416 (Sportline) - ArniesAirsoft

Author

The S.C.A.R.

Registered: January 2009
Posts: 172

Review Date: 16/7/09

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

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Lightweight, R.I.S. available, Armarlite platform for tons of upgradings, good performance (certainly not the best), good ergonomics
Cons:	Installing the battery into the crane stock is a P.I.T.A., Slight seams found on the stock and pistol grip, R.I.S. are all ABS (as expected from a Sportline), no flip-up rear sights (just my preference of it), ABS R.A.S. (the only "ugly" thing f

Real Steel Informations
Some infos from Modern Firearms:
Following the revision of the OICW Block 1 / XM8 program, the Heckler & Koch company decided to enter the US military and law enforcement markets with the alternative design, which, in fact, looks quite promising. Based on the experience, gained during successful upgrade program of the British SA80 / L85A1 program, HK decided to cure the existing M16 rifles and M4 carbines from most of their problems, inherent to this 40-years old design. The key improvements, made by HK, are their patented short-stroke gas piston system, borrowed from HK G36 rifle. This system replaced the direct gas system of standard M16 rifle, so no powder residue will remain in the receiver even after long shooting sessions. The "new" gas system also is self-regulating and will work reliably with any barrel length. Other improvements include new buffer assembly, improved bolt, and a cold hammer forged barrel, as well as free-floating handguard with integral Picatinny-type rails. Originally developed as a "drop-in" upper receiver assembly for any standard M16/M4 type lower receiver, HK416 is also available as a complete weapon, with HK-made lower receivers. Current (late 2005) models include carbines with 10.5" and 14.5" barrels, and 16.5" barreled carbine and 20" barreled rifle will be added later.

