What is the best M4? [Guide for Beginners] (Sticky Please?)
 

What is the best M4?

This is a question repeatedly asked on ASC, whether it is on the Newbie Tank or the Airsoft Guns Discussion categories.

This thread is also created explicitly for those new to this sport; therefore, I will do my best to explain some fundamentals that are explained in threads throughout ASC.

Budget is the biggest limiting and deciding factor in airsoft; the quality of what you get usually depends on how much you are willing to pay for it. See the Brands part of this for further detail.

Power Source:
An AEG is recommended over a GBBR.
This is due to how much more common AEGs are and therefore, technical issues and any questions that might come up are more easily solved.
As well, when the weather gets colder, gas efficiency drops. AEGs typically do not suffer this problem until the temperature drops below freezing.
Finally, GBBs are very maintenance heavy in order to have them function at optimal performance, which beginners may not have knowledge of how to maintain them properly.

Material:
AEG M4s are made in 2 different materials; there are those with nylon fibre (plastic/polymer) receivers, and metal receivers.
High quality polymer receivers fare no worse than most metal receivers, and help save weight.
Of course, for realism, metal bodies are more valued.

Accuracy:
There have been many questions regarding whether increased barrel length offers increased accuracy.
A longer barrel does NOT result in greater accuracy; it may offer slightly increased FPS and range, but the accuracy will remain relatively equal.
Accuracy depends on the QUALITY of the barrel, as well as the quality of the hopup.
Consistency depends on the air seal of your barrel grouping; the better your air seal, the more consistent your FPS and range will be.
Therefore, an M16 has no significant advantage over an M4.

Environment:
Indoors or Outdoors?
If outdoors, you can skip this section.
If indoors, you'll want something compact and highly maneouverable.

Brand:

If you want the absolute most accurate M4, Systema PTW have the best performance, but are also by far the most expensive. They can also be rather finicky to work on.

Run Stock or Upgrade?
If running stock, VFC and KWA (and now Krytac) are widely regarded as the best out-of-the-box AEG M4s. VFC is the most recommended brand, however some players do not like their self-shimming gears. KWA works well out of the box, but has proprietary parts that make it more difficult and costly to upgrade or repair. Krytac comes with some bells and whistles stock, such as a mosfet, quick-change spring guide, upgraded motor, and ambidextrous fire select (of course, some models of VFC also have the ambidextrous fire select, and I believe sooner or later, the newer lines will come with a built-in mosfet).

If upgrading, VFC and G&P make beautiful externals to build a gun from. However, a lot of gundocs do not recommend running a G&P stock, due to iffy internals. Also, be advised that G&P does not have the best spec'ing; the magwells will fit only certain magazines, and the dust cover does not close for whatever reason. VFC has 3 lines to choose externals from; E-series, VR-series, and DX-series. The E-series is older, and features a white laser-etched VFC trademark on the side of the magwell. It has an older style hopup made of clear polycarbonate, but it's still a really good chamber. The VR-series is newer, and features a engraved VFC trademark on the side of the magwell and uses a rotary style hopup chamber. The DX-series is the most coveted for it's licensed trades. It also uses the E-series hopup chamber. All 3 lines use the same internals (VR-series hopup excluded) and feature the same finish.

G&G Toptech line is quite well regarded and have a wide variety of different gun platforms (M4, AK, MP5, 416, etc) to choose from. However, if you are looking for an AR platform, for around the same price you could buy a VFC which would perform better and have better externals. The Top-Tech gearboxes also have a tendency to have the front of the gearbox to crack and then blow off, so do be aware of this.

If you can't afford those, King Arms is the standard intermediate go-to full metal M4, while the Ares Amoeba line and ICS are also recommended. King Arms are highly upgradable and customizable, and offer decent externals and internals but usually need upgrades to perform at an optimal level. Ares Amoeba performs moderately well out of the box and has a convenient quick spring change feature, but is slightly more limited by internal upgrades and has a polymer body. ICS is known for their split gearbox design that allows for easy fps changes and run well out of the box, but their external and some internal compatibility is somewhat proprietary, thus limiting customization options.

