Initial Impressions of the TM SOPMOD M4 AEG

[Medic008]

The thing about the recoil is that it affects a "little" to the accuracy, but the issue for that kind of players is that it prevents them to write their name with their white laser hoses, a tragedy...

 

And Ecthelion, I understand your logic about "the more BBs I shoot, the most possibilities I have to hit the target" Im a table RPG player after all, but as rolling dices is a gamble, that style is a gamble too, what do I mean? It takes out your shooting skill, which I firmly believe is necessary too on this hobby. Am I naive enough to think that shooting skill is important? yes, since 80% of my shots are made on semi.

 

If the same person with the same gun in the same situation shoots 20 bbs at a target using the same aiming style is he more or less likely to hit the target if his RPS were raised to 30?

 

Shots on semi are great... for real steel. When I shot my AR15, I always wondered how anyone can get nice controlled groups on full at anything longer than 100 yards.

With the SOPMOD, semi shots are also good, cause the SOPMOD emulates a real steel in terms of recoil albeit at 1/10 of the force.

 

But if my AEG has no recoil, are semi shots still significantly more accurate than full auto? Does shooting on semi help me aim better? Does it make my BBs fly straighter?

[Number5]

If the same person with the same gun in the same situation shoots 20 bbs at a target using the same aiming style is he more or less likely to hit the target if his RPS were raised to 30?

 

Shots on semi are great... for real steel. When I shot my AR15, I always wondered how anyone can get nice controlled groups on full at anything longer than 100 yards.

With the SOPMOD, semi shots are also good, cause the SOPMOD emulates a real steel in terms of recoil albeit at 1/10 of the force.

 

But if my AEG has no recoil, are semi shots still significantly more accurate than full auto? Does shooting on semi help me aim better? Does it make my BBs fly straighter?

 

Im not to sure what your getting at, but if your asking

"Why bother to use Semi in airsoft when you can use full auto..."

 

I think the answer is Milsim type play, and low cap mags which, in the case of the sopmod/socom, hold only 82 rds or 30 rds. So semi auto is good for ammo conservation.

 

(accuracy in airsoft, although nice to brag about, is abit of a moot point because as long as it hits a torso sized target at distance its good! but its nice to be able to ping something off a players head whos leaning out at 40 meters away and who is SURE you cant hit them!!!!)

 

Also, the Sopmod/Socom is trying to emulate as close as possible without affecting performance; the experience of real steel, ie recoil (to an extent), mag changes and bolt lock etc etc, so by extension those using them will more likely use the semi auto style of play (this isnt entirely true as they are at the end of the day also very fun guns!!!).

 

Being able to get hits with 1 BB makes the game more enjoyable in my opinion, being able to put down effective fire with just a few semi-auot shots at players behind cover to keep their heads down and have a good chance of hitting them is very satisfying (that look of suprise will activate smug mode straight away!)

 

You can let of a 20 round burst at someone, but with a low cap mag, you know and they know your gonna need to change soon. and if you have hicaps, may as well get a regular V2 M4, its cheaper (plus I guarentee you, the guy whos hoseing with the hicap will take a good 10 seconds to reload their weapon, alot can be done in 10 seconds, the sopmod/socom, gets you practicing your drills and its kinda fun!)

 

One thing we havnt mentioned over the last few pages, but has been talked about before, (remember the "Pretty fast, pretty druable, pretty cool video? ) is Trigger response,

 

With a 7.2v Lipo, My trigger response is excelent, I can 'bump fire' the rif very quickly in semi.

 

And on that topic, the only gripe I and a few others have about the platform, is that of 'Lock ups'.

I've been doing some 'testing' and I really think lock ups are to do with trigger pull! I can fire my SOCOM REALLY fast in semi auto, but if my trigger 'discipline' gets sloppy, it locks up, not all the time but it can lead to what sounds like (in the gear box) a cycle which only just completes, OR a full lock up. but this doesnt happen often and only when you absolutly spam the trigger in semi, (never full auto). I havnt run it through my chrono to get an RPS on semi, but I fully think you could get 5 RPS on semi with good trigger pulls and avoiding lock ups!

