Airsoft Action 02 - Nov 2011 | Page 15

THE ARMOURY besides the usual Thompsons that you see. Because the real version had such a long working life, it lends itself to Vietnam or even Cold War loadouts too. All in all a phenomenal bit of kit. I just wonder what else Ares will be releasing in its classic line range… n The safety is easy to use as it is just a big lever on the right-hand side of the receiver. The hop unit is simple to adjust by lifting the hinged ejection port cover (which you need to do when firing) and sliding back the imitation bolt to allow access. The adjuster itself is a simple slide lever. The stock is a basic two-position ‘all way in/all way out’ and the catch is located at the top right-hand side of the pistol grip. The magazine release catch is on the left-hand side of the receiver at the top of the mag well. Magazines fit very snugly and initially require a gentle tap to engage fully. The fixed aperture rear sight and fixed front sight, as well as the sling mounts, all add to the realistic look. Using the M3A1 With mag firmly in, ejection port cover open and stock fully extended I took off the safety and pulled the trigger… Wow! Straight out of the box with the hop half-on, I was hitting my target at just over 100ft. The electric blowback mechanism really put a smile on my face. As the imitation bolt went back and forth with a ‘chugga-chugga’ sound I was really impressed – and still smiling like a kid at Christmas! Firing at around 660rpm – which is faster than the real thing – I was achieving a reading of between 288307fps (with hop on). Must Points The Ares M3A1 is made mostly of steel so it is very important to keep the externals clean as part of your regular maintenance, or you could find rust getting into the bodywork. Secondly, keep the contacts on both the magazine and inside the mag well clean. It won’t take long for muck from your pouches to get on them, which would severely hamper your use and enjoyment, and keeping these clean will stop carbon deposits building up. Summary Having been a fan of Ares as a manufacturer since buying my L1A1 SLR a while ago, I’m really pleased that the thought put into the design and construction of the M3A1 has reaffirmed Ares as an attentive, top-quality manufacturer producing exciting weapons. The only downside I can see is the battery-in-mag scenario, but given the compactness of the Grease Gun I can see they had little choice. Although not everyone’s cup of tea, the Grease Gun is iconic and, if you are doing WWII airsoft in a US role, this gives you another quality option SPECIFICATIONS Weight: 4,500 grams Build: Steel receiver and stock, aluminium outer barrel Length: 580mm stock retracted 750mm stock extended Internals: Metal gearbox with high torque motor Hop-up: Adjustable Mag capacity: 65 BBs Battery: 8.4v/9.6v stick/nunchuck type NiMH 7.4v LiPo Velocity: 288-307 (hop on) 311-335 (hop off) Price: Around £230 To find out where to buy the Ares M3A1, check out the retailer list on page 82. Thanks to RedWolf Airsoft for supplying The M3A1 Grease Gun used in this article: www.redwolfairsoft.com www.airsoftactionmagazine.com 15