Editor's Note: This is a review and takedown of the Real Sword Type 97 as issued by the Real Sword Company.  This is a very comprehensive review, though its title has "Primary", but nevertheless provides a great look into the AEG that has recently been released by Real Sword. Richard Lee is the author of this article with Jensen Yang taking the photographs shown here.  This article is courtesy of Real Sword. 

RS 97 Primary Explorations

Article：Richard  Lee
Picture： Jensen Yang

When I was surfing the internet during the Spring Festival, a piece of news popped up through the search engine: RS97 AEG is released. Over-excited, I felt like that a bullet had shot through my brain. In the following days, nothing filled my mind except excitements and expectations. Anyway, this was the first time a Chinese AEG came out to the market. I devoted my time in the internet, reviewing previous military magazines, searching for information about Chinese 97 rifle. I compared the 97 rifle with the given data of RS 97 in details. The more information I gathered, the eager I was to own one piece of the new product myself. If this AEG really meets the standard shown on RS’s website, it would undoubtedly be a most ideal AEG worth so long a time of waiting.

Early Chinese small weapons followed the Russian gun system. By the end of 1950s, China began to develop special small weapons suitable for the Chinese army itself. Since the birth of 5.8mm X 42 caliber bullets in 1978, Chinese small weapon industry has entered into a “small caliber arms” phase. As a military fan, I was deeply moved when I saw that the People's Liberation Army garrison in Hong Kong was armed with type 95 style 5.8mm assault rifle. Not long after that the Chinese type 97 5.56mm assault rifle came into being. More significantly, it is not only a product for export, but also a new type that enriches the varieties of Chinese small caliber small weapons. I have met with some military guards in my work, and I had played with the type 97 real gun, and tried some testing shot. I was quite impressed by this assault rifle that completely developed and produced by Chinese. This might be the reason I kept waiting for the coming of this RS AEG as well.

Everything comes to him who waits. Finally, I got my RS TYPE 97 AEG!

An unprecedented new type of AEG brought about untiring curiosity. Of course, a small amount of vanity works here, too. Though I have made a lot of preparations for my study of this AEG, it is really a new type of gun unfound before; therefore it is more preferable to call my following introduction a “brief review”. Perhaps, you may find more characteristics of it through your own experience.

Appearance

Unlike 10pcs-wooden-boxes we usually saw on the training field, the packing box of RS TYPE 97 AEG is made of kraft paper. I think this may depends on the different shipping requirements.

As soon as I opened the toy gun box, a tinge of gun oil (just like I smell from the real gun) rushed out— a replica smelling a first. Inside the box, there are gun body, 130rds steel magazine, oil bottle, accessories box, safety cap, distinguishing flash hider and BB charger tube.

From the information I collected before, I’ve already known that RS 97 AEG’s weight is only 0.2kg different from the original. I felt that the weight is almost the same with the original gun when I held the RS 97 in my hand. Naturally, I tried several gestures of holding the gun that I often use and felt that the gravity center of the gun is well focused on the middle of the small grip. I held the gun with only one arm and stretched my arm; no sense of exhaustion is felt. While I actions, this RS 97 was very quiet, without any noises of normal AEG which shows that something is loosens. No screw is seen on the gun body surface indeed.

I used a magnet to test all over the gun body. The outer barrel, the front sight, and even the selector switch are made of steel. The frame is duralumin, on the surface of which vague traces of CNC processing is seen. The gun surface is entirely gloomy black. As introduced on the web, the type 97 real steel parts use chemistry complex film finish & black-oxide technique, and the duralumin parts uses hard coat anodizing finish technique. These are all the same with what is said on the RS official website.

Pulling the charging handle, and felt that the distance was not very long.  Maybe it was the restricted by the inner construction. The metal strike noise is very strong when I released the charging handle, it must be the result of using steel parts.

I double checked the material of the gun body, stable black polymer. What I saw with my eyes and what I felt with my hands are the just same with the type 97 real steel which I’ve shot in the training field. I remembered that a Chinese magazine called Small Weapons had already said that the type 97 and type 95 used military standard high strength polyester material. Well, it seems that as for the material of the gun body, RS managed to be true to origin. Products like the AUG also used polyester on the real steel, but it did not realized real steal feeling as this AEG did.

I dare say that as a first Chinese type AEG, the appearance of RS 97 didn’t disappoint me.

Incomplete Disassembling 

With the help of disassembling pictures of RS type 97 they issued and my experience with type 97 real steel, I successfully disassembled the gun twice. The process is quite simple, during which I even found my own doohickeys.

