Which ones better M16 stock
 

Which ones better out of the box. ICS or G&G M16.

any thoughts from the experts

G&G.
better build, more metal parts.

I would have said ICS. Though I don't have any personal experience with either, I'm just going by general price trends.

stop giving advice on things you don't know about.

I'd stick with ICS, even though is a V2 mechbox, their split design has a bit better durability for the top piece, less likely to break than a typical v2 mechbox

wasint it said that the clear lower ICS arint actually up to par with their full metal lines?

Correct, but the initial poster didin't specify which version they were inquiring about.

If you're comparing the regular full metal versions, ICS would be preferable due to the split gearbox design, even though it's still a non-reinforced box, and the forward assist button releases the antireversal latch to prevent spring compression during storage.

If you're comparing the Clear bodies versions, the G&G has a better build and parts quality.

Just remember guys, the clear bodies guns are cheaper for a reason and it's not because they are clear.

I haven't determined whether the ICS m16 is metal body or not, but I was wondering if you can drop a V2 gearbox in and use it as is without any mods?
Just looking at all options of course.

you cant "drop" a standard v2 mechbox in a ics m4, look at it on youtube. ics uses a split mechbox system, 1 lower and 1 upper mechbox

For ICS, you need a special gearbox shell. You cannot use regular one. I have a friend of mine that has one, and he had a lot of pain in the ass to find the specific gearbox shell for is m4.