Magpul PDR-C review

[phloudernow]

This is an in progress review by my brother Noveske as I know many members are not on arniesairsoft forum so here we go.




Box set comes with:

1 x PDR-C
1 x PMAG 20 with dust cover
1 x Dummy Round
1 x Instruction Manual
1 x Warranty Card
2 x Packs of Silica Gel (BONUS!)

To be honest I was a little disappointed that the package contents. For the price, I would have expected at least a pair of MBUS.



Front Flashider comes off and is 14mm CCW (-) As mentioned by Noveske in a post




Size Difference compared to the KWA Kriss Vector



Upper disassembly, 10.5" barrel tucked away:



Proprietary Gearbox:



Dial Style Hop Up Chamber:



Short Motor and Quick Change Spring Hatch



Battery goes into the grip will only take the short 4" Lipos (for the record, the PDR-C comes standard with a mini Tamiya plug, but I changed mine to a Dean's):



Magwell. Mag-catch is metal:


Removing the cheekrest reveals the hop-up adjustment knob:




Shoots about 330FPS out of the box (1.25J with 0.25g):


Overall, I'm really not that impressed. Polymer is well made as expected from PTS, however, fake weapon features (ambi charging handles, ambi ejection port) do not function or have any purpose. Balance is rear heavy (as a bullpup should be). The only sling attachment is the hole behind the magwell (not a QD) which is also polymer (not sure if it's reinforced inside). Gun seems too simple? Or is it just me? I guess it's the design of the PDR-C but I like my guns with more detail.

On that note, I wish the cheekrest was actually adjustable. Seems they designed it to perhaps have optional cheekrest pieces at different heights they may or may not release in the future. But an adjustable one would've seemed more intuitive (like their ACR stock).

A note on ergonomics: I've noticed the pistol grip is very short (even for my small Asian hands) and holding the PDR-C with one hand can get quite uncomfortable as my wrist keeps pressing into the rear bracestrap. I believe for most people, you'll only be able to wrap your middle and ring finger around the grip while leaving your pinky to fend for itself.

Also, the mag-release is very stiff. May take some time to loosen up.

ALSO PTS POLYMER FAIL!!

Turns out one of the retaining tabs that hold the upper and lower receiver together snapped off before I even opened the box. I noticed that there was only 1 retaining tab and thought i had broke it perhaps when opening it (which didn't make any sense to me), but upon closer inexpection, i noticed that the break was clean (which is odd since I thought PTS polymer would be much more ductile and less brittle). Furthermore, I found the broken piece floating around in the box. VERY VERY disappointed.




Insides:

Here is the fake charging handle/bolt mechanism. The handles can be removed with the two small switches on each side: Bolt is really not a bolt, but more of a bracket:



Hop-up Mechnism:



Front trigger/mag-catch mechanism. The trigger/mag-catch are controlled by 2 rods on each side of the PDR. Left side is connected to the selector plate/firing mechanism, right rod controls the mag-catch which is located on the left side of the gear-box but mechanically operated from the right:



Mag-catch mechanism (right side):



Here is the PDR proprietary bearing gearbox. Note that there is a bb feed tube built into the gearbox:



Right Side



Left-side. The selector plate moves half length on a semi-fire pull and full length on a full auto-pull:



One really nifty feature on this gearbox is the spring release button. This is accessible even when the gun is assembled on the bottom of the gun near the magwell:



Inside the Gearbox



Gears stacked vertically



Piston



Spring



Micro Switch Trigger



BB Feed Tube



Pros:
-Neat/innovative/compact design by Magpul (ie "cool" factor)
-Ambidextrous mag-release controls
-Uses standard Stanaz mags or equivalent
-Easily accessible hop up adjustment
-Quick-change spring design on gearbox
-Spring release mechanism
-Gearbox internal parts standard/replaceable.
-8mm Bearings on gearbox

Cons/Could have done better:
-Short pistol grip / limited room for battery
-Non-adjustable cheek rest
-Long trigger travel
-Heavy, proprietary gearbox which makes the entire gun very rear heavy.
-Proprietary hop-up nub
-Selector plate design not reliable and can slip easily
-Very stiff mag-release
-Unintuitive sling mount
-Thin polymer tabs for upper/lower retention. Should've had thicker tabs or metal tabs molded into the polymer.

[Matula]

Thank you!

if you can remove the Gearbox and take some pics, it will be awesome!!!

[Swattiger]

Thanks for sharing.

It is very personal taste - I think they are really very ugly. But congratulations to you !

[Cliffradical]

I'll agree that they aren't very pretty, but they do look extremely functional.

Ill be keeping an eye on this thread, thanks for posting!

[sushicake]

Hmm might have to pick up one of these. But its an ares so I don't know good its gonna be in the long run. The fact you cant find replacement parts is gonna be a hassle. Also no side rails meaning no flashlights or side attachments. I know it has that hole in the front designed for a light to be intgrated into the body but can't seem to find that flashlight anywhere.

[R.I.T.Z]

Originally Posted by sushicake

Hmm might have to pick up one of these. But its an ares so I don't know good its gonna be in the long run. The fact you cant find replacement parts is gonna be a hassle. Also no side rails meaning no flashlights or side attachments. I know it has that hole in the front designed for a light to be intgrated into the body but can't seem to find that flashlight anywhere.

There WAS supposed to be a flash light mount on the Real steal, but since that was scrapped and its only an airsoft gun I think its going to be a while until we see a company make a light for it.

[Viperfish]

the feed tube for the BBs must be long as fuck. what are we talknig about here? 10 BBs in there alone?

[Dynamo]

when i see the PDR open like that, i swear i can hear it cry out "GBBR!"

[NANA]

I look forward to more of this review. Ive had my eye on this gun. It will be nice to see how it holds up in game and if it can run outdoor.

[RaisinBran]

It has a quick change spring? man i gotta read more..

[sushicake]

Originally Posted by RaisinBran

It has a quick change spring? man i gotta read more..

Its an ares gearbox all ares gearboxes have quick swing swap.

[PrIeSt]

Is there room for a threaded barrel or adapter? Or will this be another gun when I gotta buy 60 dollar barrel to get threads?

[Dynamo]

Originally Posted by PrIeSt

Is there room for a threaded barrel or adapter? Or will this be another gun when I gotta buy 60 dollar barrel to get threads?

the compensator/flash hider is threaded onto the barrel so it's safe to assume it'll be threaded.

[noveske]

Yes the barrel is threaded 14mm CCW

[Moss]

I played a game with a PDR-C on Friday night.

Notes:

Incredibly light and small in my hands(I am about 190lb 6'2)
Trigger felt really nice, the feature for Auto and Semi based on tactile input is awesome but not sure how long the mechanism will hold up under regular abuse.
The particular gun I was using had an upgraded spring set(1.3 j) it shot very crisp and reliably fed both a regular M PMAG mid cap and a mini PMAG.

It had a 11.1 LiPo powering it, placed inside the pistol grip.