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Krytac Replica Gun Test

Krytac Replica Gun Test

I first became aware of the KRYTAC brand when friends in the USA started whispering about the fact that Swiss firearms manufacturer KRISS was thinking about getting into the airsoft market in their own right. Initially having partnered up with another airsoft manufacturer, KRISS made it quite clear at SHOT Show 2014 that they would be forging their own path.

So it was that we saw the new range of KRYTAC Airsoft Electric Guns launched; a family of models that had obviously been under development for some time. KRYTAC, established in Southern California in 2013, we learnt, was a cutting-edge product development team from the KRISS Group, and they came out with a pretty bold, no-nonsense statement: “Community – Innovation – Excellence – The foundations which the KRYTAC brand is built upon.

The shooting community is expanding every day, with new shooters and new shooting sports rapidly developing. KRYTAC’s focus is to cultivate that community with innovative products that lay the foundation for safety, for building shooting skills, and for these to evolve with the shooter. The KRISS Group’s worldwide perspective stimulates innovation in KRYTAC designs to achieve new levels of efficiency, power, ergonomics, and aesthetics in every product. Every process of development is aimed at offering the best possible ownership experience, from beginning to end, KRYTAC strives for excellence.

The KRYTAC team is comprised of highly experienced professionals who have come together with one common goal, to elevate your expectation of performance, value, and service.”

Now, to my ears, that’s a pretty big statement from a newcomer to what is already a well-subscribed market, but let’s look at the company ultimately behind KRYTAC, the KRISS Group. They are no strangers to out-of-the-box thinking and mechanical innovation in that they are the people behind the cutting-edge ‘real steel’ KRISS Vector. What they achieved with the Vector was something that not only hadn’t been done before, but that hadn’t even been thought about, so it seems perfectly logical to me that they might apply that same approach to their airsoft range. In many ways when it comes to KRYTAC replicas that’s exactly what we’re seeing!

Got It Going On

So what have KRYTAC brought to the party? In a word, ‘originality’! Although with their initial models we have four M4-style variants KRYTAC have really put their own character into things – just neat little touches, like distinctive stocks and keymod rails as standard. One thing is for certain, the finish of these airsoft guns is absolutely superlative and they ooze quality. There’s not a creak or rattle in evidence anywhere and they feel completely rock solid in the hand.

Internally you get a reinforced 8mm bearing gearbox with an integrated MOSFET to regulate electronic signals and to protect the trigger contacts. The corners of the gearbox that surround the cylinder feature a smooth radius, as opposed to a 90° angle, to prevent fracture; neatly the gearbox shell features a small window on the left side where lubrication can be applied directly to the gears or piston. This window is also convenient for inspecting the angle of engagement with the gearbox without disassembly.

Additional gearbox features include a modular spring guide system that will allow the spring to be changed without completely disassembling the gearbox. The KRYTAC piston is made of a durable, lightweight polymer and features four metal teeth, with the 2nd to last tooth absent. The cylinder head is padded with an enlarged sorbothane buffer to optimise the angle of engagement and to absorb energy from the impact of the piston assembly, extending longevity. The material for the gears has been specially formulated to be very strong, with test figures on the KRYTAC gears being much higher than that offered by many other manufacturers. Turning all of the drive train components is the KRYTAC high torque motor, capable of 30,000 revolutions per minute unloaded!

There’s commonality of internals across the range of the first four KRYTAC models to be released into the UK, and they also share some other features. The aluminium receivers feature a stamped KRYTAC logo and accept AR/M4-style magazines. Additional features include an ambidextrous fire selector and a locking ‘bolt’ that provides easy access to the KRYTAC rotary hop-up system. The KRYTAC rotary hop-up has 15 adjustment settings and a numbered adjustment wheel for a quick reference point to determine how much hop is needed; once set you simply press down the bolt release catch and the bolt slams forward again, hiding and protecting the hop-up adjustment.

Trident SPD

And here’s where things begin to change – each of the four models is different. First off you have the Trident SPD which is a compact, lightweight, full-metal AEG that combines the manoeuvrability of a pistol with the firepower and capacity of a rifle. Based on the AR design, the Trident SDP features a unique and futuristic aluminium 139mm handguard with a smooth finish for a comfortable grip. There’s a railed flat top upper receiver, and that’s it as far as accessory mounting positions go. The battery is stored in the specifically designed KRYTAC buffer tube, which is larger than traditional buffer tubes to provide ample room for a wide range of batteries. The external features of the Trident SDP are engineered for durability and ergonomics, and it provides the familiarity, controls, and firepower from a rifle but in a minimalist package. It’s the ideal AEG for high speed engagements in tight and confined spaces.

