Review: Jing Gong G36C

[Colin_S]

On Monday a friend came over with the JG G36C brand new in box. The packaging was not flashy, it simply displayed JG’s model number on the side with a bit of common knowledge information on the side. It was what’s inside that’s truly interesting. Click on the thumbnails for larger pics.

Aside from the G36C, the gun also comes with an 8.4V 1100 mAh NiMH battery, a wall charger, a pack of ~200 BB’s, the gun manual and a couple of shooting targets. JG includes a high capacity magazine with the gun so you’re pretty much ready to rock and roll right out of the package. Note because BuyAirsoft imports the guns from the US, the flash hider of the JG G36C is neon orange.

The gun weighs in at just under 3kg (6 lbs) with the battery installed and is about the same weight as my TM G36C and CA G36. In size and physical characteristics the gun is identical to my TM G36C and everything between the two was cross compatible (mag well, body, mags, flash hider, etc). The body has a slightly glossier look than the TM or CA however it feels as solid and there is no flexing or creaking anywhere.

Noticeably missing on the JG G36C are any trademarks on both the gun and magazine. As you can see pretty much every part is physically identical to the TM, JG does claim that every part is cross compatible with the TM gun. My TM low cap, CA hi cap, MAG mid cap magazines were all compatible with the JG G36C.

Like the TM and CA G36C’s, a mini battery can be installed into the foregrip . Connect the battery, put it into place via the guide clip and slide the foregrip over top. While waiting for the 8.4V 1100mAh battery to charge, I installed an 8.4V 1400mAh battery and wanted to give the JG G36C a few test shots. With my low caps filled with 0.2g BB’s I proceeded to test the gun. The first thing I noticed was that the JG G36C was extremely loud. It seemed to fire pretty straight so next up was to chrony the gun with my Guarder Speeder 2000.

After firing a few rounds I was pretty amazed to see the initial velocity readings however the large variance between shots was also worrying. BB’s checked in at between 350-370 fps, the muzzle velocity is certainly impressive however a 20 fps difference is much too high for comfort. I would later find the source of the problem and will get into that a bit later.

While test firing the JG G36C I did notice another problem which would turn out to be electrical. There would be approximately a 2 second delay between trigger pull and shots fired from the gun on semi, full auto sometimes would cut out after 5 shots. I was looking forward to opening the mechbox but now I also have a problem to trouble shoot.

Stripping down the JG G36C is exactly the same as TM and CA, remove the magazine well pin, magazine well, rear pin behind the stock and then pus the hopup forward and pull the mechbox out. After removing the mechbox from the pistol grip we’re greeted by this.

If you’re going to be working with the JG G36C mechbox becareful because there are a lot of sharp edges everywhere! After undoing all the screws and removing the stopper rail the mechbox was opened up.

Here is a breakdown of all major components, JG uses plastic bushings (which was replaced with metal), plastic spring guide, plastic piston/piston head and CA gears. The piston head is ventilated for a better O ring seal however everything else is exactly the same as TM. There was a ton of grease everywhere with the majority inside the cylinder by the cylinder head and blowing into the inner barrel.

Here are a few other details I noticed while inside the mechbox. The plastic spring guide only had one peg, it was clear the other side had snapped off but I’m not sure whether I did that or whether it came like that. I was not able to find the other side even after I cleaned up my work bench. I tried to installed a Guarder ver 3 metal spring guide only to find out that the slits for the spring guide arms were not thoroughly cut. I had to chisel away at the holes and even then the fit was not as comfortable as I would have liked. It ended up to be a lot more work than I expected so I put the plastic spring guide back in and figure I would deal with this when the stock piece breaks.

Next the mechbox contacts which are usually completed by the selector plate were soldered together. I don’t know why this was done but it works so I guess that’s all that matters.

The problem with the gun turned out to be with the Jing Gong G36C wiring assembly. There was poor contact with the positive wire which runs to the motor and I had to resolder that part. After that was done the JG G36C was as responsive as my TM G36C. It did take about 5 hours of frustrating tweaking to locate the issue but I’m glad I did.

