Classic Army CA36C

This model is becoming increasingly popular due to it's celebrated success in the European arena--specifically in Germany. Thanks to Sierra Airsoft and Airsoft Reports we have compiled an accurate report of the Classic Army G36, or the CA36, CA36C, and CA36K. Please keep in mind that Echo1 also makes a G36 variant that is comparable to the CA36 models.

SPECS

Action: Semi, Full-Auto

Power: Electric

Length: 19.4/28.2 inches

Height: 9 inches

Weight: 6.2 pounds

Sights: Ghost Ring

Barrel: 247mm (inner)

Stock: Fiberglass

Capacity: 50 (standard), 470 (high-cap)

History: The Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle, developed under the project title HK-50, was designed to replace the outdated G3 rifle as the issued infantry weapon of the Bundeswehr, the German army. The G36 was designed to be flexible, affordable, extremely reliable and NATO compliant. It was a success and was adopted by the Bundeswehr in ’95, by Spain in ‘99 as their standard infantry weapon, and numerous law enforcement agencies in Britain and the US. A 5.56x45mm (.223 Rem) rifle with the historical craftsmanship and accuracy associated with H&K, utilizing the most modern technology, the G36 is adaptable to all fighting scenarios. The receiver, formerly the only exposed metal on H&K’s, is built of reinforced polymers, with metal inserts where appropriate (similar to Glock construction), making it less affected by extreme environmental conditions. The major parts are assembled on the receiver using cross-pins, so the rifle can be disassembled and reassembled with no tools. The G36 is fed from a proprietary magazine made of translucent plastic having special studs on the sides allowing several magazines to be coupled for fast reloading.

Review: Classic Army has just introduced the CA36C as their latest offering, “C” designating the Commando variant. Brand new with a release date of 09/15/04, the CA36C will sell for about $295, depending on your retailer. Airsoft Extreme provided NAM with a specimen for review and field-testing. This exclusive opportunity to field the CA36C before its release date was something I could not pass up. But before we look at how it performed, lets review the product. The outer construction is all plastic. While that sounds unappealing to most, remember that the real steel is also all “plastic”. Well that is not entirely accurate. The stock and outer body is actually fiberglass. The fiberglass provides incredible strength over molded plastic and is used in such things as vehicle bodywork. The bonding resin used gives the “plastic” feel and simulates the texture of the polymer used in the real steel. Now if you break down the CA36C you would find that it is not merely a plastic gun, but is a radically different design over that of previous Airsoft guns. The CA36C made up of a thick fiberglass shell covering an entirely metal frame. This combination makes the gun solid, in fact there is almost no lateral flex at all even under force. In all probability you could fall on this gun with little or no damage.

Aesthetically the seam lines left from the mold are not as smooth as I would like, but this is a personal cosmetic preference and the seam are within tolerances. Beyond that, the build is true to the real steel in design, features, and function. Length, height, and weight are exact to the real thing; 28.3” long, 19.7” folded, 6.2 pounds. The only major difference from the real steel is the CA model does not use cross pins exclusively. Only the fore-end is retained by a cross pin, the rest of the gun uses Allen bolts. Realistically, Airsoft guns don’t require as much break down for cleaning as the real thing; Allan bolts are more secure than cross-pins, preventing lost parts in the field and they do not detract from the appearance. The CA36C gets a high field ability rating. The safeties and charging handle (which pulls the “bolt” back to reveal the hop-up adjust) are ambidextrous.

The mag release is huge and easily operated with gloves. The stock swings to the side with the press of a large button and holds to the receiver by a nub that also serves to deflect ejected shells away from a left-handed operator’s face on the real thing. The long RIS/RAS-style scope rail provides enough room to fit two items, such as an ACOG and PVS-7 or a Red dot and a PEQ-2. The CA comes with a RIS/RAS rail on the bottom of the fore-end to accommodate a vertical fore-grip or other accessory. All this makes it suitable to the full range of fighting scenarios and styles from CQB to field fighting. How does it compare to the Tokyo Marui? In general, Classic Army’s guns are essentially a repackaged Marui having all the metal parts the real thing would have to make it a more realistic gun. Well since the H&K has essentially no metal external body parts, Classic Army had to change up their old upgrade style. Rather than upgrading plastic to metal, CA upgraded plastic to fiberglass, which is actually stronger than the aluminum and other alloys used in Airsoft guns. The Marui has some metal reinforcement but uses mostly plastic to reinforce the outer shell. Again, as mentioned before, the CA has an entirely metal frame, which takes the place of Marui’s plastic reinforcements. Its hard to tell without cutting into the metal, but it appears to be more dense (density equals strength) than standard Airsoft alloys, possibly even steel. As Marui is in essence a plastic gun, there is a lot of creaking when force is applied to the gun; CA eliminated that with their build. And to be true to realism, CA added a little weight over Marui to get the CA36C up to the exact weight of the real steel. As per usual the CA model is upgraded a little bit to shoot hotter than the Marui, to include 7mm metal bushings and gears and hotter spring, meaning that out of the box one can get closer to the field limit without added expense.

The CA36C will push a .25g BB at between 311 to 315fps compared to Marui G36C at between 225 to 241fps. You may also have noticed that the FPS fluctuation is less with the CA, meaning accuracy will be more consistent. In an interesting side note, During fire tests, there was an FPS drop in the CA when shooting .20g BB’s compared to .20g’s. The reason for this was undetermined. The CA’s .20g FPS tests were still higher (276-311) than Marui’s (248-256). There are accessories available for the CA36C but more out of preference than necessity.

Accessory rails for both sides of the fore-end, Freedom Art hi-vis front sights, metal scope rail to replace the stock polymer, First Factory large fore-end to accommodate a large battery, RAS fore-end by TMC and G&G, and the usual internal upgrades. Also available is the carry handle with integrated scope to replace the scope rail and turn the CA36C to G36K. Add a G36E package (which includes a longer outer barrel, fore-end and the carry handle) for the Infantry weapon style. The Classic Army G36K fore-end for even more accuracy. Turn it into a squad gun with a G&P fore-end with integrated bipod and a box or C-mag. Or make it into a sniper gun with the STAR SL-9 conversion kit. Now that is all fine and good, but how did it perform in the field. Being a sniper I forewent my usual back-ups and carried only the CA CA36C along with my rifle into a scenario taking place in the Santa Cruz mountains. The versatile CA36C proved to be a comfortable fit whether shouldered or slung on my back while I was using my rifle. The folding stock and smooth lines kept it from hanging up on dense under brush. Having an EG1000 motor, the cycle rate is quick making sustained fire more effective. The weight and quality of build wiped the worry of breaking the gun from my mind and let me focus on fighting hard; a Marui G36C’s stock was snapped during play. I enjoyed fielding the CA36C as much as my old favorite, an MP5SD. It got me two kills; one burst kill and one squad-gun kill with the high-cap. And speaking of high-caps, the CA36C uses the new high-cap system, where it can be fully wound and fire through the whole mag rather than needing to be wound after every 30 shots or so. And to speak to its strength, I dropped the CA36C about 3 or 4 times while it was in my possession. While at the game another individual dropped a Marui G36C once and snapped the stock in two places.

I have heard many folks talk about Classic Army weapons with a bit of distain saying that they are cheaper in quality than Marui. Well I disagree. Having played with several CA’s, I find them to be excellent skirmish weapons being well built, dependable, more realistic, and an excellent value. The CA36C may be Classic Army’s best build yet. Only time will tell if it will embraced by the masses and hold up to the abuse that players dish out. I expect it will.

Sources: Sierra Airsoft NAM