VFC AKS74N revised review

Fiach Dubh

I'm putting up a new review on this AEG rather then reposting the old one as a lot has happened with it in the interim.

I bought this AEG from UNcompany last spring when it was still quite a new release. AEG cost was $480 that was for the N version with optic side rail, the version minus the rail is $440. P&P was about $50 and tax on the AEG entering Ireland was 80 Euro.

Packaging is very nice, a red box with a picture of the AEG on the front, VFC GBtech's web address and 6mm Electric Airsoft Rifle printed on the front and sides in large lettering, very handy since customs know what it is straight away. Inside the AEG is held in place by a cardboard insert cut to the shape of the rifle. The box also contains one VFC 120 round Bakelite mid-cap magazine and one large barrel cleaning rod. This AEG does not come with a battery or charger, most high quality AEG's don't.

Build Quality The exterior on this AEG is nothing short of breathtaking! Full metal construction with a blued steel finish. The bolt has full travel unlike Tokyo Marui AK's and their clone counterparts, releasing the bolt from the retracted position provides a loud metal on metal clunk. The rear sight is an exact copy of it's Real Steel cousin complete with white numbering. The foresight is adjustable for elevation with a key (included in box) the foresight can also be adjusted for windage but this requires an AK windage tool, sold seperatly by VFC or a real AK windage tool. The selector lever is held in place by a threaded bolt like a real AK, the action isn't too hard or soft and finding your rate of fire selection during a game is easy. The skeleton folding stock of the S version is very sturdy and folds well by pressing in the button located on the rear of the receiver locking in place with a nice click. Unlocking the stock to unfold it can be a bit difficult to begin with but once you get used to it it becomes second nature. The wooden foregrip is real plywood like the RS AK with a nice varnish finish. Some AK fans have complained the varnish is not the same colour as the real AK74 however this is easily changed if you so desire. Another advantage of the VFC is the the foregrips lock in place in the same manner as the real AK74 allowing you to install real grips with no modification. The pistol grip is high quality plastic in plum colour, again matching the real steel.


Pictured with VFC 150 round Bakelite mags and MAG brand 100 round plum mags.

Field Striping The entire front section (foregrip to muzzle break) of the VFC AK has the same takedown as the real steel and can be disassembled in 20-30 seconds with practice. The muzzle break is mounted on a 24mm thread like the real steel, the 24mm thread is an adapter and can be removed via a grubscrew leaving a 14mm threaded barrel tip. This allows you to add any airsoft muzzle breaks or silencers. The reciever cover is removed by pushing in the button at the rear which reveals the gearbox, spring loaded hop-up, service pack and bolt assembly. Unscrewing the bolt on the pistol grip and sliding it down provides access to the high torque motor. Once this is done the gearbox can be removed by a simple process. First push the receiver cover button forward so it leaves it's channel at the rear of the gearbox. Slide the button, which is attached to the bolt rod by a grubsrew, out of the bolt. Be carefull not to loose the bolt spring and brass spacer. Next pull the bolt all the way back to the rear of the receiver and lift it out. Insuring the selector is set to safe you can remove the threaded bolt that holds it in place. VFC have put threadlock on this bolt so it will resist hard the first time you try to remove it. Once the bolt and selector switch are removed look to the hop-up just in front of it you will see a large plastic piece, this is the service pack part that holds the hop-up in place. The hop spring provides the rearward preasure needed to lock it to the gearbox air nozzle but in early VFC AK's users found that locking a mag in place could push the hop forward and out of position, thus the service pack was released to prevent forward hop-up movement. Simply grip the service pack on the left and right with thumb and forefinger and lift it upward to remove. The gearbox is now free in the receiver the only thing holding it in is the hop over the air nozzle, simply push the hop-up forward on it's spring and while holding it forward slide the gearbox up and out of the reciever. To reassemble just reverse the process.

