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Education / Training UTG Master Sniper – Part 1

UTG Master Sniper – Part 1

by B.B. Pelletier

UTG-Sniper-bipod-web
UTG Master Sniper offers a lot of features for very little money. Scope does not come with rifle.

A reader asked for this review some time ago and I am happy to finally be able to comply. His question was actually, “How good could a sniper rifle like this be when sells it for under $100?” Well, we will all find out together!

The UTG Master Sniper is a spring piston 6mm airsoft gun. The one I have has a synthetic stock finished in desert camo, but they also come in black and olive drab. It looks very much like the Army’s M24 sniper rifle, which is based on a Remington 700 bolt action receiver.

utg-bolt-web
Bolt handle is rubber-covered for silent cocking.

I have tested a Classic Army version of this gun and of course I reviewed the Marui VSR-10 G-Spec sniper rifle for you in May of 2005. Both of those guns cost considerably more than the UTG Master Sniper, so the question of quality is a good one that needs to be addressed. I have to tell you, I didn’t expect much, based on the price. Well, I was wrong!

What is it?
Well, being a 6mm airsoft gun for starters, this is not actually a rifle at all. It has a smooth bore but uses a system called Hop Up to put a backspin on the plastic ball when it flies. The result is a major gain in accuracy. How much accuracy is a subject I will explore. Because this is an airsoft gun, federal law requires the bright orange muzzle tip. Only law enforcement agencies and legitimate theatrical production companies are allowed to remove or change the color of this tip and to possess the gun when it is removed. I will refer to it as a rifle in all the reports I write, simply because the prototype gun it was copied from is a rifle.

Setting up the rifle
This gun comes in a box broken down into two major components and several accessories. The action first has to be put into the stock and fastened tight with three screws. That probably took me 45 minutes by itself because I couldn’t get all the screws to align at the same time. The problem wasn’t that the holes were mis-drilled – just that the screws are so long there is a lot of slop as they search for the threaded hole. The British slang “fiddley” came to mind. But with patience, the job was completed and the gun rested tight in the synthetic stock.

Next, the bipod was attached to a Picatinny rail located under the forward part of the forearm. It went on easily, but I had to read the gun’s manual to discover how to deploy the legs. The manual is entirely in English, by the way, and has step-by-step setup instructions. Once installed, the bipod legs were deployed to make the perfect rifle rest. The bipod legs are spring-loaded and adjust to any height within their 1-3/4″ range. They also swivel for ease when you are setting up your shots.

The black tactical sling went on last. It was a breeze to install and will be to anyone who ever served in the military. The sling attachment points are permanently attached to the stock, so there was nothing else to do.

FIRST POINT
All this stuff (bipod and sling, plus buttplate inserts I didn’t mention, but did install) was INCLUDED with the gun! Nothing to buy buy a scope. That is a real plus, especially at this price.

utg-butt-web
Three buttplate inserts increase the length of pull to suit the sniper.

Overall -what do I think?
I have to say I’m impressed so far. The butt is weighted to counterbalance the bipod, and the weight of the gun with everything attached is 7 pounds 3 ounces. Throw in the Leapers 6-24X50 scope I mounted and the weight jumps to about 9 pounds! That takes it out of the cheap toy category and positions it in the serious player venue. I’m not ready to make that call because I haven’t shot it yet, but based on looks and features, it’s there.

38 thoughts on “UTG Master Sniper – Part 1”

  1. Ha, I was wondering why there was nothing there. 😀

    Do you think you put a big enough scope on the gun? I have one of these and it will be cool to see the accuracy of it. I don’t have good sights so I have no idea. Also, I don’t know if you normally do this with airsoft, but can you try both .2 and .24g bb’s? I don’t have any .2 for sale here so I have to go with the .24, I’d like to see how the accuracy compares. The one problem I’ve had is the fact that the paint isn’t a very good coat so it tends to scratch off easily.

    Oh, and, I got the O ring for the fill adaptor on my condor. That was the problem. Everything fell into place and it works like a charm now. That is one powerful and accurate gun. Easly rips through a 2×4. Thanks for the help.

  2. B.B.
    I just bought this gun a month ago, when Pyramid had it on sale. I absolutely love it! I haven’t even put a scope on it yet, and have been using the top scope rails as makeshift sights, and it is surprisingly accurate even in that unorthodox manner. Look forward to more on this gun.

    Jimmy K
    P.S. Thanks for all the help over the years. All your reviews have made my collection perfect.

  3. lama,

    I wondered how long it would take before someone remarked on that scope. It costs more than the gun!

    Thank you for finishing the story on the fill adaptor. Things like that bother me a lot, but this one went well. Thanks for being patient.

    I will try both BB weights plus I will fiddle with the Hop Up to try to get max accuracy.

    B.B.

