New UTG M3L first impressions

Ok so I've only been able to play around with this gun for a couple of days on and off so dont expect a complete review as this is more of an initial report. Got it off ShortyUSA for 70 USD plus shipping but there are at least a couple other lesser known sites selling it for the same price. Lets hope other, more trusted sites get this as well. Comes with 30rd ShellX2, cheap sling, clearing/cleaning rod, speed loader and a glued on plastic orange tip which can be removed but obviously do so AYOR.

Build/Finish:
Ok this might be a bit confusing so read carefully and keep with me. This is NOT a TM Super 90 clone. Many people think it is at first because of the full stock. It is a mesh between the TM Super 90 and its baby brother the TM M3 Shorty. The pistol grip version of the gun (the UTG M3S) is the real clone as its 95% the same as the TM M3 Shorty. I say 95% because the TM has a metal outer barrel and a metal ejection port with a bolt attatched to it. The UTG M3L version is basically the same gun as the M3S with the addition of a full stock. This does not make it a Super 90 clone because said gun is much longer and there are small differences in the way the gun is put together. Ergo, think of this gun as the clone of the TM M3 Shorty with the TM Super 90 stock on it. Told you it was confusing.

Ok so the gun is all ABS resin so its very sturdy but also lightweight as it doesnt have the metal the TM does. This makes it better IMO because its easier to handle while still maintaining ,and maybe exceeding, the TM's performance (which I will get to later). The action (pump grip) and pistol grip have a very nice rubber coating on them which makes them very comfy and non-slip. The butt pad is rubber but its hard so its not all that much more comfotable than the ABS but its less slippery. Another nice feature about the ABS is that its non-glossy unlike other UTG shotguns so its not that shiny at all. I might give it a custom paint like my sniper but we'll see as I kind of like the black matte. The sights are plastic but positioned well and easy to use although you probably wont going be using them all that much anyway. There is this swivel lock ring just forward of the action which is moveable but is cosmetic. (Look at picture #3 on ShortyUSA. See those opposite facing tabs sticking out of the sides of the lower tube? Thats what I'm talking about) The real M3 uses this to lock the action in place to switch b/w semi auto and pump to use different ammo but it doesnt work on the airsoft version. Metal parts: mag tube, front and rear sling mounts (which are very strong so I'd say use them if you want because they wont snap. The front mount adjusts to stick out left, right, and downward), the trigger, and the shell loading gate. Overall just a beautiful shotgun that doesnt feel like a UTG shotgun of the past. Its solid, feels awesome to hold and shoulder, and there is NO creaking, play, or wobbel in ANY external parts which is a huge plus for me.

As far as external upgrades I will probably get a stock-mounted shell holder but thats about it. Mounting a red dot on this is stupid IMO but a rail for a flash or laser might have been a nice tactial add on but there is none so unless you rig it I dont see anyway to add one on.

Internals:
Cant say much about them because this gun seems to be made to not be taken apart. The manual actually tells you not to lol. All I know is that its three metal barrels honeycombed together and each have their own piston and hop-up unit, which is fixed. This is how each bb maintains its own course and fps. Its powered by dual overlapping springs and one pump puts 1 round into each of the barrels. I have no idea how all that works but its so fun to use I dont care. Needless to say this gun probably wont be easy to upgrade.

Loading/Shooting:
Fun. Each shells holds 30 rounds fed into it via included speed loader. The loading gate drops down when you pull back on a small nub on the right side of the gun right next to the trigger guard. The manual says to put the shell on the gate itself and then close it but you dont have to. Its much more fun to just shove it into the well as you would load a real shotgun, press it unitl it clicks, and then close the loading gate as it only holds the one shell (but it comes with two, a red and a black) I dont know yet if the TM M3 shells work but I will get some and try as UTG is not selling them spare just yet.