If you are on a tight budget, G&G Combat Machines are the beginner guns most veteran airsofters recommend. The new G&G Combat Machine line is actually fairly decent; although it's not as budget-friendly as the old Combat Machines, the performance upgrade is well worth the cost in my opinion.

The general opinion of Classic Army is extremely hit or miss; either you get a decent/good gun, or you get an absolute lemon. Spin to win at your own risk with CA (currently).

Krytac is the new kid on the block. Initial response has generally been positive, although others have stated that if you are upgrading, it's more worthwhile to get a VFC to use as the base instead of the Krytac. If you are planning to run stock, Krytac is up there with VFC and KWA.

There are other brands out there I know I'm missing that I either don't have enough information about (BOLT, Deepfire, Dytac) or just aren't worth mentioning i.e. don't even look at these for an AR platform (APS, Ares non-Amoeba lineup, Echo1 non-Platinum lineup, Lancer Tactical, etc)

ASC Veterans, am I missing anything?
If so, comment that below please, and I'll gladly edit it in.

Datawraith

By ThunderCactus:
[
The marui M4s are outdated, they're only reliable when stock (at 280fps). Upgrading them to perform at the same level as, and have a metal body, will cost you more than just buying a new gun.

Classic army has never made GOOD guns, they've made a lot of crap and a lot of okay guns. The only reason any older player will THINK they were good is because way back 8-10 years ago your only choices in airsoft were a reliable $500 plastic marui or an unreliable $650 metal CA.
Their internals are crap, their externals are weak, their paint is too shiny, their 249 is inferior, they're just slightly off tm spec to make aftermarket gears whine constantly, and they've been upstaged by G&G on just about every gun.

G&P make excellent upgrade bases (I've got a love/hate relationship with G&P), but they're got some of the worst stock gears, unreliable pistons, explosive (aptly named) piston heads, and often times assembled incorrectly from factory. Their motors are also garbage. Really their only saving grace is that they have some of the toughest metal bodies and use RS threading on the receiver. Not sure if it's still true but the MK23's have semi-proprietary gearboxes that had the holes for the spur gear misaligned as well.
The make THE best 249 on the market, though.
Basically you'd be a fool to run a stock G&P lol

VFC is the best gun to keep stock and upgrade later.
G&G is a cheaper gun to keep stock and upgrade later, externals aren't quite as good. But this is the standard beginner gun.
KWA is actually pretty decent as a stock gun until the cylinder head inevitably explodes.

Some manufacturers will have better and worse specific rifles. Like G&G's AK5C is just a horrible gun, and marui make awesome sniper rifle bases.

BOLT and KRYTAC also make some pretty high end guns apparently, haven't worked on either myself but I know other gunsmiths who have.
]

I think canceling GBBs might've been a mistake. They're out there and remain popular for a reason, and to not give them attention is telling half the story. Myself, I won't do AEG. While I understand it's personal preference, your topic should strive for impartiality, so the reader gets actual info, not biased opinion.

Hmm, alright. Can you give me some info on the GBBRs siggypoo? I know pretty much nothing about them.
Thanks.

"Best m4" guides are pointless. There is too much ground to cover. You cannot simply skim over a two brands in one sentence. Many brands offer many different lines of guns, they are often completely different and suffer from completely different problems. You can do a writeup on how VFC SR16s have beautiful trades, but some of them had E series trades while others had the KAC trades. VFC external quality is different from their E series lines, KAC lines, Colt lines, VR lines, Socom Gear licensed lines like Noveske and DD... They're all different.

Another problem is that a fully detailed writeup on the pros and cons of each brand will become out of date and obsolete within a few months. For example you can say decent stuff about KA and CA, but when they relocated production from HK to China the quality dropped significantly.

Good job on the effort, but I don't think continuing this is worth the work it would take to maintain a detailed and accurate writeup.

Noobs don't read stickies anyway :)

"Best m4"
I think its a good buyers guide. Good idea, anyway.
Just be sure to update the thread once every 5 years, i think theres another thread around here that implies ca and tm still make good guns LOL

Nobody × :)

@pesto: Tokyo7 had a thread a while back about brands, but its incomplete and kind of outdated. I personally don't feel like I have enough knowledge about the details of the brands (other than VFC) so if you have opinions, post them here. If others agree, I will gladly append the guide. The whole point of this is more of a point in a general direction for them to do more research instead of continuously asking the same things. Currently, I haven't found a complete and semi-up-to-date thread that gives all of the necessary information on it that users can be directed to.

