UPDATES:
05/13 - Aimpoint is sold

Well, I apologize for the method of this post, its CP'ed from the Arnies classified, if you have any questions, just PM me or post on here, all prices negotiable, shipping is included if payer is using Paypal +3%, but more or less everything about these deals are negotiable.  Buy a lot of stuff, I will cut a lot of the price off, etc etc.  Thanks! 56k beware.  If you think a price is off, feel free to PM your offer, or proper price, whatevs, I am more than open to deals.  No trades please though, I am not really looking for anything. Pictures are all linked, since they are too big for the site's format.

First up, a stock ICS Airsoft Elite MP5A2 V3.5 with German "SEF" selection and handguard, s.  This AEG is in beautiful condition, has only seen one light OP. Comes with 1x ICS Hi-cap, 5x G&P Mid-caps, an 8.4v 1600 MaH Ni-Cd battery, and a 4-prong flash-hider with a standard 14mm CCW thread conversion, as well as the original flashhider.

The tape on the magazines is meant to represent which ones they are, with the blue tape being a bit of an odd duck.  Its also a G&P midcap, but for some reason is slightly larger in width than the others.  It feeds just fine, but it takes a bit of finesse to place in the magazine well, so I tended to use it last amongst the magazines.  Looking for $200.

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Next up is hard to part with, my second G36 in my collection.  It is a TM G36c base with CA G36E handguard and outer barrel assembly.  The gearbox is stock, and it still has the TM G36c length inner barrel, though I have included a CA G36E length barrel and hop assembly to install if desired later.  The optics bridge (carry handle) is a TSD/SRC G36 bridge with a rail mounted atop the 3x scope.  The scope has a piece of grass somewhere in the optics, but otherwise the view is clear. This AEG also comes with a real steel G36 bipod, 1x STAR Airsoft Midcap, and 2x TM Standards.  Looking for $300.

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Alright, I will try to explain this best I can, my knowledge with GBBs are limited.  I was putting a few rounds through my USPc a few days ago and for one shot it jammed, the slide did not complete the cycle of closing the breach.  So I though, damn, my first jam in quite a while with this thing.  I investigate, and the chamber has one BB in it, I clear it, remove the mag, etc etc.  Without a mag in, the slide still does not fully return, and feels like it could be pushed closed with a little effort.  No BBs jammed anywhere, and I break it down, and notice what I believe is the blowback cylinder stuck forward (remember, don't know names, I am not GBB knowledgable).

So, I take the assmebly apart, and find this is the problem:




I replace the o-ring (at least I think its a regular O-ring) back to normal, close it all up, and go to test it.  After a couple of shots it does the same thing.  I open it, and I take the second picture.  Same exact problem, same exact location of where the ring becomes dislodged.  I replace it again, and it hasn't dislodged in the one magazine I put through it afterwards.  I figured out how to fix it, but I have no idea WHY its causing this.  I would like to know because I need this pistol to be reliable, and stripping the assembly down in the field will be impossible.  

Any help?

Being new to the area and wanting to get a rifle (pistols and so on and so forth after I get acquainted with the area/shootingin general), I was wondering where some decent shooting ranges could be found in the Maricopa county area.  I am currently located in Tempe, but I am more than willing to travel a reasonable distance to find a nice facility.  

Also, other than the giant Cabela's, I am looking where to buy said  desired rifle.  I am quite sure that there are some quality stores in the area that are clean cut and knowledgeable.  

Thanks in advance and if this has all been said and done before I apologize and after proper direction this can be closed.  Sorry for all the new guyishness.

VFC SCAR-L DX
Review by Altered_Soul

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

Well, I might as well start from the inside out then.  Getting an airsoft gun new, fresh in its wrapping, is always an exciting experience, whether you are a new guy or a vet.  First thing to know about the DX is that it comes in a very well made case tailored specifically to the SCAR.  It is emblazoned with the VFC logo on the top, and to be honest, there is something to be said about the quality of the case itself.  It is very well made, and can actually protect and conceal what is inside without fear of getting banged around.  Kudos to VFC for not cheaping out.  



