The receiver

The receiver is a replica of standard AR receivers - without modern reinforcements, undercuts reducing weight or "aggressive edges". The upper receiver has a forward assist, a deflector and ejector port cover.

The lower receiver has single-sided magazine release button (photo above) and single-sided fire selector switch. The trigger guard can be opened in a known manner, which makes it easier to shoot the replica using very thick gloves. Unfortunately, the bolt catch is only a dummy. In earlier replicas by Specna Arms it was functional. In the Edge series - it is not.

There are a few things that are worth mentioning. First of all: the heads of the pins connecting the upper and lower receiver are flat, a feature already known from the Core series. Similarly to it, the rear pin is simply pushed into position, while the front pin is screwed with a hex screw.

Next: the type of coating, color and texture. I have no information about the type of coating used, but in my opinion it looks very good. That is, in a way reminiscent of a real weapon. The color is difficult to name. Let's assume it is a gray color, which additionally gives the impression of having a slight texture. It looks very nice. Some small parts, e.g. ejector port cover or the pins connecting the receiver halves are clearly brighter which, in my opinion, greatly improves the appearance of the whole. The manipulators, i.e. the fire selector switch, the magazine release button and the bolt catch are black - they look average.

Speaking of colors. The tested replica is the Gray version, which is firstly simply visible and secondly, results directly from the product's code name (SA-E17-Gray). At the bottom of the package there are markers for black and sand color versions. Does this mean that the Edge series replicas will be available in three colors? I do not have this information, but it seems very likely as some of the current Specn Arms relicas are were available in these three colors.

Another thing is the markings. A class in itself. The are applied with laser technology, are clear, deep and seem "sharp". It looks cool. We have here the licensor's logo - the Rock River Arms,  the caliber, the model name (LAR-15) and an individual replica serial number.

In the front part of the magazine well there is the following inscription: "Airsoft replica. Licensed trademarks of Rock River Arms".

Next: the fitting of the upper and lower receiver. And again, its great! A lot of AR replicas have a common disadvantage, a clear clearance between the receiver halves, which I call "the clatter". Often, the lack of proper fitting the receiver halves can also be seen with the naked eye, in the place where the edges of the receiver halves should touch each other there is a gap through which the frame of the gearbox is visible. Some of the Specna's earlier generations also had this problem. There is nothing like this here. The replica does not have the slightest play between the receiver halves. In the pictures above, you can see the place where the halves meet. The pistol grip is fitted in a similar way.

The pistol grip

The replica is equipped with a pistol grip called the QD pistol grip in the press materials. This is probably a small inaccuracy. Usually, the abbreviation QD means "quick detach". Here, the grip is mounted in a traditional way, with screws (four of them) secured in the gearbox, while quick-release (QD) is the bottom of the grip. The one that in traditional designs is screwed to the grip with two screws. Here the bottom can be removed really quickly, in the field, without the use of any tools. But why is that? For once, to quickly reattach the motor connectors. So in my opinion, in general,  this solution is nice and maybe even useful. However, the material from which the bottom plate is made may be a problem. Well, most likely it is the same polymer that is used to make the grip itself. I do not like polymer bottom plates, they deform during the motor adjustment and they keep warping all the time. It is very difficult to find the optimal setting.

The grip itself is very precise and perfectly fitted with the lower receiver.

The way of opening the grip: First, squeeze the place marked with a red arrow (both sides of the grip) with your fingers and swing it towards the front of the rifle.

The green arrow indicates the nub that must be released and the green circle the axis of rotation.

View after opening the bottom plate:

Pay attention to the way the wires are placed: both are going down the back side of the grip. Only at the top does the red wire circulate the motor. The out-of-focus part on the right is the "bottom plate proper" in which the motor adjustment screw is placed. It is accessible from the outside through the opening in the hinged bottom.

Up close:

The marked part is to be placed in the grip from the side of the barrel exit, not the stock. The part must be inserted loosely, in a way that does not interfere with the wires and allows the spring to run on the motor shaft.

All parts together:

On the next page: the front grip, the outer barrel and the tactical grip