SECOND GEN AWESOME!

BACK IN ISSUE 160 BILL INTRODUCED THE FREYA AEG FROM DELTA ARMORY THAT HAD BEEN SHOWCASED AT IWA AND TALKED ABOUT THE REALITY BEHIND A GREAT NEW AIRSOFT FAMILY OF RIFLES AND CARBINES BASED ON THE REAL FIREARM DESIGNS OF GRAND POWER. OVER A YEAR LATER HE’S FINALLY BEEN ABLE TO GET A GEN 2 VERSION ONTO THE RANGE, AND VERY MUCH LIKES WHAT HE FINDS!

So, DELTA ARMORY (DA) and the FREYA… it’s been quite the journey for Peter and his team at DA to really bring this project to fruition, a journey that’s seen the brand move through a couple of changes in their distribution network, especially here in the UK, before finally finding a home with our mates over at PATROL BASE. Thankfully the “route to market” is now a settled one, and players close to home and AAHQ can now access the entire, and now somewhat impressive, DA range of AEGs and GBB pistols!

I have to say that I’ve now tested a number of DA AEGs over the past couple of years and found incremental improvements in each and every one; generally speaking I’ve found them to be solid performers across the board, and sensibly priced for what’s on offer. However, the one that had eluded me, and the one that I’d most wanted to shoot since I first saw it in the flesh back at IWA 2024 was the FREYA… the FREYA had become a bit of a “grail gun” for me, as the external design was superb, the ergonomics just so, and the fact that it was an AEG based on a “performance AR” of European origin fascinated me…. the fact that it came not only in “tacticool tan” and “Ford black” but also in a rather fetching shade of “awesome olive” that’s not a million miles away from my beloved “Bazooka Green” had nothing whatsoever to do with anything… or possibly it did… turning his passion for shooting into a bustling business Jaro’s passion became part of the AR (and firearms in general) myth and reality!

Currently more than two thousand firearms leave the production facility every month, and GRAND POWER produces a huge range of pistols including the X-Calibur, K100, K100 Target, K100 X-Trim, K100 Dynamic, P1, P1 Ultra,P1 DAO, P11, P380, CP380, LP380, P40, P45, P40L, P1S, K22, K22 X-Trim, P9M, T910, T10. T12, T11, G9, K105, K102, K100 Whisper, and a P380 Whisper! The company exports almost 95% of its production, with the remaining 5% being sold domestically in Slovakia.

Whilst also making the STRIBOG SMG and ARAQ rifle models (I am SO looking forward to the ready out of the box; its magazine well is bevelled to speed up magazine changes and also includes lightening cuts.

The FREYA is only available in a Direct Impingement configuration to maximize weight savings, in keeping with the overall theme of a lightweight competition rifle…. And I think it looks amazing!

As I said back in April 2024… “Pretty cool, right?”

Gen Ii 6mm

So, what does the latest iteration of the fullylicenced FREYA AEG give us? Quite a lot to be honest! DA have continued to fettle and improve

COMPETITION-ORIENTED VERSION WITH A MILLED BILLET UPPER AND LOWER RECEIVERS WITH EXTENSIVE LIGHTENING CUTS MAKING FOR AN EXTREMELY HANDY AND MANOEUVRABLE RIFLE”

SHS piston with a full steel tooth rack, an SHS tappet plate, and a CNC aluminium piston head, cylinder head and nozzle for maximum long term durability. The cylinder is also CNC machined from steel, as is the spring guide. As we’re seeing with virtually every AEG manufacturer these days, you can personalise the FREYA thanks to the EAGLE ETU/MOSFET which offers a whole host of programming options using only the fire controls; options include three or five-BB burst mode, binary trigger, sniper delay, AUG mode, semi-auto only and precocking.

Pulling back the charging handle opens up the faux bolt carrier to allow access to the hopup adjuster wheel; married up to a 6.03mm tightbore inner barrel I like this a lot as it gives platform comes in four lengths, 7”, 10”, 13” (with skeleton M-LOK, you can buy this separately if you wish!) and 14”, I had the olive-green 14” to test as it puts it directly in the same ballpark as my existing Noveske Infidel 13.7” (in Bazooka Green!) that I run for friendly competitions, and has long been my benchmark for such “comp” AR designs. The FREYA sits brilliantly alongside my “four gun” setup and 100% looks the part!

The first thing that you’ll notice when you pick up the FREYA is the superb weight and balance; at 2350g it’s certainly no heavyweight, and the balance means that this minimal weight is perfectly distributed to aid in rapid manipulation and target to target transitions. I took the test model down to the NAF with me, and before returning it to the DELTA ARMORY/PATROL BASE team who were on site for the event I showed it to a number of players, and every single one commented on how light and nimble the platform felt!

Let’s come back to the fact that the real FREYA is optimised for the same things, and you’ll start to see just how faithful a replication DA have achieved in the AEG version.

First up there’s a super-lightweight M-LOK system that looks the absolute business, but strangely on the model I had to evaluate there is no upper picatinny on the rail itself although there is a front flip-up sight fitted as standard… it’s a “flat top rail”, something that I’m seeing more and more in “race-inspired” rifles and carbines; being a non-military design in this iteration there’s nowhere to mount lights or LAMs up top, although you could easily set things up via M-LOK rail sections at 3, 6, or 9.

