English
To the great delight of many MagFed fans around the world, the company Hard Style Paintball from the Czech Republic announced a few weeks ago that their new paintball assault rifle in the AK-47 design is already in series production. The marker is currently undergoing PTB approval and should be available on the German market in the second quarter of 2022. We had the privilege of taking a closer look at the Hard Style Paintball AK-20 in advance and want to tell you about it in the product test of this issue.
When you think of MagFed paintball markers, only a handful of marker models inevitably come to mind. Most people know the Tippmann TMC from the entry-level sector. Then brands like Milsig, RAP4 or MCSUS follow and at the end there is Planet Eclipse and First Strike or Maxtact. Most of the brands mentioned have one thing in common, their marker models are usually strongly based on the AR-15 assault rifle and its world-famous optics. – The only exception to this is Planet Eclipse's EMF100, although there is now a replica conversion kit available for it to make it look like an AR-15. Despite the popularity of the AR-15, many players forget that there is another mass-produced assault rifle that simply eclipses the AR-15 in terms of production volumes, reliability and lifestyle. – We're talking about the Avtomat Kalashnikova, or as the Leihe would say, the AK-47 assault rifle.
Of course, both in the USA and here in Europe, people are more influenced by the American AR-15 model, but MagFed players, collectors and Real Action fans have long been longing for a real alternative for a long time. The MagFed paintballers from Eastern Europe and of course also from Russia simply cannot really make friends with the AR-15. So it was only logical that at some point someone had to fill this gap. This is exactly what the Czech company Hard Style Paintball has done. The development team, which consists essentially of a few long-established MagFed players and a few skilled engineers, has brought their vision of an AK-47 MagFed paintball marker to life over a period of several years. The result is really impressive in terms of appearance and function and is convincing across the board.
We received the so-called basic version of the AK-47 from the manufacturer Hard Style, which is marketed under the model name AK-20. The housing of the marker has the dimensions 68 x 26 x 7 cm (without shoulder rest or HP system). The whole marker including the air system weighs approx. 3.5 kg. The basic model is deceptively based on the original AK-47 rifle. Even the handle and the handguard are made of real oak and have been milled with great precision. This marker not only looks cool and true to the original, but also feels the same way.
The further haptics of the marker are also extremely realistic. The fire selector lever (unfortunately deactivated in Germany and limited to semi-automatic) and the cocking lever of the weapon are based on the original. A really unique feature that we have not seen in any other MagFed paintball marker is the movable bolt or slide. With every shot, the entire bolt mechanism moves back on the top of the housing and thus re-tensions the marker. Not only does this look really cool, but it also provides the classic recoil. Sure, it's not a real AK, but the feeling when shooting is really impressive and isn't just something for enthusiasts. Next we come to the magazines. This is also a completely new or in-house development by the manufacturer Hard Style Paintball. As usual with the AK-47, the magazines are slightly bent forward. Each magazine holds 20 rounds of ammunition. The Hard Style AK-20 is designed for both roundballs and fist strike paintballs. The marker loaded and fired both types of ammunition in the tests without any problems. In general, the marker works surprisingly reliably with its BlowBack functional principle. Just in the spirit of the AK-47 inventor. A product that is simply constructed and works trouble-free in every situation.
The last product feature we would like to focus on is the shoulder rest. The basic variant is a relatively simple, foldable metal version. Just like the original. However, folding it in only makes sense without an HP system, because otherwise you would fold the shoulder rest down over the handle, but the HP bottle remains on the back of the housing. But still a great feature for transport. If you still like it compact, you could alternatively work with a remote hose on the back of the marker, but then unfortunately you no longer have the desired free feeling of an Airstock shoulder rest.
Lt. manufacturer, there will be other, modified versions of the marker in the near future. Among other things, other shoulder rests and shorter versions with a more modern look are being planned. You want to do justice to all AK-47 fans. The nostalgic as well as the fans of the current AK model series.
As far as our product test for the new and, above all, the only AK-47 MagFed marker in the world from Hard Style Paintball. With us, this product has definitely found new fans straight away. Admittedly, the estimated RRP of around 1,400 euros may scare off one or the other interested party at first, but in the end you get a really well thought-out product with a high-quality design for your money. In addition, the already mentioned functionality. Almost nothing can stop this marker and it will certainly not let you down on the field when the going gets tough. We wish you a lot of fun with the new AK-20 from Hard Style Paintball and look forward to being able to marvel at it in action on the playing fields and at MagFed events such as the OBS or ASC and others.
