AtoZ SVD Real-wood version *Even more pics added*

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September 03, 2010, 02:40:13 PM

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[spcspook]

I know there is already a pretty in-depth review at Unconventional Airsoft as mentioned elsewhere in these forums, so I'll try to keep this focused on what is not covered in their excellent review.

First, a little background on the real wood version of the SVD:

Apparently AtoZ (I allways thought it was atoz, but it's actually A to Z Cargo) allways intended their SVD to be sold with real wood furniture. However, their distributers and partners (KM Head/1950 and King Arms) persuaded them to release a plastic furniture version instead (at least initially). The reasoning behind this was that it was cheaper to make, cost the distributers less and allowed them to make more profit when providing them to the retailers. By the time the retailers applied their markups (they have to make money too, of course) the rifles were offered anywhere from $500 to $600. Now, if I understand correctly, AtoZ has managed to produce a real wood version at the same cost as the plastic furniture versions. Retail prices should, accordingly, be similar to the plastic furniture version although I'm sure that once it becomes widely available it will likely sell for more at most locations as a real-wood version theoretically has more percieved value in the eye of the consumer than the plastic version, regardless of the fact that they cost the same to produce. Fortunately - for me at least - my local retailer is offering them for $519, so it is possible that prices might not be much higher than the plastic version. This is all info directly from a Mr. Kim at AtoZ while demonstrating samples at a meeting with local retailers and distributers here in southern California.

So... on to the rifle itself.

First, the wood is nice. Much nicer than the plastic without any doubt at all. It is a bit shiny, and that may turn some people off but I have to admit it looks damn nice hanging on the wall. It feels a bit slick in the hand, though, and could probably use some good weathering. Overall I'd say it might be better off with one or two less coats of laquer (it's *really* slick and shiny). That being said, the wood definately has a nice color to it. Very warm and inviting  :twisted: .

The skeletonized stock is extremely solid and has a metal buttplate. The sling peg is also very sturdy. This rifle could be slung over your shoulder with little fear of harming the stock... it really is quite solid. The hangaurds are a different matter, though. The two halves creak and wobble a bit when held (either with the rifle shouldered and ready to fire or just handling in general). This bothers me a bit, considering the price of the rifle. The Tanaka k98 is in the same price range and has no woble in any of the wood components - it fits together perfectly (aside from the trigger which does wobble quite a bit and is in my opinion an altogether worse problem so maybe the handgaurd issue isn't really a big deal). I suppose a little work would eliminate this issue altogether. Aside from that, the only other negative about the wood is that you can see some tiny spots along the edges where the wood meets metal that didn't get any stain/laquer. It's a bit nitpicky, I know, but again... it's no small chunk of change.

Performance:
We all know that this rifle is claimed to shoot 450fps in it's stock form. The chronograph does not lie and here's what it said:
High: 461
Low: 423
A rather large spread for a spinger, I think. Worth mentioning is that this pattern would consistently appear: 423, 425, 446, 461, 460, 423, 425, 438, 459, 461, etc. (these are approximate values as I neglected to write down the actual results, but the pattern was always the same - gradually increasing to 461 and then falling to the 420's). I can't explain this pattern right now and have not had the chance to fully explore the situation. Chronoed with precision .20g bb's and hop-up fully off. The bb's were generic, so I expected a certain amount of variance, but 20 fps struck me as odd, especially with the pattern that emerged. Any suggestions as to why this occured or what might improve the the testing would be greatly appreciated as this is the first rifle that I have chronoed with real interest (given it's role as a sniper rifle).

With the upgrade spring installed, performance actually DECREASED. No results above 430 were recorded, and the majority of the shots chronoed below 415. This was really really odd and caused several hours of frustrated troubleshooting in order to determine the cause (as AtoZ claims the upgrade spring will shoot over 570). No loss of compression could be found, nor could any obvious damage be seen. The rifle was still brand new, aside from the previous chronographing. AtoZ is currently examining the issue and we are anxiously awaiting a reply.

IMPORTANT
Contrary to popular belief, this rifle IS NOT intended to be used with springs designed for AEGs. AEG springs are about 7 to 8 coils shorter than the stock spring, which is itself 7 to 8 coils shorter than the "upgrade" spring. Attempts at using high power AEG springs universally resulted in fps below even the lowest fps value for the stock spring. I have seen many sites advertise compatibility with AEG springs as a feature of this rifle and it simply is not true. Yes, they will fit in the piston/bolt assembly, and yes they will fit on the spring guide, but they are simply too short to provide any performance benefit. If you skip over the rest of my ramblings, I hope at least that you take note of this part if you are considering purchasing this rifle.

More info and pics (sorry to dissapoint by not having them now but I won't have my camera back until the weekend) to come over the next few days.

Oh... and I'm sure this has been mentioned elsewhere... the magazines are plastic and the scope is... erm... ok, but certainly not worth the asking price when real ones are available much cheaper.

[fallout11]

Mine is supposed to arrive today.  Thanks for the info, spcspook, as I now have a better idea of what I'll be getting.

[spcspook]

Mine is supposed to arrive today.  Thanks for the info, spcspook, as I now have a better idea of what I'll be getting.

No problem

I'll be posting pics later on tonight and will be taking it out for a skirmish on Sunday and will post a full report as soon as I can.

[NapalmNymph]

Very good review.  look forward to photos and review of use in the field.

