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The new all metal series D-Boys rifles look promising. Do they stand up though? Read on to find out.

image from KastwayAirsoft.com - MK12 SPR - BI-5381

First off we should probably point out that the SPR MK12 and the SPR RIS version of this D-Boys/Boyi SPR are the same on the inside. The main difference on the outside is the top rail. On the MK12 there is a solid rail that runes along the entire top of the rifle, from the back to the upper receiver to just behind the front site (pictured above). The MK12 also has the unique cylindrical heat guard around the outer barrel. The SPR RIS however is more like a traditional fully railed M16. The RIS system will run along all four sides of the outer barrel for the entire length of the barrel. There will also be a break in the top rail between the upper receiver and the top outer barrel rail. Now here comes the confusing (annoying part).

 

image from airsplat.com - SPR RIS - BI-5281 (notice the upper rail difference)

I originally bought this rifle with the intent of ripping all the internals out and replacing them with other high quality parts; CA gearbox (SP140 spring), tightbore PSG-1 length barrel, new hopup, etc.

What’s Included

The rifle, bipod, wall charger, 1-point tactical sling, battery, shorty hi-cap mag, package of bb’s from unknown origin, instructions (in english!), cleaning rod.

The bipod is actually very nice. It is a harris style rail mounted version. The feet fold forward when you are not using them and the legs are spring released (they pop out to full extension) with just the click of a button. It also has a spring loaded roll ability. The rifle can roll about 20 degree either direction but if you relax your grip it snaps back to 12 o’clock. Pretty cool!

The 1-point tac sling is kind of useless. Not really sure why you would sling an SPR in the first place, let alone 1-point it. It has a nice place to attach the 1-point between the receiver and stock but if you do you basically end up dragging the barrel in the dirt. Unless you are 7 ft tall I guess. Anyway the 1-point worked out pretty well on my MP5 :).

The battery is a NiCd 8.4volt 1800 milliampHour with a large type connector. That was very nice to have a NiCd because I received this rifle in the winter. And we all know other battery types can really be a problem in the cold. The 8.4volt ran the weapon at about 700 rounds per minute.

Construction

First impression was great. Picked the MK12 up and slung it around. Felt just a sturdy as a CA SPR I had sitting right next to it. Screw off the flash hider to reveal the 14mm counter-clockwise threads to affix a silencer.

 

First Shots

Again, presently surprised. I put the battery on charge for about an hour, and tried it out. The first shot (without cleaning the barrel) came in at 370 fps and that was consistent +/- 3 fps. The motor wound quickly too, delay from trigger pull to fire was really nothing.

 

Internals, Hop-up and Barrel

The gearbox was basically what I expected. Metal didn’t feel all that great. Clear plastic nozzle, nylon bushings, etc. Metal spring guide though! The hopup looked like an exact clone of the 1 piece metal hopup that was on the CA I mentioned earlier. The barrel is an AK length (~450mm).

Disassembly

It breaks apart just like any other metal AR-15 body. Pull out the front receiver pin and slide the two apart. Some of the small screws and allen (hex) heads seem to be made of a pretty cheap metal so make sure that you always use the proper size tool as to not strip it out.

Spare Parts and Upgradability

Ok so everything seems great right? Seems like a great (cheaper) platform to build your DMR on right? Well hold on tight because were about to go for a ride.

First things first. I really wanted to see what the stock gearbox could put up with. So I decided to put the Guarder SP140 spring in and just see what happened. Something happened alright. Now i’m shooting ~170 fps. I really didn’t know what to make of it. So I just concluded that the gearbox couldn’t handle it.

Time to stop screwing around. I got the CA gearbox (which I know works) out and popped the SP140 inside. Closed it all back up put it in the weapon and chronoed it. ~140-160fps. Even slower than the upgrade spring the in stock gearbox. At this point I came to the conclusion that the spring must be faulty. Good thing I had a Guarder SP150 sitting around (which I had tested on another rifle that came in shooting ~550 fps). Pop it in the CA box and let’er rip. ~200 fps. I had no words to explain what was happening.

Ok so if it isn’t the spring nor the gearbox that is bringing the problem it must be the hopup unit right? So I rebuild the stock gearbox and place it in the weapon. Then take the CA all metal hopup in the other rifle and stick it in the D-Boys. Still shooting under 200 fps. I’m becoming upset.

After about 20 permutations of different components (pistons, cylinders, bushings, hopup units, hopup rubber, etc) I finally gave up. It just wants going to go faster than stock. So I put everything stock back into the weapon and chronoed. BACK TO ~370 fps! I couldn’t believe it. The D-Boys just won’t except upgrades. It operated fine with all stock components but just wouldn’t except any upgrades. Not even the upgrade barrel alone! Explain that!

So it would appear that Boyi/D-Boys have developed a completely DOWNGRADABLE weapon. You can put as many expensive parts as you want in it…and it will only go slower.

 

Mag Compatibility

I tried a bunch of different mags in this weapon.

Worked: MAG mid caps, TM mid caps, CA mid caps, TM short stack mid caps. STAR real caps.

Didn’t work: STAR mid caps. They just wouldn’t fit. Turns out that little spine on the rear side of all AR-15 mags is about .5 mm to wide [on the STAR midcaps] to fit in the weapon. Just about anything else will work. I tried modding a STAR midcap to fit but I ended up ruining the mag in the process. So don’t use STAR midcaps on this weapon.

Final Thoughts

At first I was excited. Great construction feel, no wobble, all metal (except the stock and pistol grip). Then it was all down hill from there.

Pros:

If you are looking for a sub 400 fps weapon with a longer than m4 barrel and fairly good accuracy, hopup then this might be the rifle for you.

Cons:

YOU CAN’T UPGRADE IT. Save yourself a bunch of money on parts and don’t even try.

 

 

The Tables and Score

Scores (out of 10)

Construction	8.5	would be 9 if screws felt more solid.
Battle Durability	9	really didn’t have any worries about it.
Velocity vs Claimed	N/A	Not claimed anywhere by D-Boys.
Accuracy	8	The included hopup rubber isn’t bad at all.
SCORE	8.5

This table is ActualAirsoft Approved!

	Claimed	Tested
Velocity (.20g)		370
Effective Range		~125 ft
Accuracy at 75 ft		100% (10/10)
Accuracy at 100 ft (14″ target)		100% (10/10)
Accuracy at 125 ft (14″ target)		90% (9/10)
Accuracy at 150 ft (14″ target)		70% (7/10)