M15 A4 Rifle - ArniesAirsoft

Author

FrontSideBus

Registered: November 2004
Posts: 15

Review Date: 14/9/05

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �219.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Solid, High quality contruction. High power out-of-the-box. Very good accuracy.
Cons:	Long gun. Heavy.

Overview

After Stirling service from my CA MP5A2, I decided I would be adding another AEG to my arsenal. I had used the MP5 in woodland games and urban, needless to say it was a lot better for urban then it was for woodland, as the range played on woodland was too much for this gun's little barrel. So it had to be a BIG gun! I was almost sold on the new CA G36 and G36K rifles but they decided to stick a 1.5x scope on it and I don�t want to have to spend another �70 on a new carry handle. So it had had to be an ARMALITE! Enter then CA M15A4 Rifle...

First Impressions

I was waiting downstairs and I saw the white transit van pull up outside, good job to
Airsoft Armoury for fast service! I was grinning like a fool when I signed for the package and took it inside. The Box is the usual Classic Army affair: A polystyrene base with a strong card upper section. The gun was well secured inside and had no damage from shipping. As I removed it from the box I could tell this was one quality AEG, It was like picking up a lead bar... that�s how solid it feels! The pistol grip, stock and forearm are made from some sort of plastic with fibreglass mixed in so it looks and feels rather nice. The quality of the metalwork on this gun is just plain amazing, I�ve held a real steel M16 and it wasn�t as nice as this Smile

The receiver, action, barrel and all other metal parts are finished in a matt black finish that looks both realistic and hardwearing.

Range & Accuracy & Power

After the battery was fully charged up I then went outside into the garden to see how she shoots. I can only say she shoots as good as she looks. She initially chrono�d at 309fps, and when I had a play with the chrono later on in the day it was shooting between 305 and 315fps. **UPDATE! The gun has settled down to a consistent 325fps with quite a bit of hop-up** The gun makes a more smooth noise when it fires but its just as noisy as my MP5 and does a good impression of a real M16A3 being fired. ROF is very good considering it�s on an 8.4v 2000mah battery. It will be interesting to see this on a 9.6, and according to the CA manual at 12v can be used.... riiiight.:P
The range is good, a lot further then my mp5 and unlike the mp5 it maintains excellent accuracy along the whole flight path of the bb, they literally fly in a straight line right up to the point when the shots hit the floor. The Hop unit is metal and judging by the hop gears and wheels being bright yellow I think I have a version with the updated internal components out of the new M15CQB. The unit is easy to adjust and by the feel of the wheel this is going to stay put, unlike previous versions.
The single shot mode is crisp and fast, Full-auto is basically "kill everything" mode...

Detail & Build Quality

The older Classic Army's had very poor finish and were crap but this new model is in a different league! I have no idea why anybody would want to buy a TM m16 over one of these beauties. You get so much more for your money. And speaking of the TM M16, you can hold this gun by the flash hider and it will not bend or creak in any way! You can hold it by the carry handle and furiously shake it about and the only sound you will hear is the wires in the stock for the battery. Build quality is second to none here. As you can see in the pics this is one sweet looking gun. Its quite heavy too at about 3.5-4kg fully loaded up with the battery, but it doesn�t feel heavy as it very well balanced. The Armalite logos and script had been applied using a laser etching process and really looks the dog�s danglies. The serial number is unique to each gun, a nice touch. The trigger is sharp and responsive. The selector switch and mag release was a big problem for me at first as I am used to H&K designs but I soon got used to them. The selector engages with a solid click and travels smoothly. The magazines fit very snugly in the well but TM mags seem to fit better then the CA hi-cap that came with the gun. The CA hi-cap itself is rather good; a lot better then the CA mag I got with my MP5. The charging handle does operate but serves no function, the same with the bolt-release and the forward-assist. The dust cover is held shut by a powerful magnet and requires you to open it with your fingernails and then it smartly springs back revealing a fake bolt and the hop unit adjuster. The slip ring on the front requires a fair bit of force to press down so your front grips aren�t going to fall off un invited. The outer barrel is one serious bit of hardware. It makes the TM effort look weedy. Barrel wobble isn�t going to be an issue here....ever. The iron sights are good and serviceable but I still prefer H&K irons. The whole carry handle section is removable to reveal a weaver rail that you can fit such items as scopes, red dot sights ECT.
The gun is field strippable by means of removing a single pin located at the front of the receiver. The action will then slide forwards off the receiver.

