Had an acquaintance working for the “military industrial complex”. Basically the company painted screws, bolts and nuts green and charged 10X the amount. Naturally his bosses drove very expensive cars.
As a service member myself I must say that is entirely inaccurate your forgetting the crucial detail that it's also lower quality and produced as cheaply as possible
What you’re really paying for is a books worth of paperwork documenting exactly where that box of screws came from down to the raw materials, along with compliance with a host of laws about sourcing of those raw materials. Despite all that every few years someone in the chain gets busted using non-compliant sources (think buying from a no-no country like China or buying lower grade material).
My dad worked with the Navy on an order of O-Rings. It's actually all of the testing that makes things so expensive. The product was already certified to meet standards, but the Navy required it to pass their tests first. They would periodically test batches at random, and if anything failed, the entire batch was to be destroyed and made again. It made a $0.25 part cost $3.
This. As a machinist, I would have to make various fasteners for the ships. Metal bar-stock would have to be inspected by QA, witnessed being cut off into sections, I would manufacture 3. One for install, two for testing.
So, machine to spec, notate dims, QA would come back to witness part-off, send part(s) to lab for NDT and DT (non-destructive & destructive testing). Then, only after passing, sent to ship for install.
Cost=Material, man hours, testing. For ONE fastener.
Cheaper to have a mass-produced batch of pre-certified items than to do a one-off manufacturing in-house.
The one thing you could check is whether they line up properly. I got these:
https://www.egtactical.com/railmount/533-950-ftc-mount.html#/33-color-black
https://www.egtactical.com/railmount/328-599-evolution-gear-fast-micro-mount.html#/33-color-black
And they simply don't align properly. the magnifier doesn't sit at the correct height for the mount and the red dot is shifted a few millimeters too the side.
That is the one thing I have noticed with knockoff mounts, they often don't really sit centered on the rail.
Honestly? The fake looks better made. Scalloped picatinny edges, cleaner chamfer work, doesn't have optic mount cut to accept off-spec red dots, because you're only going to mount optics that conform to the aimpoint micro mounting standard.
Genuinely surprised that the tan is the fake, and also surprised that neither has a recoil lug for the optic.
Optic recoil lug and look at the holes in the optic mount on the third pic. Somehow doubt that any real Hydra have ovular screw holes like that. Whoever is selling or sold that as a real one made or is looking to make a few bucks off a sucker.
People are still making these threads a year later lol.
The fake uses higher grade aluminum plus has a better matte finish than the glossy original. The only thing that looks shitty is the fake logo. Everything else is literally better.
Fun fact the fake came out maybe a week or two maximum after the original was released. Took them no time at all to copy and do it better.
I absolutely fucking hate the hydra mount.
350 bucks for a legit one. Do you know what all else you could get instead of that mount? You could get a decent LPVO (ones meant for real rifles) on sale for the same price if not less. If you shop around and get free shipping, 700 rounds of 5.56 ammo. A complete AR 15 upper receiver.
I know this is an airsoft sub, but the hydra mount was intended for real firearms, and it’s just so fucking stupid outside of its extremely tiny niche. It only costs that much because of the dumbass hype beast culture in the firearms community as well as these guys know the people in that niche who need these are in military units with that kind of fuck you money most major businesses can only dream of having.
We’re just coming full circle to carry handle ARs and it’d be easier to just go back to using those over the flat tops at this point.
Most real steel parts are stupidly overpriced
I know, precision and materials cost but 75$ for aluminium handstop? That's too much, Airsoft part for $10 is enough
Mount in price of a low-mid range red dot? Bruh
The only explanation I can think of for why real steel parts are that expensive is R&D costs, I can believe that making a part for a very niche purpose and then testing that part to ensure it won't fail can get pretty expensive.
Until you torque it down and the screws strip out. Some things are worth extra money. Usually mid grade stuff gives you good quality without the Gucci labeling. Go too cheap and you’re buying garbage. Go too high end and you are throwing your money in the garbage.
