Airsoft Canada - View Single Post - G&G M4 Carbine & Carbine REC Reviews & Comparison

WARFIGHTER · August 24th, 2009, 01:01

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G&G M4 Carbine (Classic/Std Version)

We'll start with the 'Classic' M4 Carbine.

MSRP: $308.00

They are of course available for purchase through us.

Initial Impressions

Well, as with the AK W/S and the MP5's we have reviewed so far, the M4 Carbine came in a nicely packaged Styrofoam box.

Included in the package are:
-AEG
-1400mah Split Battery (Small Tamiya Head)
-Wall Charger (Small Tamiya Head)
-Small-Large Tamiya Adapter
-Bag of BB's
-Unjamming Rod
-M4 Tool
-Safety Glasses w/ Soft Bag
-Metal Hi-Cap Magazine

The gun is quite heavy, especially considering it doesn't have a rail system and has a polycarbonate lower. We don't have a scale at this time to weigh it vs. other makes but it is a good weight for the size of the weapon, it feels solid.

First thing I check for when I get any new make/model in is wobble/creaks. I was pleased to find no barrel wobble, no wobble/creaking in the rear stock when pushed/pulled/twisted/extended, minimal shifting/creaking in the split front stock when squeezed/twisted, and no give between the lower and upper or upper and top rail/carry handle.

I personally do not care for the special forces symbol on the lower receiver. I think it is cheesy, and would have been happier with a blank. But I don't like a lot of the 'special' engravings/symbols on the popular G&P receivers either on that note. There is also text just above the trigger on the lower receiver, reading:

Complete AEG Series
MFG By G&G Armament
Made In Taiwan

Time, for a closer look...

Externals

As mentioned above, there is no wobble/creaking in the components, aside from the split front stock if squeezed and twisted, which I have yet to see a stock M4 with split front stock that does not btw. The first thing I took a closer look at is the rear collapsible stock.

The stock is made from what appears to be a good quality composite. I am not sure if it is a nylon fiber or what, but it feels very solid and sturdy. The extension lever engages positively, and has a stiff spring, requiring a decent amount of force in order to manipulate. The stock tube is metal, and as well feels like a decent quality, it isn't a thin gauge as some I have seen are, and doesn't have any give/wobble. Also on the M4 Carbine is a metal sling mount with a hook-type eyelet attachment point.

The pistol grip is made from a good quality composite as well, it certainly feels to me like nylon fiber, a different material than the collapsible stock anyway. Not much else to say about it really.

The split front stock feels like a lower quality composite vs. the pistol grip and rear stock. It could be because it is thinner to accommodate a battery inside, but it again feels different than the pistol grip material and rear stock material. Not to say it is bad, it just doesn't seem to be as good as the other two.

Everything else, sights, barrel, sling mounts, carry handle, trigger, etc. Is basically like most other brands, CA, TM, G&P, etc. The metal doesn't gouge with a fingernail like some of the monkey metal I've witnessed on other guns, it is comparable with the quality of the other major brand's metal, probably better than some.

One thing I do really dislike about the M4 Carbine is the charging handle. Firstly, unlike G&G's AK and MP5 line, the charging handle does NOT engage the bolt cover... Not a huge deal, although it is kind of a nice feature and I was expecting it to from our previous experience with the AK's and MP5's... However, I really do not like the feeling of the bolt handle when pulled back. It has a fairly weak spring on it, and a lot of movement room side to side when pulled back. It feels weak and loose is the best way to describe it. It feels like if you were to pull too hard it might break, although, the CA's that I had, which had a stronger spring on the charging handle DID break when pulled if pulled to hard and it felt like they could be pulled hard without issue, so I'm not sure which is the better way to go... Either way, with the solid, functional bolt handles on the MP5's and AK's I was disappointed with the M4's. The bolt handle itself, aesthetically is fine however.

Rather than listing all the metal parts I will list the parts that are NOT metal as it will be easier:

-Lower Reciever (Smoked Polycarbonate)
-Collapsible Stock
-Pistol Grip
-Split Front Stock

Annnnnndddd, everything else is, you guessed it... metal.

Threading is std 14mm cc.

