Gbls das Gdr 15 Skirmish Review

[mightyjebus]

I'm going to do this review slightly differnetly from normal. Usually I'd take the AEG to bits and talk about the good and bad parts but there are plenty of youtube videos out there comparing the GBLS to other platforms and very little on what it is like to use one.

I'll cover the elephant in the room, the price, later on in the review and give my thoughts.

 

So this is my GBLS and I bought the budget/skeleton kit for a couple of reasons. As much as the full rifle is nice I was never going to keep the supplied rail and was probably always going to make my own verison (Mk18 ish in my case however this might change to a MK16 or L119A2 depending on what I finally settle on).

If you have been living under a rock a little bit about what the GBLS is might help..or not. It's not a GBB rifle but it uses a similar design, it's not really a typical AEG but it uses a similar design. Confused? Well the closest thing to it would probably be the TOP M4 shell ejecting M4 but the GBLS doesn't eject shells. 

 

Inside the lower receiver you will find the gearbox and in the pistol grip is the motor. In the upper receiver you will find full sized bolt. Inside the bolt is the piston head and spring. The way it works is you pull the charging handle to the rear and when you release it it pushes the bolt forward and chambers a BB in the hop unit. You pull the trigger and this releases the compressed spring which pushes air out the front of the bolt propelling the BB out the barrel. At the same time the gearbox kicks in and cycles the bolt again and loads another BB. If set to semi it does this once. If set to auto it does that until every BB is fired out the magazine and the bolt locks in the rear position and you then take out the mag, replace with a fresh mag and hit the bolt release which loads a BB in the hop.

 

I'm going to be aiming these next comments to people who have been skirmishing a while and use PTW's, GBB's and NGRS's. You know that way on a PTW you can get a quick double tap off quickly and both BB's will mostly likely hit the target. On the GBLS that's not going to happen. Well it will but you are going to have to train with it to get a grip with the recoil as after the first cycle of the bolt your aim will be off by quite a bit. You know the way when you full auto a GBB rifle and the FPS drops about 30 or 40 from the first shot to the 35th shot. Yeah that doesn't happen. The  FPS is consistant from BB 1 to BB 60. You know that sound and slight recoil you get when you fire a NGRS well that doesn't happen. You get a very nice kick and quite a loud sound as the bolt slams forward.

 

I'm not having a go at these other platforms as I have them all and enjoy them but the GBLS is just a bit different and in a good way.

 

I'll do a few more comparisons to the other platforms so that the more experienced players get where I'm coming from. On the GBB it's great to have the bolt lock back making you do a mag swap, slap the bolt release and get back in the game. When I run a GBB (MWS, GHK, VFC, or any of the others I run) I'm always concerned that the gas I'm using which was under the site limits at the start of the day is now pushing the BB's above the site limit because it's now the afternoon and it's 10 degrees hotter. I'm also concerned that in the colder months in the UK I'm not getting the best from the platform because it's cold so tend not to use them.

The GBLS gives me the mag swaps and the recoil I get from my GBB's but at a consistant FPS the whole year. The recoil is probably just as good as my MWS running sub 350 FPS and if there is a difference it's hardly noticable.

 

On the PTW or a NGRS with a Titan fitted I get some nice snappy shots off. I don't get this on the GBLS. My first shot is snappy and on target but the 2nd shot will need adjusting (GBB people will know what I'm talking about). On the GBLS the trigger pull feels very real. I've heard that the trigger pull was about 10 lb but mine seems to be about 8. It feels very realistic with a nice break and reset. It feels more realistic than my GBB's never mind the PTW and NGRS.

 

My opinion at the moment is the GBLS DAS is more realistic than a PTW or NGRS and more reliable than a GBB.