Overall.

Overall, this is one quality AEG. Anybody who is in the market for an M4/16 should
Seriously consider this product. Past CA issues aside this is one damn fine gun. It has very good build quality, performance and details. The gun cost me �240 delivered including an extra hi-cap. A bargain if you ask me. The plans for this gun, is to fit an ELCAN scope onto the flat-top receiver and maybe an M203, maybe a CMAG too!

***** Three years on. *****

An update on 05/12/08, I've had this gun for a few years now and I've had some ups and downs since the review.
I'm going to start off by saying that I've been using a 9.6v battery almost exclusively for god knows how long and I'm not shy of firing off 100's of rounds in a single burst. As a result most of the problems are probably due to me being trigger happy Smile

I have replaced replaced the crap hop rubber and bucking with some Guarder clear type stuff. I really like this stuff and have it in all of my AEG's. I have found a little bodge to solve the loose bolt release catch. Simply cut a bb in half and then wedge it between the catch and the gearbox, sorted!

The problems.
First the piston head O-ring wore out causing very low fps, this was fixed by replacing the whole piston head with a guarder vented bearing jobbie. At the same time I added a bearing spring guide to give the spring a little bit more compression and fps went up to around 330.
Secondly, the piston stripped, but a replacement Guarder one bit the dust a few games later. Didn't have any trouble with a Prometheus Hard Piston.
Thirdly, the tappet plate wore out so the nozzle was not being drawn back enough to let a BB into the chamber. Easily fixed with a new part.
Finally, the entire front of the gearbox parted company from the rest of it. There are two metal lugs on the inside of the gearbox that secure the cylinder head in place and I reckon the extra weight of the metal piston head striking it and the high ROF from the 9.6v batt is responsible. Tiny fatigue cracks spread out from the lugs until they all lined up and the front broke off. This was when i decided to fit a complete Systema gearbox and use the old one for spares for my other guns. The gears still look brand new after all these years of abuse. The original trigger contacts were almost burned out and would have needed replacing soon.

Externally its just as it was when I got it except for a few scrapes here and there. I don't mollycoddle my guns, they get thrown about, banged into things and really given the good news. The M15 has stood up rather well and the "battle hardened" look is rather fetching. For the price of the Systema gearbox, I could almost have bought a new gun but why bother when there is nothing wrong with it externally? With the new superb internals I can see this gun being with me for quite a very long time indeed!

***Update 2***

I have added a CA M203 grenade launcher to it with a G&P M203 handguard. I had to file down the front of the handguard to make it fit but its rock solid and looks the bee's knees. The weight of the RIF with the launcher, Moscart shell, battery, sling, ACOG sight and a full hi-cap mag is about 5.2kg. Heh, running around all day weapon-in-shoulder really gives your arms the good news Smile

matt-h

Registered: September 2004
Location: Manchester
Posts: 14

Review Date: 3/2/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �220.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Very well built , the looks , range and accuracy
Cons:	bolt release catch rattles ( no biggie though )

I bought my M15A4 rifle to complement my M15A4SPC as i wanted a gun with longer range for open wooodland.I bought it off firesupport and the delivery and service was excellent and i would recommend them heartily.Once i opened the box and hefted the rifle i realised that whilst it is quite heavy its actually slightly lighter than the SPC as the foreguards are plastic where the SPC has metal rails/handguards.

Once i got the battery hooked up i filled a mag and headed off to the back garden.The ROF is pretty darn good but the accuracy once the hop was set is amazing.This thing is going to great at picking people off from miles away.

The only complaint i have ( in the same way as my SPC ) is that the bolt release catch rattle but superglue will take care of that.

In summary its an excellent long gun and you wont regret getting one , i certainly havent.

Id like to thank FSB for his excellent pics and review as it was a big reason why i went for this rather than an M14..

