Armoury KitBag
E&L 104
PMC-B Assault Rifle
Review by Yosser
E&L are a relatively new entrant into the airsoft AEG market space and have set themselves the admirable goal of creating the highest possible quality replicas available which resemble their real steal counterparts as closely as possible. To this end they even tell us that their AEG’s are produced in the same factory as the real deal firearms, so hopefully this will give them a head start. Keeping this in mind, I’ve now got my hopes up for what otherwise to me is yet another AK in the airsoft world. Will this live up to its own high standards & hype?
E&L 104 PMC-B - click for larger images
The E&L 104 PMC-B AEG & magazine arrived secured in its rather plain looking brown cardboard box by thick gauge zip ties, which seemed rather old fashioned when so many AEG’s come in colourful boxes, nestled securely in custom cut out foam. I say plain but the box did have a sticker with the E&L logo and QR code, very modern looking. But I’m all for paying less and if this keeps the production costs down which can be passed onto me, the consumer, in the form of cheaper prices I’m all for it. Who needs the marketing blurb and pretty pictures on a box you’ve already decided to purchase anyway? Note, the AEG doesn’t come with a battery or charger, which on many AEG’s I would probably throw away anyway, but I did like the manual included which is pretty good for a Chinese manual to be fair. It included the usual guidance notes PLUS comprehensive take down diagrams and a parts list fully annotated with part numbers, should you need to replace anything in future you will have a full parts number diagram to refer to. The manual even includes a Quality Certificate fully stamped with details of its first shots on a chrono at the factory noted with the AEG’s unique serial number. Gunfire.pl who supplied this AEG will down grade any UK bound AEG’s to ensure they are UK site safe which means changing the spring to ensure it fires under the generally accepted site limit of 350 FPS.
E&L 104 PMC-B firing video - Airsoft Odyssey © 2014
I cut the zip ties and ripped out the AEG from its box. I was keen to get my mitts on this AK after seeing some of the video’s on Youtube showing off just how tough it is, I wasn’t about to subject it to the same harsh treatment. The smell of gun oil and steel hits you as soon as you open the packaging, it helps to protect the AEG during storage and transit and I think adds to the overall unpacking experience especially to anyone who’s ever handled real deal firearms, it will be just so familiar for some.
Weighing the gun in my hands, it just felt so right, heft, look, feel and balance was just so good. I did think that the LMT style stock looked so off par with the rest of the AEG. Although the six position stock is a good addition for a PMC style AK I think this might the first thing that I’ll be changing on it, but at least with the M4 style stock tube fitted I get that option. The weight lends an element of authenticity with a steel outer barrel aiding in the AEG’s balance. 104 models have a shorter barrel you will notice from the standard AK model which results in a more compact look and feel and aids in the PMC look, not forgetting how much more inconvenient longer assault weapons are when operating from vehicles. This 104 is fitted with a ‘Spetnaz’ (AK74U) style flash hider with gas pipe and integrated foresight which help add to the overall tactical feel of the AEG.
E&L 104 PMC-B close ups
Purists will miss the wooden elements of a more traditional AK but the materials used in this AEG are spot on and can definitely compete with other manufacturers in the market place currently and some components are even interchangeable with the real steel components due to coming off the same production line. Where possible parts are made as 1:1 copies, although some materials will differ (obviously). Even the steel body of the E&L AK104 is oxidised which makes the overall appearance more realistic and should wear over time very nicely indeed just like the real thing. Losing the wood has made the AEG more tactical for the addition of tac-lights and more. The RIS helps with the tactical look and feel a lot and at last your AK can be as tactical as an M4, is that a good thing, I’m not sure. But I was never a fan of the full wooden AK look anyway, always opting for a more ‘modern’ look. Let’s leave the wooden furniture for the 1st half of the twentieth century shall we! The receiver has been stamped with minimal marking for the firing selector and even on the LHS just below the top cover/battery cover including the weapons unique serial number – all subtly marked and not in your face, nicely understated you could say. The rear sight is fully adjustable and marked up and I notice even the LHS of the receiver is equipped with a dovetail mount, suitable for the dedicated optical sights available (including the original, designed for this firearm), as well as mounts allowing transition to a standard RIS.
E&L 104 PMC-B attachment points and RIS
Now I was never a fan of the AK’s normal pistol grip, in fact I hated them but this version has a very nice polymer grip, rather reminiscent of my SIG552 pistol grip, and along with the polymer fore grip the materials used are again top quality. In fact a few people who have looked over this AEG have been mildly impressed with the build quality and over-all look and feel of this E&L 104 PMC-B offering and those more experienced with AK’s stating the build quality goes way beyond many models they have seen from other manufacturers.
For field stripping the makers have tried to keep it all tool free and strip down just like the real deal firearm. Everything is based on pins and levers for a tool-less take down.
Internally they have installed a version 3 gearbox powered by high torque motor with neodymium magnets. Even the gears show some thought to performance with less resistance and reducing risk of failure – overall it promises in short, greater performance, smoother working and a greater rate of fire. When I measured this on a Chrono with a UK spring fitted outputting approx. 320/330 FPS I was getting around 1198 rounds per minute, so no slouch for a stock AEG.
The EL-104 PMC-B is fitted as standard with a 6.04mm tight bore barrel which does go some way to improve groupings but hey it’s a spray weapon not known for accuracy in real life, why do you think the AK has become so widely used by largely untrained irregular forces. It come delivered with a flash mag style highcap which is quickly wound but it did take a bit of getting used to locking in the mag to its well with the large mag catch on the AEG but it’s just because I wasn’t used to it.
Over all a very nice addition to the AEG collection and it did look rather sparse without an AK in the group, but more than that it is a very skirmishable and practical AEG. For quality and price point I sure you’ll be hard pressed to find much better in this kind of AK platform.
Yosser says: With the growing popularity of PMC loadouts these weapons are bound to become more popular – I hope they do, as nearly everyone has an M4 lately – this is a definite contender for looking different at your local skirmish event and the shorter configuration is a bonus for CQB. I love the weight in this AEG and the weapon is ideal for a large capacity lipo just above that receiver and easy to fit and change to. The update to the AK platform is nice and the M4 style tube fitted means you can add a load of after-market parts meant for the M4 plus QD sling connectors – so if you have an M4 and want a spare with something a little different this might be a nice addition.Follow new posts on AIRSOFT ODYSSEY via TWITTER:
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