There are a great number of these mini Airsofts on the market. They come in a wide variety of styles (M16, AK47, MP5, G3, XM177, AUG), and they're cheap (around $40 usually), small, and best of all, full-auto. They run on four AA size batteries, and some even have a socket to accept wall current (which would sort of limit your mobility but would be an excellent idea for a stationary indoor defense).

Appearance

The Unicorn Mini-M16 is around eight or nine inches long and is of course, well out of proportion to a real M-16. However, a lot of attention has been paid to the markings and controls on the weapon, even though the only functional controls are the safety and the trigger. This particular model is designed after the M16A1, and exhibits all the recognizable features such as three-prong flash suppressor, teardrop-shaped forward assist, lack of shell deflector, triangular hand guards, and so on.

Function

Well, under good circumstances, this thing is fun to shoot. However, the quality of this particular piece has come into question several times. BOHICA has had a similar experience with his Mini-MP5, but he only had trouble with his once whereas I've had nothing but trouble with my Mini-M16 (I believe our two mini's are made by different companies - there are several companies making them).

When it was working, it was accurate and had decent range due to the built in (but non-adjustable) Hop-up. The spring-loaded safety had to be held in the down or forward position at all times to enable firing. That's the way the minis are designed. The rate of fire was slightly slower than BOHICA's Mini-MP5 for some reason. Maybe because of the different manufacturer, maybe because of the batteries used, who knows. But like I said, that was when it was working. Shortly after I got it, there was a short inside the mini and I had to take it apart (not fun - if you do it, be sure you lay down a large white sheet first so you can keep track of all the parts... also do it in an uncluttered room because springs are likely to go flying). Once I had found the short and re-soldered the connection better, I put it back together. Well, it worked fine for a while after that, but then it just stopped working again. I could hear a whirring noise like the motor was turning, but it wasn't firing. I took it apart again and found that the gear on the motor had come loose and had to be super-glued back in place. Once this was accomplished, I reassembled the mini and test-fired it without BBs. It worked! I loaded up some BBs and squeezed the trigger at my pellet trap, and after a second or so of full auto fire, I noticed the BBs were just rolling out the end of the barrel and dropping to the floor. So I took it apart again, and noticed one of the piston springs was missing. I have no idea where it went. I'm still looking for it, and until I find it, the mini is pretty much useless. I suppose I could go to True Value Hardware and find a suitable replacement, but I'm determined not to put another penny into this thing except for batteries and pellets. However, when it was working at one point, I did attach the tracer unit to it for fun. There was a bit of improvisation occurring then, but here's what I did: I removed the flash suppressor (which normally has a small amount of glue holding it in place, but didn't at that time because I had already taken the mini apart) and wrapped a couple pieces of tape around the exposed muzzle to increase its diameter. I then assembled the tracer unit with the pistol adapter reversed, and then it slid right onto the Mini-M16. Looked pretty funny, but it worked.

Accuracy

Probably not too horrible considering it had Hop-up, but I won't be able to test it on paper until I find that missing spring...

Update

I finally found that missing spring and reinstalled it. I swear, that Mini-M16 has been taken apart more than the Starr report. Anyway, I got it working again, and fired it for accuracy.

As you can see from the below target this mini isn't particularly accurate (it is full-auto only and doesn't really have sights), but you will note that it hits center of mass reliably, rather than stringing shots wildly left and right. You will notice that a good deal of pellets simply dented the paper and failed to penetrate. This doesn't really mean much except this weapon won't have much effective range. It would be good for casual indoor play or maybe even close-up outdoor use. It seems to me that BOHICA's Mini-MP5 is a little more powerful than this M16 is. One must be careful to hold the Minis exactly upright with the muzzle pointed straight or even a little downward since these operate on a gravity-fed hopper magazine. This fact limits their potential for any "serious" use.

End of Update

Overall Impressions

If these things worked properly, they would be a hell of a lot of fun. I hear most minis are pretty reliable, and since BOHICA fixed his, he's not had a single problem with it. Once I find the spring for mine, it'll probably be the same way. The minis are a great intro to Airsoft since they're inexpensive, and they're full-auto fun. For a tournament Airsofter, a mini would make a nice cheap backup weapon since it is full auto. Only problem is finding a convenient way to carry it where it's readily accessible, since no holster company makes Mini-MP5/M16/XM177/G3/AUG holsters.