D-Boyi M16 SPR Mod.0
Posted on Friday 14th September 2007 at 10:05
[image='http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/5336/boyisprmod01108np9nt3.jpg']
Background to purchase –
After much juggling of my AEG collection, selling and generally stripping down of the number of AEG's I had, I found my only unit left was my JG AK47 Beta-f. Whilst this was a pretty darn good AEG you couldn't really term it as a "Woodland" weapon.
With this in view, and the October deadline and all its relating confusion looming fast, I looked to find a woodland AEG. What is a Woodland AEG then? Well the main two things that, to me, are a requirement are a long barrel and good power…
..both were covered by the D-Boyi SPR's. Seemingly full M16 length, and a power of 330-350fps out of the box. Add into this, 7mm bearings, full metal construction and for a price of £140 in the UK you really DO have a winner here….on paper.
The SPR's come in two flavours from D-Boyi. The Mod.0 and the Mod.1, the only difference being that the Mod.1 has full length RIS's where as the Mod.0 has a full length top RIS but only a short lower RIS for mounting the bi-pod.
..did I mention that they come with a Harris style bi-pod as well? No? Ok, they do as well as the expected Chinese bundle package of 2-pin charger, battery, hi-cap and sling.
Personally, I felt that the Mod.1's full length RIS rails were wasted for a woodland, long barrel AEG so, on aesthetic value only, I went for the Mod.0. There's enough RIS on it to accommodate a scope the bi-pod and even a laser and torch if you wanted anyway.
I had to wait a little while for the model to become available but when it appeared on Action Hobbys website I purchased immediately!
Delivery & Initial reactions –
I placed my order on the Monday, was advised by email that it was despatched the next day and would arrive on Wednesday. When it didn't, I phoned Action Hobbys.
It seemed that, as most retailers at this time, they were swamped and didn't get it ready in time but it would be with me the next day (Thursday). Thursday came and so did Parcel Force with their delivery for me.
I'll take this time to mention that I also purchased a KART M14 Socom with the same package…more of this in a moment.
A tense wait until the clock hit 5pm so I could leave work and inspect what I'd got.
Action Hobbys had packaged it very well and it took me a good 5 minutes of using a pair of sharp scissors to gain entry. I had seen D-Boyi boxes before and I still like the way they package their AEG's. A mock attempt to mimic a wooden carton, in natural brown with black writing.
My initial reaction was to check that I'd received the correct model as the box is generic for both the Mod.1 and Mod.0. I shouldn't have been concerned though and all was correct.
So, what was my initial reaction on viewing the AEG then? Now, this is where I made the mistake of opening my M14 Socom first. At this stage I'd already opened and taken out/handled the M14 so when it came to the SPR I was…erm…under whelmed? I think that's the best way to describe it and this is why I made a point of mentioning my other purchase.
I am sure that M16/Armalite fans will be utterly astounded by this AEG and I have to admit that I really like the general look of it but…
Ok, lets get to the basics of where my feelings are coming from. The M14 Socom is still quite a BIG rifle, don't be fooled into thinking you'll have a CQB AEG, no sir! It is also, pretty darn heavy. The other thing that struck me was that the M14 Socom and the SPR are effectively the same length!
Whilst the SPR has an outer barrel that makes it longer, the inner (and therefore effective part) barrel seem to be near identical in length. Also, the M14 is much heavier…now this was a shock to me. The SPR is classed as Full Metal, the M14 isn't but I could quite happily fire the SPR one handed and at full extension…I would CERTAINLY not be able to do that with the M14 Socom.
Anyway, enough of the M14 and back to the SPR.
There are several things that also add to my deflation. In several areas the paint has flecked off already, the grip – whilst comfy – really needs to be made of a different material than the fibre based ABS it's now made of. My immediate thoughts turned to my AK47 beta and its nice soft-feel rubber grip…such a finish on this nicely contoured SPR grip would be outstanding, but it doesn't have it so you're left feeling that "it could have been".
Now, I was looking at the vaulted "Tactical One point sling" to be something a little above the normal Chinese disposable slings but apart from the carabina style mounting clip it's the same low grade nylon webbing.
The Harris style bi-pod however looks to be of decent quality. It locks in the rest and ready positions well and the legs extend with a satisfying "click" at height increments.
Another issue I had with my initial inspection was that I didn't have an instruction manual for it. I had a "Supplement" manual which went through basically telling you where to mount the bi-pod and a scope but nothing else, I have contacted Action Hobbys about this in the hope this is an oversight though.
EDIT - I have since been contacted by Airsoft Hobbys who advise me that the manual, when its supplied, is of low quality in translation so isn't that much help. Its nice to know a retailer took the time to phone me at home, at around 7pm, just for this.
