Echo 1 MP5A4 AEG review

INRODUCTION: Welcome to my review of the Echo 1 MP5A4 AEG. I was on the verge of getting a Tokyo Marui AEG, but I only had about $130, an I needed an AEG in the next month or so, and it would be almost 3-4 months until I had $250. I ordered my Echo 1 MP5A4 off of Airsoft Atlanta for about $120 w/ free shipping, unfortuneatley, they charge tax for people who live in Georgia and Tennessee.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Well, I got my gun in about 3 days, since i live so close to them. I was at a friend's house when my package arrived, and as we pulled into the driveway, I got out of the car, ran up to the porch, and ran inside with my package. I quickly got my pocket knife, and cut into the brown cardboard box. I pulled out the blue Echo 1 box. The box looked very nice, with a picture of the MP5A4 and the MP5-J, with the box under the MP5A4 picture checked off. The gun itself is about 26 inches long from front to back. The gun has a nice weight to it, it is about 4.5 lbs, which means it's not too heavy to lug around, but not too light so it doesn't feel like a toy. It has alot of metal parts on it, including: the muzzle, front sight, rear sight, front sling mount, rear sling mount, magazine, magazine release, trigger, charging handle, and the selector switch.

THE MAGAZINE: The magazine on the Echo 1 MP5A4 is pretty nice, it is made of a very sturdy metal, and the winding gear is wider and bigger than most other highcaps, which makes it easier to wind. It holds about 200 BB's, and it doesn't feed the last 30 rounds, so it really holds about 170 rounds, which is kinda a letdown because I was expecting it to hold more.

THE BATTERY AND CHARGER: The Echo 1 MP5A4 comes with a battery an charger, first i'll talk about the battery. It is a large type 1500 mah NiCaD battery, and it fits into the stock very well, it is very easy to put in, but sadly, it is a little difficult to remove. The charger isn't really high quality, and I am going to get a smart charger soon, because it takes almost 6 hours for the batery to get fully charged.

PERFORMANCE: The Echo 1 MP5A4 has a nice RoF, it is around 800-850 RPM on a fully charged battery, which is pretty good for a stock gun. The gun has excellant range on it, about 150-160 feet effectively, and about 200 feet maximum. The Echo 1 MP5A4has outstanding accuracy at 50 feet and 100 feet, but it starts to decrease after about 140 feet. As for the power, most websites say the FPS is bout 330, and by just looking when you shoot it, I would say that's about right, but I still want to chrono it when I get the chance. Overall, I am very impressed with it's performance.

OVERALL: The Echo 1 MP5A4 is great, inexpensive AEG for a begginer or intermediate player. As for future accessories I'm going to add for it, I plan on getting a scope mount, a red dot scope, some midcaps or lowcaps, and a tactical vest to hold all this stuff.

PROS AND CONS:

Pros:

-Looks good

-Full stock for a large battery

-nice quality battery

-nice RoF

-good FPS

-has a nice weight

-excellent range

-great accuracy

-lots of metal parts

-nice quality metal magazine

-cheap

Cons:

-long charge time=6 hours

-light(good and bad)

-magazine only holds about 170 BB's

-not as high quality as TM or CA

-low quality charger

-back sling mount is flimsy