Raven EU18 (Glock 18C)

[Defender90]

I just bought me a Raven (the pistol not the bird). It's an EU18 (G18C clone), the guys in Combat UK in Stevenage reckoned that Nuprol and some other A/S company had put their heads together to put together all the best working bits into the best GBB pistol they could, and for £90 I thought it worth a punt as I just couldn't get on with my TM G18C, too plastic and delicate and I wasn't so keen on paying £150+ just for the genyoowine Glock trades on the Umarex/VFC. No trades at all on the Raven, just blank squares. 

These are my experiences so far:
So, it feels quality but had initial teething problems, light striking and venting all it's gas, hop all over the place. It now seems to be settling down after 100ish shots, still a bit all over the place but accurate-ish for 25 yards or so, more range than the TM but slower shooting naturally. Bit of a cool down on full auto even with ultra short bursts so maybe it's more of a semi auto pistol really. The Marui mags aren't quite compatible due to the rubber being flat where the Marui's is curved but it is, as with so many Airsofts, a Marui design if not quite a clone.

It feels solid with the metal slide slamming home with a nice positive "clink" and a positive trigger feel, it's a cm or so longer than the TM but fits in the same holsters.

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]The hop adjuster is quite small, fiddly and stiff and it seems like the hop needs a few shots as [/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px]there[/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px] first five rounds or so act as if's on full hop then it starts shooting straighter to the setting I tuned the hop to.[/SIZE]

The slide can get stuck open if the selector switch gets pushed beyond "full" and the hold open on the last shot is very iffy. Might well be fussy about gas, I guess it's still running in but doesn't seem to like Guarder Power Up as it light strikes a lot on it.

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]The magazine follower has come into two parts, which is annoying as hell when loading BBs! This, as well as the gas problems make me [/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px]wonder[/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px] if the mag isn't the Achilles Heel of this GBB.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]It reliably fires .20s about 300 fps on semi with ASG Ultrair and has about 25 yards effective range with .25s, which it seems to shoot best with, maybe further if I can find powerful gas it likes. Maybe it's designed to work with Nuprol? In Full Auto the fps drops off very rapidly and the rate of fire is plodding (my chrono wouldn't measure that, probably user error). [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]Comes well packaged in a good box with a spare gas nozzle, O rings and choice of backstraps. Simple, [/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px]well designed[/SIZE][SIZE=14.000000953674316px] multilingual instructions and a full exploded parts diagram. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]Nuprol may come out with a lot of upgrade parts in the future apparently and I do wonder what existing after market mods for other GBB Glock clones might fit it.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]I chose black and tan but they also do a silver slide as well which has a nice Cerakote sort of feeling paint. And black on black of course.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]So in short it's an affordable, metal, close range Glock which may or may not be useful in Full Auto. If you want a "Glock", don't want to spend more than you have to and aren't fussy about trades then consider this.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.000000953674316px]Here's what made me consider it. [/SIZE]

 

[Duff]

Fair warning to all... that link is for an Airsoftology YouTube video... *shudders* 

 

[Defender90]

Fair warning to all... that link is for an Airsoftology YouTube video... *shudders* 

You don't like him? I find him engaging, informative and articulate.

 

[Duff]

When I first got into airsoft I watched a few channels and soon realised they're all very formulaic and click baity. I don't watch any airsoft play now except for old Node TTT vids. 

OT this is a great review!

 

[Defender90]

Ah, the plot thickens! Having just read the mightjebus' review and seen his pictures I can confirm it's a San Yang: Same numbers on safety and breech, but the Raven has a bright orange gas nozzle and comes with a spare. (And no trades at all, probably because Nuprol didn't want to be dragged into an alley by Glock and Umarex's lawyers and be given a vicious kicking.)

So that's where Nuprol got it from, there is a chance that they commissioned it partly themselves and it does differ in some other details.

 

[L3wisD]

Nuprol rebadging a chinese, cheaply made Airsoft product? Quelle surprise...

 

[Defender90]

I figure it's £90 worth if it lasts a while, seems more durable than the TM equivalent at any rate and better value than the Glock branded Umarex/VFC. For that price I won't stress too much about the patchy full auto.

If they do bring out a range of upgrades... well, that might make it into a fan favourite: buy cheap and upgrade when you have the funds. (I'd like an extended mag, keep it loaded with that on the chest rig for those "Aaaargh get the hell away from me!" moments.)

Plus you'd be dealing with a, hopefully, eager to please UK company rather than the randomness that can occur with Asian companies.

If they did that, and I say if, then that is a business model that could have legs.

 

[L3wisD]

But I'd rather buy the WE for £9 more.

Genuine and Aftermarket parts are more than plentiful and I'd bet it's a better shooter than the Raven too.

http://airsoftzone.co.uk/g18c-gen4-full-auto-pistol-gbb-we

Your raven should take all the same TM/WE upgrades out of the box so I wouldn't wait for Nuprol endorsed "upgrades" either.

 

[steakandpotato]

But I'd rather buy the WE for £9 more.

Genuine and Aftermarket parts are more than plentiful and I'd bet it's a better shooter than the Raven too.

http://airsoftzone.co.uk/g18c-gen4-full-auto-pistol-gbb-we

Your raven should take all the same TM/WE upgrades out of the box so I wouldn't wait for Nuprol endorsed "upgrades" either.

This was my problem when looking at glocks. A more well-known and 'safer' option was available for next to nothing extra. Don't get me wrong - in time if the raven proves to be a solid piece then I'm sure that £9 will turn a lot of people towards the raven, but until then there's just not enough of a price difference for me to be attracted to it.

 

[Darkcrow]

I found exactly the same issues with the initial review. Glad it's not just me☺ I bought mine a couple of weeks ago at the same time a mate bought a tm version. Semi fine, auto.... pants. The TM however, higher rof and constant power. £50 difference I guess...

 

[heroshark]

You'd have been better getting a decent aluminium slide and barrel to fit on the TM if you didn't like the TM abs. Would have ended up with a much better gun all round.