Help me upgrade my M4!

brian888

Lads I have a G&G CM16 M4 that I was initially going to sell, but now I want to try and start modding/upgrading it little by little. I have not done anything to the exterior/interior yet and would like to know the best place to start. I want to make it perform better than stock overall.
I'd like to eventually change things like the inner barrel, hopup, motor and battery over time,while adding the neccessary magpul gucci first.
Any and all advice/ideas welcome.

J-W

Hi Brian,
All below is just personnel opinion/ experience with a similar AEG to the one that you have (G&G TR418).
A lot of what you read on-line is for other markets above or 1 joule limit so ignore “bore-up, higher spring and major air seal mods as they will actually push you over the limit.(as long as your current fps isn’t dismal)
The exterior is personal preference and isn’t really going to make the gun any more effective.
Firstly there are only really two set ups CQB or Field
CQB I have never set a gun up for so can’t really advise.
You’re talking, up-rated motor, high speed gears or more complicated things like short stroking or even duel selector
I set up for field.
For me range and accuracy are priority’s, I’m not really into rate of fire as long as its respectable
#1 hop-up. I prefer plastic chambers to metal, they allow more flex and as such don’t force the barrel one way or the other, they also provide a better seal. The G&G standard one is fine.
Bucking (rubber) and nub... G&G green is great, I have had good results with a flattened G&G green ( mound and alignment strip removed) and SCS nub or prommy bridge nub , you could also R-hop for best results. (Find an on line guide for more info)
#2 Barrel. Don’t go below 6.03 .Madbull -good results, cheaper , coating on inner can come off over time, Prommy are good for groupings fairly expensive but will never change consistency or ware out.
#3 Red dot for quick target acquisition, whatever style you like.
#4 Mid –caps , all the way the amount of people I’v shot while they where winding a mag is ridiculous.
#5 Electrics –bit more technical now, I do it mainly for faster trigger response the little higher rate of fire is also nice. Lipo battery no need for more than 7.4v but I would rewire with low resistance wire and a basic mosfet (don’t like the fancy ones myself).If your ok with mechanicals but not electrics you can get mosfet /wire sets for the M4 that are drop-in.
#6 if you’re going to open her for the mosfet, a gearbox clean and re-grease ( not too much ,only on parts that make contact) will do wonders.
#7 Re-shim (look up how or get someone to do it for ya)
#8 Motor .G&P m120 is about as high a motor as Id recommend, anything higher ( from personnel experience ) can instantly destroy a poorly maintained/shimmed gearbox or will over time snap tappet plates or strip pistons/gears.( dont get full metal tooth pistons for this reason ,it easier /cheaper to change a stripped piston then new gear set -let the piston be your "mechanical fuse" ) there not worth it unless everything else in the gearbox is upgraded or of a standard that it can take it.

brian888

Thanks a lot for the detailed response mate, really appreciate it. So far I've put in a 6.03 Madbull TBB, a Guarder clear 50 degree hopup, a new 9.6 NiMh battery and reshimmed. Need to do the shims again, as the first time was messy :P

What do you think about a drilled cylinder(Lazy ass retailer) though? I was thinking of changing to a lower fps spring,new cylinder and then a new motor. Is there any need to change any other internals other than those I've mentioned? Don't want to break the bank too much

J-W

Nice one ,sounds like your well on top of it.
When I was doing the list I didnt know what kinda level you where at.
The madbull will do ya proud ,have tried the Guarder 50 there very good ,tricky to get on and rip a bit too easy ,I found a harder nud worked well with it SCS ,H-nub or on a budget a cut from a biro ink tube.
First few shim jobs I did were always too tight when the gearbox was screwed back tight ,so unfortunately ya have to close the gearbox fully with each time to do it right.9.6 nimh is perfectly good , lipos don't make that dramatic a difference.
The motor as I said dont go too powerful , I had an SHS neo and just found it caused so much ware it wasn't worth it.
A lot of the upgrade motors out there are for 400fps set ups and they will cause over spin on a 1j system.
I would definitely get a new cylinder to replace the drilled one ,new o-ring for piston as well in case it took damage.
Does the gun have blow back ? if so you have 2 choices cut the alignment notch and drill ( de burr edges) a new hole for the blowback or disable the whole thing ( what I would do). For spring Guarder are very consistent I think 90 is what ya want.
Make sure to match the cylinder type ( hole position or no hole) with your barrel length

brian888

I always do my research before doing anything ! Thanks again for the input, really helps my confidence in buying and installing the parts.