If you’re aiming for a proper, full-on “UKSF” impression then only one primary platform is really going to do the trick right now, and that’s an L119A2! Thankfully this storied carbine is finally appearing as a reasonable AEG replica at sensible prices and the latest manufacturer to jump on it is DOUBLE BELL!
Picked up from iWholesales recently we’ve been hammering the DOUBLE BELL “119” and at 680/760mm long and weighing in at 2520g “bare bones” the 041 is an AEG that most of us could run with all day long, and its compact form means that it’s easy to manipulate even in tight CQB-spaces. The finish is actually very good indeed for the price-point, although like the ROSSI take this little AEG is just screaming out for a little rattlecan action!
The constituent external parts are all metal where they should be, and are fitted together well; in fairness, externally the 041 is built like a tank! The sharp end features a standard 14mm CCW thread, allowing easy fitting of muzzle devices such as suppressors and tracer units…. and you WILL want a “SF-style” unit on this platform for sure!
Internally, things are pretty darn solid, but somewhat unremarkable, but again, remember the pricepoint! The 041 features a pretty standard motor, V2 gearbox, 8mm bearings, CNC aluminium air seal components, and a full steel-rack piston, giving reliability and consistency; these are coupled with a rotary hop-up unit (accessed in the usual way and with a working bolt release) and “6.02±0.01” brass inner barrel (so, 6.03 then!), so everything is tidy and should be durable and offer good accuracy.
DOUBLE BELL have earned a good reputation amongst the AA Crew of late through a commitment to innovation and making some darn serviceable AEGs, and in fairness the “L119A2”reflects this dedication, but recent events have once again moved the clock forward, and we’re thinking that soon it will be all about the KS-1!
We’ll be interested to see just who jumps on the KS-1 as a well-priced full-production model first, but in the meantime you can check out Bill’s evaluation of the DOUBLE BELL 041 L119A2 in ISSUE 161 next week!
