In the circles of gunsmiths you can often hear positive reviews about the domestic air rifle called the Crocodile. This is the name for its appearance that the MP-514K small-sized air rifle received. Naturally, a lot of questions arise among potential buyers about the tactical and technical properties of this weapon. In this article you can find all the answers that will help you make a choice before going to the store.
Complete transformation
The Izhevsk Mechanical Plant is famous all over the world for its wonderful pneumatic weapons: rifles, pistols and machine guns, but no one expected the manufacturer to go so far and present the world with his vision of weapons with a pre-pumping system. The MP-514K small-sized air rifle is a full bullpup system, albeit implemented in the Russian manner. The gas cylinder, which is located directly below the barrel, is pumped using a spring-piston mechanism by lifting the rifle barrel up. From the side, this action is very similar to the mouth of a crocodile, hence the unofficial name of the weapon on the market.
The appearance of an air rifle is more reminiscent of the weapons from the Star Wars movie than the brainchild of a Russian mechanical plant, but after meeting the “toy” it seems that it should be just like that. Everything is done for the convenience of the shooter: the butt, adjustable handle and fore-end completely merge into the hands without any discomfort.
The performance characteristics
After an external examination, a potential buyer is always interested in the capabilities of airguns. The MR-514K rifle is designed for entertaining shooting, so you should not expect anything special from it, at first. After all, as you know, Russian weapons lend themselves perfectly to modernization, and the “crocodile” is no exception. But more on that later.
The declared power of the rifle by a manufacturer of 7 Joules officially emphasizes the status of legal weapons in Russia, which does not require any documents for the acquisition. After all, the law "On Weapons" has just such a limitation. The speed of the shot is limited to 170 meters per second with a 4.5 mm bullet caliber. Since the weapon is equipped with a pre-pumping system, the rifle received multi-charge, which is implemented as a removable magazine.
Small oddities in the characteristics
To the developers of the MP-514K rifle, many owners of these weapons have several questions regarding ammunition. Officially declared the use of two types of bullets: lead with a short skirt and steel balls, for which the store comes with a spring mechanism. If we take into account that a steel barrel with six rifles is installed in an air rifle, then the idea of the manufacturer regarding shooting with steel balls is not clear. Indeed, according to logic, they will break a rifled barrel in a very short period of time, and you can forget about the accuracy of shooting.
Sighting device for optical instruments - Weaver strap - made of plastic. Such a solution does not lend itself to understanding at all, because the accuracy of shooting is achieved through the use of a single and indivisible aiming system with a barrel.
Weapon Overview
In practice, the air rifle MP-514K, if you evaluate it as a weapon for entertainment, shows rather interesting results.
- A platoon of a spring-piston mechanism by moving the barrel in a vertical plane is very convenient when compared with a barrel fracture in a classic weapon.
- The rifle has two fuses (manual and automatic), which is very convenient during transportation.
- The beauty of the plastic case is complemented by very high strength, which will not allow the weapon to fall apart when dropped even on asphalt.
- Conducting a review of the MP-514K, it was found that against the background of Russian competitors, this is not only the most compact rifle, but also the most powerful among analogues.
- "Crocodile" has a very simple device and is easy to assemble, which can attract fans of modernization of air weapons.
If we are talking about flaws
What are the different reviews about the rifle MP-514K in the media. Along with a huge list of advantages, there is a similar list of disadvantages.
- Unfinished product. That is how experts say about the rifle. The plastic bullpup weapon with a pre-pumping system produces only 170 meters per second. For entertainment, 100 is enough, and for hunting you need 260. Neither here nor here!
- Huge returns. Out of habit, you can injure your shoulder when shooting from this weapon, because a very tough recoil noticeably shifts the rifle back after each shot.
- Not only is the Viver’s scope a plastic one, you also need to pick up Magnum class optics because of the strong recoil. Such a device in the cheapest version will cost more than a new rifle.
- Manufacturers placed a store with bullets at the level of the shooter's ear (during aiming), because of this there is discomfort when shooting from the MP-514K.
Bring to mind
The family budget does not allow all buyers to purchase expensive pneumatic weapons with preliminary pumping of the Matador type, which is why the MP-514K PCP kit is purchased for the purpose of further development. There are not so many options for improvement: replacing components with modernized spare parts or mechanical refinement of factory defects in mass production.
First of all, marriage in the breech is eliminated, which is noted by almost all owners of this weapon. Poor metal processing at the plant has led to the fact that the bullet head is cut off by sharp edges during firing, which significantly affects the speed and accuracy of the shot. A complete replacement of seals and gums in the rammer will help to achieve maximum sealing, because initially the rubber rings from the lighters are installed in the weapon, which seriously bleed the air. Some experts drill a bypass inside the barrel for firing bullets with a long skirt. As a result, the MP-514K air rifle obtains the initial bullet speed after modernization - 230-240 meters per second, which is quite suitable for hunting fur animals weighing up to 2 kg.
A little convenience doesn’t hurt
For the MP-514K rifle, an upgrade can be made in the form of increasing the ease of use. First of all, you need to solve something with the spring in the pre-pumping system, because its high stiffness quickly exhausts during the process of pumping air into the cylinder. In the media, experts recommend installing a spring designed for the Gamo Hunter 440 air rifle , it is slightly weaker, but hands are not so tired during pumping.
Installing a muffler-moderator weighing 300-350 grams, which will not only reduce the noise from the shot, but also balance the barrel, will positively affect the convenience of aiming, and, accordingly, the accuracy of the shot. Also, some experts weight the plastic case of the MP-514K with metal, or even change it to a similar version, cut out of wood. Such a decision is quite expensive, but many people are more comfortable holding real weapons rather than a plastic toy.
A little bit about optical devices
There are a lot of recommendations about installing optics on Russian-made airguns in the media, but most of them are clearly not suitable for the MR-514K rifle. Owner reviews are more prone to low-cost devices that have one-way returns. Yes, and they are intended for installation on weapons with a gas spring. Buying very expensive optical sights for the Magnum system and installing them on the Weaver’s plastic bar is obviously a lot of nonsense for the buyer.
Therefore, there are few options for solving the problem: the purchase of cheap optics from friends from the Middle East, the price of which is so low that it is not a pity to break it with large returns or to upgrade for the MP-514K, which will reduce the impact during the shot. The same applies to the collimator - its glasses have weak sealing rings, and a hundred shots from a small-sized rifle can destroy an expensive optical device.
Finally
The rifle of the Russian gunsmiths that fell into the review is unique in its kind and has no competitors in its price niche. However, owners and potential buyers have a lot of questions about its performance characteristics. If you turn to reviews in the media, you can get a definite answer that the weapons for the market are raw and require mandatory refinement. If it is not planned to carry out tuning for the MP-514K, then the rifle will forever remain an educational and entertaining toy, the future owner should know about this before going to the store.