tm is the lamborghini of cars. in airsoft its the king why would anyother say TM-compatable because tm parts will last you a long time. I beleve another reason why TM's fps is low is because they play alot of cqb. In otherwords Tm is basically maxed as hear we need more fps because more outdoor enviorments are present. My advice is buy a Tm and buy a spring that gives you 350 fps so you can do indoor and outdoor.

the only gun i have experiance is with JG m4's but being a noob sort of speak. You are game ready out of the box. I think im lucky but i don't need to adjust the hopup on mine 0.2 they fly straight and within my iron sites for a good 100ft+

TM shoot at 280 because of Japanese law. No other reason.

And TM internals are good. They still only have plastic bodies, and most people would put CA, G&P, ICS (real ones, not halfbreeds), VFC, and Ares above TM.

Remember, the hop-up is your friend. And switch to 0.28g for outdoor play. Believe me, you'll love the result. ;)

Even the guys from the mainland don't like Dboys guns, and they are stupidly cheap over there.

Ok I have one last question. I've been seeing mention of M4 "new version" and I've been unable to discern what that is (aside from the obvious) is this something I should be looking out for when buying?

TM will be awesome guns and run forever - as long as you're happy with 280 fps and don't mess with them. If you want true performance you basically have to gut the gun and replace most of the internals. Try upgrading a stock TM V2 mechbox to 400 fps without swapping anything but the spring and you'll be picking bits of metal and plastic out of your broken shell in no time.

IMO, buying TM M4 is a waste of money, because you have to sink a bunch of money into it to make it a good performer. You can get a clone and put the same amount of work into it and have it come in cheaper than the stock TM, and in the end, you'll have a much better gun.

So which brand would you personally recommend crunchmeister?

my two cents again,

I would recommend ICS M4 ( the real full metal, not halfbreed, cansoft )

KND

If you're willing to fork out the cash for TM, I'd say to go Classic Army. No hesitation there for me. About the same price (maybe a bit more), all metal (best stock metal bodies of any AEG IMO), reinforced internals (including the mechbox shell itself) that CAN handle a stiff spring without any other foolery required. The all metal contruction won't flex in the slightest, unlike TM and other plastic guns.

As for compatibility concerns, there are no compatibility issues with CA guns. I've been running my CA M15 rifle (now with a Guarder C7 body) and it's been fantastic. It has minimal internal upgrades, shoots 385, and has sick range and accuracy.

My custom C8A2 and MP5 are also built from a lot of CA parts (externally) and they're both incredibly solid and look great. Although they're really not CA, so it doesn't apply in terms of the internals which are all custom.

If you are on a budget and the prospect of a) a plastic body, and b) working in a mechbox doesn't bother you, JG.

If you don't mind spending the extra cash and want a very sturdy, reliable, full metal gun: Classic Army, ICS or G&P.

Actually, ICS is another great brand too. Lots of benefits with going the ICS route, mainly being the quickly replaceable upper mechbox so you can switch from indoors to outdoors velocities in seconds without having to tear the gun apart.

Ok thanks, you guys have given me some more to think about. Uh... one quick question that I feel really silly having to ask, but does this forum have an advanced search feature?

Systema Revolution gearbox with an AEG attached to it. :D

Yep, drop down the Quick Links in the top right corner, it should be there.

Yes it's under "quick links >> search >> advanced search" in the top right of your blue panel thing.

It took me a while to figure that out after the forum update too....

Since you're AV'ed, have a budget in mind and look in the Classifieds till something you like pop's up.

Other option would be talking to Ken at 007 (Calgary) and getting a clear bodied gun and painting it.

Actually, it's quicker to just hit the "Go" button without filling out the search field. Takes you right to the advanced search.