The last few things that highlight as poor/less than normal is the hop-up cover/false ejection port and the magazine.
I can't open the ejection port. It's slightly recessed and it is my assumption (with not having an instruction manual) that, like all other M16 etc AEG's, the hop-up adjustment is inside this. However, I just can't shift it!!
If it's held by a magnet like other models then it's a blood powerful one. I have short nails and can't get a grip behind it due to the recessing of the door and I though better of putting a flat headed screwdriver to it as 1) I didn't have the manual and there may be a "clever" way of opening it and 2) I didn't want to further scratch the already fragile paint work.
Now, the AEG comes with the magazine installed unlike any other manufacturer I know of. Now this caused an issue as clearly it was inserted before the paint had completely dried. This made it very stiff to remove and insert again (not actually always a problem) but also meant that the top half of the supplied magazine ended up nearly devoid of paint all together!
Initial Summary -
Ok, initial gripes out of the way. On initial inspection this IS still a very good AEG, the Harris bi-pod alone has to be worth £25-£35, the supplied battery looks to be of reasonable quality though I haven't tested it yet so as a package this is still worth the money paid for it.
If you already own, are a fan of, M16's or Armalites then you will just love this AEG. It has very nice lines, the metal is well moulded and there are few rattles or squeaks in it. The contoured grip is near perfect to hold (aside from my own personal preferences for finish) and it's a nice weight – not to heavy, not to light. On the weight, I would equate it to being of very similar weight to my old CA M4 (collapsible stock version), which is odd…considering that the SPR has a full metal front as well as outer barrel and receiver.
From my point of view I think I could have done with EITHER the SPR or the M14, not both. They seem to both fill the same woodland position as to length of barrel and power but the M14 has a higher magazine capacity (the SPR uses VN version hi-caps which are 140rnds, the M14's are 300's). I think the SPR would suffer aesthetically if used with full length M16 magazines but perhaps as a bi-pod mounted support weapon this AEG could win many over.
Edit – ok, this review seemed all doom-n-gloom so I thought I would add in some of the nice touches this AEG has.
Firstly, the metal content is very high. Even though the AEG is quite light, you have everything from flash-hinder through to the rear of the receiver virtually all metal! The flash-hinder does not come fitted (won't fit in the box otherwise) but this is easy to screw on, it's a positive thread and sleeves over the extended inner barrel.
The fire selector is nice and responsive whilst still being easy to move with your thumb, there is a definite audible and textile click for each position which is nice.
Battery compartment – this is a very clever feature. Instead of removing the whole butt-plate there is an in built door in the butt-plate that you open like a hatch to insert your battery. To me this is quite nifty indeed, others may gripe though that it's a visible hatch and detracts from the realism of the AEG.
Iron Sights – Oh my, the fitted sights are quite lovely. The front sight is up and the rear one is retracted when it's in the box. To release the rear sight you pull back on a spring loaded retaining pin and "ping!", it just pops right up! It's stiff, and won't fail you. The sight alignment picture is clear and easy to use, folded flat both iron sights are unobtrusive and means you can use a low mount for any optics you may want to use.
As I've touched on previously, this is a very nice AEG to hold and shoulder. The contoured pistol grip is excellently moulded and the barrel heat shield provides a comfortable and smooth area to grip with your front hand.
Accuracy is still to be seen so I'll finish my initial review here and update it as I progress (weekend beckons me, where I'll have a chance to at least test it).
Post "Garden" test update:
I am significantly more impressed with this AEG now. Firstly, this is due to the weight, remember I said it was lighter than I expected…well, that was before I put the Harris bi-pod on it! Now it's got a whole lot heavier.
Now, having fired the AEG for testing I'm much happier. RoF is quite low but the power is significant, I have yet to chrono or even Coke Can test it but when I was testing from my 20m range for setting the hop-up I was getting ricochet's that were passing me and going a further 40mtrs back behind me!
Also, when a BB makes a definite dent in solid wood from 20mtrs I think it's got quite a kick.
The supplied magazine feeds well but is a pain to insert correctly. You think it's in but it falls back out and I'm having to wiggle it a bit to get it to fully insert. I await time to order other makes of magazine to test.
However, the hop seems stable and easy to set.
Oh, I found out how to get the hop cover open. Yes, it was a "clever" thing I'd missed. Use of the cocking handle should release the hop cover/fake ejection port cover, but it didn't when I first tried it. Seems the cover is held on, not by a magnet but by a plastic catch, which is pushed to release the cover internally by another plastic pin which is attached to the charging handle. I feel this is overly clever for a system and as both catches are plastic and already showing signs of wear, I don't believe this will last long as a holding mechanism.