Function

The only issue I had with the function was mentioned above regarding the charging handle. Everything else works well and smoothly, mag release, fire controls, removing the lower half of the front stock for battery insertion, and after the difficulty with the MP5 forestock battery, I was pleased to find the M4 battery installation was MUCH easier. Also, the heads on the M4 Carbines are small tamiya... As you would expect them to be. We had an issue with the AK's and MP5's we had brought out to test as they all had large tamiya heads, yet the batteries G&G sends with them are all the small... Doesn't make sense to me either, but that is for another review. It feeds CA, MAG, and of course the G&G magazines just fine. We've had about 400 rds through this one and no misfeeds yet.

The hop is the standard M4 'wheel' type. It is very tight, unlike other stock M4 hops I've used, it doesn't need manual tightening which was nice. Like the other G&G's I've reviewed, it seems to have a 'sweet' spot, and anything above that will curve the bb's drastically upwards, it is not a gradual increase as most other hops are.

Performance

The most important aspect of any AEG imo is it's performance, second to it's reliability.

It seems, that for some reason, a lot of people in the Canadian Airsoft scene think the partially clear G&G AEG's are garbage. I don't know why this idea about them exists, although it could possibly be because of the much lower price tag they have vs. their full metal counterparts, or simply because they are partially clear, which makes them more like the fully clear crapsoft that is readily available from our local CT's and WallMart's...

Whatever the case may be, I have had no issues with the several G&G partially clear guns we have used on a regular basis, and all the G&G guns we have sold and tested, aside from one which had a small hairline crack in the polycarb receiver. Whereas my experience with the larger brands such as CA, TM, and G&P has been the opposite. I've owned and extensively used 7 CA full metal AEG's in the past 5 years. 2 of which, have worked perfectly, and had exceptional range/accuracy, 1 was a CA SPC, 1 was a CA Sportline (One of the original production runs) The other 5, not saying they performed badly, but they did break down, or had problems right out of the box and required replacement of parts to work.

Nor have I had any issues performance wise from them. In fact, quite the opposite. I have consistently been impressed at the range/accuracy of these guns as well as their responsiveness and rates of fire. I would certainly rather carry one of these than a TM from the experiences I have had, although apparently the new generation of TM's are very decent, but I only have experience with the older generation. Either way, the performance has been above many of the large manufacturer's stock guns and has been commented on by all that have seen them in action as such.

-Responsiveness
The M4 Carbine had great trigger response. Not quite as snappy as the MP5G5 we had reviewed, but better than the AK W/S, which was still above average.

-Rate Of Fire
Again, not quite as fast as the MP5G5, but faster than the AK W/S, which was again, above average to begin with. So very good ROF.

-Accuracy
Accuracy is excellent, tighter and more consistent than the MP5, not quite as good as the AK W/S. Certainly on par or better than most stock M4's from other brands. There would be several things I would upgrade first before looking into accuracy upgrades, and, as I have said in my other reviews, I am big on accuracy.

-Range
Effective range with the hop set is about 75-100 ft depending on conditions, with .25's. We use .25 Bastards in all our testing. After 85ish feet, the bb's drop quite rapidly, but up until then, have a nice straight trajectory with little rise/fall in the path. Again not as good as the AK W/S, a bit better than the MP5G5. All in all, very skirmishable, and again, on par or better than most other stock M4's I have experienced.

-Speed
Didn't have the chrono at the field when we played today, but they are with Amos for internals review, so he will provide us with the speeds. I expect around 340-350 fps w/ .20's from what I saw.

Reliability
Well, 400rds through this one so far with no issues. Not a good test of reliability at this point, but I will update as time goes on. ALTHOUGH, I've experienced a number of 'Full Metal' AEG's from other manufacturers that have NOT even lasted 400rds...

Internals
The long and short of it, perfect shimming (but I don't expect that is the case on every one of these, this one must have gotten lucky), poor compression (like the other G&G's we have reviewed, not too surprised), average wiring, finish and fitment, average internals otherwise.

Summary
For the price, another good AEG from G&G. Spend a bit on some parts to get better compression, and maybe a new hop unit, and this will perform right up there with far more expensive guns.

