Review - ARES AW 338

ThunderCactus · June 8th, 2014, 17:04

Just finished working on an ARES AW 338
They certainly live up to their reputation of making poorly designed guns.

The feeding system is downright wasteful, and yet still as flimsy as the marui style loading fin.
The mag pours it's ammo into a long tube, which feeds directly into the hop chambers. Major issues being you always need 15 rounds in the gun or it doesn't feed, those round can deteriorate over winter if left in, and there doesn't seem to be anything positively securing the feed tube right underneath the hop chamber. Just seems to hang there....I figure it rests on some part of the stock that prevents it from flexing back.

The hop chamber is just plain ridiculous. The actual cantilever system it uses to apply hop is good, however they use a 3mm set screw only 4mm long to adjust it up and down. And of course like every chinese thread it's really loose, pretty much makes it useless without application of blue loctite.
The inner barrel wobbles slightly within the barrel bushings, and worst of all it actually rotates slightly within the hop chamber, despite having a VSR style hop rubber that should prevent that.
According to reviews, it's supposed to use AEG barrels and rubbers, but this one evidently uses VSR style barrel and rubber.

The outer barrel is fastened to the receiver by means of a compression sleeve, with no accurate way to indicate proper rotation. Meaning it's easy to screw up and mount the barrel on an angle.
There are two bolts on the bottom of the receiver that tighten the receiver around the outer barrel.

The trigger box is what you'd expect from a stock rifle, no adjustment for stroke or resistance. Has about 4mm of stroke before shooting with no perceivable trigger break.

Word on the street is the piston, spring guide and spring are VSR compatible, but the cylinder is not. Unsure about the cylinder head and trigger mechanism.

Despite being quite bulky, and heavy, those are just personal preferences. What really kills this gun is it's lack of upgradeability and it's poorly engineered base components.
This thing could be good with a few home made mods and better barrel spacers, but overall not a very good base to start with.

SuperHog · June 11th, 2014, 09:22

Of all people, I thought you would have stayed away from Ares.

ThunderCactus · June 11th, 2014, 22:20

It's not mine and in my defense I just wanted to prove how shitty of a bolt action rifle it was lol

Ricochet · June 12th, 2014, 21:10

Definately one of the prettiest Airsoft paperweights I have seen though.

SuperHog · June 12th, 2014, 22:08

The Ares LSR-001 is the biggest paper weight.

kullwarrior · June 13th, 2014, 01:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThunderCactus

It's not mine and in my defense I just wanted to prove how shitty of a bolt action rifle it was lol

So is it a rant or a review?

chaz · June 13th, 2014, 17:55

A review warning people who think the super l33t cool looking gun is the bolt action to buy is in fact a paper weight.

ThunderCactus · June 13th, 2014, 18:43

My personal opinion is going to make this gun any better or worse mechanically.
I've stated the issues, regardless of whether or not I like the gun, it's still crap.
You can love a chevy aveo, but that doesnt make it any less of a wreck.

Danke · June 13th, 2014, 19:25

Every time I see one of these for sale I go wow is that ever cool.

Then I stay far far away.

cetane · June 13th, 2014, 20:16

how much of a turd is the ares ms338? it sure is a pretty one, but ares + pretty = shit usually though

Swattiger · June 13th, 2014, 21:39

Well, I am a collector. I own a few Ares sniper guns, mainly due to their uniqueness. And I find their design is a bit weird, making most of them Work need a bit of work before they can be used for games.

DJsnipe · August 20th, 2014, 04:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by cetane

how much of a turd is the ares ms338? it sure is a pretty one, but ares + pretty = shit usually though

Necro-post, but some evidence to support the "turd" idea, as someone has noticed a problem with stock wobble and has come out with shims to solve a problem that would not exist if it was properly done in the first place:banghead:. Link:
http://www.zshot.com/stock-shim-set-...ngton-msr.html
The description says:
"By reducing the gap around the folding stock's hinge, this Shim Set can help stabilize and eliminate wobble on the Remington MSR stock. Made out of precision stainless steel, each shim kit comes with multiple shims of various thickness to fine-tune fitment. For expert gunsmiths only."

