6mmProShop Strike Industries Licensed "Sentinel" M4 Airsoft AEG Rifle by E&C (Color: Blue / 13.5" GRIDLOK LITE / 400FPS)

"Nice gun but took me a while to find where the battery goes

"Took a flyer on this out of curiosity (no other reviews thus far), and with the added incentive of an epic deal sale price. Bottom line is that I think this gun is a great buy at the sale price point because of the quality and fit of the externals, and while it isn't exactly competition ready internally IMO, it gets the job done. Read on if you want a bunch of details that were lacking in description and further context for my opinion.

I'm a big fan of strike industries and this AEG certainly does not disappoint in the aesthetics department. For starters this is a full metal AEG. Rail and sights are identical in quality and fit to the EMG/G&P variants that generally come at a higher price point. The 6MMPro version has a more matte finish on the upper and lower receiver, which I actually prefer. I also prefer the hinged door style motor grip compared to the bracket & cover style on the EMG. My only complaints externally are the not so adjustable, adjustable stock and the lack of a quick change spring accessible upper receiver (the gearbox shell is QSC).

My gripe with the stock (or lack there of) is poor battery space. This AEG uses a traditional buffer tube washer and bolt to connect to the spring guide, so there is barely enough space for a 1000MAH 11.1 Lipo. It does fit, but its a struggle compared to the EMG variant, which has more room as a result of the strike industries clamp and set screw style connection. I do like the buffer tube trademarks and while very wobbly, I don't really mind the mini clip on stock (also made of metal). It looks cool, just not very functional. If you want to run a bigger battery, consider a stubby style full stock or something that fits crane stock batteries as an upgrade. Personally I plan to swap the motor for a brushless to extend battery run time and just cram a 1000 or 900mah 11.1 in there.

Regarding the lack of a QSC compatible upper receiver, it completely negates the point of have a QSC gearbox shell. Anyone with a reasonable set of tech skills can open and close a gearbox shell under tension (if you can't don't take your gearbox out of your gun lol). So If I have to take the gearbox out of the AEG body to get to the spring then what is the point.

Internally I was actually surprised based on the price point. Compression parts seem to get the job done since the gun shot at the advertised FPS in my testing. You get a brass nozzle with o-ring, ported aluminum piston head, SHS style full metal rack piston, ported metal cylinder and a brass cylinder head. If you plan to upgrade, none of the compression parts require changing IMO. Gears are 18:1, metal and are 'ok' quality. Gearbox shell utilizes 8mm bearings (not J caged), and is made of pot metal. However, I found no signs of poor machining on the inside where it counts, and I think it will hold up fine for most sub 400FPS build. It also appears to have been reinforced in the front and radiused, albeit not as cleanly or robustly as I would prefer. Also of note is that my gearbox came with only 1 shim on the sector gear. Sector gear and Spur gear were pretty tight to the bearings (tighter then I prefer but not in danger of bearing blow out) so not much room for shimming. Bevel gear was very loose, but I thought the gun sounded fine. With my planned upgrades I'll keep the stock gears and reshim. For electronics you get the standard mechanical trigger contacts, no mosfet and decent, thin wiring with deans connectors.

Hop up is the blue plastic variant (all internal plastic in this gun is the same standard blue CYMA style), but had no issues hoping .25's in my testing. I didn't put my micrometer on the barrel, but it is made of brass and based on accuracy is probably in the 6.05MM to 6.10MM range. Accuracy/ consistency was honestly not great. I attribute the accuracy issue to the hop rubber and barrel more than the hop unit. I'll probably change the hop up rubber to a maple leaf or a 4UAD and role with that, but if you plan on using outside you may need to go further in the hop/ barrel department.

So all in all I think this is an aesthetically pleasing AEG with nice trademarks, well fitted upper and lower receivers and a high quality MLOK rail. The gears are adequate for most builds and compression parts are perfectly fine. I plan to add a high torque motor, replace electronics with a GATE Aster, short stroke gears 2 teeth, reshim and replace bucking to really make this think sing. Then once it breaks I'll continue to poor money into it like the rest of my AEGs :)

"Not bad internals wise but the colored accessories feel loose and the color in the picture is not what it looks like irl. I bought the dark brown earth because in the picture it looked more golden but it almost looks like poop brown. The mag also feels loose ( mid and high caps ). Now onto the good things. It shoots amazingly good and has fantastic accuracy with the iron sights and a red dot sight. The barrel guard also feels really sturdy and it feels great in the hand. Overall a good purchase.