Table of Contents
a. Intro
b. Real-Steel History
c. Packaging and Accessories
d. Weight
e. Firepower
f. Durability & Reliability
g. Accuracy
h. Ergonomics
i. Simplicity
j. Accessories
k. Field Application
l. Conclusion and Rating
m. Basic maintenance
n. Easy Modifications
n.1 Dis/Reassembly
o. Beauty Shots
a. Intro
The BAR-10 is a 100% clone of the Tokyo Marui VSR-10, which is modeled after the Model 24 7.62mmNATO sniper's rifle. It has it's high points and low points, but the good GREATLY outweigh the bad, so I think it's worth the mere $100 + shipping.
b. Real-Steel History
From the avid Call of Duty 4 player all the way to the heavily trained US Army sniper, almost everyone knows this rifle. The M24 S.W.S. (Sniper Weapon System) is a sniper rifle built to kill. From it's humble beginnings as a civilian hunting rifle, all the way to the Army's M24 rifle, it has always been one of the best. According to Remington Arms, around 90% of the police sharpshooter rifles in the United States are based on Remington's Model 700.
*The M24 SWS was officially adopted as the standard Army sniper rifle in 1988. It is also used by the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). The M24 is called a weapons system because it consists of not just the rifle, but also a detachable telescopic sight and other goodies.
**The United States Marine Corps also uses a variant of the R700, officially designated the Model 40. The primary difference between the M40 and the M24 is that the M40 uses a "short action", versus the M24's "long action". The short action is a system that is dedicated to cartridges that do not exceed the length of the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge; the long action is a system that allows the rifle to be converted from 7.62mm NATO tot he more powerful .300 Winchester Magnum round.
***Unfortunately, the M24's Army service life is almost over. The M24 SWS is to be replaced with the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System, made by Knight's Armament.However, the Army still plans on purchasing M24s from Remington until February 2010.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M24_Sniper_We...tem#cite_note-0
** http://en.wikipedia....iki/M40_(rifle)
*** http://www.defenselink.mil/contracts/contr...contractid=3820
c. Packaging and Accessories
The box:
Well... it's a box.
The stuff that matters:
Doesn't look like TOO much stuff, right?
Tools and manual:
Uh... okay, still not a TON of stuff I guess...
Rear sight parts:
The rear sight can be removed. Yours should come with it already installed. To remove it, simply take out all the screws (and the screw on the side of the base).
Front sight parts:
Also removable. This will not come installed - JG decided to put you to work, so YOU get to figure out where it goes on the barrel, and YOU get to tape it on! The red strip is a piece of double-sided tape with some covers on it to keep it sticky. I didn't want to go through the process of mounting it on the barrel correctly, so I opted to install the rail.
Magazine release parts:
That's right... JG puts you to work again! The mag release is a simple beast, but it can get frustrating if you don't install it correctly. I have info about installing this later in the review.
Tools:
You need tools to put this gun together.
Note: one of these tools is a special tool:
One of the screws that you use to mount the scope rail is held on by a special screw that you need this tool to install.
Interesting part that I have no name for:
It actually helps hold the forward body screw in. I just don't know what it's called.
Body screws:
The small one goes in the front hole; the big one goes in the rear hole.
Decent quality speed loader:
Most of you by now have probably handled a standard UTG speed loader - You know, the ones you can buy on Amazon.com for $0.10 a piece? Well, this one is actually pretty good quality. Learn to use it on page 6 if you dont' know how to use it.
Small grub screw...
This went under the rear sight. You have to remove this from the upper receiver to properly install the scope mount... more info about that in the manual, page 16.
Magazine:
A supposedly 40-round magazine which only holds 31 + 1 in the runway. Feeds flawlessly. The manual shows how to load the magazine on page 5, if you can't figure it out yourself.
Manual:
Written in Engrish and comprised mainly of fail, it has a few pretty pictures in it. In the back of the manual, there is a guide to sniping in airsoft... but EVERYTHING is lost in translation in that section, so it is utterly useless.
Trigger/barrel/magwell assembly:
The meat of the weapon. The trigger guard is plastic - almost everything else is metal. You will hear more about this during my review. One of the only quips I have about this weapon is that the paint on the receiver/barrel scratches off easily. The metal quality on the barrel and receiver appears to be medium grade aluminum. The bolt handle appears and feels to be cast iron, but it is not magnetic, so it could either be sloppily-cast aluminum, or it could be pot metal with less iron content. The bolt action out of the box is rather stiff. However, after lubricating the cylinder and working the bolt a bit, it loosens up, and starts to feel natural as you get used to it.
