Good or bad? CA M15 CQB compact.

[coyote]

I am sorry to taint your forum with another 'what is a good gun to get for CQB?' but I am fairly new to the Airsoft world and I just don't know if this is the best gun for my money.

The gun in question is the CA m15 CQB compact AEG http://www.airsplat.com/Items/ERA-CA-M15-CQBC.htm .

I want to know if this is a good, reliable gun because I have heard mixed reviews.  Or, if there is a better gun for around the same price range.

What I am looking for is a gun that won't break on me every other day, is somewhat accurate, is at least manageable in CQB, and hopefully, if the airsoft gods are in my favor, be under the 330 FPS limit at CQB AZ since that is where I will mostly play at.  Although I kinda figure I will most likely have to down grade the spring (so spring recommendations would be appreciated    ).

If you so feel that there is a gun that better suits your needs then suggest away!  It doesn't absolutely have to be made of metal, just at least a sturdy nylon fiber that can handle small drops, bumps, and the occasional nuclear bomb .  Just try your best to keep it under $300 since I don't have a bottomless wallet, that and my dog killed my money tree sapling  :cry: .  Plus, I still need to buy a battery and a good charger.  And possibly, maybe, a good hopup bucking and a tight bore if I feel that I can part with that extra cash 8-[  .

I am sorry for sounding like a needy teenager who needs the best stuff on the block, I'm really not, I just don't want to waste money.

Thank you for your time.

[-MAD- SARGE]

If you are never going to shoot outside and only plan on using it in tight quarters, then this gun might meet your expectations. If you are going to want to engage targets at greater distances you might find your accuracy lacking.  I personally use the standard CA M15 CQB and it is plenty short and has good distance qualities for my taste. Know this, generally the shorter the barrel the less accurate the grouping is at distances. Now all you have to decide is what qualities you want an AEG to perform and then go buy it.  Ok, nothing is really that simple but you got to know what your looking for, do some research and ask very specific questions.

[coyote]

Okay, I see what you mean.  What I should have said is that I will be using it at CQB the most, but, I mean to use it in the occasional game with friends (normally on some acres owned by friends and telling the neighbors, we are not the kind of kids who play in public parks)  which would require longer range.  So I guess that would rule out the CA CQB since it is such a short weapon.  Now I guess I should ask is if I where to get, say a G&G  GR-16 carbine Plastica which has a bit longer of a barrel, and then get a spring that reduces the FPS to around the 300 mark.  Could it still also reach out to say, 150 + ft while retaining some accuracy?  With or without a tightbore and/or hopup upgrades?  Or would I have to change the spring every time I switch between playing at CQB or playing with friends to get that range and accuracy?  How hard is it to change the spring (I have seen videos of how to open the gear box and how to take things out, but have never actually opened one up)?  I know that FPS isn't the main factor in accuracy and range, but I know that it has some effect, but how much?  Is my range and accuracy going to suffer due to the lower FPS?  Or am I not going to miss that extra 50 FPS when I am trying to shoot someone who is 170 feet in front of me?  Or is that extra barrel length going to give me that ability to reach out?

I guess I am mainly worried about accuracy and range when not in CQB because I guess I still have the FPS = range stuck in my head and to my head reducing the FPS to 300 would hinder what I could do when I need range, but I guess having the longer barrel would give it more range then the CA CQB.  But then the trade off is the G&G is longer and bulkier so it can't maneuver as well at CQB as a CQB weapon, so would the range given by that longer barrel warrant the larger size.

As I stand now I am currently going back to my original choice of going with the G&G because of the longer range.  So I guess now I am going to ask if people like the G&G R-16 Carbine Plastica and if they think it could fulfill a happy-ish medium between CQB and field.  Is the G&G durable with reliable innards?  Am I going to want to upgrade to an aftermarket tight bore? or is the stock barrel good?  And please don't just say get two guns, believe me, I have thought of it.  I can't afford that... yet  :twisted:  .

[-MAD- SARGE]

All I can say is this for sure.  I have a CA CQB with a 10-inch barrel, 12-inch if you count the flash hider.  I shoot 380fps and have an effective range of 160ft. I define effective range as being able to constantly hit a man-sized target in the center of mass.  Maximum range of 180-190ft.   Now I have seen guns with lower fps (320 or so) have the same or better range than mine, so I generally think of fps as how fast the round will get to the target and how hard it will impact the target. Some distance is added with fps in my experience, could increase your effective range up to around 20ft or so but since it has been so long ago I can't tell you a figure for sure.  I would advise against constantly opening up a gun just to keep changing springs out back and forth. It can be a pain at times and you have to make sure you get all the bugs worked out after every time you open it, it all of a sudden might not work well for you at the next game. Not saying it can't be done but just expect issues to arise and be prepared to do comprehensive testing.  

I don’t know which model of G&G R16 your looking at, so I will just cut to the chase. It sounds like you play mostly CQB but want good range in the field.  A good compromise would be an M4 with a 14.5 inch barrel.  The real deal was specifically designed to try and give decent cqb capabilities with good field characteristics. This may fit the role you are looking for.  Or if your not too picky about a possible 20ft difference or so, you could just get whatever gun that looks good to you and maybe you will enjoy it better.  Overall airsoft is unfortunately not cheap, as many tend to think.  Your ultimately are going to have to get your feet wet and experiment on your own cause what might work for me may not work for you.

*all fps values use a 0.2gram bb.

[coyote]

Okay.  Thanks for all your help  :mrgreen:  .

[-MAD- SARGE]

Here's an idea for thought.  Look at this thread, viewtopic.php?f=12&t=25214

Now I do not know this guy, never meet him. But here's the idea.  Its a compact CQB like you want minus the compact full stock.  It would fill your CQB need but you can do a simple modification to install a longer inner barrel for the days you require one. You could invest in a second longer inner barrel and hop up unit, install the longer barrel and let the suppressor hide the extra barrel. Installing and removing an inner barrel is the easiest modification you can do and you can easily fill two roles in one just by switching inner barrels with hop up unit. That is of course if you like that particular look.

I'm not vouching anything here, so buy at your own risk.

[coyote]

hmm.  That sounds like a great idea.  I will definably look into it.  Thanks again for the help  :mrgreen: .