L85a2 help

[mcduff1979]

hi there,

 

i am looking for a reliable l85 brand new, as when i spoke to a guy a patrol base and said i wanted to get one he laughed and said its unreliable and breaks alot.

 

That version was the

ICS L85 A2 Assault Rifle AEG - Olive Green

http://www.patrolbase.co.uk/airsoft-bulpup-guns/ics-l85-a2.htm#.VPb_nV2dOc0

 

are there any other makers of this gun for airsoft, if so are there any that dont break reportedly as much as this model?

 

im also not fussy if its gas as i would prefer this gun over other weapons i have shortlisted in its place

 

i have seen one by WE GBB L85A2 sold on zerooneairsoft.com that looks ok

[Guest PT247]

the ICS L85 is a good gun as long as you don't open it up very often. It has 3 power settings by adjusting the spring retainer but I suggest you find the setting closest to your sites upper limit (350fps if woodland normally) and then leave it there. The motor connections are weak so opening it up repeatedly will cause them to break possibly. The trigger is also an issue and again that is caused by opening the gun up. They shoot nice though out the box and look and feel just like the real steal mostly.
If this is your first airsoft gun I'd personally avoid the GBBRs until you know if you can cope with real-cap mags when skirmishing against folk with 7 500 round h-caps on longer skirmishes.

[Airsoft_Mr B]

Hmm well ICS L85s are probably the most popular of all manufacturers.

I heard they're more reliable than the G&G and Ares ones.

Wouldn't recommend GBBRs to beginners though, and then you're looking at another £200 at least if you want the Daniel Defense rail, extra mags (probably £50 each) and/or any internal upgrades.

[mcduff1979]

The capacity of the mags on GBBR isnt a problem i fire on single shot all the time anyway,

 

i was told the ICS wasnt very good which was a shame as i liked it, i have seen reviews on youtube of the WE GBB L85a2 and reviewed favourably, though they said maybe replace some of the internals for metal versions in the reviews i watched.

 

out of the ICS and the WE versions i prefer the gas system

[Guest PT247]

get whatever, is your money at the end of the day. From what you have said am guessing this isn't your first/only airsoft gun?

[mcduff1979]

the money side isnt an issue, i have been airsofting before but dont own any guns at the moment, i would like a l85 as that was my service weapon and im used to it.

 

im just trying to get opinions of people who use the gun/ had problems so i can form an educated and informed decision.

 

i have test fired a few GBB guns and used various AEG guns

 

really enjoying the sport/hobby depending on views and as money not an issue i have taken it out of the equation when deciding on the gun i want

[Guest PT247]

check out this review of the GBBR:

 

http://www.airsoft-forums.co.uk/index.php/topic/24761-we-l85a2-gas-blowback-rifle/?p=182135

[mcduff1979]

if l85 needs that much work does anyone recommend a better GBB rifle?

 

i like CQB variants specifically m4 CQB's and it needs to be a good weight, very reliable, sound good and have good or easily replaceable internals also id like one that i can get a NPAS fitted

[Guest PT247]

I have a GHK G5 which in mine and many others opinion is the best GBBR out there... but it is polymer (like the real EVO3 it is based on) so quite light, once a gas mag is fitted though it is much heavier. I also have a WE R5c (mini M4) which is very CQB orientated. All GBBRs will have their own gremlins trying to ruin your day but I have never had an issue with my G5 that wasn't my own fault.

[mcduff1979]

I have a GHK G5 which in mine and many others opinion is the best GBBR out there... but it is polymer (like the real EVO3 it is based on) so quite light, once a gas mag is fitted though it is much heavier. I also have a WE R5c (mini M4) which is very CQB orientated. All GBBRs will have their own gremlins trying to ruin your day but I have never had an issue with my G5 that wasn't my own fault.

 

where did you buy your guns from?

[Guest PT247]

both of these came from outside the UK

[Airsoft-Ed]

The ICS L85s are rock solid, the Patrol Base techs are just weirdos...

The ICS L85 is the single easiest, most user friendly gun to disassembly and take apart ever. it's one of the easiest to fix, it's one of the easiest to get parts for, it's one of the most robustly built. It's got very good out of the box performance, as well as having space for larger batteries (a rare trait for L85s) and comes with two high cap mags.