To install the attached 130rds steel magazine took me some effort because that the magazine catch is made of steel and the power of spring is stronger. I hit it upwards; the magazine is settled in the proper place, and clatter voice you can hear clearly! Chemistry complex film finish & black-oxide technique is also applied to the magazine surface. Therefore, you needn’t worry about the peeling off of the lacquer. The armor plate of this magazine is thick, and it feels heavy. I exchanged the magazine with my TM M4 and found that they are interchangeable.

I pressed the pin on the left side of the gun body with my thumb (you can also push it with other tools) and removed it from the other side. To avoid missing it, this pin should be connected to the frame after it is pulled out.

Pull the charging handle to the end with one hand, and at the same time hit the gunstock lightly with the other hand. Move the gunstock upward when the gunstock top groove departs from the upper handguard bottom groove. You can feel this easily. The disassemble procedures are the same with the real steel.

The gear box and the steel dust cover were shown after the gunstock is taken off.

Remove the screw, and take off the dust cover. After that , hit the upper handguard backwards tenderly. The upper handguard is taken off. The gunstock and upper handguard are very light, of high tenacity, and when supported by the gun body, it becomes very strong. These are, perhaps, the features of so called the real steel factory standard material.

Turn the safety selector switch to “A” (automatic position), strip the fixed screw on the rear lever , pull the trigger, and make the two gaps of the rear lever coincide with the two protrusions on the side of the gearbox, the rear trigger lever is removed easily. Press the connection pin on the lower hand guard; pull the gun body backward, the lower hand guard will depart from the gun body. My tip is that how well you conduct the AEG disassembling depends on the feel in your hands.

RS 97 AEG battery is inside the lower handguard. I made an 8.4V – 600ma T-shape Ni-CD battery according to the instruction. I felt that the inner space of 97 AEG is really compacted. If you want to enlarge the capacity of the battery, you need to adapt other parts of the gun. The space inside the real steel grip on the lower handguard is for the accessories box. My 11.1V Li battery is a little bigger than the accessories box. If a battery of the accessories-box-size is available, sufficient high power is possible. What’s more, it is easier to change the batter that way.

RS did very well in details. Even fixed screws of the rear gear box that frequently disassembled and the rear QD base are accompanied by a flat shim set and an elasticity shim set , which ensures the tightness of the screw and that the accessories like the cushions won’t be missing.

The gear box is located in the slide inside the frame and can be pulled out from the backside. The inner space of the frame is very clear, the traces of CNC processing can be seen, and the front trigger lever is arranged there in a groove. I compared my RS 97 with the data in the pictures of the real steel frame and noticed the obvious differences between them.

The Hop-up Chamber is fixed on the sight base with two screws. You need to prepare a long pole screwdriver.

While removing the inner barrel, I feel that the gap between the inner and outer barrel is quite small. This is beneficial to ensure the shooting precision.

After disassembled, steel parts are coated with gun oil. I think this is the normal maintenance of the steel parts. Even if the connection pin and the simulation gas regulator are included, there are only 11 pieces of accessories and 5 screws. The disassembling of the whole set is very fast and simple. It feels like that you are disassembling a real steel gun, which I never felt before.

Gearbox

A brand new heart! RS T1 gearbox is right in front of me. It looks smart in dark grey.

The logo is on the right side of the gear box. On the left side, there is a removable gear for automatic fire or single fire adjustment. The tappet plate can be seen directly from the outside of the gearbox. Releasable anti-reverse latch is on the top of the gear box. The QD Spring Guide is on the rearward gear box.. 

I feel that the shape is quite unique when I first saw it on the RS official website. After disassembling this AEG and looked inside, I understand RS’s deliberate design from outer parts to inner parts to ensure 100% true to real size of type 97. Gear box T1 is absolutely designed to meet the limited internal space. Confined by the limits of internal space of the frame, the motor is unusually placed on the front of gear box.T1. In this way, the whole gear sets changes its normal place and moves above the piston. Familiar with traditional gear box, I felt a little unaccustomed to it at first. It’s something like you need to drive a left rudder while you usually drive a right one.

Well, now readjust your sense of direction, have a good study of this special heart.

Release the anti-reverse latch first. There is a catch gap on the anti-reverse latch for the convenience of a screw knife to press . Disassemble the motor, prop up the Spring Guide Set with right hand, turn off the screw on it, and release slowly until the Spring Guide Set disengages from the gear box.