@brock0: oh yeah, forgot about that... But, this will hopefully (if I adequately get enough information onto it) provide a thread for everybody to redirect users too.

@thundercactus: ... I honestly can't tell if that's sarcasm (I know the TM bit is, but...) Anything useful to add though? I value your opinion due to the knowledge you've shared (your posts are what I'm basing my accuracy section off of).

The marui M4s are outdated, they're only reliable when stock (at 280fps). Upgrading them to perform at the same level as, and have a metal body, will cost you more than just buying a new gun.

Classic army has never made GOOD guns, they've made a lot of crap and a lot of okay guns. The only reason any older player will THINK they were good is because way back 8-10 years ago your only choices in airsoft were a reliable $500 plastic marui or an unreliable $650 metal CA.
Their internals are crap, their externals are weak, their paint is too shiny, their 249 is inferior, they're just slightly off tm spec to make aftermarket gears whine constantly, and they've been upstaged by G&G on just about every gun.

G&P make excellent upgrade bases (I've got a love/hate relationship with G&P), but they're got some of the worst stock gears, unreliable pistons, explosive (aptly named) piston heads, and often times assembled incorrectly from factory. Their motors are also garbage. Really their only saving grace is that they have some of the toughest metal bodies and use RS threading on the receiver. Not sure if it's still true but the MK23's have semi-proprietary gearboxes that had the holes for the spur gear misaligned as well.
The make THE best 249 on the market, though.
Basically you'd be a fool to run a stock G&P lol

VFC is the best gun to keep stock and upgrade later.
G&G is a cheaper gun to keep stock and upgrade later, externals aren't quite as good. But this is the standard beginner gun.
KWA is actually pretty decent as a stock gun until the cylinder head inevitably explodes.

Some manufacturers will have better and worse specific rifles. Like G&G's AK5C is just a horrible gun, and marui make awesome sniper rifle bases.

BOLT and KRYTAC also make some pretty high end guns apparently, haven't worked on either myself but I know other gunsmiths who have.

pestobanana..very good response. It is BS the way some people put all of one brand into the same boat. It is like saying Ford makes terrible cars. Really, so you have driven every model? I don't think so. The same with everything else in the world. You have to judge on individual models. The G&G M16A3, for example, is a very good rifle both externally and internally. However, their SR25 SPR is below par externally.

I would love it if people would comment only on those guns they own, have owned, or worked on and not comment on those they heard about from some other person or thread.

The other variable is how people treat their guns. From my limited experience, so far, in the airsoft world many people treat their gear like crap. I have lost count how many times I have seen someone pull the trigger on full auto and leave it there until the mag runs out of BBs. "What a piece of **. The gear box failed and I have only had it for a week." Then they go on the forums and tell everyone; not mentioning the full auto forever factor.

Bad example, ford really does make a lot of bad vehicles lol

But..Ford Focus RS D:

Fix Or Repair Daily.

Srry, had to get in on the Ford bashing

I think this "guide" makes for a good starting point for a beginner. A quick peek at what the general opinion is of a number of brands and models. Next step will of course be for the new to choose what he/she is looking for and research it more extensively. I also agree that choosing an AEG over a GBBR is a good choice for a new player. In my experience you can get a pretty decent AEG for very little $ whereas GBBR's tend to be quite pricey especially once you factor in the mags.

I have a Bolt and it is an amazing gun and held up all last season without an issue. I haven't opened her up yet but internals are supposed to be top notch from what I could find out. One local tech told me the first ones that came out had barely any kick and felt sloppy but mine feels like many gbbr's out there, nice and crisp too.

Fixed often, rarely driven?

I've said this before but the Fiesta ST is more like a CTR than the CTR. Other than that, the only Ford I'd get is the Ranger/B-Series, it's just too bad they discontinued it (I want to buy one, drop a VW Diesel in it, and mate it up to a transmission that works). Medium truck wise I really like the Tacos and for full sized I have to go with the Silverado/Sierra.

