ZL DSA SA 58 carbine and ows review

thermo

first impressions:
the aeg comes in a plain cardbord box with just the makers logo sticker in the corner. on opening the box the aeg is held in place with a moulded polystyrene, again nothing special and typical of a "clone" gun. included with the gun is the usual host of extra's.there is a mag (470 rd approx) an instructional booklet, a cleaning/un jamming rod (and a peq box with the OWS model) a battery and charger which would be grand if your starting out but as i already have a smart charger and better quality batteries i put them aside.

the gun itself:
externals.
on taking the gun out of the box, i was pleasantly surprised with the weight of the gun and how solid it feels. the gun was deficient any trade marks with just a serial number (unsure if its unique) found on the magwell on the left hand side. the gun is well made with zero creaks or wobbles. the finish on it is of a very high standard similar to that what would be found on the CA version or a G&P rifle.
starting at the muzzle, you will find a m4 birdcage type flash suppressor held on by a 14mm ccw thread, next is the front sling swivel which is solid, then the front sight which is adjustable for elevation. the gas plug rotates which is a nice touch. the hand guard (on the carbine model) is well moulded plastic with no visual defects and does not compress when squeezed like some clone plastic furniture. on the ows model the hand gaurd is well cast metal held in place by 6 screws with the ridges numerically marked.
next is the receivers which again are well cast with no gaps between them with a railed top cover for easy attachment of your favourite optics. the receivers feature a captive bolt which when opened allows access to the hop-up adjustment collar, and can be released by tripping the bolt release found in front of the trigger and beside the mag release. the upper receiver also has the rear sight which is adjustable for windage. the mag release itself is well made and holds the mag firmly and securely. the pistol grip is again a well made abs part similar in style to the minimi grip.
stocks, on the carbine it as the same plastic and quality as found on the front end and pistol grip, with a rubber butt plate which when removed gives access to the battery compartment. on the ows it is a full metal folding stock that is in the FN FAL para style and seems quite sturdy and well up to the task.

thermo

testing:
carbine 309-314 fps over a 10 shot string with KA .2g bb's with a 10 rd grouping of 6 cm @ 10m ROF with a intellect 9.6v battery was 820 RPM
OWS 305-311 fps over a 10 shot string with KA .2g bb's with a 10 rd grouping of 7 cm @ 10m ROF with a intellect 9.6v battery was 870 RPM

internals.
to get access to the hop up and barrel you open the large screw found on either side of the receivers, your best bet is to use a 5c coin rather than a screwdriver to avoid damage. once both screws are removed slide the receivers apart. then the hop up unit and barrel assembly can be slid out the rear. the barrel its self is brass affair with an approx diameter of 6.08 mm and 335mm long. the hop up rubber is a little on the hard side for the 1J limit but it does the job.

to remove the gearbox, with front end removed, turn the lower receiver upside down and remove the screw in the centre of the plate on the bottom of the pistol grip.slide the pistol grip off, and the trigger guard should come away. select "A" with the fire selector and carefully pull the gearbox out of the receiver making sure the slector plate on the gearbox is not snagged. don't forget to disconnect the wire before you remove the gearbox completely.

once the gearbox is out its basically a ver3 7mm gearbox. the gearbox shell is well made and which seems sturdy enough,
gears; are good quality steel gears similar in quality to XYT gears with an approx ratio of 16:1
spring guide; is metal (non bearing)
piston is nylon with half teeth (all metal) with a plain jane nylon piston head
cylinder is non ported, cylinder head is nylon with one o ring.
air nozzle, plain, abs
bearings 7mm, a little tight on the gear axles but have not broke even when gun ran on a 11.1v li-po
wiring and electrical contacts are nothing special but do the job most effectively with out issue.
motor is a good quality high torque unit a little slow for my liking and not needed to be that torque'y as its only pulling a m90 spring.
selector plate (unique to this family of guns) is metal, it seems a bit too brittle but its a huge improvement over the plastic one found on the CA which gets chewed up over time.

overall:
first impressions of the guns are good, they are heavy, solid bits of kit. it looks well with a good surface finish and no wobbles. they are accurate out of the box. range is decent "stock", there are a few nice touches that are an improvement over the CA version of which the ZL is a direct clone, so much so that both guns (the ZL & CA) are 100% cross compatible. the guns are solid reliable, and just keep working despite what gets thrown at them.

a solid 7.5/ 10


pictures to follow

thermo

questions and discussion here please