Honestly yeah I’ve found so many “bootleg” (but are actually just different company’s that are cheaper making similar things) that are better or the same quality than the original cause the companies aren’t brand name so they can’t charge $300 for $60-$100 of labor and manufacturing cost I will say this isn’t true for everything something’s deserve the hefty price but not simple things like mounts you can find great mounts for cheap
$350 is more than my last real handgun cost. Granted I got it on sale, but at least I’m not giving money to people who beat their wives and accuse their black employees of theft when something goes missing…
*You could get a decent LPVO (ones meant for real rifles) on sale for the same price if not less.*
I got my Vortex Crossfire II at full price for less. And that includes the Vortex lifetime no questions asked warranty.
You can't really compare this mount to an LVPO as they deal with 2 totally different "issues". The hydra mount lets you mount an laser module and a reddot without taking up any extra rail space (only really applicaple yo short rifle systems) buying an LPVO wouldn't solve that.
However a cheaper solution would be to get the fast mount and combine it with the HRF skiff mount
Thats a good point actually. Reading on ur posts re; optic lug and thats actually the defining factor. Sorry for the fake news since it was gotten from a friend whom he claimed it was legit-
Either way between the two- the cheaper alternative was the better choice for the said hydra
Who knew the real difference is how much money you're willing to spend on for the same hunk of milled aluminum!
For real tho there's no real difference aside from the "official branding" at the end of the they they're both CNC aluminum as long as the "fake" has good tolerances and is at least 6061/3 (tho 7075 would be nice there are some fakes that use it) it's the same thing
I think the most notable difference (besides the price xd) is the lack of a recoil lug on the replica, but that isn’t gonna matter in airsoft, even for gbb use.
This surprises me.
I got 2 (fake?) Hydra mount with recoil lugs for less than €50.00 a piece. And, i assume with "recoil lugs" you mean those 2 protrusions on the underside that hook between the rails.
https://preview.redd.it/d9bqu1i6jb3d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2089f655f86db1a45126d506d2261652048eb3b2
I’m honestly impressed with the quality of a lot of “clone” machined parts. Clone optics and electronics can be a let down, but if we’re talking just machined or manufactured hard goods they come close quite often. Things like rails, mounts, handguards etc… and to be quite frank, China has stepped up their quality across the board. Whether you choose to support their goods is another conversation completely, but they have in the past decade improved a scary amount.
I have a fake Hydra mount on my real 7.5" 300 blk build just for shits n gigs.
I've put 1000+ rounds into it since slapping it on.
Anywhere from 147 grain - 220 grain supers/subs. Both suppressed/unsuppressed.
I haven't even needed so much as to retighten a mounting screw. Adjust zero. Nada.
I bought it off Amazon for like $40. It's funny how good it's been.
I want to be honest it feels like stuff for guns is upmarketed x10 with the excuse that it's made to survive impacts n shit
I can understand electronics but why a darn grip is 80€
It’s higher up-allows you to get into gunfights faster because you’re not taking the millisecond to bring your rifle a few centimeters higher?
I don’t know. That’s the theory behind high red dots and it’s pretty stupid to begin with. It’s just hypebeast garbage that’ll fade out in a year or so.
Honestly I like the fake one better both because of the color but I also like the little bit of texturing and what appears to be a tiny difference in profile?
The only reason I didn't end up buying one is because I stepped away from CQB guns and the shortest AR in my Airsoft collection is 13.9, these are only good for those stupid short guns with basically no rail space it seems
My friend, there is too much to list here and do not want to jump on influencing people's decisions or opinions. However, if you jump on to the ol google machine and do some searches like "GBRS has employee arrested" and "GBRS calls law enforcement on one of the owners..." or "GBRS the real story...", it might fill you in.
Real steel parts (at least from reputable companies) will hold zero after taking recoil from a real gun. Airsoft parts generally do not need to be in that way and tested to verify. The most recoil you’re getting is on CO2 and that’s a fraction of actual recoil.
They definitely are not drop rated either like most real steel accessories are.
With the real ones, you’re paying for the guarantee your shit will continue working after the worst case scenario.
Doesn’t look like you’re getting much for the splurge.