Reddevil24

Registered: May 2006
Posts: 4

Review Date: 8/6/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �500.00 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	The whole gun
Cons:	None

Well i live in Switzerland but i am from England.
Today i bought my M15A4 Rifle and i tell you what no other airsoft gun has made me feel safer and happier than this model. Classic Army have done one of the best jobs i have seen on an M16A2 A4 (call it what you want) that i have ever seen. I have had a Marui M16 A2 once and held one last week but man the classic army one rocks them all of the boat.
The body work is perfect the barrel i dont think will ever have any problems. Its one of the most rock solid Assualt rifles i have actualy seen in airsoft considering its lenght and weight you would think things would be faulty but they arnt.
The magazine wobbles a couple of inches but you hardly realize it, and thats about it.
Ah i think you get my drift i could go on all night prazing this weapon. Oh and for all you out there that say its not a good CQB weapon because off length you wrong lol the M16 is adapted by many infantry units in the world and infantry units specialize in Urban CQB. The rifle i use in the swiss army is called the STGW 90 or in Europe the Sig 550 its nearly the same length as the M16 A2 but havier and it give me no problems in House combat.
Anyway take care and go buy an M15A4 Rifle

-=SHODAN=-

Registered: June 2006
Location: Uxbridge
Posts: 333

Review Date: 30/7/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �220.00 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Sturdy metal body, 325fps from the start, very reliable
Cons:	Paint easily scratched off

This AEG is trully amazing. From the moment to take hold of it and lift it out the box, you know this is one quality gun. Not mcuh to add to previous reviews. It is extremely sturdy. I smacked my barrel against the ceiling as I went down the stairs, and instead of the barrel breaking apart a chunk of the ceiling fell down...wow. The bolt-catch is the only bit which is'nt solid as it rattles, but as its fake you can glue it to the reciever. THe only other negative aspect about the m15a4 is the fact that the paint comes off quite easily on some places, even the butt(I propped it up against the wall and it slipped, making one side of the butt completley silver.) but you can just paint it over.
In all, an excellent AEG. Classic Army clearly did a good job in their m15 series, and the price is great too! 220 pounds for a full-metal AEG!

Thorbard

Registered: September 2005
Posts: 1,209

Review Date: 20/12/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Weight, Feel, Solid Construction, Looks, Out of Box Performance
Cons:	Weight, Hop Up

Bought this second hand but virtually new with not a mark on it. Best purchase I've made so far in airsoft I think.

The feel is great, the weapon is solid with no flex or creak of any sort. I like that the plastic parts are fibre reinforced and the texture on them is also much nicer than some other models avaliable.

The only test remaining is for reliability, but I can't see that being a problem.

I fully stand by my views that CA are a better quality manufacturer than ICS.

Update:
Have had a few problems since upgrading this (280fps with an MS100 spring), and the hop up wore out rather quickly considering the age of the rifle. I've installed a madbull shark rubber which doesn't seem to work too well with this rifle.

Still pleased with the feel and finish of this rifle. Looking forward to getting all the issues ironed out.

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fnfr3ger

Registered: July 2006
Location: Diest
Posts: 269

Review Date: 14/4/07

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	very sturdy gun , full metal , nice weight
Cons:	paint is easily scratched

it is a excellent gun , i have had na malfuctions at all with this gun , it has a very good range and it is pretty acuraty right out of the box
overall this is one fine gun !

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mmmm...ICS FNC *drools*

TheJackal

Registered: November 2006
Location: Uk
Posts: 176

Review Date: 1/5/07

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �219.99 | Rating: 10

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Very solid body! Amazing range and accuracy!
Cons:	Can't think of any....ummm....its a bit black for my liking :)

Very solid body, no creaks an has an amazing finish. The range is amazing and the accuracy is second to none. Couldn't ask for anymore from any gun! Get it you won't regret it!

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Attention!! Serial Scammer Alert!!

Review Date: 18/5/08

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: None indicated | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Heavy, trademarks, pretty accurate
Cons:	paint easily scratched, no working charging handle

I am the third owner of my M15A4. I got it in a trade. (upgraded to 350 fps) Guess what? Still works! The paint is scratched, and the gun is worn, but the internals are all good. I have skirmished it once, and it held up well.

Its accurate and the ROF on a 8.4v 2000 mAh battery is 12 rps.

Its also well built- no creaks or flex. The gun is heavy and the trademarks are nicely executed in clear white text.

The only real problem is that its not so good for CQB, but that's what a 416 is for.