Opening the handy-dandy case, my eyes feasted on one of the more beautiful guns I have seen in a while.  Remember, I didn't like the look of the SCAR so much earlier, but it grew on me steadily, and here I am gushing about how much I like the looks of a SCAR.  VFC really did an excellent job recreating the look of the thing, the difference between the lower receiver and stock versus the CNC aluminum upper receiver actually is a color difference, which to me, the CA had an "off-color" two tone, where it just looked like the upper was attempted to match the lower, and failed miserably.  Here, the VFC made a stark difference, the upper receiver is noticeably darker, and actually makes the AEG more cohesive with its black detail.  Trades are minimal but beautiful, serial number, make designation, etc.  These are not the complete trades on a real SCAR, but what is here are beautifully placed.  There are also little details along the gun that prove VFC was paying attention closely to aesthetic detail, such as the stamp on the steel standard barrel.  Kudos again to VFC on every part of their visual recreation.  



The DX edition also comes with a metal hi-cap magazine, a manual, a CQC barrel and washer for flash hider when in CQC form.  Manual is actually useful, even if providing humor through Engrish (Use many different kinds of rifles can slave most problem), but actually helped in associating myself with the AEG.  

Moving on the to the build quality, this thing easily compares to my TM G36.  For any of you who don't know me or my tendencies, just know I hold all other guns to the TM G36 standard, you could lure me to an uncertain fate by tempting me with a TM G36.  I have handled a lot of AEGs over the course of my airsoft career, and I can whole-heartedly say I feel I could throw this thing into a rock while falling down a ravine and it will bounce back at me and break my nose.  Hell I accidentally dropped it the other day after playing with it and it broke my damn kitchen table.  Then I literally almost broke my nose with it, since it was being tough to take down (read, I was being a retard).  Regardless of whether its physically trying to destroy me or not, the build quality is excellent.  The thing is of a decent weight, but not artificially, and I don't see myself wearing out any more than a regular AEG.  More importantly to me than just pure weight is the balance of a rifle; the VFC SCAR is very well balanced, especially with a battery inserted into the stock.  No wobble or flex that I could find.  It is really hard to write more in depth for a review on construction when there isn't anything to complain about other than my SCAR's apparent masochism.  I will leave it there.

FEATURES AND RIPPING IT ALL APART:

Ok the fun stuff, all the happy fun time features.  I think it would be best to start with the boring and mundane and move on to the funner TM stuff.  The stock is made out of nylon polymers which seems more durable and aesthetically pleasing than ABS, same as the lower receiver, and gives a nice flat look to the AEG without being shiny.  Regardless, the stock extends six positions and folds, no matter what position it is at.  There are a lot of options on length for pointability by far.  Folding is done to the right, and unlike many folding stocks I have encountered, it does not interfere with selector switch movement.  I folding is a little bit awkward, and must be worked in a bit, the button on the left side of the stock is pretty tough to actuate, while the retainer lock, which holds the stock to the receiver via the tab in the cheek rest, is the opposite, it is not going to unintentionally come unlocked during light use, but it is easy to lock/unlock, and I see coming undone by accident a couple times during crawling around or a fall.  The release button to fold the stock initially definitely will break in, but the retainer is already “broken inâ€￾ I could say.  The cheek rest is a 3 position cheek rest which is actually pretty solid, and I see myself actually using it, and I usually don’t like cheek rests because they feel too cheap.  The battery compartment, which can hold up to a 9.6v 1400 MAH battery, is quite crowded, but a battery will fit in there.  Being OCD with electrical stuff, I liked the use of a FET, but was disappointed by ugliness of the organization of the wires.  It can be fixed with some tinkering, but since the rest of the gun is as organized as you will see, couldn’t they arrange the wiring a bit better in the stock?  In stark contrast, folding the stock does NOT expose any wires; VFC did a beautiful job by pulling the wire through the joints, which more than makes up for the ugly wire in the battery compartment.  So, to my enjoyment, plug a battery in, work it into its compartment, and never be bothered by it again.



The lower receiver is made of the same material as the stock, and is just as sturdy.  Ambidextrous selector switch is placed perfectly for my hand.  All switch bits here are made of steel or CNC aluminum, and feel very nice to the touch.  The grip for me was odd at first, since I am used to a smooth rifle grip instead of a grooved contour grip, but after a while it felt as comfortable as it should.  The gun is a wonder for my lefty tendencies, and feels as natural as my G36 does to me.  Upper receiver is equally as nice, and is laden with enough sling connection points to use a 100-point sling if so desired.  Again, nice touch for the lefties though.   Front and rear folding sights are very well crafted, made of aluminum and steel respectively.  Very fine-tuned windage and elevation, and I felt like it would actually matter.  Both sights are easily removable if so desired.  

