DPMS A-15 ultra grade review and easy upgrade guide





MILITARY BACKGROUND:

Well... One thing disappoints me about this gun. It is NOT a exact replica of any gun DPMS makes. It is more similar to the DPMS AP4 panther carbine, or the L.E.

Panther Carbine, but I'll still give some background from dpms itself. DPMS, or panther arms, was incorporated in 1986 as a Department of Defense agency representing numerous small arms manufacturers across the country. Not much is about the company on the dpms site, which is www.dpmsinc.com, cept for they do have a team. (real steel of course) http://www.dpmsinc.com/team_dpms.html



So, on to the review.





Real steal Panther arms AP4 carbine.



Packaging:



I was quite impressed by this gun's packaging when I first received it. It had some nice pics on it, and pics of lots of other Cybergun products. The box was quite sturdy. Upon ripping it open, I saw the gun, mag, loading tool, and instructions all placed nicely in white plastic cut-outs. ONE thing though, the gun fits in quite tight, so do not try to pull it out by the barrel, as this may put unnecessary strain on the barrel assembly.







First Impression:



I must say that I was very impressed with this gun; weight. It weighs in at nearly 5 pounds, quite hefty for a spring gun. The total length comes in at 33.25 inches with the stock extended, and the height with the mag in is roughly 10 inches. The gun has full DPMS trade marks. Which read:

DPMS

Panther arms

CAL 6mm

MOD A-15

SN: 06251954







The finish was also very nice, an all around matte black with no reflective properties. The plastic seems to be quite sturdy, which is all abs. The only complaint I have about the exterior, is the %^($ ugly foot long (not really) orange flash hider; although that was easily taken care of usin my airbrush.







Loading:



Upon loading the gun for the first time, I realized how easy this was made with the mag loading tool. You just pour in the bbs, put it over mag hole, and cram em in with the rod. The mag is supposed to be put in with the mag release depressed, but I just stick it in. If done like this, it will snap home in two clicks, makin you feel real good about how well in the mag is. The mag Does have a BB stopper, so carrying extras is no problem. The mags have a capacity of 50 shots, which is quite a bit for a springer.



To cock the gun, pull back on the T charging handle until u hear the gun load, and a click is heard. Then let the handle back into the receiver easily, do not just let it snap back in, for this would break it over time.



Aiming Ability:



This gun has no adjustable sights, except for the rear one can be adjusted for windage. The sights also can be a little hard to use at first, but you will get used to it. NOW here I must highly suggest you get a red-dot sight, and the mount to attach it to the carry handle. This will make aiming quickly in any situation MUCH easier, and will give u more time to hide, and spend less aiming. You will also notice that this gun over-hops a little, but if u get a red-dot, u can zero in with it, so over-hop wont matter.







Performance and Specs:



I performed all of my test using Cybergun .2g special selection BBs.



POOR MANS CHRONO



Point blank- shot through one side of can and left large dent in other.

3 Feet away- barely went through one side, no dent in other.

6 Feet away- large dent in one side



ACCURACY:



Groupings:



Yards-with red dot, without red dot

10 yards- 1 inch, 1.5

20 yards- 3 inches, 4-5 inches

30 yards- 8-12 inches, 15-20

40 yards- 2.5 foot, 4 feet

50 yards- 4-6 feet groupings, can hit a man sized target about half the time



This gun has great range and power for a springer, and according to the poor mans chrono, shoots between 280 and 300 fps. One thing however, is that the gun over-hops about a half a foot at 20 yards, but using a red-dot, you may zero in, and not have to worry about that. You can hit a soda can with ease from about 15 yards, and about half the time from 30 yards. I can hit a stop sign from 43 yards, using a red-dot.



SKIRMISHABILITY:



(^is that even a real word?)

I just have to say that this is one of the best spring rifles out there, and can easily hold its own against GBB's and even AEGs if you have a certain amount of skill. The A-15 is very mobile due to it's collapsible stock, and can be a good counter-sniper if proper optics are used. Cocking can be made rapidly, but is slower than the TM XM-177 since TM puts the charging handle under the foregrip.



ACESSORISING:



Well this IS a spring gun, so not much can be done here unless you can custom make parts for it. You can add friction fit silencers, and some RIS systems might fit with slight modification. The biggest thing here is custom paint jobs, which can make this gun look awesome. I am currently in the process of making my custom silencer with threads. This will be done by sawing off the flash hider, and finding a hollow screw with threads on the end. This will be epoxyed to the inside of the outer barrel, and the threads will stick out. I will then make a custom metal silencer using sheet metal, and another hollow screw, but this one having internal threads so you can screw it onto the threaded barrel. The silencer will have foam, and will look really cool. Another common mod is taking a hack-saw and chopping of the carry handle, screwing a weaver rail on, and having a flat-top a-15. You can also buy weaver rails that screw onto your foregrip through the little holes to mount flashlights and stuff.







NOW THE GOOD STUFF; UPGRADES:



DISCLAIMER: Airsoft Core and the poster of the this information as described in the rules, are not responsible if you break your gun as a result of this information. Do not open it unless you are either positive you can be do it, or are not worried whether it breaks or not.



For all of you who want a little more umph outta your A-15, here is a list of mods that will give you it, without totally wrecking the gun in days.



Disassembling:

The a-15 breaks down into a few main parts.



1. Front barrel assembly is removed by unscrewing the two screws on the sides right behind the front sight.

2. The pistol grip is removed by taking out the screw inside of it.

3.The stock is removed via the screw inside of the buffer (stock) tube.







1. Very few spacers-

Start by taking apart the receiver, and removing the spring. Then find a washer or small round flat object that fits in the spring holder (guide) and set it in behind the spring. Reinsert the spring, and WHAMMOO!!!! 5-15 more fps!!!!!



2. Easy barrel extension for more accuracy- First get a BIC pen, and cut it down to about 2.5-3 inches. Then, get a nerf dart, one of the yellows ones, that has the suction cup on the end that is about = an inch wide, and 3 inches long. Color the pen black with a sharpie, and cut off the suction cup on the dart. Stick the pen in the dart (make sure u get the hollow darts). Put the pen inside of the dart, it should be a snug fit. Then insert this apparatus into your flash hider (it will be a very snug fit, and will require a little force to get all the way in). The pen should be perfectly centered, and this should increase you groupings by about an inch at 15 yards.

Note- it may take a little adjusting to get the full potential accuracy increase of this.



3. Replace complete inner barrel-

This is most likely one of the easiest, but one of the more expensive: go to the hardware store and find some

6 mm copper tubing, drop a few bbs down to make sure they will fit, but u want it to be as tight a fit as possible without them getting stuck any. The remove your foregrip, unscrew the front barrel assembly right behind the front sight, and pull straight off.



This exposes the silver inner barrel, which slides right out. Cut the copper pipe to the desired length, but do not make it more than 100 mm longer than the original. Slide this in place of old inner, reinstall front assembly, and there you have it.



CONCLUSION:



This is a great gun, and will hold up for a long time if treated well. It is just as good for noobs, and veterans alike, and is probably one of the best spring rifles ever made. I would also like to thank you all for putting up with mylong review . Id say it was the best 80 dollars I have ever spent, and would buy another one if this one ever does break. So if you want it get it, if you don not want it, still get it, because it just plain out rocks.



M4alltheway