If you want a top picatinny then there are models in the FREYA line that will give you this, although setting things up with Hydra optics mount on the upper receiver picatinny proved to be a winning combo!

Moving back you get to those receivers, and oh boy, these are superb! Made from high-grade alloy with a unique cut-away design, these the receiver set is based on the real steel GRAND POWER R15 FREYA, and once again where it’s been possible to shave off weight without compromising the strength and durability of the structure overall, then it’s been done… and they look great!

Again the “non-mil” design of the FREYA means that the forward assist has been removed for a clean look, the deflector has been minimised, and there’s even no dust cover over the mock bolt… in fact, everything shouts “hi speed, lo drag”!

Keeping with this “hi speed” feel the angle of the pistol grip is such that it’s completely ergonomic, and comfortable for even compressed shooting positions when the stock

“EVERYTHING INSIDE THE FREYA IS AS GOOD AS IT CAN BE GIVEN CURRENT AEG TECHNOLOGY, AND SHOWS DA’S CREDITABLE DESIRE TO OFFER PLATFORMS THAT ARE AS GOOD AS THEY CAN BE, STRAIGHT FROM THE BOX WITH LITTLE OR NO NEED FOR EXTRA SPEND!” is in its closed position; the grip features some great texturing that makes your handling feel assured at all times, and allows very positive retention. The trigger is a “flat” trigger with a minimalist finger ledge and textured front, making it ideal for cranking out BBs in accelerated pairs or for rapid follow-ups. All controls are pretty slick and smooth “AR standard” so if you’re used to the platform the FREYA will offer no unwanted surprises.

At the rear of the receiver set there’s a solidas-a-rock singlepoint sling plate as standard, and even with the Hydra mount optics package fitted this never felt like it was struggling at handling the extra weight; there are also QD sling points on the rail and stock if you prefer to run a two-pointer. The buffer tube offers up six positions, and the stock itself is a very, very neat design from DA themselves, and a design that I can’t fault in any way as it’s comfortable in the shoulder thanks to a big old rubberised but pad, and easy and smooth to adjust. The stock of course also offers easy-to-access battery space with a Deans/TPlug battery connector.

Downrange

Up on the 30m woods range, with everything ready to roll and a 7.4V 1300mAh Stick LiPo fitted (recommended by DA), I loaded up the 120BB middy and had at it! I chrono’d initially with .20g and as a “straight out of the factory” AEG I got a mean reading of 0.84 Joule/301fps, a lower than expected power level, but one that is perfectly acceptable, and sensible, and that will let you use the FREYA as-new on virtually any airsoft site.

However, the trigger is most certainly crisp, as just a “tickle” sends BBs downrange happily; on semi you really can get shots away superfast, and the three round burst function works brilliantly! The flip-up sights that come fitted as standard to the FREYA are more than adequate, and indeed are sturdily made of nylon-fibre, so the rifle is ready to roll straight from the box just by adding a battery and some BBs!

Re-setting the hop and moving up to .28g BBs at 30m unsupported in was easy to get hits on a torso-sized target with each BB flying straight and true. I also took the FREYA down to our 10m indoor range, and it soon had the 300x300mm steels ringing one after the other too!

I asked the DA/PB guys I met at the NAF about the lower power level, which frankly didn’t affect the accuracy of the FREYA at all as it was almost “TM-like” in its power to range/accuracy performance, and they explained to me that due to DELTA ARMORY selling the FREYA all over the world the springs that came as standard were all checked and changed where necessary, and they erred on the side of caution and safety when fitting new ones for the UK market… a perfectly sensible answer, and one that I’d hope to hear from a reputable distributor.

With that small question answered I have to say that the 14” GEN II FREYA has really proved to be worth waiting for, and with a well-sub-£300 pricetag here in the UK it really gives a massive amount of quality and performance for the money. It looks magnificent, feels perfect, and shoots like a dream so as far as I can see DELTA ARMORY have got this 100% right. I can simply just recommend this AEG to you as I believe it is a model of its time, with a fabulous nod to real innovation in firearms baked in.

My thanks go to www.patrolbase.co.uk for supplying the test sample, and you’ll find all the FREYA models on their regularly updated website. The FREYA, as I said earlier, is available in different colours, Black, Tan, and Olive Green, with different lengths and different features to choose from. If you’re after an exemplary, superslick AR AEG then the DELTA ARMORY R15 FREYA GEN II 14” should most definitely be on your “must try” list! AA

“RE-SETTING THE HOP AND MOVING UP TO .28G BBS AT 30M UNSUPPORTED IN WAS EASY TO GET HITS ON A TORSO-SIZED TARGET WITH EACH BB FLYING STRAIGHT AND TRUE. I ALSO TOOK THE FREYA DOWN TO OUR 10M INDOOR RANGE, AND IT SOON HAD THE 300X300MM STEELS RINGING ONE AFTER THE OTHER TOO!”