Magpul PTS ACR Masada Review [No discussion]

MerryDespot

Right lads ... I'll add to this as soon as I get a chance to skirmish it at the weekend, but already well impressed with the magpul masada.



It's one of the more solid aegs I've picked up - no give in any single part of it. The polymers used in the stock, handguard and lower receiver are just as nice as those used in the Magpul M4 - though to my eye there is a slight difference in the texture and the DE is slightly darker.




I have to say I'm very impressed with the way that this has been designed - remove two body pins at the rear to pivot the upper on the front receiver pin - slide off the stock and you can unscrew the spring guide to remove/replace the spring - very handy if you're planning to make a trip overseas where you can easily and quickly change out to take advantage of the fps limits where you're playing.

There's also the easy barrel removal feature - I reckon most people know about this - but you can remove the outer barrel, inner barrel and hop up unit as one assembly to change to a longer or shorter barrel - very simple procedure and it can easily be done on the fly.

I don't have time to take any 'take down' shots right now - but I hope to give this a run at the weekend and to get some daylight/outdoors shots - I'll post up more as soon as I can.

MerryDespot

Right - broke the receiver down earlier. Not going to take the gearbox apart, because basically there's no reason!

Battery compartment - inside handguard:
There's plenty of room in there - it will take a 9.6v nunchuck easily, even with the lever for the barrel quick release.



Breaking the receiver down is pretty much like a cross between the normal AR take down and the SCAR disassembly.

There are two receiver pins just before the stock - one in the upper and one in the lower:



Push out the top pin first - the masada comes with a plastic fake round that fits the pin and allows you to push it through the receiver. There are security ties in the receiver pin that stops it falling out, so you won't lose it. Once pushed clear the receiver pivots on the front receiver pin and swings open - like the real steel:



To remove the stock you push the lower pin through - now the stock will slide up and out, like on a SCAR:



The attention to detail is great - even the gearbox is stamped with magpul trades!


Once the stock is clear of the lower receiver the rear of the gearbox is exposed. Here you can unscrew the spring guide and spring from the rear of the receiver for quick release and replacement:

MerryDespot

Right - took the ACR out to HRTA today, so finally able to give some post skirmish feedback.

First off, I needed to change out the spring today - and this was possible inside of a minute with the quick change function. I'm really impressed with this part of the design - it's foolproof.

The aeg had maybe 500 rounds put through it today (I rarely switch out of semi) - so at this rate it hasn't yet bedded in - which I have to consider.

By way of comparision I'm going to benchmark it against the Magpul MOE M4.

Range:
The MOE M4 hop was too hard out of the box and needed to bed in - which took a couple of weekends worth of full use. The ACR hop was perfect right out of the box. The range today (on first use) was easily further than the MOE M4 duly broken in. If anyone is familiar with the HRTA chrono area, the ACR was hitting the trees at the opposite end of the range - a distance of about 50m.

Accuracy:
Did I mention that at 50m the ACR was pretty much hitting within a torso shaped target every time... on semi auto this thing is a demon! On auto there's naturally more spread - but on semi it's extremely accurate once you have the hop dialled in. More accurate than the MOE.

Rate of fire:
Didn't get a chrono read. But it's not as insane as the MOE M4 - but still respectable. Trigger response is very fast - no delay whatsoever.

Overall:
An extremely solid, yet lightweight aeg, with impressive range and accuracy. Very easy to carry all day - shoulders and points easily and intuitively. It's a lot of cash for an airsoft gun, but you do certainly get what you pay for.

MerryDespot

For anyone who is a member of Arnies, here's the link to Scuffers review of the Masada over there:

http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/index.php?showtopic=184343&st=0

Lots of discussion over who the manufacturer is as well as some good discussion about the pros and cons of the internals and gearbox. I'd recommend anyone thinking about buying one of these giving the arnies thread a good read - it's long, but all issues and potential problems are aired there and if you're going to shell out on one of these best to be fully informed.