love the way they resemble a copper plate bullet. The shells fit in a wingun speedloader but .... you end up with some shells in your chamber/some not. I could play around with them and work out how to get everything lined up ... but why dress lamb as mutton? Fits my 686 leather holster with thumb snap for the hammer perfectly. Hops .3s with no problem - I think you could go heavier but I don't see any advantage as 0.3 means I use the same weight in all my sidearms. For my use, I think the 3.5" is a perfect balance between portability,weight & accuracy. I'd love to see what the 5/6" versions are like (possibly with a different finish although the silver is really special) & the other grip options. The longer barreled models are going to be (legal!) hand cannons I think. Quite excited by the prospect! Very happy with her - I'd say this is by far & away the best revolver I've used in a long line from Tanaka, Marushin & Wingun. Shells are a must for me - you really cannot beat the feel & buzz of using them in combat. Hopwise this is best I've seen, closely followed by the old 8mm Marushin, Tanaka SAA adjustable then coming a fair way behind, Wingun. Further behind still, Tanaka fixed. So 6 shots, .3 ASG Blaster Devil BBs, 19°C, slow count of 5 between shots. 1: 227 2: 235 3: 229 4: 230 5: 231 6: 233 Average = 230 which is 282 FPS with 0.2 equivalent. So sight legal & really consistent Some rubbish camera phone pictures attached, full review post skirmish day (or 2) to follow.

You can use DW shells but there's a reported drop in power and consistency. Not sure how it works the other way round.

Beautiful. Looks like an HKS speedloader - the 586-A? I've got plenty of DW715 ones but this beauty deserves the nicer HKS models. You planning on skirmishing her?

My 3.5" is on its way! I love taking a revolver out for a bit of style on the field. The Rhinos are eminently skirmishable - much more consistent than the DW 715. I get a lot of fun from both - but at over a kilo each and chunky I'd like something smaller on the belt as a tertiary. You really cannot beat the look/feel of a shell loader - plus the style of getting kills is something else. The different design of the shells & chamber looks like it'll be a much more efficient seal - the wingun models suffer with consistency thanks to this - the DW being the worst. They're fine for sub 20m but anything over this is a bit hit & miss. At the moment I'd say the H8R gen 2 is probably the best revolver. You're not getting hi-capa/1911 range but its good out to 30m, maybe a little more. Ares have confirmed that these 2 models will hit the UK in April, with the combat (assuming these are the ones with rails) & hopefully alternative grips in May. If they've sorted out the consistency & have a decent hop (I've had it confirmed its a TDC style one) then its a game changer. There's a youtube video of a chap who had an early copy & he has found its superior to the wingun platform in everyway. Currently investigating getting the S&W trades laser engraved on mine. The HK retailers that offer this at the moment are very reasonably priced but their shipping to the UK is extortionate, so I'll get that done here.

Out in HK now, more models and sizes on the way. Adjustable hop, gorgeous wood grips. I have a 3.5" on the way. Site legal, beautiful shells (although you can use wingun 715s). Initial reports suggest it's much more consistent and accurate than the wingun models. We'll see. BBs held in rubber hollow point end. No trades. I suspect the wingun 715 speedloaders will work.

Been a little while, but I've started adding the next swathe of reviews in, starting with what is, IM not very HO the best MP5 out there - the pre-MOFSET ICS MP5. The delay is because unlike most of the reviews out there, I like to actually use something for a few months, rather than stand looking sexy for a publicity shot & say "BEST GUN EVAR". So yes, the ICS CES-A4 (MP5A4) : https://fraggle-soft.co.uk/ics-ces-a4-mp5a4-ver-3/

This time looking at the Arcturus x C.A.T. - mechanical pre-cocking & polymer body. Yep, polymer not metal. Did I like it? https://fraggle-soft.co.uk/arcturus-x-c-a-t-ar-15-versatile-8-5/

Personally I'd avoid Specna. We've experienced 3 - two Edge 2.0s & a core. The externals are poor - even with maintenance/tightening we experienced parts falling off & shedding pins/screws/bolts. Internally they performed well - I'm not an airsmith but my wife is. I had no problems gearbox/hop wise but her take on the Edge 2.0 is that the gearbox/shimming is not premium at all but rather budget. Lots of barrel wobble unless you want to go down the route of spacers & the 6.03 (I may have misremembered the exact size) inner is thin with poor polish/finishing. The core wouldn't keep hop for any length of time & had major issues with feeding with hi or midcaps (Specna or other marques). Our supplier after refunding on the core and providing a replacement Edge 2.0 (the first when it turned up they told us was unsaleable) later told us that roughly 50% of their first batch of RIFs had severe QA issues. Obviously other people may have had a good one from a good batch but based on our experiences I wouldn't touch one with someone else's bargepole. We've had 2 Arcturus M4/AR15 since - a CAT x Versatile & a Lite ME. Both are rock solid & been brilliant for the money with great internals. They do seem to be sold out everywhere though.