Crosman 'Panther Arms' DPMS SBR M4 review
Sept 7, 2021 17:36:29 GMT
Modski66, Wild Bill, and 6 more like this
Post by HeadHunter on Sept 7, 2021 17:36:29 GMT
As many of you are aware, with help from a few of my fellow members of this forum I was lucky enough to finally get hold of a secondhand Crosman Panther Arms DPMS SBR M4 after spending quite a while trawling through the internet for just the right one (at the right price and in the right condition). I paid £150 for a complete, working and boxed specimen plus the seller chucked in an UTG grip for it as well, which I swapped for a moderator with a fellow forum member, but more on that in a while....
I really wanted one of these because of it's superb realism both in terms of looks and action, the genuine single action shooting and blowback bolt action was a big factor in my decision, the fact that it was a BB only gun was neither here nor there to me as I not overly concerned by the ammunition as I'm more concerned with the form and function of the gun. So lets delve in shall we.....
First Impressions
The rifle itself is well made and very solid, the 'heft' of the gun makes this replica feel genuinely realistic and although the outer frame is plastic it feels quite substantial, I can understand why so many people have used the term 'ballistic polymer' to describe the plastic, as the term plastic would lead you to believe that it maybe flimsy, which it certainly isn't. The magazine, which holds 25 BBs, is heavy and solid too, which when attached to the gun it compounds the feeling of the overall weightiness to the gun. Once you lift the removable cover off it's clearly marked internally as to which CO2 cylinder to fit first and allen key is handily held at the bottom of the mag, just where you need it. The adjustable stock is far better than I thought that it would be, it rigidly locks into position with absolutely no play in it at all and again this adds to the overall feel of the gun. The quad rail system is solidly locked to the frame and whilst looking a bit OTT it does allow the attachment of any accessory in any position the shooter would ever desire, which is more than adequate for any shooters needs. I fitted a red dot sight to the top rail, a red laser pointer to the forward (underneath the muzzle) position and I'm looking to get a sling for it but can't quite decide on whether to get a single or double point version (or maybe one that has both options). Which brings me neatly on to the only bad point of the stock, it's not a standard AR stock and buffer tube system so getting a 'ring' adapter for the rear sling point maybe a case of custom manufacture rather than an off the shelf purchase, but hey ! I love a winter project as much as the next CO2 firearm collector, lol. The standard 'iron sights' are of the flip up, knock down type, totally useable and as solid as the rest of the gun. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and I noticed that the peep hole sight has two settings for use at different distances, which I haven't previous heard mentioned in other reviews ?!? It's just a simple flip up selector to use either one, very similar to the KWC's Uzi adjustable peep sight system.
Once I'd adjusted the stock length and position of the under barrel fore grip the gun felt remarkably good both in the shoulder and from the hip, the weight is perfect, the feel is solid and the grin factor is truly enormous.
Using the charging handle to cock the gun is very satisfying, there is a definitely solid feel to it and is accompanied by a characteristic 'thunk' as it drops back into position. There is a built in safety lock on the left side of the handle that needs to be depressed to allow the charging handle to be pulled back but after a short practise of cocking the gun a few times this soon turned this into a very easy subconscious habit. When you pull the charging handle back it automatically opens the shell ejection port (if it was closed beforehand) just like on the real steel version.
I would of loved a faux spring loaded 'forward assist' (it didn't need to do anything) as the one on the gun is just a solid moulded in part of the frame, but what with the automatically opening spring loaded door cover for the ejection port and the functioning charging handle I'm prepared to forgive Crosman on this point, but only just, lol.
Mine did come with a few minor faults, which you should expect with any secondhand purchase really, when the previous owner had fitted the replacement UTG pistol grip he had inadvertently caused minor damage to the rear take-down pin's retaining spring (it was squashed and kinked in the middle), this spring forces a pin upwards to capture and retain the rear most take-down pin to keep it held within the frame, that way you can't lose the damned thing when field stripping the gun. A quick reshaping of the spring and correctly fitting it back into the grip housing immediately cured this problem, no more scrabbling about on the floor looking for the damned pin whenever I opened the action up !
