The Classic Army M4a1:





After reading that highly negative review (http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/reviews/ca_m4a1/cam4a1_review.htm) of the CA M4 at Arnie's Airsoft, I wasn't really expecting much. I was beginning to regret pre-ordering one. When it finally came to my door though, I couldn't wait to open it up and try it for myself. What I found was a very pleasant surprise. I love this gun! Sure there are flaws, but all guns have them. The flaws with this gun are the kind that don't concern me at all. Every problem has a solution, and most of them are very easy for the CA.

As for reliability and field performance, only time will tell. About the internals, sorry but I'm not about to open the mechbox unless I have to, so I can't offer any info on that. I haven't figured out just how to move the mechbox yet either, CA claims that it can be moved forward or back to increase/decrease fps. Detailed specs like accuracy and range, exact ROF and FPS, I can't tell you that either as I haven't tested it thoroughly yet and I don't have access to the right equipment. All this review is for is to voice my opinion on this gun so that people who are interested in purchasing one will have a little more to go on. It is mostly opinion, so come to your own conclusions based on any info you can dig up.

Also keep in mind that I don't have any other AEG to compare this with except for an 8 year old, first generation M16A1. I have only held a Marui M4A1 ONCE at the local store, so of course anything is a step up from the M16A1. But, maybe the fact that I've never owned a Marui M4A1 will help to make this review non-biased. I will try to be as thorough as I can. Just know that this review is purely opinion, but then again, most of them are.

So I don't have much experience with M4's, or too many other AEG's for that matter, but I know what I like...and I LOVE this gun. This gun is rock solid. The barrel wobble reported by some can be solved by tightening the ring on the inside of the foregrip, nearest the receiver. WGC has more info about this fix here: http://www3.wargameclub.com/WGC_Shop/cam4_problem.htm The ring does tend to come loose on it's own, but maybe a slight amount of glue would help, maybe loc-tite or hot glue around the edges. I'm not about to try it, so do so at your own risk. To me, it's still no big deal. When it does come loose, the barrel wobble is still so minimal that I barely notice it. An M16A1 with about 1-2mm of travel at the tip...THAT's what you call barrel wobble.

Another nice surprise was that the trademarks were very easily recovered. I think WGC uses different putty now. Either that, or it just doesn't bond as well to the metal as it does to plastic. There is definitely a different tape underneath the putty, none of that metallic stuff. It peels right off. =) It still leaves a little residue, but you can just scrape it off with your fingernail. It takes time, but it should all come off eventually.

About the feel of the gun, there is one thing that rattles a bit: the stock. Half is metal, but the butt stock is light plastic. When you shake the gun, it's about the only thing that's loose. I'm hoping someone will make an aftermarket all-metal stock but until then, nothing can be done about it. This still doesn't bother me at all though, since the stock will be against your shoulder most of the time anyway. The foregrip seems solid enough; it feels just as solid if not more so than the Marui. Remember I said that I held the Marui only once before, but all I know is that the Marui squeaks while the CA doesn't. With a 9.6v 1700mah V-battery squeezed in there, it's very secure. Overall the gun is, like I said, solid as a rock.

So far, the word is that only the "twin-type" 9.6v 1100mah is supposed to fit. So how did I fit the 9.6v 1700mah in there? The solution is easy, and most likely applies most if not all V-shaped batteries: just pull off the two beads of hot glue in the middle (on both sides) of the V-shaped battery, and it squeezes right around the outer barrel.



The tight fit probably helps the foregrip retain some rigidity as well. It takes about 5 seconds to get the battery in, you can put it in the top or bottom of the grip. I have mine sitting on top of the outer barrel so it won't interfere with the fuse and wires, which come out on the bottom. Of course, I'm not too sure how well the battery will hold together like this in the long run, but it seems durable enough. If worse comes to worse and it ever breaks in half (which is highly doubtful), I'll just solder a wire between two end cells, where the black contact is. super-custom highly modified 9.6v 1700mah ;)




The foregrip tends to pop open once in a while because of the pressure from the battery. This is because the spring on the foregrip-ring, which holds the grip together, isn't very strong. There's many ways I can think of fixing this, but I'll just get to that later. For now, electrical tape does the trick. The battery is slightly visible through the side of the foregrip because after all, it wasn't meant to fit in there and it is a tight squeeze. Still, it's hardly noticeable.



The gun is very front heavy, but I expected that since the metal is mostly up front. This is another thing a full-metal stock would help to alleviate. The Marui M4A1 felt a lot more balanced, but a lot lighter of course. The only thing I have is a bathroom scale, very inaccurate, but for what it's worth the CA weighs about 5-6 pounds bare. By bare I mean no battery, no attachments, just the mag and the gun itself. Fully dressed (i.e. dual mags, battery, red-dot, silencer) the gun weighs about 8 pounds. I love the weight, it just adds to the great feel of the gun. No more squeaky plastic!

