"Alright, I've had the shotgun for a good month or so, so I figured it's time to give a quick rundown.
As an opening statement, I frigging LOVE this shotgun. I've had more fun running around and blasting people with it, than i've had for most other games i've done (CQB indoors on a Semi-only field). While most would argue a tri-shot would be more effective, this thing is a blast to play with and has a bit of range for something using some arm-hammer and a "piddly" spring.
Warnings:
1. You will smash your finger if you play with the stock...jebus H. When adjusting the stock, hold one hand on the sliding part, the other to press the button. NEVER...and I mean NEVER just push the button with your thumb and have the barrel pointing down. That's the way to Black Nail.
2. IT IS HEAVY AS FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
3. You eject the magazine by pressing the two buttons on the side of the mag. Don't spend uh.....five minutes (maybe ten) trying to figure out why your shotgun shell loader button is jammed. (See...on a real shotgun, there is a small lever you push to open the magazine feed. In other spring shotguns like trishots, this will usually open a shell hatch where you can click in a 14/30 round shell. Nope....this one is all buttons on the magazine).
4. It shoots harder than you'd expect. Expect to apologize if you shoot a buddy with it as a joke. Weak Springer this ain't.
5. DON'T SMASH YOUR DAMN FINGER WITH THE STOCK SLIDE! ALSO IT'S HEAVY!
The Weight:
The shotgun is HEAVY. I'm 5'10 running around 250lbs. Not as fit as i'd like, but not as heavy as some would assume before meeting me.
I've got more than a few M4 full metal builds to let you know this thing wears me out faster than any other weapon without a sling, and after a full afternoon of running around with it, my forearms were killing me (both from racking the slide, and holding up this beautiful hunk of airsoft-metal). Wanna get cut? Play with this sucker, and gasp in exhaustion and joy!
The Boom:
Functionally, the shotgun works as I had expected, and more. Others have commented it shoots very straight for a "shotgun". When I chronoed the shotgun on the first day, it was coming in 360fps (+-30fps because I have a suspicion the chrono being used that day was a bit iffy because of some other readings). I was, at first, partially disappointed I had a slight downward arc to my BB's when shooting, but it continually hit the same spot consistently, so it worked out.
The Feel:
The first few games had me running around like a madman shooting .25's into anything that moved, and I marvelled at how well it could nail targets when properly timed and aimed. Heavy and at first unweildly.
One note: There were a few moments when the trigger seemed to no longer work and appear to hang losely (no tension when pressed, almost like it's broken). I discovered pushing forward on the slide would resolve the issue and reactivate the trigger (making it squeezable again to launch the BB into the other guy). My guess is a part of the triggering mechanism occasionally can be missed if the slide is pulled back past a certain point after already being loaded. Just doing a little forward pressure on the pump resolves it so as long as it stayed consistent, I consider it a quirk rather than damaged goods.
You cannot slamfire (where you can hold the trigger down and slam the slide to shoot a BB. Don't try, pretty sure it'll break.)
A Secret!
The metal rail on top looks nice, but wobbles due to only a single ring around the outer barrel. Further inspection shows me there are supposed to be two grub screws holding the ring in place, and there is enough room between the outer barrel and the ring I'd almost say it wasn't originally designed for this gun. One of the grub screws was spinning freely, and the other was apparently sprayed with some adhesive and partially drilled into the outer barrel. It was after I attempted to figure out a mounting point, I spotted a "Hop Up" arrow guide right below the upper part of the ring with a small hole. Guess what fellas? IT HAS AN ADJUSTABLE HOP UP! Taking the small hex key and testing it left and right confirmed it would raise and lower an internally mounted grub screw. Testing shows me right is hop up, and left is hop down. So I resolved the downward angle by applying some hop, and adjusting for weight. now it's shooting considerably straighter. For future reference, you don't need to wrench off the ring to access the hop. If you look under the one screw holding the rail on, there is a second hole with no apparent reason. This is the spot you insert the hex key to access the internal grub screw. Now that I know what it is, seems very obvious.
The Mount:
I found it difficult to mount any of my rail mounted flashlight hardware due to both the wobble, and the fact the only rail space is directly on top (where a sight would be mounted), but in the end I just decided on mounting the flashlight directly above the barrel and zip tying the rail in place to the receiver (not like I can aim down any sight without a riser anyway, right?). I also tried to mount an offset mount, but it felt a bit awkward, so I may have to just look into barrel mounted m870 based flashlight mounts in the future. If you want to mount a flashlight, plan on getting a barrel mount, there are tons of options out there.
The Opinion:
If you've already outfitted yourself with a primary and secondary of choice, and you're looking for something fun and challenging to rally with.
Get this sucker.
If you're new to airsoft, and want something simple to operate, hard hitting, and visually interesting?
Get this sucker.
If you're a glutton for punishment and burning arms...
Get this sucker.
All others need not apply.
Personal note: In my case, I had a very wobbly rail, a downward arc when shooting, and some weird trigger problems. Almost all of these were easily fixed, but many others would consider them no-go's. The discovery of the hop-up adjustment port certainly made this a certainly buy for me, so while I would have previously given this 4 stars, i'm giving it 5 because the overall package and feel of the airsoft shotgun is excellent to me, and it exceeded my lowest expectations for a single shot, spring powered (non electrical) shotgun.
"Do not underestimate this thing! This is the weapon for someone that likes to sneak around because while you don't have the spread normally associated with a shotgun, this gun can very easily outrange any other secondary and most CQB primarys. I use this in an open field and outdoor wooded area. This will have the enemy thinking there is a sniper firing because it's silent. I use this at a range beyond pistols but under DMRs like using most carbines and rifles. If you keep the screw tight on top the hopup is accurate; not much deviation in groupings. As with any springer, it gets easier to pump over time as the spring settles. The body is HEAVY please realize you will get tired if you don't sling it. This shotgun really thinks it is a sniper, it REALLY wants to be one. It will fool anyone who's getting shot at by it. I have had this for over a year now and my advice is to keep the hopup oiled, keep the barrel clean, and make sure your screws are tight at the end of the day. It will not fail you.
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