A&K Mk1 M249

[snoopholly]

Just wondering if anyone has any thoughts on this gun as im planning on buying one?

[Mehringer]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

I have the mk2 version, solid stock different fore grip but essentially the same gun. The gun is pretty well finished and looks the part but is quite a bit heavier than a regular aeg as you'd expect. The box mag is a bit awkward as the method of attachment looks a bit fragile and it's tricky to get the feed adapter into the mag well as it has to be fitted before locking the box mag into place.

The performance wasn't as good as I expected, the range was quite poor even though it was running close to the 328fps limit, I blamed the hop up as it didn't seem to have any effect at all until it eventually caused feed jams. I decided to fit the Airsoft Pro CNC hop up and initially fitted it using the stock bucking but didn't see much if any improvement. I then fitted the supplied bucking which AFAIK is a Madbull shark type with 2 'fangs' that protrude into the barrel, that improved things a little but the range still isn't great and the hop up still never reaches the point where the BB's are climbing, like the stock hop up they eventually choke.

The hop up system is different to anything else I have as the nub sits vertically on the bucking rather than lying horizontally, the Airsoft Pro hop up is the same.

All in all it's a bit frustrating, there isn't much point carrying around an M249 when my stock AGM M4 out ranges it by a good margin. I think I may need a softer bucking as I'm set up at 328fps where the stock spring was much higher.

Ultimately if you really want one and are prepared to experiment then go for it, also I might have a lemon but I wouldn't really recommend it.

[Dannydan89]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

i completely agree i have just bought one and i must add that at some point i would advise replacing the gears as the standard ones are piss poor, i changed the hop and the bucking and get a good 50+m range out of it now, with a good rate of fire on a 9.6/7.4 lipo, but all round a great gun. i added a noise maker flashhider to mine to add more fear

[Mehringer]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

Hi, do you know which hop up bucking/rubber you fitted, I've ordered Guarder Soft Clear and Lonex 50 to see if they work any better.

[Dannydan89]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

I used the marui hop bucking will message you the site for the parts that I added, or you could go down the line of replacing everything pcg do a complete kit but its expensive

[Mehringer]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

I list would be useful, sent you a pm but not sure if it worked

[Dannydan89]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

sorry for the late reply but this is my current upgrade list for my 249


PGC Gearbox PGC Chamber Set PGC Hop Up Bucking PGC Cylinder Head PGC Nozzle PGC Bearing Piston Head PGC Spring Guide PGC Tappet Plate Pro-Win Enforced Fibre Piston Motor pad and finally M100 Spring

[Mehringer]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

Cheers, off to google that little lot.

[brooxy]

Re: A&K Mk1 M249

I own the MK1 and it's been to a few skirmishes with me. FPS is ~315ish which is good enough for the sites I skirmish at. I don't know the exact ROF but I'd say it's fairly average, possibly a bit slow. However I like this as it means I don't use all 2500 rounds in one hit (although I'm told this is doing 'support gunning wrong').

Had a few issues with the soldering in the mag switch and microphone - whilst I did buy the gun brand new, I decided it was easier / quicker for me to fix this myself. I'd recommend a good quality sling for this gun as it can be a bit weighty after lugging it around all day.

If you get a mag problem and are in a firefight, it's worth mentioning this gun will take STANAG mags too. I've tested it with KA, G&G, G&P and PTS mags with no issues.

Pros

-Fit & finish is superb compared to what I was expecting for A&K. Gun feels solid with no weak parts found thus far.
-Sound activated boxmag is a nice touch. Saves having to hold a pressure switch down.
-Gun has 'presence' on the field. Everytime I've taken it out, I've had people pop over wanting to take a look

Cons

- The microphone for the box mag wasn't soldered correctly and the switch on the bottom of the mag had issue. 10 minutes with a soldering iron fixed that
- Range is a bit poor - it's fairly well documented the hop up is a tad poop. Not gotten around to upgrading it yet.