Anyone else use Leapers/UTG Airsoft products for real guns?

[Cannonball888]

I do. I think their quality on some things is pretty decent and is no different from equivalent products marketed for firearms. But does anyone know why they market their stuff for Airsoft when they know darn well folks are using their products for real firearms?

Check this stuff out.

http://www.leapers.com/pages/airsoft_sport/airsoft_equipment_soft_gg02.htm

 

[PT1911]

I have a leapers 3x12x44, red/green illuminated mil-dot reticle on my AR-15 that has worked wonderfully... 1/8 minute adjustments, side paralex adjustment, and locking target turets... cannot ask for much more in a scope than that...tried it out on my 10/22 as well... I am going to have to get another one....

 

[Boba Fett]

I have a rail system from UTG/Leapers for my AR-15. UTG/Leapers makes more than just airsoft products. Some of their stuff is pretty good. Others are crap.

http://www.leapers.com/pages/new_items/redirect-new_items.htm?mount-mnt-hg416se_c.htm


I figured I'd try it out and if it sucked I'd eBay it and get a "real" rail system that costs $150-400. For the $60 I paid for it, it was worth the gamble.

So far, very solid, no problems with it. Holds everything I want it to and looks pretty good.

Can't say if mounting a scope is a good idea or not. Some people have said that scopes don't stay lined up or lose their zero. Not sure how your scope would lose it's zero on a UTG rail any more or less than on a high end rail.

So far, I'm not disappointed and I saved a few hundred bucks.

 

[Hungry Seagull]

I prefer to eat real beef for the guns.

 

[EHL]

I've got some of their stuff on my AR, works just great! No worries here.

 

[-v-]

Well, I use an airsoft 3-point sling on my AK, but then again I don't see much difference between a "made for airsoft" strip of nylon canvas and "made for firearms" strip of nylon canvas, both with some metal clasps on it.

 

[N003k]

I have UTG rails on my Stag Model 4, I really haven't gotten a chance to compare any OTHER rails to them, but they seem to be plenty durable and worth it, especially since they cost less then half the price of most other rails. Heck, I even actually got them off of AIM.

 

[TehK1w1]

I could see using them on 22lr, ARs, and maybe AK/SKSs, but I suspect any high-powered rifle would destroy an airsoft scope in a hurry.

 

[whitefeather]

I have one of their non-freefloat carbine picatiny forends on my Bushy M-4gery and am very pleased with the quality.

It was an absolute bargain for $50.00. It is properly machined and has a very durable finish. I don't see what a $250.00 high-end version would offer over it. Some of our guys running around in Iraq and Afghanistan are using these in combat and on patrols with no reports of problems.

 

[MHBushmaster]

Cheap Chinese Crud designed for airsoft should only reside on range toys and other non-serious application rifles.

To trust your life to a Chinese pot metal quality rail to hold your optic on your home defense long arm, well, that is ridiculous.

There is a reason they cost $60 vs $200. It ain't because of greed. Its because of quality or lack thereof.

As with everything, you get what you pay for. I for one don't want my Chinese optic to wet the bed when I need it the most. Heck, alot of the red dot clones of Aimpoint and Eotechs have nothing more than a red diode taped to the inside tube of the (optic). Yes, tape to hold a diode. :banghead:

Buy quality equipment and only wince once with your wallet Vs whipping out your wallet to buy a replacement part whenever your cheap low price chinese junk stops working. In the end, the better equipment will hold its value, will work as intended, and is made for the application that you are using it for (firearms).

 

[Impureclient]

Funny as most scopes made for "real" guns can't hold up on some magnum pellet guns.
Don't believe me go on a airgun forum and ask how many scopes that heavy duty pellet guns eat up.
Leapers are solid and have good clarity for what you are paying.

 

[WardenWolf]

I've used Leapers / UTG scopes. They're actually quite good. I wouldn't classify them as "airsoft grade" at all. Incredible optics and they hold zero perfectly on my Saiga .223. I also use a UTG AK lever lock scope mount. It's rock solid. I trust it, because I own it, and I know it's built like a rock. The finish is incredibly tough, too. Even clamping the scope to the rail did not mar its finish. Note that I do have to replace my first Leapers scope because I fell and dropped my rifle on a rock, scope first. It bent the eyebell, but did not crack the optics. Granted, this was a 10-pound rifle falling directly on the scope. I don't think most $100+ optics would have survived that.

 

[TXj]

I have their quad rail and foregrip for my AR and I am very pleased with the fit and durability.

 

[everallm]

To a degree, "You pays you money, you gets you choice"

Is a Leapers the same quality as a Schmidt & Bender or Zeiss....No....

Are 99% of folks going to NEED the difference between a $2000 piece of glass and a $200 piece of glass, or even be able to use it....? No.......

Buy to your budget, understand the difference, enjoy what you get.

 

[TCB in TN]

To a degree, "You pays you money, you gets you choice"

Is a Leapers the same quality as a Schmidt & Bender or Zeiss....No....

Are 99% of folks going to NEED the difference between a $2000 piece of glass and a $200 piece of glass, or even be able to use it....? No.......

Buy to your budget, understand the difference, enjoy what you get.

