The M4 carbine is a new standard of battle rifle in America's military. The M4 is basically a CAR-15/XM-177 type rifle with a 14.5" barrel, a collapsible stock, and a removeable top carry handle to allow for the fitment of different optics packages. Designed as multi-role platform, it can be used for many purposes from standard infantry weapon all the way to a customized black-ops CQB system. The model reviewed here is somewhere in between: the RIS (Rail Interface System) version of the M4 features a handguard with four Weaver-type rails for the easy attachment of accessories such as tactical lights, laser sights, vertical grips, and so on. Other than the RIS forend, the rifle is identical to the stock M4.

Appearance:

Marui has done a great job on outward appearances, as usual. The M4 is molded in fairly realistic shades of black and grey; the markings are good; the RIS unit, including laser aimer and vertical grip, looks great; and the magazines look as if they were adapted from real mil-spec M-16 mags, right down to the manufacturer marks on the floor plate. The sights are accurately represented on this airsoft, and all the controls are very familiar to anyone who's spent time with any of the M-16 series. The only flaws, cosmetically, are minor. The black finish on the metal outer barrel is a little too shiny compared to the rest of the rifle, and the right-side of the safety selector switch is actually a dummy. When you move the selector switch on the left side of the receiver, the corresponding indicator on the right side does not move.

Function:

  The M4 Functioned reliably throughout my testing, using two standard-capacity magazines clamped together. The collapsible stock works well, and although the fire selector switch is a lot easier to turn than on a real rifle, it stays where you want it. To adjust hop-up on this model, you need to pull back the charging lever on top of the airsoft and hold it open while reaching into the ejection port and turning the hop-up dial. It's not the most convenient setup, but it's not difficult. The carrying handle/rear sight unit is detachable, as on the real one, but loosening its two nuts. The handle is removed to reveal a Weaver-type rail that allows the attachment of just about anything with such a mount, mainly optics sights. One of the most common things I see on the M4 is a holographic reflex sight that has a backup A2-type sight in case the reflex sight's batteries go dead.
  The RIS handguard is the central accessory on this airsoft. It consists of a top section (which includes the left and right sides) and a bottom section. There are accessory rails on the top, bottom, and sides of the unit. As it comes from the factory, the bottom rail is used by a vertical grip which can be positioned anywhere along the rail; the sides are occupied by protective covers that slide off if you want to add more accessories; and the top rail is taken by a laser aiming module. In the Marui version, the laser aimer is non-functional and serves only as a battery compartment - the battery cable runs through the bottom of the aimer and into the handguard, where it hooks into the regular M4 power lead.
  Overall, the M4 works well from all standpoints. My biggest problem with it is that it has a lot of little creaks and other sounds that would work against you if you were trying to be quiet. It's probably due to the fact that the rifle is made up of so many components, from several barrel sections to the multi-piece handguard to the upper and lower receivers to the pistol grip (which houses the electric motor) to the collapsible stock. An all-metal conversion might help the noise a little, but that remains to be seen. I don't know how durable the M4 would be under tournament conditions because of the fact that it's made from so many different parts. And on a separate note, although the carry handle may fit, it isn't durable enough to be used on a real M4. After you fire about ten rounds, the sight assembly comes apart and you have to chase the flying pieces. Note the black tape holding the rear sight together in the photo above.

Accuracy:

  Marui's M4 seems on par with the rest of their AEGs that we've tested. I was able to make a three-inch group on semi-auto at fifteen yards with .2g BBs. On full-auto, the group size opened up to about four or five inches. Right out of the box, the M4 RIS shot about six inches low at fifteen yards, but that was easily resolved by tuning the hop-up. The sights are also fully adjustable for real fine tuning.

Overall Impressions:

  The M4 is another quality electric gun from Tokyo Marui. While it doesn't feel as solid as an MP5 variant, it performs well, and with the RIS it's customizable to almost any mission profile.