The second problem involved a more time consuming solution, I chronographed the gun as soon as I got it. This is something I do to all of my guns, it gives me a base line for it's performance and something to compare against if an issue arises at a later date or if I make any modifications to the gun. The claimed FPS for this gun with 2xCO2 capsules is 430fps with steel BBs and I've seen this proved over and over again by online reviewers, some guns were even touching the 460fps mark with the first couple of shots from fresh CO2 capsules but mine was only getting 415fps at best ! And only averaging 358fps over the course of 150 shots. Not too much of a difference to worry most people but then again I'm not most people, lol. After opening the action up I noticed that the main breech seal (between the barrel and the magazine) was bone dry, so I slapped on some 'Gun Gum' (if you need to know what that is, go here). I took the opportunity to strip the internal bolt down and give the parts a good clean, then I set about lubricating it all and reassembling the parts back into the gun. I took a moment to look at the face of the magazine that rests against the seal and noticed a slightly raised burr/seam so I set about flattening that out with some fine emery cloth and then giving it a good polish.
I left the gun for well over a week for the 'Gun Gum' to work it's magic and when I tested it again I found that that the average over 150 shots had increased from 358fps to 384fps and the highest from 415fps to 456fps, so overall the increase was worth all the effort and the gun is running perfectly now. I should also mention the consistency of the power levels as you go through the six magazines, I was very shocked at how well it did, managing an average drop of about 9fps between each magazine.
Field stripping the gun down is so easy it's unbelievable, there's a small bolt that sits above the selector switch can be pushed through from the left side and then pulled fully out from the right side, it locks into the frame so that it cannot be lost. This allows the top section of the rifle to tilt upwards and allows easy access to: the bolt and charging handle, the front of the buffer tube and to the trigger group. If further stripping is needed then the top section can be removed completely by pushing another pin (above the mag well) through from the left to the right but this time the pin is totally removable and as stated allows the whole top section to be removed completely, which makes barrel cleaning far easier than struggling with doing it whilst the top section connected to the rest of the gun.
As previously mentioned, I swapped the UTG pistol grip that came with it for a 3D printed functioning moderator from Rusty , he also supplied me with a couple of 'thumb savers' for loading the magazine which turned out to be absolutely perfect for the job as they lock the follower in place which makes loading far easier, so a big thank you to Russell for those goodies.
The 3D printed moderator.
Accuracy
The gun performs solidly at 10m, accuracy is good and repeatable with fairly tight groups, far better than you would think for a BB rifle, especially considering that it's a Short Barrelled Rifle (SBR). The trigger has a short and fairly light take up but there is a definite 'wall' to the break, easy to find but it does take a little practise to get used to it, as it has a quite definite snap.
At 10m with the original muzzle compensator fitted (25 shots on each target).
At 20m, 25 shots with the compensator and then another 25 with the moderator.
Admittedly, it does a fair impression of a shotgun but I'm only shooting it semi rested and there's a slight change to the POI when using the moderator as apposed to the original compensator.
At 10m with the moderator fitted (25 shots on each).
I had to alter the red dot slightly to the right when I fitted the moderator but it seemed to make the group slightly tighter or maybe I was just getting used to shooting it by then, either way I'm happy with the results at 10m.
Whilst target shooting and zero'ing my red dot, I noticed the shot count was reduced slightly when compared to shooting it through the chronograph, I put this down to the fact that when I do my chrono' test I manually write down the fps for every shot and when shooting (or more accurately, backyard plinking) my fire rate increases, either way I saw a drop in POI (point of impact) in the last magazine (shots 125-150), nothing that couldn't be compensated for under normal conditions but I just decided to use the last magazine to hit a swinging tin can, which it did really well and accurately enough (24 hits out of 25 at 10m). So rate of fire maybe something to consider, slower consistent target shooting will definitely yield the 150 shot count, whereas quickly 'blatting' cans around the garden will lower it's consistent accuracy to nearer the 125 shot mark.
