As a retailer, I see my fair share of youngsters (or older airsoft noobs) come into the store and want a sniper rifle. When I ask what attracted them to the role of sniper, the answer’s always the same- TV or video games. Such media sources really glamorize and hype the role of sniper, and it seems to attract quite a few people.
There are a ton of good and great sniper rifles out there, and for all the veterans out there, you know that a sniper rifle is an investment. It’s not cheap. Some that I’ve seen are $2000 or more. I decided to post this review on the KJW M700 Gas Rifle because of its solid performance out of the box, but more importantly, its affordable price.
The KJW M700 is very economical which makes it a great choice for those who want to be snipers and not shell out a ton of money, and is a great sniper rifle right out of the box. I chrono’d two of our store guns at 550-560. Very consistent and very hard hitting. There are other sniper rifles that begin at 350-400 and it takes a ton of cash and upgrades to bring it up to 550. The KJW shoots that hard without any upgrades.
Gas-powered means that there is no spring that needs to be pulled. Other spring bolt actions require quite a bit of muscle power to pull back. Not only must you be strong, but if you are in the prone, you will have quite the struggle trying to pull the spring. Such a struggle might cost you valuable time in reacquiring your target, or the extra movement on your part may give your position away. Being gas powered, a person can easily pull the M700’s bolt back with one finger- slow and steady- and reacquire and fire. The downside to gas is that colder temperatures tend to adversely affect gas-powered guns, and if you plan on making a lot of shots, then plan to carry at least one can of gas on you.
Hop up adjustment is exceptionally easy. There is a tiny adjustment nob on the top of the rifle (very convenient location) and spins left and right (like a windage knob) to make hop up adjustments easy and with minimal movement. Other sniper rifles have them inside the gun, or buried deep inside the mag well, making them impossible to adjust while on the hunt.
Like any GBB, bb’s and gas go into the mag. 10+1 shots don’t sound like much, but if played right, a sniper does not need much more than that. However, because of video games, many people have the impression that a sniper has unlimited shots at unlimited targets, so 10+1 shots to them seems painfully inadequate. In cases like that, I suggest buying an extra mag or two…
As with any sniper weapon though, they require special accessories to complete the ensemble; bipod, scope, etc… In most cases, some rifles are as basic as they come, leaving the buyer to figure out what works best with the gun. The KJW M700, however, can be bought all by itself and accessorized later, or (through some retailers) can be purchased as a complete kit (for less than $100 extra), with items that are meant to complement the rifle perfectly. So, for pricing purposes, this rifle is a steal at less than $200 by itself, or just under $300 with all the gadgets and goodies.
And if someone does not have the ability to purchase a scope right away, then at least the KJW M700 has good iron sights. Other rifles I’ve seen don’t have any sights at all, being useless as a weapon until the shooter buys a scope. Accuracy-wise, it comes with a standard AEG inner barrel, meaning that an upgrade to a tightbore (6.04-6.01) is essential, drastically increasing range and accuracy, and adding a bit more FPS as well.
The KJW M700 also comes in two models; the standard rifle, and a Take Down version (for a slightly higher price). This makes the rifle a bit more compact when traveling to and from ops, and for storage purposes.
Pros-
-VERY affordable
-Shoots 550+ out of the box, no expensive upgrades needed
-Super easy bolt action pull
-Convenient hop up adjustment
-Can be bought rifle only or as a complete kit
-Iron sights to use until a scope is purchased
-Take Down version
Cons-
-Gas could be adversely affected by colder temperatures
-Needs accessories (and tightbore barrel) to be truly effective
-10+1 shots per mag
Final verdict- Great product, great price, great performance out of the box. For those that really want to be a sniper, but live on a tight budget, then this may be the gun for you.
