Mach 1 Airsoft - G&G GR16 R4 Commando In-Depth Review

[ShadowNet]

Hello everyone. Recently, I purchased a G&G GR16 R4 Commando (Cansoft), which is G&G’s pseudonym for the M4 RAS (in order to prevent copyright issues).


Retailer
First and foremost, I will review the retailer. I purchased the AEG from Mach 1 Airsoft – an airsoft retailer based in Toronto. Although Mach 1 is a relatively new retailer to the Canadian Airsoft scene, their service is excellent. The time from placing the order to receiving the AEG was about 5 business days. I applaud Mach 1 for remarkable efficiency, and extremely well customer-retailer communication. All my questions in E-mails and PMs were replied within 24 hours of them being sent. They are very polite and will answer all your questions to the best of their ability. Payments are made through PayPal or Direct Deposit. Mach 1 has an age verification method, so you must be 18+ with legal government ID to purchase airsoft guns. Overall, it was a very satisfying and pleasant experience to do business with Mach 1.

GR16 R4 Commando
Moving on, I will review the GR16 R4 Commando itself. It is a very robust AEG. The GR16 R4 Commando is part of G&G’s “SG” line of AEGs – which are the high quality AEGs from G&G. The only difference between the Cansoft AEG and the original one is that the lower receiver is made of a clear and sturdy polycarbonate plastic material. The lower receiver can also be easily changed to a metal lower or full receiver. The AEG weighs about 3kg (2950g) – which is extremely close to real steel (about 3.1kg). The bolt catch is made of metal, but is only for display. The charging handle can be pulled back, but doing so will not open the dust cover. The dust cover has an inverted coil spring, or in other words, the spring keeps the dust cover closed. If you purchase a new metal receiver or charging handle/dust cover set, the charging handle will be able to open the dust cover. The hop-up adjust is housed in the upper receiver, behind the dust cover. It has a green gear that turns left for less hop, and right for more hop. The stock of the GR16 R4 Commando is a crane stock made off durable nylon fiber material. The overall length is 870mm (roughly 34 inches), and the inner 6.035mm tightbore barrel is 367mm (14 inches). The AEG has a high rate of fire with a 9.6V 1400mAh nunchuck battery. It fires around 21-23 BB/s. Its FPS is around 320-365 ft/s. As for magazine reception, the plastic lower receiver accepts most STANAG mags fine. There is a little bit of mag wobble, but there isn't enough to piss you off. I hate Hi-Cap mags, so I bought a box of 8 MAG M16 Midcap Magazines. These magazines fit very well in the gun. I would recommend MAG M16 Midcaps for those who want a sturdy and reliable midcap mag. The metal 450rd hi-cap mag that comes with the gun is also considerably longer than regular magazines. The gearbox is black, so the clear lower receiver is almost unnoticeable. The trades on the lower receiver are the same as the United States Marine Corps ones. The trades are actually decals, so they can be rubbed or scratched off. Above the selector switch is another decal that says:

COMPLETE A.E.G. SERIES
MFG. BY COMBAT MACHINE
MADE IN TAIWAN

Internals: Sorry, I do not know a lot about AEG internals, but they should be exactly the same as the full metal counterparts.

The metal parts of the gun include:
- Flash Hider
- Outer Barrel
- Front Sight
- Front Sling Mount
- RIS Rails + Hand Guard
- Upper Receiver
- Charging Handle
- Dust Cover
- Bolt Catch
- Magazine Catch
- Trigger
- Trigger Guard
- Selector Switch
- Upper Receiver Rail
- Rear Sight
- Forward Assist Button
- Buffer Tube
- Black Gear Box
- 450 round Hi-Cap Magazine

The non-metal parts of the gun include:
- Lower Receiver
- Crane Stock
- Pistol Grip
- Vertical Grip

Package
Upon receiving the shipment from the courier, the AEG was in a long box covered in a thick layer of packing paper. After tearing off the packing paper, I was greeted by a picture of my AEG on the cover of the box. Inside the box was a thick foam case that held the AEG and everything else.

