First of all - pics to come. I usually photograph my guns prolifically but I haven't had time. I want to do the cosmetic part of this review a little different. This is the information I wish I had, as a collector, when I was deciding to buy the rifle.
Secondly - you all have probably seen the review on the XM's infantry equivalent, the M16A1 - very well done and most of it applies to the XM as well.
http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=127511
Lastly - a big shout out to Garrison Airsoft.. same place the M16A1 reviewer got his rifle. This company is AMAZING. Bought both my WEs from Garrison.
Stock Image
Note that the pictured rifle above IS NOT the same as the version they actually released. The released version has a small extension on the barrel to make it a correct barrel lengthed XM-177E2. It is an E2 model because of the full fence on the receiver and the lengthened barrel.
I want to break things down into categories rather than paragraphs to organize my thoughts on this interesting rifle.
HISTORICAL ACCURACY: 8/10
- Furniture is too matte/not the right material
- Buttstock should be vinyl coated aluminum, not plastic
- 4 position buttstock should be 2 position
- Should NOT have a bayonet lug - grenade ring would not fit a grenade launcher with a bayo lug.
- Finish should be more of a gray than a matte black
- Should have a tapered delta ring, not a straight one
- No trademarks (this does give you an opportunity to do your own the RIGHT way)
- Correct teardrop-shaped forward assist
- Correct fencing around the mag release
- Correct lengthed barrel for an E2
- Correct windage-only rear sight
- Correct CAR-15 profile handguards
Some of the flaws above are fixable easily, some more expensive/time consuming.
GOOD POINTS
- All metal where it should be
- Very realistic field-stripping/detail stripping
- Open bolt design (open chamber, open-bolt in firearms means something entirely different than it does in airsoft)
- Self-contained drop-out trigger group allows easy swapping/upgrading
- Steel flash-hider/compensator
- Friction/cross-pin construction is much more realistic than hex screws for details like the front sight
- Compatible with the M4 crowd - non-proprietary parts means easier upgrades
- Well executed gas tube
- Working bolt catch and magazine with optional hold-open feature operated by a switch for dry firing if needed.
BAD POINTS
- It's great that they make it easy to upgrade, but it sucks that you HAVE to
- The finish is unrealistic and too tacticool for a vintage Vietnam era rifle
- Cheap feeling plastic, needs to be replaced with costly vintage stuff
- Wide tolerances make for wobbly parts
- Bolt carrier is filled in at the back - unrealistic although it increases felt recoil
- Some minor historical inaccuracies perpetrated for cost-control reasons
IDEAS FOR UPGRADE
We know you can install all sorts of internal upgrades, but here are some external upgrades for us historical purists:
- CAR-15 Handguards from Numrich Gun Parts Corp (Nylon Milspec)
- Aluminum Buttstock from Florida GunWorks (not Vinyl coated but latex black gloss spraypaint will make it look the part)
- Lighten receiver and magazine with 0000 steel wool
- Real Steel A1 Pistol Grip
- Grind off bayonet lug
- Find and fit correct Delta Ring
- Add "COMMANDO" trademarks (Google retroblackrifle)
- Epoxy and paint extra positions on collapsible butt
I will probably edit this post as I remember more of my observations. I haven't fired it but I would expect the same performance as a WE M4 since it has the same design and barrel length.