Intro and noob questions

[06jorkee]

Hey all.

I registered quite some time ago when I was interested in getting into airsoft, but priorities changed and life went on. Fast forward to a year and a half ago and I finally discovered the joy of shooting. I got really into it and have spent the last 18 months spending way too much on guns/gear/ammo, and taking every training course I possibly could.

In that time, I thought of airsoft as something I was more interested in as a training supplement than a sport, and ended up buying a WE Glock 19 to mimic my IRL Gen 3 19 for getting training reps in on days I couldn't hit the range. Shortly after, a local sporting goods store in town mentioned they were going to have casual games on the weekends, and I started to look into it some more, thinking it would be a great chance to run my gear and get some more reps. I sat on it for a while because the start up costs aren't exactly cheap, but recently an opportunity came up and I ended up buying an G&G TR4-16 lite that is pretty similar in size and shape to the DDMK18 that I run when i'm shooting. Now i've got some gear that is close enough to my real stuff to pique my interest in diving into it. My goal over the next few weeks is going to be to get my rifle set up as closely to my MK18 as possible to get the most out of my handling and manipulations while playing or practicing.

While i'm more than competent and familiar around the stuff that actually goes boom, i'm woefully ignorant on the airsoft side of things, and have a few questions that are likely going to be considered silly by a few people. I just want to make sure I'm setting myself up for a seamless experience in the hopefully near future, so here we go:

1. "Charging" the rifle
- I don't mean charging the batteries to make it function; (yet) i'm referring to going from a dry gun to having one in the chamber. I understand this rifle isn't going to function like a normal one in that i'll be able to rack the charging handle to chamber a round, but so far the only way i've gotten one in the tube has been to insert a mag and dry fire so the round gets stripped off the magazine and fed into the gun. This doesn't seem right to me, so what am I missing?

2. Emptying the rifle
- The exact opposite of my previous question. There has to be a better way to ensure the gun is 100% empty than by having to dry fire the last round out after removing the magazine.

3. Charging the battery
- The rifle I bought came with a wall plug in with the matching connector to my battery setup. It's a 9.6v 1600 mAh nunchuk style, and I believe it's a NiMH pack. How do I know when the battery is charged enough to unplug from the wall adapter? Is this where a smart charger comes in handy? Can you overcharge these batteries?

4. Accessories
- I need to get this unit to match my real steel MK18 as close as possible. From what I have read, I'm SOL on an ambi safety selector, which is no fun. The charging handle isn't a big deal, since it doesn't do a whole lot. I do however need an ambi mag release. I'm also going to be after a Magpul RVG (or knockoff) and some form of inexpensive light that resembles a surefire m300 scout with a pressure switch. What are some good, reputable brands to look into?

5. M4 vs 416 pattern
- I understand the difference and similarities between the M4 and 416 platforms, but the airsoft world seems to use the 416 as it's own separate designation of rifle style. Given the way that it works IRL, this is likely a stupid question, but I want to ask before buying stuff: will airsoft parts sold advertised as M16/M4 parts still work on the airsoft 416 pattern rifles?

6. Ammunition
- What are some good, high quality brands and types to look into? I don't feed my real stuff garbage ammo, and i'm not going to do it for these either.

7. Magazines
- I'll be looking to run 30 round magazines, or other magazines down loaded to 30. Any good brands to look into, or bad ones to stay away from? I run PMAGS in my MK18 now, so it's a bonus to keep it similar.

Sorry for the long winded post and the silly questions, but like I said; I want to do this right.

[DC_ACU]

Get a GBBR.

[Desmodus]

It really sounds like a lot of the features that you want would be better served by using a gas rifle as opposed to an electric one.

1. "Charging" the rifle

Pointless to do with an AEG. Just swap in a fresh mag and continue shooting.

2. Emptying the rifle

Removing the magazine and shooting until dry is basically the easiest way to do it.

3. Charging the battery

Get a smart charger, switch your guns battery connectors to deans and run LiPo's.

4. Accessories

Since you have an M4, the world is your oyster when it comes to accessories. Element makes some repros of the m300 if I'm not mistaken, and there are copies of the RVG everywhere. PTS is one company that makes them.

5. M4 vs 416 pattern

Most accessories will be cross compatible between the two. The only thing that might get iffy is certain rail systems.

6. For ammo, I've used Elite Force, Krytac, Madbull and old school BBastards with great results.

7. Look into low-cap mags. TM, King Arms and Classic Army have functioned well for me.

Hope this helps.

[hollywood...]

get a GBBR

[06jorkee]

Originally Posted by Desmodus

It really sounds like a lot of the features that you want would be better served by using a gas rifle as opposed to an electric one.

1. "Charging" the rifle

Pointless to do with an AEG. Just swap in a fresh mag and continue shooting.

3. Charging the battery

Get a smart charger, switch your guns battery connectors to deans and run LiPo's.

Hope this helps.

That does help; thank you.

As far as #1 goes, it's the very first round that I'm confused about. If I have a completely dry gun, it seems like the way to get a round in the chamber is to insert the mag and then pull the trigger to dry fire cycle the gun once, and after that it's a hot gun. That just seems odd to me.

What are the benefits to a deans connection setup and LiPo's over the current setup I have?

Originally Posted by DC_ACU

Get a GBBR.

