About Chinasoft guns, new people please read!
 

I've noticed a trend in chinasoft guns, there are 2 major problems that are arising constantly. Infact they are the only two problems I've had to fix on ALL the chinasoft guns I've "fixed"

1: MAKE SURE YOUR BATTERY IS CHARGED!!!!
Seems simple enough, but 75% of the guns I get in for fixing just need a charged battery.

2: "It shoots like crap, please fix it" You spent pennies on this gun, did you expect a systema PTW? it's a 200$ gun, it's not going to shoot like a 500$ TM. Whether it works as well as it's supposed to is hit or miss. They cut corners everywhere to save money, including quality control. Infact there's a disclaimer on WGC that states:
"The above airsoft gun is made in China and will be tested before shipping. We will test the
gun to ensure that it does work properly ( the qualified one in the test means it is able to
use up one whole magazine )."
And they've recently expanded the disclaimer to also say:
"No returns or exchanges will be given on any shipped items. Please consider thoroughly the associated risks before making a purchase."

They're pretty well telling you the gun your buying is crap. So anyone who sends in one of these guns to get fixed because "it shoots like crap" will either agree to pay for upgrades, or pay to get it shipped back to them.

Now on a more serious note, this lastest problem is an actual legitimate concerning problem. On the box of the JG M4 S-system, it states that it both shoots 400fps, and requires an 1100mah 8.4v battery.
Now what this means, is that the battery they recommend is a bit underpowered for the operation of this weapon. Although it will fire in full auto, it doesn't have enough power to bring the spring back all the way in semi auto. I know because this gun I'm holding right now works fine when the battery is fully charged, but not when it gets to 60% or below.

So in summary, charge your batteries, you get what you pay for, and make sure you have the proper battery. ;)

When buying a clone make sure its a full clone of a big brand gun.

Also the charger that comes with clones is usually pure crap so get a better one. Sometimes the same thign can be said about the batteries.

A good clean up of the mechbox + propper shimming is also important. That said, if your lucky you might have a good gun on your hand. Personally the JG MP5 RAS i handled was just as good as the ICS and TM one! For a lot less money :)

I totally agree with Thundercatus.

Please, please, please don't waste your money on a cheap battery. Learn how battery voltage effects your gun. Learn what mAH are. And above all, learn how discharge rates effect your spring and motor.

also Chrono your guns first it you plan to play indoor.... my jg m4a1 was 390....with.25's(forgot to change to .2's...) and my kraken was 336 with .2's...

yeah their batteries are crap, so is their european charger. i wouldn't mind paying a little more for better, juicier batteries.

Deans connectors also go a long way on crap batteries. I threw deans connectors on my stock battery and on my JG M4 that I had and it made a surprising difference for less than 5 bucks. (not saying it's AMAZING, but for 5 bucks, I was happy).

Just like the FN2000...

"ITS BROKEN"

... Actually.. Your battery wasn't charged.

one thing tho, its not actually a $200 gun, more like a 80 bucks gun. its just the mark up.

Gearbox = Important

I like to add on JG Aeg's de-grease, re-lube, re-shim and new hop up sleeve.

Damage is right. Sometimes the shimming isn't bad but the greases are awful and usually in big clumps. Gear grease gets in the cylinder and down onto the motor.
With my jg, I also changed the piston, piston head, spring guide, cylinder and inner barrel.
On my echo, the piston head was badly worn down one side, giving it a flat spot.
Still, if you're paying the u.s cost plus another 100-150 for parts, you have a great, powerful gun pretty cheap. Both my guns upgraded cost me less than a stock marui.

Oh and a warning to those getting those Dboys MK12 Mod 0 guns, the internals are basically M4 internals in an M16 length gun. We're talking ported cylinder, and M4 length inner barrel. If you get the chance swap that inner barrel out to an AK length/M16 length along with a new hop up rubber, or at least realign the stock hop up rubber you got.

@ CYMA M14s
New battery connector is a must, what the hell were they thinking putting mini connectors into a stock that can obviously fit a 8.4V battery.

What? Mini batteries can be 8.4V...or 9.6V or whatever...

I think what he meant was, why did they put mini-connectors (which are usually associated with small celled battery packs when the stock can hold a large sub-c celled battery pack. Right?

Could someone make this a sticky?

Bingo.

Yeah there's room for an 8.4 Large in there but a 9.6 Large is no way.

If you want a very cost effective aeg, more efficient than how it feels, so buy a china airgun and change the internals with upgraded parts. It will cost less than buying a stock TM (in many cases). Experience in upgrading internals are recommended

But if you prefer better feeling like metal body and heavy weight, but more expensive, buying an stock CA or ICS is the way to go (in many cases).

I've bought a near new CYMA MP5J for 300$ shipped and I've changed nearly every internals and finally the MP5 would cost me 450$ shipping included and it shoots 350 fps with .20g with an amazing ROF along with a 8.4v 3500mah large. In my opinion, this MP5 is better than a NIB stock TM, for less.

it depends on opinions, every people is different, so needs are different

Gotta agree with splashx. Got a metal jg mp5ras for $175, threw in $100 worth of parts and it's awesome. Runs beautifully, looks great. Under $300.

