Need some help on my decision on wich SVD Draganov

[RobertB]

im either going for A and K spring draganov or the WE ACE-VD Aluminum

will be my first purchase and want something thts not just going to break the A and K seems well known and well built also seen few vids on the well and wondered if anyone had any info if build quality and fps etc is up to scratch as it caught my eye for the recoil and reasonable fps my site allows 500 fps

 

any help welcomed

[Airsoft-Ed]

The WE will be inherently inconsistent because it's a gas rifle, it'll be cool to have as a show piece or a wall hanger, but I doubt you'd every get any really good results from it.

 

A&K are a very low end company that make knock offs, usually copies of Classic Army, or at least it seems that way. They have a very mixed, but usually bad reputation. Though they can be upgraded quite cheaply and I've heard a few people praise them highly.

 

If I were going to get an SVD, I'd save up for as long as it took and get the Real Sword one, it costs a bomb but it's basically a real gun with airsoft guts and it's never going to break on you, it shoots like a sniper out of the box as well, which isn't something you'll get from any other sniper platform.

[RobertB]

ye the real sword does look the dogs nackers when it comes to a SVD but 450+ quid is a big chunk when car work kids etc be just too much need a gun to use while saveing and A and K is only one thts cheap enought and is at my max fps power already

[Airsoft-Ed]

Well it is your money at the end of the day, all I can do is offer my opinion.

 

There's more to snipers than the fps though, you need quality parts that can cope with the high tolerances of such a powerful spring. All snipers. All. Are made with upgrading in mind, the parts they come installed with will not hold out for very long and they will not perform well out of the box. The manufacturers know that the weapons are sold for the aesthetics, not the internals, so they just stick crap in them because they expect people to replace it anyway, it's why the guns are so cheap.

 

Despite the fps, the A&K SVD will be less effective than a stock AEG out of the box, I'd bet money on it.

 

With another £200 or so you could get it shooting well though, potentially. Take a look at airsoftsniperparts.co.uk for upgrade tips and to price up some better parts.

 

For that additional £200 though, you might as well just go a step further and get the Real Sword.

 

As before, you can do as you like, I'm just trying to outline the situation for you so you have all the facts and the opinion of someone with more experience before you spend the money expecting to get more for it.

 

I apologise if I come across in a bad way, but you asked for help in choosing and all I've done is outline what I think, nothing more, nothing less. You can take it or ignore it.

[RR01]

I've had an A&K SVD in the recent past; just got rid of it as sniping wasn't really my thing. The basic rifle isn't too bad for the money and swapping parts is easy because it takes AEG inner barrels and AEG springs, so upgrading is quite cheap. The basic furniture is either a mock wood or plastic (i,e, both plastic) but you can get a full real wood kit to fit quite easily and it makes it look very nice.

 

I changed both the inner barrel and hop rubber on mine to get a bit more consistency and experimented with different springs to get the right fps. A spring change is very simple and can be done in a couple of minutes. The only downside is that if you go for a heavy spring / high fps then cocking the weapon can become a bit of a chore, as you've only got that short cocking lever to pull back on and anything over about a 400 fps spring is quite a pull. You would definitely needs gloves on to save getting blisters.

 

There are a couple of upgrades that might be useful. A Polish airsoft retailer (I've lost the link but you should be able to find it) did a steel replacement for the trigger seer and a CO2 powered replacement cylinder / bolt is / was available as a direct replacement for the spring powered one and makes cocking it a little finger affair, although I'm not sure what the likely fps was on the CO2 bolt.

[RobertB]

i wont take offence to any reply just after getting best info i can says A and K is accurate and fps is decent and am just starting out so wanting summat to start me off well if u have any suggestions tht be great

 

also any opinions on the WE anyone used any and rate em bad good?

[M_P]

Of the two get the A&K definitley.

I haven't use the WE SVD but I've had a quick play with the AK which cant be too different... felt nice but didnt shoot brilliantly, probably not worth the time and effort either- not heard much good about their internals.

[Airsoft-Ed]

WE have a bad reputation, though they've started getting better recently. Their gas SVD is part of a new line of guns so it might be alright.

 

Gas rifles are inconsistent as is though, since they're powered by gas and not a spring the power you get can change for every shot, meaning some shots go high, some low. That's before you even get into the fact that BBs are spherical, which isn't the most aerodynamic shape ever, even on a well tuned, consistent gun they can fly off all over the place, this effect is worse in gas guns.

 

As you fire the gun more the gas cools too, which prevents it from expanding as much for the next shot. Your fps will drop slightly for each shot you fire. This is bad for a sniper because for accuracy you need consistency.

 

Gas rifles require a lot of know how to keep maintained, they're also extremely expensive to run, magazines are upwards of £35 each and only hold about 10 - 50 shots, probably only 10 in the SVD so you'd definitely need a fair few. Then you have to buy gas to keep the gun running, lubricants to keep the parts in check and you'll probably want to use heavier ammo in a gas rifle too.

 

If you're on a budget then I'd say to just go for the A&K, but most people on the forums will discourage taking up a sniper role before you try playing with a regular AEG. Sniping isn't what a lot of people think it will be.