The replicas is delivered to us in a simple black box with a big Specan Arms logo and a photo underneath the box showing the preview of the series of replicas. Inside we find everything that is needed to start shooting – a replica, a hi-cap magazine, a battery, a charger, a second M90 spring and, in some cases, a plastic tactical grip. Additionally, there is also a manual, a catalogue and a quality certificate. All this is placed in a protective die stamped cardboard.
The first impression is positive. It looks good and is quite well fitted together, especially in the body section. The surface of the reinforced polymer looks quite good. Worse fitted are parts of the front and the stock, to a varying degree, but this will be covered later. The replica reviewed here is a standard AR15 replica without any modifications. The body has Specna Arms markings, a serial number and a US Marines logo.
The thing that arouses the most doubt is the material from which the replicas is made of. At first glance it looks a bit too thin in some places (in the magwell for example). We decided to test its durability using our colleague from the WMASG team who weighs 105 kg. Repeated pressure did not make any damage to the replica. The manufacturer boasts about reinforcing the plastic with nylon fibers therefore it should be able to serve for a long time. The replica contains some metal parts such as the external barrel, RIS front, flash hider, charging handle and the sling mount. Steel parts are screws, pins, the dust cover, and the fake bolt.
The classic special forces type stock has enough space to house the NiMh battery that come together with the replica and also more popular split LiPo batteries available on the market. The stock has slight (acceptable) slack but the stock guide could be more problematic as it is made from a polymer. During normal use this fact has little consequence yet when we pick up the replicas by the stock we can feel that it bends slightly. Therefore we decided to perform and unusual test. While holding the replica by the stock we made some energetic swinging movements. It took quite a long time for the stock guide to give in, yet it surprised us very positively. The only damage was a bent mounting screw. The undamaged guide could be mounted again using a new screw. Despite the material used the guide itself is very resilient. Then again, how often do we swing a replica like a sword?
The parts such as the trigger (metal) and the pistol grip (polymer) are designs taken directly from the classic AR15. Only the charging handle was modified by enlarging it and after pulling it we gain access to the hop-up chamber.
The iron sights are of flip-up type. The design incorporates a button used to quickly unfold them. There is no upright position lock yet the springs are so strong that the sights flip back up after incidental folding.
The fire selector switch is a classic one and made of metal. It has three settings – safe, semi-auto and full-auto.
The external barrel is made of metal and gives the possibility to be exchanged for another one. The front, which is equipped in metal RIS rails, looks quite nice but is has some slight slack and when we mount the front grip from the set it becomes quite irritating. The flash hider is a standard one with a counter clockwise thread. It is very light and is probably made of ZnAl.
The magazine that comes together with the replicas is a classic STANAG type hi-cap. It is made of steel and looks and performs quite well. We did not observe any jams nor feeding problems. It sits stably in the magwell. The is no excessive side slack yet it does not fall out on its own after pressing the magazine release button.
The internals
The replica is made in the well-known TM standard. After taking out the front pin we slide the upper receiver forward and gain access to the hop-up chamber and the barrel. One must be careful while disassembly not to lose the fake bolt as it is loosely placed in the lower receiver.
The plastic hop-up chamber has a revolving ring at the back, which is becoming a standard solution nowadays but in expensive M4 replicas. This type a chamber allows for much more precise setting of the pressure the spacer makes on the hop-up bucking. The material used may not look top quality but the seal is good and the mould itself is also satisfactory. The spacer used is a standard rubber cylinder. The hop-up bucking is black and of medium hardness and has a standard nub.
The inner barrel is brass and has a been bevelled on the exiting end. The length of the barrel is different depending on the model of the replica.
After unscrewing the stock with a long Phillips screwdriver we gain access to a quick spring exchange system. It is a very good solution especially that we were able to test many more expensive replicas where this “quick exchange” cane be done only in a workshop, not in the field. In Specna Arms’ replica the exchange process is really quick and simple. The manufacturer gives us two springs so we can take this replica to CQB and to a forest without worrying to much about too much or too little FPS.
After taking the pistol grip off and removing the two pins we get access to the gearbox. The frame makes a good impression. The manufacturer assures that it will work with up to an M140 spring, which is quite good a result for this price segment. Holes around the cylinder head help to spread the force with which the piston hits on a greater surface which in turns translates into a smaller chance of the frame breaking when using stronger springs. The gearbox is held together with Phillips screws and has 8mm bushings.
The internals of the gearbox look good. All plastic parts were probably made of the same type of composite material. The amount of lubricant on the gears and the pneumatic parts in the unit we got was satisfactory.
The pneumatic system works efficiently. It does not have ideal seal but in this price range it is on a good level. A big plus for he manufactures is the use of different cylinder types depending on the inner barrel length. Top brand manufacturers seem to have forgotten about this feature lately. The polymer piston had 14 steel teeth which is a great solution especially when the gearbox has a quick spring exchange system. The ventilated piston head is plastic and has a standard rubber O-ring. The cylinder head is made of polymer hand has extra sealing. The nozzle is blue and has 21.30mm of length but it has no additional sealing. The tappet plate is made of the same composite material as most parts inside the gearbox and works properly.
In the newest Specna has standard steel gears. They have a plastic tappet plate delayer which is to improve the BBs’ feeding, in theory. The manufacturer assures that the gears and the frame will work with up to an M140 spring. To check it out we installed an M150 Tornado spring and after a few long bursts the frame and the gears looked fine. Despite this we do not encourage to do this, especially because of the motor which in such a configuration barely manages to do its work and both spring supplied with the set give satisfactory results.
The motor used is a long type Standard Torque Motor branded by Specna Arms, with a black bottom plate. It does not have strong magnets but works well with stock springs and can easily work with an M130 spring.
Shooting
The replica generates 385 FPS. It is enough for a woodland area but the manufacturer supplies us with an M90 spring which generates 310 FPS which is ideal for CQB. The hop-up adjustment is precise. The BBs fly straight and repeatedly. There were minor variations but the problem should be rectified after replacing the hop-up bucking.
Summary
Specna arms replicas from the newest CORE series are dedicated especially towards beginners. In this price range for the past 10 years, since the introduction of replicas made in China, a beginner has a wide range of products to choose from to start his/her adventure with airsoft.
The Specna Arms CORE series is an ambitious project. The designers stripped the replica of all the expensive parts that were not necessary in terms of keeping proper performance. It’s hard to make and ideal replica, especially if we when aiming for the lowest possible price. The competition in the entry level segment is quite fierce and the question how does the Core series compares to other such products seem especially valid.
The Specna Arms replica described here stands out with the durability of its internal parts and its susceptibility for upgrades which is an important factor in Poland, even for beginners. The user gets a quick spring exchange system, a robust gearbox, gears and an air-tight hop-up chamber. On the other hand we get, despite its nylon reinforcements, a “plastic” replica. Yet it recently became a norm, not only among budget airsoft guns, to use plastics as the main material to make bodies for replicas. Evaluation of all of these aspects should be left to one’s individual preferences.
Using the replica give good impressions. It’s true that it is ready for shooting right out of the box. Specna Arms CORE is a good choice for a beginner or as a cheap backup replica. We think that the CORE series is an interesting product and it breaks some of the stereotypes that are associated with replicas from the lower price range.
This test was possible thanks to the courtesy of Gunfire.pl