Durabilty and Performance I can cover the body of this AEG in one statement "It won't break!" Now that's out of the way I'll go into the internals. First off I purchased an 8.4v stick battery with this AEG and during my first game with it the AEG jammed continualy. This was due to the 8.4v power source not being able to turn the gearbox over correctly, switching to a 9.6v stick battery solved this issue. Some retailers will advertise this AEG as running with 8.4v however I contacted VFC GBtech myself and was told by one of their engineers to use 9.6v's. After a short period of use I encountered another problem, the motor pinion gear had seperated from the armature rendering it useless, it would simply spin free and not turn the bevel gear at all. This was a horrible failure to suffer so soon and it's not the only VFC motor I've heard of failing like this. On the other hand many VFC motors have been operating for 1 year+ without trouble, it seems to be pot luck with their motors. I replaced the VFC motor with a Tokyo Marui EG700 motor and the AEG was operating again although I encountered another problem soon after because of something I didn't spot when the first motor failed. Over the next 2-3 months the AEG suffered the occasional jam on auto and I'd have to set it to semi and fire a shot to clear it. What I didn't know at the time was that when the motor failed it had damaged one of the nylon bushings holding the bevel gear in place, the gear was lying splayed at a slight angle in the gearbox upsetting the gear timing. Labouring away in ignorance I continued to use the AEG in games untill the inevitable occured, the damaged nylon bushing cracked and about 1/3 of it seperated knocking the gear timing out and allowing over current in the circuit blowing the AEG's fuse.


Shell with nylon bushings, bottom bushing damage can be seen.

Repair Removing the gearbox from the AEG showed the damaged bushing jutting out of the gearbox shell and the 25 amp automotive fuse had a nice little black mark where it had blown. This situation could have been avoided if VFC had installed metal bushings in the gearbox in the first place. Why they decided to save a grand total of a few dollars by going with nylon bushings on such an expensive AEG I'll never know. I ordered replacement bushing, Kings arms 7mm metal bushings (VFC uses 7mm, not the more common 6mm bushings) and picked up a few 25 amp automotive fuses. I was also fortunate to have a packet of Tokyo Marui shims lying around that UNcompany had give me for free in one of my orders as when replacing an AEG's nylon bushings with metal ones it's very unlikely the origional shim job will be sufficient and you'll have to reshim the gears. I won't go into the actuall bushing replacment or reshim job in this review, but it's enough to say that the AEG is now running great with the metal bushings and I have the piece of mind that metal bushings usually outlive a gearbox.


Shell with metal bushings installed.

Conclusion The agony and the Ecstacy is the best way to describe this AEG. In external appearance, feel and durabilty it commands the market. It beats Tokyo Marui's AK's by a mile and also takes it's place above ICS, G&G and Classic Army AK 74's by having correct trademarks and a closer to real Izmash finish then any other. On the other hand a TM gearbox will defeat VFC on durability in stock form even with TM's nylon bushings. Classic Army had the foresight to install metal bushings in their 74 gearbox as standard which should be noted. VFC should really be thinking of doing a revision to this AEG and resolve the motor and bushing mistakes. Even if they had to bump the asking price above $500 it would be worth it as it would be a force to be reckoned with out of the box.

Rundown

Power: 318 fps with .20g 6mm BB
Acurracy: high (hop-up performance good)
Included magazine perfomance: Feeds all but the last 2-3 rounds, requires regular lubbing.
Iron sight performance: Very high (Best I've seen on an Airsoft AK)
Optic rail: Strong steel construction, correct meassurments. Will accept any RS AK optics.
Inner barrel: Excellent, 6.04 mm brass tightbore. Travels up to near the front of the muzzle break.
Gearbox: Well cast shell (Not CNC) Aluminium piston head, plastic spring guide, strong polymer piston with metal teeth, strong polymer tappet plate, air nozzle provides a nice tight seal (no airleak) gears are good quality metal (no lost teeth even with the failures I suffered) spring loaded shimming on bevel and spur gears. Strong spring on anti-reversal latch, will probably pop off when taking the gearbox apart.
Motor: Requires 9.6volts or higher to turn the gearbox over correcty. High failure rate.
Weight: Very close to real AK 74, over 7lbs unladen. With GP30 grenade launcher and Kobra sight installed, over 11lbs.


Size compaired to an AKS74U Carbine.


In the field.

o1s1n

Locked.