Great advice! If you are going to use a .22 to roll cans around the ground on the back 40, then really doesn't make sense to put to much in the scope. I own a couple (on my sons, and my company .22s).

 

[cleardiddion]

I keep reading about folks putting the stuff on their AR's.

I thought we were talking about putting this stuff on REAL guns (anti-flame suit on).

Anywho some of that stuff looks fairly interesting, but kinda makes me wonder how people can rag on me about how I spend money on this subject whereas they spend all theirs on toys

 

[Gamera]

I have some of their rail protector things. They're quite nice.

but then again I don't see much difference between a "made for airsoft" strip of nylon canvas and "made for firearms" strip of nylon canvas, both with some metal clasps on it.

Yeah pretty much that.

 

[WardenWolf]

Fact is, optics manufacturing techniques have improved so much that even a good $60 scope is going to blow away a lot of the scopes we had just a few decades ago. My father has an old Weaver scope on his Remington 700. Between the Leapers and the Weaver, there's no question. At full power, the Leapers was so clear you couldn't even tell you were looking through a scope. The Weaver is nowhere near as clear. As long as the scope can take minor bumps and your rifle's recoil, the adjustment is fine, and the optics are good, it doesn't matter to 99% of people if it's a $60 scope or a $600 scope. There's such a thing as "good enough", and these days, "good enough" can be had quite cheaply. Even the cheap scopes are probably better than most of the high-end scopes from 20-30 years ago.

 

[RyanM]

I've (attempted to) use UTG products twice. Never again.

$40 AR-15 carry handle. It had giant casting voids on the bottom, a dent on the bar on the underside (which goes into the rail slots) that looked like a gorilla had mounted it on a gun crooked, and flashing on the small apeture that made it totally unusable. Sent it back and spent $80 on a takeoff from a Colt 6921 instead. That one's been fine, obviously.

$40 for an AK-47 weaver rail mount. It mounted the scope about 1/4" to the right of the bore axis, which would've been okay if I were left-handed. It also would not stay on the gun. The tightening lever was very picky about how all the nuts and washers were positioned. Sold it at a loss, with full disclosure about how temperamental it was. The guy I sold it to hasn't complained, at least. The mount is probably fine if you get it right the first time and then never take it off. But I got an actual POSP and haven't looked back. Take it off and put it on as many times as you want, it stays on the gun and holds its zero fine.

Then more recently, I was looking at picatinny rails for a Mossberg 500. Hm, $40 for one from Mossberg, vs. $10 for an identical-looking UTG. That was a no-brainer. The Mossberg rail plus a Millett red dot have held up fine, even with the recoil of shooting a Serbu Super Shorty one-handed. I bet the UTG one would have broken in half by now or been made out of a machined dog turd, or something.

 

[highorder]

Chinese pot metal

Actually, it's extruded aluminum, and I'll be you a nickel that the aluminum was bought from the USA as ingots.

I have thought of the quad rails from UTG, but I imagine they're much heavier than something from YHM, DD, etc.

I have a UTG BUIS on my AR, and it works.

I wouldn't buy optics from them though.

 

[Zach S]

I have UTG rails on my Stag Model 4, I really haven't gotten a chance to compare any OTHER rails to them, but they seem to be plenty durable and worth it, especially since they cost less then half the price of most other rails. Heck, I even actually got them off of AIM.

I've got one on my AR, and I think mine came from AIM as well. May have been CDNN.

I wont go so far as to call it garbage, but it aint what I'd call a high quality product either. Mine works well enough for holding a sling loop, light, and VFG. It'll go on my .22 or 9mm plinker when I get something better. Although its on my HD carbine, I'd get something else for duty use if I were on the job.

I work in sheetmetal fabrication, and have history in machining, so I know a thing or two about metals. Comparing UTG to real rail manufactures out there (Larue, Troy, DD, SF, MI, etc), they're all priced accordingly IMO.

Its like deciding on having Macco or another body shop paint your car. If you're driving a car a car that has been in a wreck or two and has mismatched panels, and you just want it scuffed and sprayed so its not an eyesore, Macco is good enough. But, if you want the car to look good, the chips and dents smoothed out, panels properly gapped, and dont want overspray on your trim, lights, etc, take it to a real bodyshop.

I have thought of the quad rails from UTG, but I imagine they're much heavier than something from YHM, DD, etc.

Nope. The included rail covers with the UTG weigh more than the rail itself. The aluminum is also much softer than other manufactures. It doesn't feel any tougher than the 3003 aluminum sheetmetal we get at work.

 

[kwelz]

Never ever would I put cheap Chinese crap on one of my firearms. I may, some day, have to rely on them to protect my life and I refuse to trust my life to a cheap knockoff.

Buy cheap, buy twice.

 

[Gtone]

I have a UTG brass catcher for my AR. Works great. I just leave it unzipped, and it puts all my .223 brass in a neat pile on the bench. If I drill a hole, I'm sure it could land right in the coffee can.

 

[Winter Borne]

Funny, I just put their quad rail on my SP1 last night! I have YH on my go to gun with troy sights, and while there is a difference in quality, I'm happy with the UTG rail. I got mine at Knob Creek MGS so it "must" be good right??? ahahahahahahaa

 

[hadmanysons]

Have to agree with Boba Fett way at the top there. I have the rail system and its pretty good. Really solid.