Travis Olander 03.22.23
This writer has built a lot of guns. So, when I kept seeing these little ‘Goat Guns’ replica gun models on Facebook, I ignored them. After all, toys are for kids and I’ve got real rifles to shoot, right?
Except after a few weeks of being bombarded by the ads, I decided to pull the trigger on one of these 1:3 scale diecast models. I sprung for the good ole’ AR-15. It’s configured in what appears to be the typical Colt M4A1 setup, which perfectly matches my actual black rifle, shown below in some comparison photos. It made sense to grab this one for a review, anyway. It seems to be the most popular one.
What’s a Goat Gun?
Goat Guns (the company spells it without a space, ‘GoatGuns’) are diecast metal firearm toys. We use the term toy loosely, because these are borderline functional miniatures. No, sadly, they do not shoot live rounds. These 1:3 models are properly die-casted metal and painted to be identical to their real-life counterparts. All the major parts move, too. Bolt carriers actuate, iron sights can be adjusted, triggers can be pulled, and magazines can be loaded with lil’ bullets.
Do they pull off the mirage well enough? Can you trick your shooting buddies into thinking you bought a real M82A1? They do have a convincing, officially licensed model. Let’s take a look.
Goat Guns Unboxing & Review
I noticed the mailman drop a bright orange envelope in my box. Inside was my fancy new miniature AR-15, waiting to be assembled.
The packaging is quite nice and it’d make a good presentation as a gift. All the parts are separated by a felt liner. I’ll preface this review by saying it is not sponsored by GoatGuns.
First impressions: The tiny buttstock is incredibly close in resemblance to the real M4 stock, even up close. As someone who builds ARs and loves model toys, the first thing that stood out to me was how clean this little plastic piece was. The injection mold markings even match those found on full-size AR stocks. The sling mount is made from metal, coated, and threaded to the stock. Cheaper toys probably would’ve molded it as one piece. So far, so good.
As I inspected more of the parts that come with this ‘mini-gun’, I was impressed. I had to break out my tan AR-15, which is equipped with a two-piece Knights Armament Picatinny rail, for a direct comparison. What’s noticeable here is the rails are separate from the rest of the diecast mold. They’re are held onto the handguard by tiny screws, mirroring the bolts that hold the rails to the KAC Handguard. Nice attention to detail.
This mimicry continues quite well at the business end. The A2 “birdcage” flash higher and FSB come with a swivel stud for the sling look. It looks exactly like the real bthing. The upper and lower receivers are shaped accurately, with tiny screws securing the functional parts kit inside.
The only thing betraying the fact that this receiver is 1:3 scale is the rear takedown pin and molded forward assist. Philips-head screws replace the takedown detents and pins. The safety lever operates, though. With a once-over, I got down to business and starting putting this toy rifle together.
At this point I expected the mini AR-15 to basically piece together like a full-size rifle, and I was mostly right. The mini KAC rail is held on by a spring-loaded Delta ring and small sheet metal buckle tucked just behind the A2-style FSB. And, like a proper two-piece rail, this one installs with two halves held together between the Delta ring and front sight. Of course, keeping in true AR assembly fashion, getting the rail installed was far from easy.
The mini’s handguard fought the Delta ring’s spring once it was compressed. This made it difficult to get both halves of the rail situated underneath the plate. Thankfully, there isn’t a gas tube to bend on the toy version. This was a pain in and I had to resort to using a small screwdriver to get the handguard to pop into place. But I stayed positive here: It gave it a battle-worn finish, right?
With the handguard done, I turned my attention to the adorable little STANAG magazine and the miniature 5.56 NATO rounds this thing comes with. I was not expecting actual brass rounds.
If you’re buying a Goat Gun for someone who’s an obsessive gun lover, they will be entertained by the accuracy of this toy’s mimicking.
Excited to pull the charging handle back, I snapped the buffer tube into the fake housing (it’s not threaded like the real thing, sadly) and pulled the adjustment lever on the stock and slipped it on. Then I spent a moment looking over the miniscule “mil spec” A2 iron sights made for the flattop receiver.
It has two apertures with windage adjustments, like my actual mil-surp rear sight. It uses a tiny nut and Picatinny clamp to attach. Once you’ve got the tube, stock, and sights on, you can play around. There’s one thing to note if you decide to build the mini AR-15 model like I did.
The instructions forgot to mention the dust cover. It comes in the kit with a steel pin for securing it to the receiver, and you need to pin it into place before you get the handguard over the Delta ring. It’s highlighted in red below.
Once everything was together, I start flickin’ the charging handle, trigger, and having fun with my latest “AR”. These toys make great fidgets at your desk while you work. It’s fun to peek inside the upper and see those tiny rounds sitting atop the mag (no, they don’t fire).
So, how well does the Goat Guns AR stand up in appearances against a real gun? Here’s the up close and personal comparison with my M4 forgery. You be the judge.
The Goat Gun’s got some weight, since it’s made out of individual metal pieces. The stock slides smoothly on the tube, the magazine catch and release has a springy pop to it, and the trigger squeezes and resets. Overall, the functionality of this toy is great.
Overall, I think my Goat Gun passed the “fake-it” camera test, and that rough spot on the handguard is a small detractor. You can set one of these 1:3 toy models up and make them look convincingly real with a bit of lighting and perspective. At $40 to $50, these toys are priced well enough. They’ve got some cool long guns, AKs, and other gun models that comes in around the same price range, too.
