I got my first chance to use my SA58 at South Yorkshire Airsoft on Sunday, and so I thought I would update this post.

Battery usage... 

The first surprise for me was just how long my battery lasted. I had actually purchased a cheap un-branded (£20) 8.4v 3300mAh battery to back up more expensive 8.4v 3700mAh battery, and by chance started the day with the budget cell installed.

 The cheap cell lasted all day! And I really went wild with the full-auto, expending nearly 2250 BBs. So, while I don't regret - and think it is sensible - getting a back-up battery, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the standard 8.4v should happily suffice for a whole days skirmish.

Reliability... 

The solid SA58 performed faultlessly. No glitches, no creeks or groans and no failures or breakages. However, I was a bit miffed that the one external plastic embellishment, the cocking bolt knob, loosened itself and fell off and was lost!

I checked all other screw fixings afterwards and everything else seemed secure, despite a considerable amount of jolts and jerking about. I am trying to get hold of a replacement cocking knob, and will be applying some LocTite low strength.

Accuracy, range and ROF... 

I got very much what I expected by way of accuracy and range from this mid-length AEG. BB flight was consistent, which suggested good accuracy, although I did fire from the hip a lot more than expected so I am guesstimating here. Rate of fire, on the other hand, was very satisfying - the SA58 sent streams of BBs from the Hi-Caps, and matched anything else I saw during the game.

On range, I did find I was out-ranged out in the open by those using longer length AEGs. It was a little frustrating on occasion that experienced players quickly gauged my range, and wisely stayed just out of it. However, I knew what I was getting with the SA58 - it's a mid-range AEG, with a CQB aspect to it.

It was in CQB that the SA58 shone for me. In proportion to my size, the SA58 was light, maneuverable and compact - but, importantly, not too small. Despite the fact I purchase a fixed stock gun - rather than waiting for a folding stock version -  I found that by tucking the stock under my arm I could negotiate the narrowest of corridors. And I was glad to have the larger battery capacity that the stock allowed me.

Finish and general wear... 

While it's only been one outing for my 'baby FAL', I did throw it about pretty disgracefully! So it's fair to comment on the wear and tear after a full days usage.

I noticed that the light grey finish - which I mentioned in the first part of my review - seemed to scrape off more easily than the flat black finish of the main receiver. The safety/fire selector switch in particular was worn down to the bare metal by the end of the day. But, otherwise, the finish of the metal parts held good without noticeable scratches.

The plastic parts held up well also - minus the missing cocking bolt - and my worries about the apparently flimsy fore-stock were completely unfounded. The fore-stock remained solid and un-moved at the end of the day. 

In conclusion...

There were a couple of little niggles I should add in my review. First of all, there were the Hi-Cap magazines, which are all Classic Army produces for the SA58 at the moment. Nothing wrong with them, mechanically, they functioned as they should - but  only having hi-caps was a mixed blessing, I would have preferred mid-caps. But this is a personal preference.

Next, there was the clarity of the iron-sights, particularly in conjunction with the deep goggles I was using - again, the slight problem I encountered was perhaps a personal one, as my long-sightedness was biased to the far sight, with the rear sight being a bit blurred. I will rectify this by adding a red-dot sight as soon as I can.

Finally, there was the weight of the SA58. The gun isn't a real heavy-weight, despite the amount of metal used to make it. I held a Star L85A1 earlier in the day, and that was a bit of a lead weight! But the '58 does need a sling, it cries out for it. I know some debate the usefulness of a sling, but trotting about with this gun in hand all day was tiring. Buy a sling!

And that's that! These were very minor niggles, and none of them are inherent faults in manufacture or quality of the gun itself. 

The bottom line is that the SA58 worked faultlessly, and very efficiently dispensed BBs in great quantity, satisfying accuracy and  with devilish power (the six enemy I sprayed in the backsides in one go will testify to this).