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Description:
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G&G TR4-18 Light review by XavierMace
Discuss this review here.
Real Steel History from wikipedia
The HK416 uses a proprietary gas system derived from the HK G36, replacing the direct impingement gas system used by the standard M16/M4. The HK G36 gas system was in turn derived from the AR-18 assault rifle designed in 1963. The HK system uses a short-stroke piston driving an operating rod to force the bolt carrier to the rear. This design prevents combustion gases from entering the weapon's interior, a shortcoming with direct impingement systems. The reduction in heat and fouling of the bolt carrier group increases the reliability of the weapon and extends the interval between stoppages. It also reduces operator cleaning time and stress on critical components. According to H&K "experience that Heckler & Koch gained during its highly successful 'midlife improvement programme' for the British Army SA80 assault rifle, have now borne fruit in the HK416".
Basic Information
The G&G TR4-18 Light is part of G&G's GT Advanced series of weapons featuring an 8mm gearbox with pneumatic blowback. The "Light" denotes that this is the shorter 10.5" barrel model. The gun is also available with a standard 14.5" barrel. The gun is available at many US retailers for around $400.
Product Description/First Impressions:
The gun comes in packaging common to most G&G guns which means a nice black box with a holographic sticker showing what model the box contains. Inside the box you find a nice hard styrofoam tray holding the gun and magazine securely in place. In addition to the gun you will also find a 450 round high capacity magazine, screwdriver, cleaning rod, catalog, and a exceptionally nice full color manual. I want to stress how nice the manual is simply because it's so non-typical in airsoft guns. A job well done by G&G on the packaging across the board.
Externals
As this is part of G&G's flagship line, the expectation is the gun should have top notch externals. Trademarks are always a bit of debate. Some people have to have them, some people don't care. In this particular case, the gun has G&G's trademarks along with color HK style selector markings. The gun does not have an abundance of markings which personally is more important to me than trademarks.
The gun comes with a collapsible Sopmod stock, or crane stock as it's more commonly called in airsoft, that holds the battery for the gun. This particular model allows you to install the battery from the back. The plastic of the stock is quite nice with minimal seam lines. Fully collapsed the stock sits flush up against the rear of the gun.
The rear battery cap is held in place via a hook on the top of the butt plate and two clips on the bottom of the butt plate. This keeps the assembly secure but still allows you to replace the battery without tools or removing the entire stock. The butt plate is rubber and makes the stock reasonably comfortable to shoulder.
Rather than a standard M16 or Tango Down style grip like you normally see on HK416 style guns, the gun has a G&G Ergo grip. The grip has a bit of a rubberized feel to it and wraps up the back of the gun. Personally I find it to be one of the most comfortable grips on the market.
Internals
Internally, at the core is a V2 gearbox as with all TM compatible M4 AEG's. However there's some differences in the TR4-18's case, some more obvious than others. Most obvious is the pnuematic blow back system on top of the gearbox. The smaller changes you see on this side of the gearbox is the non standard selector plate due to the functional right side selector indicator. I say indicator because it's not an ambidextrous selector switch, but the piece that's normally just a cap is actually functional on this gun. It's a nice little touch.
Flipping the gearbox over, we once again see non standard components due to the selector design. It's obviously a proprietary design, but since none of these components are under stress, you really shouldn't have to worry about them breaking. Also worth noting is the front corners of the opening for the cylinder are radiused. Normally that's something you would have to do by hand but G&G has done it for you. Another nice touch that makes the gearbox stand out.
The motor is probably the least note worthy part of the internals. That's not saying it's bad, there's just no markings or distinguishing features on it. As with all other M4's, it's a long type motor, so it can be replaced with one of your choosing if you so desire. Personally, I usually swap out the stock motors for a higher torque one but that's just personal preference. The motor itself is well made and assembled equally as well.
