Again, a guide on upgrading your AEG

Many of the airsoft operators wanted to have a gun which has the high rate of fire (ROF), high in speed(FPS), and accuracy. The easiest way to have AEG with those characteristics is to be willing to buy a high price AEG. But, not all of the operators outside there are willing to cashing out a big money only to by a AEG. what they do is upgrading their AEG according to the need of their mission.

Which upgrade i should go for?

Any operators that are smart will go for upgrading their AEG according to their needs of mission. For example, if you go for CQB or CQC, high ROF and high FPS in what you need. If you go for snipering mission, you will need an AEG with high accuracy and high FPS.

• High rate of fire

1. This is the most easiest part of upgrading your AEG. first way to increase your AEG ROF is by changing your batteries by replacing the stock batteries with the higher voltage one. By changing your batteries, you should increase your AEG's ROF. A good quality of 12v battery should do the trick. But keep in mind that you will need to take account on the wiring aspects of your AEG. The wire may not can handle the increasing voltage, causing the insulators, contact point, and motor to burnt.

2. The second way is by downgrading your stoc spring. Why downgrade? The reason you need to downgrade is because it will be easier for the motor to pull the spring and more critically, much more faster.

3. The higher end of ROF upgrading, inclusive of what was mentioned above, is to change the the whole set of gears into high speed gears, high speed motor, 6mm metal bushings with bearings, the addition of sorbo pads to absorb more frequent impacts from the piston head hitting the cylinder head, and in turn hitting the front side of the mechbox.

4. Bear in mind that the higher your AEG ROF, you will end up drying your magazine faster. And yes, you need to invest some more money on buying extra high capacity magazines.

• FPS

1. Of all the upgrades that will be mentioned here, FPS upgrade is the most damaging factor for your AEGs. I was honestly quite reluctant to write this down but due to being a freak for high fps setup myself, I say what the heck. But what I do want to stress is that having a high fps setup means upgrading a lot more than just the spring itself, which is what I shall present in the following upgrades after this.

12v battery from Systema

2. Changing the spring to a higher rated spring is the quickest way to increase your FPS. Period. If your mechbox comes with 7mm diameter bushings, it’s probably a reinforced mechbox, which you would be able to put in a maximum of M150 spring. You need to get membership to a gym and pump up those biceps and triceps as well just to push the spring into the mechbox. Most people would argue that M120 or M130 springs should suffice, with the main reason being safety. The second reason would be durability for your mechbox. Anyway, here is a sub-guide to the things you need to change to achieve your target FPS (any parts which are not mentioned would be left stock):

a) 400fps
M120 spring, High Torgue Motor or High Speed Motor, Polycarb Piston, Spring guide with bearing, Piston Head with bearing, 9.6V battery.

b) 420fps
M120 spring, High Torgue Motor or High Speed Motor, Polycarb Piston, Spring guide with bearing, Piston Head with bearing, aftermarket air-seal nozzle, metal Hop-Up chamber, Teflon mod, at least 6.03mm TBB, 9.6V battery.

c) 450fps
M130 spring, HTU Motor, Polycarb Piston with metal teeth, metal spring guide with bearing, Piston Head with bearing, aftermarket air-seal nozzle, metal Hop-Up chamber, Teflon mod, at least 6.03mm TBB, a good 9.6V batt like Sanyo or 11.1V lipo, Gear Delayer, Mosfet, hard type bucking.

d) 500fps
M140 spring, STU Motor, STU gears, Polycarb Piston with full metal teeth, metal spring guide with bearing, Piston Head with bearing, aftermarket air-seal nozzle, metal Hop-Up chamber, Teflon mod, at least 6.03mm TBB, 11.1V lipo 20c, Gear Delayer, Mosfet, hard type bucking.

e) 550fps
M150 spring, STU Motor, STU gears (some people prefer helical gears, some prefer Teflon coated gears), hardened piston with full metal teeth (Systema Super Core Piston is a favourite), Piston Head with bearing, aftermarket air-seal nozzle, metal Hop-Up chamber, Teflon mod, at least 6.03mm TBB (I prefer 6.01mm TBB), 11.1V lipo 20c, Gear Delayer, Mosfet, anti blow-by rings (this in itself can increase the FPS by 30fps if done correctly), hard type bucking. Some people prefer Bore Up Kits for this high fps type but I do not think it is vital. Biceps and triceps like Hulk Hogan are optional.