Where does an Amoeba fit in to the scene? A polymer Amoeba 008 costs almost as much a full metal King Arms M4. Sure the Amoeba's polymer feels quite sturdy, but what is the discrepancy in materials/price? Are the internals that much better?

I ask because I am a noob and online airsoft reviews seem to be few and most lack good info.

Problem with GBBRs is as a FIRST (and therefore ONLY) noob gun, you have to meet the following criteria:

-moderate entry cost (not a $700 G&P)
-reliable (there are a few that are pretty darn reliable)
-probably don't want to spend more than $15 per mag right off the bat ($400 GBBR, $300 for 5 more mags)
-reliability would also fall unto the mags for a GBBR, which as we all know are a serious pain. (Unless there's a GBBR out there that has mags on par with pistols for reliability, like the vector)
-Varying temperature performance (it's your only gun, assume you'll be using it -5 to +30)
-Probably don't want it joule creeping like crazy. (I know you just spend $800 on that GBBR package, but you can't use it until you spend another $60 on an NPAS)

More like everry 6-12 months. AEGs have come a very long way over the last 8 years.

G&G went from a pile of useless garbage ~2010 to a legitimately 'quality' starter gun.

KWA started being seen in Canada around 2012, it was not as good as the KWA USA brand, now it sits as a "quality" entry level gun ~2013

Celsius has been around since 2009 and is famous for being the first PTW clone. It's most current generation (7?) not anywhere near as good as a Systema 2008.

SOCOM Gear stuff is rebrand but it's quality varies from each model gun and batch as was previously mentioned. "BEST" electric M4 is a bad idea for a thread, each year their are dozens of M4 models released by each manufacturer and revisions to each of the existing models. Go to a SHOT show or a toy con and you can hear the speech each year how things are "different" or improved.

As for TM Its a great stock gun, terrible upgrader, even in Japan you don't see many TM's sold in stores. The market is dominated by ACM stuff.

These threads always annoy me. When a new player asks for advice, or really when anyone asks for BEST, I automatically think performance, functionality, overall reliability and potential. For example, I don't recommend GBBRs not just because of the cost or the FPS swings, etc, but because they don't make a whole lot of sense to me. Realism in airsoft is cool, but not at the cost of effectiveness. GBBRs to me are like Gucci-flage. They don't make sense in an endurance game because you'd have to carry a butt-load of gas around to still fall retardedly short of what a single lipo can do, they only like medium temperatures and can suddenly go way over FPS restrictions without warning, not to mention all of their maintenance quirks. I can't trade all around everything for a little kick and bang. Polar-Stars with tanks and hoses, etc, etc, etc. budget is what it is, we can recommend something, but the player needs to have enough money for the gun, batteries, a charger, magazines, ammo, possibly upgrades, etc. there's no escaping that. So when someone asks what's the best, first and foremost I think performance. Performance to me is how far it shoots, how consistently, how accurately, etc, period, done, full stop, over. So I personally only recommend the best bang for your buck, in AEGs, that's usually the highest quality one, such as VFC with appropriate upgrades. If your gun is competitive, who cares about gimmicks? Second is quality and reliability. You want your gun to be there for you and not end up being a waste of time or a money pit. For these reasons I will never recommend a sub par brand, even a mediocre one, or one with a hit and miss history, and if it's a clone, forget about it. If a player can't afford a decent G&G, plus all it will need to run properly and competitively, I'd recommend they save up their money and come back to airsoft when they're ready. Guns that have limited amount of parts, magazines, accessories available, etc are also big no no's for me, as well as not being able to be compatible with real steel or high end airsoft parts and accessories. Third is functionality. I have no idea if you're playing with a few kids on private property, going to regular weekend games with a full spectrum of different players, wanting to get into endurance games, or even trying to delve into competitive, organized, squad based modern military style of airsoft. I'm always going to assume the latter, because why recommend guns, gear and equipment that can't carry you through a game from hell, whilst making you as dangerous out there as possible? There's a million other reasons, but this perspective is probably the benchmark. So when someone asks what's the BEST? Well, it's the one that shoots the furthest, straightest, most consistently, reliably, most adaptive, functionally and upgradable within your budget. It's probably electric, in fact I'll damn well guarantee it and no there's no way to make cheap crap or shitty clones all around as good as the opposite.

