E&L AIRSOFT AK-74 GEARBOX PARTS REVIEW
“In Russia AK finds you” Well you better find your wallet and buy this E&L since it is amazing on so many levels and this review of the parts will show you why. The E&L Airsoft AK series are in the $300 range and beat the once worshiped LCT rifles like a rented mule. Lets get started!
The outside of the box is a nice clean looking box with the E&L Airsoft logo. Legendary Perfection is boldly printed below. Long story short E&L has the know how to make an AK.
The three “R” stands for the following. Realistic being the fact the rifle series is constructed out of steel and wood and just like a real AK would be and how it should be. The Robust aspect is how the rifle has that feel when you hold it and you think “Damn this rifle is legit”. The reliable part is the heart of the AEG and how the V3 gearbox is beefed up and upgraded and ready run long and hard on the field. And yes it is lipo ready.
Opening the box and you will find the following but no towel for your drool. Closed cell foam to keep the rifle safe and hold it all in place. You will find a legit cleaning and field stripping tool, a limited edition oil container, the 120 round mid cap, steel flash hider for the larger 21mm threading and the paperwork. The manual which makes a good deal of sense, the test sheet for the fps and overall QC from the factory. The final piece of paper is a 60 day warranty card from JAG Precision which is the USA exclusive distributor for E&L Airsoft. The warranty card uses the unique serial number that is on the rifle that matches the box and the test sheet. This rifle seems more like an actual firearm instead of a toy like all the others.
The rifle does not come with a battery or charger but the legit items make it worth it.
This is the first Airsoft AK that the cleaning rod can be used. The cleaning kit which can be housed in the stock holds the following. Being a real cleaning kit this is what you get. Don’t use the barrel brush but the cool factor is off the charts with what is supplied. You can use the cylinder to field strip the rifle as well. So awesome.
You can take the rifle apart this far without tools. No little parts here to break or get lost. All the parts are made out of steel so rest assured you will be fine.
With the basic parts removed you can see the reliable gearbox and internal parts. The metal hop up unit is bolted into the front of the gearbox. Doing this means you will have a consistent and perfect airseal between the gearbox and hop up unit. You can use an aftermarket AK hop up unit if you like to but I doubt you will have a reason to do so. Take a look at the gearbox and the cylinder window. See the re enforced point? Yeah those will keep the shell together for years to come with heavy abuse.
The front of the E&L AKM comes out by removing the three obvious screws on the sides of the hop up unit that secure to the outer barrel and then the screw that holds the hop up unit to the gearbox. Almost done but you have to loosen the two 2mm allen screws that are under the rear sight. Several rotations later and get it.
Looking through the steel barrel I swear I see rifling but maybe I’m just crazy. A good point to bring up is how the brass inner barrel is a good fit inside this steel barrel. Any wiggle is just about gone and this will give you a better and straighter shot down range.
Check out the stock hop up bucking. This style really grips the BB and keeps it straight when shooting out of the chamber. Great groupings at the hundred foot mark and this plus the no wiggle barrel is a winning combo.
The steel body is completely steel and not a folded faux steel body like the others out there on the market. Solid weld and rivets keep the body and stock tang in place.
The gearbox comes out like any other AK and now we can get to the heart of the E&L AK. Here is the video of the gearbox and steel parts. Looking at this gearbox you get several upgraded parts and this will save you time and money and remember this rifle retails for around three hundred or so which is amazing.
The gears in the rifle are made out of steel and there is a sector clip already installed to make sure the rifle feeds perfectly with a lipo. In our shooting and testing and using an Echo1 Lipo the AKM was shooting around 22 bps and the rifle and midcap fed flawlessly. The sector gear is held in place by a 7mm steel bushing and the spur and bevel gear are being held in by 7mm steel ball bearings and the gears are shimmed and lightly greased. Smooth spinning and some what quiet.
The piston is a very light weight nylon piston. It reminds me of the G&P piston and the reduced portions on the body and the three steel teeth. The second tooth is removed and AoE is decent. Shooting around 390 fps and after a couple thousand rounds I do not see any odd wear on the pick up tooth and should be fine. The piston head is a silent head. The silent head helps with the gearbox shock transfer and with the stronger shell I doubt the shell will ever break.
A regular V3 silent cylinder head is already installed in the E&L AK. It is crazy how there are so many great parts in this rifle.
And another upgrade part in the rifle is the spring guide. The base is steel with the steel bearing with a polymer shaft. Nice.
The E&L Airsoft gearbox is nice and clean on the inside and out. No ugly casting debris or sloppy tool marks. The bearings and bushings are snug and secure with a hint of grease. I like the piston rail and how the surface area is reduced. The less surface area combined with the light piston will allow for faster cycling and less sluggish movement.
The short motor is a torque motor that uses a D type pinion head so you can change if you need to. The motor has a good amount of torque when you turn by hand but still under the Lonex motor but out of the box with all these parts this rifle is amazing.
If you want to see the parts and the standard magnet test check out the video above and see all the steel parts which is just about all of the rifle. Long story short this is the most realistic airsoft AK on the market.
In conclusion the E&L Airsoft AKM and any rifles they offer are going to make you satisfied and fulfill that perfect AK craving. The price point being lower than the once praised “Master Race AK’s” and offering more inside and out give you no choice but to own the E&L. Why would you spend more for less? And don’t forget the product support from JAG Precision which leads you have peace of mind and let you focus on taking out the opposition and not your rifle.
For more information you can check out JAG Precision’s website and your local authorized airsoft store to get yours today. Make sure you ‘like’ our FaceBook page and are ‘subscribed’ to our YouTube channel as well.
We will have another video up soon going over the externals in more detail and bringing in a Russian weapon expert to give his opinion on the rife as well.
Comment below if you have any question!
