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The SG550
Specifications PRICE:
£260 The SG550 is a rather overlooked AEG, it does have some surpassingly nice touches but does have a few letdowns along the way. Burst Fire Lets start with the nice bits; The SG550 was the first AEG that Marui made with the "Burst" feature. This means that it will fire 3 rounds when the trigger is pulled instead of 1 in Semi-Auto or hundreds in Full-Auto. This can be very handy for conserving ammo. It also has a more professional feel to it with the way you fire, burst, looks around, burst again. The rate of fire in the burst can also be altered with a small knob in the forgrip (just behind the battery) from 2 rounds per burst to about 20. I tend to find the 2 rounds suits my style well. It does have the normal semi and full auto setting as well as the burst, so you can still go flat out full auto when needed. There is a selector switch on both sides so it works well for lefties too. Trigger Guard The trigger guard is nice as it is all metal, but also as it swings up either left or right. So you can use it in the winter with mittens on. Simple but much better than the M16's Barrel The barrel is another nice feature as it is long, very long, in fact the only AEG with a longer internal barrel is the PSG (and yes, longer than the SG1)! So the accuracy is pretty good. Bipod The Bipod is another really nice feature. The legs tuck into the foregrip very neatly and don't get in the way when hold it (unlike the SG1). But the really nice thing is when the are deployed, they just snap down, with no release button. They can then even bend forward of the flash hider. The rotate from side to side but best of all you can turn the SG550 on the horizontal plain (i.e. left and right) without having to move where the legs are!
Sights The rear site is the same as the MP5's and G3's with the spindle with holes to look through and the open part for CQB. The front sight is a pole in a ring type, but has a really nice feature in that it has a fatter flip up pole for low light conditions! Scope mount The scope mount is bought separately from the SG550, it is actually very useful if you buy a fairly sturdy scope as you can use it as a carry handle. Plus you can still use the Iron sights with the mount attached. A must have accessory for any SG550 owner. Mag release The mag release is the same as the AK47, just pull the lever and the mag drops nicely out. It also feels very sturdy when a mag is clamped in too. This is also ambidextrous. Mag The mags themselves are quite nice if a bit small. The have a nice feature in that they can be clipped together, so no need for mag clamps. This makes quick mag changes a dream. Stock Now we get to some of the left downs on this model. The stock itself is pretty nice and feels good when extended. Even when you swing it forward it doesn't get in the way which is pretty impressive. But and this is a big BUT, the stock is too weak and can snap off quite easily. This is a pain as you have to be quite gentle with the SG550 because of this.
Battery It uses an AK battery (the long thin ones) which means you have to take a few with you to last all day. Changing the battery is not that hard though and can be done in about 20 secs in the field. Just pull a pin, slid the bottom of the foregrip back, lift the top off and change the battery. Conclusion This is a very nice AEG with some great features but in the end is let down by the small battery and weak stock, which is a real shame as the rest is great. Is it worth getting one? Well, yes, just be careful and get a few extra batteries. They are also quite rare at Airsoft meets, so you can stand out of the crowd of M4's and MP5's pretty well.
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