APS UAR v2 Review

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Had this for a few months now and decided to do a review of it.

 

Name: APS Urban Assault Rifle v2

FPS: Chrono'd @ 340fps without hop on 0.2g

Hop Up: Er... yes

Mag Capacity: 1x 300 STANAG, 1x 150 shorty

Battery: 8.4v block NiMH, rear wired

Material: Mainly plastic, metal flash hider, inner barrel, gearbox

 

Overview:-

A nice original looking bullpup that is not based on a real steel design. Not too many around so unique. Very sci-fi looking (think Halo etc) and uses STANAG mags. Lots of rail space for assorted baubles if you are so minded. Top rail is raised which is useful for mounting optics. Comes equipped with QD sling mount. V3 gearbox so internally like an AK. 410mm inner barrel. Also, a nice feature is that all controls are fully ambidextrous and can be customised, making this a very useful weapon for lefties.

 

In Use:-

Very ergonomic, all controls fall nicely to hand. Reasonably light at 2.4kg. Short length (64cm) so ideal for CQB. Rear-weighted as all bullpups are, personally I dont mind this as the weight digs in to your shoulder making for a very front-light, manoeuvrable gun. Chrono'd at 340fps with no hop and 0.2g, with hop applied it seems to have good range at my woodland site (don't ask me to estimate distances!), certainly in excess of my M4, making it possible to build a DMR platform on it. Rate of fire on a standard 8.4v block NiMH battery is reasonable, I'd estimate 10-15rps. Another neat feature is the gun can be field stripped without any tools - three pins hold the receiver together, with three holes rather helpfully placed on the top rail to hold the pins so they don't get lost.

 

Critcisms:-

-It's plastic. Personally I dont mind that - I'd rather have a nice light gun - however this may put some off. It is a budget gun so it's it's be expected. The plastic doesn't feel super strong so we will see how it holds up in use.

-Incompatible with mid-caps. This has been the UAR's main criticism from day one. Why the design hasnt been changed I don't understand, however the mag well can be dremelled in order to make them fit. This is well-documented online, I've yet to try it but it's a pain nonetheless.

-Fire selector is a bit funny. It's easy to flick from safe to full auto - perhaps too easy as it's prone to accidentally knocking it off safe. Also switching from safe back to full auto is a bit of a fudge and it works better returning to safe then full auto.

 

Summary:-

A nicely-priced gun (around £140) that is packed with many useful features, uniquely styled (not another frigging M4) and has rather decent performance out of the box. If I'm honest it's the Halo-ish styling that attracted me to it in the first place as I wanted a sci fi loadout. Someone has created a 3D-printed kit to convert the UAR to the BR55 Battle Rifle if that tickles your fancy. It's probably the cheapest bullpup on the market and also probably the lightest, the Cybergun FN2000 and S&T Tavor being both more expensive and weighty. Also the uniquely useful features of this gun really sell it to me. It also performs well having the range and velocity to handle outdoor engagements, certainly better than my M4. Also they seem to be quite rare in the UK so it's nice to field an original weapon.

 

Would I recommend it? Without question. It's a fantastic wee bullpup.

Would I buy another? Of course I would. And maybe even convert the 2nd one to a BR55...

 

 

[Ebeneezer Goode]

Well, been a while since I've done this review, and with plenty of skirmishing and several thousand rounds through it I thought I'd update the review.

 

Firstly, I've added a 200mm CYMA suppressor which changes the "crack" of the pellet leaving the barrel to a dull "thud" and looks a bit more space-marine-beefcake, along with a basic RDS and faux-PEQ (actually just a very bright LED lamp). Also I've used my favourite Halfords OD paint and lacquer for a distinct two-tone OD and black scheme which matches my loadout and added some markings with white permanent marker. I'm currently using 380rnd Battleaxe hicaps with a useful capacity check window which, along with most other mags, work a treat following a mag well mod - more on that later.

 

 

What's with the "league" markings? A nod to my favourite computer game back in the day, Colony Wars: Vengeance and the logo of one of the factions in the game, the League Of Free Worlds, which I also have on my brain bucket and tac vest; tragically sad and geeky according to Mrs. Goode. I'm not going to argue.

 

Secondly, the mag well mod; the UAR is notoriously picky due to an awkwardly-designed magwell, the one flaw in am otherwise excellent design IMO. I dremelled away the pointless spring-catch at the top of the mag well which pushed many mags out and caused them to fail to feed and added a strip of velcro at the rear guide to improve the mag fit. Have tried various mid and hi cap designs and all fit and feed perfectly well now. I'd say this is a must if you are going to have any hope of using STANAG mags other than the ludicrously expensive and hard to find U-Mags supplied with the gun.

 

 

So, how has it held up? Mostly rather well, and it remains my firm favourite gun. Internally it is completely standard and the supplied hop works well with good range and consistently shot at 1J (I use 0.25g Bios); I reckon I've put around 6-7000 rounds through it so far. Recently however (past month) a slight air leak has developed around the hop resulting in a drop to 0.85J, a slight improvement was made using some grease however I will look to sort properly using some tape (failing that a new hop rubber which wont cost much at all). The internals otherwise seem robust enough and overall its a good all-rounder as any airsoft rifle should be.

 

I use a VP Racing 1600mAh NiMH battery which gives a ROF of around 15rps which is perfectly adequate and is enough to last for a day's skirmish. Battery space in the butt is limited however so it won't take a bigger battery and LiPos may be an issue for that reason.

 

It's a reasonably light gun so not too taxing to lug around all day, I've come to really appreciate the ergonomic features such as the ample rail space, comfortable shooting position, big trigger guard, ambidextrous controls (handy for shooting off-hand) and the rearward weight balance which I like a lot. Its also pretty short so handy to transport and wield around the woods or indoors. The fact it uses M4 magazines is a boon too, however the mod above is essential to avoid any aggro.

 

Construction-wise is mixed; it's well enough put together, the internals seem solid enough however the external plastic isn't the best and a chip/crack has developed at the butt. That said its survived various skirmishes, collisions with trees and vegetation and being slung roughly in my motorcycle rucksack when being transported to and from skirmishes so it's holding up enough, however the cheap feel to the external plastics is a reminder that it is a budget gun so probably best not to fling it about. The one thing that us very positive is its very easy to take apart and put back together again - useful for maintenance. The gearbox also has a quick change design for the spring, another highly practical and useful feature, one of the many of this gun.

 

 

In short, it's a very easy design to live with, packed full of many useful, practical features that work well in practice and it's a good-performing gun. Aside from the slightly cheap plastic used and the daft design of the mag well I'd say it's perfect for anyone looking for a very practical, cost effective rifle that is a good all rounder and that isn't an M4 yet can take the M4 mags your mates (or your other guns) use. It's something a bit different and definitely scratches that sci fi itch if you have it.

 

Couple of posey action shots for reference.

 

 

 

My advice - highly recommended.

 

Ebeneezer G