A Review of The UTG Mk.96 Spring Powered Airsoft Sniper Rifle

Even before I took the rifle out of the box I was extremely surprised at the weight of the package. It weighed in at approximately ten pounds. Then after opening the box, I saw that the rifle itself had come in two pieces. Also included in the box was a full metal bipod, a full metal bipod adaptor (which connects to the front of the lower receiver), two thirty round magazines, Allen wrenches and bolts for assembly, a nylon sling with metal clips, and a one hundred to one hundred and fifty round speed loader with adaptor to fit the magazines. I was quite impressed with the amount of extra accessories; although a scope was not included.
Build

The upper and lower receivers were connected by Allen screws that we included in the box. One screw was placed directly behind the magazine well and the other was placed directly behind the trigger. The lower receiver extends from the back of the stock to the hand guard. It is made entirely out of durable ABS plastic and has a hard rubber cover over the shoulder rest. Extras on the lower receiver consist of an adjustable plastic cheek rest (which is adjusted with the Allen wrench provided), a thumb hole for comfortable gripping, and ambidextrous sling mounts on either side.

The lower receiver is also where the magazine well and bipod adaptor is located. On the front end of the lower receiver is the release button to remove the adaptor. The upper receiver is made completely of metal. This consists of the barrel (inner and outer), bolt, bolt handle, safety, seven and a half inch weaver rail (for mounting scopes), trigger assembly, and hop up system. Once the upper and lower receivers were connected and tightened, this was one rock solid rifle that was ready to take a beating. One problem I did notice was not with the gun itself, but with the bipod adaptor. When it was connected it was very wobbly. While this is good for making slight adjustments while prone, it was not easy to keep a steady aim.

Performance

Loaded with thirty rounds and the magazine lock in to place, this rifle was ready to fire. At first lifting up the pulling back the bolt seem like a chore. Because of its upgraded spring, it takes a little bit of muscle to pull the bolt all the way back. After a while it became second nature. Pushing the bolt forward, you could hear the click that beckoned you to pull the trigger. The trigger itself is a double trigger. This is another safety precaution that makes this gun so good. You have to pull the initial safety trigger before you can pull the trigger which releases the hammer and sends a round down range. Squeezing the trigger, I could feel the compressed air waiting to be released in the quiet fury that is an airsoft sniper.

This rifle sent a .02 gram round screaming downrange at a skin breaking four hundred and sixty feet per second. Although the .02 grams were fast, they were wild and unpredictable. I stepped up to the .25 gram rounds and sent one downrange. While it was more accurate, it was still unreliable for a single shot. Lastly I load the heavy hitting .28 gram rounds. The rifle sent its first round streaking downrange at four hundred and fifteen feet per second with deadly accuracy. All shots were taken from approximately seventy feet away. This rifle is also incredibly quite. My teammate claimed he could not here this rifle over a five mile per hour breeze from 50 feet away.

After Thoughts
If you don’t mind the size and weight and are looking for an airsoft sniper rifle that is under one hundred and fifty dollars, I would highly recommend the UTG Mk. 96. It is a Rock solid rifle that is fast, powerful, and quite. With this rifle on the field in the hands of a good sniper, the enemy will have more to fear than fear itself.