Enforcer Bravo

Time does indeed fly! It seems like no time at all since I was looking at the ‘all new’ range of DELTA AEGs from NUPROL, but the airsoft market moves on apace, as it’s actually over a year ago that I looked at the first of the models! Since their introduction, the DELTA AEG series has proved to be a huge success for our homegrown airsoft manufacturer, not just in the UK but overseas as well.

Time, and airsoft innovation though stands still for no one, and so it was that at the back end of 2017 I found myself revisiting ‘NUPROL HQ’, to talk to marketing guru Ross about the new additions to the line. Since that time, Ross has kindly provided a test sample of each of the new models for me to get on the range with, confident that they will stand up to my scrutiny. He actually asked me in advance if I could spend another full day with him when the latest models arrived, to go through them all, so I looked back to my first report of ‘Wave One’ and his comment to me at the time of the original AEG range release: “The heart of the series is the gearbox; here at NUPROL, we have taken a different approach to crafting the ‘perfect’ gearbox. The idea of these gearboxes is for them to be long-lasting and high-quality to a point of quality and reliability that they do not need to be ‘upgraded’. We did not want to use the saying ‘pre-upgraded’, as we feel that’s misleading because a product should never come ‘pre-upgraded’, it should be the best it can be from the start!

The gearboxes come complete with reinforced gearbox shell, high-quality full steel toothed piston, strong and durable steel gearset, micro switch trigger for a satisfying ‘click’ and added durability, steel selector plate, and finally a piece of art in the form of the Delta QPQ Steel 6.03mm barrel. Put all these things together and you have the ultimate retail package for new and old players, at a price to quality point that is unmatched at the time of me saying this.”

With this in mind, I have to say that his words have proved extremely true, as the number of NUPROL AEGs I see in player’s hands, not only at UK sites but internationally, is truly staggering. I’m certain that there have been ‘teething issues’, as you just can’t have that many new AEGs out there and not have some returns, but both Ross and NUPROL Tech Mark assure me that the numbers are low. Add to this the number of AEGs heading overseas (I know they do because I’ve seen Mark in his workshop hand-checking models heading to Germany!) and this is quite the success, and once again I have to say, “well done NUPROL!”

‘Block II’

In relation to the very latest models, retailing around £260, one of the most versatile of the new variants is the DELTA ENFORCER BRAVO, which features a 6.03 tight bore steel inner barrel and an absolutely stunning accessory attachment rail system as standard; it’s designed as a short 10.3 barrelled ‘Special Forces M4 CQBR Block II’ model, ideal for players who love a bit of Close Quarter Battle (CQB) and a straightforward ‘mil’ look. Straight out the box it has a fantastic list of modern, high-end features not usually seen on weapons in this price range. Ergonomically, this is a superb AEG, and with great internals and a tried and tested ‘QPQ’ barrel, so the Enforcer has the potential for some real grunt! This model also comes with a removable unique front and rear sight, and a singlepoint sling plate, so it’s good to go from the box.

You might well be wondering about the term ‘QPQ’, so I’ll recap on this for you, as it’s a bit of a key NUPROL feature, and to the best of my knowledge this is still unique to NUPROL AEGs, as they were the first to use the process in relation to airsoft replicas. Salt bath nitriding, or Quench-Polish-Quench, (QPQ) is particularly important when it comes to metal parts which operate for extended periods in highly corrosive environments or are subject to high levels of friction. QPQ is based on a sequence of process events that occur directly following a nitrocarburizing cycle. It begins with a cycle of nitrocarburizing (a variation of the nitriding process), a salt bath quench, which produces a layer of epsilon iron nitride.

The next step is a mechanical polish of the nitride layer, thus restoring the original surface finish. This may be accomplished by vibratory polishing, lapping, centerless polishing, or by other similar means. Finally, to optimise the corrosion resistance, the component is then re-immersed in the KQ5OO salt quench bath for 20-30-minutes, rinsed and oil dipped. The overall process gives the part a cosmetically appealing finish and extremely high levels of durability; to say that NUPROL have done their homework here is just a massive understatement!

 

Fit and finish

Thanks to CNC machining, externally the Enforcer Bravo is absolutely first rate; this model is available in black or tan (as is the Enforcer Alpha with a 14.3-inch barrel for around £270) and the finish actually looks and feels much like Cerakote, and this is standard out of the box. The furniture is perfectly colour-matched on both the black and tan models, so everything melds superbly together. I chose the black model to test, and everything externally works together perfectly. The front RIS is inspired by that found on the real SOPMOD Block II carbine, namely a ‘Free Float’ system with 20mm RIS rails; slim-line, yet purposeful and of course is bang on for that ‘SOF’ look. The system comes with a contiguous top rail, and there’s even a replica low profile gas block and mock gas tube hidden in the rail, just to finish things off. The Enforcer is finished with tone-on-tone accessories, which include an A2 style pistol grip and CRANE style stock, which can help conceal a larger battery if you so desire; I chose to just run my usual 11.1V LiPo (please note that testing and warranty is based on using a 7.4 V LiPo!) in the buffer tube, which works very well indeed.

Internally, things are just as good, as the Enforcer Bravo comes with that 6.03mm QPQ steel tightbore barrel, a quick-change spring capability, reinforced V2 metal gearbox, full steel toothed piston and gears, a metal reinforced selector plate, and is LiPo ready, with high-quality wiring throughout. A short M100 spring is used to give the Enforcer some real ‘pop’ and keep it happily UK-compliant too. Ross has specifically chosen the plastic hop unit and rubber to give the most versatility, and in fact this attention to details has gone on everywhere. Each Enforcer comes with a metal, STANAG-style Hi-Cap magazine, spare steel body pins, and a model specific instruction manual.

 

Stack and go!

When you ‘stack up’, ready to breach a room, what you need is something that is 100% reliable and has a really snappy, semi-auto trigger response! In action, the Enforcer is absolutely spot-on, chronoing at 1.13-Joule/350fps absolutely on the nail using NUPROL’s own RZR .20g BBs. Moving it up to slightly heavier .25g RZRs, the range was extremely consistent too, sending the BBs right to the extent of the 30m range; on semi, I was able to achieve a 60mm grouping at that distance (prone), and switching up to full-auto delivered a stream of BBs straight to target. NUPROL carbines and rifles all come with a perfectly solid 370 BB metal Hi-Cap, which fed happily and unerringly throughout testing; if you want a reliable CQB carbine, then this is not going to let you down!

I’ve come away from my time with the Enforcer Bravo feeling totally pleased and quietly confident, yet again. There really is something for everyone to look at in the NUPROL line of AEGs, and with keen pricing there are lots of options to play with in terms of variants. I believe that NUPROL have added some superb new models that will make a lot of airsofters very happy indeed whether you want a ‘mil’ or a ‘sport’ looking replica.

 

Conclusion

All the variants look great, feel great, and I can tell you that out of the box they perform pretty darn well too, and of course you have the backup of a rock-solid warranty! You can’t ask for much more than what’s on offer here and I truly believe that once again NUPROL have brought something very, very special to the party that we as players can really benefit from.