 

Before I move on to price I'll mention the following. I ordered 2 Nupol 11.1V 30C Lipoi batteries as I thought the GBLS might eat through a battery since it's shifting the heavy bolt back and forward. I used 16 full mags today on 1 battery and there is still plenty of juice left in it so it doesn't seem to be current hungry. I had zero jams, stoppages or feeding problems with the 8 mags I used (although I did loose one somewhere along with a Glock 19 but thats another story!).

I took it out the box, set the hop with 0.3g blaster BB's and was easily hitting 55 meters with accuracy and the FPS is running at around 320 (on a 0.2g BB). To be clear I have done nothing to it, straight out the box if fires flawlessly and that leads into the price.

 

So £1350 for a toy gun  is quite excessive or is it? Let's have a look at the other toys out there. Let's start with the GBB as this is probably the cheapest platform when comparing it to the rest unless you look at the running costs over a long period of time. So a MWS is around £500 then you add 7 more mags at £45 a pop. Let's also remember that carrying 8 BGG mags is a chore as they weigh a ton. Let's say you want to get the best range out to 55/60 meters so you might chuck in a tightbore and maple leaf rubber and possibly a NPAS to control the FPS. So you are probably looking at about a grand now.

 

TM NGRS can be a bit of a money pit when it comes to getting the best out of them. £550 for the AEG, £150 for the titan, 8 mags at £25 each, tightbore, S hop, new spring and spring guide and possibly reinforced gears to replace the soft TM gears. We are probably at around £1200 now.

 

PTW's are anywhere from £1200 to £2000 depending on the model you buy but then you have spare mags, possibly get the hop sorted, have the electrics waterproofed and then maybe have the motor rewired. God knows the final price of a full tuned PTW. I hate to think how much I've spent over the years on them.

 

At this point you might be seeing the point I'm trying to make. £1350 plus £35 a mag doesn't seem that expensive when you don't have to upgrade/replace/rewire anything and it justs works as advertised out the box and is more realisitc and reliably than the other platforms. Are there any negatives? I know of 1 and heard of another but never experienced it. The electronic board in the gearbox doesn't like to get wet or so I have heard. Tell me a titan or Systema board that does. My only slight gripe is the metal mags rattle a bit inside the magwell. This is genuinely the only negative I could find with the GBLS.

 

Is it the best airsoft gun in the world? well no but it is the most reliably realistic one out there and it's very much a nice experience using it. 

 

I'll finish this review of with a couple of notes. I handed it to about 10 team mates today and everyone had a stupid smile on their face after that first shot. I think a few AEG's will be getting sold off shortly to fund a GBLS. I'm probably going to be one of the ones selling other AEG's as I see that there is now a HK 416 GBLS.

 

I'm not in anyway associated with GBLS but if you want to send me the steel bolt and Type B buffer I'm not going to get upset. Just saying.

[Adolf Hamster]

interesting review, if you are in the mood for pulling apart then some pics would be lovely, although granted the whole point of a gun like that is to not have to pull it apart.

 

it's a fair point you make on the price, it always seems easier to stomach the bills when they come in smaller chunks rather than dropping it all at once on a pew, even if it ends up the same once you're done.

 

 

[Guest]

Buddy of mine has run a few, he currently has the only fully traded marked 416 DAS out there.

 

I agree, they are superb rifles, and they seem to be ironing out the premature wear problems they had to start without.

 

BUT It’s an AR platform , and for that reason I’m  out. I just don’t like them. Oh well

[AK47frizzle]

Never considered it before but I actually am now after seeing some reviews and shooting tests. They sound good in videos. 

 

Wonder if you can dmr it as I'd like to take it that route. 

 

And im guessing you can fire it like a spring gun if all goes wrong? 

Edited July 12, 2021 by AK47frizzle

[mightyjebus]

The only way to lock it to semi would be to mechanically lock the selector which is doeable but means drilling and tapping the lower receiver for a grub screw. It does fire like a spring gun when you cock the AEG without a battery connected. reminds me of my KSC HK33 in some respects.

