By RLB
Published: December 2004
Having experienced the performance of a UHC MP5, but not wanting an M16 variant, I considered the possibility of my next choice of spring guns. I wanted a quality gun with a stock fps over your average springer and the potential for more, but I did not want to go the sniper gun route. I had almost resigned myself to the fact that what I was looking for did not exist until I expanded my search to include shotguns. Immediately the Maruzen CA870 CQB caught my eye both in looks and performance numbers. It seemed that this was what I was looking for, and it was definitely very dinstinctive from the other spring guns I typically saw others playing with. So I placed my order for the Maruzen CA870 CQB Stock version.
Upon first opening the box, I was immediately impressed with the look, coloration and visual texture of this gun. On picking it up, I was even more impressed. At 31 inches and 4.5 pounds, this is a compact gun with good weight. It is only 3 inches longer than my SIG552 and weighs almost as much.
The fiberglass on this gun is thick and solid, with a dark greyish color that has a shadowed kind of non-glossy marbled effect. I think the appearance of the fiberglass gives it an intimidating look compared to the "plasticky" look on other guns. The pump grip is solid also and just begs you to rack it. It feels good to hold and the raised ribs prevent any slipping of your hands when you rack it. The stock, being a CQB gun, is not large and the gun shoulders quickly. It has good balance and moving the gun around in mock CQB gives me the impression that this gun will hold its own in the tight corners, corridors, and places all too familiar in close quarters.
The aluminum tactical body armor has an integrated top rail and is nicely made and sits solidly on the gun. I think this piece sets the CQB apart from the other shotguns and just adds to the intimidating look.
A nice finishing touch to this gun is the rubber 'recoil' pad on the butt stock. At 3/4 to 7/8 of an inch in thickness, Maruzen definitely felt a need to stay with their approach of quality on this gun. They could have gotten away with some 1/8 inch thick wannabe pad, but it was nice to see them go all the way in even the little things.
Only because the fiberglass on this gun is so solid, it makes the magazine seem fragile. It is not though. Compact and easy to put in and remove, its 40 round capacity gives you plenty of ammo per mag for a spring gun. I found loading the mag to be very fast and easy when using the supplied attachment that goes over the mag feeding chamber along with a plunger style BB speedloader instead of the BB tube and pushrod. The trigger is metal and the safety is easy to use, and when in use definitely prevents trigger movement.
The Walther Red Dot sight looks good on the gun and the brightness adjustments (11) have a good range. The open platform design of this style red dot sight easily allows for you to keep both eyes open while aiming, which won't reduce or impair your field of view.
The overall fit and finish of this gun is amazing. Joints and seams on this gun are finished off so precisely that it just demonstrates the high quality Maruzen wants to achieve and display. There are no creaks or body flex in this gun. It is rock solid.
Now for the test drive
After loading the mag and placing it in the gun I grabbed the pump grip and racked it ... [8D] wow! I liked that sound! Just like the looks of the gun, the sound was intimidating. I took a quick shot just so I could pump it again ... wow! There was that sound again! It could have been a real shotgun. Pumping this shotgun is a real pleasure. It slides very easily. It doesn't feel like you have to be gentle with it and there are no binding or sticking points. And yes , I had to try it ... you can one hand pump this shotgun. I would not recommend one hand pumping this gun as a regular practice since it is a high stress move, but what other airsoft gun can you one hand pump like the action guys in the movies?
As I did not pay attention to the first shot because of the sound of pumping the gun, I watched this next shot. As the BB left the barrel I knew this gun had velocity. I stepped to the chrono to begin measurements. 295 - oh yeah! ... 294 ... 296 ... 295 ... 293 ... 295 ... etc. When the dust settled and I did the math on the numbers the result was 295 fps average out of the box. I guess I can't complain about that. It actually had exceeded what I expected the gun to shoot, thinking I would see fps numbers in the mid 280s. I was able to fire a number of shots to a distance of around 120 feet and saw good flat bb flights. Quick pumping the gun for rapid fire was a breeze, and the sound it made every time I racked the gun made me smile.
With the red dot sight reasonably zeroed in at 50 feet, I was able to hit a playing card 80+% of the time free standing. .20 BBs have consistent flight paths up to 90-100 feet. The red dot sight allows very good, quick acquisition of targets, bolstering the impression that this would be an effective CQB gun.
In my first skirmish with this gun it was a small 3 vs 2 games. Everyone else had UHC MP5s and my son was also using his M9 GBB. So it was 3 MP5s & the GBB against me and another guy.
The accuracy of the CA870 & the quick acquisition of the red dot sight was a deadly combo. Alternating shots between multiple opponents was easily & accurately accomplished. At one point one of the opposing team members was taking cover behind a tipped over patio table, and I shot him through the hole where the umbrella goes (about a 2 inch diameter) from about 45-50 ft. I felt confident that whatever I put the red dot on, that was where the BB was going to hit.
The pump action made laying down cover fire impressive for a non-AEG, and the 40 round mag (with 3 spares) supplied plenty of ammo. It easily out-ranged the MP5s with accuracy and had an exceptional rate of fire.
When I first came out to play everyone had smiles on their faces because they all had UHC MP5s (one person had just got his that day), by the time I left they all wanted to know where they could buy the Maruzen CA870 CQB.
As a spring gun, this is a very impressive weapon. I have not determined any glaring downsides or shortcomings to this gun, and after 3 months it has performed flawlessly and remains rock solid.
Cosmetics - This is a very good looking and intimidating gun. It has the visual appeal of being a "bada**' weapon. Being a sawed off shot gun, with the tactical "body armor" & red dot sight gives it an all business kind of look.
Build quality
Very impressive. Like the commericial says, "Like a Rock!" The finish of the gun gives the impression that each gun was 'hand crafted'. Definitely though, the quality control at Maruzen was very picky. I feel this aspect is where you get what you pay for. The build quality says, "This is no cheap springer."
Performance
295 fps average with a .20 out of the box. What can I say? And truly upgradeable to 380+ fps. With the red dot sight zeroed in at 60 ft, the steadiness of your aim is all that is preventing you from hitting your mark. Hitting a torso sized target at 110 ft with a quick aim of the red dot is not a problem.
Pumping this gun is a lot of fun. The *klak!*klak!* that you hear when you chamber a round will put a smile on your face. The action of pumping this gun is so smooth, with no binding whatsover, that it will spoil you. It takes a lot less effort to pump this gun than you might expect since it shoots close to 300 fps.
Overall
This is one fun gun to shoot! Solid build, accurate, good fps. Its a UHC MP5 on steroids - a lot of steroids! Is it worth the $$$? Well, when you consider how much a red dot sight will cost you and a good top rail, imho, without a doubt. In everybody's quest to upgrade their MP5 springers or going through 3 or 4 Hardballers, if someone is patient enough to save up for it... the Maruzen CA870 CQB will be a better buy in the long run.
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