The best M4 is the one you use the most and maintain so it keeps on ticking. There are guys that run only GBBR in warm weather then switch to AEG when temps get cold.

My G&G CM16 has outlasted both my E&C301 and Echo1 as far as stock issues.

E&C lasted 1 games and burnt out.
Echo1 lasted two games and burnt out.
CM16, no jams, misfeeds, battery issues. Nothing. Solid, out of the box all stock, indoor and outdoor.

That being said, I also have an Ares G36c that I love more.(Even with all its magazine issues) But as far as M4's go, its easier on the field as more people run them so magazine compatibility issues are slim to none.

Next M4 will be either ICS or VFC.

Please note, This is my first year playing and only basing my opinions off of what I've played with.

See, I see what you're saying, but this is what I'm talking about. The best anything is one you don't have to switch out just because of the temperature. If it can't take hot or cold, to me it's discounted as possibly being the best. Also other limitations to other guns throw them out of the ring as well.

nooo, GBBR is pretty unreliable...I saw one guy using it at a temp about 5-8degrees outside in the rain, it just didn't want to work, saw the gun keep on puffing a lot of gas with each trigger pull...I had to stick to him to provide protection while he was trying to figure out what is going on..they are super expensive too...funny my pistol was working just fine using the same kind of propane gas..that felt me an negative impression with GBBRs ever since

maybe external HPA tanks would help? cause they are okay with cold temp.

I'm just here to comment on that GBBR...I don't play with any M4 AEG other than 1 round with my friends G&G CM16..it misfeed a handful of times, fire selector got stuck on semi and won't fire.

Wrong gas - at that temperature you want to use MAPP gas, and maybe improve the seal between the nozzle and carrier. That's all it is.

my pistol works awesome on MAPP in 5-10 degrees

Yeah, mine as well. GBBPs aren't exactly the same as GBBRs, but each GBBR doesn't run identical either. Some are far superior to others. I had a few TM pistols that didn't like hot weather, one that didn't like cold weather, but mostly they haven't been an issue. My current ones are yet to show a problem. I haven't used them in minus temperatures but I have in over 35•.

No discussion on ICS M4? Just need to shave the 2nd tooth down, put a new motor, and it's a great piece IMO, especially with the rotary hop up design.

The writeup on G&P M4 is far too charitable. Their mag-well is warped. That has an effect on the mags that you use and *some* air seal issue. E.g., on my G&P M4, even after the velcro mod, leaning a MAG 130 rnd mid-cap forward gives you an extra 10 FPS. You lost about 60-80 FPS on a Beta Project PMAG mid-cap.

@MattG666: Amoeba's are generally regarded as a step up from a basic Ares. From what I've heard, they aren't bad at all. Will have to add that in an update.

@ThunderCactus: I agree; that's why I recommended AEG's instead of GBBR's as a beginner gun.

@Azazoth: I will hopefully update this a few times a year if/when I get new information. On that note though, opinions on Dytac/Deepfire/more recent guns you think are suitable to put on a beginner M4 list?

@Ricochet: Holy that's a long paragraph, although I think it does mostly confirm what I've written as the main thread (please tell me if I'm wrong on that).

@Superhog: Mmm, for those that can afford multiple guns perhaps. But this is mainly a thread for a BEGINNER gun, i.e. first gun.

@Morphine117: I will have to update and add G&G sometime to the list as a budget beginner M4, whenever I'm not too busy.

@Amoki: I don't have any experience with ICS, so I don't feel qualified to give an opinion on them. Split gearbox design is nice and convenient, but I don't know what the quality of it is nor how well it shoots. Also, you mentioned it is a great piece AFTER shaving the 2nd tooth and replacing the motor, which isn't ideal for a beginner (unless they pay a tech/gundoc to do it immediately after purchase, which again, is not ideal). I know that G&P's aren't compatible with some magazine brands, but I've never heard of FPS gain or loss like that... Their receiver externals are beautiful though, which is why a lot of builds use their bodies (other than that non-closing cover).

