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Double Eagle M41A (G36C)

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The Box Says: "M41a" Three-Styles Changeable Air Sport Gun
Manufacturer: Double Eagle Airsoft
Country of Origin: China
Also Makes: MP40 springer, a Micro Uzi springer with a modular foregrip
The Rundown: Products are easy to identify as cheaper variants of popular products, and they also pride themselves in occasionally coming up with completely ass-backwards fictional designs

Length: 28.15' / 71.5cm Height: 10.04' / 25.5cm Width: 2.36' / 6cm Real-Steel Length: 28.27' / 72cm Real-Steel Height: 9.72' / 25cm Real-Steel Width: 2.36' / 6cm Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs Estimated Weight: Medium-to-Light, Heavier Than 'Toy-Like'

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How does this thing even exist? The general rule of thumb in Airsoft is that you get what you pay for, but here we have an example of a cheap-ass Chinese springer that's trying to blur the line a little. You've probably noticed by now that this is not a spring version of the Pulse Rifle from Aliens, inspite of the title on the box - this is a G36c by H&K.

The first thing you'll see when you open the box is your gun in a couple of pieces. This is standard fare with cheaper airsoft weapons, and how well the pieces fit together sets the bar for how well your toy is going to perform. The modular design of this particular G36c actually serves a dual purpose, supposedly - true to Double Eagle tradition, you can turn your perfectly pleasent-looking gun into something absolutely rediculous. In this case, you can ignore the G36c foregrip by keeping it off completely and screwing on a short stubby muzzle. This is by far the ugliest thing I have ever seen and if your eyes do not bleed when you first look at it, then you can at least be assured you are going to hell for using a gun that looks that bizzare.

Keep the foregrip on, however, and you've got something that is actually a decent attempt at a G36c. There are some size issues, as you can see above, and if you're looking for realistic trademarks and an authentic trigger group you've come to the wrong place. There are seam lines along the dorsal, screws adorn the right side, and the suggested D-rings for the included sling should be the first thing you remove. The foregrip is also missing the recoil piston that pertrudes above the muzzle on the real G36c. You'll probably notice a few other problems with this foregrip, too.

So what's cool about the way it looks? The transparent magazine turned out better than I was expecting. It even allows for multiple magazines to come together. The open sights are pretty authentic, but they lack the option to adjust them. The rail mount on the top has the correct dimensions, which means you can stick on whatever you would normally want to add to a G36c's top. Double Eagle even suggests using their own "BestDot Sight" (not included, or "additive purchase" as they prefer to say).

The stock doesn't fold. It comes off with a quick-release button tab. For something made out of plastic, the stock is a lot heavier than it looks. It's also a lot sturdier than I was expecting, almost making up for not being able to fold it.

I finally found out how to charge the spring in this thing. The cocking handle is in fact the same as a real-life G36-variant, but in this particular case you can pull it out to the side 90 degrees either to the left or the right, to make it easier to pull on. This means all you lefties out there haven't been forgotten. I've also been yanking on this thing quite a bit, and haven't broken it yet ... but it is just some plastic with a few metal parts, so I can see this potentially becoming something I have to fix one day.

I opened her up, which involved removing an insane amount of screws. This thing is surprisingly complex inside - the pull on the main spring is aided by a counter spring and several gears. The piston looks like something you'd find on the street, but it's in there pretty good so I can't find any air escaping from the wrong places when it's fired (that happens a lot with Korean springers). I know the first thing you're going to ask me is if there's Hop-Up, and unfortunately the answer to that question is "I don't know, because I couldn't take enough of this thing apart to find out, but I wouldn't expect any". Hop-up is a luxury of design and as professional as this thing is inside, I doubt it's in there.

That fact right away lets you know where this thing will stand in terms of range. It's nice to shoot, certainly it's satisfying (I was expecting to be able to see the BB flying through the air when it was shot), and while it hurts like hell to shoot your hand with it, I still can't see it cutting through foilage outdoors. On the Coke Can Test, it could not penetrate any portion with either .12 or .20 BBs, but when shot at the side of the can it insanely deformed the poor thing. It bent it over. I'm not exactly sure what the hell that's supposed to mean.

To conclude, I suppose some of you are wondering whether or not this particular springer can be used as a stepping stone to upgrade it into something you'd feel comfortable skirmishing with. Could you upgrade this? Yes, but it would be a miserable task given its complexity in this case. Could you use this as a shell for a some sort of AEG? Probably not, given how the pieces of the body come together (even if you gutted the insides).

So if you buy the G36c from Double Eagle, what do you wind up with in the end? Well, for starters, you have a springer that your friends won't have. Now half of them are going to think its cool, and the other half of them are just going to laugh at you.

Of all the cheap airsoft guns with good potential (aka 'wall-hangers'), this is definitely the best of the pile. I have every intention of giving it a decent paint job, and perfecting its mechanisms irregardless of how long it takes to do so. Afterall, I own something that probably shouldn't even exist, and that makes it very cool in my eyes. Certainly worthy of becoming something to be proud to show off.

~Nabisco Lobstrosity

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