E&C Airsoft 14.5" Patrol Rifle Full Metal Airsoft AEG - Black

"I have taken it to the field a couple times and tested it plenty in the backyard. It definitely works very well! I'm the type of person to want something familiar with a slight twist on it, and not many people are running E&Cs compared to the other options in the price range. I think it is very competitive with those other options.

It has a nice, reassuring weight to it. Solid metal construction and very accurate out of the box. Shoots at 415 FPS with .2s stock, although that number could be a little lower for each gun, but probably not much higher. I replaced the stock spring with an M100 to lower down to field regulations, and when I chrono'd it still shot a little over 350. It probably comes with an M120 in it. Another review mentioned part of the outer barrel being removable, I could not 100% confirm that myself, but upon inspection, it has a few screws in the fake gas block. If anything, that would be where to unscrew it.

Good:
* Shoots very accurate
* Nice metal construction (minus the polymer grip and crane stock, neither of which feel cheap at all)
* Sling points are rock solid
* Working bolt catch is really nice for adjusting hop-up
* Flip-up sights make using an optic easier (no riser required)

Mediocre:
* Some of my magazines seemed have a hard time fitting, although for some reason after a few slightly forceful tries they were fine. Some may require an extra slap, some may require modification. Most magazines will probably fit just fine.
* The front flip-up sight is a little wobbly. Not a big deal, the reason I got one that folded away was so I could put an optic on without having to get a riser.

Bad:
* The crane stock has very little room in it. A butterfly battery with a 17mm diameter would just barely not fit, but a 13mm diameter battery fits snugly. The stock is also surprisingly shallow, so I will probably look for a bigger one to put in, as to not fold or crease or otherwise damage the wiring.
* At least in the one I received, the gearbox didn't have a quick-release spring system. That was pretty unfortunate since one of the other reviews seemed to imply it was.

All the mediocre and bad things combined don't come close to taking a star off. I'm very satisfied with this one overall.

"This gun is amazing! When you first hold the gun the first thing you notice is how sturdy it feels. With a full metal build this M4 is very solid. It has a very consistent fire rate and a good amount of power. The hop-up adjustment and firing spring is very easily accessible making it very easy to adjust to new field rules. The only problem is with the magazine that comes with it; sometimes it doesn't consistently feed into the chamber. This problem is easily solved by buying another more efficient magazine.

"This gun at the time was on sale for $185 and I took a risk buying it on little knowledge I had about the brand. Taking it out for the first time to my local field was very impressive, it feels satisfying and constantly shoots 398 fps with .20, and 345 fps with .25. I would definitely recommend this rifle for players who like to have a dmr role, or rush up and attack the enemy.