Post by davinci on Apr 9, 2011 16:14:10 GMT -5
This is copied from a review I did of my Bravo RDW on the DE forum. Original post is here: doubleedge.freeforums.org/bravo-rdw-t735.html
Alrighty folks! Christmas time is a wonderful time of year isn't it? My brother Garrett was kind enough to give me the airsoft gun of my dreams -- A replica of the Knights Armament PDW, the Bravo RDW (Rapid Deployment Weapon). He got it from Airsoftgi for a bit over 200 bucks and it came with a ASGI t-shirt and an absurdly large box. I've finally had a good chance to play around with it (no games yet, but a trip up to ACQB on thursday will change that) and now I'm writing the review.
Love at First Sight
First and foremost, this baby is as solid as a rock but very light weight. The upper is all one piece, rails and all, so there is ZERO wiggle. Most M4's I've had my hands on have fairly wobbly grips and rails - ICS, CA, Echo 1, they all suffer from it. The stock is even better; solid metal folding stock with a stiff push button. It locks in extremely well, just like the rest there is no wobble. Not a bit. I have never used an airsoft gun that feels so sturdy while being so light. Its a dream. The grip isn't the greatest, oddly enough there is no texture to it, just smooth plastic. Doesn't feel bad to hold onto, but it might get a little squirrelly if wearing gloves. The stock sights are fantastic too. Flip up and detachable and heavy. The good kind of heavy.
Did I mention the folding stock? This thing folds down to nothing. The stock flips over, locks off, and now you've got the smallest gun on the field. Its awesome. If I'm ever driving while playing airsoft, I'm bringing the PDW. Heck, stock out this thing isn't very big. It has a real slim profile and lengthwise, its a few inches shorter than the M4, and thats using the longer of the two outer barrels that are included (the shorter being about 2 inches shorter). In case you were wondering, the battery is included in a very nice little PEQ box, the problem being, I don't particularly like PEQ boxes and the wires are way too long, so much so they get in the way. An easy fix so I'm not worried; heck, I might even rewire to the stock and put the battery in a pouch on the stock like I did with my MP5.
The Devil is in the Details
Those were my first impressions and first impressions are important however, its the little things that really make a difference and sadly, its the little things that the Bravo RDW is lacking in.
That big ol' orange flash hider is the first thing that hit me for a few reasons.
1) Its not a PDW style flash hider a minor annoyance but noticeable
2) Its a devil to take off
3) THEY-CROSS THREADED IT AT THE FACTORY. Oh that makes me mad. The bloody thing is crooked and I cant re-tap the threads because is crappy plastic. I'm probably going to end up buying a new flash hider or stealing the one off my M249 (it needs some serious work anyway).
Well fine, the flash hider is one thing but the gun also came with the worlds worst mid cap mags. They look great and feel solid but they jam. A lot. As in their only function is to jam. I couldn't even unload the things by hand. Awful awful mags.
The good news is that M4 mags are compatible. They're a pain in the ass - but compatible. Some latch nicely and fit perfectly, no wiggles or anything, but they don't load. Some feed nicely, but won't actually stay in the gun. I'm busy figuring out which ones do and do not work, for now it seems that STAR 30 round mags occasionally have feeding problems but tend to work nicely and fit great and G&P mags are a really loose fit, but feed pretty well. Did I mention the included ones suck?
Oh! I almost forgot the sling mount. Its a really nice sling mount - very solid and there are 3 positions for it to fit - at least, thats how is supposed to work. The sling mount came to me in a little plastic bag in pieces. Many pieces. The little ball bearings that allow the thing to be pushed into place were all out, the spring was out, it was a mess. Worse yet, once assembled, I discovered one of the holes that held the bearings was a hair too big. The ball fell out and is lost to the ages. This means that the mount wont stay in the gun. It locks into place, but now it is an extremely weak connection. It looks solid, but pull a bit on it and it pops right out. My current options are either to locate a new bearing for the thing of the exact right size (Ha!) or JB Weld the little devil into place. Which place? Who knows.
Shooting! (and how my faith was restored)
Ahh and how this thing shoots. It's not the best I've ever seen (that goes to my brothers G&P M16) but it will certainly get the job done! The ROF is a touch low and this may be the loudest airsoft gun I've ever owned, but it shoots hard (about 400 fps) and its plenty accurate, especially for CQB. Once I had the sight zeroed it was shooting easy 1 inch groupings at about 30 feet (Shooting in my basement, gimme a break). I can't wait to get out and really try the range on this gun. Judging by how hard the rounds were hitting my target, I'd say I've got plenty more reach (all this done using .20 gram bbs). I expect this thing to be a real solid performer. It's a dream to handle shooting wise. It's solid, holds tight, and moves quickly.
Well, thats about it! I love this thing, it's as wonderful as I dreamed it would be and I would certainly recommend it (just watch out for the little broken crap)
To recap:
Love:
-solid feel
-hard hitter
-perfect fit
-CQB monster
-sexy
Hate:
-Broken sling mount
-cross threading!