Once you get to the inside of the gearbox, it looks a lot more familiar to anyone who's worked on an M4 before. The gears are stamped "G&G" and are equally as well made as the rest of the gun. They have a bit more grease than what is probably necessary but by no means an unreasonable amount. The trigger assembly is a standard M4 trigger assembly as found in pretty much all M4 AEG's. The springs for the trigger assembly do seem a bit stronger than normal which is by no means a bad thing as it give you a much more positive trigger response.
The piston is a black full polycarb piston with the first tooth removed from the factory and solid full length rails. The piston head is of the ported aluminum variety. Nothing out of the norm here. Both items are once again well made with no visible defects of any kind.
The cylinder looks like your normal unported brass cylinder save for the port at the top for the pneumatic blowback system. Traditionally you would expect to see a full ported cylinder on a gun with this barrel length, but my assumption is it needs the extra volume for the blowback. Once again, no defects or flaws of any sort were visible on the item.
The hopup chamber and barrel provided a slight surprise. The hopup chamber is a standard 1 piece type but is plastic rather than metal. Given that this is not a wear component, it really shouldn't matter, it was just a bit unexpected. The barrel is your standard copper variety stock barrel.
Power/Magazines
The gun uses standard M4 style magazines and includes one metal 450 round high capacity magazine. The included magazine fed flawlessly and will allow you to get out onto the field and start playing. Power wise, the gun is designed to use a crane stock (non Sub-C cell) battery. Alternatively buffer tube and some tri-cell LiPo batteries will also fit. The gun comes wired with a small type Tamaya plug.
Performance Characteristics:
The guns performance was tested using .25g Elite Force Bio BB's. These are a relatively newer BB on the market and I wanted to see how they performed. The gun chrono'd at 330fps with the aforementioned .25g BB's at 980rpm using an 11.1v 1200mah 20C LiPo.
Accuracy wise, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The G&G M4 hopup is plastic, one piece, TM compatible chamber and the gun has a relatively short barrel. As the above picture shows the gun hit 12/12 shots from 30 yards (90 feet) from a standing, unbraced position. The gun seemed to have a small habit of sending the occasional flyer off to the right, but they could be caused by the BB's. The hopup did have to be turned up a bit to properly hop the .25g BB's.
Accessories/Modifications
As the gun has no shortage of rail space, accessory wise you have no shortage of options. Any rail mounted accessory will work fine. The gun will also take standard M4 compatible stocks and pistol grips. However, the gun already has G&G's nice ergo grip which is quite comfortable so it's unlikely you will want to change it out. The stock does hold the battery so you are somewhat limited in options there. The gun already includes a sling plate so there's no need to purchase one of those.
Upgrades:
Externally the gun has no shortage of rail space for adding on accessories of your choosing. The design of the gun does make it a little more restrictive on aftermarket upgrades than most M4's, however it's already a non-standard M4 design so there's no reason to make it look more like an M4. The pistol grip could be replaced with any regular M4 motor grip. However, as mentioned before, I personally find the grip exceptionally comfortable so I don't see many people doing that. You can replace the stock with any normal M4 stock. Just keep in mind it's your battery storage, so you'll need a stock capable of holding a battery.
Internally the gun is pretty solid out of the box. Personally, my only changes would be a higher torque motor and converting the gun to Dean's connectors for the battery. That said, the gun performs quite well out of the box, so I would recommend largely leaving it as is.
Skirmish Results
The gun performed admirably on the field with no failures of any kind. It's small enough to run around the local CQB field but still has enough accuracy for outdoor games. It's a very well balanced platform.
Conclusion:
The TR4-18 is a very solid product from G&G and should serve you well for quite some time. The gun has a lot of nice little features that at first glance you might not notice but the more you handle the weapon, the more it stands out. I look forward to seeing more releases like this from G&G in the future.
End Notes:
Many thanks to G&G and 101 Tech USA for providing this gun for review. Your support is greatly appreciated.
Written by XavierMace, 04/28/2012
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I do like pie
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Posts: 6,414
Registered: January 2007
Location: Mesa, AZ
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;)