Western Arms (WA) M4A1 CQB-R

The gun we've all been waiting for - the Western Arms M4 with blowback feature is finally here and it's better than we could've expected! Take it out of it's packaging and you'll be pleasantly surprised that it has a decent weight to it, despite not having a metal body. The main receiver is not any ordinary ABS plastic though, but fiber-reinforced polymer as found on many real firearms. The rigidity of this material exceeds die-cast metals, so the choice of material is a means to an end.

What lies within the fiberglass reinforced body is what really makes this gun truly exciting, as in place of a gearbox, you will find that it has a blowback mechanism powered by HFC134a or even Top Gas, which is filled into the metal magazines. Once charged with gas, you're ready for action; there is a feature to disable the bolt catch, to make it convenient to shoot without BBs if you want to show off your blowback! Pull the charging handle back, then you're ready to fire. A neat feature, which is just like the real thing, is that the safety can not be engaged when the hammer is down. It is nice to see WA paid attention even to the littlest of things.

One thing that WA are famous for (apart from 1911 replicas!) is their Magna blowback, which has a reputation for having a strong kick. Well, this M4 is no different. Even with HFC134a, your shoulder can feel the force of the blowback, with quite a loud noise too (from the gun, not your shoulder). With Top Gas, the force is even stronger, but rest assured HFC134a can give you plenty of s*&ts and giggles. Using HFC134a, the performance is a nice 300fps and with Top Gas, 380fps can be achieved. It works flawlessly in both semi and full-auto modes too, but extended bursts are not recommended because of cooldown.

Even though it is not a full metal gun, it is still extremely solid and you will eventually learn to love it for what it is. It has got nice aesthetic touches, with an RIS system and a detachable metal carrying handle that allows a scope to be mounted. The gun also features a 6 position telescopic stock and the body has authentic engravings for all those who like to see the real trademarks. Unlike AEGs, the hop up adjustment dial is not inside the main receiver, but can be found within the RIS system below the barrel base.

It is a truly exciting gun. Even though it is not the first blowback automatic rifle or even gas blowback one, it is the quite possibly the best one we have seen so far and we are sure that we will see an array of modification parts for this gun to follow - metal body anyone?

Looking for more power? Install a 6.01mm Precision barrel from PDI and you'll immediately shoot in the 420 - 450fps range using TOP GAS (Green Gas) and no other modifications necessary! Take advantage of this super fast power upgrade and hit those enemies from afar! PDI precision barrels are the best in the industry and will help you hit more accurate shots too! If you think this gun is too short, then also choose from the large variety of longer G&P front grips and barrels for a longer inner barrel (which equals more power!)

On Top Gas, the Muzzle Velocity is at an average of 385fps using .20g bbs (Temperature: 18 degrees).
On Top Gas, the Muzzle Velocity is at an average of 370fps using .25g bbs (Temperature: 18 degrees).

Designed to operate on HFC134a Gas, you can however after extensive internal upgrades, as well as through magazine upgrades use more power sources like Top Gas.