Angel Custom M4 to MP5 Magazine Adapter review by Booligan
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Table of Contents:
Introduction
Ordering
Packaging
Adapter Information
Magazine Information
Pros/Cons
Overall
Introduction:
AR platform AEGs are pretty much the single most common airsoft gun that you'll find on the field. Damn near everyone owns one or has owned one at some point in their airsoft life. There are a few very good reasons why you would want to use an M4, namely the easy customization, thousands of available accessories, and easy to work on V2 gearbox. Regardless, it can be difficult to separate your gun from the countless others on the field, and a magazine conversion kit is one easy way to do it. There are several real-steel AR variants that are set up to fire pistol caliber cartridges, so something like this can still make for a very realistic replica. There have been 9mm magazine conversion kits in the past for AR AEGs, but they used TM Uzi mags which tend to be expensive and difficult to find. Well, Angel Custom put together a new conversion kit that uses easy to find and inexpensive MP5 magazines, and they even put together their own straight 10mm type magazine to go along with it. Today, we'll be looking at the kit with several different guns, going over all the details, and hopefully answering any questions that you guys might have about it!
Ordering:
I was sent this kit directly through Evike, who has it available HERE, priced at $22.50 at the time of this review. The kit linked above includes the adapter and a single 200 round polymer “AP10” style hi-cap magazine. Spare magazines are available both in 48 round low-cap and 200 round hi-cap versions, as single magazines or in packs of 5. If you don't like this style of magazine, the gun will work with any TM compatible MP5 magazine, so you can find low, mid, and hi-cap options in several different designs and at a wide range of prices. If you don't like this magazine, you can actually buy just the adapter HERE for under $15, and just buy or supply your own MP5 mags. The kit arrived a few days after ordering using UPS ground with no damage.
Packaging:
The packaging for both the magazine and the adapter were pretty basic, however, the adapter box did supply a fair bit of information on kit compatibility with different guns.
From this point on, click on the thumbnails to view full size photos
Box art
Basic kit information
Info on how to modify the kit for different gun models
Adapter Information:
The adapter itself is made out of a high strength nylon polymer, which is a definite improvement over the old Warhead brand 9mm adapter, which used a fairly thin plastic material. The difference in feel is night and day between the two, with the Angel kit feeling much higher grade. The design is also different between the two, which is to be expected given the different magazines used.
Adapter
Adapter, other side
Feeding end
Magwell end
The adapter has a large metal catch which locks onto the MP5 magazine to keep it secure while installed. To remove the magazine, simply push the large lever at the rear and pull the magazine free from the gun. To reload the gun, just click the new magazine in place, ensuring that it locks in place. Really, it's pretty simple to use. It's pretty hard to mis-align the MP5 mag while inserting it, but it is a different shape than your standard M4 magazine, so you will need some reload drills before you get it just right.
Magazine installed
Magazine installed, other side
Installation of the adapter itself into your gun is, in most cases, a 2 second job. Just push it into the gun like a magazine, ensuring that the magazine catch properly locks onto it when fully inserted. On some gun models, the magwell may be too tight, but Angel thought of this and provided some easy adjustment points on the adapter which can be sanded off for specific gun models. On the majority of guns I tested, I didn't need to do any modifications at all to get a good fit. To remove the adapter from your gun, just push your gun's magazine release and pull it out of the gun. It might be in there tight, so you may need a good yank to get it out of there.
Installed in G&G Firehawk
Shot into magwell with kit installed
One of the cool parts of this kit is that it, theoretically, should fit in almost any STANAG compatible gun, including M4s, the APS UAR, L85s, and many, many other guns. The shape of your gun's magwell may make fitting the kit difficult, but in my testing, I didn't have any major issues with some off the wall guns. The issue you'll run into with odd guns are ones with shallow magwells, like the UAR, Magpul PDR, T89, etc. Since the magazine is retained using the magwell of the existing gun, if it's too shallow, the magazine could get knocked out the side easily. In guns like these, the Warhead conversion kit might be the better option.
Army L85
Bravo M4 pistol
Bolt B4 SOPMOD
One thing to note, the magazine doesn't come straight down out of the kit, it's canted forward at an ever-so-slight angle. I prefer this look personally and think it looks great.
Magazine Information:
The included hi-cap magazine is a polymer, semi-transparent design holding about 200 rounds with a standard bottom mounted winding wheel. It fits into the kit quite well with a little side to side free play, which is to be expected with the totally different magwell design. It has G36 style lugs on the sides which will allow you to link multiple magazines together for quick reloads.
Included hi-cap magazine
Feeding end
Winding wheel
The magazine feeds well enough in my testing, easily keeping up with the 27 RPS gun I was testing it in. One of the perks of this kit is that it uses easy to find MP5 magazines, and I tested it out with a standard JG low-cap as well as the Echo 1 SOB hi-cap, both of which worked quite well. The SOB mag needed a slight smack to lock in place securely, but it fit in there quite solidly once it was in there.
Curved MP5 magazine
SOB straight mag
Pros:
Easily converts your M4 to use MP5 magazines
Inexpensive - $23 for the adapter and magazine
Looks awesome, especially on short ARs
Compatible with pretty much any STANAG platform rifle
MP5 mags are MUCH easier to find compared to the old Uzi mags
Included magazine is a very cool, unique design
Sturdy construction – Nylon polymer with a metal catch
Has easy adjustment points for different AR manufacturers
Cons:
Some side to side wobble in most of the guns I tested
Some magazines required a good whack to lock in place
Adjustment points require you to file away parts of the adapter, which you can't exactly undo
Overall:
Personally, I love the look of a short, stubby AR with a long 9mm magazine sticking out the bottom. I currently own 3-4 of the old Warhead conversion kits which use TM Uzi magazines, and until this thing came along, I thought they were the coolest thing in the world. This totally blows the old kit out of the water. Yes, the old kit is a bit more realistic with the use of Uzi mags, like most real 9mm ARs, however, this kit is much better for airsoft use, in my opinion, due to the readily available MP5 magazines that it uses. This kit also feels much better, is more compact, and the new magazines look awesome. Thankfully, the brand new G&G Firehawk just landed on my review desk as well, and this kit looks right at home in it.
Many thanks again to Evike, and of course, Airsoft Retreat!
