Looking For Advice on Modifying an M4A1

[Adam_Online]

Hi all,

I've recently taken up airsoft and have just become eligible to apply for UKARA and I'm looking to purchase my first AEG rifle. The issue is that I'm trying to balance form and function where I want my rifle top look a specific way while also being fit for purpose.

The look I'm going for can be seen in the below picture:

I've given up on finding something like this out of the box so was looking instead to modify it after the fact. Perhaps using the below as a base and purchasing the RIS and flip up front and rear sights separately:
http://www.zerooneairsoft.com/product_info.php?cPath=268&products_id=5645

Is that something I could do easily with the linked rifle and would housing the battery in the rail system be an issue? It might be worth mentioning that my budget is roughly £250 - £300 so alternative suggestions on how to do this would be welcome.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Hangtight]

The Cm16 is a bit of a pain to change the rail on, but not impossible. The issue you might run into is that I believe the front sight is integral with the outer barrel, so if you want to change it you're going to need to replace the outer barrel too.

There won't be space in an RIS rail for the battery. Your gun will need to be rear wired, and with that type of stock that restricts you to buffer tube batteries, which essentially means lipo if you want reasonable performance and capacity.

The externals on a gun are something that can be done one thing at a time. You'd be better spending your budget on a higher spec base gun that will perform better for longer, then keep an eye out on the classifieds on the forum for bargain rails and stocks. We're a fickle lot and forever fiddling with stuff, so keep an eye open and it won't take long to get the look you want.

 

[Adam_Online]

The Cm16 is a bit of a pain to change the rail on, but not impossible. The issue you might run into is that I believe the front sight is integral with the outer barrel, so if you want to change it you're going to need to replace the outer barrel too.

There won't be space in an RIS rail for the battery. Your gun will need to be rear wired, and with that type of stock that restricts you to buffer tube batteries, which essentially means lipo if you want reasonable performance and capacity.

The externals on a gun are something that can be done one thing at a time. You'd be better spending your budget on a higher spec base gun that will perform better for longer, then keep an eye out on the classifieds on the forum for bargain rails and stocks. We're a fickle lot and forever fiddling with stuff, so keep an eye open and it won't take long to get the look you want.

Thanks for the advice, the fact that the front sight being integral is something that I hadn't considered actually. I'm considering the below as it has the correct stock, is within budget, but most importantly the description says the stock has room for a battery. Would you consider it a good base gun? i.e can I fit an RIS on this?

http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-m4-m15-m16-variants/e-and-l-airsoft-elar-m4a1-aeg-elite-black.htm#.WWZotojythE

Thanks again for the advice, I'm very much new to all of this and it's sometimes difficult to know these extra little details as it's not always on the product description.

 

[Hangtight]

As far as externals you should be able to fit whatever you like on the E&L.

As a base gun its a bit of an unknown. The E&L M4s are new on the market and finding information about them is a bit tricky. The E&L AKs are very well regarded and excellent quality bits of kit. If the M4 internals are similar then it will make a good solid basis for any future upgrades, not that you'll need to do any soon as they work very well out of the box. The only thing you might want to do sooner rather than later is fit a Mosfet.

 

[jcheeseright]

That's an M4A1 with a different front sight post. 

Really REALLY easy to make one of those. 

 

[Lozart]

Hi all,

I've recently taken up airsoft and have just become eligible to apply for UKARA and I'm looking to purchase my first AEG rifle. The issue is that I'm trying to balance form and function where I want my rifle top look a specific way while also being fit for purpose.

The look I'm going for can be seen in the below picture:


 

Specna Arms make one just like that. 

 

[Adam_Online]

Thanks for your help guys, it looks like I'll be going with the E&L. It has the correct stock that I'm looking for, the battery is rear wired too which is preferable and the front barrel cover is replaceable with an RIS. On top of that the few reviews I've been able to find online lead me to believe it will be a good starter gun. 
 

 

[Hangtight]

The stock is the easiest and one of the cheapest parts to replace.

Specna are worth a look, and they have a large range of variants.

https://gun-fire.co.uk/firm-eng-1208513650-Specna-Arms.html

 

[Adam_Online]

How does buying from that site work in terms of UKARA? 

 

[Lozart]

How does buying from that site work in terms of UKARA? 

You'll need UKARA ideally as your defence for importing.

 

[jcheeseright]

That stock also is not hard to come by if you find a gun that's otherwise perfect but has a different stock.  It's commonly called an LE stock, worth noting as that'll be the easiest part to change out. 

 

[Adam_Online]

That stock also is not hard to come by if you find a gun that's otherwise perfect but has a different stock.  It's commonly called an LE stock, worth noting as that'll be the easiest part to change out. 

There was one by NURPOL that was perfect, rear wired, came out of the box with an RIS and all I'd have needed was to change the stock like you say. For some reason though literally every UK site I've seen has them listed but out of stock. So I think I'm going the reverse route, get a rear wired rifle with the correct stock, but have to change for a RIS.

This is unfortunately the more expensive option but I guess that's the price I pay for wanting a very specific look.