Example of motor

3. High FPS setups require reinforced mechboxes. This cannot be said enough. More so if you are using Version 2 mechboxes, which are not as strong as Version 3 mechboxes. That being said, the confusion is further compounded by the slightly different variations and quality of mechboxes even if they are of the same Version, by different companies. You cannot assume that a reinforced Boyi’s Version 2 mechboxes to be the same quality of JG’s Version 2 reinforced mechboxes. Remember, different company have differet quality on their product.

• Accuracy

1. Why accuracy is important? This is because you can save your BBs alot. You do not need to fire many BBs in large number just only to hit a target. And this is very important aspect of upgrading for those who owned an AEG for snipering mission. AEGs, unfortunately are inherently inaccurate things when in stock from, even Japanese ones.

2. Consistency=Accuracy
Most of people only think that by changing the barrels into tight-bore type is the solution for this issue. If you have the same idea on that, hey... you are wrong. accurizing an AEG actually starts from the mechbox. Most of you have noticed that stock AEGs has huge variances in FPS readings, some up to 40 fps. This is the reason why most FPS readings are taken on an average of ten shots. This makes it harder to accurately gauge the distance to a certain target as variances such as these means either a perfect headshot or a miss by a mile. To completely take out this problem is not possible; even for a highly upgraded BASR the FPS variance is around 3-5fps at best.

OK then, Let’s start from the spring guide. Springs, when in tension, try to recover back to the original shape in two ways; by pushing outwards and by uncoiling or unwinding. While there is little that we can do to control the outward movement, what we can decently control is the unwinding action as the spring stretches out. The variable unwinding speed that occurs determines how fast the spring is pushing the piston towards the cylinder head, resulting in the variances in FPS readings. Fortunately, we have ways to reduce the impact of variable spring unwinding speed; by using bearings on the spring guide and on the piston head. What happens is that resistance is reduced when the spring is unwinding on the bearings, resulting in faster piston travel and more consistent compression within the cylinder.

Guarder AEG M120 Spring

3. Air-Seal Nozzle
This is one component most people won’t even think about. “What’s wrong with using my stock nozzle?”, you might ask. Basically, nothing’s wrong with it, except aftermarket air-seal nozzles have a slightly smaller inner diameter and a slightly tapered channel as well. This can boost the compressed air slightly travelling from the cylinder to the hop-up chamber, aiding in some increase in FPS, and more critically, ensuring that part of the mechanism is air-tight and no loss of compression occurs. Take note on the length of the nozzle though, as some aftermarket nozzles are not of the same length with the stock nozzle.

4. Hop-up chambers
Aftermarket hop-up chambers are always good, especially metal ones. A good seal can be achieved from loss of compression.

5. Hop-up nub and Hop-up bucking
Ok, this part is crucial for accuracy. There is a golden rule for choosing the right hop-up bucking which is “Hard and Fast, Soft and Slow”. Sounds erotic, so basically you can easily remember this rule. For high FPS setups, use hard type bucking and vice versa.

Stock hop-up nubs come in one shape only; cylindrical. How on earth that shape is going to help with accuracy, I do not know. The preferred shape should be something that can form a snug shape on the bucking and nicely fits the top of the bb when it hits the small mound that gives it the all crucial backspin.

6. Teflon Mod
This ensures a good seal between the bucking and the inner barrel, so that no air leaks can occur, which can affect accuracy and definitely FPS.

M14 in teflon mod

7. Tight Bore Barrel (TBB)
TBBs are definitely one of the major tools in accurizing your AEG. It does help to make your groupings tighter. Bull barrels such as from EdGI Customs has thicker walls of its TBBs to help in reducing the vibrations due to shock travelling through the barrel after each shot is taken. But make sure you get the bull barrel that is cut for AEGs and not BASRs, as most AEGs do not have extra space in their outer barrels for thicker inner barrels. Proper care should be taken into the cleanliness of the inner barrels to maintain accurate shots. You should cleanyour TBBs the night before gameday and immediately after the end of a gameday. Once a month, with or without games, try to perform general maintenance on your aeg.

