G36: KWA or CA?

[Shane396]

Hi all,

I'm new to the world of Airsoft and have decided on the G36 (still deciding between the G36 and the G36k for outdoor skirmishes) to start off with. From what I've read, Classic Army is a fantastic manufacturer so I know I can't go wrong. But I'm also reading that KWA currently makes the BEST G36 on the market.

I would very much appreciate any input from the experienced airsofters out there.

Thank you

[Russkie]

Get an SRC or an ARES.

[Prophet]

Agreed, CA G36s don't have good gearboxes from what I hear, and I have owned an SRC and fondled an ARES blowback, and they both are great.

[VogonFord]

The newest KWA G36Cs are very nice, they just will be rare because they're only doing one run of them. Other than those, though, the next best are the newest breed of ARES G36s. Keep in mind they seem to be slightly finicky with ammo, but other than that they work well and they look great.

[G36 FTW]

Classic Army>Ares>KWA>SRC

Classic Army's last series of g36s before they were discontinued had great gearboxes, the only problem continues to be their thin wiring which eventually would need to be replaced. They also had the best externals to date of any air soft rifle (g36 wise). Good luck finding one though...

Ares'es G36s are pretty nice as well, but they can be finicky and need to be re-shimmed right out of the box. They have real trademarks as well, but their body seem lines are irritatingly obvious. Another con (for me) is the weak electric blow back, but it could pretty easily be disabled.

KWA's g36c has the best gearbox out of all of them, but they are know for periodic feeding issues and their externals are kinda meh...

SRC's g36s have the highest quality fiberglass bodies, but their body's seem lines are atrocious, and they are very squeaky. They also have a proprietary hop-up which sucks (you can mod a TM type hop-up to fit, but it is a pain in the a$$).


I'd go with a CA or Ares g36, personally.

[league 4]

I liked classic army G36's over all the other's I've used. Don't really know why though.

[dos_Santos]

I have had my CA G36C since 2006 and it's still my favorite, though I own a couple CA LWRC's (great gun in it's own right). I have done internal upgrades (not due to failure) to the G36 EXCEPT for changing out the gears. Thay have never failed on me.
Also as an item of interest, Echo 1 just released a G36C that AONW just blogged about and had some great upgrades over past G36's. Go check it out.

[dos_Santos]

Double post...

[dos_Santos]

Mod plese delete this after deleting double post...AP server going nuts and I can't edit it...Thanks!

[Blizzard]

As far as internals go, the SRC Gen III is the best out there. Aside from the hopup that is. I've been running a stock SRC Gen III G36 gearbox at 400 FPS and a 10.8v for about a year now. I've put about 30k rounds through it and everything inside looks like new. No joke. They look brand new. The piston is on par with the Modify polycarb (I've owned two of those), aluminum double O-ring bearing piston head has PERFECT compression, steel gears are nice and sturdy, it has a double O-ring aluminum cylinder head, an aluminum ball-bearing spring guide, 8mm bearings, etc. etc. I've built guns to those specs with parts like Guarder, Modify, Element, G&P, etc. and the SRC gearbox just keeps chugging away. I think I get a +/- 1 FPS variation in my G36 DMR with that setup.

The SRC hopup sucks. Period. Stay away. Anything is better... even a JG unit.

SRC body, although it is constructed of good material, has many creaks and seams like League said, but I've gotten used to it so far just because I haven't bothered replacing it yet.

Overall, here's my opinion:

Internals (barring hopup): SRC>KWA>CA>Ares etc.
Externals: CA > ARES > KWA > SRC

So, basically, if you can get a CA body with an SRC Gen III gearbox, you're set.

[Lushes]

Agreed, CA G36s don't have good gearboxes from what I hear, and I have owned an SRC and fondled an ARES blowback, and they both are great.

+1.

[dos_Santos]

Just a thought, only make a recommendation/crtiscism if you have EXPERIENCE using a particular brand and not just hearsay. Thanks!

[Shane396]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

CA keeps coming back as a very solid option, along with KWA and now with ARES, SRC and the new Echo. It almost sounds like I can't go wrong as they all have pros and cons. I appreciate all your input and hope to see you all on the field this spring!

-shane

[pappyjump]

i have fondled a KWA g36 and i would tell you that the externals are subpar at best. but once you open it up, you will find the best gearbox out of all of em. the only problem is that at about 50k round you will need to replace the hopup. they suck

[matteumayo]

Get a KWA for the internals.

If you really hate the externals, upgrade them like I did :3

(I'm most likely just saying this because I like KWA)