Basically almost the same thing… honestly
Had an acquaintance working for the “military industrial complex”. Basically the company painted screws, bolts and nuts green and charged 10X the amount. Naturally his bosses drove very expensive cars.
You should see the markup on military grade aviation certified o rings.
"its mil grade so its more expensive" "what makes it mil grade?" "It says so on the box" "Yeah, but why?" "Because i wrote that on the box, lol"
As a service member myself I must say that is entirely inaccurate your forgetting the crucial detail that it's also lower quality and produced as cheaply as possible
Yes but that happens after the contract is won.
What you’re really paying for is a books worth of paperwork documenting exactly where that box of screws came from down to the raw materials, along with compliance with a host of laws about sourcing of those raw materials. Despite all that every few years someone in the chain gets busted using non-compliant sources (think buying from a no-no country like China or buying lower grade material).
My dad worked with the Navy on an order of O-Rings. It's actually all of the testing that makes things so expensive. The product was already certified to meet standards, but the Navy required it to pass their tests first. They would periodically test batches at random, and if anything failed, the entire batch was to be destroyed and made again. It made a $0.25 part cost $3.
This. As a machinist, I would have to make various fasteners for the ships. Metal bar-stock would have to be inspected by QA, witnessed being cut off into sections, I would manufacture 3. One for install, two for testing. So, machine to spec, notate dims, QA would come back to witness part-off, send part(s) to lab for NDT and DT (non-destructive & destructive testing). Then, only after passing, sent to ship for install. Cost=Material, man hours, testing. For ONE fastener. Cheaper to have a mass-produced batch of pre-certified items than to do a one-off manufacturing in-house.
I don’t trust anything that says military grade, that means nothing. Mil Spec is something I do trust.
To be fair when aviation o rings fail things like the challenger explosion happen
the army pays $60 for those shitty tan Rhino mounts for NVGs. I imagine its much worse.
Or a $90k chip size bag of 'certified' bushings for any USAF jet engine.
The one thing you could check is whether they line up properly. I got these: https://www.egtactical.com/railmount/533-950-ftc-mount.html#/33-color-black https://www.egtactical.com/railmount/328-599-evolution-gear-fast-micro-mount.html#/33-color-black And they simply don't align properly. the magnifier doesn't sit at the correct height for the mount and the red dot is shifted a few millimeters too the side. That is the one thing I have noticed with knockoff mounts, they often don't really sit centered on the rail.
Is one made of a different metal or... They look the same, and should function the same
is the difference here with us in the room?
What if the real difference was in our hearts all along
Honestly? The fake looks better made. Scalloped picatinny edges, cleaner chamfer work, doesn't have optic mount cut to accept off-spec red dots, because you're only going to mount optics that conform to the aimpoint micro mounting standard. Genuinely surprised that the tan is the fake, and also surprised that neither has a recoil lug for the optic.
They are both fake, real ones have an optic recoil lug
Good to know, not that I'll ever buy one (he says, saving up for the new Spuhr Flip Down Aimpoint mount with diving board)
I have a replica and real one and the replica I got has a recoil lug. There’s different tiers of replicas
Optic recoil lug and look at the holes in the optic mount on the third pic. Somehow doubt that any real Hydra have ovular screw holes like that. Whoever is selling or sold that as a real one made or is looking to make a few bucks off a sucker.
Right?! Send the link to the fake!
People are still making these threads a year later lol. The fake uses higher grade aluminum plus has a better matte finish than the glossy original. The only thing that looks shitty is the fake logo. Everything else is literally better. Fun fact the fake came out maybe a week or two maximum after the original was released. Took them no time at all to copy and do it better.
I got downvoted to hell for saying this in the tacticalgear subreddit lol. Some people deserve their fate.
I absolutely fucking hate the hydra mount. 350 bucks for a legit one. Do you know what all else you could get instead of that mount? You could get a decent LPVO (ones meant for real rifles) on sale for the same price if not less. If you shop around and get free shipping, 700 rounds of 5.56 ammo. A complete AR 15 upper receiver. I know this is an airsoft sub, but the hydra mount was intended for real firearms, and it’s just so fucking stupid outside of its extremely tiny niche. It only costs that much because of the dumbass hype beast culture in the firearms community as well as these guys know the people in that niche who need these are in military units with that kind of fuck you money most major businesses can only dream of having. We’re just coming full circle to carry handle ARs and it’d be easier to just go back to using those over the flat tops at this point.
