Ares G36C

As the proud owner of an Ares G36C, I am happy to write this review of my new primary weapon.  But, before I get into the details, I'd like share my current level of airsoft experience, just to put things into perspective.

NOTICE:  This is not a review of the stock G36C, as I have upgraded this weapon before it's first day on the field.  I will however, review the stock internals as I found them upon breakdown.

My Background

At the time of this article, I have been an avid airsoft player for 10 months, most of that time spent as a member of one of the greatest tactical teams in Colorado, Shadow Pack.  In those 10 months, I've only missed two weekends of gameplay; rain, shine or three-feet of snow.

Having 3-years experience in competition R/C racing, I've always been a tinkerer or small mechanics and electronics.  With a little guidance from a great airsoft gunsmith (Lt. Bearclaw), I was able to apply my skills to the breakdown, repair, upgrade and assembly of airsoft rifles.  My experience in these areas include the following rifles:

• Classic Army M14 Match
• Classic Army BT5 A2 (MP5) Sportline
• Classic Army Steyr AUG v2
• Echo1 M16 A4

Of these rifles, the M16 has been my primary weapon of choice for most of my Milsim career.  So, I will use this rifle as the basis of comparison, since the M4/M16 variants with the Version 2 Gearbox is the most popular weapon on the field and is also the gun which I have had the most experience with as far as gameplay and multiple breakdowns/upgrades.

As a brief note, I would like to say that the Echo1 M16, with a Madbull 6.03 Black Python (v2) tightbore barrel as the ONLY upgrade, has been one of the best performers on the Colorado fields.  I say this as a cost versus performance comparative, at only $155 this gun has outperformed its peers in range, accuracy and durability of the internals.  This rifle has shot in 95-degree heat and 28-degree cold.  With S-Arms magazines, it has never failed me.  It wasn't until I began upgrading other internals of this weapon that it finally began to show its one real weakness:  The parts cannot withstand multiple breakdowns.

About Ares

Ares is a relatively new company based in China, with a variety of high-end weapons available (www.aresairsoft.com).  They currently have only one US Distributor (www.aresusa.com) and several retailers carrying their product.  Here is their claim to fame to which I currently agree with:

"With a high standard of quality and performance to back up each gun's realistic features and markings, each ARES AEG gun is built around a durable and reliable reinforced metal gearbox with an out of box performance of 360-380 FPS.

The standard motor included in ARES AEG's are high torque 1000 rpm which produce a high rate of fire and all AEG's are Lithium Polymer (LiPo) battery compatible (although batteries are not included). All of ARES gear boxes and firing mechanisms are upgradeable for higher performance and adjustable for optimal accuracy.

For its line of highly realistic gas propelled sniper rifles, ARES prides itself on high performance and long range accuracy with guns models held in high regards by military and law enforcement snipers.

Each ARES gun replicates the look and feel of real steel with most designs having CNC milled components and rails, metal magazines, steel bodies, and reinforced polymer grips. ARES designed guns are not replicas or clones from other airsoft manufacturers, but rather each gun is designed and tested in-house to meet player's needs while focusing on authenticity."

I can't comment on the stock performance characteristics as I never used this gun in a game in stock condition.  I was fortunate to win this gun in a post-game raffle at Operation: Oklahoma Invasion 2009.  After examining this gun, it's feature and upgradeability, I decided that I would set up this gun to have two different configurations:  G36C for CQB and short-range engagements and then the standard G36 configuration for medium- to long-range engagements.  Inside of two minutes on the field (no tools needed), I can swap the inner and outer barrel and, if necessary, the spring (I'll get to that awesome feature later).  So, for my first game, I had installed the following:  Madbull 6.03mm Black Python v2 Tight Bore inner barrel, G&P M140 High Torque motor, PDI 170% spring upgrade and a large battery pouch to use a large-type 4200 mAh high-output battery.  Later, for the long variant, I purchased a second hop-up unit, G&P 10" barrel extension and 509mm Prometheus Tight Bore (pulled from my M16).

