Introduction
The GuayGuay (G&G) RK104 is an airsoft replica of the AK-104, a shortened 7.62X39mm assault rifle produced for the Russian military. The Kalashnikov-designed AK-100 series is an evolutionary improvement on the AK-74 series that currently equips former Warsaw Pact militaries. G&G has taken a similar approach with their RK104, adding little details to this gun that raises the realism bar for all Airsoft gun makers.
Appearance
Like all of G&G’s guns, the RK104 is an attractive, well put together gun. Unlike G&G’s GR16 series, where the magnesium receivers make the GR16s feel deceptively light, the RK104 has a solid, weighty feel to it…as an AK should feel. The finishes applied to each part of the gun are well done and appear true to the real gun counterpart. What should be metal on the real gun is metal on the RK104. What should be plastic on the real gun is plastic on the RK104. The receiver exhibits very realistic looking riveting like the real gun receiver. The seams of the gas tube, rear sight block, and front sight post are authentic.
One quick note: the magazine supplied with the gun is patterned after a 5.45X39mm magazine. It looks great with the gun given its sleek, black styling. Purists will realize quickly that the AK-104 is the designation for the 7.62X39mm version. The proper name for the 5.45X39mm version is the AK-105. We were faced with a conundrum! Do we change magazines? Do we cross out the “104” on the box and scrawl in “105”? But hey, this is Airsoft, so we got over it.
The nicest detail on the gun is the bolt and charging handle. The G&G RK104 uses a bolt spring and fake bolt/gas piston that is wickedly similar to a real AK. Pulling and releasing this setup gives the bolt a heavy, chunky sound that will make real AK aficionados weep with joy. However, most airsofters who like to customize their guns will realize immediately that it will be impossible to modify the RK104 into a collapsible or no-stock variant. This gun is meant to remain a full stock weapon.
Not only does the bolt look real and have the realistic style spring guide. It pulls ALL the way back (just like the real one) and has a sturdier hop-up adjustment lever than the TM.
The selector switch is identical to the Marui with the cap covering the screw that removes the entire external selector lever. The lever feels much like the Marui: not too mushy and it clicks positively into place. The one we tested needed a little tightening, after which it felt more solid when clicking into place. Note that the selector lever will dig the “AK groove” into receiver…just like all the other AK variants.
One particular detail that should please realism nuts -- and disappoint the average airsofter -- is that the buttstock tangs are similar to the real gun. This means that you cannot use aftermarket stocks designed for use with the TM AK47. However, G&G made the buttstock longer than the traditional Airsoft/real AK stock in order to accommodate a 9.6V large sub-C battery. For most of us familiar with the traditional AK, this feels a little weird when shouldering the gun. But most airsofters will cherish the idea that we finally have an out-of-the-box AK that will store our beloved super-large 9.6V batteries without resorting to aftermarket parts or funky battery configurations.
Here’s a closeup of the sling loop on the stock. Unlike most TM guns, this sling loop is actually strong enough to take a sling!
Like the Classic Army SLR105 and most aftermarket stock sets, the stock butt plate is screwed on. Undo the two screws and the plate comes off to fit a large sub-C type battery. Don’t lose the screws!
Here is a close-up of the magazine well for the RK104. The shiny U-shaped piece in front of the hop-up unit is the rubber pad meant to prevent the magazine from wobbling in the magazine well. However, the result is that the magazine fit is very tight...almost too tight.
The RK104 has fully adjustable front and rear sights like the other AK AEG's on the market. Before the RK104, the only way to get this level of external and cosmetic detail was to purchase a Guarder AK conversion kit for zillions of dollars. G&G has gone out of their way to make their RK104 as detailed as possible without spending zillions of dollars. However, the result is up to the buyer to decide if it is worth the extra money compared to a TM or CA AK AEG.