HK416 is a gas operated, selective fired weapon of modular design. It uses short-stroke gas piston that operates the 7-lug rotating bolt. Receiver is made from high grade aluminium alloy. Combination-type safety / fire selector allows for single shots and full automatic mode. Hk416 retains all M16-style controls, including last round bolt hold-open device, rear-based charging handle and magazine release button on the right side of the magazine well. HK416 is fitted with four Picatinny rails as standard, and may accept any type of sighting devices on STANAG-1913 compliant mounts. It also can accept modified HK AG36/AG-C 40mm grenade launcher, which is clamped directly to bottom rail. Buttstock is of typical M4 design, multi-position telescoped.
Introduction
After using my D-boys M4A1 for nearly three years, and seeing that there are a lot more accesories available for Armarlites, I decided not to equip my M4A1 with a new crane stock (plus a new battery) and an R.I.S. system, but rather to buy a new R.I.S. equipped Armarlite.
Being an Armarlite fan myself, I considered the M4 SOCOM from Tokyo Marui, but when I saw a cheaper alternative from Classic Army, the HK 416, I quickly changed my mind and ordered it.
First Impressions
The box was the standard CA Sportline boxes, with the same black colour on the cover, but this time the gun's drawing was simply a line drawing, and on the bottom of the cover there are several notes "9.6v Large Type Battery can be used", "Metal Flip-up font Sight", "New Design Hand Grip", "M15 Special Crane Stock", "300 Rounds Magazine", "Flexible Cocking Lever" and "Metal Flash Hider". On the top of the cover are the CA's special Hop-up system logo (the design probably borrowed from TM's hop-up logo) and CA's logo. Conveniently, the box also sports a plastic arrying handle, simplifying the process of taking the box around.
Inside the box, it shares the same slightly-cheap cardboard base, providing cut-outs for the gun, one magazine, a battery, a charger, and some more for other accesories such as goggles, and a pack of BBs. I bought the normal version, so what this gun comes with is just a pack of BBs, a cleaning rod, a magazine and the gun.
Like all CA sportlines, the first thing you notice about the gun is it's weight. Comparing with my M4 from D-boys, it weights much lighter, although not as light as CA's previous Sportline MP5s and Armarlites.
The gun certainly looks good, with the matt black finish on the entire gun, with only the crane stock's color being slightly lighter. The handgrip is the standard 416 type. It's very comfortable, although like all CA Sportlines, there are visible seams lines on them (and much less noticeable, on the crane stock).
The most important 'item' on this gun (and probably what this gun attracts the most to airsofters) is the R.I.S. system replacing the standard handguard seen on prototype HK 416s (from HKPRO) and the M4A1. It it sturdy, with no movements on between the receiver and the R.I.S., but like all Sportlines, the R.I.S. is made out of ABS plastic, so I would not fit many accesories on the R.I.S. to prevent that part from breaking.
The receivers are of the same colour. The selector switch is quite snappy, and that's good, bercause you would know what type of modes you're firing easily. "Safe" is clearly indicated by a white bullet with a cross on it, "Semi" by one red bullet, "Auto" by one red bullet with the number "30" to the left of the bullet. I suspect the trademarks on this gun could be easily wiped off, because unlike TM, VFC, ICS, CA decided to just "paint" the trademarks on the gun instead of laser engraving them.
Closer Look
Externals
The outer barrel is the same as the normal version, but unlike CA�s M15 sportline series before, it�s a barrel. There are no barrel wobbles whatsoever.
Most airsofters think that the biggest selling point of the HK 416 is the R.I.S.. The R.I.S., unfortunately, is made out of ABS plastic, which means that you can�t fit accessories such as grenade launchers and barrel-mounted shotguns, but it helps the overall weight of the gun to be lighter, which means better maneuverability. However, this is a major issue to airsofters that would love to customize their weapon, which meant that not much accesories could be installed onto the R.A.S..
The receivers deserve a good looking at. It�s colors are the same (I don�t know why many Chinese MPEG manufacturers can�t keep the receivers the same color), the casting of the matt-black receiver is also very good.
The selector switch snaps into place efficiently with no problems (The rough areas at the selector switch are just silicon oil, indicating the gearbox is slightly over-lubed). The hop-up and the fake bolt is revealed once the charging handle is pulled back - kudos for CA for the hop-up being a metal one-piece unit.
The magazine supplied by Yick Fung (CA as the company�s SM) is a 300-round hi-cap magazine. It fits into the magwell tightly, with just slight wobbles detectable, which isn�t a big issue. The pistol grip is very comfortable, but like many Chinese AEGs there are seam marks visible.
Markings on the gun are few, none being really realistic or accurate. On the L.H.S. of the receiver are the markings �416 D� and �Cal. 5.56mmx45�. There is also a serial number to the right of the bolt catch. On the R.H.S. of the receiver, the marking �Classic Army� could be seen to the left of the magazine release catch. The selector switches (on both R.H.S. and L.H.S.) are marked as well. (Second generation models have full HK trademarks, so airsofters won't be put off by it's lack of trademarks, although transporting these second-generations to other places other than HK might be difficult because of these non-licensed trademarks)
The stock is the standard M15 crane stock. That�s where CA fell as well. The stock is very comfortable, and it works really well. Unfortunately, the battery-installation process of this gun is a pain. It�s very hard to put a battery into the stock. The internals of the stock has sections for three parts of the battery to be installed. These compartments, are separated by �walls� with sharp edges, so it needs to be filed down in order to prevent the battery from being cut.
The sights are the H&K flip-up front sight and the normal H&K drum sight on the rear. These sights are very easy to use, and they are all very user-friendly, like all H&K guns.
Internals
Disassembling the gun is the same as the procedure of an M4A1 (excluding the handguard), by just popping the pins fore and aft on the receiver, both receivers can then slide away from one another.
To remove the gearbox from the lower receiver, first remove the bottom plate of the pistol grip, and take the motor out. Then un-screw the two screws at the bottom of the pistol grip, and remove the pistol grip carefully. Then take the stock out from the tube, and then unscrew the butt stock as well. You may need a flashlight as well to unscrew the stock tube from the receiver. You can then return to the lower receiver, and remove the magazine catch simply by un-screwing the screw in the middle of the button. Take the catch out along with the spring. The last step is to pivot the pin out on the left side of the receiver ONLY. By now, with a little force, the gearbox can be taken out from the receiver.
Inside the gearbox, we have the same type of internals as a normal Sportline. There is an anodized aluminium cylinder, plastic non-bearing spring guide and piston head, a plastic piston and 7mm plastic bushings. It�s basic, but effective. The gears are the �Classic Army� branded cast zinc/aluminium gears. The wiring are slightly thinner than the normal CA Sportlines, but are still quite durable. The gearbox, however, still has the tell-tale shiny exterior on the vast majority of cheaper AEGs. The motor is a better unit than the old ones. The gun now shoots a lot faster comparing to the older Sportline models.
The hop-up system is a one-piece unit directly copied from TM, and adjusts via a wheel located right beneath the fake bolt. Due to the bolt not being able to be locked, the adjusting of the hop-up might be quite fiddly, but once adjusted it stays there with no creeping.
Overall, this gun is very good. With the stock being the only problem on this gun (or probably the plastic internals in the gearbox), there are not anything else that needs particular attention.
Performance
The accuracy of the gun is quite good. The effective range, without adjusting the hop-up, is about 100 feet, while the effective range of the gun after adjusting the hop-up is about 160-180 feet, which is pretty standard for a 1J carbine with a relatively short barrel length. A six-shot group went in a 120 mm diameter from a range of 75 feet away, which is quite good.
Because I don�t have a chrono, I can only conduct the test simply by using a coke can. In the test using KSC 0.2g BBs, the gun pierced clean through the can in just one shot and caused a dent on the centre of the bottom of the can, which is about 1J, quite standard for an AEG. The power of the gun would eventually reduce after several months of usage.
The velocity of the gun is quite good. Using a CA 3000 mAh 9.6v battery, the rate of fire comes at 1080 rounds/minute.
Overall this gun�s performance is quite considerable for its price. The gun�s power could be increased, but many internal parts must be changed in order not to break any of the stock internals. The gun really gives its owner a decent amount of bang for the buck.
Conclusion
Being an affordable AEG, this can be the better alternative to the Chinese AEGs. If anyone wants a low-cost AEG, for either a �back-up� or a primary gun, this gun would serve you admirably.
The stock might be a bit of a problem for this gun, but a cheap replacement by G&P , King Arms e.t.c. can quickly solve this problem. The gearbox internals could also be replaced with Classic Army�s own reinforced parts, which are quite easy to find (if not too cheap). You can even modify this gun into your dream gun.
Despite there are no cutting edge technology on it, this gun certainly worth its price, and I would recommend everyone to try this out.
Lastly, here�s a pros and cons list:
Pros
Good external and internal quality in that price range
The Crane stock and the pistol grip is very comfortable
Flip-up sights are very user-friendly
R.I.S. (or is it R.A.S.) available!
Good accuracy (if not excellent)
Rate of fire is very fast (may be considered as a con because of BB consumption)
The gun is simply rock-solid
Very ergonomical
Cheap
Cons
Crane stock is very hard to install a battery into (typical issue on the CA M15s)
The R.I.S. is made out of ABS (meaning less durable when accessories are fitted)
Seam lines found on crane stock and pistol grip
Endword
Overall I would give this gun an 8.5 out of 10. There might be some external issues with the gun, but the performance of the gun and the price of it makes this gun a real bargain for beginners. It's also a good platform for customizing as well.