Best L85 on the market imo. Best bang for buck out of all of them.

I had the ICS for 2 years, modded it to fuck, and eventually sold it to get a WE gas one for the added realism.

The WE performs worse in every way and comes with a lot of disadvantages, using a gas rifle is a handicap, plain and simple.

It's less consistent, less reliable, doesn't work as well through the colder months, in fact it's straight up useless in anything less than about 4 degrees C and it costs a shit load more because the mags are about £35 each.

I'd recommend the AEG over the GBB. Having experience on the real thing won't help you, in fact it'll probably give you unrealistic expectations, the airsoft versions aren't comparable in anything short of control manipulation. For gas guns you need to have spare money, patience, and an existing knowledge of airsoft guns to help get them set up correctly. Or friends who can help you with it.

When I first started, the first gun I bought was gas, I had no clue what I was doing and I fucked it up. Never had a good game with it and spent around £1k trying to make it work right, all because of my stubbornness and lack of experience. I learned the hard way lol, don't take my advice lightly.

[mcduff1979]

Anything to look out for on the ics l85? Any mods needed?

[Airsoft-Ed]

Anything to look out for on the ics l85? Any mods needed?

Nope, nothing needed at all, and left alone one could chug on for a looooonnnnnggggg time.

[mcduff1979]

ok thanks very much

[Guest PT247]

I think the key here with the ICS is leave it standard rather than try modding it. As stated above it is a great gun, but don't open it up unless you have to IMO

[Airsoft-Ed]

I think the key here with the ICS is leave it standard rather than try modding it. As stated above it is a great gun, but don't open it up unless you have to IMO

I opened mine up about as often as my gas one, I'd switch the fps setting all the time, constantly in and out of the gearbox swapping out parts.

 

If anything, it's the one gun you can get away with opening often, because it's designed specifically with the ease of doing so in mind. You just have to be aware of all the electrical contact points, as they can be bent and cause poor conductivity, or circuit breaks. But they're easy fixes.

 

I used the same set of motor connectors the whole time I had the gun, too.

[Guest PT247]

fair do's. Guess I was unlucky with mine. It is still going strong though, I rewired it and have sold it to a mate who loves it :-)

[TheGrover]

My ics has had a few issues, yea. I guess it is fair to say that its noy the most reliable aeg in the world, but the few things that have gone wrong were easy to fix with simple tools and a bit of solder.

 

Dont be put off by one tech's opinion. After shopping around a bit youll find that they are (almost) all very opinionated, fixed on their personal views and they generally disagree with each other on the pros and cons of each brand and the quality of different guns.

[mcduff1979]

What went wrong with your ics if you don't mind me asking

[sp00n]

I heard they're more reliable than the G&G

 

 

once you do the standard AEG piston/sector gear mod, they are as reliable as any other AEG. and that mod is only advisable if you don't want the pre-cocking feature or you want a high speed setup

[TheGrover]

Hop unit needed some love to get the trajectory down, wire crimps snapped at the motor connection (bit of solder fixed it) gearbox locked up and blew the fuse (my own fault really)

 

Like i said, nothing difficult and nothing that cant be fixed with simple tools and a bit of TLC

[mcduff1979]

Sounds alot of work to keep gun at its best

[TheGrover]

Sounds alot of work to keep gun at its best

All said, ive probably spent more time cleaning my two gas guns after each game (a 20 minute job per day) than i have fixing my aeg, and ive owned the AEG over a month longer than even my oldest gas gun.

 

I dont think any of the problems ive had would be too dificult for anyone, and the short time i spent tinkering taught me alot about how my gun works, and if it should ever break down, ill have some knowledge to help fix it.

 

I wont lie if you are nervous about tinkering, there are more reliable guns out there, but that doesnt make the ics unreliable, it just has its strengths elsewhere.

 

And as said earlier, a gas gun (pistols aside) isnt a great first gun. As fun as they are (im a convert myself) they are much more work and less practical.

[beastmode]

I have the G&G L85. No real problems. I've disabled blow back feature as it can ruin the piston. I'm currently trying to sort the semi auto lock up issue which seems to be a problem on all l85s, although it's not a huge issue for me. The gun has a split gear box and is incredibly easy to open and work on even for me. It has a really nice range and accuracy and I haven't even done any real modifications yet.