After researching for months, I took a chance at the CMMG bargain bin and ordered an M4, hearing good things and the thought of saving a few hundred bucks was very appealing. On their website, they state that the upper has a 1:9 twist, it's a flat top, carbine, etc., but also that the lower could be a different brand, DPMS, RRA, DS, CMMG, etc. When I ordered mine, I chose the "hand-picked" option, which supposedly is the best available M4, cosmetically anyways. Well, I placed my order, and just for fun, in the order comments section, I wrote, "Prefer CMMG lower and 1:7 twist if possible." Well, I got neither, but I am satisfied with what I got. I picked it up saturday from Bradis (thanks Jeremy).
Right out of the box:
Here is the only cosmetic defect I could find:
It came with a DoubleStar lower, which is a slightly different finish than the upper, but no biggy. One thing I noticed was there was nothing, I mean nothing stamped on the barrel. It has a keyhole stamp on the upper receiver, F stamped FSB, but thats about it. So, I'm not even sure what the twist is, or if it's chambered for .223 or 5.56. I'm hoping an email to CMMG will get more info. Still not bad for $625 + shipping & transfer. I've heard good things about CMMG's bargain bin, but not too many specifics about defects and such, so I thought this would help out others considering.
Now, the fun part!
I ordered and received the MI 9-in Free Float quad rail, so I cut off the delta ring, which was a little tricky. I used a hacksaw and dremel, but still ended up having difficulty around the gas tube. My biggest mistake there was wrestling off the weld spring and snap ring instead of cutting them off. Ended up scratching the barrel nut (no biggy) and getting a couple tiny nicks on the receiver. Installing the rail wasn't too bad, but I did have to remove the gas tube to install a rail support right behind the FSB and I wasn't expecting that (very easy though). After that, I replaced the stock and grip (Command Arms & Hogue), added the tactical carry handle (AR Stoner), and was ready to go. I did end up getting an AFG from Cwood yesterday at the open house, so here is what it looks like now.
Right out of the box:
Here is the only cosmetic defect I could find:
It came with a DoubleStar lower, which is a slightly different finish than the upper, but no biggy. One thing I noticed was there was nothing, I mean nothing stamped on the barrel. It has a keyhole stamp on the upper receiver, F stamped FSB, but thats about it. So, I'm not even sure what the twist is, or if it's chambered for .223 or 5.56. I'm hoping an email to CMMG will get more info. Still not bad for $625 + shipping & transfer. I've heard good things about CMMG's bargain bin, but not too many specifics about defects and such, so I thought this would help out others considering.
Now, the fun part!
I ordered and received the MI 9-in Free Float quad rail, so I cut off the delta ring, which was a little tricky. I used a hacksaw and dremel, but still ended up having difficulty around the gas tube. My biggest mistake there was wrestling off the weld spring and snap ring instead of cutting them off. Ended up scratching the barrel nut (no biggy) and getting a couple tiny nicks on the receiver. Installing the rail wasn't too bad, but I did have to remove the gas tube to install a rail support right behind the FSB and I wasn't expecting that (very easy though). After that, I replaced the stock and grip (Command Arms & Hogue), added the tactical carry handle (AR Stoner), and was ready to go. I did end up getting an AFG from Cwood yesterday at the open house, so here is what it looks like now.
