Reviews

Specna Arms SA-J09 EDGE AEG

Master Chief

Specna Arms SA-J09 EDGE AEG Review

AK assault rifle replicas have always been a part of the airsoft world and probably, one of the most popular airsoft replicas next to the M4/AR platform. This is the reason why most airsoft manufacturers have an AK range of replicas and some manufacturers only make AK-style replicas.

Recently, Specna Arms have finally released their AK platform replicas which they call the J series. Part of their EDGE series of airsoft replicas, it was expected that their new J series will be of the same good quality as their M4/AR counterparts.

The J series is well packaged. Inside, you will get the replica, 2 hi-cap magazines and some documents. Specna Arms sent me the SA-J09 which is a replica of the AK105 rifle. The build quality of the rifle is very good. Constructed in full metal, all parts come together really well and the whole build is pretty solid. The only non-metal external parts are the handguard, folding stock and magazines.

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From the front end, the J09 has a standard AK-style flash hider with 14cm CCW thread. The handguard is removable and attaches to the rifle very well with little movement or wobble. The rear sight is adjustable and has deep and clear markings. The top cover or dust cover serves as the battery cover which is typical of AK AEGs that are mainly based on the original Marui AK AEG. The battery space is big enough to house a good size lipo battery and the battery is connected with a mini Tamiya connector. The charging handle hides the hop-up adjuster, it does not lock back in place so the user will need to hold it back to adjust the hop. The hop-up adjustment mechanism is good in my opinion as it is on the stiff side which I like as it will not undo itself on its own. The hop-up chamber is metal which I find to be solid and sturdy.

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One of the things that puts me off AK style airsoft rifles is the fire selector switch. You would either get one that is too flimsy that it does not lock in place or too stiff that you need to use a lot of  force and effort to push it into place. The fire selector on this replica cycles pretty good but is not perfect. On the way down, it lock nicely in place on automatic fire and down to semi but on the way up it does not catch the lock that well and misses the automatic fire setting. It’s okay if I  adjust it slowly but if I am in a rush to switch from semi auto to automatic fire, there is a chance that I would miss the full auto slot. The fire selector lever though runs very smooth when adjusted.

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Another thing that I like about this replica is its trigger. It is very solid with no wobble and has a nice firm trigger pull. Using a 7.4v lipo battery, it gave me a sluggish trigger response. It is important to note though that the replica still has a stiffer spring inside and that an 11.1v battery may give a better trigger response. I might be able to get a good response with my 7.4v batteries once I have changed the spring to the spare M90 spring that comes with the package. The J series comes with the Orion V3 gearbox which has Specna Arms’ “Enter and Convert” feature which makes spring change really easy. But, unlike the M4/AR variants, the J series needs the gearbox to be taken out of the replica before the spring can be swapped. I will do a performance report once I get my tech guy to go through the internals of the rifle.

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The pistol grip is a standard AK style pistol grip and the J09 comes with an AK scope rail mount on the side. This is a big bonus as some brands have this as an aftermarket accessory. At the rear of the rifle is the folding stock that is made polymer. It solidly locks in when unfolded but it does feel hollow when I knock on it. On its right side is a sling attachment point and at the butt end is a button to unlock it when it’s folded.

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The package comes with two 500 round capacity high capacity AK AEG magazines. Again, I would say a good bonus from Specna Arms. The magazines are made of polymer material similar to the stock. They lock in place very good and are pretty solid once in. One thing that I noticed is that the wires are exposed within the mag well. And there is obvious signs that the magazine is hitting the red wire which could be a point where wear and tear could occur faster.

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The SA-J09 EDGE is a very well-built and solid AK replica which is what we are noticing now with the quality of Specna Arms replicas coming out. The 2 hi-cap magazines are a big bonus as it allows the user to be game ready straight away. The J series are compatible with other AK magazine brands according to Specna Arms and a list can be found on their website. I’m expecting this replica to perform well although I will still need to get my tech guy to go through the internals and to swap the spring to a much softer M90. As I mentioned earlier, I will make a follow up performance report once I use this in game when the sites open when the pandemic lockdown has been lifted which we are all hoping will be soon.

Big thanks to Specna Arms for sending us this sample to review.

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