Jing Gong M4: The People's Airsoft Gun

Occasionally products in various industries assume the moniker of “the people’s”. One of the first to use this tag was Volkswagen, which literally means “people’s car” in German. Since then terms like “the people’s bank” and “the people’s jeans” have been used by marketing whizzes to describe things that are useful to the common man. In many cases the phrase is used when a particular product is accessible to those who could otherwise not afford to use products of its type.

Today I’ve decided to bestow this title upon another product, the Jing Gong M4. The Jing Gong M4 is one of the most popular Airsoft guns for beginners, and allows new players to own a reliable, high performance Airsoft gun for much less money than the competitors. The Jing Gong M4 was also the original platform on which the Echo 1 M4 was based, a gun that quickly became one of the most popular Airsoft guns from an American company. Many other industry leaders have tried to follow suit, some notable examples are the “Sportline” models from Classic Army and G&G.

Nowadays there are many options for affordable Airsoft guns. Some of the higher end companies have dropped their prices or released new, more affordable guns. Many of the Chinese companies like CYMA and WELL have stepped up their quality and now produce more reliable Airsoft guns. But the original people’s gun is and will remain the Jing Gong M4. Back when Chinese companies were all but untouchable, Jing Gong stepped up production and made a viable, affordable Airsoft gun. When Echo 1 began to rebrand them (for the record, the Echo 1 M4 is now based on VFC and no longer has anything to do with Jing Gong) they became even more popular.

Jing Gong M4s come in many shapes and sizes, and now they are represented in quite a few price ranges as well. What makes them so great for beginners is that they cost under $200, have reliable gearboxes based on the Tokyo Marui design, accept parts from most major Airsoft companies, shoot hard and have good externals. Five years ago this was one of the only guns that offered all of these things for such a low price. Many AEGs from Jing Gong are available with metal bodies as well, another huge draw. Most guns from Jing Gong have these qualities, but the M4s have the bonus of being ideal for CQB or outdoor scenarios and being highly receptive to mods or accessories. Of course, it is also the standard rifle used by the US Armed Forces, a fact that has undoubtedly added to the gun’s popularity.

Jing Gong has continued to improve their M4s and the current incarnation sticks with the original blueprint of a reliable, high performance gun at an affordable price. The newest M4 fires 400FPS using .2g BBs and comes packaged with a 300 round magazine. It has a high torque motor and all metal gear box with durable components. It has an ABS plastic upper receiver with a metal barrel, stock tube and other metal components. The hopup and rear sight are both adjustable and the carrying handle is removable. It has a respectable fire rate of 500-1000 rounds per minute. In short, the Jing Gong M4 is everything one wants in an AEG, nothing more and nothing less. It is still one of the best options in its price range for all the reasons it originally was. Personally I trust them more than Sportline models as well, as Sportline models generally have downgraded internals.

The Jing Gong M4 is by no means the best rifle money can buy. But the Jing Gong M4 is quite possibly the best rifle for its price. New Airsoft players should definitely consider it and other AEGS from Jing Gong when shopping for their first AEG. It isn’t a bad option for experienced players by any means, and is a great option for those who want an M4 for their collection but don’t want to break the bank. Because they accept parts from most Airsoft companies, they can be upgraded to have the best performance on the field. Check out the full selection of Airsoft guns from Jing Gong.

Airsoft Review: ICS MP5

ICS Electric MP5A63 (DYT-ICS-63)

The ICS MP5 has long been a pretty iconic gun in the airsoft community. It is an attractive gun for beginners with its reliable performance and metal body. Until some years ago it was one of the few choices for those who didn’t want to spend Classic Army or Tokyo Marui money but still wanted a high quality gun. Nowadays the Chinese companies have stepped up their quality and many of the guns from companies like CYMA and Jing Gong are quite reliable. Companies like Classic Army and G&G have also started making cheaper models of their guns for the entry level market. So, with all these new options, does the ICS MP5 still stack up?

