Airsoft Action October 2020 | Page 10

armoury G&G TR16 SBR 308 MKII bit thicker, and commercial .308 is sometimes loaded to slightly higher pressure, but other than that, the cartridges themselves are pretty much the same.” So, without going into severe pedantry “7.62 = .308”, with the first being military and the second largely civilian. I’ve noticed with my friends over the water in the USA that the .308 AR is a much revered beast and I have to admit that over the past few years I’ve built myself a number of what we refer to as “DMRs”, all restricted to semi-auto and kicking out a .20g BB iro 1.48 Joule/400fps. They are all “long rifles” with “7.62” magazines, usually fitted with a magnified optic and bipod and I adore them. However, when it comes to CQB or indoor airsoft they are all but useless given both on-site power restrictions and of course space to actually move! SHORT AND SWEETER THAN A SWEET THING! The all-round use and “space to move” thing has always had me searching for a more modern solution to working a “big bore” rifle than the MC51, and as soon as I laid eyes on the TR16 SBR 308 MK II I could see that my personal prayers might be answered. After much discussion with the guys at G&G about what this new model had going on, I walked away utterly convinced that this could be “The One” but (like all of you) I had to bide my time until production commenced. And has the wait been worth it? For me, most definitely, in all ways, it has been 100% worth it! When the MKII first got to me the box was a “regular AEG” size but it felt way light, almost like G&G had forgotten to put something inside! I’d forgotten that in January the lack of weight and bulk of the show sample had impressed me greatly and at just 2.39Kg this is most definitely a rifle you can carry easily all day - and manipulate easily to track targets. At 705mm long (stock compressed, 820mm fully open) it is also short enough to use in even the most confined of spaces, making it overall incredibly easy and nimble to use. External design is a very personal thing I know but to me it follows G&G’s design ethos that we’ve seen in the GTP-9 Pistol and SMC-9 SMG, has an absolutely beautiful, unique and modern aesthetic. The MKII is fully placed in the moment, with a thoroughly upto-the minute .308 style receiver, which is designed to mimic .308 style rifles commonly seen right now in the real world. There’s a modern 216mm M-LOK VIII railed handguard of G&Gs own design to allow great personalization with accessories. The top of the handguard features a rail that mates perfectly receiver and allows for optics to be attached you get even more design flair the contiguous 20mm with the upper a wide variety of securely. In addition, of G&G’s unique when it comes to ergonomic pistol grip and the GOS-V8 sliding stock. The flash hider is also removable to reveal a 14mm CCW threaded outer, which allows for the attachment of a wide range of aftermarket silencers, suppressors and even tracer units. Add to all of the above that the MKII comes with a singlepoint sling plate, QD stud sling points (in the right places!), usable metal flip-up front and rear sights, an extended cocking lever and ambidextrous everything AS STANDARD and it’s quite the package to look at! Internally things also sing in harmony! G&G have confirmed that a LOT of work has gone into perfecting their V2 gearbox and this is just the start of things. The MKII features G&G’s ETU integrated MOSFET system and the ETU is designed to add choice, as well as offering battery protection to prevent the rifle from firing when the voltage is too low, along with motor jam and spring compression detection to be totally on the safe side! The ETU also lets you reprogram the full auto mode, 10 OCTOBER 2020