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Looking a little more traditional, you next have the Trident PDW. The PDW is the most compact rifle in the series and is designed for maximum manoeuvrability and control in close quarters combat. The full-metal AEG features a short 139mm barrel and a 127mm free-float DEFIANCE TR105 keymod handguard. The DEFIANCE handguard features three prongs at the front that can be used to brace the gun against barricades, and at the rear end you have a sliding stock which is adjustable to two positions and is supported by the enhanced KRYTAC buffer tube to allow space for a wide range of batteries. The PDW uses AR/M4-style magazines and sports similar controls for those familiar with the platform. In addition to looking futuristic and functional, the PDW is also a fantastic performer which will be ideal for CQB encounters.

Next, the Trident CRB is a versatile carbine-length rifle that can be used effectively in close-quarters battle and wide- open outdoor engagements. The Trident CRB utilises a 266mm barrel and 254mm free-float DEFIANCE TR110 keymod handguard. The DEFIANCE handguard, once again, has the three prong feature. The KRYTAC adjustable battery stock features two different battery configurations, nunchuck-style batteries can fit in the tubes or a small lithium polymer brick battery can fit at the rear of the stock in front of the buttpad. A third battery option for the Trident CRB is a stick battery in the buffer tube. The stock also features two QD sling swivel points as well as a loop for traditional slings. This is a cracking multipurpose AEG that can perform at a high level in a multitude of different scenarios.

The final variant of the first release is the Trident SPR which has been designed to be the ideal scout rifle to take into the field. The 368mm barrel and 330mm free-float DEFIANCE keymod handguard give the user numerous customisation and accessory mounting options. At the rear of the SPR is the KRYTAC adjustable battery stock which has the same battery capacity and features of that fitted to the CRB. The SPR has the look of a long distance rifle, and it also has the power plant to back it up; this is a model that should excel at medium to long range engagements.

Still To Come

Yet to be released is the Trident DMR, the Trident 47 which follows the rest of the range in overall appearance but makes use of AK47 style magazines, and last but not least is the Trident LMG which, with a box magazine, should please all of the support gunners out there. All European models will be CE- Certified and bear all the legally required markings, which will guarantee conformity to all European directives and safety standards. In addition, KRYTAC AEGs’ will be offered in models/power ranges to meet country specific regulations. There will also be a full line of accessories and performance upgrades made available to selected retailers.

To summarise, on paper, the KRYTAC models certainly tick all the boxes. They are very well put together, and even the finish of the plastic parts is free from blemishes and mould lines. The pistol grip is a standard A2, which was unexpected as, given what has been done elsewhere, I would have expected something a little more unique and esoteric, although this is cheaply and easily dealt with and the A2 is a tried and tested design after all. The six position sliding battery stocks on the CRB and SPR locked solidly into place on every setting with nary a wobble.

All the models come with a singlepoint sling plate fitted as standard, and both the CRB and SPR have some solid iron sights provided in the package. All the variants come with a 300rnd HiCap magazine as standard, although the KRYTACS fed from every brand of M4 mag I tried then with.

Downrange

The two smaller AEGs work surprisingly well on a 7.4V NUPROL LiPo, giving a trigger response that is far crisper than you would expect; when you crank things up to an 11.1 in the bigger models the trigger response is as good as anything I’ve tried.

Testing, as always, was carried out using .20g NUPROL BBs, and boy do these rifles send them downrange with alacrity. The hop- up is easily set thanks to the precise rotary design and once set stays where it should. As you’d expect, the accuracy of the smaller models fell away at over 30 metres, but that’s still a fair distance and far more than you should ever need in a CQB environment. The SPR is a cracker though, sending the BBs out a good 60 metres-plus, with impressively tight groupings; I reckon with a tightbore fitted you’d have one heck of a precision rifle in your hands! I’ll come back to the chronograph in the future when production models arrive as the samples were overseas spec; as stated earlier though all models coming into the UK will be legally compliant in every aspect.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that everything worked, out-of-the-box, good to go, and retailer friends in the USA who have been dealing with KRYTAC for a while already confirm that they are seeing very, very few returns, which bodes well. All you need to do is buy your chosen AEG, add a decent battery and BBs and you’re in the game! Prices that I’ve seen discussed look great for the quality and build of the KRYTACS too with the SPD at £239.99, CRB at £294.99, PDW and SPR at £314.99.

KRYTAC State: “The KRYTAC brand name is derived from the legendary sea creature, The Kraken. The Kraken was feared, and revered, for its power and dominance in the sea. No other creature could match The Kraken in strength and speed. The spirit of The Kraken lives on in KRYTAC.”

You know what? I think that they might be right, and they may just have a bit of a monster on their hands!

For more information and for full stockist details please visit or contact the UK distributor for KRYTAC, Shield Firearms & Sights Limited, at www. shieldpsd.com or for UK trade enquiries call them on 01297 678 233.

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