(Photos to be added)

Update:
Having used this gun for more than three airsoft games (Outdoors and indoors), I'm bound to come up with a conclusion of the gun's performance. It certainly shoots well, but if you're playing outdoors, it's okay only.
The first time when I used this gun in an airsoft game is not too pleasant. During one of the rounds I spotted a guy at about 60 metres away, and I decided to take him out. It took about 30 rounds to take him down because the power is not enough for him to notice that he was hit (he's wearing a vest at that time, so I was forced to shoot him in the head in the end).
However, the gun's versatility is great, and so is the accuracy.
In later airsoft games I have added a telescopic sight for snipering, and even though I was using a short barrel, I can ensure a hit 150 ft away (the target being the size of a coke can).
Overall the gun is good for skirmishing, but not excellent. The power of the gun has to be increased in order to ensure a kill. Other than that, the gun is great.

Update(2):

Since I bought this gun customizing, I'm starting to upgrade this gun. On my lists are the parts:

G&P M120 Motor
Prometheus 6.03mm (363mm) tightbore barrel
Systema hop-up unit
Strengthened internals from CA:
Sector gear
Reinforced Piston
Metal spring guide
Bore-up air nozzle
7mm steel bushing

I would be slowly upgrading the gun up to the standard of (at least), being able to score a hit on a head-sized target 180ft or beyond. Once the upgrade is done, I would be in another airsoft game, and the results, plus the field test, would be upgraded by November.