Comprehensive Ares AW .338 spring version (MSR-006/7/8) review.

[Airsoft-Ed]

It's soft.

 

The hop unit also has a tendency to adjust itself without me touching it, so I actually didn't end up skirmishing it

 

I've not tried R Hop again yet, but I may do at some point.

[Liam Porter]

When you did R-Hop, what nub and bucking did you use?

 

How's the hop adjusted? Is it the same as the Well/Warrior, with an Allen key in the bottom of the gun?

[Airsoft-Ed]

It's adjusted with a top grub down screw that pushes directly onto the hop arm.

I used a biro nub and a red bucking I had lying around, not sure of the make.

[Liam Porter]

Did you remove the little 'nub' from inside the bucking?

 

And you should use a flat, soft nub for R-Hop, the regular nub is probably what was giving you bad results.

[Airsoft-Ed]

I removed the bump from the bucking yeah.

I think the issue with it was that none of the patches properly matched the barrel, so I couldn't stop it from sitting flush. BBs wouldn't just roll through I'd have to force them to get them past the patch.

If I try it again I'll get a different set of patches and a new barrel.

[Liam Porter]

Did you sand down the patch, I've had to do quite a lot of sanding on mine.

 

A normal nub is no good, you want one that's flat and covers the same area as the R-Hop patch.

I use a piece of rubber band cut to size, with a small piece of milk bottle glued onto the top of it, so the hop levers push down the whole patch equally.

[Airsoft-Ed]

I sanded it down on the top side, but I didn't want to sand the inside edge down because I assumed it was important to keep it as it came, since that's the part that effects the BB.

The Rhop patches I have are hard as fuck, so they protrude into the barrel flat and evenly anyway. Though I have sanded the biro tube flat on one side anyway, so it's a pretty even surface.

[Liam Porter]

You want to get really, really fine sandpaper, wrap it around an Allen key or cleaning/in jamming rod, and sand the inside down so it matches the curvature of the BB.

 

For the nub, you'll still want one that's the same length as the patch, so the whole patch pushes down evenly, otherwise you may as well just use a normal hop.

 

Another thing, how smooth is the part where you removed the nub on the inside of the hop rubber? Mine wasn't very, although I tried really hard. To solve it, I also removed the fin (that makes the rubber only go on one way), twisted the rubber 90 degrees and then put it on.

 

 

For your hop, it may be worthwhile for you to do the TDC mod, although that'd require drilling a larger whole into the top of your barrel and having a screw poke out the top. It makes for easier adjustment on the go, and is apparently very stable and consistent, although I'm yet to try it.

[Airsoft-Ed]

I tried the top down mod already and it readjust itself just as easily as the regular hop. It's one piece of plastic away from being top down nodded anyway.

 

I twisted the rubber to one side too, and I actually cut a small trough into the rubber where it used to be, so it's definitely not the inside f the hop bucking.

 

I don't think the patch is wide enough for me tone able to sand that much of the inside edge away. I don't have the rightsand paper either, or any way of holding it that'd let me sand it accurately enough to do it right anyway.

Main priority is getting the feeding mech to behave, 'cos that's the one I have to sort if it's ever going to be remotely skirmishable.

[Liam Porter]

I just sanded it down holding it between finger and thumb.

 

How many mags do you have? Could just be a crappy one?

And I think I saw a replacement feeding tube thing for the TM version somewhere, maybe there's one for the ARES, or the TM could even fit? They can't be too different.

[Unrustle_Thine_Jimmies]

TM Version uses a ramp and a piece of plastic attached to the piston to load the BB into the chamber.

 

Works better than the Ares style mech, but it's rather fragile by design and metal ones will damage BBs.

 

TM version also needs a different kind of mag to the ares one.

[Liam Porter]

Oh, it would be so nice if every (or at least every worthwhile) company stuck to standard specifications for parts.

 

Or, even better, if companies made guns that didn't need so many parts replacing.

[Fiddich]

Has anyone got more to add to this thread. I'm curious if anyone has tried some other parts configurations etc?..

[DJsnipe]

Necro-post I know but, I was wondering if Airsoft-Ed (or anyone else) had any long term observations on this rifle. I am looking at the ASG version and I am trying to decide if it is worthwhile. Thanks for any assistance.

[Airsoft-Ed]

I know that in my first post I said it was too beautiful to give up on.

Buuuuuutttt... I gave up on it.

I'd suggest avoiding it like the plague to be totally honest. The feeding mechanism is just terrible, you might get the gun shooting perfectly but that will always be a weak link. The mags spray all their BBs out at the slightly tap as well, really not worth the money.

[DJsnipe]

Ed;

Well, that is disappointing. 'Sorry to hear you had to give up on the rifle, but thanks for your response.

Cheers.