Example of TBB. Click here for the description.

8. Barrel Length vs Cylinder Type
It is without a doubt that longer inner barrels promote more accurate and longer effective range. This is because the BBs are being projectored with guidance long enough with the help of barrel. You might wondering, in real life and real gun, why the sniper gun has longer barrels than other one? And why it can hit clean target as far as 1000m? Now some people might think that higher FPS helps to push the BBs further and they correct. But in my experience so far, extra range can be improved much better with a longer TBB paired with the correct cylinder type.

Using the wrong type of cylinder for the wrong barrel length has its adverse effect as well. For example, should you use a Type 2 cylinder in a 550mm TBB, the bbs would normally fail to travel the adequate distance out of the TBB before the piston moves back and the next round is chambered. When this occurs, the earlier BB might be sucked back into the inner barrel and hence causing the “Vacuum Effect”. This is typically true when running at full auto. At semi mode, sometimes you can see BBs literally falling short of the expected distance and in some extreme cases, one can observe BBs literally dribbling out of the inner barrel.

Conclusion

Upgrading is a continous learning process. if you wanted to upgrade your AEG, make sure you have the main purposes for it, either it is for mission requirement, or barely to show off to get the "Most Killer Gun" in your team. bear in mind that each upgrading process need you to invest some money, and it can go large. So be wise with your money.Also, learning from others will be great. As I am still learning, my source of my knowledge is from others forum. So don't be shy to asks. Finally, as a reminder, again I am not a pro-airsoft operator as i am still learning.

PDI VSR-10 upgrade parts

*Please note that this blog owner is not the authors of this preview and views and opinions expressed herein are views and opinions of author, http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/

SPRINGS

1. Probably the first thing you would choose is the spring, so let's start here. PDI springs are hand-made from silicon chrome steel alloy, which is the same material as used in train and truck suspension springs. The high grade material and correct heat-treating process make the springs last for a long time with a stable output. There are two VSR-specific spring types available, and a general type SPR-spring series as well.

2. The spring diameters are either 11mm/8mm, or 13mm/11mm. The 11mm/8mm springs are similar to the size of the original spring, so if you're upgrading only the spring (which is fine for mild upgrades), then this smaller size is better for you. You can also upgrade the spring guide (7mm type) and a piston with a smaller diameter is also available.

3. The larger VSR springs and SPR series are better if you upgrade to full PDI internals, because most PDI pistons and spring guides are made with the larger springs in mind.

4. How to calculate the right percentage for the desired velocity? PDI have a system based on the energy output, so a 300% spring does not mean tripled velocity, but tripled energy. In the case of VSR-10 series, 100% is set to 0.8 joules.
*Please note that these are approximates, and the final output can be fine-tuned with washers.

• 130% - 370 fps
• 140% - 380 fps
• 200% - 430 fps
• 250% - 440 fps
• 280% - 450 fps
• 330% - 460 fps
• 360% - 470 fps

CYLINDERS

1. The manufacturing method for PDI cylinders is cold-forging, which is how real sniper rifle barrels are produced. The machinery used in this process costs as much as a new sports car from the higher end, but the achieved super-tight tolerance of a hundredth of a millimeter makes these cylinders the most accurate ones on the market. The slots are laser-cut and the rear shaft is precision-welded in place for ultimate strength.

Some PDI parts for the VSR-10 laid out. Spot the ultra-lightweight Barikaru piston, Palsonite cylinder and super-hard piston among others.

2. PDI makes two main types of cylinders for the VSR-10 series: Precision and B-UP. Regular cylinders have a bore diameter of 22mm, while the B-UP series are a whole millimeter larger at 23mm. Every part inside the cylinder has to be B-UP type, and you need to use special rings inside the receiver as well.

