APS Phantom Extremis Rifle Mark II AEG
Master Chief
31 May 2017
The M4 carbine is still one or if not the most famous and best selling Airsoft RIF and the Airsoft market is saturated will all sorts of variants and designs. APS got some of the newer offerings of AR AEGs and one of them is the Phantom Extremis Rifle (PER). And on this review, we will be looking into the APS PER Mark II.
A bold and brave in-house design by APS, the APS Phantom Extremis Rifle Mark II or PER II has features that push the boundary of Airsoft RIF design to the limits that will surely challenge the die-hard M4 purists and fanatics.
At first glance, the PER II looks like another M4 carbine Airsoft rifle. But on closer inspection, it features some great parts that look pretty impressive.
First, the rifle feels very solid and well built. It feels good in the hands and feels comfortable when shouldered into a firing position. This is mainly due to the 12.5" slim low profile handguard which features the KeyMod rail system. Second, the finish and build quality of this rifle is pretty good, it has a matte black finish wherein both upper and lower receivers plus the handguard have the same finish giving the rifle a very clean look that flows throughout.
Apart from the buttstock, hand grip and magazine, the rifle is moslty made of metal. As I mentioned earlier, the handguard features a KeyMod system with a top rail that aligns perfectly with the receiver. It also features an integrated handstop design which adds to the comfort of the shooter. It is not a free float rail design as the outer barrel is supported within the handguard to keep it centered.
The outer barrel sticks out about an inch out of the handguard and has a badass looking flash hider called the Icefyre. Looking into the barrel, it is noticeable that the 6.04mm inner barrel extends up to the end of the flash hider. Now this can be an issue if you will want to change the flashhider into a smaller or shorter one. The outer barrel and flashhider also has the same matte black finish as the rest of the rifle.
The rifle has flip-up rear and front sights for easy deployment when needed. Although they are not spring loaded, they are easily flipped up or down. The rear sight is fully adjustable with windage and elevation while the front is height adjustable. Another cool feature of the rifle is its flat trigger design which APS claims is much lighter that the conventional trigger design.
The best feature that I love with this rifle is that it is fully ambidextrous. The magazine release, fire selector switch and even the extended charging handle are all accessible from either side of the rifle. The magazine release catch is also oversized on the right side of the rifle for quick and easy access. Pulling the charging handle reveals the hop-up adjustment. The fake bolt can be locked back and closed by pressing the bolt release catch.
The PER II also features an electric blowback system which APS have developed so that it does not add any strain to the power consumption of the rifle.
The stock on this rifle also has a custom look which APS calls the RS1. This stock has its own little features all on its own. This can be adjusted in two ways: firstly, one is by pressing down two levers on either side; and secondly, by pressing the lever within the enclosed section. This lever acts as a quick deploy function for the stock. The stock also has a QD sling mount attached and can also house the lipo battery within the hollowed-out space inside the buttplate. This will also enable the player to carry a spare battery if you have a battery thin or small enough to fit inside the stock tube. Good for those long skirmishes and/or milsim events where players are unable to go and recharge batteries.
INTERNALS
One of the main features of the PER II is a quick spring change system. This can be accessed by removing the buffer tube. It is always handy to be able to field strip your AEG to make it comply with site limits. The 6.04mm aluminium inner barrel is probably one of the better inner barrels that I have seen in stock AEGs. Attached at the inner end of this barrel is a metal hop-up unit which again is a very good quality. The gears are suspended within the gearbox with 8mm metal bushings and as for the spring guide, it is of good quality with a metal head and bearings for smoother travel. The piston also has a metal head and metal first tooth which helps in preventing wear and tear on the system. The entire internals are well greased. Another good thing to mention is the low impedance electrical wiring used which is of better quality than the ordinary wiring used in most stock AEGs.
HOLD....PAIN....HELL
The APS PER II is a rather fun AEG to use. It catches the eyes of other players due to its unique design. The rate of fire is pretty decent but the thing that is impressive is its accuracy. It claimed to have an effective shooting range of 30 metres and I would say that it does achieve that claim. If you order this direct from APS, you can ask them to set it up to the muzzle velocity that you prefer. Canadian variants are sold at 400fps.
Unfortunately I am unable to use this rifle in its stock setup here in the U.K. as it came in with a muzzle velocity of 420+ fps on 0.20g BBs. I will downgrade the spring when I get the chance so that I can try it out in the field.
The blowback system is not that bad although I find the fake bolt a bit clunky. It does say that the design of the blowback will not put any extra strain on the battery so it wouldn't hurt running it with the blowback feature.
CONCLUSION
The APS Phantom Extremis Rifle II is marked at $275 or around £213 which is around the same cost as your mid range AEG. So is it worth it?
The rifle is solidly built with good quality materials. It's a full metal RIF with a unique custom design. It comes with very good internals, a blowback feature, a KeyMod rail, quick swap spring and a decent 6.04mm inner barrel. It is a full-featured AEG that is ready for an airsoft game, thoigh you may have to downgrade its power to meet local laws.
It is fun to use, lightweight and accurate.
So if you ask me... yes it is worth its price.