Speedbird_666

The only assumption I'm going to make is that you are not going to get along with other members of this forum with that kind of attitude. This isn't Discord or Facebook. Your first post is of a 'what am bestest m4?' variety - something that we have seen 1000x over on these forums. Your nebulous question immediately rings alarm bells and whilst the delivery of the UKARA advice above was slightly clumsy, it is somewhat understandable given that most who ask these things still live at home with mummy and daddy, and are looking to write their airsoft xmas list to Santa. Try introducing yourself on the forums - there is an entire section dedicated to it here.

I quite liked the look of it until I saw that changing the battery was a complete ballache.

From @ak2m4

Yes - I think 7.4v with a change of gear ratios is probably a good way to go.

Ok - I get it now. Slapped into one of my guns (ICS M4, Stock 18:1 gears, Perun Hybrid with AB disabled). No modifications needed - straight drop-in. Impressive. Most Impressive. Been spamming the trigger fairly hard on an 11.1v for giggles and the motor is cold, as is the wiring and the battery. Performance on 7.4 and 11.1 is fairly similar in Semi. Can't comment on long term reliability (obvs), but as a drop-in upgrade for a bone stock gun, it certainly seems to give a trigger responsiveness and ROF performance that will keep 95% of players very happy.

Alright - let's see what all the fuss is about...

My more pressing question - is TM making a Howa Type 20? That would be pretty amazeballs if they were. Not been following Airsoft developments quite so closely lately, so the answer might be already be common knowledge.

Looks like it also takes percussion caps? Kinda makes it part Airsoft, part 'Model' gun it that's the case?

You'll likely have better luck finding LCT parts, and MacGyvering them onto the Cyma (technically it should work as both designs are VFC based - but this is airsoft). They are in stock at Fire-support. Problem is - the wooden parts will cost nearly as much as the gun itself - would it be worth it? Probably not. You might find CM048 parts on the Asian t'interwebs. But by the time you've sourced the parts, imported them, hoped you've avoided any additional custom fees, and realise that they are bit shit in terms of quality - would it be worth it? Probably Not.

I am no NGRS expert - but there is a switch on the BTC Spectre board for what appears to be the bolt stop mechanism. I would also refer to this video with regards to how the mechanism works in the GB with the BTC Mosfet:

As an owner of 5 ICS M4s - I would say that this one is the amongst the least desirable of their lineup due to being somewhat ugly, front-wired with the gopping PEQ box for the battery. I would also wager that this has the older internals judging by the receiver markings and the white piston (anything made in the last 8-10 years has a black piston), with an old spec upper GB casing that doesn't like new spec CS4 receivers (ask me how I found that one out). You have to bear in mind that you can now buy an ETU-equipped gun, with a better internals and paths for upgrades, for not a lot of money. So on that basis - if I saw this for sale, I wouldn't pay more than £85 for it.

Nice PA Addiction in the background. I would just buy the RAHG rail sections from Daves Custom Airsoft - I'm not sure it's worth the hassle of replacing the whole rail.

How stiff if that material? I've been slowly working on a benchrest stock design for my HFT500 (quoted £750 to get a custom one done) and was looking at using PPS-CF - but at £115 a roll it ain't cheap. I need to minimise flex otherwise there could be POI-shift issues.

Yep. When I was in the previous iteration of the Z1 retail shop (they had a unit near Bournemouth Airport before consolidating operations into a new showroom at their warehouse) I watched that exact thing happen. One kiddie was moaning that he didn't have signal to order whilst his mate was testing the pistol on the little range they had. Thing is, Z1 would price match provided the cheaper retailer isn't listing whatever you want as a 'sale' item. I used the facility a number of times.

I was in the Z1 showroom a couple of months ago (i'm relatively local) - midday on a Saturday. And I was the only customer. Spent 45min in the shop chatting with Alex - no one else came in during that time. I also noticed that they were also renting out parts of their unit (downstairs) to another company. Never a good sign as that was part of their huge warehouse. I think that people forget that Z1 was one of the very first UK online Airsoft retailers. I remember looking at their website as far back as 1999/2000 on the college PCs wishing I had the money to buy to put together a metal body TM build from parts. They had some cool shit in stock back in those days. Sad to see the retail side of things go - but such is life.

Looks like an indexing notch for the mold to maintain alignment during the casting process.

I play mostly CQB - so hop rubber choice is not as critical for me - I tend to to use the stock ICS hop rubbers on my indoor guns. My only 'outdoor' gun uses a Maple Leaf Macron with an Omega-style nub, but the lips have to be very slightly cut down otherwise there will be feed issues with ICS hop units (plastic and metal) - if you can see the rubber looking down the hop unit from the magwell, you will need to trim it. IMO upgraded rubber/nubs don't make huge difference like you would see on some other brands, my ICS guns are decently accurate enough with their stock setup - it's just that the plastic unit is crap for longevity and break very easily. The metal unit is a simpler, better design that works very well. Never touched a Maxx unit so can't comment on that.

I have 5 ICS M4s. I have upgraded most of them with ICS' own metal unit (MA-215). Fire-Support regularly restock these with every shipment that they bring in from ICS. Give them a call - they will tell you when their next shipment is due. The only other 'drop-in' unit otherwise is the Maxx M4Ei or M4Gi, which are ICS specific versions of their hop unit. Some users report good results with the Maxx units, however others do not, so YMMV.

Looks alright to me.

Oh my god it's awful. I can't find anything anywhere as easily as the old website. And my wish list was huge - I would frequently use it to list parts for projects, ordering when budget allowed.

When you say random drop - is it a case of '290, 290, 230, 290 etc' on the chrono, or are ALL shots now in the 230 range? It's an important distinction with different causes and solutions.

I would get an E&C shell. It's QD and from the same manufacturer, so should be a drop-in fit for the receiver. As an owner of many ICS M4s with split gearboxes - it's a nice feature to have - IF the gun was designed from the outset for it. However, it's certainly not a strong enough feature to justify spending a big chunk of cash on a mere gearbox casing.

Looks like a fairly standard receiver extension from this disassembly video: You will need a Buffer tube and sling plate. The buffer tube, obviously, to mount your stock. The sling plate to cover the big hole that the wires are sticking out of. If you can find Specna Edge denoted spares - great, should be a drop-in fit. Other brands will likely fit fine, but airsoft 'tolerances' being as they are (i.e lacking thereof), you might find yourself either filing the inside of the buffer tube if too tight on the extension anti-rotation fins, or shimming with bits of a coke can if too loose. I have experienced both.

SHS High Torque/M100 Spring/7.4V LiPo. Lasted one game day before the error LEDs went into christmas tree mode with gun stopping every half dozen shots. It was an Early Edge model though, with an early production X-ASR. But I wouldn't trust the V1s for reliability. At least they are plug'n'play meaning that V2 could be dropped-in easily.