Originally Posted by hollywood...

get a GBBR

I did consider a GBBR at first for the realism component, but some light reading quickly made it pretty clear that an AEG was the more cost effective way to go in terms of the gun itself, and especially magazines. After that there was wear and tear and maintenance costs to consider. The nail in the coffin for the setup I have now is finding it for a very attractive price. I have a very lightly used rifle (that from what I have read is actually a good quality one) 5x magazines, battery/charger, and a tracer unit for under $300 to my door. I wanted to get my feet wet before jumping straight in, and I couldn't pass on an opportunity to get set up so inexpensively. Maybe once I can get age verified I can pop into the EE and see if something else catches my eye, or find someone interested in what I have.

[Desmodus]

Originally Posted by 06jorkee

That does help; thank you.

As far as #1 goes, it's the very first round that I'm confused about. If I have a completely dry gun, it seems like the way to get a round in the chamber is to insert the mag and then pull the trigger to dry fire cycle the gun once, and after that it's a hot gun. That just seems odd to me.

What are the benefits to a deans connection setup and LiPo's over the current setup I have?





I did consider a GBBR at first for the realism component, but some light reading quickly made it pretty clear that an AEG was the more cost effective way to go in terms of the gun itself, and especially magazines. After that there was wear and tear and maintenance costs to consider. The nail in the coffin for the setup I have now is finding it for a very attractive price. I have a very lightly used rifle (that from what I have read is actually a good quality one) 5x magazines, battery/charger, and a tracer unit for under $300 to my door. I wanted to get my feet wet before jumping straight in, and I couldn't pass on an opportunity to get set up so inexpensively. Maybe once I can get age verified I can pop into the EE and see if something else catches my eye, or find someone interested in what I have.

Deans connectors are more secure, durable and offer less electrical resistance. Lipo's have a high energy density, a better flat cell design and a high discharge rate.

[06jorkee]

Originally Posted by Desmodus

Deans connectors are more secure, durable and offer less electrical resistance. Lipo's have a high energy density, a better flat cell design and a high discharge rate.

Ah gotcha. Something to look into for the future. Right now I need to get this gun set up properly and figure the basics out haha

[BioRage]

There's also "ERG" or eletric recoil guns,

As the name suggests, it mimics a bit of recoil, while some brands like Marui & KWA have the "last shot" function, meaning mag empty, insert fresh mag, you need to hit the bolt release for it to function again.

Not as real as a GBBR, but has the reliability of an AEG and bolt catch function.

"PTS CM4, KWA ERG, TM Recoil Shock" if you want to google/youtube

[06jorkee]

Originally Posted by BioRage

There's also "ERG" or eletric recoil guns,

As the name suggests, it mimics a bit of recoil, while some brands like Marui & KWA have the "last shot" function, meaning mag empty, insert fresh mag, you need to hit the bolt release for it to function again.

Not as real as a GBBR, but has the reliability of an AEG and bolt catch function.

"PTS CM4, KWA ERG, TM Recoil Shock" if you want to google/youtube

The G&G that I bought is the electric recoil version.

[06jorkee]

Correction- it’s the electric blowback version. I stopped by B2 today and shot an electric recoil version and am pretty convinced that is the way to go.

[BioRage]

lol glad you realized the G&G ones are a meme

[06jorkee]

Originally Posted by BioRage

lol glad you realized the G&G ones are a meme

In comparison to the KWA I shot, calling it a meme is fairly appropriate. I don’t know why G&G even bothered. That doesn’t even qualify for a “thanks for coming out”

[ThunderCactus]

gas guns require you to rack the first round
AEGs and HPA conversions, for the vast majority, will load a BB as it brings the piston back.


So a GBBR will load AFTER it has fired a round, like real steel
An AEG or HPA conversion most often tends to load BEFORE it fires a round

Getting more complicated; precocking an AEG, or setting (for example) a polarstar HPA conversion unit to "closed bolt firing", will cause it to fire a round before loading.

All guns need to be discharged to prove they're empty. I know it's counter-intuitive to RS, but most guns don't have open access to the chamber, and gas guns that do provide access to the chamber don't have any easy method of removing the BB from the chamber. There's no extractor, so shooting is the easiest way.

[06jorkee]

Ah, gotcha.

After trying out a nice electric recoil gun, I think I might end up going that route. All the realism i'm after (minus a working bolt) but without having to pay $70 per magazine to get it.

[Cr0nik]

Originally Posted by 06jorkee

I ended up buying an G&G TR4-16 lite that is pretty similar in size and shape to the DDMK18 that I run when i'm shooting.

Originally Posted by 06jorkee

My goal over the next few weeks is going to be to get my rifle set up as closely to my MK18 as possible

Originally Posted by 06jorkee

will airsoft parts sold advertised as M16/M4 parts still work on the airsoft 416 pattern rifles?

Sorry I'm a little confused here:
Did you buy a 416 intending to clone a mk18?
Was it a T16 R4? Or did you perhaps mean a TR4-18 Light? (G&G has such great model names )

If the latter: correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think its possible to clone a Mk18 using a 416?
Isn't the 416 upper receiver taller than the mk18? The rail sits a bit higher above the bore iirc.
If you stick a DD mk18 rail on a 416, wouldn't there be a visible difference in the height of your receiver rail and your fore end rail?