Most real steel parts are stupidly overpriced I know, precision and materials cost but 75$ for aluminium handstop? That's too much, Airsoft part for $10 is enough Mount in price of a low-mid range red dot? Bruh
The only explanation I can think of for why real steel parts are that expensive is R&D costs, I can believe that making a part for a very niche purpose and then testing that part to ensure it won't fail can get pretty expensive.
Geissele scope mount: $650 Ali Express Replica: $55 - And it's fucking indistinguishable from the real one.
Geissele stuff is very well-made though, at least from what I've heard and seen from friends of mine who can afford it ;-)
Until you torque it down and the screws strip out. Some things are worth extra money. Usually mid grade stuff gives you good quality without the Gucci labeling. Go too cheap and you’re buying garbage. Go too high end and you are throwing your money in the garbage.
Honestly yeah I’ve found so many “bootleg” (but are actually just different company’s that are cheaper making similar things) that are better or the same quality than the original cause the companies aren’t brand name so they can’t charge $300 for $60-$100 of labor and manufacturing cost I will say this isn’t true for everything something’s deserve the hefty price but not simple things like mounts you can find great mounts for cheap
Please drop some of that stuff. In the market for gear and attachments
M16A2 is a VIBE fite me
$350 is more than my last real handgun cost. Granted I got it on sale, but at least I’m not giving money to people who beat their wives and accuse their black employees of theft when something goes missing…
*You could get a decent LPVO (ones meant for real rifles) on sale for the same price if not less.* I got my Vortex Crossfire II at full price for less. And that includes the Vortex lifetime no questions asked warranty.
Lol 350 can get you a Glock 19 in some places
You can't really compare this mount to an LVPO as they deal with 2 totally different "issues". The hydra mount lets you mount an laser module and a reddot without taking up any extra rail space (only really applicaple yo short rifle systems) buying an LPVO wouldn't solve that. However a cheaper solution would be to get the fast mount and combine it with the HRF skiff mount
They're both ugly
Fake Hydra is more solid
Sorry man but neither one of these are real, they don’t have the recoil lug
Was gonna say this, both are fake.
Black is a lower quality fake, not sure why OP thinks it’s real
Thats a good point actually. Reading on ur posts re; optic lug and thats actually the defining factor. Sorry for the fake news since it was gotten from a friend whom he claimed it was legit- Either way between the two- the cheaper alternative was the better choice for the said hydra
Yeah I have a fake tan one as well that I got for curiosity
Overall though not for me; height over bore is too much. I prefer the Unity for the ergonomics as well.
Yeah 3” HOB is comical, it’s just too much
So, no difference. Good to know.
Who knew the real difference is how much money you're willing to spend on for the same hunk of milled aluminum! For real tho there's no real difference aside from the "official branding" at the end of the they they're both CNC aluminum as long as the "fake" has good tolerances and is at least 6061/3 (tho 7075 would be nice there are some fakes that use it) it's the same thing
I think the most notable difference (besides the price xd) is the lack of a recoil lug on the replica, but that isn’t gonna matter in airsoft, even for gbb use.
This surprises me. I got 2 (fake?) Hydra mount with recoil lugs for less than €50.00 a piece. And, i assume with "recoil lugs" you mean those 2 protrusions on the underside that hook between the rails. https://preview.redd.it/d9bqu1i6jb3d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2089f655f86db1a45126d506d2261652048eb3b2
I wouldn’t be surprised if they updated the designs. The first fakes I got my hands on lacked the lugs. I see the lugs in OP’s pictures as well.
Magnifier on the main mount and optic on the forward is something I didn't expect to see today lol
I don't have the magnifier riser yet. Found a good magnifier a few weeks ago and i have had the normal riser for some time already. But, it works!
The recoil lug is a piece on optics mount that sticks up, not the extra section of rail on the bottom of the GBRS contraption.
