Help on ICS M4 cansof. Version

[Exhopek]

First and foremost before somebody points out about AV, google and stuff heres a pic of what i have in my home town.

The left one is a cyma mp5(china) a glock aep(china) and 2 ics all metal and yeps its in another country.



i do my own teching i make my own fet switches and i do my own upgrades. But .... For the love of God i cant find a decent review of an ICS cansoft which is what im looking at.

There are only two things i want to know.
1.) hows the plastic reciever in terms of looks and feel.
2.) hows the receiver in terms of fit and durability.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

[voorhees -FWA-]

The receiver is very, very dark, the trades are ok; ICS branded.
As with most plastic receivers if you use and abuse, it will crack.
I have a crack on the pin hole for the trigger guard and a couple scratches, other than that; it's held up fine.
If you decide to tear it down often (might break a piston body or the bevel gear in the first week) the small hole in the receiver that holds the moulded slide catch; which holds the wires to the side of the receiver might start to wear out, just be careful when you take you the screw and it should be fine.
IMO it’s a great moulded piece and well worth the buy... the internals are another story... but it’s better to try it out for yourself, as the 2 I’ve dealt with were made on a Friday... lol

[shinobii]

I think I can vouch for the quality of our lower receivers. To date, I have not received a single request for replacement of a cracked lower. I'm sure they are out there, as indicated by the above reply, but I think a lot of our valued customers can attest to the quality of our lowers.

Regarding the bevel gear, we received acknowledgment from ICS that a isolated batch of bevel gears had a minor tolerance issue, resulting in premature slipping of two pressure fitted components.

This did strike me as odd, as we had never encountered or heard of this being a common or persistent problem. We have replaced any and all bevel gear issues that have been presented to us. Literally, a quick 10 minute fix on the M4 platform.

Haven't had a single call back since our latest shipment arrived, so it seems this bogus batch of bevel gears are past us. Nice to see a manufacturer step up, and get the problem resolved asap.

Regarding pistons, be aware that the majority of these isolated piston breaks are a result of users using the "spring release" mechanism incorrectly. Most AEG's have a fake one, and is not functional. ICS M4's is actually a functional one, and should "ONLY" be used after having fired off 2-3 single shots immediately following a full-auto burst. Firing in full auto will at times leave the spring cocked back, and under considerable pressure, and depressing the spring release button will cause a very aggressive and possibly damaging collision between the gear and piston teeth. This can contribute to the piston teeth cracking.


By firing 2-3 single shots after full-auto, you essentially reset the gears and position of the piston in to the correct alignment. At that point it is safe to press the spring release button. Do that and you will all but eliminate the possibility of breaking piston teeth

Alot of people think it's cool to press buttons and hearing stuff go on inside their guns. This feature is intended to be used if you need to crack your gun open for service, or if you are storing for a prolonged period of time. Other than that, leave that button alone.

You will have no problems with your M4 otherwise.

Cheers..

[cooney]

I've pressed the button so many times but I have a piston from a Well mechbox, I've abused the button for fun.

[voorhees -FWA-]

damn I should have waited! haha...

[Exhopek]

Hehehe i know that part about the piston and the spring relax it doesnt only catch the piston but sometimes mess up your tappet plate too. Just decock the gun properly and it should be fine. What I really dont like when it comes to the internals is the plastic hop up. It seals out fine and works fine but its not compatible with aftermarket metal hopups.

Is the upper receiver plastic or metal on the cansoft versions. I assume the internals are the same with the full metal ones?

@ shinobi: just in case the upper or lower receiver cracks does ics sell replacements? I dont remember seing its part number in I chih shivan site. I love ics since I do a lot of tinkering just dont know a lot about this cansoft version.

Thanks for the info.

[Acid_Snake]

uppers are plastic internals I don't know

[voorhees -FWA-]

All in all (if ICS addressed the Bevel Gear issue) the internals are great.
The hop up itself is very sufficient for what it is, fits very snug and a great seal.
The rubber I replaced with a FireFly purchased from Amos and now I have excellent range and accuracy.
Also I’d replace the Piston Body with a Poly Carb one for longer durability; I purchased mine from Airsoft Parts. If you decide to change the Piston Head, you’ll have to purchase a spring too as the ICS spring is only compatible with a head that the screw is in, going in to the piston body; other than the normal screw out from the body into the head.
I also replaced the stock gears for a 300% Torque Up Element set purchased from Styrak...
Anyway... I’m rambling so I’ll leave you with that...

[eiwoh]

I have an ics 45 c-15, which comes with the full stock. The plastic lower worries me, when i first the gun, after looking at it really carefully i realized that with the battery in the stock, the weight causes the lower to flex opens up a 1mm gap at the vertical crease between the upper and lower. And not too long after I got the gun, a crack developed at the rear body pin hole, I've also noticed that that a crack also developed at a pin hole for the trigger guard. Keep in mind that I take good care of and don't abuse my gun.

Otherwise I've had no problems with the internals, and its a pretty reliable gun. I'd recommend the cansoft ics m4's, just not with the full stock.

[Drunk_Albertan]

Originally Posted by tte404

All in all (if ICS addressed the Bevel Gear issue) the internals are great.
The hop up itself is very sufficient for what it is, fits very snug and a great seal.
The rubber I replaced with a FireFly purchased from Amos and now I have excellent range and accuracy.
Also I’d replace the Piston Body with a Poly Carb one for longer durability; I purchased mine from Airsoft Parts. If you decide to change the Piston Head, you’ll have to purchase a spring too as the ICS spring is only compatible with a head that the screw is in, going in to the piston body; other than the normal screw out from the body into the head.
I also replaced the stock gears for a 300% Torque Up Element set purchased from Styrak...
Anyway... I’m rambling so I’ll leave you with that...

I have heard bad things about using gears other than ICS brand. Not too sure where or why but I've read it in more than one place. (Arnies maybe?)

[Exhopek]

Actually they have one of the best steel gears and yes they will take aftermarket gears too. The folding stock i have runs a prometheus max torque peaks at 510 fps @ .2 the fixed stock runs all stock 420fps @.2 i have a third upper gearbox that shoots 350 too. You just need to adjust the motor height when you change gears and make sure they are properly shimmed.

[eiwoh]

Forget the clearsoft stuff now! You can get a proper full metal ICS!!

Thanks to The Saint! (and shinobii for dealing them)