3. It is common to mistake the purpose of Bore Up to produce more air for longer barrels. While it certainly helps a little bit with longer barrels as well, the primary reason to increasing the cylinder bore diameter is to improve efficiency; More velocity with the same spring! PDI makes a short-stroke cylinder head in B-UP size as well, so users of shorter barrels can enjoy the benefit as well.

4. As the surface area of the piston is increased from 380.133 to 415.476 square mm, it pushes more air for every millimeter of its travel. Because the weight of a B-UP piston is practically the same as normal and the BB is light in comparison, the piston speed is virtually fixed. The volume of the displaced air is increased by 9.3% and it's pushed out in the same time, which means that the velocity of the BB increases.

PISTONS

1. When it comes to pistons, PDI have quite a lot of different designs for different purposes. As explained under CYLINDERS, you need to choose between normal size and B-UP first. Also some pistons have a small diameter for 11mm/8mm springs, so do mind that as well. Most pistons are for 13mm/11mm springs. After choosing the right size, it's a matter of structural strength according to the power level: Barikaru are the lightest pistons, and should not be used with ultra-strong springs. These pistons are the ultimate lightweight option when you need the best precision, as they eliminate a lot of vibrations from the piston acceleration and slap. Then come the aluminum pistons with slits cut into them, and finally the enclosed Hard pistons.

2. There are two main types of piston heads: Vacuum (VC) and Hard (HD). The Hard piston provides a seal all the time, so it doesn't need to be explained. Both piston heads are ported to provide a tight seal on the way forward without unnecessary friction.

3. The Vacuum piston has a hole in the middle of the piston head, with a small rubber ball inside. The need for this arises if you're using a long inner barrel: When the piston has pushed all the air out of the cylinder but the BB is still in the barrel, the dropping pressure could reduce velocity. The PDI vent design allows air to get into the barrel to eliminate negative pressure. Please see the diagram on the left for a cut-away view of the design.

A vacuum (VC) piston is closed when going forward, but opens up to prevent negative pressure in a long inner barrel.

SPRING GUIDES

1. You would think that there's not much to a spring guide, and just one or two types would be enough, right? Well, the spring guide itself is a simple part, but it has to fit the rest of the parts so choose it carefully! Here are the variables that affect the choice:

• 7mm or 9mm spring guide for 11/8mm or 13/11 springs respectively
• Normal or B-UP spring guide to match the cylinder size
• VC or HD type. (VC is shorter to make room for the vent of the piston head; Will also work with other pistons.)

PALSONITE

1. It's a special surface treatment for stainless steel, done in an incredibly low temperature nitride salt bath. Due to material properties, it can not be applied to regular carbon steel. It leaves a nice dull black color to the part, and provides a high surface hardness for reduced friction. It is much more scratch-resistant compared to teflon surfaces, so we finally get to keep and eat the cake!

V-TRIGGER

1. When the spring tension becomes high, it can have surprising effects. The original VSR sear system was designed to provide a light and crisp trigger pull, and most PDI parts follow that idea. The 1st and 2nd sear are available - CNC-machined from carbon steel - but for the very highest power levels PDI redesigned the angles to prevent the piston rear from pushing up against the cylinder surface. The V-Trigger comes with a suitable piston end to fit regular and B-UP cylinders. Please see the diagram below for the famous picture that tells more than this paragraph.

Benefit of the V-trigger displayed graphically. The piston is not pushed upwards, so the start position is more stable with high power springs.

Credit: redwolfairsoft team
Link: http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/ReviewDetail?reviewID=204

Western Arms M4A1 CQB-R

*Please note that this blog owner is not the authors of this preview and views and opinions expressed herein are views and opinions of author, http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/

INTRODUCTIONS
1. Does the M4A1 really need an introduction? Maybe not, but since some of the readers may have been born when the carbine was adopted, a briefing may be in order. The M4A1 is a self-loading select-fire carbine variant of the M16 rifle, both based on the AR-15 archetype developed by Eugene Stoner in the 50's. Ever since the first M16 was brought into service, the rifle has been updated to improve on the original design. Shorter variants were developed quite early for vehicle crews and special operators, and these carbines have been following a parallel development line with the full length rifle.