[AK47frizzle]

2 hours ago, mightyjebus said:

The only way to lock it to semi would be to mechanically lock the selector which is doeable but means drilling and tapping the lower receiver for a grub screw. It does fire like a spring gun when you cock the AEG without a battery connected. reminds me of my KSC HK33 in some respects.

https://bbguns4less.co.uk/products/uhc-ak74-su-hybrid-dual-system-aeg-bb-gun-rifle-in-clear.html

 

Reminded me of this when I first saw this thread

[ak2m4]

A Chinese supplier of mine was asking me about the GBLS a couple of years ago, what I thought etc.  Guess they were looking at producing something "similar" but never heard anything else about it.   Thanks for the write up @mightyjebus

[SBoardley]

Downsides? 
hoopty engraving on the left side, making certain mods look unrealistic? Also does the pistol grip/ motor limit you for choice like a ptw?

also I presume you are limited my choice of ‘battery’ stocks. 
starts getting unrealistic when you look a bit closer I think.   My ghks And WE rifs any day….

Edited July 17, 2021 by Sboardley

[mightyjebus]

the skeleton kit doesn't have the trades and the pistol grip is AEG spec so you can use any AEG pistol grip. Stock choice is the same as a NGRS so if you can fit a 11.1v in it then it will work.

I was going to comment on the fact that some people are going to swear by GBB's and forgetting the reason they bought a GBB was that no AEG had a decent recoil but then I noticed you mentioned WE and I came to the conclusion you are just clickbaiting as the 4 WE GBB's I have here a testiment that they are the worst airsoft guns out there.

[tinkle60]

On 12/07/2021 at 14:54, mightyjebus said:

The only way to lock it to semi would be to mechanically lock the selector which is doeable but means drilling and tapping the lower receiver for a grub screw. It does fire like a spring gun when you cock the AEG without a battery connected. reminds me of my KSC HK33 in some respects.

 

From what I hear the gearbox case has a threaded hole for this purpose, you just need the correct spec grub screw.

[Chev Chelios]

Mine just hit the 15k rounds mark with 0 issues and was bought off here second hand. I use it when I don't fancy lugging GBBR mags and accoutrements around all day. As far as recoil go's its a bit weird as its more on the forward stroke than into the shoulder but am probably spoilt with the feel of a GHK running direct fill Co2. Talk of GBLS bringing out a Pistol as well as a new rev to the mechbox so if it was me looking to buy one and I could hold off I would wait till this time next year for the new build.

 

No issues with grip changes and the coof got the better of me so had it in bits to do a bit of waterproofing on the electronics and is no harder disassembly wise than its TM counter parts. 

 

Thanks for the write up and review mightyjebus was a good read.

 

Obligatory bad photo   

[tinkle60]

7 hours ago, Chev Chelios said:

No issues with grip changes and the coof got the better of me so had it in bits to do a bit of waterproofing on the electronics and is no harder disassembly wise than its TM counter parts. 

What did you do for waterproofing? I heard the electronics themselves are already waterproofed and it's not what causes issues in the wet anyway.

[mightyjebus]

decided on a Mk16 look.

 

Also picked up a spare bolt that needs a little work. Had it in bits so thought I'd share a photo for those that might be interested.

[SBoardley]

On 17/07/2021 at 16:52, mightyjebus said:

the skeleton kit doesn't have the trades and the pistol grip is AEG spec so you can use any AEG pistol grip. Stock choice is the same as a NGRS so if you can fit a 11.1v in it then it will work.

I was going to comment on the fact that some people are going to swear by GBB's and forgetting the reason they bought a GBB was that no AEG had a decent recoil but then I noticed you mentioned WE and I came to the conclusion you are just clickbaiting as the 4 WE GBB's I have here a testiment that they are the worst airsoft guns out there.