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June 8th, 2014, 17:04	#1
ThunderCactus Not Eye Safe, Pretty Boy Maximus on the field take his picture! Trader rating Join Date: Feb 2007	Review - ARES AW 338 Just finished working on an ARES AW 338 They certainly live up to their reputation of making poorly designed guns. The feeding system is downright wasteful, and yet still as flimsy as the marui style loading fin. The mag pours it's ammo into a long tube, which feeds directly into the hop chambers. Major issues being you always need 15 rounds in the gun or it doesn't feed, those round can deteriorate over winter if left in, and there doesn't seem to be anything positively securing the feed tube right underneath the hop chamber. Just seems to hang there....I figure it rests on some part of the stock that prevents it from flexing back. The hop chamber is just plain ridiculous. The actual cantilever system it uses to apply hop is good, however they use a 3mm set screw only 4mm long to adjust it up and down. And of course like every chinese thread it's really loose, pretty much makes it useless without application of blue loctite. The inner barrel wobbles slightly within the barrel bushings, and worst of all it actually rotates slightly within the hop chamber, despite having a VSR style hop rubber that should prevent that. According to reviews, it's supposed to use AEG barrels and rubbers, but this one evidently uses VSR style barrel and rubber. The outer barrel is fastened to the receiver by means of a compression sleeve, with no accurate way to indicate proper rotation. Meaning it's easy to screw up and mount the barrel on an angle. There are two bolts on the bottom of the receiver that tighten the receiver around the outer barrel. The trigger box is what you'd expect from a stock rifle, no adjustment for stroke or resistance. Has about 4mm of stroke before shooting with no perceivable trigger break. Word on the street is the piston, spring guide and spring are VSR compatible, but the cylinder is not. Unsure about the cylinder head and trigger mechanism. Despite being quite bulky, and heavy, those are just personal preferences. What really kills this gun is it's lack of upgradeability and it's poorly engineered base components. This thing could be good with a few home made mods and better barrel spacers, but overall not a very good base to start with.

June 11th, 2014, 09:22	#2
SuperHog Trader rating Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Toronto, Ontario	Of all people, I thought you would have stayed away from Ares. Last edited by SuperHog; June 11th, 2014 at 09:41..

June 12th, 2014, 21:10	#4
Ricochet How much sand CAN you fit in your vagina!? Trader rating Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: North Delta, BC (Greater Vancouver)	Definately one of the prettiest Airsoft paperweights I have seen though. __________________ I have developed a new sport called Airhard. Pretty much the same as Airsoft, except you have to maintain an erection...

June 11th, 2014, 22:20	#3
ThunderCactus Not Eye Safe, Pretty Boy Maximus on the field take his picture! Trader rating Join Date: Feb 2007	It's not mine and in my defense I just wanted to prove how shitty of a bolt action rifle it was lol

June 12th, 2014, 22:08	#5
SuperHog Trader rating Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Toronto, Ontario	The Ares LSR-001 is the biggest paper weight. Last edited by SuperHog; June 12th, 2014 at 22:11..

June 13th, 2014, 17:55	#7
chaz Trader rating Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Ajax	A review warning people who think the super l33t cool looking gun is the bolt action to buy is in fact a paper weight.

June 13th, 2014, 18:43	#8
ThunderCactus Not Eye Safe, Pretty Boy Maximus on the field take his picture! Trader rating Join Date: Feb 2007	My personal opinion is going to make this gun any better or worse mechanically. I've stated the issues, regardless of whether or not I like the gun, it's still crap. You can love a chevy aveo, but that doesnt make it any less of a wreck.

June 13th, 2014, 19:25	#9
Danke Prancercise Guru Trader rating Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Danger Zone	Every time I see one of these for sale I go wow is that ever cool. Then I stay far far away. __________________ Airsoft, where nothing is hurt but feelings.

June 13th, 2014, 20:16	#10
cetane Trader rating Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Markham & Stouffville - Ontario - Canada	how much of a turd is the ares ms338? it sure is a pretty one, but ares + pretty = shit usually though Last edited by cetane; June 13th, 2014 at 21:46.. Reason: pic/link added

June 13th, 2014, 21:39	#11
Swattiger Trader rating Join Date: Feb 2011	Well, I am a collector. I own a few Ares sniper guns, mainly due to their uniqueness. And I find their design is a bit weird, making most of them Work need a bit of work before they can be used for games. Last edited by Swattiger; August 20th, 2014 at 08:41..

Review - ARES AW 338

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