2. Western Arms is a well known name throughout the Airsoft world. Until recent years they held the undeniable lead with their best-known 1911 and 2011 variants, and even at the time of writing WA is still making the most interesting selection of models, while others stick to the basic 1911A1 pattern for the most part. While the Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa and 1911 hold the leading position of "consumer pistols", those with a taste for the highest level of quality and detailing still opt for Western Arms.

3. Airsoft gas blowback rifles as an idea are not really new. Those who have been in the sport for a long time will remember the Kokusai Crimebuster as well as the Tanio Koba 10/22. More recently Marushin has released a plethora of 8mm blowback models. As nicely made as the Marushin blowback rifles are, their WWII appearance puts them in a niche market, and the caliber doesn't help breaking into the mainstream either. There are also gas blowback rifles and submachineguns with external gas, such as the Escort MP5. While external rigs are much less restricting than their reputation - and can be hidden in the gear quite nicely - there is still a definite demand for having everything inside the weapon. So let's see what Western Arms have to offer with their self-contained 6mm blowback M4A1 CQB-R!

As realistic as it gets? Full stroke blowback with a realistic bolt carrier that acts as a loading nozzle.


Right side view of the CQB-R, a compact assault rifle.

The weapon is well protected by styrofoam in the cardboard box. The box has room for longer models to come.

TECHNICAL DETAILS
1. The WA M4A1 is a gas operated blowback rifle. The blowback principle is no different from the famous Magna Blowback of WA pistol series, but it is fitted to act as a heart of a larger weapon, so the components are larger and heavier as well. Gas and BBs are contained in the magazine, and the valve lock is also built into the magazine, following the tradition of Western Arms. The lower receiver has a firing mechanism that resembles the real M4A1 firing mechanism very closely, and functions with the exact same principle. The hammer spring is formed differently and it stops pushing the hammer before it physically hits the firing pin. This allows the firing pin to retreat after the hammer has been dry-fired (=decocked) so you can insert the magazine without damaging the firing pin and/or magazine valve.

2. When the hammer hits the firing pin (in the lower receiver) and forces the valve open, the gas is directed from the magazine into the loading nozzle, and shoots out the BB. The floating valve blocks further gas flow into the barrel, and the gas is directed into the blowback cylinder, forcing the bolt carrier to propel back. After cocking the hammer, the bolt carrier trips the valve lock to close the gas flow, allowing the spring-loaded loading nozzle to retreat and the bolt carrier to spring forward, chambering a new round from the magazine. The rear of the loading nozzle acts as a piston in the blowback phase, and the bore size is quite significant in the WA M4 compared to any pistol. This allows the gun to propel heavy 210 gram bolt carrier with great speed, resulting in a blowback you can really feel against your shoulder.

3. The all metal outer barrel has a 14 mm right hand (CW) thread in the front, so standard flash hiders and silencers can be readily attached. While most of the sound comes from the racking sound of the bolt carrier, a silencer muffles the pop at the muzzle nicely and can make a difference to how easily you are spotted by players in your firing area. The inner barrel is 53 mm shorter than the 10.5" CQB-R outer barrel. This is partially to limit the velocity to keep the velocity legal in Japan, but also the floating valve would have to be modified to let an increased "dose" of gas into the barrel to keep pressure behind the BB through the internal ballistic phase.

4. The upper and lower receivers of the WA M4A1 are worthy of special attention. As opposed to popular belief, it is legal to produce airsoft guns with a metal receiver in Japan. Still, the WA M4A1 has polymer upper and lower receivers. The reason for this became very clear when we fired the carbine the first time; the M4 kicks like somebody put something in its drink! A pot metal receiver would be unlikely to stand this kind of abuse (from the inside of the gun) for long, so Western Arms made a smart move and used fiberglass-reinforced polymer as the material. The weight of the receivers is a bit on the light side, but the finishing is a dull black and it doesn't look toyish at all. A durable metal receiver would have shot the price of the WA M4A1 through the roof, so for the moderate price we can't complain. Having said that, we are looking forward for the metal receivers announced by G&P as well as Inokatsu, because metal has the heft and realistic feel that FRP can not provide.