Thanks    

[spcspook]

Full length shot


Buttstock


Handgaurds


Close-ups of pistol grip


*Note the lack of finish on the back of the pistol grip. It may be hard to see, but there is much less finish (be it laquer or stain) on the back of the pistol grip. This lack of finish is repeated in other possibly "hard-to-reach" spots as well.

Details of the handgaurds


*Note the lack of finish around the edges of the wooden bits. It almost seems as though the finish was applied while the rifle was fully assembled as opposed to finishing the wood before installing the wooden bits on the metal bits.

Size comparison of SVD, SLR 105, AKM, AKSU


If anyone can think of detail pics they'd like to see, please let me know and I'll do the best I can to photograph it and post it here.

[Comrade Kaisa]

Can we get some more pictures of the stock please?

[spcspook]

Can we get some more pictures of the stock please?

Sure thing... gimme a little bit to snag some new batteries for the camera and take care of a few things around here and I'll post them up.

[Comrade Kaisa]

Awesome...

And is that a CA SLR105 in the picture? If so, how do you like her? Mine's on the way!

[spcspook]

Awesome...

And is that a CA SLR105 in the picture? If so, how do you like her? Mine's on the way!

The CA SLR 105 is pretty darned awesome. Chrono's around 315-320 stock, very good rate of fire and very accurate as well.

Build quality is very high, although the only negative thing I can say about it is that the handgaurds don't quite fit. By this I mean that the metal collars are not flush with the handgaurds. There are a few millimeters of space between the metal and the plastic that looks odd (they are not loose, just the skinnier portion of the handgaurds that are supposed to mate with the inside of the collar are a bit too long and have an odd look - I'll post a pic to show what I mean).

In the field, it performs very well. The only downside is the flashhider. Due to it's shape, a BB will occasionally catch one of the sides as it passes through the open area of the flashhider and go spinning off to the left or right (although this usually only happens on full auto and if you are traversing left and right - even then it only seems to be about every 10th bb or so that goes way left or right). This is not a fault of it's design, but more of the bb's which are traveling a couple thousand feet per second slower than real bullets.

More pics coming soon.

NapalmNymph-
The weather might be a bit bad tomorrow, so I'm not sure if there will be a game. Hopefully enough people will turn out so that I can get a good feel for the SVD in action. Then again... I only need one other person to test it out  :twisted: (and here I'm thinking about one particular individual who made my life miserable last weekend with the help of the M712 gas powered sniper carbine from hell)

[Comrade Kaisa]

Build quality is very high, although the only negative thing I can say about it is that the handgaurds don't quite fit. By this I mean that the metal collars are not flush with the handgaurds. There are a few millimeters of space between the metal and the plastic that looks odd (they are not loose, just the skinnier portion of the handgaurds that are supposed to mate with the inside of the collar are a bit too long and have an odd look - I'll post a pic to show what I mean).

This can be fixed I should think.

In the field, it performs very well. The only downside is the flashhider. Due to it's shape, a BB will occasionally catch one of the sides as it passes through the open area of the flashhider and go spinning off to the left or right (although this usually only happens on full auto and if you are traversing left and right - even then it only seems to be about every 10th bb or so that goes way left or right). This is not a fault of it's design, but more of the bb's which are traveling a couple thousand feet per second slower than real bullets.

I don't use full auto, so this shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks, That sounds great...Can't wait for it to show up on my doorstep!

[spcspook]

Here you can see the indentations left in the stock by the metal clasps on the cheek rest.


More buttstock photos:


In the pic below, you can again see the lack of finish on the "inside" surfaces of the stock.





My camera is acting stupid at the moment and that's the most I can post for now.

Hopefully I will have this problem fixed before the game tomorrow.

Got one more out of it... the handgaurd issue I mentioned about the CA SLR 105:

[fallout11]

Got my SVD over the holidays, it was waiting for me when I got back from "Oz" (the land down under).  Really nice gun, let me say.  Just as SpcSpook says.

I found I was able to do a few things to impove it overall.

1) Tightened the two wood screws securing the rear stock.  They were a little loose.  Strip foregrip wood off, and tighten all screws securing the outer barrel.  They were all la little loose.

2) Replaced the two M4 x 12mm screws securing the rear of the spring assembly to the receiver frame with M4 x 25mm socket head cap screws.
Relief holes are already drilled in the rear stock for longer screws, under where the supplied screws mount, yet the provided ones do not even pass all the way through the receiver bottom.  By using the longer screws, my rear stock is now secured to the receiver by 4 fasteners, rather than just two.  Much more rigid. $.92 cents, US, at the local hardware store.

Rear stock mount rigidity is a big issue with this gun, as the stock is heavily offset loaded during cocking, and the pistol grip is part of the stock itself. Plus, it's a long, cantelevered gun.  It is not that heavy, though.

3) Glued the two halves of the foregrip together with wood glue, top and bottom.  If you're careful (like I was), you'll never even see it, and the creaking, wobbling foregrips become much more rigid and quiet.

4) Oiled every moving internal part and wear surface with 3-in-1 gearbox oil.  My gun was very dry when it arrived.

That's it.

[Haze01]

Any news about how to fix the spring issue? For example, will PSG 400% spring solvew the problem, or something else? 500 fps would be just about right, wouldn´t you agree   ??

[counterassasin]

So when it says that the AtoZ Cargo SVD uses AEG springs, it really is PSG-1 springs it uses? I want to get maximum fps on my Dragunov... :oops:

[counterassasin]

So when it says that the AtoZ Cargo SVD uses AEG springs, it really is PSG-1 springs it uses? I want to get maximum fps on my Dragunov... :oops: