Replika karabinka AKS-74N G3 AEG - Real Wood [S&T]

Soon a year in and I feel it's been enough time for a review:
Performance-wise I like the gun, it runs great, shoots great and I haven't had a technical problem yet.
But let's talk about the externals:
The sling mount on the stock broke off before it's first game. I compared it with a CYMA stock and found that the swivel mount on that was much thicker. I tried using a pair of pliers to tighten the mount back but it's just not holding a sling again. It is not compatible with a CYMA triangle stock without modification.
Also, the dust cover has wierd vertical marks across it that can only be described as a manufacturing error. I found users from Japan that had the same error.
Finally, the black paint chips off real easy. Paint scarring is normal, but this is way too fast for the amount of games and stress it has seen.
If you have better luck than me I'm happy for you, it's a good gun that is fun to play with and compatible with a lot of aftermarket parts. You might want to combine your purchase with some from the get go.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably wondering how the S&T AK rifle series ranks up with Cyma or JG from a similar price range. Having tested all three, I can safely say: the S&T is the best.

The main attraction of the S&T AK is obviously the electric trigger unit (ETU). This device gives the rifle a much more consistent performance than its competitors, especially when it comes to the question of trigger reaction. You barely need to touch the trigger, before the gun fires, you actually do not need to squeeze it at all. One drawback is that the ETU is not programmable (so it does not, for example, have a burst / binary mode), or at least I was unable to find an easy way of doing the programming, such as the one Double Eagle replica series.

Another attractive feature is the integrated mosfet device. This enables the rifle to be used with a 11.1V battery out of the box, you do not need to worry about a bigger battery damaging your gun’s electronics. These two, high-tech upgrades are what really make a difference for this, budget-level AK when compared to its competitors.

Alas, this is not a high-performance replica out of the box. While its horizontal BB spread is minimal (I found its accuracy much more consistent than the Cyma or JG replicas), you definitely need to replace the hopup for it to have a workable firing range. Out of the box, I would say it has a solid 40 meters range with an adjusted hopup, .28 gram BB-s, so you'll probably be outclassed by more expensive rifles, especially HPAs. Obviously, replacing the hopup is something you'll need to do on most other entry level replicas anyway.

The main concern I have about this replica is its durability. Its material composition does not seem to be as solid as that of the Cyma 048 series, and it definitely is NOT an Arcturus or an LCT. Obviously, this also means that the S&T series is a bit lighter, when it comes to weight. Despite all this, I can detect no mistakes regarding the quality of the material used for building this replica, it is a solid wood + steel / alumunium composition. The main issue might be the folding stock, as is with any other replica that imitates the Soviet AKS-74 assault rifle, but since this is a relatively fresh addition to my arsenal, I cannot reflect on this particular issue. Buying a fixed stock AK is definitely the safer option though, if you’re not looking for a folding stock AK-replica in particular.

Overall, if you’re looking to get an entry-level, budget AK, the S&T series seems to be the best choice.

Quality-wise it is not much different from the Cyma series, but has better consistency and some extra upgrades, which you need to get for your replica anyway if you want to keep up with the technology. And it is ABSOLUTELY better than JG’s EBB AK series, there's no question about that.

Last, but not least, you can see my team work with the S&T AKS-74 on this video, if you’re looking to see how it performs in action: https://youtu.be/-lGkcAublQs