Echo 1 Red Star AK 74U BOLT Carbine AEG Airsoft Rifle (Black)

Product Information:
amazing gun, it's not available at several places but when you can find it it's worth grabbing! As I write this it's on sale for Black Friday for $135 and if you happen to grab it then you are beyond stoked. When I sold off several of my guns to thin the flock so to speak this is one of the 10 that I kept. Overall any cons that I list are definitely not deal breakers, I would grab it even for full price

Pros:
Rock solid construction, as with every single airsoft gun I've ever owned from any company whatsoever always check and make sure all screws are tightened before using it, however once everything is tightened there is very little movement except the handguard which is a con

Large amount of hand guard rails for flashlights lasers or vertical grip

Excellent realistic weight, its heavy but not too very heavy and adjustable M4 style stock is also a definite bonus! It is easily rewirable to the crane stock if you prefer batteries in there, but may take a little bit of modification to get the job done. But if that's the route you are going it's definitely achievable with some basic tech skills and hand / power tools.

Large enough battery compartment for a 10.8 stick battery. If you're like me and have bought several guns you will end up getting included crap battery along the way, I have dissected several 8.4 stick batteries and added cells to create 10.8 batteries which you can also buy in the battery section, with a good charger even the crappy batteries included aren't that bad!

Although I am a decent tech I usually let something break before I decide to try and upgrade, that being said I have never had to go in the gearbox on this and it is very consistent at 345 fps out of the box, I did add a 6.03 tight bore barrel which probably change the FPS slightly but it is definitely very CQB friendly.

After putting probably 10 or 15k rounds through this I have never had one single problem with it, overall entirely a rock solid decision


Cons:
That being said there are a few cons

The ris section has the ability to turn side to side slightly, not so much of wobble but you can push it to the right and push it to the left probably about 3 or 4 degrees each direction, after disassembling the rail section there is no way to eliminate this that I am aware of short of JB welding the barrel clamp to the actual barrel which is what I ended up doing

The gearbox needs to come out of the entire gun in order to change barrels. I personally will buy a longer barrel then needed and cut and recrown using basic tools to get the absolute longest possible barrel into each gun. That being said I put a PKM style flashhider on this and a lonex aftermarket hop-up (because I had a spare) which required me to assemble the barrel in the outer barrel and assemble the bucking and inner barrel to the hop unit while inside the body.

That's about it. Overall it's a great little AK. If you are on the fence between this and another gun, this is the one!

verified buyer

Product Information:
This is the first gun I purchased recently. I am getting back into airsoft and this gun feels as good as it gets for the deal I got! The gun is full metal and pretty heavy, very realistic feel and its sturdy. I purchased a 2500 round battery powered drum mag to go with it and the thing looks amazing and shoots amazingly. Definitely worth the purchase!

Pros:
Full Metal body
Easily adjustable hop up
Battery compartment is easy to get to
Shoots well
Perfect CQB weapon

Cons:
Nothing really other than the rail mount system is a little short and far forward so putting an optic on the weapon looks a little funny

verified buyer

Product Information:
This weapon is my go-to-gun. I purchased the bolt with the intentions of using it for mid-close range engagements. After the spring was bumped to an m110, I was achieving 370 fps with .25s. This gave me the range bump that I was seeking. The stock motor(paired with a 9.6) gives you a very fair rate of fire (16 rps). Confident engagement range of 120ft. The compact size gives you better mobility than most fixed stock weapons.

This gun feels solid. Mostly metal construction leaving you with the confidence that this weapon can endure stress from operations. And the rails are perfect. Enough real estate for grips, lasers, lights, and even some cameras. (PSA, use the side mount!) 20 bucks and you have a 6 inch rail right over the end of your dust cover. My mount has no wobble, even with my heavy red dot.

My internals are still stock(minus the spring), I don't upgrade until it breaks. With 150 dollars of upgrades (a video can be found on YouTube by an actual echo 1 tech) he has the bolt shooting at 30 bps with excellent trigger response.

After I kitted it out, the gun has a unique appearance and is just as effective. It's recognized by many of refs at my fields and I get compliments every time I go out. This gun is VERY attractive.
It's not another M4..nuff said.

I have always used Echo 1 and this gun is a reinforcement of why I will always purchase their products.

Pros:
-Full Metal
-Fair range for an interior barrel of 247mm
-Gun for beginners or experienced players.
-Internals are simple to learn and upgrade.
-Front wired space runs through the handgaurd. Long stick batteries will fit.(buy a 9.6)
-Can be wired to the crane stock.
-Compact size gives you excellent mobility and maneuverability.
-Mag well is tight. I run sportpro 140rnds mid caps. They run great and there is no wiggle. No shims needed!
-Comes with battery and 2 high caps (550rnds)
-If all dressed out, it is probably more attractive than your girlfriend.
-Lastly, it's not another M4. (That should sell it for anyone)

Cons:
-No rear sling point. I run a strap around the buffer tube and this does suffice.
-Slight wobble in crane stock after position 3.
-Wired to the front.(this may be a plus for some)
-Must buy a side mount for rear rails( 20 bucks)
-Front handgaurd can twist slightly. But you can twist it back with no damage done.After some shim work, it won't budge at all.