 

Also, batts help! 8.4 nimh or nicd = NO. 9.6 v or a 7.2v lipo is what I would recommend!

 

J.

[Isamu]

I think the sopmod is not only for milsimers, granted that it will be them who will enjoy and apreciate all the new features it offers, but I think it is the future and new standard for AEGs, much funnier, better performance and countless improvements.

 

maybe people who invested a lot on old gen M4s as USMCorps pointed or hosers wont make the swap as quick as other players, but im sure that they will... or I hope so

[Ecthelion]

Yeah. If we're talking milsimers then the SOPMOD is great cause it still has better reliability than a GBBR

 

Anyone else and... well I guess it becomes a personal choice.

 

I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes here. I just thought that since lots of people reading this are considering buying one, and these are not exactly cheap. We should let these prospective buyers know what this gun is capable of and not capable of.

 

Whenever we get a new gun, especially if it was expensive, we have a tendency to think good things about it so as to justify our purchase. That's why you rarely see a review which reviews the gun in a negative light.

 

When I review a gun, I take priority to explain every downside so that the prospective buyer knows it before hand and won't get a nasty surprise.

[AnakChan]

Well I don't think it's fair to generalise that reviewers justify their purchases. Although it's important for reviewers to be objective, note that each reviewer has his/her perspective therefore no matter how "objective" he/she is it still may come from a different perspective from the potential buyer. If a potential buyer buys purely from reading and not asking questions, then he/she's silly. Bottomline, potential buyers have brains too...use it.

 

My 2 yen worth...the Sopmod is a fun weapon to play with. It's more consistent in operation than my GBB throughout all 4 seasons, the only disadvantage is that it still lacks the operational realism of a GBB. But where I lose in realism I gain in operational consistency. Is the Sopmod a step up from plain AEG? Most definitely. In fact I don't pick up my VFC anymore.

 

Or maybe I should say, as with uscm, there is room/scope for TM's Recoil Shock EBB design, whether it's M4, AK, G36K, etc. More after market parts would be nice.

 

P.S. Mind you though I'm curious on how much opinion you're able to provide about the Sopmod when you don't own one (Yes Ecthelion, I'm teasing you ;-)).

[Number5]

Yes, Ecthelion your right, people do and always will have biased views on things they own and have forked out thei hard earned for!!

 

But for myself, although I love the gun, as with my previous post there are issues with it, such as lock ups.

 

thats to be expected with a new system. There are other issues with it that I would change or have fixed but that dont detract from the overall system, such as tiny screws that shake themselves lose!

 

but I do really love this Rif alot more than any other AEG or GBBR I've ever owned and there is a reason for that! in this case its because it rocks!

 

I would suggest that if you can then spend some time with it, its worth the investment from MY point of view.

 

I'm very excited about the next few years of releases from TM and the innovation, which is what the airsoft market needs, a step in the innovation direction and away from the 'CLONE WARS' (lol if only this post had fallen on may the 4th...)

 

The SOPMOD/COCOM is great now, imagine what it will be in 2 years!

 

J.

[Number5]

Yes, Ecthelion your right, people do and always will have biased views on things they own and have forked out thei hard earned for!!

 

But for myself, although I love the gun, as with my previous post there are issues with it, such as lock ups.

 

thats to be expected with a new system. There are other issues with it that I would change or have fixed but that dont detract from the overall system, such as tiny screws that shake themselves lose!

 

but I do really love this Rif alot more than any other AEG or GBBR I've ever owned and there is a reason for that! in this case its because it rocks!

 

I would suggest that if you can then spend some time with it, its worth the investment from MY point of view.