Of course there are also four rails to mount stuff on, length wise top on which is part of the upper receiver, two side rails (aluminum and sharp, be careful, seriously), and one lower rail as part of the barrel assembly.  One of the things that sold me on the VFC SCAR is the locking bolt though.  When cocking the charging handle (which is reversible to either side), the bolt locks for easy access to the hop-up.  This is an excellent feature which is popping up in more and more AEGs, and I have to say it’s about damn time.  The coolest part of it though for any airsoft nerd out there?  The bolt release actually works, and provides a very satisfying clack indeed (the bolt and bolt assembly is entirely made of CNC aluminum).  



The barrel assembly is the final part of the gun of course, and comes with some of the coolest features on a practical scale.  The outer barrel is not in one piece; instead it is broken into two parts, external and internal, by way of 14mm CCW thread.  Even here the VFC SCAR shows excellent design process.  The external outer barrel is tapered as so not to get to tightly screwed on too easily while also giving it a nice finished look.  Additionally, the flash hider is tapered with a crush washer and an o-ring is found on the thread of the barrel to prevent over-tightening the flash hider.  

One of the coolest features to me is that the gas block contains a tool that is securely locked into place but easy to access.  The tool contains a hop-up adjusting screw which is perfect in-game and in addition with the locking bolt, is quite possibly one of the most useful features in an AEG I have seen in a while.  Underneath the hop-up screw is a star screw that removes each of the barrel assembly retaining screws.  Each screw does NOT come out completely, and are spring set so as to stay put when removed from the barrel assembly.  This makes for easy barrel changing between games, or even possibly midgame, fairly easy to accomplish.  



Now that I had started taking it apart to see the use of the barrel exchange, I think I will move into the disassembly portion of the SCAR now.  It is really quite fun.  Removing the barrel assembly is tough at first; it needs a little finesse and understanding, but becomes second nature after doing it a few times.  The unfortunate part here is that to remove the inner barrel from the assembly, a small hex wrench is necessary to release the hop unit.  You do not need to remove the hex screws completely though to pull out the hop and barrel, so losing those small bits should be impossible.  Replace all the hop parts on the CQC barrel, slide back into the assembly, tighten the hex screws enough to hold in the hop-up, throw the crush washer and flash hider back on, slide back into the receiver, screw back in, done.  I now have the CQC form of the SCAR in less than ten minutes, providing you don’t lose the hop up pieces.  An interesting note is that both barrels are 6.04mm tight bore barrels.




Disassembly of the VFC SCAR is quite realistic.  In addition to the barrel assembly removal, the rest of the system falls apart completely tool-less.  Poke out the lower receiver pin (which does not fall out like the real steel), and break the lower receiver/gearbox assembly out of the upper receiver.  Here is where I was surprised: No wires.  The VFC SCAR uses a hard contact system between the stock and the gearbox with two pins.  Makes taking the whole thing apart a complete breeze, and is another reason I got this thing in the first place.  After taking out the lower, the stock slides of with a little force (this is where I think I broke my damn nose, be careful), and then the bolt assembly can come right out behind it, and with it the bolt, and the charging handle can be slid out as well.  Guess what?  You are done.  After learning all the bits, it can be easily done in two minutes or less.  It is really that intuitive and easy, and of course exceedingly useful.  



Unfortunately for all you more intelligent than I people out there, I did not break the gearbox, because I have no experience with such a thing and wouldn’t tempt fate here.  Someone else will have to do that for you crazies.  With the performance I am getting so far, I doubt I will need to ever crack the gearbox to be honest, unless something breaks.

