TNW Aero Survival Rifle 9mm - Range Report

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Domino

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Apr 17, 2004
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Las Vegas. NV
I picked up a TNW ASR in 9X19 and I thought I would post a $595 for mine when I ordered directly from TNW in Febuary and I just got it a week or so ago. I took it out shooting last weekend and here are my thoughts...

RELIABILITY

I fired just over 300 rounds, all of it was with Silver Bear 115g FMJ steel-cased ammo. I figured that if it shot that stuff, then just about any cheap ammo should be fine in this gun and I never had any problems with it in my Glock 19 or Kel-Tec Sub 2000. The only malfunction I had (not even really a malf) was with my SGM 50 round drum and the bolt didn't fully load the next round. A quick tap on the bolt closed the action and I was able to fire the rest of the drum as fast as I could pull the trigger. I had no problems with any of the nine 15 or 33 round magazines I had with me. So far, I'd say the reliablity is Excellent.

ACCURACY

I admit I didn't do any serious accuracy tests since I just used my irons and the sight radius is very short and not condusive for accuarcy. I just zeroed in my sights and started shooting at targets from various ranges off hand. I was able to hit my 10" gong at 60 yards away with almost boring reliablity. It seemed to hit what I aimed at within 75 yards or so, that is good enough for me with irons. I will mount an optic and get some higher quality ammo and do some real accuracy tests at 100 yards. I expect it will be at least as accurate as my S2k which is an honest 4-6 MOA rifle with its iron sights.

ERGONOMICS

The first thing I noticed with this gun is how much it looks/feels like my old Spyder paintball gun. This is not a bad thing, just a bit unusual if you are used to conventional weapons. That said, it holds very well in the hands with the vertical foregrip and it feels tight in your body. I could tell that its compactness would really shine with a 8-10" barrel. The trigger is a little narrow but it is a fairly light 2 stage trigger (I estimate somewhere between 5-7lbs) with a nice short first stage. The sights I mounted are Daniel Defense and they are excellent although the larger ghost ring is only good for the absolute closest ranges.

I'm not a huge fan of the bolt handle but I found it works best racking it with only my right hand index finger. Its close enough to the pistol grip where you only have to do a minor movement to rack it with your right hand index finger and using a pinching motion with your thumb on the back of the PG. The Magazine release is on the left side but it is close enough to the front foregrip where I can just use the thumb on my left hand to drop a mag. The safety is a conventional right to left style crossbolt and is easy to disengage with your right hand trigger finger. Like with the magazine release you can stretch your thumb back on your left hand to rengage the safety. Of course with the fact that it accepts stand AR-15 furniture it provides endless options for whatever you want, but I am fine with the standard M4 style buttstock and A2 grip as it is what I am used to. Overall, I'd say the gun is a bit unusual but not hard to operate with a little practice.

QUALITY/VALUE

I'd say this gun is a great value and it is indeed very well buit. Nothing feels cheap on this gun (except maybe the ATI buttstock and TAPCO grip) and the fit/finish is quite decent. It certainly feels much more robust than my S2k and you can tell it is built with higher quality parts than the Beretta CX4 or Hi Point 995. It is a bit strange, as it is a minimalist design but it works great and the Glock mag compatiblity and ablity to easily convert the caliber is HUGE plus for a Glock guy like me. Finish it off with a total price of just under $600 then I would say it is an excellent value for a well built gun.

A closer look...

Here are some pics comparing the ASR to the Sub 2000. They are basically the same size both broken down and assembeled. The ASR is 1lb heavier, takes about 7 seconds more to deploy from disassembly, has a much shorter sight radius, allows for optics, is better built, and more upgradable. But I still think the S2k is a more innovative design...

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To take it apart you just take off the barrel off by unscrewing the barrel nut. Further disassembly is pretty easy, you start by taking off the lower by knocking out the two pins holding it on, they are not captive like the AR-15.

Here is the upper with the lower off. The odd looking bolts that pertrude into the lower are used to tighten the upper/lower fit, it is a simple and effective method.

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Here are some pics of the Lower. Note the position of the safety and magazine release.

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To remove the bolt you just but the barrel back in and adjust the depth until the bolt handle/gas key comes out. After that slide the barrel back out and the bolt drops out.

Here is the complete bolt assembly removed. Note the notch on the top of the bolt...

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To take the bolt apart you remove the pin on the other side of the bolt handle and the bolt, firing pin, and firing pin retaining spring come apart from the bolt carrier...

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Note the extractor can be put on either side of the bolt...

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Now for the odd part, here is the upper with the bolt, barrel, and lower removed. Note the buffer and spring look like AR parts although I am not sure if they are standard at this point. Also, there is a pin that retains the buffer and spring although I am not sure how to remove it as it does not move. I think you either have to take off the upper rail or remove the stock, either one would be a PITA but I guess its not something that would have to be done too often.

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And now for the ergonomics...

Operating the magazine release...

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Turning on the safety...

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Turning off the safety, note the position of the charging handle...

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Charging the weapon using my "pinch" technique..

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And lastly what this would look like SBR'd... :)

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Nice gun, and nice review! Thanks for posting such much detail!

Geno
 
chicharrones said:
Nice carbine, Domino! How is the barrel held in place? Is it with the ventilated handguard?

Yup, as Gunnerboy said the ventilated handguard is a barrel nut. It has a racheting tensioner thing that clicks when it is tight and it doesn't require excessive force to get it tight. Makes for a nice and smooth installation...
 
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