ARES MSR303 Quick-Takedown Airsoft Sniper Rifle (Color: Dark Earth)

"I've had this rifle for several months now. It is easy to put together and it comes in a nice case. The rifle itself is really amazing as it pertains to build quality. It has a lot of stock adjustments and an overall feeling of solid quality. While it is very expensive, note that it has the look, feel and build quality to ensure you will enjoy this MSR303 rifle as I have. I will have to admit, that I wish it had better FPS. I have plans to do some upgrading.

"This rifle is very interesting. Over all it's a mixed bag. I'll do pros and cons bullet points.
But I will add that as this is a $600 rifle, I expect the best, and I feel Ares dropped the ball on a few parts.

Pros:
-Comes with a compact case to carry the rifle, scope and a bipod in.
-The rifle breaks down and fits into said carry case and can be assembled with no tools required.
-Receiver, stock, rail and barrel are all metal and the main parts of the rifle feel very solid (grip and mag is a different story).
-Shoots decent out of the box.
-M-Lok rail allows endless attachment options.
-The rifle is fairly light considering the build quality. About 9 pounds or so with a scope.
-45 round metal mag.
-The finish is sleek, clean and pretty.
-Bolting the rifle feels smooth.
-Barrel and bucking are VSR-10 compatible.
-Cylinder and cylinder internals, are Ares Striker compatible.
- Stock is VERY adjustable (Butt plate, butt pad and cheek rest).
-Classy carbon fiber outer barrel.
-I personally love the bolt handle.

Now the cons...:
-Barrel treading is 14mm ... Why? The standard is 14mm -. So, you will need to buy a threading adaptor to use most flash hiders, muzzle breaks and suppressors.
-The folding down pistol grip wobbles a good amount. But you can replace the grip should you see fit to.
-The sears ARE proprietary. This is a big problem cause if you upgrade the rifle, and your piston sear strips or fails, you are in big trouble. At the time of writing this review, there are NO replacement/upgrade sears. Ares won't reply to my emails about getting more piston sears in case mine fails.
-The gun wouldn't fire sometimes when you pull the trigger. I later found out that was cause the piston sears... Tooth? wouldn't lower enough to release the piston. I also found they paired a 90 degree piston with a... Round piston sear? (No the "tooth" on the sear is literally round) I ended up cutting a 90 degree angle into the sear and shaving it down, so the gun fires every time now (I just pray the cut doesn't strip or wear down, otherwise the rifle is done for).
-Mag wobbles a little (Though I personally don't see this as a major issue).
-Hop up requires a small alenkey to be adjusted (Often requiring you to remove the scope to access the adjustment screw (And NO, the manual Striker hop up screw you can buy does NOT work on this rifle. I tried it).

All in all, I love this gun, I really do. Most issues the gun has can be fixed or ignored (Like the barrel treading or the pistol grip for example). My only main concern lies with the piston sear. I hope some other parts manufactures make upgrade sears for this beautiful sniper. But, the rifle is a blast to use. Whipping the case out and building a compact sniper out of a small box always catches peoples attention, and the rifle is fun the shoot and hold. I upgraded the cylinders internals (piston, spring, spring guide) and installed an ORGA wide-bore inner barrel. This rifle now shoots a .36g round, deadly straight and past 200 feet. Classy sniper for sure.