The top of the magazine has the valve and valve lock integrated. You can disable the bolt hold open to shoot without BBs.


The fill valve is located in the rear of the magazine, better protected from elements than the traditional placement at the bottom.


The hop-up adjustment is in the base of the outer barrel. The red arrow points towards more, blue for less hop-up.

MAGAZINE
1. The magazine is heavy and feels realistic, being as it's all metal made with a dull gray finish. The fill valve is located in the rear of the magazine, which is odd to anyone who is used to gas pistol magazines. On a second thought this is a good decision, because the bottom of the magazine is subject to dirt when you are in the field. The magazine holds 50 rounds, feeds every one of them and locks the bolt carrier back after the final round. While the magazine shot all the BBs out and locked back reliably when shot in semi and short burst, a continuous burst of 50 rounds cooled down the magazine to the point that the pressure was not sufficient to propel the bolt carrier all the way to lockback. The bolt hold open -feature can be disabled, so you can shoot the weapon without BBs to show off the blowback, or for theatrical purposes.

OTHER DETAILS
1. The detachable carrying handle is made of a heavy metal alloy, apparently to balance the lack of weight of the FRP receivers. With the carrying handle attached, the WA M4A1 weighs in at a nice 2850 grams. The rear sight is adjustable for range and zeroing the windage. Zeroing the elevation is done with the front sight.

2. The RIS system has the tightening screw in the front - as opposed to RAS that has the screw in the rear - and it is all metal made. While Hong Kong and Taiwan made CNC-machined railed units are admittedly better in terms of looks and durability, for a die-cast RIS the WA is certainly not bad. The rails measure a hair under 21 mm, and it fit together perfectly with all the accessories we could throw at it.

3. The pistol grip is also made of a fiber-reinforced polymer, but the finish is different compared to the receiver. This creates a realistic contrast, as you can not immediately tell that they are the same material. The grip is flat, so it has an advantage in realism on its side against AEGs. Out of all of the electric M16 series, only the Systema PTW has real grip dimensions. Western Arms goes even further than just the external dimensions, and the grip can actually be replaced with any grip made for the real M4/M16 series! The metal buffer tube is mil-spec sized, and we've already seen our customers install the real MIAD grip and CTR stock to improve the ergonomics.

The grip and lower receiver are in fact both made of FRP, but the finish is different for a realistic look. Real grips are interchangeable!

4. After years of coming behind Tokyo Marui in Hop-Up technology, Western Arms has finally made a major leap in this area. The hop-up features two pressure points for the BB to center it better in the chamber, and it provides a very consistent spin. On top of that, the hop-up is adjustable by a dial that holds the setting well, and provides tactile clicks when you turn it. With the carbine in your hands and the barrel pointing downrange, you can turn the dial without turning the weapon upside down. Adjustment towards the left RIS rail increases hop-up, while the direction of the right rail will decrease it.

5. The internals are very similar to the firing mechanism of the real thing, and the various parts have the exact same functions. The trigger pull is a realistic single-stage type with no slack, and the safety can not be engaged when the hammer is down. Most of the internal parts are made of a die-cast metal alloy. While this works with pistols and anyone who uses HFC134a, green gas (or propane) is the preferred propellant in most parts of the world outside of Japan. The greater pressure as well as the heavy moving parts mean that it may be necessary to reinforce some of the internal parts. G&P has already released valve locks and parts for the firing mechanism, and we are looking to see more of these reinforcement parts soon. For some reason Western Arms decided to make the flash hider and front sight out of FRP, but this can be quickly fixed with parts from G&P.

This one serves to push the bolt carrier forward


The functional bolt hold open has a steel reinforcement embedded. This part worked itself loose after 1000 rounds and was found in the firing mechanism.

