ICS M4 hop up unit replacement options

[RichardC]

As the title!

 

The plastic hop up unit on my ICS M4 has broken. It seems that this is pretty common but they seem to be unavailable in the UK either in plastic or metal. Does anyone know if this is temporary? If it is I’ll wait, but if it’s not am I best:

dremmelling the magwell so a non ICS unit fits?

dremmelling a non ICS unit to fit?

 

With either option what is the best  brand to go for? I would like to keep the rotary adjustment and don’t want to find I then have to replace the nozzle. Which will almost certainly involve a lengthy trial and error process.

 

The third option is to buy from abroad. Unit 13 in the Netherlands seem to have the metal one. Are they ok? 

 

I’ve kind of discounted the Maxx cnc one on grounds of price and ludicrous complexity.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Richard

[Colin Allen]

16 minutes ago, RichardC said:

As the title!

 

The plastic hop up unit on my ICS M4 has broken. It seems that this is pretty common but they seem to be unavailable in the UK either in plastic or metal. Does anyone know if this is temporary? If it is I’ll wait, but if it’s not am I best:

dremmelling the magwell so a non ICS unit fits?

dremmelling a non ICS unit to fit?

 

With either option what is the best  brand to go for? I would like to keep the rotary adjustment and don’t want to find I then have to replace the nozzle. Which will almost certainly involve a lengthy trial and error process.

 

The third option is to buy from abroad. Unit 13 in the Netherlands seem to have the metal one. Are they ok? 

 

I’ve kind of discounted the Maxx cnc one on grounds of price and ludicrous complexity.

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Richard

I don't know anything about ICS hops; however, I do know that Unit 13 are pukkah.

[ak2m4]

I would get hold of a cheap non-ICS hop chamber and modify that to work.  I remember this problem from a few years back, can't remember the model of the AEG or if something like the ZCI plastic worked or not.  

There's a ICS group on FB, you might find the answer there.

[RichardC]

6 minutes ago, Colin Allen said:

I don't know anything about ICS hops; however, I do know that Unit 13 are pukkah.

Thanks for the quick reply - sounds like they provide an easy option!

[Speedbird_666]

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.

 

 

[RichardC]

19 minutes ago, ak2m4 said:

I would get hold of a cheap non-ICS hop chamber and modify that to work.  I remember this problem from a few years back, can't remember the model of the AEG or if something like the ZCI plastic worked or not.  

There's a ICS group on FB, you might find the answer there.

Thank you - really appreciate the lightning responses on the forum! I will have a think, but the ZCI one you stock looks like it would not be too hard to file down. 
 

thanks again

1 minute ago, Speedbird_666 said:

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.

 

 

Brilliant- thank you. I’ll get in touch with them. Are there any hop rubbers I should steer clear of with that unit?

the maxx units would have to be pretty amazing at that price!

 

thanks again

 

[Speedbird_666]

9 minutes ago, RichardC said:

Brilliant- thank you. I’ll get in touch with them. Are there any hop rubbers I should steer clear of with that unit?

the maxx units would have to be pretty amazing at that price!

 

thanks again

 

 

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.

 

 

[RichardC]

Ask and ye shall receive!