The stock ICS motor is a high-torque but low ROF. In essence, just about the only thing you *really* need to do to an ICS is the shaving of the 2nd tooth. It's not something I consider hard: after all ICS ships their guns with an instruction CD (!). Plus with a split gearbox you don't have the "parts exploding everywhere" issue with most mechboxes.

tbqh though, is there really any gun, other than a TM, that doesn't require some sort of preliminary examination by a gun-doc before use?

In general beginners do have multiple guns. I know a person that has a cheapo AEG M4 and also have three pistols. A lot of newbies buy a pistol or two first then shop around for the rifle.

Also most newbies ask for advice but end up buying the opposite.

Rule of thumb with G&P was use KA mags. I agree their air nozzles and mechbox alignment is sketchy though.
Every damn time I take apart a G&P it loses 60fps until you get the mechbox realigned just perfectly to the barrel lol

In my opinion their is no real reason to put any manufacturer on this list that is not readily available in Canada. Which basically leaves

King Arms
KWA
G&G
G&P
VFC
ICS
ARES
LCT
CYMA

GAS:
KJW
WE
GHK
P*


Unless you want to fully disclosed how to self import then having a more comprehensive list would then be beneficial, and make more sense. I have yet to see a deepfire or DYTAC complete AEG in Canada in the last 10 years, including some really odd ball gun brands is truly a waste of your limited time. I wouldn't even include TM, classic army or JG.

Canada is a huge country, their could be geographic differences in what is readily available. I suspect that Ontario/Quebec has a far larger variety of brands of guns available due to bootlegging from south of the border, Alberta appears to be dominated in order by these brands.

G&G
KWA / KA
VFC
PTW

Speaking of which. I would add into the guide, Do not buy a sidearm if you are a newbie, Buy a SECOND long gun preferably one that shares magazines with the first one you bought.

Honestly IMO from observing stock guns being opened in fields (keep in mind I don't touch anything AEG unless it's a hardball gun shooting 600+ nowadays) All stock guns are pretty much good enough out of the box, assuming you are not buying the "el cheapo" version IE SPORTLINE etc. I would say that 96% of players didnt buy the gun based on brand, but on how it looks and what was available at the store when they walked in with a handful of cash.

I live in the GTA, so there's lots of stores to choose from and they have different stock which is really nice. For big stores, TA stocks some more obscure brands like Deepfire and Dytac, M1 stocks lots of ICS, ASD has lots of gas guns, and I'm pretty sure if you ask, some of the smaller retailers are more than willing to special order guns they don't usually stock. I didn't consider outside the GTA though, thanks for bringing that up.

I wouldn't recommend a Cyma M4 when there are better brands for the same cost (G&G, Ares, maybe JG). I would recommend one of their AK's as a beginner gun, but the thread was dedicated to M4's specifically because that's the most universal platform we have.

Budget conscious beginner M4 brands would be Ares (preferably their Amoeba line), G&G, maybe ICS (still no experience, so I'm kind of hesitant about putting them on the list), yes?

Sidearm, yes agree with what you said (but then this was a guide for a beginner M4...).

As for the walk in and buy... that's kind of why I want to try and provide a way for them to start researching instead of just randomly buying something they have no idea about. Pretty sure informed consumers would be happier with their purchase than somebody buying a junky POS based on looks alone. Don't forget, the sportlines look pretty similar to the higher ends and beginners probably won't be able to tell the difference as they are mainly internal and since FPS is similar and the sportline is cheap, they'll probably end up choosing that.

@Superhog: Yeah, I know. But nothing we can do about that. If they're smart, they'll take this community's advice and odds are, they'll be more satisfied with it and save more money in the long run. There are a few users who did that I think (I hope anyways).

@ThunderCactus: But G&P's usually work alright out of the box, right? So that issue is only if they start opening it up and tampering with it, and if they were using it as a base gun for a build/upgrade platform, then they'd be getting a tech to work with it who hopefully knows what they're doing. I mentioned G&P in the high-end upgrade section only of the thread for that reason.