ICS Electric MP5A2 (DYT-ICS-03)

ICS offers a wide variety of MP5 models. The main differences are in the lower receiver and the stock. The SD models are the same as their corresponding numbered model but include a silencer. So an MP5 SD5 will be the same as an MP5 A5 but have a silencer. The silencers don’t do anything, but they look really cool and down the road you can extend the barrel into the silencer for improved accuracy. Stock choice is personal preference and should be an easy choice to make. The only options are retractable and full. I prefer full stocks but it’s all about what feels best. Retractable stocks are more versatile as you get the option between a couple of different lengths.

Electric ICS MP515 (HT-ICS-15)

The final difference between models is in the lower receiver, of which there are two kinds. One option is the “SEF” receiver, named for the letters that designate different firing modes (in German). The other option is the “Navy” receiver. The Navy receiver is completely ambidextrous whereas the SEF receiver is only designed for use by right handed people. For this reason, lefties should probably choose the Navy receiver. Those who are right handed should take the SEF receiver, because the fire selector switch on the Navy receiver models is places slightly awkwardly and those with bigger hands will find it actually touches their hand while holding the gun, and this can be fairly annoying.

ICS Electric MP5A64 (DYT-ICS-64)

The externals are pretty excellent on the ICS MP5 range, and this is one of the big draws to the guns. The metal is fairly high quality, not top of the line but not pot metal by any means either. You don’t get any official trademarks although they are stamped with 9mmX19 instead of having the 6mm BB stamp. They come with metal clips as well that are excellent. The externals are hardy and things like the sling attachment points aren’t going to break off. I’ve known a ton of people with this gun and none of them have ever managed to break it. I did find one unfortunate soul who managed to break one in half at the front grip, so it is possible to break them and they aren’t indestructible. But other than this one person (who apparently fell directly on the gun with its barrel pointed down), I’ve never known anyone to break any external parts of this gun.

Performance is good and reliable on the ICS MP5 line. They tend to come badly shimmed from the factory but if this is taken care of and regular maintenance is performed then these will run for years. They shoot around 320FPS stock with .2g BBs and shoot pretty consistently – within 10 FPS. The gearbox and internal components are capable of withstanding stronger springs than the one they come with, anything up to an M110 spring should be no problem and it is easy to get these guns shooting over 400FPS simply by dropping a new spring in. Rate of fire is respectable although not blisteringly fast. Obviously this can be upgraded as well with larger batteries or by downgrading the spring. Inside the V2 gearbox is very standard, ICS doesn’t use funny gears or pistons or anything. The wiring is excellent and should hold up for a good long while.

Many of the new ICS MP5 models feature the ICS split gearbox. This is a new style gearbox that allows for the easy switching of springs. Say your gun shoots 450FPS and you want to play a field with a 350FPS limit, you can easily switch out the springs. As any experienced airsofter knows, switching a gearbox’s spring can be very annoying. It requires a screwdriver long and skinny enough to hold the spring in place and is really a big hassle. With the ICS split gearbox it can be accomplished easily in 10 minutes. It is also possible to just have two gearbox tops with different springs, and then switching can be accomplished in seconds. There are a few compatibility issues with the split gearbox and non-ICS parts. But they have proved reliable and are very useful.

Overall, the ICS MP5 line makes an excellent choice for beginners or experts. I personally think they are worth the extra $50 or so over the cheaper Chinese brands as they are made from good materials and known to be reliable. I think they are a better option than “Sportline” guns from the big companies as well, as these tend to have plastic bodies and sometimes even downgraded internals. Another great thing is that with so many new options for beginning players, ICS are kind of out of style right now. Used to be you would walk into an airsoft field and see ICS everywhere, sometimes including the field’s rental guns. Now they are a little bit rarer which means you won’t have the same gun as everyone else (everyone else will have an M16 variant anyway).

Head over to www.hobbytron.com to check out some of the ICS MP5 models currently in stock and we’ll see you on the field.