The CYMA CM.040B is a replica of.. well... nothing. No real-steel counterpart exists. The closest you can get is the AK-105, a compact version of the AK-74M. Unlike other compact AKs, such as the AKS-74U, the "hundredth" series of rifles features a full length gas piston and folding polymer stocks. This is where the CM.040B differs from the real steel, as it features a folding skeleton type stock. I chose this version over the more realistic CM.040D because I'll eventually merge this and my CM.048 into some sort of vile Hell-spawn that will produce an AK-74M (Get out of here, Stalker!) and the base rifle needed for my mag-k project.
Image ripped shamelessly from http://tantal.kalashnikov.guns.ru
Ordering
The CM.040B was ordered from www.AirsoftGI.com. It is available HERE for $180 and free shipping. I can't comment on how this order went, since It was ordered for me as a gift. I have ordered from ASGI many times in the past and highly recommend them based on those experiences.
Basic Information
Like I mentioned earlier, the CM.040B is not a replica of any real steel rifle. It's most nearly a clone of the VFC series of AK-74s, featuring fairly realistic take down, but deviating from the VFC approach in a few places that I will cover later.
Product Description/first Impressions:
Click images for super-size awesomeness in photographic form
As you can see, the CM.040B comes in a plain brown box featuring a monochrome picture of the rifle, as well as some typical "engrish" gems. Unfortunately, the CM.040B is not "The world's first mentally retarded rapper" like the ARMY AK47, but it does feature "ultra-cool styling"
Upon opening the box, I was greeted by a manual, cleaning rod, battery, charger, some BBs (toss them), and a nice little paper from ASGI. The gun was also in there as well, but who really cares about that when you have enough paper and polystyrene to eat for a month!
What struck me immediately when I first picked the gun up is how solid it is. When I got my CM.048, I had to spend a day with a roll of electrical tape tracking down all of the loose parts that caused the rifle to wobble like crazy. The CM.048B however is extremely solid. The receiver cover doesn't move at all, which I thought was physically impossible, the flash hider doesn't rattle, the pistol grip is tight, and the mags don't wobble as much either. the only part that didn't feel solid is the stock, with ~1cm of lateral wobble and a few mm of vertical wobble.
Gun Specifications
Weight: Hefty (need to find a scale)
Length: 33 1/4"
Width: 1 1/4" to 2 1/2" (stock extended and folded, respectively)
Height: 11" (magazine to top)
Sight Radius: 11"
LOP: 13"
Externals
The CM.040B is in the line of CYMA AKs featuring stamped steel construction. Most of the receiver, receiver cover, stock, barrel, gas tube, and flash hider are all steel, with the trunnion block and front sight are cast metal. The cast metal has a much different finish from the stamped steel parts. the hand guards and pistol grip are a nice, slightly textured plastic.
You can see the difference between the cast trunnion block and stamped receiver. Overall, the paint is a little too flat compared to the gloss of real steel AKs, but it holds up well, which is all I can really ask for.
The steel used in the construction will also rust like crazy on any part stripped of paint. The high contact areas like the stock release button, and parts of the stock hinge are missing a lot of paint after a few hours (although they are very small parts, and most people would probably never notice it), but the rest of it should hold up well. My CM.048 has been through a few games and the paint is still holding nicely over the majority of the rifle.
The CM.040B features a folding metal stock. To fold the stock, press the small cylinder just in front of the stock on the left side of the rifle and fold it into the receiver until it locks. To unfold the stock, use some sort of magic dexterity to reach behind the butt of the stock and press the stock release latch. The button that allows the stock to be folded is very easy to access with your right thumb, assuming you aren't a lefty.
Stock extended
Stock folded
Stock release button visible just in front of the stock on the receiver.
Stock release latch visible just forward of the magazine. It's kind of a pain to get to, but it works.
Slings can be attached here on the right side of the stock. If you don't use one, tape it down since it's pretty loose and rattles like crazy.
Pistol grip and other plastic parts are made of a lightly textured plastic. Seam lines are kept to a minimum, but they are there.
Selector lever. From top to bottom; Safe, Full-auto, Semi-auto. Mine has an annoying habit of not locking in place at the top unless I take it out to a nice seafood dinner and whisper sweet nothings into it's cold, metallic ear. Safe still functions, but it annoys me a little. I'm betting it can be fixed by slightly loosening the screw holding it in place, and I doubt that this is a widespread issue.
