High pressure air rifles have been a part of the airsoft lexicon for quite some time now. From the classic rifles of yesteryear to your modern day entries from companies like Polarstar, Tippmann and Wolverine, the sight of an air line running out of the pistol grip isn't as strange as some airsofters think.
Wolverine has attempted to create a purpose built High Pressure Air rifle that gives you the versatility of either their Reaper or Inferno engines, as well as the ability to utilize any number of their other parts such as their Wraith Stock. Was this mutant rifle experiment successful? Let's find out if the Wolverine MTW Modular Training Weapon is worth the money!
The external components of this rifle scream basic. In fact, if we had to make any complaints about the external components it'd likely begin with the simple furniture options on our model.
The choice to use a standard LE style stock and A2 pistol grip shouts "cost saving measure" which is unfortunate for players who may want to have a one-and-done rifle. That would go against the spirit of what the MTW is however, as it's clearly designed to be modular, and wasting unnecessary cost on parts you'll ultimately change would have been far more unwise. The receiver boasts a unique design with some serrated cuts and Wolverine branding all over. It is a quality receiver set that bears a lot of internal similarities to gas blow back rifles, which means you won't be converting this to a different HPA setup or back to an AEG.
The included MLOK rail is well made as well, if a bit bland visually. It gets the job done, though, and you can customize it to your heart's content. It wasn't to my taste, but it checks all the boxes. Where this gun really stands out is on the inside.
The MTW is unique in that there are multiple options for setup. Our model came equipped with the longer Mlok Rail and the Inferno Gen 2 engine on the inside. You can access all the components simply by popping the rear receiver pin and cracking the receiver open like a real AR15.
This is when the system starts to show it's elegance. Nestled in the space where you would find the trigger sears in a gas blowback, you'll see the control board for your HPA engine. The selector is stiff, but deliberate so every time you get ready to shoot, you have to mean it.
In the upper receiver rests the actual engine itself. From here, your HPA line routes past the trigger board and into the pistol grip. You'll need to be mindful of these hoses and the battery cabling each time you open the rifle.
Speaking of batteries, you'll have to open the receiver every time you wish to change the battery, as unlike an AEG it installs from inside the receiver. This means you aren't fighting with your stock, and once you figure out how to rout the cabling so you can close it up again, we actually found installing the battery in this rifle even easier than most AEGs.
This is where this review takes a wild left turn.
The performance of this gun is superb. At 80 PSI, we received the expected 330-340 FPS on our standard .20g bb. This gun is tunable though, and as we cranked the power up, we saw the expected increases you'd see in any Inferno setup. Accuracy was acceptable, and rate of fire (which was also tunable) was comparable to stock AEG's on the standard settings out of the box. It's tunable as high as 35 rounds per second, which is more than plenty.
We were impressed by the groupings and consistency we received out of this gun. Distance was great hitting 200 foot targets with no issue. The problem comes in to the experience when shooting this rifle.
Shooting this rifle in it's stock form could only be described as an overt "Meh". This is something I always have a problem with when shooting the rifle. The actual sensation of pulling the trigger and breaking a shot just does not feel good.
It sits somewhere between yawn inducing and lazy pay-to-win. It just isn't fun to pull the trigger on this gun. It's so quiet you can almost barely tell it's firing and without any meaningful kinetic feedback when you shoot, such as the vibration of the gearbox or the recoil of a GBBR you simply forget you're even shooting an airsoft gun as you send rounds down range.
The gun does have a few saving graces though.
It's modularity means you can easily add on the Quake stock Wolverine sells. This recoil system dramatically alters the perception of shooting this rifle, and turns it from a resounding bore to something that is unique and exciting.
In fact, coupled with the already included last round cut off found in the included MTW magazine, you'd have a pretty excellent platform for realistic shooting and training powered off of HPA. It's almost a shame Wolverine even offers this rifle in such a basic configuration, as including the Quake as part of the system to begin with would dramatically increase the value of the package, even if the price had to go up.
Some people won't care about how it feels to shoot the rifle though as long as it puts shots on target. For those players, this rifle again, checks all the boxes.
On it's own? No.
The Wolverine MTW just isn't worth the price for how basic it is out of the box. It's unfortunate because it shoots well enough and does some truly unique things, but it's basic and otherwise passable if you were to leave it as is out of the box. Conveniently, this gun wasn't meant to be kept as is.
This rifle was designed to be modular, compatible with aftermarket parts, and make use of it's compatibility with Wolverine's line up of products. It shouldn't be left in it's stock form.
As the beginning of a project to build the Ultimate HPA powered Airsoft rifle?
This Mutant checks all the right boxes. Couple it with a Quake Stock, some more of those great Wolverine magazines, and change up the furniture a bit, and you'll have a real winner.
If you want to grab your own MTW: Click HERE.