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In this Airsoft Spotlight, we look at LCT and, more specifically, their SR-3M. We will discuss a brief history of LCT and then talk in-depth about the SR-3M and also cover a little bit about its brothers, the AS Val, VSS Vintorez and the SR-3.
LCT Airsoft has been around as a company for an extremely long time. They were formerly known as the IDS molding industry and were founded in 1982. They specialize in molds and machining of polymer and metal components and have been an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for the automobile parts industry, sporting goods, and medical device equipment. This long history of manufacturing had allowed LCT to become one of the highest-end makers of airsoft guns since 2004 when they released their first offerings, AK-based variants. In 2007, LCT Airsoft was founded and has since been synonymous with the best AK variant airsoft guns, including models like the LCT SR-3M.
In 2013, we had the opportunity to visit the LCT factory and learn about the products and their production firsthand. We shot a little video of their operation, which is quite impressive since most AK manufacturers (CYMA, JG, D-Boys) use castings and pot metal for construction. LCT has the facility, technical knowledge, and tooling to produce the most realistic airsoft guns.
The SR-3M is a newer offering from LCT. The original AS Val and VSS Vintorez came out first in 2014. The SR-3, the predecessor to the SR-3M, will be available in late 2015. I am a big fan of the SR-3(M) variants. I love the removable suppressor. I love all airsoft suppressor.
The SR-3M features a full steel body and accurately represents the real gun. The Airsoft gun weighs over 7 lbs with the suppressor and no battery or BBs. The robust construction should create a gun that will last a lifetime externally. Also, the nice blue finish on the steel receiver should age and wear nicely, making the gun look even more realistic. The actual SR-3M fires a 9x39mm subsonic cartridge, which I like to think of as the original .300 Blackout. The concept is the same. At least fire a larger, heavier projectile with a necked-up case.
This allows the cartridge to fire out of a similar receiver and stay subsonic, making the suppressor host event more effective when suppressed by reducing the supersonic crack of the projectile, breaking the speed of sound. Because of this, the SR-3, SR-3M, VSS Vintorez, and AS Val have become favorites of Russian Special Operations and Special Response Teams (SRT) such as the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
The suppressor is an excellent mounting platform for a weapon light or laser using the LCT Suppressor Barrel Accessory Mount. I always thought these were cool, and I always wanted the surefire weapon light mount back in the early 2000s for my Tokyo Marui MP5SD6...
On the left side of the receiver, the gun features an integrated side mount rail for directly mounting a medley of Eastern Bloc style optics such as PK, PSO, PO, POSP variants, or any optic for that matter with the LCT TX-04 Side Scope Mount.
The side folding stock does latch into place and lock onto one of the lugs on the side rail mount, so just remember you will not be able to leave any optics or optic mounts on the receiver and be able to fold and lock the stock in the closed position.
The folding stock is EXTREMELY robust, so much so that I would not be surprised if it could sustain repeated butt strikes on non-hit-calling players. The super burly stock hinge and locking latch stand out for me, especially seeing/dealing with folding stocks daily in a retail setting. Countless folding stocks fail from falls, wear, stress, or everything. I am happy that I have yet to see a single AS Val or SR-3M stock fail.
In the above picture, we are looking at the safety and fire selectors. To the average person, it may appear the selector lever on the side is only two positions, making the rifle safe and semi-auto only, however, this is only partially true. On a standard AK variant, the selector on the side of the receiver is safe, full, and semi-automatic. The side selector is safe and fires on the AS Val, VSS, and SR-3. However, the wedge shape behind the trigger is the fire selector. The fire selector behind the trigger can easily be pushed to the side, allowing semi-auto to full-auto easily with your finger.
One of my favorite features of the gun (besides its super short sight radius) is the folding vertical grip. Some people may hate vertical grips but have fun shooting thumb over bore, C-Clamping the burning hot suppressor, or super short fore-grip. What makes the SR-3 and SR-3M unique is the fact the suppressor is removable, and when removed, the super short barrel and flash hider on the real gun could singe your knuckle hair off if you were using the vertical grip without the suppressor. So, it would make sense to use the gun with the grip folded when not using the suppressor.
With the suppressor attached, the gun's weight/center of gravity is shifted forward substantially, so the vertical grip will help make the front end more manageable with the vertical grip folded down. Also, the battery is housed in the foregrip assembled in the picture above. It can hold a variety of batteries, and it is much easier to swap batteries than on the VSS and AS Val. With the battery feature alone, the gun makes for a skirmish-able weapon system, allowing quick battery changes during the game.
Overall, the LCT SR-3M is one of my favorite offerings from LCT to date. I say to-date because they are extremely innovative and constantly release super high-quality guns. So, if you are in the market for this gun style for your kit or just want something different, the SR-3M is the ticket.