-Those awful awful mags
Also, thanks to my brother for being in the pictures and letting me borrow his camera.
Alrighty folks! Christmas time is a wonderful time of year isn't it? My brother Garrett was kind enough to give me the airsoft gun of my dreams -- A replica of the Knights Armament PDW, the Bravo RDW (Rapid Deployment Weapon). He got it from Airsoftgi for a bit over 200 bucks and it came with a ASGI t-shirt and an absurdly large box. I've finally had a good chance to play around with it (no games yet, but a trip up to ACQB on thursday will change that) and now I'm writing the review.
Love at First Sight
First and foremost, this baby is as solid as a rock but very light weight. The upper is all one piece, rails and all, so there is ZERO wiggle. Most M4's I've had my hands on have fairly wobbly grips and rails - ICS, CA, Echo 1, they all suffer from it. The stock is even better; solid metal folding stock with a stiff push button. It locks in extremely well, just like the rest there is no wobble. Not a bit. I have never used an airsoft gun that feels so sturdy while being so light. Its a dream. The grip isn't the greatest, oddly enough there is no texture to it, just smooth plastic. Doesn't feel bad to hold onto, but it might get a little squirrelly if wearing gloves. The stock sights are fantastic too. Flip up and detachable and heavy. The good kind of heavy.
Did I mention the folding stock? This thing folds down to nothing. The stock flips over, locks off, and now you've got the smallest gun on the field. Its awesome. If I'm ever driving while playing airsoft, I'm bringing the PDW. Heck, stock out this thing isn't very big. It has a real slim profile and lengthwise, its a few inches shorter than the M4, and thats using the longer of the two outer barrels that are included (the shorter being about 2 inches shorter). In case you were wondering, the battery is included in a very nice little PEQ box, the problem being, I don't particularly like PEQ boxes and the wires are way too long, so much so they get in the way. An easy fix so I'm not worried; heck, I might even rewire to the stock and put the battery in a pouch on the stock like I did with my MP5.
The Devil is in the Details
Those were my first impressions and first impressions are important however, its the little things that really make a difference and sadly, its the little things that the Bravo RDW is lacking in.
That big ol' orange flash hider is the first thing that hit me for a few reasons.
1) Its not a PDW style flash hider a minor annoyance but noticeable
2) Its a devil to take off
3) THEY-CROSS THREADED IT AT THE FACTORY. Oh that makes me mad. The bloody thing is crooked and I cant re-tap the threads because is crappy plastic. I'm probably going to end up buying a new flash hider or stealing the one off my M249 (it needs some serious work anyway).
Well fine, the flash hider is one thing but the gun also came with the worlds worst mid cap mags. They look great and feel solid but they jam. A lot. As in their only function is to jam. I couldn't even unload the things by hand. Awful awful mags.
The good news is that M4 mags are compatible. They're a pain in the ass - but compatible. Some latch nicely and fit perfectly, no wiggles or anything, but they don't load. Some feed nicely, but won't actually stay in the gun. I'm busy figuring out which ones do and do not work, for now it seems that STAR 30 round mags occasionally have feeding problems but tend to work nicely and fit great and G&P mags are a really loose fit, but feed pretty well. Did I mention the included ones suck?
Oh! I almost forgot the sling mount. Its a really nice sling mount - very solid and there are 3 positions for it to fit - at least, thats how is supposed to work. The sling mount came to me in a little plastic bag in pieces. Many pieces. The little ball bearings that allow the thing to be pushed into place were all out, the spring was out, it was a mess. Worse yet, once assembled, I discovered one of the holes that held the bearings was a hair too big. The ball fell out and is lost to the ages. This means that the mount wont stay in the gun. It locks into place, but now it is an extremely weak connection. It looks solid, but pull a bit on it and it pops right out. My current options are either to locate a new bearing for the thing of the exact right size (Ha!) or JB Weld the little devil into place. Which place? Who knows.
Shooting! (and how my faith was restored)
Ahh and how this thing shoots. It's not the best I've ever seen (that goes to my brothers G&P M16) but it will certainly get the job done! The ROF is a touch low and this may be the loudest airsoft gun I've ever owned, but it shoots hard (about 400 fps) and its plenty accurate, especially for CQB. Once I had the sight zeroed it was shooting easy 1 inch groupings at about 30 feet (Shooting in my basement, gimme a break). I can't wait to get out and really try the range on this gun. Judging by how hard the rounds were hitting my target, I'd say I've got plenty more reach (all this done using .20 gram bbs). I expect this thing to be a real solid performer. It's a dream to handle shooting wise. It's solid, holds tight, and moves quickly.
Well, thats about it! I love this thing, it's as wonderful as I dreamed it would be and I would certainly recommend it (just watch out for the little broken crap)
To recap:
Love:
-solid feel
-hard hitter
-perfect fit
-CQB monster
-sexy
Hate:
-Broken sling mount
-cross threading!
-Those awful awful mags
Also, thanks to my brother for being in the pictures and letting me borrow his camera.