And FINALLY, the stock:
The stock feels to be great quality. After closer examination, one can tell that it is a thick ABS base with a coat of rubber on top. Though it seems to have very messy seam lines, that is really the ONLY negative point of the stock. The buttplate is removable, and there is a small compartment in the stock for tools, BBs, spare magazines, or even a small sidearm.
Overwhelmed yet?!
Assembly:
Step one: Remove all items from packaging.
Step two: get the parts for the mag release and the stock. Stick the spring on the nub on the square-ish piece, and stick the button in it from the bottom. More info in the manual, page 14.
Step three: There is a small nub on the back of the trigger guard. This goes into a slot on the stock. Once you push that in there properly, you should be able to slowly, gently, lower the front end of the barrel into the stock. Make sure you don't do this too fast, so you don't unset the magazine release. Now, set the screws - rear to front. Torque the rear screw all you want, but don't torque the front one. Once you get the screw head flush to the stock, keep testing the mag release to see if it's still working. If the mag release continually sticks, loosen the screw. If it works perfectly, don't tighten or loosen the screw. If the magazine release falls into the stock and unsets itself, start over, and get it right next time!
Step four: Pull the bolt back and drop a round into the chamber via the magwell. Test fire it to somewhere safe. Now test your safety. If everything is working properly, then you've done it.
d. Weight
Loaded and with a red dot scope, the rifle weighs in at exactly 70 ounces. Unloaded, approximately 69 ounces.
e. Firepower
Unfortunately, I don't have a Coke can, nor do I have a chronograph. However, I have a few other means of measuring:
By The Eye:
Based on experience, I can tell just by sight that the rifle is shooting somewhere in the ballpark of 400-500 FPS.
Actual measuring:
Over a 70 foot distance, my shot lands approximately 1/6th of a second after I fire, according to the Windows Movie Maker sound system. So if we multiply 70 times 6, we get 420. Meaning that, at 70 feet, the FPS measures approximately 420 FPS. Since, as we all know, FPS drops over a distance because of negative air pressure, I would say that the stock FPS is approximately 450 FPS with .20g BBs, +/- 10 FPS. Hey, did I just invent a new way to measure FPS?
f. Durability & Reliability
Externally:
Externally, I would rate this gun with a 9/10 for durability. The only reason it isn't a perfect 10 is because the paint scratches very easily.
As for reliability, I think the ONLY flimsy part on this rifle is the trigger guard, which is made of polished ABS plastic.
Internally, I would say that the gun is decently durable and reliable, but there is room for improvement. crimsonfalcon07, also known as thecrimsonfalcon, TCF, and "that guy who knows too much about airsoft sniper rifles", has a few guides for upgrading and modification of the VSR-10 system. Just look him up on Google.com, you'll find it. He also sells BAR-10's that he has personally upgraded. Click here to go to his store.
g. Accuracy
The BAR-10 has pretty good stock accuracy once you clean the barrel. If you want to snipe with it, you REALLY need a tightbore; otherwise, the inner barrel should do fine in battle (if you're using the irons or a red dot, anyway).
The target (speed loader for size contrast):
The distance: ~71 feet.
The ammunition: Crossman .2g BBs.
Using a perfectly zeroed red dot AND having previously cleaned the barrel, I was able to hit that can 8/10 times. The reason I didn't get 10/10 is because of the undoubtedly bad quality of Crossman .2g BBs, and because the wind started to pick up at the end of the test. So the accuracy rating with crappy BBs at 70 feet is 80%, therefore I would say that the accuracy rating at 100 feet is 50-60%. Not the best, but if you had some TSD, Matrix, or KSC "perfect's", then you will get at least a 10% increase of accuracy. To get nearly perfect accuracy, I recommend an EdGI or Laylax tightbore, King Arms VSR bucking, and Bioval .27g BB's.