DISASSEMBLY
1. When it comes to gas blowback weapons, part of their appeal is that they strip down for maintenance and cleaning just like their real counterparts! Running gas and BBs through the system obviously doesn't corrode or foul the mechanism like real gunpowder residue, but gas blowbacks still need some maintenance to get the best performance. As the moving parts rub against each other, it is important to know how to keep them moving smoothly and prevent accelerated wear. Far too often people just spray the gun with lube and think that's enough. Thankfully they use silicone oil, so it doesn't actually cause damage. The silicone itself doesn't clean the surface, but the user should clean all moving parts first, and then add a small amount of lubricant. Too much will just attract dirt!

Know how to disassemble the Colt? You know how to disassemble the WA: Disassembly works just like with the real thing!

2. As you probably guessed already, the WA M4A1 strips like the real thing. You begin by removing the magazine and clearing the chamber. Push out the takedown pin until it's caught by its detent, and tilt the weapon open; the pivot pin acts as a hinge. Pull out the charging handle and bolt carrier a couple of inches, and then pull the bolt carrier out alone. This is enough for regular cleaning. The pivot pin can also be pushed out to disassemble the short carbine into even shorter components (Leon anyone?) for ease of transportation in a smaller pack or even an attache case. As usual, the RIS is unlocked by pulling back on the delta ring, and the sliding stock can be removed by pulling down on the lever while sliding the stock back.

This 210g lump of metal called the "bolt carrier" does a full stroke over 10 times per second.

The weapon disassembled into the main components. No tools required.

PERFORMANCE AND VERDICT
1. Despite the lack of volume of fire in one magazine, the WA M4A1 is definitely skirmish-worthy. The chrono readings were in the high 300's, which is at the top of the limit for most people's "comfort zone" in CQB, and actually useful even for woodland engagements. Colder climates will be a limitation, as is the case with all guns that use liquid charge propellants. The consistency proved excellent for a gas gun, which probably is due to the refined floating valve that controls the amount of gas used to shoot the BB. Consistent velocities together with a good hop-up system are the two most important things to make an airsoft gun accurate, and this carbine delivered both as you can see from the targets below. The shooting was done from a sitting position with the standard iron sights, using KSC 0.2g Perfect BBs and Green Gas.

2. The inner barrel stops 53 mm short of the outer barrel, so there's room for a longer inner barrel to improve the velocity even within the normal outer barrel. G&P has released longer one-piece steel outer barrels as well as full front sets in various configurations, and Inokatsu has announced M16 and XM kits in the spirit of the Vietnam war, so you have all the more options to choose from already. We hope to see inner barrels for this carbine from PDI soon, and Airsoft Surgeon has also performance- and durability-enhancing parts in the works.

3. Even if an AEG with a hicap magazine is more convenient for gaming in any weather, everyone at RedWolf has been waiting for long arm that would provide a better feedback and more realistic operation. While many AEG manufacturers have jumped on the mock blowback bandwagon, the Western Arms M4A1 CQB-R blows them all away. The recoil and sound of this carbine is so intense that we haven't seen anyone shoot this and not smile after the first shot.

4. Slight teeting problems have been noticed, such as accelerated wear of the bolt hold open. This feature can be disabled, but admittedly that option would take a bit away from the realism, which is an important part of the appeal of this weapon. Thankfully the aftermarket parts supply has kicked in with full force, as if they knew already that this weapon is going to be a hit (Pun intended). With a good reliability and great accuracy out of the box, it has been better than we dared to hope for from a gas blowback shoulder-fired weapon. It won't wipe AEGs out of existence, but finally the realism-minded people have a skirmishable option that suits their needs.

A 51 mm grouping of five shots from 10 meters before any preparation.


A better accuracy was achieved after run-in and cleaning: Five shots within 26 mm (center to center) from 10 meters!

Manufacturer	Western Arms
Model	M4A1 CQB-R
Capacity	50 rds
Weight	2850 g
Power	380 fps
Power Source	HFC134a, Top Gas
Blowback	Yes
Hop-up	Adjustable
Shooting Mode	Semi, Full Automatic
Construction	Fiber-reinforced polymer and metal

Credit to: redwolfairsoft team
Link: http://www.redwolfairsoft.com/redwolf/airsoft/ReviewDetail?reviewID=188