External Construction

Nylon fiber throughout (including top rail).  Front handguard holds a small-type battery and has a single zinc alloy bottom rail with threaded holes for adding optional side rails (not included).  The steel barrel has a glued, orange plastic flash hider but it also comes stock with a CNC steel flash hider shown in the picture above (14mm counter-clockwise threads).  The folding stock locks securely and makes this an ultra-short weapon when needed.  Ambidextrious design with fully functional fire selectors on both sides.  Overall the design is a little front-heavy.

Three pins hold the components together.  The pins are all the same size and interchangeable.  The are also known as "upgraded" pins, with a firm locking system.  The first pin holds the handguard and allows for changing the small-type battery.  The second pin holds the magwell which means an easy upgrade if you want to use M4/M16 magazines instead of the bulky G36 magazines.  The third pin allows you to remove the mechbox assembly and handguard with just a small push on the hop-up unit to release it.

Internal Construction

The hop-up unit and inner barrel are a simple matter to replace:  Push in, give it a quarter turn, then pull out through the back of the rifle, with the stock folded.  The stock barrel is actually 265mm.  The standard length for a G36C is 247mm, nearly 3/4" shorter.

My Upgrades and Overview

The Ares G36C is a great rifle for those who play 2-3 different fields with different FPS requirements. With one very small modification, you can swap the spring out of the gear box by folding the stock and using an allen wrench. However, without modifications, this is a top-of-the-line CQB rifle with an fps at or below 300. For outdoor use (Rampart) I recommend an all-metal spring guide as the partial-metal one it includes will break with a stronger spring. If you are intending to play exclusively outdoors with this rifle, I recommend spending the money on a KWA for the same price. Out of the box, you'll get better range and fps due to better compression. And, you'll have a higher fps if you switch out to LiPo batteries with the KWA. I do not recommend LiPo batteries for the Ares unless you enjoy regular gearbox maintenance.

The Ares is a solid platform, high-quality design, great durability, full trademarks and amazingly easy to break down and upgrade. With no tools at all, you can break down this gun for cleaning or swapping parts. Also, the gearbox is very well designed and not just because it’s a v3 gearbox. This gearbox also uses machine screws, bearings on the high-rpm bevel gear and reduction gear and bushings on the high-torque sector gear (as always, reshim your gears). There is an access port to release the anti-reversal latch with a screwdriver and, of course, the main spring comes out before you open the gearbox. As with all v3 gearboxes, the hardest part about reassembling the gearbox is making sure the trigger mechanism is aligned properly. Another great feature of this gun is the use of a microswitch trigger which sits outside the gearbox.

Here's what I've upgraded so far:

1. Madbull Tightbore 247mm barrel and Shark bucking with fishbone spacer - A first-stage upgrade for any weapon
2. Private Parts magwell converter – Works best with SArms and G&G M4 mags, not MagPul, PMag or King Arms mags.
3. Metal spring guide with bearings - The old one broke with stronger spring and LiPo batteries
4. PDI 170% spring - This rifle uses the shorter PDI springs. This upgrade brought me up to the ACO fps limit.
5. Element 300% High-Torque gearset (reshimmed) - I wanted to lower my rpm and go easier on the batteries.
6. Promethius Tightbore 509mm barrel + extra hop-up unit + extended barrel - In less than 3 minutes I can swap out to a longer barrel for much better range outdoors. This is the same barrel I used in my old Echo1 M16. If I know my missions will be run "Commando-style", I'll use the short barrel as this makes the gun much more maneuverable in close quarters and short range.
7. Polycarb piston with full metal teeth - The old one was showing wear in the plastic teeth after extended use.
8. Element Silent Piston Head and Cylinder Head - Shooting the gun next to my ear it sounds no different, but people next to me say it's so quiet when I shoot. Helical gears might be my next upgrade to further silence the gun.
Currently, I’m having some compression issues, probably the result of the pistonhead o-ring. I’ve tried a couple of o-rings I have but I think they’re too stiff now.

Overall, if you want a versatile gun for a variety of environments, this is a great gun for your primary platform. If you wants a gun that works best out-of-the-box and you will only use for a single-purpose rifle, spend the money on a KWA G36C for better stock performance and durability.