Fans of pneumatics, who are actively searching for inexpensive weapons for recreational shooting, are advised to pay attention to the Russian Drozd rifle. Although the device is far from ideal, but it has a lot of positive features, which this article is dedicated to. The focus is on the Drozd air rifle, its device, circuit, characteristics and owner reviews.
A look into the future
Apparently this is exactly how the developers presented the weapons of the future, launching the Drozd air rifle, which looks more like a submachine gun, judging by its tactical and technical characteristics. The Drozd rifle is positioned as an entertaining weapon, so buyers should not expect anything special from it.
The idea of the authors to make decent pneumatics, which has no competitors in the market, is quite interesting, but the new owners did not particularly like to use the technology of the last century with a gas-balloon system. Ideally, the manufacturer should have installed a pre-pumping system that can solve not only the financial side of the issue of providing the device with gas, but also increase the power of the weapon.
Device specifications
A steel barrel with six rifling, 4.5 mm caliber for firing steel balls led to a massive manifestation of the negative on the part of weapon fans in the media. After all, installing a smooth barrel would significantly increase the accuracy of fire, and the Drozd air rifle would decrease in price. As a source, gas cylinders with carbon dioxide of 8 g or 12 g are used. Their capacity is enough to fire 35 and 60 rounds, respectively. The initial speed of the pulley is 120-130 meters per second and very often depends on the batch of the manufacturer.
An electromagnet is used as a trigger mechanism, which, when you pull the trigger, pits the necessary amount of gas on its own. The trigger is controlled using the toggle switch, on which the owner selects the type of fire: single, a series of three shots or a line (limited to six balls). The store is designed for 30 ammunition. There is a base for installing optics, it is implemented in the form of a dovetail mount.
Options and appearance
The body and frame of the gun are molded from polyamide, which makes it susceptible to shock, but the casing and cover are made on the basis of polystyrene, which is able to withstand high loads. The kit comes with a shoulder rest for the rifle and a special extension cord for it, which the manufacturer recommends installing to increase accuracy when shooting.
The “Drozd” air rifle has a very interesting device. The disassembly scheme for the gun is quite simple:
- It is necessary to unscrew by hand the muzzle of the barrel (35) and the screw (34) located under it.
- Separate the front (33) and rear (1) parts of the barrel.
- Remove the electromagnet cover (19) from the rear of the barrel.
- Separate the wires from the control unit (23) to the electromagnet (18) with a soldering iron.
- Remove the screw under the barrel (34).
As a result, access to the trigger mechanism and control circuit will appear, which can be freely disassembled without a circuit.
Advantages when buying
Definitely, domestic-made weapons are several times cheaper than similar foreign competitors, therefore, the main advantage that the Drozd rifle has is an affordable price. The Russian manufacturer is appreciated by gun lovers for the fact that all air rifles are easily upgradeable, and spare parts, components and repair kits can always be found on the market at a very affordable price.
Compactness also plays a significant role. A small device is not only easy to transport. Due to its low weight, it is very convenient to travel with him in the lap of nature. High rate of fire for entertainment purposes is very attractive to everyone around - 600 rounds per minute. If you set the shoulder rest, the weapon shows excellent accuracy when firing bursts, and this is nonsense for such a weapon.
Significant flaws
Low power and low accuracy can hardly be considered at all, because the Drozd rifle is initially positioned as a toy for entertainment, so the requirements for it will be easier.
- Depends on the ambient temperature. There is more to the bottle, which in the cold simply refuses to release gas.
- A rifled barrel that costs three times more than a smoothbore. Many questions to the manufacturer arise from users about this.
- The dovetail reticle is made of plastic, and its length is only 55 millimeters. It is very interesting what kind of optics can be installed on a matchbox?
Miracle beast
Who would have thought that for fans of military sports games called "hardball" the manufacturer would release a special air rifle "Drozd". The hopper mechanism is designed to accommodate 400 steel balls inside. The manufacturer also provided the novelty with a special system for installing three gas cylinders at the same time. With such a system, weapons from an ordinary rifle turned into a real pneumatic machine gun, which is able to empty a full bunker in one minute.
Naturally, the cost of such pneumatic weapons has increased . Judging by the numerous reviews in the media, experts do not recommend purchasing such a toy for entertainment purposes to ordinary owners, because, in fact, this is the same pneumatic Drozd, whose characteristics have improved in terms of providing a large ammunition load. No more changes except the price. We released weapons for military sports games - let the organizations conducting team competitions acquire specialized weapons.
Weapon upgrade
Most masters begin the modernization with the installation of a silencer-moderator, but this upgrade bypasses the pneumatic "Drozd". The reviews of the owners assure that the sound of the shot is very much like the work of the famous AK-74U. Many users admitted that it was because of this noise that they purchased this air rifle. Under modernization, the barrel immediately falls, which is replaced by a smooth-bore steel tube of the desired diameter up to half a meter in length.
It is very difficult to constantly connect the butt, so experts recommend making it foldable with the help of swivel brackets, which are used in the manufacture of double-glazed windows. The absence of a ball flow sensor is eliminated by installing a unit with a photocell. Naturally, to increase power, innovators install nitrogen-filled cylinders with a pressure of up to 150 Bar, which are able to double the initial bullet speed and turn the toy into a hunting rifle.
Solving problems with optics
For owners of the Drozd rifle, the purchase and installation of optics is a headache. There are few options, but they are quite feasible. Firstly, you can pay attention to collimator sights, which just need a site for mounting a length of 55 millimeters. Also at foreign auctions you can find very cheap optical instruments of small sizes. Some owners, judging by the reviews on numerous forums, independently created a new case for the rifle using wood and metal in the design. Naturally, the Drozd rifle received a long mount for mounting optics.
It is not recommended by specialists to install adapter strips with an elongated base for large optical instruments. Quite a lot of tests are presented in the media on the low efficiency of such a design - plastic with metal will never provide high accuracy.
Finally
For ordinary users who need weapons for outdoor entertainment, the Drozd air rifle will be a very popular toy that will not gather dust in a long box. Single shooting, series, turn, the sound effect of the shots and accuracy will captivate the owner in childhood for a long time. But if the purpose of the purchase is shooting livestock, then the potential buyer is recommended to look at more powerful weapons, which have an initial bullet speed of 280-300 meters per second, which the Drozd rifle is not capable of. The owner does not need a bunker copy at all, unless he is a fan of military sports games and does not directly participate in them.