Out Of The Blue Two-Tone Airsoft

Out Of The Blue Two-Tone Airsoft Guns – The M4 platform of assault rifle has always been a very reliable piece of kit in both the airsoft and real world. It is also possibly the most replicated and modified rifle we have seen or will ever see on a skirmish field. With so many choices out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and pulled in multiple directions, especially if you’re a new player who is just starting out.

Our advice for any new players is to look at the price initially but also to prioritise ease of use. Try to stick to the simple things that suit you and your style of gameplay, at least until you‘ve found your place within the community and gained further experience in the world of Airsoft Guns and its replicas. It’s understandable that you don’t want to stand out like a noob when joining the Airsoft community. You may choose to follow a fad after reading online about how some rifle is better than some other, causing you to part with a little more cash than is arguably needed… but don’t be too eager to jump on any particular bandwagon. What follows in this review may just surprise you.

BULLDOG SR4 SPORT LINE AIRSOFT GUNS

When You Look at The Gearbox And Inner Barrel Set up Together, It’s Here Where The Magic Hides Away, Just Waiting to Be Set Loose!

The Bulldog SR4 sport line range is one of those types of rifles that could be overlooked very easily due to Its budget price and two-tone colour scheme, but look closer, and you will find an excellent platform for any new player at an astounding price point.

The reason I say this, first of all, is because many people can’t see past the obvious two-tone appearance – but look a bit deeper, and you’ll find a very cost-effective rifle that will hold its own on any skirmish field across the globe. As most players will know, the style and mechanics of this platform can be modified in many ways to fit the user. For starters, you can completely change the appearance of the rifle with aftermarket accessories. But why would you? Aesthetically there is nothing wrong with this rifle, and internally everything matches up. There are a few things that I would suggest you replace just to make the rifle more competitive and reliable, but these are just things I would change as an experienced player straight out of the box; this rifle is more than capable of doing what it needs to do, and then some! Bulldog has done a great job on this rifle: not only have they kept things simple to use, but also the maintenance on this has been kept simple too. The inevitable will happen, and maintenance will be required, but this will not be overwhelming to a new player on this rifle. Once taken apart and sorted, it should be easy to put back together so you can get back out there. This is not something manufacturers usually think about when designing a rifle for the beginner market, so well done to them for putting their consumer’s needs first.

There are two variants to choose from: the SR4 R.I.S pi or the SR4 R.I.S pg. Both are made the same way and have the same components but differ slightly in appearance. The complete polymer construction means they’re very light and easy to carry, though this in itself also has some risks. That risk is it would be easy to break if fallen on or dropped onto hard ground, which is one of the first things new players do from what I have seen first-hand many times. If this was to happen, then finding new or replacement parts would be a breeze as this platform is one of the most-used rifles in the airsoft community. Everything at the front end, as I mentioned before, is a polymer and very flexible and thus very forgiving if you drop the rifle nose-first. The flash hider will absorb most of the force – it could break or shatter but is easily replaced thanks to the standard 14mm CCW thread. The outer barrel is actually pretty strong for a budget rifle and again produced in polymer, so I would personally leave this as it was unless it was damaged… but in order to do this, the rifle would have had to have been through some very rough use. This particular outer barrel could be replaced in case of damage, but the one-piece construction would require some experience in modifying the bodywork, and this is something I would not take on lightly. The RIS rail front hand guard protects the outer barrel. The rail system has been made to a good standard, and you cannot actually tell this is polymer until you’re holding it yourself.

The tight-fitting hand guard has little to no movement either, something else not often seen at this price point. Nonetheless, this area would be one of the first things I would look into changing in the future – nothing too major, but a simple like-for-like replacement or even a metal version. The reason for this change would be because when you start fitting things like front hand grips and such, the force you put through the grip can split and break the polymer handguard. Trust me, I have been there and done that. Thanks to the standard spring retention collar holding in the two handguard sections in place, this too would be easy to change for other styles of front-hand guard. At the front of the handguard, you will see the typical M4 A-frame style front sight. This is part of the one-piece construction outer barrel, so please remember this if you decide on a new look later on. Also, plan for a new slim line gas block as you will need to change the entire barrel set-up, bringing us back to the above-mentioned knowledge of bodywork to change the outer barrel. The upper and lower receivers have minimal markings on them apart from the usual fire modes clearly marked along with a very nice Bulldog logo, but it’s their actual make-up that I wanted to highlight. When you separate the two receivers to expose the inner barrel, it becomes very clear things are a little different for those of us that have opened up an M4 before.