Putting the mecbox back into the body I did a bit more test firing, the trigger issue was gone however the muzzle velocity still varied by 20 fps. As I mentioned earlier, the piston was pushing a lot of the grease into the inner barrel and it needed to be cleaned out badly. After that was done muzzle velocity really tightened up and shots varied between 365-370 fps.

The next big question with the Jing Gong G36C will be its reliability and that is something I cannot answer right now. It will be my friend’s main weapon for the season so I guess I’ll report if any issues arise.

After seeing and taking apart the JG G36C, it is a gun I would recommend to novice players. As a starter kit, it comes with everything you need although I’d probably get a better charger and more magazines when the finances allow. Just make sure you have a gunsmith handy though in case you run into problems like my friend did. Yes it should work 100% right out of the box but for the price and what you get, it still seems worth the gamble.

[Shooting Chef]

Nice review Colin...Very thorough!!! It's reviews like this that save people a whole bunch of cash. How much did your friend drop on this gun?

[Colin_S]

The gun was purchased from BuyAirsoft for $275. I guess I should have put that in the review, oh well here it is and I'm glad you found it informative.

[arman]

nice review man

[dontask]

great review colin

[Stone Evil]

Nice review...
I got my G36C from buyairsoft in February...and it didn't have any orange paint on it at all.
It was chronoed recently between 331 and 350. A fair sized range actually. I'm sure the mechbox needs to be cleaned out a bit too.
No electrical problems so far after around 5000 rounds.

[MadMax]

Great review Colin! It's often difficult to tell if a reviewer is being objective or if they're biased by dropping a chunk of cash. I appreciate your factual analysis.

That's a crazy looking cylinder window. It looks like it was milled on a mill with very loose gibs. Is there a sharp burr on the inside of the cylinder? Next time you have the gun apart make sure the oring isn't getting cut up on the cylinder window.

[Colin_S]

Thanks for the kind words guys. MadMax I noticed that too about the cylinder and will check it out the next time I see it. The gun has since left my hands and will get its first true workout on Sunday at Wasaga. If any blips arise, I will post an update.

[mellvis]

I was trying to find Jing Gong's website on the net (apparently they don't have one up yet) and I came across this article.

First off, nice review. It's brief, not too technical and straight-to-the-point.

But one thing from your review shocked me so badly, that I just had to register here and tell you. In fact, I'm completely offended by the price buyairsoft is charging you guys. If only you could see the look on my face, I wouldn't have to be typing this message...

Let me be blunt. Your friend got ripped off. Here in the Philippines, the highest price for the JG G36C is being sold at is around 4.8k Pesos, or roughly $96 USD. That's almost 1/3 what he paid.

[Colin_S]

Hey there mellvis. Due to the importation laws in Canada, individuals cannot import guns themselves. You need special business licenses to import, thus things are much more expensive. Hopefully that will clear up the discrepancy in price.

[KoolAidMan]

I'd like to know the accuracy of this gun? how is it?

[Solo36]

if the grear box gets destroyed would i have any trouble replacing it with a classic army gear box?

[HeReigns]

Nice review, helps newbies like me to make an informed decision. Quick question, does the bright orange flash hider come off, or unscrew easily? How much would a replacement flash hider typically cost?
Cheers,
Chris

[LUTNIT]

Gearbox is supposed to be 100% TM compatible, no idea for CA.

The flashhider screws off easily, new one will cost $40-60, spray painting the old one will cost $2.

[Colin_S]

KoolAidMan the accuracy is as good as a stock TM G36C, after seeing its performance on the field I'm definitely very impressed.

Solo36 externally and internally the JG G36C mechbox is compatible with both TM and CA so yes if you did "destroy it", you could replace it with a CA no problem.

HeReigns yes undo the small allen key screw on the bottom of the flash hider and it screws right off. You don't have to replace it, you can strip the orange paint and repaint it black. Not sure how much a replacement flash hider is, my friend repainted hers quite well.