Disassembly of the replica
To separate the upper and lower receiver, simply remove the front pin and slide the upper receiver forward towards the barrel exit. There are no surprises here. It is done the same as in the vast majority of AR replicas.
A note about the connecting pin - it is not secured - it is easy to lose it.
This is a good moment to show the inner barrel and the HopUp chamber.
The replica has a brass barrel with an inner with a diameter of 6.03 mm and a clearly visible crown.
Its lenght in the described replica is 250 mm.
The Edge series uses a new plastic HopUp chamber (new for Specna Arms) with a large precise adjustment knob. The same chamber is also mounted in Core series replicas.
Some call this type a "rotary" chamber, although only the adjusting ring rotates in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the barrel. This design is really nothing new. It has been used for years in e.g. AUG and G36 Tokyo Marui replicas, at those were first release at the turn of the 20th and 21st century. Chambers made in accordance with this design have been available for ARs for many year also. A good example are ones made by ProWin or the much younger Retro Arms. Therefore, it is not an innovation, but it is good that the Specna Arms implemented it because it is an extremely successful and precise solution.
Inside the chamber is a black bucking made probably from a mixture of silicone. The bucking gives the impression of being a standard one - it does not stand out with anything.
This is confirmed by the location and shape of the port in the barrel.
The next steps of disassembling the replica is the previously described disassembly of the stock tube and pistol grip, which, as I wrote, is not "QD" at all. It is worth emphasizing that the grip is attached to the gearbox with four screws, not two as usually done. After unscrewing them, only the big rear pin and the standard pin above the trigger remain. Finally, we can pull the gearbox from the lower receiver.
The Orion gearbox
At the beginning I wrote that the Orion is not a new version of a frame design - no "v. Orion" here, but only a specific configuration. The frame itself is a simple V2 with the possibility of replacing the spring from the outside, without opening it. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the frame is crafted very well. There is now mold flash or sharp edges. It is impossible to say anything responsible about its durability, but it makes a good impression. You can not see any innovative reinforcements but, for example, the front of the cylinder port corners, so the places where most of the cracks begin, are rounded, which changes the distribution of stresses which significantly extends its service life.
In addition, the frame has 8 mm ball bearings, which certainly has a beneficial effect on the work of the entire mechanism. A useful thing is also a port in the left half of the frame used to release the anti-reversal latch. Access to it is obtained after disassembling the pistol grip. The red dot marks the anti-reversal latch. The arrow indicates the direction in which it must be moved to unlock the gears.
The standard fire selector plate, without the contact plate because, as you will see in a moment, the contact block has no external contacts.
On the next page: internal parts of the gearbox.
