The new FPSRussia rifle: real or airsoft?

Kyle Myers, AKA “Dmitri Potapoff,” has announced his intention to build an FPSRussia-themed AR-pattern rifle. Or maybe it’s an airsoft rifle. It could be paintball. It’s a head-scratcher. Whatever it is, we expect it to be more successful than his previous entry into the firearms world, videos and T-shirts notwithstanding. 

The first FPSRussia product was an ultra-premium M1A bullpup stock. Not only did this make the rifle much shorter with many rails for optics and accessories, it made it bling. Called the Juggernaut chassis, this $1,300 ($1,400 at launch) bullpup stock has a mirror finish that is laser-engraved with T-marks and FPSRussia designs. Only ten have been made, and they haven’t sold out yet. 

Hopefully, this new endeavor will be more accessible. Just what it is, however, has yet to be determined. It definitely looks like it shoots something. It could be a real firearm, in which case it’s a pretty audacious design. If this is a real AR-type rifle, it definitely takes the path less traveled. 

It is possible to make an AR with a folding stock. The bolt carrier needs to be shortened to allow it to cycle in the bufferless space. There are a handful of designs that have done this, and they’re all piston-driven, including pistols and carbines from Olympic Arms, Para-USA, Rock River Arms and Z-M Weapons.

All have modified upper receivers to contain extra hardware, including the piston assembly and recoil spring. The FPSRussia upper is definitely modified, as it includes a left-side charging handle. We hope that it’s non-reciprocating as that’s a pretty common place for shooters to put their thumb. 

The other side of the receiver gives up little. The ejection port and what looks like a bolt-on shell deflector could just as easily be a fill port for airsoft BBs. The gap between the handguard and the receiver also looks like a (non-standard) delta ring which gives us pause about this being a real rifle. 

And if you look closely, the lower has a third hole. A third hole means that this gun is capable of select-fire. We highly doubt that there is a law enforcement or military market for FPSRussia guns, so this leads us to one of two conclusions. 

First, that this is a toy. That would make a whole lot of sense, and the potential number of customers there is just enormous. If the FPSRussia team can get these ready by this holiday season, it will be like printing their own money.

Or second, that this is not a toy, but an inaccurate mockup drawing of a real firearm, a first draft of sorts. 

What do you think Mr. Potapoff is up to?