Suzutomo Gun Tailoring (SGT) has established itself as the brand for those concerned with high quality, detail and finesse. As such, it needs no introduction to readers familiar with this blog.
And, as readers will know, I’ve been following the development of SGT’s 416 upper kit very closely. It has now been launched to retail customers, through Tackleberry in Europe and direct from SGT for the rest of the world.
There are a lot of people waiting to hear just how good SGT’s new 416 kit is, before committing their hard earned; because this thing isn’t cheap. But, if Tackleberry has put his name to the product, it’s a very good sign.
At time of writing, I’ve not seen any user reviews, nor comparisons with competitor brands. But I’m pretty excited by what I’ve heard so far, and by what has preceded the 416 upper kit.
SGT’s 416 lower was the first on the market which was available as a standalone unit; and so it remains. It fills a niche for those PTW users who have run converted GBB uppers on Colt lowers (which was accepted practice prior to the explosion of 416 kits and remains popular today). SGT’s 416 lower was a statement of intent: a no compromise product, finished with care in Japan – and is as renowned for its Cerakote treatment and markings as it is for its perfect motor angle and fit. There’s a great review of the unit on the Systema PTW Forum.
A later development saw SGT’s lower bundled with a cast upper. This was SGT’s take on the GBB uppers which users were converting at that time. It was met with some surprise, because a cast upper it did not appear to sit well with with SGT’s brand values. As it transpired, this was merely an interim stage. Tosh – SGT’s front man – never took his eye off the prize, which was to produce the most realistic 416 upper possible, to complement the most realistic lower.
Meanwhile, Taiwanese firm Eagle Eye Airsoft had quietly brought their own 416 kit to market – which has been something of a word of mouth sensation, certainly in the UK. It’s a great, affordable kit; but there will be those who will settle for nothing less than the SGT.
It’s never been a better time for prospective 416 owners, with three manufacturers (FCC was first to market a complete 416 kit) representing three different PTW price points. There is now a 416 option to suit everyone, pretty much.
I’ve not yet seen SGT’s 416 upper for myself but why, on paper, should you consider buying one? The price is a lot higher than competitor products, so where is the money going?
Here’s Tosh’s tour of some of the highlights, which separate this upper from the rest:
“Perhaps not for everyone as it may sound expensive to some, we have built something special for people who understands and loves this German craftsmanship.”
“The upper is made like RS using similar material, is hard anodized then Cerakoted. We built this upper per RS spec, very detailed to the end.”
“The barrel nut screw thread is true HK416 spec unlike M4 spec (why M4 when this is 416?) that ALL others use. This makes the product very tough, and is able to handle steel barrel no problem.
Barrel nut is made of STEEL, just like RS and also RS spec. Again, parkerized since it is made of STEEL. It is not black shiny anodized aluminum like other cheap products.”
“We even imitated the flares you see, and just this makes the upper very realistic. We even go further, like adding the gas escape route at the tail. This is for people who truly loves this rifle, and want everything just like the way it should be.”
“The barrel is made of STEEL, not cheap aluminum, and is light profile just like the current 416. It is made for PTW conversion, however since the barrel insert is much longer than regular M4 barrels, we built this military light profile from scratch! It has milspec black/dark grey parkerized just like true 416, unlike painted or anodized barrels since aluminum cannot be parkerized. The inner dimension of the barrel is 10.05-10.1mm to fit the inner barrel tightly.”
“Gas block too is true replica of military gas block spec, also made of STEEL, not zinc mold. It also replicates true 416 in that gas block locks into the steel barrel. It too has milspec parkerized coating.”
“Other accessory parts are from VFC but if you’d like and if you have access to them, may put RS parts onto it with ease since this upper kit is made to do so.”
SGT upper with RS Geissele SMR:
SGT Upper with RS H&K RIS:
I know Tosh is really happy with the finished product and it’s not surprising. This promises to be the most authentic, no compromise 416 upper out there. Many will aspire to it; but only those as obsessed as Tosh with detail and quality will ever own one.
The Reptile House 