CQB / R Kit for Marui M16 Series - ArniesAirsoft

Author

slick22

Registered: August 2005
Posts: 91

Review Date: 6/2/06

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

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Looks great, average price, makes M4 very short
Cons:	No bat storage, front sights move

Ok, well I got this G&P kit from HK 2 weeks ago. It cost US$99 so compared to the other ones out there it�s about midrange. The first thing to note is that this RIS kit is 100% metal which is pretty cool, it is also all black except for the white Knights writing down the sides which makes the RIS look very professional. This particular RIS kit is about the same length as the Colt XM177 so the entire front end needs to be changed as part of its installation. One note to make is that all the G&P M4 RIS kits DO NOT fit the mini battery inside them. This means that you will have to find another way to store the battery, which can be in the stock as I did or in an external battery bag. This G&P kit comes with everything you need to install it and even has a couple of things you don�t need such as an additional barrel segment that lets you choose which type of threading you want +14mm or �14mm. One additional note is that you will need to buy a shorter inner barrel unless you plan on using a silencer to hide the extra length.

Installing this kit is pretty straight forward (I guess that�s why G&P didn�t include any instructions). 1st you remove the original front, then you screw the outer barrel in place and then screw the RIS over the top of it all. Another note is that the RIS is floating meaning that it is unsecured at the front of the barrel � this does of course make it weaker however its not a big issue. 2nd you install the front sights, that in my opinion are the biggest flaw with this RIS kit. To install you basically use two pins that secure the sight to the outer barrel and stop horizontal movement. The problem is that the sight can spin freely around that barrel and is then held in place by the most minute grub screw, which is so small that if you drop the gun or knock the sight it unlocks and allows the sights to once again spin freely. In my opinion it�s a pretty stupid system. The kit also comes with a front mount for a sling but it attaches to the front sights and which makes it redundant due to the problem discussed earlier. Finally you screw the flash hider over the end and installation is complete.

This kit looks pretty cool � however the problem is this: most people would buy this kit for one of 3 reasons being 1) It looks cool (which it does) 2) to CQB up their M4 (which it does but adding a full stock will increase the overall length so you�ll have to go external battery or fit a crane, 3) to add RIS rails for accessories (which it does). One thing that is worth noting is that for those who want to shorten their M4/M16 for CQB I would recommend you go for a XM177 outer barrel with a Commander C33 foregrip which will give you the length you require, 2 RIS rails and also provide battery storage. This should cost around the same amount too. For those of you out there who want a full RIS that�s metal but also want to be able to store a battery up front then I suggest you look at the Mosquito Molds RIS which although very expensive (about US$180) will allow you to do this.

Monkeyboy

Registered: September 2004
Posts: 375

Review Date: 31/3/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �89.99 | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Solid as a rock and looks the business
Cons:	the foresight and fiddly to fit and align properly

I bought this front end from Zero One, along with some other bits to be reviewed later, who's service was excellent. I ordered it on the Saturday morning and a well packaged box arrived with me on the Tuesday.

I got it to complete a project to turn my TM M4A1 RIS into a CQBR - I know I could have just bought a CA one but I already had some of the parts so I went the upgrade route!

Upon opening the package the fore end was in a sturdy plastic bag with all the fittings required but no instructions however, which in my opinion is a bad thing as I had to spend a while on the forums looking for instructions.

The finish was spot on on both the RIS unit ( full metal by the way) and the very sturdy looking outer barrel. Some people have commented on the little blobs near the receiver end looking unsightly but I didn't have a problem with them.

Now the downside. Shimming the RIS unit to align correctly is a living hell! be prepared for being out one way and then the other until it magically just happens! Mine is still out by about 0.5mm but at 2am the other day I ceased caring!

to fit the unit place the locking collar over the outer barrel and the outer barrel into the upper receiver with the estimated number of shims over the top of it. then tighten the barrel nut down onto it( this is the light grey nut with holes around the diameter). Once this is done you must place the two little black pegs in the 9 and 3 o'clock positions as this is what the ris unit mounts onto. A quick tip, put them in the holes which are slightly below 9 and above 3 so that when you tighten the whole lot the rails don't end up going past 12 o'clock and you will have a really tight front end too.

tighten the locking collar and you are all done bar the ridiculous front sight, which has already been covered so i won't do so again. just bear in mind you won't want to be hanging a sling of it in a hurry.

Overall, yes it is fiddly and yes it is a bit time consuming but I think it's worth the hassle. having fitted it to a Hurricane M4 marine body (review coming on that too)it now looks fantastic and I am very pleased it has elements of the CA CBQR about it but being free floating it retains that individual look too. i would recommend it to anyone, especially if they have a lot of free time to kill.

Final point. I don't know if it was just me but the metal hop unit that came with the hurricane body didn't fit easily into the grooves on the outer barrel, i had to grind the tabs down with a dremel to ensure a good fit.

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