Still, hop-up is stable and doesn't seem to unwind though I only put a small amount of rounds through it due to the weather being too windy for an accuracy assessment.
Background to purchase –
After much juggling of my AEG collection, selling and generally stripping down of the number of AEG's I had, I found my only unit left was my JG AK47 Beta-f. Whilst this was a pretty darn good AEG you couldn't really term it as a "Woodland" weapon.
With this in view, and the October deadline and all its relating confusion looming fast, I looked to find a woodland AEG. What is a Woodland AEG then? Well the main two things that, to me, are a requirement are a long barrel and good power…
..both were covered by the D-Boyi SPR's. Seemingly full M16 length, and a power of 330-350fps out of the box. Add into this, 7mm bearings, full metal construction and for a price of £140 in the UK you really DO have a winner here….on paper.
The SPR's come in two flavours from D-Boyi. The Mod.0 and the Mod.1, the only difference being that the Mod.1 has full length RIS's where as the Mod.0 has a full length top RIS but only a short lower RIS for mounting the bi-pod.
..did I mention that they come with a Harris style bi-pod as well? No? Ok, they do as well as the expected Chinese bundle package of 2-pin charger, battery, hi-cap and sling.
Personally, I felt that the Mod.1's full length RIS rails were wasted for a woodland, long barrel AEG so, on aesthetic value only, I went for the Mod.0. There's enough RIS on it to accommodate a scope the bi-pod and even a laser and torch if you wanted anyway.
I had to wait a little while for the model to become available but when it appeared on Action Hobbys website I purchased immediately!
Delivery & Initial reactions –
I placed my order on the Monday, was advised by email that it was despatched the next day and would arrive on Wednesday. When it didn't, I phoned Action Hobbys.
It seemed that, as most retailers at this time, they were swamped and didn't get it ready in time but it would be with me the next day (Thursday). Thursday came and so did Parcel Force with their delivery for me.
I'll take this time to mention that I also purchased a KART M14 Socom with the same package…more of this in a moment.
A tense wait until the clock hit 5pm so I could leave work and inspect what I'd got.
Action Hobbys had packaged it very well and it took me a good 5 minutes of using a pair of sharp scissors to gain entry. I had seen D-Boyi boxes before and I still like the way they package their AEG's. A mock attempt to mimic a wooden carton, in natural brown with black writing.
My initial reaction was to check that I'd received the correct model as the box is generic for both the Mod.1 and Mod.0. I shouldn't have been concerned though and all was correct.
So, what was my initial reaction on viewing the AEG then? Now, this is where I made the mistake of opening my M14 Socom first. At this stage I'd already opened and taken out/handled the M14 so when it came to the SPR I was…erm…under whelmed? I think that's the best way to describe it and this is why I made a point of mentioning my other purchase.
I am sure that M16/Armalite fans will be utterly astounded by this AEG and I have to admit that I really like the general look of it but…
Ok, lets get to the basics of where my feelings are coming from. The M14 Socom is still quite a BIG rifle, don't be fooled into thinking you'll have a CQB AEG, no sir! It is also, pretty darn heavy. The other thing that struck me was that the M14 Socom and the SPR are effectively the same length!
Whilst the SPR has an outer barrel that makes it longer, the inner (and therefore effective part) barrel seem to be near identical in length. Also, the M14 is much heavier…now this was a shock to me. The SPR is classed as Full Metal, the M14 isn't but I could quite happily fire the SPR one handed and at full extension…I would CERTAINLY not be able to do that with the M14 Socom.
Anyway, enough of the M14 and back to the SPR.
There are several things that also add to my deflation. In several areas the paint has flecked off already, the grip – whilst comfy – really needs to be made of a different material than the fibre based ABS it's now made of. My immediate thoughts turned to my AK47 beta and its nice soft-feel rubber grip…such a finish on this nicely contoured SPR grip would be outstanding, but it doesn't have it so you're left feeling that "it could have been".
Now, I was looking at the vaulted "Tactical One point sling" to be something a little above the normal Chinese disposable slings but apart from the carabina style mounting clip it's the same low grade nylon webbing.
The Harris style bi-pod however looks to be of decent quality. It locks in the rest and ready positions well and the legs extend with a satisfying "click" at height increments.
Another issue I had with my initial inspection was that I didn't have an instruction manual for it. I had a "Supplement" manual which went through basically telling you where to mount the bi-pod and a scope but nothing else, I have contacted Action Hobbys about this in the hope this is an oversight though.
EDIT - I have since been contacted by Airsoft Hobbys who advise me that the manual, when its supplied, is of low quality in translation so isn't that much help. Its nice to know a retailer took the time to phone me at home, at around 7pm, just for this.
The last few things that highlight as poor/less than normal is the hop-up cover/false ejection port and the magazine.
