I just got my new CA M15A4 today in the mail, and after unwrapping it, the first thing that I noticed was the fact that the box itself reads "M15A4", instead of M16A3, as I had expected, since that is what real steel rifle it is modeled after. Upon further inspection of the gun itself, it appears that the gun is designated M15A4, most likely to avoid carrying the classification of a real steel firearm (since there is no real steel M15A4).


-Look/Feel:

When I first hefted this gun, I was amazed at the weight of it, and also amazed by the detail work. If you look closely, CA even went to the trouble of finishing the barrel inside the foregrip, to the point that it has the same finish as the same "grooved" finish as the rest of the outer barrel, which I can imagine is a very labor-intensive process, and definately adds to the price of the gun.

Another thing that I noticed, was the fact that the overall balance of the gun is perfect. With the battery and magazine in, the CG (Center of Gravity) is right about at the trigger, which is ideal for an assault rifle, because you want some weight on the front hand, for stability, but not too much, because too much weight on the front hand makes it more difficult to aim. This gun is truly a work of art. The matte finish on the metal is like nothing that I've ever seen before on an airsoft gun.

There are only a few visible screws on the body of the gun, and they are; bottom of the handle ( to gain access to the motor), two hex screws on the left side of the body (one is part of the hinge for field-stripping the gun), and the two screws on the buttplate of the stock, one of which allows you to remove the rear sling mount, and the other allows you to remove the stock. The reason that there aren't any other screws, is that the frame of the gun is basically one piece of metal. If you look along the bottom of the reciever, there are no seams. All of the metal pieces of the gun are die-cast, which basically allows the manufacturer to make pieces of metal that have cavities in them, which lends itself to making extremely solid gun parts. This point leads me to the next section:


-Durability/Design:

This gun is built like a tank. I had expected a durable gun from the instant that I read "full metal", but nothing that I read anywhere prepared me for the experience of holding this gun. There is absolutely no flex whatsoever in any part of the gun, except for a little bit of play (1/128") in the foregrip, which is almost imperceptable, and if you didn't actually try to find play, you wouldn't ever discover this. I think that it's basically a result of the two-piece design of the foregrip. The metal parts -as I mention above- are all die-cast, and are fitted perfectly. Even though I'd never perform this experiment in a million years, I think that it'd be pretty safe to say that this gun could easily withstand being dropped from shoulder-height, but I wouldn't reccomend it. Most airsoft guns that I've used (especially M16 models, which are notoiously difficult to design sturdily) have a lot of play in the barrel, and this gun has none. I could probably stomp on it, and I wouldn't get it to budge even a fraction of an inch. I can't think of a way that this gun would break unless you were actively trying to destroy it.

All of these facts make this gun a great platform for upgrades, because it's body will handle them well.


-Upgradability:

I bought this gun pre-upgraded with a M120 spring, Area 1000 Polycarb. piston and piston head, and a Mad Bull 6.03mm tightbore. These are great upgrades, and make the gun run great, and I'm positive that I could replace every internal mechanism, and get away with it without damaging the body. If you want a solid project gun that you can upgrade without fear of snapping in half, this is definately the gun for you.


-Performance:

...And finally we get to the meat of the review, the moment that you've all been waiting for (or for you more impatient types, the part that you just scrolled down to after reading the first two sentances). When I took this out to shoot it first, I was not all that impressed by the accuracy, but I almost immediately realized that the hop-up was set all the way to neutral. After I got the hop-up set properly, I was holding 1' shot groups on full auto, at 200 feet, in a standing position. I've never shot another gun that I can say the same about. This accuracy is probably a result of the 509mm long barrel that this gun has (as opposed to the carbine's 363mm barrel).

I put my UTG 4 x 32 full metal AO scope on the flat-top, (using the included scope rings), and was relieved by the fact that, even though the front of the scope (namely the distance adjustment for the crosshairs) was about 1/8" away from the foregrip, I could still move it freely. If you're planning on putting a scope on this gun, and don't have high-rise rings, and/or don't want to get high-rise rings, I suggest that you get a carry handle scope mount, as I have to really scrunch my cheek down to the stock in order to get a clear sight picture.

Using my scope (properly zeroed in), and PHX .28 Match Grade BBs, I was holding consistant 3-4" shot groups at 150-200 feet, and was holding 1-2" shot groups at ranges under that. I attribute this outstanding accuracy to the Mad Bull barrel, and great BBs (they rock, get them, if you can afford them), but I suspect that you could get only slightly reduced accuracy using the stock CA barrel. If anybody is interested, I have the stock CA barrel, and would be willing to stick it in to perform a test. Just ask.


-Conclusion:

This is an all-around, great AEG. It makes all other AEGs that I've used (including a CA AUG, and TM Beta Spetsnaz) look like kiddy toys, and once you've used this gun, you won't want to settle for anything less. If you want to be a poster boy for CA, just take this puppy around, and let people have a go on it. I guarantee that they'll start saving for one.


Any questions/comments? If you don't wanna post here, feel free to PM me, or email me.

Cheers!

-Ninja

This post has been edited by ninjaownsthenight: Aug 30 2006, 08:55 PM