First disassembling won’t be free from nervousness. Since my skill is not good enough, the Spring Guide  ran out of control and rebounded outward. What a shame! The original spring is a M90 spring. I installed a M150 at hand, attempting a sense of quick change . First, I fit the protrusion on the bottom of the Spring Guide to the gap of the QD Spring Guide Set and energized frontad averagely. To my surprise, M150 is easily installed. It was a much more tiring job to change such a powerful spring before.

Tips: After fixing the Spring Guide Set, extend the screwdriver into the hole of the Spring Guide, turn it and feel if the Spring Guide is connected with the Spring Guide Set perfectly. If you want to change the Spring Guide with bearing, you only need to exchange the original Spring Guide plate and the Spring Guide with bearing plate.

Open the gear box, the semi/auto control lever is on the left hull. You can see that  the gear sets are made of steel. The workmanship of the gear is very fine.

The part that connects bevel gear and the anti-reverse latch is a ten pieces gear which stops and acts much faster. Perhaps to strengthen it, there’s one more flute in the rear part. Spur gear is smaller than the ordinary Spur Gear. The size seemed to be about the same with TM M14’s.The complete gear and the incomplete gear of the Sector Gear are made into one piece. It looks as if the concentric, the strength and the precision are to be enhanced. It is 7 mm bearing that is compatible with the gear.

The air nozzle is on the upper side. There is a groove in the air nozzle plastic cushion, thus the high pressure current of air is pushed out much faster. Hop-up Chamber is a CNC processed air-proof hop up Chamber. A brand new design, the tappet plate is very agile, the shape reminds you of a double body ship structure.

There are two fortified metal gears on the top of the piston. Connection is made along one side of the gear to strengthen. On the bottom of the piston, you may find a special design so that when drawn back the piston can be kept inside the Spring Guide set completely. The length of the gear box is better compacted and is compatible to the inner space of the original size frame.

I replaced the M150 spring that I have tested with an 11.1V Li battery. From the audio wave of computer record, I saw that the shot speed was 19 rounds per second. The test lasted for about half an hour. Then I disassemble the gearbox  again and checked the gear, the tappet plate and the piston. NO obvious abrasion was detected.

Test shooting

RS 97 AEG was reassembled, I was ready for my first shooting with this Chinese AEG.

The sight wrench, one of the accessories with RS type 97, can be used to adjust the front sight upward and downward. There is a screw cap on the top of the front base that can be adjusted leftward or rightward after it is opened. A horizontal calibration is found behind the front sight, so that the front sight can be finely adjusted. However I had no suitable tool to help me do so just then.

Survey hole rear sight is divided into three parts named 1, 3, and 5. There’s another erect sight whose function I haven’t figured out. But I’ve seen it on the real steel. How careful RS is to bring out this detail.

Pull the charging handle, comes out the HOP-UP adjustment plate. The erect gear on it offers the center of effort when you adjust. There is a “0-9” mark on the hop-up adjustment plate. Turn it counterclockwise, the hop-up is compacted continuously, otherwise it is relaxed. When you shift ”9” is to 12 o’clock direction, the hop-up is turned to maximum.

Because the space is limited, I did a ten meters test in the room. I downloaded a target from the RS website and used TM 0.2g BB bullets, original spring. I shot with a prone position for two sets of semi control shot first, and then two sets of auto control shot. The primary speed is 91m/s to 93m/s. The accuracy of the gun is very good.

Accessories

What aroused my great interest at first sight is the accessories box .As far as I knew, these accessories are actually found in the original gun. In the accessories box, there are 5 clean rod levers, one clean rod head, one clean head, one sight wrench, and one ladderlike lever. After connecting them, I tried the cleaning and charging BB bullet functions; the operation process gave me a fresh feeling and professional sense. To protect the inner barrel, the clean rod connect lever is covered with a thermal contractible tube, which is really considerate.

I’ve gathered some information about the oil can on the internet. This oil can was in the same shape and even the same color with a type of Russian army’s oil can. Russian style left its traces on these small accessories. Having no oil at hand, I poured half can of water in and dropped it, truly enough no single drop of water was dripping.

In my opinion, as the first Chinese AEG ,RS type 97 demonstrates its high-end product’s orientation by its ingenious design, the innovation of materials, and the devotion to techniques. I hope that the birth of RS 97 will bring greater fun and more creative ideas to the wargame field.

About the author

Richard Lee
A medium worker, an enthusiastic military fan. Since 2001 he got to know wargame, he is absorbed in this kind of sport and couldn’t stop loving it.