Of course any chinasoft gun is going to be better than a TM if you upgrade the internals, because your replacing everything that make the internals crap.
It's like buying a junk car and replacing all your driving components. Drives just like a stock car, performs just as well, but it's still a piece of crap on the outside lol
And thus: Buy TM if you want a reliable, cheap gun (because you don't need to buy any internals), but if your going to upgrade your gun once you get it anyway, buy a CA or G&P because your really only buying it for the body.

I just purchased an Army Armament R85, which is an improved clone of the G&G L85A1. The entire gun save the fore/pistol grips is made of steel, and the buttpad is a soft, very comfortable rubber. For < $100 I can make this thing a better airsoft gun than the G&G one, for $400 less ($600 less than the STAR). Honestly, the only thing it's missing is authentic trades.

Honestly thats not saying much lol
G&G is crap inside and out, the only reason I consider them a major airsoft company is because of their popularity.

really
well my g&g ump was fucking fantastic
i put less upgrades in that and ran just as many rounds through it than i did any of the mauri guns i've owned

the only issue it had was double feeding, quick tappet plate fix and we're flying

Well, my point still stands. Yea, G&G guns (especially the L85) are known for thier cascading failures. But this is a China clone with awsome externals (by far better than ANY TM, and heavier material than the few ICS guns I've held. Like I said, it's steel, not pot metel or zinc alloy), and decent internals. And for a small amount more, it can be a gun with awsome externals and awsome internals for still cheaper than any full metel 'brand-name' AEG on the market. Granted, next to the A&K M249, it's also the most expensive china clone...

In Hong Kong, I can buy an Army R85 and have the shopkeepers strip, clean, reshim and slap it back together for $100 Canadian (I was quite tempted to, as well, but shipping would be insane as to the weight). The markup here's just ridiculous, as it's a full metal gun with a small market for it.

I agree, the markup for it is nearly 5x. But it's still < half the STAR and a good deal cheaper than the crappier G&G. But show me a single china gun in canada that isn't insainly marked up. Hell, look at the JG G36... $400 on A&A for a gun that retails for <$100 elsware. I couldn't find the FN2000 on his site, but I know when he had it it retailed for something like 7x what it would cost in the US. For me personally, paying the 5x markup on the L85 was worth it. If the gun was plastic, not a chance.

Indeed. Even in HK, the STAR was ridiculously expensive, get the local players swore by the G&G. I think I'll get one when I go back, to be honest.
It's a fantastic deal, even with a complete overhaul of the mechbox (even one that completely doubles its price) it's still $200- and if you had the permits, you could bring one into the country for not too much more (known from experience, the profit you could make is ludicrous). They're fantastic guns, and they feel far better then anything else I've ever used- coming from a guy that played with a full-metal M60 and a VFC BAR.
If I had the choice between the 3 L85s, I'd definitely go that route. ARMY all the way, I suppose.

The china guns don't usually need many new parts. I could have run it a long time stock but I did a durability upgrade. Spring guide, cylinder, bushings, titanium tooth piston and better head. Kept the gears, cylinder head, nozzle, tappet, spring. The grease is shitty and comes in gobs.
A new marui mp5 doing 360fps would cost around$600. I did it for about half and I have a full metal body, battery, hicap, scope mount and flash hider.
Can't beat that.

I constantly hear people say that their chinasoft/clones are just as good if not better than Marui or CA. This is false. The first AEG's I gamed with were Marui and whenever I used them they just felt smooth. Then I bought my first AEG, a JG G36c. While it was a good gun for the money, it really wasnt nearly as good as the Maruis I had used, when firing it just felt...different. A very common argument that I encounter is "Its got CA Gears, or a Marui Clone Gearbox". Exactly, its that companies copy, the design is the same, but not the quality. Sure JG makes a solid product but it honestly doesnt stand near Marui. I now own G&P and have to say that I couldnt wait to get off the clone. I love the g36 because it was my first AEG and it hasnt really broken down, but It cant come close to the quality of TM, CA etc. I bought the G&P about 4-5 months after the JG and the only temptation to go back would be JG's new 416.

Bottom line is that if you want reliablility and the best possible experience accept the facts: Airsoft isnt cheap, and that is an inevitablity. China guns fill a purpose but in the end better quality is what you want for the long run.

I think the point a lot of people make and a lot of people don't get with regard to a China gun is this:

As a stock gun, they are no where near a TM or CA or G&P or whatever for quality.

As an upgrade platform, you can't go wrong with a China gun.

However, once upgraded it's no longer a China gun anymore than a fully upgraded TM gun is a TM gun. Honestly if one buys a TM and replaces pretty much everything that I think it's pointless not to buy the much cheaper China gun. By the time you're done upgrading perfomance and reliability will be similar. However, if your one of those people who do almost no upgrades and like stock guns, then I would go for a TM or CA over a China gun anyday.