Ok so the action pressure on this gun is MUCH more than any other UTG or DE spring shotgun I have used. Its definately not for the scrawny and it might get some getting used to. Once you move the action all the way back and the spring locks, its easy to move forward but the trigger wont engage until the action is all the way forward and clicks. Now comes an additional surprise: Just like the TM version M3 the action remains locked forward unless you shoot the gun or have the trigger depressed as you would to slam fire (which I HIGHLY discourage with this gun as it has much more complex internals and its just to expensive to risk). This makes sure the gun is not double cocked to prevent damage to the gun or jams due to extra BB's. I liked this extra feature because in the past using other spring shotguns I inadvertently moved the action while moving and unintentionally fed extra bb's into the barrel making the fps lower considerably and the accuracy suffer. This solves that problem.

The safety on the gun is a little pin going through the trigger guard. Push it all the way right for safe, all the way left for fire. When in fire mode the revealed plastic of the safety is painted red to give that little visual hint M9 owners know: red means good to go. The metal trigger moves smooth and has poundage of about 5 lbs if I had to guess from feel. The shot is about as loud as other spring shotguns, definately more than a pistol or sniper. One shell gives you ten shots of 3 bb's per trigger pull and reloading is easy as when you reopen the metal loading gate it drops down quickly and the shell falls right out with a tiny wiggle of the gun or you can be careful and face it sideways to pull it out if you dont want to pick your shells out of the grass.

Poor mans chrono: I tested one BB first because three bb's would obviously combine their kinetics on the can. One bb's went through one side of the Coke can easy but not the other, but it did leave a good dent in the other side. From this I can say that 280-300 is a safe estimate. 3 BB's: Blew a hole in a new can at least an inch across and crumpled the surrounding metal in. Two of the bb's almost went all the way through and one did make it all the way through the can. What this means: 1) The bb's retain their own power during a single shot and one single bb wont be more powerful just because there are no bb's in the other two barrels 2) They combine their kinetics and deal more damage overall when shot in 3-round fire.

I have not taken this gun outside to test its range or spread but I will probably do it this next weekend and test it out in the woods. I will also post a pain factor as I christen all my guns by having someone shoot me in the square of the back with each of my guns at 50 and 100 feet so that I know exactly how it will feels when I am shooting at people's heads and torsos at these ranges. Yeah the day I had it done with my L96 was a rough day...

Conclusions: Buy it. Its far and away the best spring shotgun on the market as its the same quality as the TM (minus the metal but I like my non-AEG's to be light anyway). It costs about half of what a TM M3 would run you and you still get a super high quality springer which I'm confident will last a long time and definately performs eaqually if not a little better than the original. I will keep you posted as far as durability as this is a new gun (as well as a UTG) so as soon as I get any problems I will necro post and let you guys know, but I am super happy with it right now and it doesnt give me any reason to expect to be let down anytime soon. I will post pics of it when I get around to it but the ones on ShortyUSA do it justice enough. I am a crappy photog anyway. ANY questions feel free to post or PM and I'll do my best, otherwise I'll add later when I'll be doing longer range tests on this gun but dont expect it to be very effective outside 100 ft as far as accuracy goes.

Well, so far what you said, it looks pretty good, I like your review, or first impressions

Nice going!

great, but you need to make paragraphs

It is a wall of text

Also, make the "First impressions and such" in bold

great job

It is kind of in outline form, I really liked it, paragraphs are fine to

I'll add some line breaks to make it easier to read but I'm not making it anything fancy because its not a full review and I dont agree with the forum's structure guidlines. I graduated college and I am done writing MLA formatted papers, thanks.

Sure, but it is fine with me

still great job!

SecretWeapon wrote:

I'll add some line breaks to make it easier to read but I'm not making it anything fancy because its not a full review and I dont agree with the forum's structure guidlines. I graduated college and I am done writing MLA formatted papers, thanks.

I understand completely

I thought this was going to be a review, so I thought I'd help you

I would really like it if you can turn this into a long review with pictures, I am already impressed with your first impressions, and the review will probably MUCH better!