Some answers
- M4 Platform
Have you looked at VFC, they are more known for their hk 416 but it is close to an M4, and i keep my hk416 as a spare in care my gbbr craps out. Krytac are not bad but i believe they have some proprietary stuff ( dont take my word for it) Specna does some decent stuff and is better value than the previous brands i quoted, i’d stay away from marui recoil if you want recoil, go gbbr
- 350FPS for UK sites
- shoot .28 / .30 for woods and wind/range
Whatever replica you get, make sure you can install a good standard hop up chamber, put in a harder nub, and while you’re at it, why not get a nice barrel, Maple leaf are good, prommy can be excellent but some qc issues, PDI used to be a good standard, lots of threads on those subject online
Good hop/barrel set up will matter more for range and accuracy than fps, everyone will confirm
- Mainly semi-auto... possibly some full auto but not bothered about giga RPS. Tend not to be a sprayer.
keep the auto function on your rif, sometimes it can be fun to “get your gun off” if the site allows and you’re not magdumping someone
- Reliable
Everyone will have different experience and opinion on that.
Have you considered hpa with a kythera which does semi only and put a co2 adapter in the stock so you dont have to deal with the line, that’ll be more reliable than a gearbox, and silent, or a mtw wolverine with wraith stock, it’ll cost but i havent hear anyone say anything bad about those yet.
- Lightweight / polymer body.
That’s not neccessary, get a well balanced rif, lighter rail at the front ( ex: change your picatinny to a keymod )
and use a correctly set up two point sling
- Mixed woods/CQB... do it all
You’ll probably want a barrel at most 14.5 inch ( m4a1 length ). I would not go under 10 inch barrel ( MK18 or m4 cqbr) but that’s personnal preference, i dont want my rifle to have a smaller barrel than a pistol ( although i like the arps from g&G and the arp 556 could really be a good fit looking at your requirements )
- Short/shorter style rifle maybe best for use? (do it all)
Get a 10 in barrel, put in a pdw stock, or an arp 556
- not too sure on batteries but 11.1v lipo sounds nice
Cant see why that would be neccessary, but i’ll let someone else take this one
-I wear a DYE i4 mask and would like to continue to. I understand I may need an adaptor for the stock
I would advise a raised red dot, and you won’t need stock adaptor, and it looks tacticool ( it’s my next purchase )
Finally, you like diy and teching yourself, let me save you some grief, if you ignore the rest, make sure to pay attention to this: DO NOT open your gearbox on your main replica if you do not have a spare rif. If you put it back wrong ( and that’ll happen, that’s a when, not an if ) you cant play, you risk ruining other bits, and turn your 6mm war machine into a paperweight