Starting with the upper receiver, at the rear, which has been adapted with two little flanges, one on either side. The extra pieces of plastic play an important role when going through the re-assembly process and again assist newbies on how to position the upper receiver properly. The two pieces slide and lock into two groves that have been moulded into the lower receiver directly in front of the stock attachment shaft. This guides the upper receiver into place perfectly and compacts the gearbox in a central position reducing any rattling while ensuring perfect alignment when re-attaching the stock tube. Before I go onto the lower receiver, let me talk briefly about the inner barrel and hop-up combination. The inner barrel was a standard 6.05mm metal barrel, the type you would expect to find in the beginner price range, but the thing I didn’t expect to find was the rotary hop unit it was attached to. Normally rifles in this price range have a low-quality standard hop-up with the small adjuster wheel. Finding this was a bonus. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t anything amazing, but it’s a big improvement to the standard hop-up. When you look at the gearbox and inner barrel set up together, it is here where the magic is hidden, just waiting to be set loose. This is what sets the Bulldog SR4 above all others in this price range for me: a simple outer shell that looks like an easy target to seasoned players but, in reality, is a perfect baseline rifle that, with time and effort, can become a fantastic piece of kit.

The lower receiver is something I again need to highlight simply due to the fact that it won’t allow you to remove the gearbox completely. After removing the magazine release catch and pistol grip containing the motor, the gearbox will lift away from the lower receiver with some effort – though not completely. This is because, during the design process, Bulldog has added an extended rear stock fixing and closing off the space where the small Tamiya connector feeds through that connects to the battery. This does limit the amount of movement you have in order to service the gearbox. With the gearbox removed, I got my first look at the driving force behind this surprisingly accurate rifle, and I really didn’t expect to find what I did. The gearbox itself is held tightly together with ten small screws that seem to have some glue or lock-tight adhesive on them, so a little force was needed to get them moving.

A really nice and neat set of steel gears presented themselves with just the right amount of grease for lubrication, shimmed perfectly to align with the polymer pistol. The piston has a single metal tooth, and although the alignment of the gears is spot on, over time, the polymer teeth will wear down against the steel gears and then eventually let go and break off, but that’s just the way things go with budget rifles. Because this is a cheap fix, I would address this straight away and replace the piston with a full steel tooth version, and to be honest, nothing else is needed unless something breaks. It really is a nice surprise to find a budget rifle with a gearbox that can perform this way straight out of the box, especially in this price range. Putting the rifle back together is as easy as it can get, so the only thing I am left to talk briefly about is the rear adjustable stock. The stock is a simple M4 style with ample storage for your battery of choice and is fairly sturdy compared to other budget rifles, so this should take a little more punishment than normal. However, because of the extended stock attachment, one thing to watch out for would be the possibility of breaking the actual body of the rifle if you put your weight on it.

Naturally, everything I have mentioned could happen to anyone and any rifle, but it’s always good to mention the things I have seen happen first-hand when it comes to budget rifles. This should not put you off buying this rifle or its counterpart – in fact, it should do the opposite. You should seriously consider purchasing one; even seasoned players should consider this if they are looking for a cheap backup that can still provide the performance they are used to. The Bulldog SR4 range is a true wolf in sheep’s clothing that is full of surprises. I have enjoyed taking this apart and seeing what it’s all about. It is also very easy to get carried away with the run-of-the-mill full metal AEGs on the market, so it’s a really nice change to step back a little and take a look at what is casually overlooked. You know what they say about judging a book by its cover, and in this rifle’s case, it really is what is inside that counts. Low cost does not mean low performance.

• FPS (Estimated): 330
• Weight: 3205g
• Length: 820/885 Mm
• Construction: ABS
• Receiver: Nylon
• Gear Set: Steel
• Bushings: 6mm Metal Gen2
• Hop-Up: Adjustable
• Power Type: Electric Aeg
• Motor Type: Long Axle
• Magazine: 70r Mid-Cap
• Colours: Two-Tone, Black, Tan

It really is a nice surprise to find a budget rifle with a gearbox that can perform the way this does straight out of the box without any tinkering needed, especially within this price range.