Sear's Hobby Page

The Heckler and Koch G3 assault rifle has been one of my favorites since I first laid eyes on this beauty several years ago. When I began playing airsoft, I started like most players using an M4. After about a year, I got tired of using it as it seemed every game field was awashed with this American classic.

During one of my visits to my favorite airsoft shops,  I spied on a large box on the floor while they were stocking supplies. When I asked what it was, I was told that it was a long rifle. After using an M733, I was a bit intimidated by the gun's length. But what caught my attention was its very straightforward design, something you'd expect from a German design.

I eventually bought one and spent the first two weeks getting accustomed to its size and weight. Despite its length it's quite light, and since it's an RAS, it also came with a removable foregrip. Here's what to expect when you get one:

-the gun
-vertical grip
-8.4v 1500mah nicad battery and charger
-one very long barrel cleaner
-bbs which I don't recommend you use


In terms of finish the rails were crisp and the numbers were easy to read. The edges of the rails weren't too sharp as I thought they would be. It's heavy and you feel the weight during prolonged scenarios.

The main body is made of plastic, but is quite sturdy. Except for the indicators on the selector lever, there are no markings whatsoever. The surface of the plastic is smooth making it shiny when hit by the light. That was something I immediately fixed by spraying the upper receiver and buttstock with Bosny flat black. If you look closely at the image above, the lower receiver is glossier than the upper.

Metal parts include the RAS, selector lever, trigger, cocking handle, ejector port, front and rear sight, and the outer barrel. When I first took out the RAS, I also noticed that the outer barrel was made of plastic so only the barrel after the front sight is metal.

Unlike most M4s, there is a groove in which you can lock up the handle at the rear just like the real deal. This makes adjusting the hop up very easy.

Looking through the open sights is easy, especially with the ghost ring in the front post, and also helps with one's muzzle awareness.

The hop up is composed of a one-piece plastic unit, with a drum-type wheel, easily visible and adjustable when you lock the cocking handle. On my gun, it took only a few clicks to get the hop at the right position.

As stated earlier, looking through the front sight is not a problem. With the rear sight, that's another thing. Depending on what kind of mask or goggles you wear, looking through the rear post can be a little difficult. I got myself a red dot to remedy this.

Wireless technology has allowed users like myself to be able to go online without the need to deal with meters (or is kilometers?) of cable running through, in, and out of the house. It has made my laptop function as it really should, a portable computer.

However, it is not always what it promotes itself to be. These past few weeks have been more than a test of patience for my myself and my better half. I am quite aware that using a prepaid wireless dongle means that there will be times the connection will be slow. I accept that. I am aware that storms and generally bad weather can cut or at least slow things down to a crawl. I accept that.

What I cannot accept is the fact that when the dongle shows a "blue light" and not even "move". This is my dilemma. It is so slow and so bad today, that I am wondering if I will have the chance to even finish this one sente

In the search for a reasonably priced battery to replace my now dead stock 8.4v unit, I was informed by a fellow airsofter that a local diy shop in Pasig was selling lithium polymer
(commonly known as lipoly) batteries at an unusually low price.

Most lipoly batteries sell for php1500 and up depending on the brand. I was pleasantly surprised to find one for less than one thousand. Pictured on the left is a Bremen Haus 11.1v, 15c lipoly costing php 999.75. Low enough right? After the discount, at 20%, that brings the price down to php 799!

In the past I have always been wary of where to buy batteries. For me, it's not just having a good return policy that matters, I also take into account the shop's reputation as well. Since this Handyman Galleria, one would not expect such a shop to sell lipolies.

Upon entering the store, I immediately asked one of the reps about rechargeable batteries (I wasn't sure if they even knew about lipolies based on a call I made to them a day before). I was asked what type of battery I was looking for and told them. I was directed to another rep who took me to the battery section, where on display was a fair amount of lipolies of varying sizes and shapes. The price range was something that caught my attention. For example, an 11.1v  20c bar-type Bremen Haus costs just a little above a thousand after the discount ( I wish I was able to get pictures of it for this blog).

I decided to buy a triple chuck 11.1v 15c 1250mah unit. As this is my first ever lipoly, I decided to play safe and get a moderately strong battery since I plan to use it for CQB where ROF and not FPS matters. At purchase, the battery comes with Tamiya plugs which I replaced with deans plugs. The wiring looked good, with no signs of tear or abuse from shipping.

The battery was used with a JG G3 RAS. The spring was a 2-year old Guarder SP110. I decided to use the battery without charging it just to see if it would work. After about a thousand bbs, I check the battery and noticed it was a bit warm to touch. Not wanting to have bloated cells, I decided to take it out for cooling and its first charge. Total charge time was around 35 minutes using a Linkman balancer. I did not wait for the charger to indicate a full charge. After 10 minutes, I plugged it in my AEG again and spent the rest of the afternoon playing. After five  7-minute scenarios, two magazine changes, the battery was still working well (My gun's mag holds 500 bbs).

That game was played last week. Since then I have yet to charge the battery and simply stored it in a cool dry play. This morning I tried it with another G3, This one uses a TU 130 spring that has seen limited use. The gun uses the new JG strong motor, a motor known for torque rather than RPM. I fired 10 three-round bursts and I'm quite happy to say that the battery provided a consistent charge.

Overall, I would say this is one of my better purchases where airsoft is concerned. A good price, good quality, things most of us look for in any product. If you're looking for lower priced lipolies I suggest you visit Handyman in Robinson's Galleria. According to the sales rep, the sale of these batteries is until December, so better get there while stocks last. Aside from batteries, they sell Lipoly charger balancers ranging from the most basic to the so-called "intelligent" versions. This is not the end of this review, I will be posting more after each time I use it.