August 24th, 2009, 01:01	#1
WARFIGHTER formerly Knyte Trader rating Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Manitoba	G&G M4 Carbine & Carbine REC Reviews & Comparison ----- ----- G&G M4 Carbine (Classic/Std Version) We'll start with the 'Classic' M4 Carbine. MSRP: $308.00 They are of course available for purchase through us. Initial Impressions Well, as with the AK W/S and the MP5's we have reviewed so far, the M4 Carbine came in a nicely packaged Styrofoam box. Included in the package are: -AEG -1400mah Split Battery (Small Tamiya Head) -Wall Charger (Small Tamiya Head) -Small-Large Tamiya Adapter -Bag of BB's -Unjamming Rod -M4 Tool -Safety Glasses w/ Soft Bag -Metal Hi-Cap Magazine The gun is quite heavy, especially considering it doesn't have a rail system and has a polycarbonate lower. We don't have a scale at this time to weigh it vs. other makes but it is a good weight for the size of the weapon, it feels solid. First thing I check for when I get any new make/model in is wobble/creaks. I was pleased to find no barrel wobble, no wobble/creaking in the rear stock when pushed/pulled/twisted/extended, minimal shifting/creaking in the split front stock when squeezed/twisted, and no give between the lower and upper or upper and top rail/carry handle. I personally do not care for the special forces symbol on the lower receiver. I think it is cheesy, and would have been happier with a blank. But I don't like a lot of the 'special' engravings/symbols on the popular G&P receivers either on that note. There is also text just above the trigger on the lower receiver, reading: Complete AEG Series MFG By G&G Armament Made In Taiwan Time, for a closer look... Externals As mentioned above, there is no wobble/creaking in the components, aside from the split front stock if squeezed and twisted, which I have yet to see a stock M4 with split front stock that does not btw. The first thing I took a closer look at is the rear collapsible stock. The stock is made from what appears to be a good quality composite. I am not sure if it is a nylon fiber or what, but it feels very solid and sturdy. The extension lever engages positively, and has a stiff spring, requiring a decent amount of force in order to manipulate. The stock tube is metal, and as well feels like a decent quality, it isn't a thin gauge as some I have seen are, and doesn't have any give/wobble. Also on the M4 Carbine is a metal sling mount with a hook-type eyelet attachment point. The pistol grip is made from a good quality composite as well, it certainly feels to me like nylon fiber, a different material than the collapsible stock anyway. Not much else to say about it really. The split front stock feels like a lower quality composite vs. the pistol grip and rear stock. It could be because it is thinner to accommodate a battery inside, but it again feels different than the pistol grip material and rear stock material. Not to say it is bad, it just doesn't seem to be as good as the other two. Everything else, sights, barrel, sling mounts, carry handle, trigger, etc. Is basically like most other brands, CA, TM, G&P, etc. The metal doesn't gouge with a fingernail like some of the monkey metal I've witnessed on other guns, it is comparable with the quality of the other major brand's metal, probably better than some. One thing I do really dislike about the M4 Carbine is the charging handle. Firstly, unlike G&G's AK and MP5 line, the charging handle does NOT engage the bolt cover... Not a huge deal, although it is kind of a nice feature and I was expecting it to from our previous experience with the AK's and MP5's... However, I really do not like the feeling of the bolt handle when pulled back. It has a fairly weak spring on it, and a lot of movement room side to side when pulled back. It feels weak and loose is the best way to describe it. It feels like if you were to pull too hard it might break, although, the CA's that I had, which had a stronger spring on the charging handle DID break when pulled if pulled to hard and it felt like they could be pulled hard without issue, so I'm not sure which is the better way to go... Either way, with the solid, functional bolt handles on the MP5's and AK's I was disappointed with the M4's. The bolt handle itself, aesthetically is fine however. Rather than listing all the metal parts I will list the parts that are NOT metal as it will be easier: -Lower Reciever (Smoked Polycarbonate) -Collapsible Stock -Pistol Grip -Split Front Stock Annnnnndddd, everything else is, you guessed it... metal. Threading is std 14mm cc. Function The only issue I had with the function was mentioned above regarding the charging handle. Everything else works well and smoothly, mag release, fire controls, removing the lower half of the front stock for battery insertion, and