ICS M4 CQB-S Review

Hivemind187

ICS M4 CQB-S

First Impressions

The first thing you think when you see the ICS CQB-S is with out a doubt “ohhh, isn’t it small” with a kind of disappointed tone. This lasts all of four or five seconds when it replaced by the exclamation of “Zounds! It’s heavy!”.

Constructed from solid aluminium and containing all metal parts (except for the stock, charging handle, PEQ-2 module and the pistol grip) the CQB has a great heft to it when you pick it up, especially if you are used to TM AEG’s. The beautiful matt finish of the device provides a beautiful highlight for the laser engraved original markings which are absolutely spot on (except for the minor issue that a set on the side of it say in bright white letters “Made under license from Colt & Cybergun by ICS TAIWAN” – an issue for purists only).

It feels solid too without any rattle or creaking, which is what you would expect considering the all metal construction. The RIS fore grip is precision cut so that it looks and feels very real and has the unmistakable “you’re on the wrong end of this” look synonymous with the integration system.

The unit disassembles readily with a very small allen key and the receiver strips down to expose the unique ICS two level gear box which makes changing springs, adding shims or bushes a piece of cake. It is however very different to the Marui system and I honestly wouldn’t recommend tackling it without an exploded diagram.

Ergonomics

Well, its an M4 isnt it? Oh, you want more info than that eh? Well, the model I have comes with a crane stock which, considering I am a bit of a midget, is very handy. The over all length of the piece with the stock fully extended is actually smaller than a TM M733 with its stock collapsed so you get the impression that bigger people may have slight issues finding a comfortable length.

Mechanics – External

ICS have really covered all the bases here. Detachable carry handle revealing 20mm top rail – Check. RIS front end – Check. Detachable front end sights – Check. Forward assist that actually does something – Check. Hop-up easily accessible from the ejection port – Check.

The battery is housed in a PEQ-2 dummy unit which contains a 78.4v/ 1300 Nimh battery. Some folk find these units irritating, especially when they don’t take the larger battery but ICS have made up for this by including a small laser point which runs from a standard watch battery operated by a pressure switch, which means that at the very least the damn thing actually does something (if you don’t choose to remove it altogether as recommended by the IAA to comply with the current opinions and legal stuff).


Mechanics - Internal

The unit disassembles readily with a very small allen key and the receiver strips down to expose the unique ICS two level gear box which makes changing springs, adding shims or bushes a piece of cake. It is however very different to the Marui system and I honestly wouldn’t recommend tackling it without an exploded diagram.

All the internal gears, shims, bushes etc are metal which gives the CQB a very metallic (and loud!) sound when it fires finishing in a satisfying “clank!”.

The Hop-Up is a little difficult to operate even though it is easy to get to but a little practice and you will be sending BB’s in a funny vertical arc in no time.

Field use

Well, it must be said that I haven’t skirmished using the M4 in a CQB environment as yet, however, running a few drills in the house leads me to believe that the rig really is perfectly formed to deal with tight corners and fast target switching. Which is exactly what you want in a fast moving environment.

The RIS provides all the attachment points you could ever hope for allowing you to fit flashlights, scopes, red dots and handles galore (though don’t fit an M203 because it looks silly).

Woodland and ranged games however are a bit more of a challenge with this puppy. Its internal barrel is not particularly long which greatly reduces the effective range at which the unit operates. This is a necessity of the CQB design and it should be noted that the unit is not meant to be used in the open except by wacko’s.

Conclusion

I love the ICS M4 CQB-S (and its very long name). It ticks every box it has to in order to be the perfect compromise between an Armalite and an SMG. Its solid, sounds great and by all accounts the metal parts should last quite some time. A word of warning though, if you can only afford one AEG and you need to cover both CQB and Woodland then you might want to avoid this in favour of a bull-pup design (P90 or FA-MAS) because it is pretty expensive (retailing at about £220 sterling).

Aesthetics 4/5 Near Perfect
Ergonomics 4/5 its an M4, what more do you need?
Internals 4/5 Really impressive
Externals 4/5 Just as impressive
Field Use 5/5 CQB 1/5 Woodland

footnote - Yes, mine is second hand but it was in pretty great condition when I got it.

Edit: Corrected the battery info, thanks to Jelly292 who incidentally sold me the piece.