Ares MP5 MAGAZINE REVIEW!!!!!

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This is my first review so be gentle :p


Intro


I bought these magazines from Zero One for £40. Well first off I have to say something about the service I got from Zero One. I ordered my Mags on Wednesday and received them on Thursday so the postage was excellent, next time I order from them I will be using the same FedEx standard service  The customer service was also great, the woman I spoke to on the phone to obtain my tracking number, and the email assistance was excellent 



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Shot at 2010-07-10


Now to the mag’s :p I received the mag’s in the box shown above. Yes it’s basic but they are packed well, with cardboard spacers and to be honest I prefer having a box for them instead of the flimsy plastic/card packet thing most single mag’s come in. There are ten magazines in total, and the box is packed snugly  The writing on the front says:


Shot at 2010-07-10



Feel

Before I picked these up I was a bit sceptical about the feel of them. However, once I did, I relly liked them  they didn’t rattle like some metal mid caps tend to do, and because they were plastic, and moulded, instead of made from bent metal, they have a tendancy to fit better(the mag halves) and so have no play in them whatsoever. I subjected one magazine to a rather brutal durability test. This involved dropping it from the second floor onto grass, then concrete; throwing it around the room a bit, and hitting it against things. The set of circumstances that simulated are unforeseeable in airsoft, so I am reassured that they arent going to break on me, as the magazine in question had only a single scratch to show for its scar’s. I also expected them to flex, however when I applied torsion to them, I couldn’t get them to, so I tried harder, but eventually I came to the conclusion that you really cannot flex them  . The lines where the two moulded halves join at are visible, but only noticeable from about 1 meter, and that’s when you’r actually looking to try to see them, so really, I don’t see any problems on that part, although I agree that they could have been built better. There are no trademarks on the magazines which The finish is not a shiny ‘plastic’ black, but instead a dull matt black, not grey. I really like the finish  . You can see more in the pictures below:


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Shot at 2010-07-10


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Shot at 2010-07-10



Mechanisim

The mechanisim is the exact same as any normal mid-cap / low cap magazine(spring pushing bb’s through a channel inside the magazine), and so I don’t see the need to comment on it, however there are one or two things that may be worth mentioning. The base of the magazine has a hole in, and recessed in that hole is a small split. It is clearly an intentional split, but I cannot see the reason for having it :s however it really isnt noticeable in any normal situation.


Shot at 2010-07-10

There are three parts to the top of the magazine. A small locking screw thing, which holds the spring in place, I will explain its function in the maintenance section of this review. There is the feeding port of the magazine, which is well made, the plastic is a good 3-4mm thick, which reinforces my opinion on its sturdiness. The tab which allows you to manually unload the magazine however, is slightly recessed, and so has to be operated with a screwdriver, rather than just by pulling it back with fingers. This isnt ovbious in the picture so you just have to trust me on that one.


Shot at 2010-07-10



Maintenance

The magazine is fairly simple, however as with everything in airsoft, it is vital to maintain if you want it to perform. The moving parts are all removable from the magazine and should be lubricated with silicone to ensure smooth action.

To extract the parts, firstly twist the locking screw with either your fingers, if you have nails, or a small screwdriver. You only need to twist it 90 degrees to release it. Hold it in place whilst doing this as if you do not then the spring will send it flying somewhere. Remove this part and place it aside. Now that you have done that, the spacer for the spring will become visible, this stops the spring being over compressed, by stopping bb’s entering the magazine after a certain point. This can be removed from the spring. Finally you can carefully remove the spring from the magazine.

On the end of the spring there is a small black nub, connected to another piece which connects to the spring, this makes the nub able to pivot, so when it travells around the loop inside the mag, it will follow smoothly.I suggest spraying this small piece with silicone, and a short spray inside the magazine as well.


Shot at 2010-07-10


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Shot at 2010-07-10





Special Feature

Now, when using these mags I came across a special feature, which is only possible with mp5 and ak style magazines. You can see the feature in the photo’s below:


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Shot at 2010-07-10


Shot at 2010-07-10


Conclusion

In conclusion, I really like the magazines. Yes it’s a shame that they arent metal, but they are cheap (£4 each), and they are finished in a nice dull black. They hold exactly 100 bb’s at a push, but I would suggest only loading them to 95. They arent poorly made either, although the lines where the magazine halves were joined are visible, they arent really noticeable. The magazines don’t weigh particularly heavy, but again, that just makes them easier to use. In conclusion I would say that the magazines are desidned to be functional, and to me, surely that’s what airsoft is about, the real steel guys use equipment that is functional, for instance magpul, so surely we should in airsoft too.

I would rate them as so:
Quality: 4/5
Feel: 4/5
Reliability: Havent tested yet.
Finish: 5/5
Price: 5/5 (id put 100000/5 if I could :p )
Durability: 5/5

Overall then, I give the magazine’s 5/5

Hope you enjoyed my review, feel free to comment.

Sam 

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Re: Ares MP5 MAGAZINE REVIEW!!!!!

..pics are too big,take ages to load..otherwise good...:D