The reason I used that can was because it is about the size of a human head. Although this left me with no way to measure my groupings, by the dings left in the can, I estimate the grouping at ~71 feet to be around 3 inches.
h. Ergonomics
Ergonomics are almost perfect on this rifle. My only complaint about the ergo's is where my left hand ends up, but then again, I always have that problem with rifles with stocks such as the BAR-10.
i. Simplicity
This rifle is simple to operate. To fire, push the bolt handle up, pull it back, push it forward again, and put the handle down all the way. Pull the trigger. You've fired; happy day. To release the magazine, simply press the mag release button and swap out the magazine.
Cocking action:
Then pull the trigger, and you've fired. Hurray!
Assembly is a real PITA on this rifle, but once you've done it the first time, it's very easy all of the other times.
The safety is simple. Push the little lever forward to fire, and pull it back to put it into safe.
j. Accessories
There are a few accessories you can get for your BAR-10. From back to front, there is of course, a sling. Evike.com has an R700-style sling for use with both the M14 and the M24. Evike.com also has a standard-issue GI sling which would work as well. Moving up, you can replace the bolt handle with another that is a bit easier to grab. This can eb found at AirsoftAtlanta.com. Of course, you can mount a red dot or a scope. Moving along, you can purchase spare magazines at most websites where airsoft guns are sold. I believe there is a hi capacity magazine for VSR systems at AirsoftAtlanta.com. Further along, there is the front sling mount, which can be removed, and a Harris-bipod can be mounted on the stub that is left behind. Continuing on, I believe you can purchase a fluted barrel at AirsoftAtlanta.com if so desired. And lastly, you can purchase a silencer adapter, on which you can mount a silencer or an SPR-style flash hider. These can all be purchased at AirsoftAtlanta.com and Evike.com.
Internally, it can take ANYTHING a Tokyo Marui VSR-10 can. AirsoftAtlanta.com has a plethora of upgrades, ranging from sear replacements to barrel stabilizers.
k. Field Application
Though I have yet to use this in the field, I can tell that it won't be a very good rifle to use with a red dot. It's not because of the accuracy or anything, it's just that a bolt action rifle should be used for more of an advanced marksman role, rather than a medium assault role. However, if you put a scope on it and stick a few upgrades into it, you could be popping off 300+ foot shots with a few hundred dollars worth of upgrades. If you want an upgrade part list for a specific style of sniping, a knowledgeable person to talk to about it would again be crimsonfalcon07 at Airsoft-Barracks.com.
l. Conclusion and Rating
In conclusion... I don't think I could have spent $100 on a better airsoft rifle. It's great for anyone from the person who is looking for a cheap but high-quality upgrade platform, to the kid who wants to see what sniping in airsoft is like, but doesn't want to invest obscene amounts of money into it. I would recommend this to anyone who isn't against clones on the airsoft market who wanted a sniper rifle.
According to TCF's Rating Guide, the externals get 41/50, or 82%. That's 100% good enough for me!
According to the same guide, the internals get 34/50, or 68%. Not horrible, considering that I got it as a "project" gun.
m.Basic maintenance
The BAR-10 is a pretty simple rifle, but some basic maintenance after every battle can keep your rifle operating smoothly.
Lubricating the cylinder:
Pull back the bolt. All of the exposed cyliner that you see needs to be lubricated. You can either spray silicon lubricant onto it, or, for a cleaner method, spray some silicon lube onto a rag and rub the cylinder with it.
Also, as the bolt is pulled back, if you look at the "bottom" of the cylinder, you will see a slit. Spray a quick burst of silicon lube in there.
After that, work the action a few times. The bolt will move a bit easier, and once you break the spring in a bit, you will be able to move the bolt very easily and quickly.
Lubricating the trigger:
While not entirely necessary, it is a good idea to spray a very short burst of silicon oil onto the trigger's base. Your trigger should move a bit more smooth now.
n. Easy Modifications
The BAR-10 has a few modifications that, if you are properly equipped, you can do without any aftermarket parts.
Airbrake mod by thephalinx:
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=KRQVY-R0XPk
Teflon mods by Cataphract_40:
http://www.airsoftre...p?topic=13771.0
Note: if you do the teflon mod on the end of the cylinder head as well, using electrical tape will last longer.
n.1 Dis/Reassembly
Click here for a great guide by xavierthegreat1. Follow the guide in reverse for reassembly.
One note on this, however - when xavier gets to taking apart the cylinder, he shows a part that must be drilled off. That is, as far as I know, only present on the Tokyo Marui VSR-10 - you will NOT have to drill that out on the BAR-10.
o. Beauty Shots
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