My only criticism is that there are no
sling mounts as standard. I know that as
an M4 style buffer tube there are plenty of
aftermarket sling adaptors for end users to
choose from, and same again with a front
rail mount. I suppose that not having any as
standard will allow the customer to choose
from using a single or three point sling,
whichever they prefer.
Forward of the receiver is the 240mm
metal rail system (in black) which is standard
20mm Picatinny style. The top rail is just over
170mm in length, but the four rails provide
all the space you will need to mount every
accessory you could possible require in a
game. The aesthetics are topped off with
an AK74U-style flash hider. The magazine
supplied with the rifle is a 140BB AK74
Magpul PTS P-Mag mid cap. This is quite
transparent, so you can see how many
rounds you have in the mag at any point, and
has a dark earth base plate.
In Use
By now, having given the exterior a good
and thorough going over, I figured it must
be time to see if the Beta Project V3
gearbox (and the rest of the internals) was
built to the same high standard. With a fully
charged 8.4v 1300mAh stick battery fitted
and the mag filled with Madbull Precision
Grade 0.2g BBs, off I went to my test area.
I set the stock to suit me and locked it in
place.
As it was brand new out of the box, I ran
through 10 mags with the hop just slightly
turned on. Flicking it between full and
semi-auto, the selector still felt sturdy and
showed no sign of intentions to loosen up.
Doing a succession of double taps on semi,
the trigger response was surprisingly good.
On auto the AK just kept chucking out round
after round, as it should. After 10 mags I set
the hop roughly where I thought it should
be and tried a short burst. All the BBs were
hitting my targets at both 100ft and 120ft, so
I selected semi again and fired some more
double taps. These were still thwacking into
the targets. Rather impressive I thought…
Better whip out the chrono!
The blurb for the official UK spec version
(distributed by Edgar Brothers) says that
the Tactical AK should be running between
360-370fps. With the hop turned fully off I
was achieving 340-349fps, which is probably
even better. After resetting the hop to where
I had it earlier, I was getting 326-335fps.
Summary
As with most things in life, first impressions
count – a lot! Beta Project, as a relatively
new company, has a lot riding on this AEG,
but what a way to make an impression. First
it’s a well-thought-out and manufactured AK;
second, the collaboration with Magpul PTS
makes for a totally unique and funky-looking
rifle, setting it apart from the rest. The more
I used it the more I could feel the quality.
The weight is spot on so you won’t get tired
lugging it around all day. It feels so sturdy
and ro bust that you won’t worry about it
breaking when it falls over in the Safe Zone
or when you clonk it into a door frame
when room clearing. It fires really nice and
consistent and the fps out of the box means
you shouldn’t get any grief on any game site
I can think of.
So if you are looking for one rifle that
isn’t an M4 but will cover all of your gaming
requirements and allow you to mount all
your goodies, then look no further!
What else can I say? I really, really like the
Beta Project Tactical AK – but then again I do
love my Marmite on toast! ■
SPECIFICATIONS
Beta Project AK Tactical
Weight: 3,500g
Build: Full metal receiver, rail system
and flash hider; ABS stock, pistol grip and
magazine
Length: 820mm stock collapsed; 900mm
stock extended
Gearbox: Version 3
Hop up: Adjustable
Magazine: 140BB AK74 Magpul PTS
P-Mag mid cap
Battery: 8.4v stick type
Velocity: 340-349fps (hop off); 326335fps (hop on)
Price: Around £360
014
February 2012