I can't open the ejection port. It's slightly recessed and it is my assumption (with not having an instruction manual) that, like all other M16 etc AEG's, the hop-up adjustment is inside this. However, I just can't shift it!!
If it's held by a magnet like other models then it's a blood powerful one. I have short nails and can't get a grip behind it due to the recessing of the door and I though better of putting a flat headed screwdriver to it as 1) I didn't have the manual and there may be a "clever" way of opening it and 2) I didn't want to further scratch the already fragile paint work.
Now, the AEG comes with the magazine installed unlike any other manufacturer I know of. Now this caused an issue as clearly it was inserted before the paint had completely dried. This made it very stiff to remove and insert again (not actually always a problem) but also meant that the top half of the supplied magazine ended up nearly devoid of paint all together!
Initial Summary -
Ok, initial gripes out of the way. On initial inspection this IS still a very good AEG, the Harris bi-pod alone has to be worth £25-£35, the supplied battery looks to be of reasonable quality though I haven't tested it yet so as a package this is still worth the money paid for it.
If you already own, are a fan of, M16's or Armalites then you will just love this AEG. It has very nice lines, the metal is well moulded and there are few rattles or squeaks in it. The contoured grip is near perfect to hold (aside from my own personal preferences for finish) and it's a nice weight – not to heavy, not to light. On the weight, I would equate it to being of very similar weight to my old CA M4 (collapsible stock version), which is odd…considering that the SPR has a full metal front as well as outer barrel and receiver.
From my point of view I think I could have done with EITHER the SPR or the M14, not both. They seem to both fill the same woodland position as to length of barrel and power but the M14 has a higher magazine capacity (the SPR uses VN version hi-caps which are 140rnds, the M14's are 300's). I think the SPR would suffer aesthetically if used with full length M16 magazines but perhaps as a bi-pod mounted support weapon this AEG could win many over.
Edit – ok, this review seemed all doom-n-gloom so I thought I would add in some of the nice touches this AEG has.
Firstly, the metal content is very high. Even though the AEG is quite light, you have everything from flash-hinder through to the rear of the receiver virtually all metal! The flash-hinder does not come fitted (won't fit in the box otherwise) but this is easy to screw on, it's a positive thread and sleeves over the extended inner barrel.
The fire selector is nice and responsive whilst still being easy to move with your thumb, there is a definite audible and textile click for each position which is nice.
Battery compartment – this is a very clever feature. Instead of removing the whole butt-plate there is an in built door in the butt-plate that you open like a hatch to insert your battery. To me this is quite nifty indeed, others may gripe though that it's a visible hatch and detracts from the realism of the AEG.
Iron Sights – Oh my, the fitted sights are quite lovely. The front sight is up and the rear one is retracted when it's in the box. To release the rear sight you pull back on a spring loaded retaining pin and "ping!", it just pops right up! It's stiff, and won't fail you. The sight alignment picture is clear and easy to use, folded flat both iron sights are unobtrusive and means you can use a low mount for any optics you may want to use.
As I've touched on previously, this is a very nice AEG to hold and shoulder. The contoured pistol grip is excellently moulded and the barrel heat shield provides a comfortable and smooth area to grip with your front hand.
Accuracy is still to be seen so I'll finish my initial review here and update it as I progress (weekend beckons me, where I'll have a chance to at least test it).
Post "Garden" test update:
I am significantly more impressed with this AEG now. Firstly, this is due to the weight, remember I said it was lighter than I expected…well, that was before I put the Harris bi-pod on it! Now it's got a whole lot heavier.
Now, having fired the AEG for testing I'm much happier. RoF is quite low but the power is significant, I have yet to chrono or even Coke Can test it but when I was testing from my 20m range for setting the hop-up I was getting ricochet's that were passing me and going a further 40mtrs back behind me!
Also, when a BB makes a definite dent in solid wood from 20mtrs I think it's got quite a kick.
The supplied magazine feeds well but is a pain to insert correctly. You think it's in but it falls back out and I'm having to wiggle it a bit to get it to fully insert. I await time to order other makes of magazine to test.
However, the hop seems stable and easy to set.
Oh, I found out how to get the hop cover open. Yes, it was a "clever" thing I'd missed. Use of the cocking handle should release the hop cover/fake ejection port cover, but it didn't when I first tried it. Seems the cover is held on, not by a magnet but by a plastic catch, which is pushed to release the cover internally by another plastic pin which is attached to the charging handle. I feel this is overly clever for a system and as both catches are plastic and already showing signs of wear, I don't believe this will last long as a holding mechanism.
Still, hop-up is stable and doesn't seem to unwind though I only put a small amount of rounds through it due to the weather being too windy for an accuracy assessment.