 

I'm very excited about the next few years of releases from TM and the innovation, which is what the airsoft market needs, a step in the innovation direction and away from the 'CLONE WARS' (lol if only this post had fallen on may the 4th...)

 

The SOPMOD/SOCOM is great now, imagine what it will be in 2 years!

 

J.

Edited May 6, 2010 by Number5

[Isamu]

I am eager to see it be the new standard and see how other brands improve over the design

 

I have some gripes about it, its not perfect, but its way better than any AEG I have ever handled in my short(2 years) airsoft history

[Isamu]

Sorry for the double post, cant edit my last one...

 

to bussiness.

 

I have just recieved a Dboys HK416 pistol grip, so I replaced the stock one right away, the thing is that after doing so, my Firefox 9.6v 1500mah started to produce lock ups (didnt do it before) so im using the G&P 9.6 2200mah nunchuck battery and I could swear that trigger response and ROF have risen... It sounds as weird as it impossible but it is the sensation I get (sorry, I have no chrono to compare)

 

One more thing, the motor is a bit wobbly into the pistol grip, do you think it would be good to put some tape into de grip to secure it a bit...?

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: BTW, it sounds different now, the motor seems to scream a bit more...

Edited May 7, 2010 by Isamu

[Number5]

Sorry for the double post, cant edit my last one...

 

to bussiness.

 

I have just recieved a Dboys HK416 pistol grip, so I replaced the stock one right away, the thing is that after doing so, my Firefox 9.6v 1500mah started to produce lock ups (didnt do it before) so im using the G&P 9.6 2200mah nunchuck battery and I could swear that trigger response and ROF have risen... It sounds as weird as it impossible but it is the sensation I get (sorry, I have no chrono to compare)

 

One more thing, the motor is a bit wobbly into the pistol grip, do you think it would be good to put some tape into de grip to secure it a bit...?

 

Thanks

 

EDIT: BTW, it sounds different now, the motor seems to scream a bit more...

 

 

The TM pistol grip ius a slightly new design which holds the motor more firmly acting as a sort of 'motor cage'.

 

adding tape might work to hold the motor in place better, also try adjusting the motor hight to see how it affects the sound!

If its screaming it doesnt sound like thats a good thing!

[Isamu]

I tried adjusting the screw with the Dboys bottom plate and didnt matter how high or low it was, the sound was the same, now I installed the stock one and the sound is the same :S weid, I will put some tape when I have some time and see if it secures the motor better and maybe dampers a bit the sound as the hollowwe grip may be working as a resonance box...

 

It looks wicked with the HK416 grip

[Number5]

If only they'd release an EBBr 416 then all prayers would be answered!!!

Edited May 9, 2010 by Number5

[druid799]

If only they'd release an EBBr 416 then all prayers would be answered!!!

dribble ! now thats a gun worth waiting for !!

[Isamu]

Full gun or conversion kit, and yes, It would be awesome for a good Battlefield Bad Company loadout

[AnakChan]

I'll take it that an EBBr 416 with Modify Tremors won't suffice?

[Nazio]

Yeah. If we're talking milsimers then the SOPMOD is great cause it still has better reliability than a GBBR

 

Anyone else and... well I guess it becomes a personal choice.

I am closely watching this thread and want to say in public.

Thank you RichardY for fixing my SOPMOD and making ready before 24 hrs milsim.

 

 

After Rich have sent it back to me, I went to nearby site, adjusted hopup unit lined up with red dot. The gun is accurate like surgeons scalpel. I didnt have many opportunities to shoot during last time, but when I did then result was the same - counter player got hit and I didnt have to empty half of the magazine. Aparently I own both SOPMOD and WE GBB-R. SOPMOD from replacement grew up to my primary assault rifle & GBB-R is going to be sniper rifle for its realism. This have happened because exactly what you have mentioned. I totaly agree those who participate in milsims, dont pay much attention at rof will be happy with accuracy and reliability. If you add better realsim than in regular AEG then this is what people like myslef will probably look after. But for the same reasons those who participate in open days or regular events can find this gun to be also very good. I dont have hi cap magazine, and even back when I did order the gun in eHobby, wanted to be sent to me with mid/low cap instead of orginal hicap. So cant say much about this.

