G&P M16A1 Recoil

I’m going to start this review by stating forthrightly that I’ve always been a fan of the historical airsoft replicas made by G&P. Their attention to detail is second to none when it comes to Vietnam War era rifles and carbines and I own two XM177s, A Colt Model 607, a Remington 870 shotgun and even a Stoner LMG from their range – so you could say I’m a bit of a fan when it comes to their products!

G&P started making airsoft replicas in 1995, so this makes them one of the most established military-simulation and training airsoft manufacturers in the world. They started out making tactical lights for law enforcement and military agencies around the world, and then branched into airsoft manufacturing with the same core principle to never sacrifice quality for a lower price. You can see this belief in every G&P product; every G&P replica rifle is hand assembled and individually fine-tuned by top technicians in the industry to give unparalleled quality.

Also they’re not content to just keep churning out the same old thing year in and year out. Whilst many airsoft manufacturers are happy to sit on a base model and simply jig about with fancy externals G&P quite literally go back to the drawing board and start from scratch ensuring that every part of their replicas are nigh on 100% accurate. Many Vietnam re-enactors that I know own G&Ps because they are just right, and you’ll see many of them at shows like War & Peace or Military Odyssey.

Strangely enough though, I have never owned one of the full-length M16 models, and I can’t for the life of me understand why. Most of my living history impressions are centred on MACV-SOG, MIKE Forces and the SEALs, so the full-length M16 has never really been in my preferred armoury as most of those units carried the XM177 Carbine. That said, most of the Vietnam airsoft players I know revel in the role of the lowly ‘grunt’ where Mr Colt’s Best Girl is most definitely their favourite choice of replica.

What I received from Fire Support though piqued my interest, as I also have impressions based on the ‘advisers’ from the early days of the Vietnam War. When they told me they had a new Nam-era M16, of course I was interested, but what arrived was highly unexpected and very exciting. Out of the plain box came the rifle and when I looked closely it was not just any old M16 but a pretty much perfectly achieved early war Colt Model 602 featuring G&Ps own take on a working recoil system!

M16 – The Early Days

In the late 1950s a then relatively unknown firearms designer by the name of Eugene Stoner produced the prototype of a new rifle called the Armalite. Development continued through the 50s, until in 1956 it came up to Army specification using a .222 inch Remington cartridge with an improved bullet. In July 1959 production of the rifle was licensed to Colt, and later in that same year production started on the Colt Model 601; manufacture of this model would continue through until 1963. Approximately 14,500 Model 601s were produced, and the bulk of the rifles went to the US Military with 8500 going to the Air Force, 1000 going to the Army for evaluation in project AGILE, and a handful going to the Navy SEALs.

During the late 1950s and early 1960s the way the USA fought wars was changing, moving from massed force-on-force setpieces to ‘manoeuvre warfare’ with far more deployments taking place on a smaller scale; troops became mechanised and air mobile and the rifle they used needed to reflect this. It needed to be smaller and lighter in weight than the ungainly and heavy M14s, L1A1s, and G3s in use at the time by the US and other armies worldwide. Engagement distances, especially in the jungles of South East Asia, were decreasing so the need for a high-power 7.62mm was lessened.

After the first period of the U.S. Armed Forces using the Model 601 a number of changes and improvements were made, and in 1963 manufacture of the Colt Model 602 commenced. This updated version had an upgraded flash hider, a remodelled charging handle, and an improved lower receiver. The Model 602 was used predominantly by the Air Force, although they were much sought after by Advisers heading to Vietnam to replace aging M1 Carbines, Thompsons, and Grease Guns. Starting in 1963, approximately 19,000 Model 602s were delivered to the US Armed Forces. Commercial AR-15s were first issued to Special Forces troops in spring of 1964.

The U.S. Army began to issue the XM16E1, as it was first designated, in 1965 with most of them going to the newly raised and experimental Airmobile Divisions, the 1st Air Cavalry Division in particular. After many trials and tribulations the Army finally standardised an upgrade of the XM16E1 as the M16A1 in 1967 and the Model 603/ M16A1 remained the primary infantry rifle of U.S. forces in Vietnam until the end of direct U.S. ground involvement. It also became the standard service rifle for all U.S. military ground forces after it fully replaced the M14 service rifle in 1970.

The little-known Eugene Stoner soon became as famous in the firearms world as his Soviet counterpart Mikhail Kalashnikov, and the M16 and AK47 are still meeting on the battlefield to this day.