Absolute nonsense. So you ignored the ghk part and focused on the We?  WE m4 are probably the most customisable and modifiable out there. I have ghk akm and ghk m4 as well as a WE m4 variant and While ghk are good rifs they are both off spec and the m4 recoil is like a pussy cat compared to the stock we buffer and spring. 
also if they are that dire, why you got 4 ? Duhhhh. 
But Thanks for sharing. 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Sboardley

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, Sboardley said:

Absolute nonsense. So you ignored the ghk part and focused on the We?  WE m4 are probably the most customisable and modifiable out there. I have ghk akm and ghk m4 as well as a WE m4 variant and While ghk are good rifs they are both off spec and the m4 recoil is like a pussy cat compared to the stock we buffer and spring. 
also if they are that dire, why you got 4 ? Duhhhh. 
But Thanks for sharing. 

But my dad’s bigger than your dad 🤣🤣🤣

[SBoardley]

 

25 minutes ago, rocketdogbert said:

But my dad’s bigger than your dad 🤣🤣🤣

Obviously not judging by your post being void of any substance. 
but again your “sharing “ so it’s a start. Eh?

Edited July 23, 2021 by Sboardley

[Adolf Hamster]

shots fired!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

don't worry, he's got a gbbr he's almost out of ammo already.......

[Guest]

45 minutes ago, Sboardley said:

 

Obviously not judging by your post being void of any substance. 
but again your “sharing “ so it’s a start. Eh?

That’s me, devoid of any substance, only shit posting and being negative about somebody’s thread 🤣🤣🤣

[SBoardley]

5 minutes ago, rocketdogbert said:

That’s me, devoid of any substance, only shit posting and being negative about somebody’s thread 🤣🤣🤣

Wasn’t aware that pointing out dodgy engraving, having to use outdated “battery”stocks was shit posting? I’ll take the pistol grip on the chin but this is the information highway innit?

may be go get to know your real dad before you offer him up?

[Shamal]

20 minutes ago, rocketdogbert said:

That’s me, devoid of any substance, only shit posting and being negative about somebody’s thread 🤣🤣🤣

Hey steady on. Thats my job!! Lol

Regards 

Edited July 23, 2021 by Shamal

[Chev Chelios]

On 20/07/2021 at 08:52, tinkle60 said:

What did you do for waterproofing? I heard the electronics themselves are already waterproofed and it's not what causes issues in the wet anyway.

 

I took a glue gun and covered all the exposed solder on the micro switches and board. I have had issues that arise when using in the wet that thankfully solve themselves when its had time to dry out. Cage Airsoft brought out a new circuit that looks do have done the same, only used it a few times since but so far so good.

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Sboardley said:

Wasn’t aware that pointing out dodgy engraving, having to use outdated “battery”stocks was shit posting? I’ll take the pistol grip on the chin but this is the information highway innit?

may be go get to know your real dad before you offer him up?

Who was talking about you? 

[SBoardley]

Void…..of…….

[Emergencychimps]

On 23/07/2021 at 22:05, Chev Chelios said:

 

I took a glue gun and covered all the exposed solder on the micro switches and board. I have had issues that arise when using in the wet that thankfully solve themselves when its had time to dry out. Cage Airsoft brought out a new circuit that looks do have done the same, only used it a few times since but so far so good.

Don't suppose you took any pics etc of what you did? Nervous about mine getting wet! 

Edited July 30, 2021 by Emergencychimps

[Sgtash]

On 12/07/2021 at 14:54, mightyjebus said:

The only way to lock it to semi would be to mechanically lock the selector which is doeable but means drilling and tapping the lower receiver for a grub screw. It does fire like a spring gun when you cock the AEG without a battery connected. reminds me of my KSC HK33 in some respects.

thats not correct,  you don’t have to drill the lower. It can be locked to semi with fitting of a grub screw in the gearbox. 
Having done a GBLS DMR for a customer it was as simple as the above grub screw and a M120 spring and it’s doing 400 FPS.