Performance
Given the market’s overall disappointment with G&G’s previous new gun releases, the RK104’s performance out of the box was a pleasant surprise. The gun fired smoothly with a nice, crisp report and no whining sounds whatsoever. The stock velocity ranged from 345 fps to 365 fps with a 0.20g BB. The gun fired roughly 600 rounds per minute with an 8.4v battery and was drawing 13amps. When using a 9.6v battery, the rate of fire jumped up to 700-800 rounds per minute and drew the same amount of amps. The gun sounded very clean and very intimidating when fired on full auto…similar to a TM AK Beita Spetsnaz when you fire that gun with its conical flash hider. The gun fired flawlessly with the included 600 round hicap magazine and worked perfectly with the Tokyo Marui hicap as well.
We’re concerned about the magazine fit: it was snug enough to require a hard push to seat properly in the magazine well. It took more than a little rocking and pressure to lock the magazine into the gun. This is due to the fact that there is a rubber pad inside the magazine well intended to prevent the magazine from wobbling like the TM AK. It sounds like a good idea, but the G&G hicap magazine that comes with the gun has a flimsy plastic lip. It seems like a matter of time before the user experiences feeding problems as the magazine is pushed away from the hop-up unit by the pressure of the rubber pad. We tried TM AK magazines, CA AK magazines, and Star 30 round AK mags in the gun, and they all fed equally well. We suggest getting some TM or CA metal lipped magazines to use with the RK104 for the long term.
Upgrading
The RK104 comes with what appears to be an M100 equivalent spring given its out-of-the-box velocity. We upgraded the RK104 with Area 1000 metal bushings and a Guarder SP120 spring. The gears in the gun were a bit loose, and required minor shim adjustments to get it to our satisfaction. Once the parts were installed, we noticed weak cylinder compression that was quickly remedied with a little silicone grease. After that, the compression was perfect.
We reassembled the gun and put it through the paces. The gun fired a tad bit over 400 fps with 0.20g BBs and only drew about 16 amps. The rate of fire was maintained at 700-800 rpm at 9.6V, and the report was much louder and more crisp. In both stock and upgraded form, the RK104 was a fun gun to shoot.
Again, we were very surprised at how easy the gun was to upgrade. The factory shim and lube work was somewhat disappointing, but compared to previous G&G guns, the RK104 actually behaved as expected after the upgrade. No surprises! No additional parts required! What a relief!
Disassembly
Now we will take you through a step by step disassembly of the RK104 and highlight the differences between this and the TM AK47.
The disassembly sequence is more like a real AK than a TM AK. First, remove the buttstock. Then, remove the upper receiver cover as you would a TM AK. This exposes the "real style" bolt, operating spring and spring guide. Remove the recoil spring and spring guide, and then pull the bolt rearwards in order to remove.
There are four main screws holding the rear sight block to the receiver, and unlike the TM AK, these screws are on the inside of the receiver to either side of the hop up unit. After removing these, the rear sight block and barrel detaches from the receiver, allowing you access to the gearbox. The hop-up unit is then removed the same way the same as all other AK AEGs.
Remove the pistol grip comes by removing the screw underneath. Then the upper and lower handguards come off just like the real gun. There is a small lever right under the gas tube and that will release the lower handguard.
Then the lever under the rear sight lifts up to unlock the upper handguard.
Once the lever is lifted, the upper hand guard pulls up and off.
Here you can see the Ver3 gearbox is identical to that of Tokyo Marui and Classic Army. G&G painted their version all black and has a black cylinder. The wires are braced against the mechbox along the top rib of the shell which makes installing it a breeze.
After opening the gearbox, we found the internals to look very clean…almost too clean. Break out the lube! A little lube on the gears and inside the cylinder made us much happier.
The G&G “R25K” high torque motor produces a decent rate of fire.
Conclusions
The G&G RK104 is probably their best AEG to date. We adore the attention paid to external cosmetic details. The gearbox is a faithful copy of the Marui version 3 gearbox. The gun looks good, and it shoots as well as a TM AK. We test fired more than 600 shots with it and it never had one problem. Nevertheless, our long term concerns center around the magazine fit and feeding.
Otherwise, we are impressed by what G&G has done with their newest creation. For those who are knowledgeable about or are simply fans of the real AK, this is definitely the one to buy.
Final Grading
Quality:
Reliability:
Comfort:
Externals:
Performance:
Value:
Over-all:
External links
www.guayguay.com
www.airsoftextreme.com