The CA breaks down very easily, locking pins are included so you'll never lose a pin. When I opened it up, the first thing I noticed was the cool black mechbox (http://home.hawaii.rr.com/rei/mechbox.jpg). A spring is visible, and a hole on the side (I assume for oil). I'm not sure if this is unique to the CA or if there are Marui Mechboxes that look like this. Maybe someone can clear this up. Is that the main spring, or does that have something to do with moving the mechbox? Maybe the open spring is the reason for the CA's unique sound, the mechbox is loud. Still, not a problem for me. All AEG's sound like sewing machines to me, I didn't buy one expecting it to sound good. Actually though, it sounds fine - especially with the silencer attached.








Ok, so on to the negative aspects of the gun. There are a few. The firing mode indicator on the right side stays on semi-auto no matter what. I don't know if mine is broken, or it's just a flaw. Anyone else have this problem? It's still not too noticeable, and doesn't affect the operation of the gun. The switch still works fine, though it does not click like a Marui. It simply slides to each firing mode.

The charging handle would stick and would not retract back into the receiver easily. also gave off a "twangy" spring sound if it ever did work. The fix? Just cut and shorten the spring to add more tension and oil the handle, especially on the underside where it rubs against the mechbox. Now it works great, and gives off a nice metal-on-metal click. No more "twangy" spring either.



The fake bolt piece is very, well, fake. It's silver and doesn't even cover the hop up. I guess the magnetic bolt cover was meant to stay closed at all times. I'm hoping someone will figure out a way to modify it to be it like the Marui where the charging handle moves the "bolt" to uncover the hop up, and if anyone knows how, please inform.





The mag fits tightly in the well, lots of friction, maybe a little too much. Mag changes will not be smooth, unless you plan on slamming each one in. Marui mags WILL NOT FIT, unless you dremel out the hole where the mag release connects. Again, an easy fix for a small problem. The mag catch on the CA seems to be a little higher than on the Marui. I did like how there is a little switch on the CA mag to release the BB's, it's a lot easier to empty the mag this way and saves the spring from prolonged tension when not in use. Some people have stated that you can just pull out the mag without pushing the mag release, this is because of the tight fit. the mag release doesn't engage fully sometimes. All you need to do is oil the mag release and make sure that it's fully locked in place when you put in the mag. Or, you could just give the bottom of the mag a solid whack. The magazine will never fall out unless you fail to make sure the catch is engaged.

Side by side, CA mag on the left and Marui on the right:

I'm trying to find more problems with the gun, so this review will be thorough, but I really can't think of anything else. In my eyes, all the negative things about this gun are either easily fixed or so minor that it doesn't even phase me. I could find a dozen things I don't like about some Marui guns, but very few with this one. Over all I give this gun a 9.5/10 considering build, price, and potential.

All dressed up and ready to go:






Metal parts are: receiver, charging handle, hop-up unit, fire selector, trigger, half of the stock, foregrip-ring, outer barrel, front sight, flash suppressor, etc. Plastic: Butt stock, pistol grip, and foregrip. No barrel wobble, nice detail (though the receiver is marked "AR-15A3 tactical carbine, CAL. .223": http://home.hawaii.rr.com/rei/trademarks.jpg), great ROF and power out of the box, and lots of potential for future upgrades. It's advertised at being 350fps stock, though I don't know if that's true or not. All I know is that it's good enough to compete with upgraded AEG's right out of the box. There is always the option of replacing all the internals with aftermarket parts of course, but I don't think I'll need to. On a "poor man's chrono" (aluminum soda can), it shoots through both sides as well as through the bottom-middle and bottom-edge where it's thicker so it may actually be above 350fps. This wasn't done with a coke can, which is more consistent in thickness, so I may be wrong. Shots were from 2 inches away.

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Poor Man's Chrono (From Redwolf's website)

BOTH SIDES (BB makes it straight through and exits the other side) - 350 to 370fps

BOTTOM (CENTRAL) - 430 to 450fps

BOTTOM EDGE - 450 to 470fps

TOP (EDGE) - 480 to 510fps

TOP (CENTRAL) - 520 to 540fps

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So for the price, I think you can't go wrong. I'm happy that I bought it instead of the Marui SG-1 or MC51 I was considering, but that's just me. Just because I like this gun doesn't mean you will. Though, I really can't see any reason why anyone would not like this gun, as long as you see it for what it is. It is an affordable, almost entirely metal, high-powered (for stock) AEG. It is NOT the ultimate M4A1 that solves every single problem with the Marui line, it has it's own unique little problems and I'm sure more will materialize as time goes by. I don't think the CA should be compared to the Marui at all, as they are two completely different guns. I hope the info presented here helped to answer some questions about the CA M4. If any other CA Armalite owners can add more info to this review, please feel free to do so. Also, if I made any mistakes, please go ahead and let me know.

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