The receiver cover is removed by pressing the button on the back of it and lifting up from the back. some of them are very tight and can be a pain to get off, but they'll never come off when you don't want them too
Also visible is the 25a automotive type fuse.
Rear sight is adjustable for elevation, and the front sight is adjustable for windage and elevation.
A peek into the mag-well. Notice the metal hop-up chamber. Based on my use of my 048 and my limited use of the 040B, the hop-up works very well and holds a setting very well provided you be careful while closing the bolt.
Hop-up adjustment slider behind the fake bolt.
Flash hider is removed by pressing in this spring-loaded pin and unscrewing it (CW/CCW? We shall see!) Be careful, since theres a grub screw holding it in place that will damage the threads on the barrel. I actually don't know why I said "be careful," since you literally can't remove the grub screw unless you drill a hole in the flash hider so you can remove it. I messed up the threads on my 048 by doing this, but it still screws on and stays on.
Internals
Take-down guide to follow.
Power/Magazines
The gun comes stock with an 8.4v 1400 mah stick type battery that is stored under the receiver cover. You could easily fit another two or three cells in there. The battery is ~17mm in diameter, and is a very snug fit in the gas tube.
The gun comes with a single high-capacity mag that holds about 450 rounds. To use it, open the hatch on the top, load it with BBs, and wind the wheel at the bottom towards you.
Stock high-cap (middle) compared to MAG brand Bakelite (left) and plum (right) mid-caps. The MAG mags don't lock in as solidly as the stock high-cap, but they feed very well when they aren't busy not being able to hold BBs and generally being ****. A word of warning, the top of the stock magazine has a nasty habit of breaking, so be gentle with your reloads. the same mag came with my CM.048 and lasted two games, but I plan on salvaging the internals and shoving them into a real steel Bakelite mag.
Performance Characteristics:
The CM.040B chrono'ed 440 FPS with a .20g BB according to the sheet ASGI sent with the rifle. My CM.048 has settled to about 425 FPS after a few months of use, and I would expect this to do the same.
accuracy test/ROF test to follow
Accessories/Modifications
Being an AK, there aren't many external modifications available. There are scope mounts that attach to the rail on the left side of the receiver that allow the use of a wide variety of optics, as well as scopes and red-dot sights specifically made for this rail. You can also get hand-guards with built in rails, or rail systems such as the Ultimak, which would allow you to mount a wide variety of accessories like flashlights, lasers, vertical foregrips, and optics. Since this line of CYMA AKs features a hybrid real sword/VFC design, aftermarket barrels and receivers WON'T fit.
One thing you can do to alleviate the "cold as balls syndrome" of the steel stock is to wrap it in 550-cord like so. It's an easy mod that makes shouldering the rifle bearable, although it makes the stock thicker, putting more stress on the locking mechanism when the stock is folded.
Electrical tape will be your best friend when you first get this. While there were very few loose parts on my CM.040B (especially compared to my CM.048), they are there. Mostly everything can be fixed with a wrap or two of electrical tape, though, which is nice.
*insert back of stock pic*
Upgrades:
The gearbox is compatible with any standard v3 upgrade parts. I've used my CM.048 (same gearbox) stock for several months and the performance has convinced me not to bother with upgrades more serious than a new bucking and nub. They're great rifles in stock form, and my 048 has lasted me 15k rounds so far with no sign of trouble.
Skirmish Results
Since it's the middle of winter, I won't be able to skirmish with this rifle for a while. I can tell you that my CM.048 has performed admirably in many skirmishes. Other players are constantly amazed by how quite and accurate it is for a stock rifle. I've gotten easy ~150' kills that left the enemy guessing where the shots came from. When I talked to them after the game, they claimed that they couldn't hear the shots at all. Not bad for a stock rifle shooting 440 FPS. The 040B is slightly louder though, due to the shorter barrel and, from what I can tell so far, the unported cylinder.
Conclusion:
For all of my nit-picks, the CM.040B is a very solid rifle well worth the $180 asking price. I've fielded rifles in the same line that have far exceeded my expectations, and the CM.040B looks like it will continue that tradition. I've been impressed with CYMA's AKs since I had my old CM.036, and the latest steel line has only served to prove how far CYMA has come as far as quality and performance is concerned. I happily recommend my CYMA rifles to anyone that will listen at my local field, and hope you'll consider them as well. They have a few minor flaws, like a few loose parts, and incompatibility with aftermarket receivers and barrels, but they're great buys if you don't plan on swapping them out.
Written by D4rthf4c3m4n, 12-25-09
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