L85 82 or L86 A2

[Guardsman394]

I'm currently in the exciting stage of getting into airsoft. I've been to a couple of skirmish days a few years back and loved it. Unfortunately I was at the age where I could not drive to the sites that seemed a million miles away nor could I afford the equipment (all I had was a plastic two tone m4 from justbbguns, which wasn't great to say the least). 

My question is this do I get the L85 82 or L86 A2?

I love the look of both guns and I like the play style of the rifleman as well as the support. My logic says that the L86 A2, being an LSW, is a good inbetween but having no decent experience in the support or with either gun leaves me with the question above as well as others.

Does the L86 require you to use the bipod all the time or could you still hipfire? (Assuming you have the strength to wield it). 

Is it possible to use higher capacity mags on the L86 to make it closer to an LMG.

Many thanks to any replies, I still have a while to go and 3 game days for my UKARA.

Edit: https://www.patrolbase.co.uk/krytac-mk-ii-trident-lmg-box-magazine

Does this look like it would would work?

 

[raynor]

Hi, I may be biased here as I have the G&G l85a2  but I'd go for the l85 and not the l86. I believe that that both take the same m4 style mags. Some game types will not be suitable for the l86 especially the close combat ones. One thing you may have difficulty with is getting a scope unless you get the susat as you will need to get a rail converter as the l85 and l86 us a dovetail rail which isn't standard.

Hope this helps ?

 

[Guardsman394]

Definitely something to consider... most of the sites I'll be going to would be outdoor/woodland and I'll more than likely expand my collection to include what I won't already have. I have heard of the annoyance with the sight, I think id rather go for a rail converter instead of a SUSAT.

Thanks  

 

[Gepard]

You're overthinking it. Roles in airsoft are largely irrelevant. You could play as a 'support' role with just about any gun providing you've got a big enough magazine. 

If the internals will be exactly the same in either model, go with the one you like the look of best. In terms of playability I'd stick with the L85.

Both take STANAG style magazines so there's plenty of options out there. I usually play with 140rnd midcaps. 

 

[Georgeturner2001]

Get neither. 

Get an M4! 

Sorted.

 

[Iceni]

Don't get the box mag. The L85 is a bullpup, dropping a box mag on it will mean you won't be able to shoot it comfortably. As the mag will be in the way all the time.


For model I'd personally get an Army Armament R85A2 railed variant. This is simply because the other companies don't offer a full ris L85. And to buy the RIS separate is expensive £65+.

View attachment 39021


Going with that model means you can add a bipod. It'll never be an L86 but it doesn't need to be.
It's got the rail on top for a standard scope, and still has the dovetail under the carry handle for the SUSAT. There are cheap SUSAT clones out there.

The disadvantage of the Army Armament is the internals arn't perfect. So what you save should be invested straight back into the gun at the purchase place to have the gearbox shimmed and airseals sorted, and a better bucking installed.

 

 

[AirsoftZero000]

I have the l85 a2 and it's a great gun. I would recommend it.

 

[raynor]

I love mone too, although I experienced my first issue on Sunday while playing at LAC's Combat Zone.  The small pin on the mag release catch had worked its way loose and wouldn't lock any mag in. I think this may be caused by my two G&G Mid Caps as they are a pain to insert.  I have to insert the mag, then press the mag release catch and then finish pushing them in until they lock in.  My Hi Caps have no such issue. not even the cheap £9.99 plastic one.

 

[FreeFrag.UK]

Just thought I'd throw in my 2 pence.

Between the L85A2 and L86A2 I'd be of the inclination to suggest an L85A2. The L85A2 is more of a general purpose weapon and it's much more flexible in its application. I've found my L85A2 to perform well in CQC environments and more open environments, in no small part to the adaptability of the bullpup design.

It's a common misconception that in the real world the L86A2 is an LMG, it isn't. The L86 is designated as a Light Support Weapon which increases the effective range a unit can reach out to in the real world, this the purpose and function of the LSW compared to the L85A2. The L86 allows the unit to fire at longer ranges more effectively than otherwise achievable with just the L85. Think of the L86A2 as a Bren gun whereas an LMG, for sake of argument let's use the M249 SAW, is designed to suppress the enemy and increase the effective volume of fire produced by the squad. The increase in effective volume of fire doesn't translate to effective range, this is why the British Army (at least from what I've read) are currently debating dropping the FN Minimi from regular units and re-implementing the L86A2 in greater numbers.

What does this mean for airsoft? Well essentially your L85A2 is going to offer more versatility. To use the L86A2, as it's intended, in airsoft would be to deploy it in a DMR role, something which would take some hefty internal work. There is a reason why you don't see high capacity magazines or box mag's attached to the L86A2, it's not what it is intended for and due to the bullpup design the larger magazines or boxes render it almost impossible to use.

The only time "roles" really come into airsoft is when playing in an organised squad or at mil-sim (and similar) events. I've debated picking up an LMG for awhile now and I simply can't justify it as, although I have a group I regularly play with, the way I play and the way my group tends to play just simply doesn't support the use of one.

To sum up (sorry for the waffle) I'd strongly advise the L85A2 over the L86A2 but bear in mind that to get the rail system in addition to the base rifle will cost you a decent chunk of change on top of everything else and it can be a pain to find. Further to this it's worth considering the bullpup design, a lot of people don't like it for various reasons but for some it's simply because they don't get on with it. It may sound a bit silly but if you do opt for the L85A2 you're going to have a steeper learning curve when it comes to effectively handling it and reloading it in comparison to an M4 (I feel like I need to wash my mouth out) but it does have its charm and it does offer advantages. As a final point to consider, compared to a lot of other guns the L85A2 is a heavy lump of metal when it comes to wielding it for the day or even weekend.

My recommendation when it comes to the L85A2 would be for the ICS version but I've seen some good initial feedback regarding the latest G&G iteration (one of these positives being that they've allegedly fixed the semi-auto issue so prevalent among the L85/L86's). For an honourable mention there's always the G&G L85 AFV which is a wee bit smaller and consequently lighter although it does cost a bit more due to the inclusion of a SUSAT and small RIS.

Hope this is of some help.

 

[Slamz]

While I agree with the vast majority f what you've written FreeFrag, a Bren IS a Light Machine Gun, and was designed and manufactured for that exact purpose

 

[FreeFrag.UK]

While I agree with the vast majority f what you've written FreeFrag, a Bren IS a Light Machine Gun, and was designed and manufactured for that exact purpose

While the Bren was manufactured as an LMG it was used in a very different manner when compared to the likes of the Mg34/42 or other high capacity machine guns of the era. It's commented on in numerous books how the Bren was incredibly accurate and allowed your average rifle platoon to put their fire out much further, thus being similar to the L86LSW.

While in theory I'm sure you can suppress with the L86 the sustained fire ability pales in comparison to an FN Minimi and various other LMG's.

However, I'm sure there are those far more qualified on this forum than I to comment on such things.

 

[AshOnSnow]

Remember it’s airsoft not Afghanistan. You’re perfectly capable of putting hundreds and hundreds of BBs out with the L85 without fear of overheating or needing a heavy barrel, bipod or anything like that I’d go L85 over L86