Conclusion
There are so many good points about the gun, in the 'feel' stakes it scores incredibly high. It is very, very solid and the weight is totally realistic. In the 'replica' stakes it again scores high, Crosman's attention to detail is worth noting, the functioning charging handle, the automatically opening ejection port cover, it's field strip ability, the fully adjustable and solidly locking stock and finally, the quad rail system which is well made and functional. The accuracy of the gun is far better than you would believe that a BB gun would be, it's reliably dependable and power wise it's very consistent too, with only minor and gradual CO2 drop over time.
I can't over empathise the feel of the gun in your hands, it's incredibly solid, feels tough and feels like it will last a lifetime. In the shoulder is where it excels, it's a very naturally pointing gun, easily finds it's target and once set up correct is sturdy too, it's a rock solid performer !
The addition of add ons is almost mandatory on this type of gun, a red dot or a holographic, a laser pointer, better fore grip, replacement pistol grip, folding bipod, flash light, moderators, etc.. There are just so many options to choose from that the gun can be made very personal to the user, uniquely identifiable by the owner and as individual as snowflakes in the artic. These modern military rifles are the perfect platforms for customisation within the civilian market and this replica is no exception to that rule too.
If I had to find one thing that could be improved it would be the trigger action, the wall is very solid on the break and will not suit everyone. I'm used to revolvers with a crisp light SA trigger and even some of my auto handguns have a super light wall, but I'm sure that with a couple of hundred practise BBs that I'll get used to it. It's not too heavy but it's definitely not the type of super light weight trigger that you would get on a sniper rifle. I may take the trigger group out at some point just to see if I can re-work the sears to lighten the break point a little but that's just me being me, any excuse to have a tinker, lol.
All in all, could I want for a better modern rifle ? Actually no, when all things are considered, I really couldn't. Full auto would have been nice but lets be real, we're in the UK and such levels of fun are not permitted to us poor CO2 replica owners but as to every thing else the Crosman Panther Arms DPMS SBR M4 is a sure fire winner in my books and one gun that I'm very happy to have in my collection, happy enough to know that I won't be selling mine and if it broke tomorrow I'd have to buy another one straight away.
I really wanted one of these because of it's superb realism both in terms of looks and action, the genuine single action shooting and blowback bolt action was a big factor in my decision, the fact that it was a BB only gun was neither here nor there to me as I not overly concerned by the ammunition as I'm more concerned with the form and function of the gun. So lets delve in shall we.....
First Impressions
The rifle itself is well made and very solid, the 'heft' of the gun makes this replica feel genuinely realistic and although the outer frame is plastic it feels quite substantial, I can understand why so many people have used the term 'ballistic polymer' to describe the plastic, as the term plastic would lead you to believe that it maybe flimsy, which it certainly isn't. The magazine, which holds 25 BBs, is heavy and solid too, which when attached to the gun it compounds the feeling of the overall weightiness to the gun. Once you lift the removable cover off it's clearly marked internally as to which CO2 cylinder to fit first and allen key is handily held at the bottom of the mag, just where you need it. The adjustable stock is far better than I thought that it would be, it rigidly locks into position with absolutely no play in it at all and again this adds to the overall feel of the gun. The quad rail system is solidly locked to the frame and whilst looking a bit OTT it does allow the attachment of any accessory in any position the shooter would ever desire, which is more than adequate for any shooters needs. I fitted a red dot sight to the top rail, a red laser pointer to the forward (underneath the muzzle) position and I'm looking to get a sling for it but can't quite decide on whether to get a single or double point version (or maybe one that has both options). Which brings me neatly on to the only bad point of the stock, it's not a standard AR stock and buffer tube system so getting a 'ring' adapter for the rear sling point maybe a case of custom manufacture rather than an off the shelf purchase, but hey ! I love a winter project as much as the next CO2 firearm collector, lol. The standard 'iron sights' are of the flip up, knock down type, totally useable and as solid as the rest of the gun. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and I noticed that the peep hole sight has two settings for use at different distances, which I haven't previous heard mentioned in other reviews ?!? It's just a simple flip up selector to use either one, very similar to the KWC's Uzi adjustable peep sight system.