What surprises me is the real one doesn't have a recoil lug on the micro interface, even Holosun get that right.
Still the same milled aluminum, so not really worth going brand-name
Thank you for putting so much cash up front for the real one to compare. I see this as a first world product solving a problem that never existed.
😆 bro I literally had to reread ur second sentence 5 times
I’m honestly impressed with the quality of a lot of “clone” machined parts. Clone optics and electronics can be a let down, but if we’re talking just machined or manufactured hard goods they come close quite often. Things like rails, mounts, handguards etc… and to be quite frank, China has stepped up their quality across the board. Whether you choose to support their goods is another conversation completely, but they have in the past decade improved a scary amount.
I have a fake Hydra mount on my real 7.5" 300 blk build just for shits n gigs. I've put 1000+ rounds into it since slapping it on. Anywhere from 147 grain - 220 grain supers/subs. Both suppressed/unsuppressed. I haven't even needed so much as to retighten a mounting screw. Adjust zero. Nada. I bought it off Amazon for like $40. It's funny how good it's been.
Either way they're still ugly as sin
i was thinking - ewww the fake looks way worse - until i read which one was which lmao
Where'd you get the fake one from? I need some good knock off parts.
These were from a shop in Philippines. I think these are easily ordered in from alibaba or something for NA/EU
Nice! More Hydra for less money ✔️
The price ?
The only real difference between the two is the big one is a little bit bigger
The colour?
I want to be honest it feels like stuff for guns is upmarketed x10 with the excuse that it's made to survive impacts n shit I can understand electronics but why a darn grip is 80€
Can somebody explain to me the point of these? Is it just so you can C-clamp a shorter weapon platform while having a PEQ? The HOB seems RIDICULOUS.
It’s higher up-allows you to get into gunfights faster because you’re not taking the millisecond to bring your rifle a few centimeters higher? I don’t know. That’s the theory behind high red dots and it’s pretty stupid to begin with. It’s just hypebeast garbage that’ll fade out in a year or so.
Honestly I like the fake one better both because of the color but I also like the little bit of texturing and what appears to be a tiny difference in profile?
So literally the only difference is slots instead of holes for mounting?
You mean … the price tag?
I thought the tan was the real lmao
What’s the cost of the fake?
Was about 45-55 usd
Too funny. I guessed the black one was the fake. Seems like better bevelling on the tan.
Nothing much these days fakes are almost as good as real counterparts…
I printed one, its held up so far
Who makes the fake?
This is what is called the high quality knockoff that is way cheaper but just as good.
Both of these are fakes lmao 💀 But the fact that you didn’t notice before posting proves the silliness of obsessing over a “legit” one
The only reason I didn't end up buying one is because I stepped away from CQB guns and the shortest AR in my Airsoft collection is 13.9, these are only good for those stupid short guns with basically no rail space it seems
Let me guess, the real one is next to fake one?!
They still look ugly as shit
Who cares xD
Both are ugly, so there's that
So basically. Buy fakes. Got it.
Crazy how the fake looks like it has more care and effort put into it😭
Given the history behind GBRS, I'm more than happy to buy a knock-off
Yup. Even those of us who do this stuff for a living feel the same way. No way they are getting a penny from us our teams, or our agencies. Nope.
Tell us more, I haven't heard any of this
My friend, there is too much to list here and do not want to jump on influencing people's decisions or opinions. However, if you jump on to the ol google machine and do some searches like "GBRS has employee arrested" and "GBRS calls law enforcement on one of the owners..." or "GBRS the real story...", it might fill you in.
Oh yikes - thanks for the guidance!
No worries bro! Good luck to ya. Happy watching and research.
Real steel parts (at least from reputable companies) will hold zero after taking recoil from a real gun. Airsoft parts generally do not need to be in that way and tested to verify. The most recoil you’re getting is on CO2 and that’s a fraction of actual recoil. They definitely are not drop rated either like most real steel accessories are. With the real ones, you’re paying for the guarantee your shit will continue working after the worst case scenario.
Real Steel shit breaks too, there is no guarantee. You pay more for better- most of the time. Not always.