ASPUK Sniper One Cylinder head and Hop Arm Review
Introduction:
So recently I picked up some spares and upgrade parts for upcoming builds etc and decided that I would give these two Sniper Ons items a try. Usually I would go with the AA hop chamber and maybe a Laylax or Airsoft pro cylinder head, but this time I wanted to try something new.
Sniper One Cylinder Head and Hop Arm,Initial thoughts:
Items were received in standard packaging carrying the “Sniper One” branding that the new ASPUK parts carry.
As my current build is a 1J build (yes I’ve listened and it’s coming for everyone who asked for one), I wanted to keep everything to a reasonable budget and a complete Action Army hop unit seemed overkill on a lower FPS build. So with that in mind I wanted to stick with the stock chamber but install a new arm. For my builds I used to do the BIC mod but for such a small amount a good hop arm is better.
For the cylinder head, I wanted something that would have a consistent air flow, be durable and if possible dampen the sound a bit. Again I could mod this myself with sorbo If I was on a lower budget but this can start to fail later down the line.
Construction/Installation:
So first things first, the cylinder head….. This is made of 304 Stainless Steel…….so what does that mean for us normal everyday folk?…..It’s high quality and to the best of my knowledge is the only commercially sold cylinder head of such a high grade, EdGi/PDI are close but not true 304. Anyone in the know who can offer any info, please do.
Picking the cylinder head up you can certainly feel the weight; it looks great, feel good, no seams or imperfections at all.
It comes with a fitted O-ring which fits perfectly and gives a great seal. On the piston facing side of the cylinder it has a recessed O-ring which helps cushion the piston when it makes contact and to some degree it lessens the “thwack” sound.
Alongside this there is a slight channel cut out, more than some cylinder heads but not as much as say the PDI or Laylax ones.
(left to right TM, Well, JG, PPS, ASPUK)
I had no issues fitting the cylinder head to a TM, JG, laylax or Airsoft pro cylinder. I imagine Action Army is also fine, however It did not fit a well cylinder.
Next we have the ASPUK hop arm, this is made of high grade aluminium and according to ASPUK it’s been engineered to address issues with the hop arm not providing enough hop due to the position of the “nub”, flexing of the hop arm and fitment issues caused by poor QC which can give uneven hop.
On the top, the hop arm is polished and shows the ASPUK logo. The rest of the hop arm has a fine grit feel to it. Overall though the quality feels nice and it looks great, again having no visible seams or imperfections, which are common on other aftermarket hop arms. (I’m looking at you Airsoft pro).
Fitting the item was straight forward and easy, fitting in both a TM and JG hop unit with no issues. I noticed no side to side wiggle which was a huge plus, being metal and not plastic means no right hook either as this hop arm doesn’t move unless you want it to lol
Testing the hop arm with a stock TM nub and a Maple leaf nub, the ASPUK hop arm provided a nice even amount of hop, with neither side more pronounced than the other.
When looking at the airsoft pro hop arm you can see an ever so slight increase on hop on the right and there’s still a bit of slack in the unit. It’s hard to capture this on an image but I’ve tried to below.
Another thing to note is the hop nub on the ASPUK hop arm is slightly bigger overall and sites forward slighty more. I’ve tried to capture this below, but it’s such a small difference I’d hard to see on camera.
Conclusion:
Overall I’m happy with both parts, I foresee them lasting for a long time and the quality of them for the price is extremely good. I’d have no hesitation in using this in 500+ FPS builds and would certainly recommend them to others.
Testing what I had to hand, I think these will mesh well with most other aftermarket parts. That being said, some of the WELL/AGM VSR style rifles have smaller hop units/cylinders so they may not work.
There’s not really a huge amount to cover off with these parts, they drop in, work well and will last.
However…I do have a minor suggestion on the cylinder head and that would be to increase the channel for the airflow. For the hop arm, not really a suggestion, but for people who want to use Maple Leaf buckings or other flat hop, one with a longer nub/contact area would be great.
Links for VSR10 Parts:
Parts: Empire Airsoft
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