Once I'd adjusted the stock length and position of the under barrel fore grip the gun felt remarkably good both in the shoulder and from the hip, the weight is perfect, the feel is solid and the grin factor is truly enormous.
Using the charging handle to cock the gun is very satisfying, there is a definitely solid feel to it and is accompanied by a characteristic 'thunk' as it drops back into position. There is a built in safety lock on the left side of the handle that needs to be depressed to allow the charging handle to be pulled back but after a short practise of cocking the gun a few times this soon turned this into a very easy subconscious habit. When you pull the charging handle back it automatically opens the shell ejection port (if it was closed beforehand) just like on the real steel version.
I would of loved a faux spring loaded 'forward assist' (it didn't need to do anything) as the one on the gun is just a solid moulded in part of the frame, but what with the automatically opening spring loaded door cover for the ejection port and the functioning charging handle I'm prepared to forgive Crosman on this point, but only just, lol.
Mine did come with a few minor faults, which you should expect with any secondhand purchase really, when the previous owner had fitted the replacement UTG pistol grip he had inadvertently caused minor damage to the rear take-down pin's retaining spring (it was squashed and kinked in the middle), this spring forces a pin upwards to capture and retain the rear most take-down pin to keep it held within the frame, that way you can't lose the damned thing when field stripping the gun. A quick reshaping of the spring and correctly fitting it back into the grip housing immediately cured this problem, no more scrabbling about on the floor looking for the damned pin whenever I opened the action up !
The second problem involved a more time consuming solution, I chronographed the gun as soon as I got it. This is something I do to all of my guns, it gives me a base line for it's performance and something to compare against if an issue arises at a later date or if I make any modifications to the gun. The claimed FPS for this gun with 2xCO2 capsules is 430fps with steel BBs and I've seen this proved over and over again by online reviewers, some guns were even touching the 460fps mark with the first couple of shots from fresh CO2 capsules but mine was only getting 415fps at best ! And only averaging 358fps over the course of 150 shots. Not too much of a difference to worry most people but then again I'm not most people, lol. After opening the action up I noticed that the main breech seal (between the barrel and the magazine) was bone dry, so I slapped on some 'Gun Gum' (if you need to know what that is, go here). I took the opportunity to strip the internal bolt down and give the parts a good clean, then I set about lubricating it all and reassembling the parts back into the gun. I took a moment to look at the face of the magazine that rests against the seal and noticed a slightly raised burr/seam so I set about flattening that out with some fine emery cloth and then giving it a good polish.
I left the gun for well over a week for the 'Gun Gum' to work it's magic and when I tested it again I found that that the average over 150 shots had increased from 358fps to 384fps and the highest from 415fps to 456fps, so overall the increase was worth all the effort and the gun is running perfectly now. I should also mention the consistency of the power levels as you go through the six magazines, I was very shocked at how well it did, managing an average drop of about 9fps between each magazine.
Field stripping the gun down is so easy it's unbelievable, there's a small bolt that sits above the selector switch can be pushed through from the left side and then pulled fully out from the right side, it locks into the frame so that it cannot be lost. This allows the top section of the rifle to tilt upwards and allows easy access to: the bolt and charging handle, the front of the buffer tube and to the trigger group. If further stripping is needed then the top section can be removed completely by pushing another pin (above the mag well) through from the left to the right but this time the pin is totally removable and as stated allows the whole top section to be removed completely, which makes barrel cleaning far easier than struggling with doing it whilst the top section connected to the rest of the gun.
