ICS M1 GARAND initial overview

[findiboy16]

This isn't really a proper review just yet chaps as I've only really owned the rifle 2 weeks and spent a lot of time simply just fondling it.

so ill go over with a few pointers before I gather the information I need for field performance.

 

Another reason is that I picked up mine on the classifieds and it has been downgraded to around 300fps

I was quoted 330 but shots at a coke can on .20g rounds fail to even penetrate one side of the can

 

ill keep an eye on this thread so go ahead and throw a Q&A at me

 

.the box is of a decent quality and well packed in thin moulded plastic, prefer polystyrene myself as it protects better but whatever 

mine came with an sof bandolier, not sure if it was included originally but its nice enough, doesn't look incredibly durable!! its a bit like a thin sash with a few spaces in for mags.....the mags don't fit in incredibly well and im not sure id trust it

However I would look at grenade pouches or 40mm nade pouches as I think they may fit.

At some point im going to take a trip to my local surplus store and just stuff the mags into pouches that I think fit

Im really hoping that I will be able to fit a load in a 40mm grenade bandolier as this will be much sturdier and available in many camo types, anyone has any info on this feel free to let me know.

 

.weight and feel of the rifle are great, its actually lighter that I thought it would be, the wood in places has almost a hollow feel to it that lightens the weapon overall!

it dents and marks pretty easy, i kind of like that as it means i can leave it to wear naturally in the places that a real one might.

 

.The finish is pretty dark at first but tends to lighten around the area's that its used, most notably the grip

 

.there are mold lines on the steel parts in places, even around the cocking handle which kind of sucks but its not spoiling it for me.

 

.overall length of the weapon is good being not really much longer than my full stocked m4.....which i find acceptable to walk into a building with, it shoulders nicely

 

.the iron sights are the best iver ever used in all honestly, very clear and easy to get to, I find that whatever position i should it in or whatever way im standing, the sights just naturally line up even leaving a little room for peripheral vision.

they are very adjustable

 

.Ive seen a lot of online videos where the mag release is pressed and the mag just falls out!  this is not so.....at least not on my version, the mags sit tight in there, they have to be pulled out, they can sometimes need you to get your nails in there.

this does prevent any accidents but it also means that fast mag change in the heat of battle are not easy, they take time.

 

.speaking of the mags, i hear a lot of complaints that the mags don't fill the full 48 rounds..............this is true, they will not feed the last 3 rounds like any other aeg mag.......im disappointed at this, i would expect this very specific type of weapon to have extended followers but i guess not

also the mags will only really hold about 22-26 rounds aside from the 3 that will not feed, i think 30 is a number you may be able to get away with, they are a little temper mental, and £15 for a mag that only has 48 rounds of which will only hold 30 odd is a lot of money,

im hoping they are brought out in bulk, but seeing as a lot of people will be using this rifle in a dmr capacity i guess this is forgiveable

I know that g&g makes mags with extended followers for its sig series so perhaps they will have this feature for their version of the m1 garand which is coming out shortly

 

.the takedown for this weapon is absolutely amazing, it has a few more steps than say an m4, but the weapon is put together in a way that is so smooth and painless

 

let me better explain

my m4 is simple to takedown just 2 pins and slide it apart.........and yet its so rough, when putting it together sometimes it just doesn't go and you need to force it or try again, the g&g l85 was like that......fitting it together just was a bit of knack that had to be learned and it had bits in it that would break so easily if not done carefully!

the connector in the motor grip are such a tight fit that  any time you take it apart it you may break them, then the motor doesn't always line up with the gears which causes problems...

 

in the ics garand the parts fit together with such ease, the screws don't seem to crumble or cross thread as easily, you don't have to force anything or so carefully line up the edges before joining, the wires and motor are put together in such a way that they wont accidently break

its just so pain free!!!

 

.fitting the battery in the stock is a pain though!!! it needs a b it of practice and you do have to bend the very stiff wires!!

 

dinner time, will update at a later time

 

 

[findiboy16]

heya chaps sorry about the lack of an update, im having problems with this rifle, that may have been pre-existing when I brought it, so no review on performance

 

I will say that the gearbox quality is pretty amazing though!!!

[steelfallenangel]

So if we have any interest in this weapon we should either wait for later productions runs when these kinks you mentioned are taken care of or get the G&G one thats coming out later?

[macocosta]

had a chance to try out M1 Grand 8mm GBB, nothing can compare to that 

[Boba_Fett]

ICS missed it again. The HopUp rubber is extremly unprecise. Change this and you might have a useable airsoft....

[shiftysgarand]

had a chance to try out M1 Grand 8mm GBB, nothing can compare to that 

I have a Marushin Garand GBB, so much fun when it decides to work.

[harborne blue]

Noticed the lack of comments on this thread so thought that I'd add my experiences... 

 

Got one of the first ones in the UK from JD Airsoft last year and it has been downgraded to shoot sub 350fps so a good start. Physically the gun is lovely and looks like a freshly minted Garand should. It's also very easy to stain the woodwork if you like the darker, battle worn look as it's real oiled wood and not plastered in the horrible red gloop that covers ACM wood stocks. The trigger guard is the later shape so more Korea than WW2 and the bayonet lug won't take a RS bayonet which I find a little frustrating as they are easily avoidable errors.

 

The mags hold about 25rd and all mine feed fine. They are a very tight fit though so my friends and I have all lightly sanded the magwell. It's a 2min job as the sides just needed smoothly on mine. I suspect that the oil used on the stock (maybe it was dipped rather than sprayed) had raised the grain a little too much.

 

Firing the gun is a real pleasure. The MOSFET means that the trigger response is nice and crisp and the rifle itself is very accurate - at least as good as my G&P M4s and KA FALs. I haven't touched the hop other than to make one or two slight adjustments due to wet / very warm days. Range is similarly good - I'm hitting people at 50m and that's good enough for me. It's not in the same league as my KA guns but I've personally found their hops to be legendary, which is why the m1928 is my Go To gun at the moment.

 

So to summarise - looks good, fires well out of the box, needs a couple of minor tweaks but all in all a very skirmish-able gun. Recommended for anyone who wants a WW2 gun that isn't a Tommy and can keep up with modern weapons on an open day. And looks blinking good to boot.