 

Is not cheap but if I would make the choice again - I would choose SOPMOD.

Edited May 10, 2010 by Nazio

[Isamu]

I'll take it that an EBBr 416 with Modify Tremors won't suffice?

 

Not for me I want the HK416 with the improved hop chamber and working bolt lock features

[Number5]

Check out the News page;

 

A FULL TUNE UP KIT has been released for the SOPMOD. $270.

 

Perhaps more items on the way!!??

 

J.

[Isamu]

Hope there are more items on the way, but please, cheaper! I dont want to sell my first born to upgrade my socom

 

Hope Richard has more common and bussiness sense to price tag his next releases

[Richard Y]

ahh it was just a matter of time before someone released more sopmod parts.. gears look nice, everything else though seems a little pointless with prometheus parts out there.. id love to know there reasoning behind the steel recoil weight bar.. maybe its a tighter fit in the unit.. less noise .. i dunno might have been to bulk up the kit.. even if it was gold plated i wouldnt order from the states, i get stung for customs on mosfets, if i ordered that whole kit id need a loan.

 

Im so far away from internal parts its unreal.. truth is someone with the setup who "decides" to do sopmod parts can out produce me in about 30 secs..

 

Ive still got my mission though, im gunna keep going till i can make what they can for the sopmod but here in the uk.

 

I have 1 pricing plan, honest price and low pandp! always! after all i only started doing the parts to help people out.

[jonny2400]

I tried adjusting the screw with the Dboys bottom plate and didnt matter how high or low it was, the sound was the same, now I installed the stock one and the sound is the same :S weid, I will put some tape when I have some time and see if it secures the motor better and maybe dampers a bit the sound as the hollowwe grip may be working as a resonance box...

 

It looks wicked with the HK416 grip

 

The noise, is becase the motor is slightly low. And the gears are incorrectly aligend, Your ongoing use in this condtion has damaged either the Pinion or the bevel gear, possibility Both.

 

The noise will contuine until these parts are repacted and when you refit them, insure you put a little gease on the new Pinion, and only use semi when testing.

[Isamu]

Well, hope it hasnt been damaged, if so, the internals must made of cheese cake as I havent put more than 100 BBs with the new grip installed...

[The Chef]

Got my Li-Po's (7.4v 2200mah jobbies) for my SOCOM finally.

 

I'm pleased.... the ROF is better than using my 9.6v NiMh (but not insanely so), snappier trigger response and gives a little more room in the foregrip.

 

I'm also pleased that I didn't turn my garage into ground zero when I charged them up. BONUS!

 

 

Just got to change the connectors over to deans and wait for the 'Fet.

 

Can well recommend this little tweak.

[druid799]

Got my Li-Po's (7.4v 2200mah jobbies) for my SOCOM finally.

 

I'm pleased.... the ROF is better than using my 9.6v NiMh (but not insanely so), snappier trigger response and gives a little more room in the foregrip.

 

I'm also pleased that I didn't turn my garage into ground zero when I charged them up. BONUS!

 

 

Just got to change the connectors over to deans and wait for the 'Fet.

 

Can well recommend this little tweak.

over the past 2wks ive also changed my set up to lipo and deans , noted a BIG diffrence . especialy on sunday up at the asylum , d"nt have the lipos then just deans conectors on the gun and my standard batts , rate of fire dramaticaly increased but so did the battery munching , as in a batt that had previously lasted all day just about lasted a morning !

[Number5]

The pictures of the new SPR's from TM are out, check the news threads! (check the locked duplicate thread aswell!) they are looking very nice!!!