Ticking All The Boxes

So, there’s a lot of history behind the M16, and for any airsofter having an early model in the collection really does encompass many eras and conflicts. Yes, of course it can be used for Vietnam-themed games, but it s also would be pretty correct for Cold War and Falkland War scenarios as the M16 was used heavily by UK Special Forces and the Royal Marines during those on/off conflicts.

It’s really the attention to detail, even the tiniest of things, that really makes the G&P stand out from the crowd though. I’ve seen many manufacturers have a crack at an M16VN only to be let down by silly things like using the wrong pistol grip or handguard slip ring; although such things will only be noticed by a true ‘stitch bitch’ once you know you just can’t un-know!

The Colt Model 602 had some unique features which were only added at a later date when the rifle finally became the M16/ A1. Firstly the lower receiver of the 602 was what is known as slabside in that it carried no protective fence around the magazine release. The upper receiver had yet to have the forward assist feature added. The flash hider was still of the three prong style, not yet upgraded to the “birdcage”, and the slip ring was flat rather than the conical shape we see today. The buttpad was a simple rubber affair although the distinctive triangular handguard was already in place.

The G&P airsoft model follows this entire feature set down to the smallest detail; it truly is a work of art and no little research has gone into getting everything completely right. The replica 602 is fully made of metal, with only the pistol grip, butt, and handguard being made of a very nice matt black plastic. The metal parts, rather than just being a shoddily painted black are a rich black/grey. The trademarks are utterly correct, even down to the Model 02 nomenclature.

Free Float Recoil System

Internally things are no less impressive. The hop-up adjustment is exactly where you would expect it to be, behind the fake bolt which is accessed by pulling back the charging handle. This is an excellent unit that once set stays steadfastly in place. The motor is G&Ps latest M140 high-torque model and the gearbox is a new 8mm bearing Free Float Recoil System design. This gearbox has been specifically designed to take the extra stresses generated by having to move the counterweights for the recoil system back and forth in the buffer tube.
This, I believe, is where G&P have really stolen a march on the competition, as although the other recoil systems out there work on the same principle they are front wired with the battery being held in the handguard. Not so with the G&P as they’ve designed things from the ground up for the system to be rear-wired which gives you a lot more scope for modification. What if you want to fit an M203 grenade launcher or replicate the Masterkey shotgun attachment? Where do you put the battery? With the G&P everything goes in the butt, as they have designed a fixed one that slides on over the buffer tube. Changing the battery is simplicity itself as you simply unscrew one bolt on the rubber buttplate, and then slide it down and off. The wiring runs right to the rear of the butt and is fitted with a Deans connector for maximum efficiency as standard. G&P recommend though that you run nothing more than a 7.4V LiPo in this 602 though so as not to overstress the system.

Lock ’n’ Load

This really is an impressive rifle and even on a 7.4V it really does crack away. Bear in mind that most Vietnam-themed airsoft games will have strict ammo limits and you’re going to want to stick on semi-auto anyway. The trigger is crisp and responsive. The metal 110 round magazine is the short type first issued with the real 602 and feeds absolutely flawlessly, and once loaded snaps into place with no wobble.

I loaded the magazine up with a full complement of my usual NUPROL 2.0g test BBs and got to work. Ten rounds through the chrono gave me a perfectly acceptable mean of 329fps. Setting targets out to 50 metres I was able to get reasonable groupings on semi-auto, with things opening out marginally when I switched the selector up to full; my thought is that with a bit of fettling you could really have a very, very accurate rifle on your hands here, although it’s no slouch straight out of the box.

The thing that really gives the G&P the edge over other VN replicas though is the recoil. Squeeze the trigger and you get a thump in the shoulder akin to that from a .22LR rifle! Squeeze again, thump. Then switch the selector up to full-auto and give it some beans and I defy you not to have a cheesy grin on your face in short time.

I have to admit that I did give it a try using an 11.1V LiPo and all I can say is “Oh my Lord!” I can completely see why G&P recommend just a 7.4V as on the higher power the 602 positively jumps in your hands!

Conclusion

In a nutshell this is a Living History standard replica in terms of look, feel and finish, and it works perfectly. You get everything that G&P have always been great at with the added bonus of a perfectly functioning, rear-wired recoil system. The G&P Free Float Recoil System M16 Model 602 is going to have a retail price of £325.00 which, for what you’re getting, is extremely good value for money, and Fire Support advise that there will also be an XM177 Recoil inbound soon.

Oh my, decision, decisions! For now though I think I’ll break out my Duck Hunter Cammies, heft on the M56 LBE, and carry the Model 602 on my next Tour of Duty.

For more information on G&P products please visit www.fire-support.co.uk