It came with:
- AEG
- 450rd Metal Hi-Cap Magazine
- Cleaning Rod
- Wrench (I think it's for removing the outer barrel)
- Front Sight Elevation Adjustment Tool
- 2x RIS panels
- A full-coloured operator's manual
- Nylon Fiber Vertgrip
- A red flash hider cover
- Grepow 9.6V 1400mAh nunchuk battery (sold separately)
- Ni-Mh/Ni-Cd Smart Charger (sold separately)
- Bag of 5000+ High-Grade ICS Competition 0.20g BBs (sold separately)

Cost
The GR16 R4 Commando costs $478.00 CAD (GST included). PST (8%) and shipping are added to the sub-total upon received purchase request. If you live in Ontario or on the central/east side of Canada, your best bet would be to buy from Mach 1 Airsoft. If you live on the west side of Canada, you should buy AEGs from Ken at 007 Airsoft. The cost of shipping depends heavily on the distance between you and the retailer, so it's up to you to make the right choice. They have low shipping costs (around $20) and I received the package 1 business day later upon confirmed payment.

Conclusion
In conclusion, Mach 1 Airsoft is an excellent dealer to purchase from. Superb communication and efficiency are their key attracting factors. The G&G GR16 R4 Commando is an awesome AEG, and should not be underestimated just because it is Cansoft. It is exactly the same as G&Gs high-quality, full metal AEGs aside from the plastic lower receiver. If you are looking for a Canadian law compliant airsoft gun, excellent customer service and prices, and a variety of AEGs to choose from, then Mach 1 Airsoft is the best choice (aside from AV'd classifieds). Please PM me if I made any mistakes, or if you have any questions - I will try to answer them to the best of my ability.

Pics

























UPDATE
I diassembled the GR16 R4 Commando and painted the clear lower receiver with Krylon camo paint. It matches quite well, but since Krylon camo paints are ultra-flat, there is no shine - which contrasts to the upper receiver a tiny bit. Krylon satin MIGHT just match a little better, but I haven't tried it yet.


I used a poor man's chrono, and with 0.20g ICS BBs, both sides of the can was penetrated. Bottom middle of the can was also penetrated. Top corner was dented about 1/4 of an inch.

UPDATE 2
Received the new, proper receiver for the G&G R4 Commando today, courtesy of Mach 1 Airsoft.



Thanks for reading my review!

[Armalite]

I have the same one but in black-full metal version.
thx for the review.

[ShadowNet]

Originally Posted by Armalite

I have the same one but in black-full metal version.
thx for the review.

That's not the same one. The one you have is the GR16 Carbine.

[Armalite]

Originally Posted by ShadowNet

That's not the same one. The one you have is the GR16 Carbine.

I am not talking about the gun on my signature.
I also have the following:

if it is not the same, tell me why please

(just the trademark laser marking which is the difference)

[ShadowNet]

Oh ok, the signature was misleading.

[Sarky]

Thanks for the review and looks like these clear G&G are on the same line as the non clear ones

[phwiphwi]

Pictures would be nice

[ShadowNet]

Originally Posted by phwiphwi

Pictures would be nice

pictures will be up as soon as I have time

[Armalite]

Originally Posted by ShadowNet

pictures will be up as soon as I have time

Thanks for the pictures.

[ShadowNet]

Originally Posted by Armalite

Thanks for the pictures.

You're welcome!

[Armalite]

Originally Posted by ShadowNet

You're welcome!

It's exactly the same box as mine. Good photoshop job with COD 4! Very nice result. Thanks again and happy holidays

[Matty1020]

nice job with the Call of Duty 4 pic, and great review!

[ShadowNet]

Originally Posted by Matty1020

nice job with the Call of Duty 4 pic, and great review!

Thanks!

[johjoh]

thanks alot for the review man appreciated

[bobotea]

Nice review!

Did you have any problems removing the flash hider? Because i have heard that G&G glues them on, so you have to heat it up with a lighter or put it in boiling water.