The Viper Airsoft AEG Rifle

Type: Airsoft Rifle.
Manufacturer: Barra Airguns.
Model: Black Ops M4 Viper MK5.
Materials: Mostly plastic.
Weight: 4.8 pounds (2.2 kilograms).
Length: 29-32.5 inches (737-825.5mm)
Barrel Length: 12 inches (305mm) inner 6.08mm non-rifled.
Propulsion: AEG.
Action: Semi & Full Auto SAO.
Ammunition Type: .6mm Airsoft BB’s.
Ammunition Capacity: Mid Cap 300 rounds.
FPS: 420 with .12 gram Airsoft BB’s.

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle is a SAO light and short trigger, typical of most AEG Airsoft guns having basically a trigger that is an electrical on/off switch. The trigger pressure I would say as about medium for this type of trigger and about a 1/4 inch in length. It has a curved metal trigger and works well in general.

Accuracy: Starting with the velocity, we ended up shooting 11 rounds through our Chronograph because we were a little bit in disbelief at all the duplicate fps shots we were getting (basically this means they where mostly all the same fps at 373) we did end up getting an 11 shot average of 373 fps with the slowest hitting 370 fsp and the fastest at 374, and again pretty much all the rest where right on 373 fps. We were using .20 gram Airsoft BB’s for this test which explains the lower than 420 fps claimed by the manufacturer using .12 gram BB’s. 373 fps, so 737 fps is right on point and very usable in most Airsoft game situations. We then moved on to our accuracy test. As always we setup a fresh paper target 30 feet downrange and shot in both semi and full auto to see what kind of groupings we could get from the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle. We stayed with the .20 gram Airsoft BB’s and sat in a somewhat rested shooting position with a sandbag upfront and sitting on a stool in the back. Our 10 shot semi-auto grouping was an impressive 1 inch, just a bit lower and to the right of the bullseye using the fiber optic non-adjustable sights. We would need to use the pop-up sights to adjust for windage and could have brought up the rounds a bit using hop-up, or one could put a red dot on the top rail for bang-on shot placement. In full Auto the grouping opened up to around 2 inches in right about the same location but this was easily over 100+ shots, so again an excellent result from the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle!

Build Quality: The BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle is pretty basic and made mostly out of plastic on the outside with the exception of some mechanical parts like the inner barrel, buffer tube, selector switch, trigger, magazine release, charging handle and a few other pins and screws. everything else is plastic including the magazine but the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle does use standard AR type magazines so if you have some in metal you can use them. The plastic seems to be made of decent quality and the fit and finish is good overall.

Realism: Even though the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle may not have much metal in the build, at least in terms of the receiver and forward grip, it does look the part of an AR, perhaps a bit lighter but not bad considering all the plastic on the outside. Almost all the mechanical parts work as expected except for the bolt release since it does not stay back when you pull the charging handle back for access to the hop-up. You will have to hold the charging handle back to adjust the hop-up but not a big deal.

Pros:

• Very affordable on a tight budget.
• Comes with charger and 8.4 volt Ni-MH battery.
• Lots of mounting points for accessories.
• Dual position sights, fiber optic when down, adjustable for windage when up.
• 6 position rear stock for different shoulder pull lengths.
• Adjustable hop-up under dust cover.
• Semi and full auto.
• Finger groves on pistol grip for added comfort and they look cool.
• Black Ops branding looks good.
• Good looking AR-15 Replica.

Cons:

• Mostly all Plastic build.
• Need to hold back charging handle to access hop-up.
• Sights only adjustable for windage.

Comments: The BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle may not have a lot of metal going on but that will bring the price tag down a lot and on the plus side it does come with everything you need to get up and running including the battery, charger and even a small back of Airsoft BB’s that won’t last long ;) I also l like the dual position iron sights that when flat utilize fiber optics front and back and when in the popped up position give you the standard peep in the back which is adjustable for windage. If you want to add a red dot, optical sight or other accessories there are lots of mounting points on the forward grip for this. Another nice touch is you also do get a metal gearbox so internal mechanical longevity should be good. If you want to take the plunge and get started with Airsoft and see if it fits for you then the BARRA Black Ops M4 Viper MK5 AEG Airsoft Rifle is a great way to test the waters and see how you like it.