  4. bb
    if you were to put scope mounts on a 392 benji behind the rear sight and used a scope with a long tube could you get the scope close enough to your eye.
    if so could you recomend a scope

  5. I have 20 feet in my basement to shoot. How should i sight in at that distance to be on at 20-25 yards with a 545 fps Recon, 725 fps daisy, 1000 fps Gamo Hunter(open sights) and a .22 Benji with open sights. I shoot alot at 20 feet, but don’t have any other place (bringing an aigun with me when shooting a 30-06 is an opion but is hard to do when sitting next to a guy with a .300 win mag)

  6. Ha, well it definately looks cool. I have a red dot sight on mine. I can’t figure out how to use it very well though. The bolt action is pretty cool. The condor is a great gun. I’m glad I went with the hand pump. I’ve refilled it more than 20 times in the last couple of days. Power and accuracy are superb. I love it.

  7. Appropriate, probably.

    Look as cool, no.

    That’s why he went for the big one. He probably won’t be using this in any matches or anything he’d need good manueverability for.

    I had the same scope on my cf-x. Of course it was way better than the gun could do, and I could see a ton farther than I could ever hope to shoot. It was nice though, great optics even at high magnification. Plus, it looked really really cool. 😀

  8. hey i know this is off topic, but can anyone direct me to a good *very accurate* target pistol for around $200. I was looking at the Daisy 747, i read BB’s review about it and it seems really nice, but i also hear a lot of people saying that their pistols werent pumping properly right out of the box! are these just defective ones, or is there something that is needed to do besides oil it, because i remember in the blog that one persons said that oiling it worked, but others said it didnt? would anyone recommend this or another equally or better pistol for the money? Thank you!!

  9. 747 is very reliable and accurate. You just need to make sure its sponge wiper (the one behind the piston) is not dry, and that you use quality silicone oil on it (Pengunoil works like a charm). Take a good care of it and it’ll shoot well, let it dry or use bad oil and it’ll suck. I own one, so I speak from personal experience.

    Alexey

  10. Scoping a Benjamin 392,

    The scope will get in the way of loading, as it will pass over the receiver.

    I don’t like to scope a 392, but a scout scope with a 10-20″ eye relief makes more sense to me.

    Remenber, that scope will be where you want to put your hand to pump the gun!

    B.B.

  11. 20 foot basement,

    You ask a tough question. At 20 feet, the pellet should strike the same distance below the aim point as the center of the sights (optics) are above the bore, giver or take a half-inch.

    You want to be a inch low at 10 YARDS to be on at 20, so sight the guns for that.

    B.B.

  12. BB,

    I think I would have done the same thing if I had the veriety of equipment laying around as I can imagine you do!

    I was only wondering if the two wouldn’t be working against eachother.

    It was cool, I’m the one who missed the boat I think.

    Speaking of which…what is the Airsoft guns used for? There must be a popular nich for them as some of them are pretty pricey at near $400!

    dsw

  13. It’s easy. Their the only thing that shoots just soft enough to shoot people with but with reasonable accuracy. In other words, it’s a gun you can shoot other people with.

  14. B.B.

    What would you recommend for a first pistol for someone who wants to MAYBE get into 10M pistol?
    -Daisy avanti 747
    -Gamo compact (better to save for 46M?)
    -IZH-46M (a little out of my price range but if its worth it ill save)

  15. BB,

    Thanks a lot BB, i was leaning toward the 747 anyway… does the 747 have the match grade accuracy im looking for? also, would it be wise to buy some grips from RB for the 747?

  16. Airsoft has always been a part of this blog. I just haven’t done as much of it as I have pellet guns and BB guns.

    Airsoft is a legitimate part of airgunning and deserves consideration in this blog.

    As for blowguns, that is a good suggestion! After all, that’s where the airgun was born.

    B.B.

  17. StiCkY,

    I have seen a 747 competing at the state level in an NRA air pistol match. I think it’s out of its league there, but the guy broke 500.

    Grips are a weak point on the 747, so yes to RB.

    The Gamo Stutzen is a version of the BSA Stutzen. Sharp looks, crappy performance.

    B.B.

  18. Hey, blowguns would be interesting. there’s a lot more to them than one would think.

    and I would think that the airsoft guns’ ‘hop up’ has more in common with the blogun than a rifled barrel on an airgun.

    dsw

  19. I got this gun as a christmas present, but it has some major problems. to start with, it doesn’t even caulk correctly (i know, i probably spelled that wrong.) secondly; it doesn’t fire as a result. I cant’ figure out what is wrong or how to fix it. i bought it off of Hobbytron.com, and i can’t get into contact with them. very upsetting, as i’ve been wanting and waiting [for] this gun for a long time.

  20. I am sorry your gun doesn’t seem to work properly. You do know that this gun cocks on closing, not opening?

    As for an internet dealer, Pyramyd AIR is one of the few that actually has customer service. The only thing you can do with a bad dealer is contact your credit card company and explain that the good were damaged and you cannot contact the dealer to fix the proble, They can reverse your charges.

    B.B.

  21. I have had one for about a month and i have a problem with the bolt.
    A brass pin fell out of the inside section of the bolt. Now the bolt wont go down in after pulling it back. I was wondering if you could help me with fixing it.

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