This AEG will heap praises from our WWII veterans and those who in one way or another have used this weapon in its heyday. Attention to detail is very meticulous. The quality of material is superb so as the workmanship. The only gripe I would muster is the paint finish. The metal is not anodized but just painted. A little bit of scratch and it peels off. This is very prominent on parts where there is metal to metal contact and a bit of movement.
Pitting this historical piece of AEG into the modern field of AEG’s would be a mismatch for this has a league of its own. This is way behind in terms of ergonometric, features, upgradeability and that macho look. This gun was not designed and built on the basis of aesthetics but practicality at every turn.
THE EXTERNALS
The gun is basically constructed out of all metal parts with some CNC parts on the inside. It is painted in matt black finish. The overall looks of the gun reflects the necessity to produce a weapon in such a short process, in mass quantity, less parts and does the job during the war.
The front and rear sights are as basic as you can get. Being a sub-machinegun for Close Quarter Combat, you don’t have to aim precisely, just point and spray. The only markings on the body is “STEN MK II” which is located at the upper portion of the magazine pouch.
It takes a bit of patience locking the magazine pouch into place to its horizontal position. This is due to the absence of a guide or stopper that would prevent the magazine pouch from moving up and down the body thus missing on the locking holes. Well, you only lock it once before a game but several times if still setting-up the hop-up. The magazine supplied is metal with markings “M.P. 41 PATENT SCHMEISSER” on one side and “M. P. 38U.40” on the other side. This is as per the real one which can take magazines from such German weapons.
The metal charging handle is just a dummy. You can slide to a locked position by loosening the handle. The rest of the opening is prone to ingress of foreign materials into the inside. Care should be taken on this matter to prevent water and moisture getting into contact with the electrics inside.
The hop-up adjustment is where your patience will be tested. You need to remove the magazine, disengage and rotate the magazine pouch to access the tiny hole for the hop-up adjustment. You will need a small flat screwdriver to do the job. There is no marker. Clockwise is positive while less hop-up is the opposite direction. You then lock again the magazine pouch to its horizontal position to test the result. You need to repeat the procedure to get your desired setting. But once it is set, the setting stays firmly.
We are all accustomed to a proper handgrip on our modern AEG’s. This particular model, however, is very crude in this department. The ergonometric is non-existent. You hardly recognize it as a grip but it is. We can’t blame the original designers or VIVA for this. It was wartime. They needed a gun that was easy to manufacture with the least materials and components. Aesthetics was not part of the criteria.
The trigger assembly is very simple with a contact switch to let the current flow when the trigger is pressed. There is no safety lock or fire selector. Just pure BB-spewing automatic fire till you run out of ammo. A single or burst shot is possible with a quick press of the trigger. A bit of caution: this part is exposed to the elements. There is no cover beneath it except the shield of the wide trigger guard. Water and moisture could seep into the contact points and short it.
Forget about modern rifles with rubber butts. This one is solid steel welded to the steel tube stock. This is built to crack a skull when butted to an enemy’s forehead during the war. It feels hard on your shoulder even without a recoil effect of the real thing.
THE INTERNALS
VIVA opted to use Version 7 for the gearbox which offers the possibility of a plethora of upgrade options available on the market. The gears are metal which shows good quality for the price. Lubrication is sufficient on areas which required it. The plastic parts are the cylinder head, piston, spring guide, nozzle and tappet plate. The cylinder is made of copper. CNC part is the aluminum block to which the metal outer barrel and the metal receiver are screwed into.
The inner barrel with the hop-up assembly slots into it as well. There is a minimal space for upgrades on battery power. The included 7.4v Lipo battery is just sufficient for the space inside the body. The rather short inner barrel of 205 mm would not give a good grouping on distant targets. A tighter inner barrel and a more powerful spring upgrade would help on this matter.
PERFORMANCE
Numerous trial and error on the hop-up setting finally resulted in a good trajectory. A muzzle velocity of around 287 FPS-291 FPS shows a high rate of consistency and an effective range of 35-40 M for a man-size target. The horizontal position of the magazine on the side seems to look awkward when compared to modern day AEG’s with magazine sited at the bottom of the receiver.
Technically speaking, this horizontal magazine positioning produces a moment (M) that tends to rotate the gun around its horizontal axis when the gun is held horizontally. This means that the hand that grips the front handguard will not only react to the axial load exerted by the weight of the gun but also counter the rotating force exerted by the magazine about the gun’s body. This may be annoying and may create discomfort on prolonged usage but that’s the way it is. It could be forgiven for the real steel of this gun has helped win a war!
With its basic and crude construction, this is a lean mean machine. Weighing at around 2.5 Kg, it is easy to maneuver and light on your load out. Just keep an eye on your battery.
CONCLUSION
This AEG is well suited to CQB games due to its short size and being lightweight. It can also stand its ground on woodlands but could be limited by its magazine capacity. Ergonometric factors may be absent, but it is fun using this gun. It is a head-turner especially among the local guys who knows the history of this gun. You’ll find this useful in re-enactments and war games. Collectors would also find it hard to resist owning one. The workmanship is superb bar the paint that easily peels off where metal to metal contact is present. The inclusion of a 7.4V Lipo battery, balancing charger, power adapter and the lot makes this a good buy for the money.
Photo source: Wikipedia
For those who like to bling their AEG’s, this model is out of the question unless you are willing to do some major modifications to the gun. This would involve drilling holes to mount rails, threading the outer barrel to mount silencer/flash hider and even welding metal parts so it can accept a proper hand grip and modern adjustable stock. Highly recommended for collectors and skirmishes alike who wants to own a replica that helped win our present day freedom.
If I should have the time and part, I would love to modernize this gun for another review.
VIVA to VIVA Arms!
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