ICS are good out of the box, the only issue with them is their external compatibility

G&P I consider still an upgrade platform gun. They never did fix the issue with the gears and the pistons are still hit and miss. So you could have a G&P last 3 years of very hard use, or it could break a gear axle the first game you use it. And their aptly named "explosive" piston heads are almost guaranteed to break after a year of use due to their weak design.
You don't buy a G&P for internals, you buy it for externals and then upgrade the shit out of it.

Even then, VFC is proving to be the all around better platform. Similar build quality and durability, with much better stock internals.

But G&P still has the best designed M249 on the market by far.

ICS is a solid brand, the early canada edition guns were awful, now that Canada gets the same guns as everywhere else it's much better. Proprietary hopup for some models and external is annoying. As a Gun tech I can bash the split gearbox with tappet plate as being really silly but for a newbie to maintain the gun it's a big step in the correct direction.

M4 budget, buy used from a reputable person on classifieds, you can save 50% plus on the entire gaming package, gun, mags, batteries, rig etc

EDIT:
Agree with Frank, G&P is the rice tuner AEG, arguable it's the Honda Civic of the airsoft world, built to the original TM spec, compatible with basically every aftermarket part internal/external. It's easy to re-thread receivers etc.

VFC depending on the model and series anywhere from slightly worse to slightly better than G&P external, internally better out of the box.

There are best M4's for different budgets, if you budget is really low (150-200) go with a JG or G&G Combat machine, Mid tier(200-350) King arms, G&G G4's(Metal bodied G&G) and ICS, High tier (400-600) look at G&P, Tokyo Marui, VFC, and G&G Top Tech, and if budget isn't an issue at all, get a Systema PTW.

Did a slight update to the thread.
May add a realism section a bit later that includes Systema PTW, KWA RM4 ERG, TM Shock, and Bolt.
Thanks everyone for your input and please continue to do so as you see fit.

Id call the ptw a premium aeg before id call it realistic.
its just an extremely well built M4 with a functional bolt catch, and takes RS externals.

I think people underestimate Ares. Their Amoeba line is ridiculously good out of the box with a tight bore barrel, quick change spring, micro switch trigger. The only downside for myself is the polymer body but it's growing on me, the weight reduction is very nice but I'm use to running 6 gas mags and gas m4.

Ares has pretty good externals, mediocre internals and terrible proprietary parts and track record. Due to those facts they're just best avoided. Considering the cost and the lack of support, there is no reason to ever buy one. Honestly it's just an expensive headache. For the same price you can get a VFC that does better in all the areas Ares are good and good in all the areas Ares are bad. Ares is a company best forgotten in today's market. The ONLY reason to even consider an Ares is if they alone made a specific gun you want. Even then, at least for me, I wouldn't buy one.

I've personally worked on a honey badger, and I gotta say their new stuff is actually pretty impressive.
Just took a barrel group to make that gun amazing.

That's exactly the gun I'm basing my Amoeba love on. Was using it last night and it felt really nice and worked very well.

Well it's not impossible for a shitty company to suddenly start making some decent guns. I mean just compare G&G between now and 2006.

This pretty much has to be updated annually.
As much as my opinion of TM, CA, and G&P still mostly ring true, I've largely refrained from commenting on current quality of airsoft guns because my information is mostly out of date.
I haven't worked on many AEG's since switching to a PTW, so I really don't know what's still crap and what's still decent.
And to anyone else that is using 8 year old first hand experience to describe how awesome their CA gun is; please stop, because a 2006 dodge truck is no fucking comparison to a 2014.

I haven't had the chance to see one in person yet, but CA is definitely trying to step their M4 game up. Rotary hop-up, mosfet, quick change spring.

Is there a brand of magazine to look for or avoid? Is there one that seems to be the most cross compatible with the different M4s out here? From searching the forums, the concensus seems to be low caps?

From what I've heard, PMags and Dytac are the way to go if you want awesome feeding. In my experience, low caps feed just as well as a good mid cap, but a mid cap will hold 2x or more ammo so mid caps are better in general unless you really wanna simulate the real stuff.

PTS mags are probably one of the best mags you can get, they have a nice window so you can see when you've fully topped your mag up and they feed like a dream.

Guns I used them in:
VFC HK416
G&G SRL
Magpul Masada PTS