The_Lord_Poncho
Members
- Feb 15, 2022
- 602
- 562
Having recently obtained a Specna AK, in the Prime variety, I am exceptionally impressed - a real bargain, with excellent performance. The Prime AKs have an interesting TDC hop unit, named by them 'Magnus'. And certainly it seems to be doing the business with the Prime AK.
With my interest piqued, I spotted that some places are selling the Magnus hop unit as a stand alone purchase for around £10 in both flavours - AK and M4. So, I dutifully picked up the M4 variant, and installed it within my Cyma CM098/SR25. Previously this gun had been kitted out with a ZCI Plastic rotary hop unit, and Maple leaf super macaron rubber with omega nub. I've never been overly happy with the performance - range was there, but accuracy was sporadic - too many flyers for my liking. One of the big issues that I have with the ZCI hop units is the weak/poorly designed barrel clip, which allows the inner barrel far too much movement within the hop unit.
Now - It should be said, that the Magnus hop unit is cheaper than the ZCI AND comes with its own flat hop bucking and corresponding flat nub. With the prices that most places seem to be charging for ZCI units these days, the cost of a ZCI, plus decent bucking, and nub will almost always be north of £20 - i.e. twice the all-in cost of the Magnus.
Anyhow - I was extremely pleased (and dare I say it, surprised) that the grouping on .32s with the Magnus installed in the SR25 was a huge improvement, with no flyers. It looks like the air seal was improved as well (a concern initially, as the bucking seemed a slightly looser fit on the inner barrel compared to the Maple Leaf offering that it replaced), with a 10fps increase.
Obviously what suits one RIF, may not suit another - a hop units are famously particular in this respect. But I look forward to picking up more units and seeing what they can do within some of my other replicas. I think that the ZCI hop unit might have just been dragged off its throne and drop-kicked over the fence.
With my interest piqued, I spotted that some places are selling the Magnus hop unit as a stand alone purchase for around £10 in both flavours - AK and M4. So, I dutifully picked up the M4 variant, and installed it within my Cyma CM098/SR25. Previously this gun had been kitted out with a ZCI Plastic rotary hop unit, and Maple leaf super macaron rubber with omega nub. I've never been overly happy with the performance - range was there, but accuracy was sporadic - too many flyers for my liking. One of the big issues that I have with the ZCI hop units is the weak/poorly designed barrel clip, which allows the inner barrel far too much movement within the hop unit.
Now - It should be said, that the Magnus hop unit is cheaper than the ZCI AND comes with its own flat hop bucking and corresponding flat nub. With the prices that most places seem to be charging for ZCI units these days, the cost of a ZCI, plus decent bucking, and nub will almost always be north of £20 - i.e. twice the all-in cost of the Magnus.
Anyhow - I was extremely pleased (and dare I say it, surprised) that the grouping on .32s with the Magnus installed in the SR25 was a huge improvement, with no flyers. It looks like the air seal was improved as well (a concern initially, as the bucking seemed a slightly looser fit on the inner barrel compared to the Maple Leaf offering that it replaced), with a 10fps increase.
Obviously what suits one RIF, may not suit another - a hop units are famously particular in this respect. But I look forward to picking up more units and seeing what they can do within some of my other replicas. I think that the ZCI hop unit might have just been dragged off its throne and drop-kicked over the fence.
