Hey all, my BAR-10 finally arrived, and I've got the answers to the preliminary questions that have been burning in your minds. And the answer is YES.
Painted with custom mock suppressor, cheekrest, bipod, and some custom internals:
Best friends--BAR-10 and my beloved MP001, now with EdGI kit:
And the rifle in stock form:
YES. It is compatible with VSR-10 magazines.
YES. It has a v-hopup.
YES. It has an openable cylinder:
YES. The trigger assembly is compatible with the VSR-10. (But we knew that already)
YES. It is compatible with the VSR-10 scope mount (although there's a version that comes with scope mount).
YES. It is gorgeous.
In short, it is indeed a full clone, fully upgradeable, and shoots almost 400 fps out of the box. It's not quite can bottom capable stock, but is easily capable of puncturing both sides (same power as the stock MP001). Definitely the best budget sniper rifle yet released. If you've been waiting to get a sniper rifle, this is the gun you've been waiting for. It's absolutely superb, and the rubbery finish is nicer than the plastic feel of the USR-11 or even the VSR-10 (not to mention it has more stock power).
It also has a tapered outer barrel, superb finish (much better than any other budget rifle), and come with swing swivels. Mine did not come with a front sight, although it has a rear sight. Here's a video of the operation of the gun:
http://media.putfile.com/JG-BAR-10-videoFull review:
http://groups.google.com/group/asgar/web/sniper-rifle-mini-reviews--new-releasesHere's the comparison pics with what looks to be a TM VSR-10 PRO, thanks to Sgt_Slaughter
MP001 is MP001, MB-02 is GSpec, BAR-10 is VSR10 Pro
swivel locks looks like exactly the same as VSR-10 Pro.
If so, a marui VSR bipod might fit in.
Here's the cylinder opened, with the piston and spring, and a closeup of the piston:
And here's what it did with a bit of electrical tape and cutting down the airbrake:
Chronoed in at 507 fps over 10 shots. That's a STOCK gun with 5 minutes of work and 2 cents of electrical tape. I just don't even have words to express how awesome this gun is.
Here's a video of the two guns firing, so you can hear the difference yourself.
Click here to watch sound-comparison-video-between-MP001-and-BAR-10Here's my new custom mock suppressor on there, for those of you that like long mock silencers:
I here's my cheekrest:
Here's some pictures of the TM VSR-10 parts, courtesy of B2RNB:
Here's a quick photo guide to the mock mock suppressor. Full explanation in the review:
The trigger is indeed adjustable:
And, some trigger silencing mod pics:
The PVC is 1", not 1.25" like last time. And it will fit the MP001 nicely without modification.
For those of you who have been wondering, here's what my modified airbrake looks like now.
MOD to remove the "sproing" noise, courtesy of Nickswimfast:
Simply put 3-4 wraps of electrical tape around the end sort of like a "buffer" for the spring to bounce around in while inside the piston - it should be very snug.
This may not be as important, but Nick did do it on his: put 1 to 2 wraps of electrical tape around the spring guide on the bottom section of the guide rod. This simply got rid of the "rattle" of the spring.
This is how my electrically taped nozzle looks, I've tried it in several configurations, seems to work best when the electrical tape is just on the recessed part of the tip.
More interesting information from nickswimsfast:
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I also took dimensions on a lot of the internals with calipers precise to a thousandth of an inch. Send me a PM.
Good news after doing the following:
*teflon taping hopup bucking
*teflon taping the cylinder thread
*redoing the electrical tape on the nozzle
*doing the sproing mod
*reinstalling the stock o-ring and regreasing it.
I was getting some promising results - while not conclusive it is a significant improvement.
Note: I only had Dr. Pepper cans around:* Shot the bottom - goes through the bottom like always
* Shot the Top center - Makes a big dent
* Shot the Top edge - goes right through
For Reference:
One Side…………….290+FPS
Both Sides…………..340+FPS
Bottom Center………385+FPS*
Bottom Edge………...450+FPS
Top Center…………..470+FPS
Top Edge……………500+FPS
WTF? It goes through the top edge, but not the top center? Guess that's what I get for using a non-standard can... Anyways, it indicates to me that it's plenty strong.
The stock inner barrel diameter is 6.06mm, information courtesy of nickswimsfast (gee, he's a useful fellow, eh?)
Here's some more happy pics for your viewing pleasure:
First, here's the mag fix:
Just apply a couple pieces of tape to the back there, or a single strip of smooth electrical tape (you want it to slide out nicely). A thin layer of bondo would work also. I find the smooth packing tape to work best. You can see the shine where I applied mine.
Next up is my paintjob. Sadly, the Krylon Camouflage Fusion paint I used does mean that I can't feel the amazing velvety finish anymore.
I'm most sad about that. However, the paint bonds to the gun just fine, and, considering this is one of my first camo attempts in a long time (been relying on rifle rags and plain olive drab paintjobs until now), I'm fairly pleased with how it turned out.
Here's how to tape the cylinder head:
You're going to need to tape the cylinder head in two places to get the best seal, and you're going to want a roll of PVC electrical tape. You'll want a 2 inch strip, cut into 2 or three smaller strips, each about 1cm wide. You want to wrap three wraps around the very base of the nozzle, up against the head. This will seal against the outside of the hopup unit. Next, you want to very tightly wrap a layer and a half to two layers around the tapered end of the nozzle. This will seal nicely against the hopup bucking. Here's what you should get at the end:
After taping this, and installing a small spring spacer, I was able to achieve can-top capabilities again.
Finally, here's some pics of my EdGI barrel:
It's a couple millimeters longer than the stock barrel:
And it has great accuracy. I did a controlled test using AE .28's from 150 feet, and got a quarter sized grouping. My scope was a bit off, but I'm very impressed with the performance. I imagine I could be getting 3" groupings in normal skirmish conditions. Here's my target:
I should mention that I also have a Laylax cylinder head installed also:
I also installed an EdGI metal spring guide:
The barrel fits nicely into the endcap, so it doesn't need the barrel spacers, which don't fit anyways:
I also thought I'd add in a sound test with foam filled barrel extension, laylax silent dampener cylinder head, and tightbore installed. The microphone is about 2" away for the first shot, and 4" away for the second shot. Notice that the cocking noise of the gun is louder than the noise of the gun firing... I sure do love this gun...
http://media.putfile.com/BAR-10-sound-testHere's the MP001 with EdGI kit installed compared to my BAR-10. It's a lot quieter in person, but for those of you that have MP001's, this should give you a good idea of how quiet it is.
http://media.putfile.com/BAR-10-MP001-Sound-ComparisonSome more upgrade pics:
Installed my nineball bucking and Laylax spring guide today. Here's a few pics. If you have questions, I've updated the review on ASGAR, so refer to that, or ask questions here.
Nineball bucking:
Here's the bucking next the stock bucking:
And some installation pictures:
And the spring guide:
Compared to a modified EdGI aluminum spring guide:
Also got myself an SP170, which I'll install when I get my PDI sear set in:
And, here's the screw set that I got to replace the stock ones, which are very prone to stripping. I believe they're 8x24's, but you should bring the stock screws to the hardware store. I paid 52 cents including tax for 2 sets of screws, so there's really no excuse not to do this immediately upon getting your gun. Trust me, it will save you a lot of aggravation later.
That should cover it for now, more to come later.
