armoury
RAPTOR SV-98 DELUXE
instructions as to
how to put it all
together. Even Ikea
gives you more guidance
than this!
The main job is to seat the
firing assembly into the stock. I don’t
know about you, but I can think of one
or two airsofters that would struggle with
even this. You need to figure out which
of the two loose bolts to use where. (Both
from underneath, long one behind the
trigger guard, the other in front of the
mag well.) However, once assembled, it’s
rock solid.
In the absence of useful information
from the manufacturer, we’d recommend
this excellent video from Germany’s always
thorough REAPERs Airsoft at www.bit.
ly/2R54aHx. You’ll learn a lot, even without
English subtitles.
A COOL LONG DRINK
Damn, this is one long gun! At 120cm It’s
the longest sniper rifle I’ve hosted in my
home range. And if that’s still not long
enough for you, there’s also an included
suppressor to add more than 20cm. It’s
almost comically long - and it’s not even
a .50 cal! If you need to compensate for
anything, then this would be a good place
to start. But despite its length, the SV is
surprisingly light at 6.5kg.
The overall balance is good - especially
for such a long rifle - with a nice crisp bolt
pull that only has about an inch of travel.
While the pull presents no problems, the
arm meets the upper on the push stroke
unless you just drop its radius ever-so-
slightly on the way home. It’s far from a
dealbreaker and something you’ll soon get
used to. The trigger also has a short, crisp
action that is thoroughly predictable.
The detachable carry handle certainly
helps its portability, as well as matching
the original firearm. There’s a top rail with
limited slots for attachments such as a
scope with an uncontoured mid-section
of about 9cm that could make fitting your
optics a little tricky, depending on the
mounts you use.
Sticklers for detail will appreciate
the 50-round polymer magazine that is
accurately placed, with no troublesome
feed ramp to worry about. You’ll find
two mags in the box and the decision to
include a spare is definitely a welcome
move from RAPTOR, even if the so-called
“Regular” version has to go without this
extra.
The magazines are easy to fit and
remove - once you understand that the
magazine release is on the mag, not the
receiver - and we had no feeding issues.
There’s a functional safety behind the
bolt handle, as well as a hop-up that’s
adjustable with an Allen key through the
top of the receiver.
GOD OF WAR?
The SV’s internals are based on the Ares
Amoeba Striker S1, which is a sub-£200
RIF, albeit now wearing a designer dress
suitable for the most high-profile of
parties. Although that’s one-third the price
of the £650 SV-98 Deluxe Version, when
you bear in mind that aftermarket wooden
stocks cost around £300 - some less, some
more - it goes a long way to explaining
the price difference. As mentioned above,
you could always save a few quid by
choosing the Regular Version that forgoes
accessories such as the carry handle, bipod,
flash hider, suppressor and spare magazine.
The use of Striker internals is potentially
both good and bad news. In terms of
upgrades, we’re dealing with a known
quantity here, so parts will be readily
available even if they need fettling to fit
this application. It should also be fully
compatible with AEG springs and the
legendary VSR hop units.
Less promising is the Striker’s small
cylinder combined with an inner barrel
that’s now nearly double the length at
600mm in the new SV instead of 310 in
the donor S1. As a result, you might be
looking at a lengthy list of modifications if
you want to lift truly heavyweight sniper
ammo over .40g.
ERGO SUM TOTAL
In terms of ergonomics, the SV is streets
ahead of more modern fare - including one
very popular bullpup by Silverback. Not
only can you adjust the length of the stock
by adding or removing sections, but there’s
also an adjustable cheek riser. It’s just a
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