As previously mentioned, I swapped the UTG pistol grip that came with it for a 3D printed functioning moderator from Rusty , he also supplied me with a couple of 'thumb savers' for loading the magazine which turned out to be absolutely perfect for the job as they lock the follower in place which makes loading far easier, so a big thank you to Russell for those goodies.
The 3D printed moderator.
Accuracy
The gun performs solidly at 10m, accuracy is good and repeatable with fairly tight groups, far better than you would think for a BB rifle, especially considering that it's a Short Barrelled Rifle (SBR). The trigger has a short and fairly light take up but there is a definite 'wall' to the break, easy to find but it does take a little practise to get used to it, as it has a quite definite snap.
At 10m with the original muzzle compensator fitted (25 shots on each target).
At 20m, 25 shots with the compensator and then another 25 with the moderator.
Admittedly, it does a fair impression of a shotgun but I'm only shooting it semi rested and there's a slight change to the POI when using the moderator as apposed to the original compensator.
At 10m with the moderator fitted (25 shots on each).
I had to alter the red dot slightly to the right when I fitted the moderator but it seemed to make the group slightly tighter or maybe I was just getting used to shooting it by then, either way I'm happy with the results at 10m.
Whilst target shooting and zero'ing my red dot, I noticed the shot count was reduced slightly when compared to shooting it through the chronograph, I put this down to the fact that when I do my chrono' test I manually write down the fps for every shot and when shooting (or more accurately, backyard plinking) my fire rate increases, either way I saw a drop in POI (point of impact) in the last magazine (shots 125-150), nothing that couldn't be compensated for under normal conditions but I just decided to use the last magazine to hit a swinging tin can, which it did really well and accurately enough (24 hits out of 25 at 10m). So rate of fire maybe something to consider, slower consistent target shooting will definitely yield the 150 shot count, whereas quickly 'blatting' cans around the garden will lower it's consistent accuracy to nearer the 125 shot mark.
Conclusion
There are so many good points about the gun, in the 'feel' stakes it scores incredibly high. It is very, very solid and the weight is totally realistic. In the 'replica' stakes it again scores high, Crosman's attention to detail is worth noting, the functioning charging handle, the automatically opening ejection port cover, it's field strip ability, the fully adjustable and solidly locking stock and finally, the quad rail system which is well made and functional. The accuracy of the gun is far better than you would believe that a BB gun would be, it's reliably dependable and power wise it's very consistent too, with only minor and gradual CO2 drop over time.
I can't over empathise the feel of the gun in your hands, it's incredibly solid, feels tough and feels like it will last a lifetime. In the shoulder is where it excels, it's a very naturally pointing gun, easily finds it's target and once set up correct is sturdy too, it's a rock solid performer !
The addition of add ons is almost mandatory on this type of gun, a red dot or a holographic, a laser pointer, better fore grip, replacement pistol grip, folding bipod, flash light, moderators, etc.. There are just so many options to choose from that the gun can be made very personal to the user, uniquely identifiable by the owner and as individual as snowflakes in the artic. These modern military rifles are the perfect platforms for customisation within the civilian market and this replica is no exception to that rule too.
If I had to find one thing that could be improved it would be the trigger action, the wall is very solid on the break and will not suit everyone. I'm used to revolvers with a crisp light SA trigger and even some of my auto handguns have a super light wall, but I'm sure that with a couple of hundred practise BBs that I'll get used to it. It's not too heavy but it's definitely not the type of super light weight trigger that you would get on a sniper rifle. I may take the trigger group out at some point just to see if I can re-work the sears to lighten the break point a little but that's just me being me, any excuse to have a tinker, lol.
All in all, could I want for a better modern rifle ? Actually no, when all things are considered, I really couldn't. Full auto would have been nice but lets be real, we're in the UK and such levels of fun are not permitted to us poor CO2 replica owners but as to every thing else the Crosman Panther Arms DPMS SBR M4 is a sure fire winner in my books and one gun that I'm very happy to have in my collection, happy enough to know that I won't be selling mine and if it broke tomorrow I'd have to buy another one straight away.