PERFORMANCE:

Ah the most important part, the firing of said weapon.  And to be honest, it is quite a treat to fire.  The magazine that comes with it is a 300 round metal enclosure hi-cap.  Not my cup of tea, but it is the only STANAG magazine I own currently.  It is a very solid hi-cap though, with a nice port at the bottom for spraying silicone lubricant straight into the gear section.  Regardless, I loaded up some .25s into it, plugged a battery in, and took aim at my target about 25 feet away.  Trigger response was crisp and tight, just the way I like it.  The thing fires like a champ, I had originally been using just the peanut-filled box it came in, but it was ripping through all the peanuts so I had to use some Styrofoam blocks instead.  Power is not my interest though, as I know I will probably get somewhere around 320-350 with the .25s, staying well within the boundaries required by the leagues here, and of course the new ones for WNYAL coming out next year.  It was accuracy that I was impressed most with.  At 25 feet, which although not some great distance is a good judge of accuracy for most AEGs, I was able to place rounds consistently in a 2.4 inch target using the folding iron sights.  The action felt very smooth and not strained or stressed, it performed as finely tuned as my expertly airsmithed G36.  Needless to say, I was exceedingly impressed by its firing capability.



So as for now, I think I have found competition for my G36.  VFC has done a great job replicating the looks and feel of the real steel SCAR (as far as my impressions of the RS are of course), and have added some innovative features that help the practical airsofter in most areas that we have wanted.  This is a complete kit, and I do not see myself upgrading any parts of it as of yet.  The iron sights are a little restraining for quick target acquisition, but are very accurate and can be replaced by a nice ACOG or EOtech.  My only complaint that I have so far about this is the sloppy wire work in the stock, other than that I can easily recommend this AEG to anyone looking for a higher-end gun who of course has the cash to pick it up.  For the price you are paying for it though, you are getting an exceptional short to mid length rifle.  And soon, hopefully, the SCAR-specific EGLM will be coming out from VFC as well.  

UPDATES:

FIELD PERFORMANCE:

Got to field test the SCAR for a few rounds of generic airsoft last weekend, and I am pretty impressed.  With .25s in the hicap and midcap mags I have put through it, it is a fairly accurate gun up to the normal distances of a standard power AEG.  Hop-up seems to be very tunable, and the ability to change on the fly with the locking bolt and hopup tool was worth more than I could have imagined than earlier.  This thing is easily going to replace my G36 for quicker games where "Soul's" power and distance is not as necessary.  The ROF is excellent on the VFC, wish I could pinpoint exactly how many rounds, but in the field it was firing at a faster cycle than both my G36 and my ICS MP5.  

I did change the barrels between rounds, but I would not recommend it midgame, as the hop-up barrel locking piece is too easy to lose when not being careful.  If I could pick up another hop unit to preassemble on the CQC barrel, then it could be possible, but still not as feasible as I thought.  Either way I doubt I will need to change the barrels mid round, but it is something I did try out to see if it could be feasible.  

One thing I am disappointed in is battery performance.  My 1100 MAH 9.6v was drained by the time I had finished, which is something I haven't had to experience since I had my original G36c with a mini in the foregrip.  This is a limitation which the SCAR has, as it can only fit up to a 9.6V 1500 MAH NiMH mini in the stock, and the wiring for the gearbox is meant specifically to go to the stock, and would be a ###### to rewire anywhere else.  This whole deal makes dropping some money on a LiPo more intriguing, the local airsoft shop near here has tried out their LiPos with the same AEG to see its performance, and the typical ups and downs were advised.  Might try that at the expense of my wallet and long term condition of the SCAR.  

Other than that though, this thing was a blast (pun intended) to use in-game, and felt like I was holding something special.  If you have the vanity for a beautifully constructed SCAR and the cash to go with it, I would heavily recommend this weapon.


MAGAZINE & ACCESSORY COMPATIBILITY:

I have put four different midcap mags through this thing, and each one fires beautifully.  First was a pair of SRC (I think that's the brand, not a top name, but very high quality midcaps) 160 round mids, next were some KA 120 rounders, then G&P middies, and finally the plastic MAG midcaps.  Like I said, all fed flawlessly, but I liked the new brand and the G&Ps the most so I bought some of those.

A minor note, when I was playing I noticed using an L-mount for my aimpoint was too low to reach even without goggles on, and was a strain with them on.  I picked up a cantilever mount for it (finally had an excuse lol), and it feels perfect, and lines up with the flipup iron sights with some zeroing perfectly.  Now I am tempted to buy an EOtech clone to see how those look.



Thanks for reading and check back for updates!  Please excuse any grammatical error that this first draft has, it is quite long, and though spellchecked in Word, I did not have time to completely revise it.  Feel free to ask questions because I am more than sure I have missed some things of note.  

Altered_Soul