after the difficulty with the MP5 forestock battery, I was pleased to find the M4 battery installation was MUCH easier. Also, the heads on the M4 Carbines are small tamiya... As you would expect them to be. We had an issue with the AK's and MP5's we had brought out to test as they all had large tamiya heads, yet the batteries G&G sends with them are all the small... Doesn't make sense to me either, but that is for another review. It feeds CA, MAG, and of course the G&G magazines just fine. We've had about 400 rds through this one and no misfeeds yet. The hop is the standard M4 'wheel' type. It is very tight, unlike other stock M4 hops I've used, it doesn't need manual tightening which was nice. Like the other G&G's I've reviewed, it seems to have a 'sweet' spot, and anything above that will curve the bb's drastically upwards, it is not a gradual increase as most other hops are. Performance The most important aspect of any AEG imo is it's performance, second to it's reliability. It seems, that for some reason, a lot of people in the Canadian Airsoft scene think the partially clear G&G AEG's are garbage. I don't know why this idea about them exists, although it could possibly be because of the much lower price tag they have vs. their full metal counterparts, or simply because they are partially clear, which makes them more like the fully clear crapsoft that is readily available from our local CT's and WallMart's... Whatever the case may be, I have had no issues with the several G&G partially clear guns we have used on a regular basis, and all the G&G guns we have sold and tested, aside from one which had a small hairline crack in the polycarb receiver. Whereas my experience with the larger brands such as CA, TM, and G&P has been the opposite. I've owned and extensively used 7 CA full metal AEG's in the past 5 years. 2 of which, have worked perfectly, and had exceptional range/accuracy, 1 was a CA SPC, 1 was a CA Sportline (One of the original production runs) The other 5, not saying they performed badly, but they did break down, or had problems right out of the box and required replacement of parts to work. Nor have I had any issues performance wise from them. In fact, quite the opposite. I have consistently been impressed at the range/accuracy of these guns as well as their responsiveness and rates of fire. I would certainly rather carry one of these than a TM from the experiences I have had, although apparently the new generation of TM's are very decent, but I only have experience with the older generation. Either way, the performance has been above many of the large manufacturer's stock guns and has been commented on by all that have seen them in action as such. -Responsiveness The M4 Carbine had great trigger response. Not quite as snappy as the MP5G5 we had reviewed, but better than the AK W/S, which was still above average. -Rate Of Fire Again, not quite as fast as the MP5G5, but faster than the AK W/S, which was again, above average to begin with. So very good ROF. -Accuracy Accuracy is excellent, tighter and more consistent than the MP5, not quite as good as the AK W/S. Certainly on par or better than most stock M4's from other brands. There would be several things I would upgrade first before looking into accuracy upgrades, and, as I have said in my other reviews, I am big on accuracy. -Range Effective range with the hop set is about 75-100 ft depending on conditions, with .25's. We use .25 Bastards in all our testing. After 85ish feet, the bb's drop quite rapidly, but up until then, have a nice straight trajectory with little rise/fall in the path. Again not as good as the AK W/S, a bit better than the MP5G5. All in all, very skirmishable, and again, on par or better than most other stock M4's I have experienced. -Speed Didn't have the chrono at the field when we played today, but they are with Amos for internals review, so he will provide us with the speeds. I expect around 340-350 fps w/ .20's from what I saw. Reliability Well, 400rds through this one so far with no issues. Not a good test of reliability at this point, but I will update as time goes on. ALTHOUGH, I've experienced a number of 'Full Metal' AEG's from other manufacturers that have NOT even lasted 400rds... Internals The long and short of it, perfect shimming (but I don't expect that is the case on every one of these, this one must have gotten lucky), poor compression (like the other G&G's we have reviewed, not too surprised), average wiring, finish and fitment, average internals otherwise. Summary For the price, another good AEG from G&G. Spend a bit on some parts to get better compression, and maybe a new hop unit, and this will perform right up there with far more expensive guns. __________________ Last edited by WARFIGHTER; August 24th, 2009 at 19:07..