Colt / Umarex M4 Carbine .22 Tactical Rimfire AR-15
Colt and Umarex have teamed up to produce the Colt M4 .22 Tactical Rimfire. The is probably the only real “Colt M4″ you will ever be allowed to own!
I am not 100% sure they are in fact AR-15s. UMAREX USA uses well known brand-names such as Beretta, Ruger and Walther to sell their airguns. This could easily be a AR-15 patterned rifle much like the .22 GSG MP5 or GSG AK.
There will be four different models.
Colt M4 Carbine
* 16″ Barrel
* M4 collapsible style stock
* A4 flat top upper recoever
* detachable carry handle
* A2 flash hider
* A2 pistol grip
* 30 round magazine
* Weight: 5.95 lbs
Colt M4 OPS (includes the following extras):
* Rear BUIS (Backup iron sight)
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard
Colt M16 (includes the following extras):
* 20″ barrel
Colt M16 SPR (includes the following extras):
* 20″ barrel
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard
* Flip up read and front sights
Fake suppressors will also be available as seen in the above photo.
It will be officially announced at SHOT Show 2009.
Hat Tip: OnPointFirearms
I love my Colt m16 22. I about 1000 bulk Federal rounds from Wally world through mine with no adjustments and no issues. I see a lot of complaints but i think that for some reason people are biased.
I love my Colt m16 22. I about 1000 bulk Federal rounds from Wally world through mine with no adjustments and no issues. I see a lot of complaonts but i think that for some reason people are biased.
Hey guys just got back from the range with my brand you colt 22lr m16 ver. I had about 5 ftf at the range and wanted some input from you guys. I see on here some members talk about tightening the barrel by hand and not using the wrench to tighten it down. Is this true will it stop my colt from ftf issues. Also I was using the winchester 555 ammo and it seemed to do well my I went through about 300 rounds with this ammo and only the one issue. I also have seen on here that some members suggest NOT to get a 30 round clip is this true. and last but not least, what do you guys think about the adjustment setting on the spring. Should I leave it at the normal factory default or should I crank it down. Let me know guys and thanks so much for your time on this issue.
Benjamin from vegas.
That was kind of inspiring! Completely unpredicted. Now I understand what I’m heading to do tomorrow
Hello everybody,
please excuse my grammar – English is not my mother tongue.
By now I read through all the posts regarding the Umarex .22 Colt M4 carbine and I really like how many people submitted posts and gave their input.
I bought my M4 two month ago and have nothing to complain about. Of course, it’s kinda weird, that you need some tools to field strip a rifle which is an assault rifle clone (the weirdest thing is that you have to untighten the flash hider….I am German and was wondering, what my fellow countrymen did to this weapon when they produced it…. usually we don’t come up with a design like that, which requires that the flash hider needs to be unscrewed so that the rifle itself can be field stripped).
Other then that, it’s smooth sailing – even the dust cover stays in place (if nobody sneezes).
But here’s me question: Does anybody know, if the HK416 butt stock can be attached to the M4? I already got a rubber buffer for the usual butt stock, but I would like to attach the HK416 one.
I am not going for the “real” HK416 butt stock, because it’s way to expensive (or..I’m not drunk enough….yet).
Have a great weekend, everybody!
-Pete
anything available to up fit this gun [m4 ops] is on Umerex’s website.
Dravel, I think you just bought the wrong version. The Colt M-4 in .22 has the collapsible butt stock. That M16 was purpose built to look like an original M16 with the fixed stock and that’s why I bought mine.
As to the intechangability, I found that not much on the .22 M4 or M16 will change over to the real deal. However, a quick call to the importer should resolve whatever questions you may have about furniture swaps.
I do know the airsoft furniture is just a tad smaller so they won’t interchange without some honing or tooling. Not really worth the trouble.
I just finished writing an article called, “Shooters Corner, Building the Perfect AR 15 by Jack Lee” You can google it if you want to read about building a nice kit rifle in .223.
There are no issues that can not be fixed.
Sounds like a great deal to me.
Not sure about conversion parts but I would bet Urmax has everything in stock.
Tim in NC
I’m getting ready to buy this gun used from a guy at work.. I really like the ops version with the rails better than the plane m4 carbine. Does any body know if I can buy the parts to change it into the ops model??? Thanks and buy the way, I wonder if it has the problems most of you guys are dealing with.might be the reason why he’s selling it for $275.00…
If you go to youtube, there are videos of folks bump-firing their Colt 22′s.
I do not believe in it, nor do I think it is safe.
Thoughts:
1. I do not advocate it, and believe it is just abuse.
2. Why would one want to waste ammo in such a way?
3. “If” I was going to rapid fire, I personally would want to stay on target as much as possible, to see just how accurate the firearm could be in a quick fire mode.
Have anyone convert the Colt M4 .22LR to be fully auto?
Sichart, that would be illegal
BTW – My son shot a full box (550 rounds) of CCI Blazer through it at the range today, with only one FTF, no FTE’s!
Just bought the M-16 version (for my son to shoot) for $399 at a gun show. As a follow-up to Ron’s comment, has anyone replace the fixed M-16 buttstock with a collapsible one? i.e.
1. Will the M4 stock fit on the M16, as they are essentially the same rifle?
2. Will an aftermarket buttstock from Magpul/others work?
Shane, if you would like get rid of that lousy .22 please contact me. Mine was stolen out of the trunk of my while it was parked right in my RV driveway!
It really made me sick because my .22 was great. I can’t really afford to buy a new one again and my insurance refuses to cover my loss…long story, but insurance companies are like that. Anway, I wouldn’t mind having a used .22 M4 and I’ll be happy to take my chances that I can fix whatever is wrong with yours if you would like to sell it at a fair price.
Try some different ammo before giving up. Mine does not like any Remington but does well with other brands including bulk Winchester. CCI mini mags if you want do more than plink work really well. Cleaning by removing bolt helped both of mine, also leaving flash suppressor only hand tight was a huge help. Both mine are running fine, better after lots of rounds down range. I also touched up the extractor grove with a fine file. I would not recommend this unless you are used to fine file work, I am tool and die maker and have the skill, eye sight is failing but good enough with magnifier to get it smoothed up.
Tim in NC.
Shane, sorry to hear of your bad experience with your Umerex M4 Carbine. If it is that bad, and has a clean chamber and bore, then sent it back to Umerex for service. Most the users from this website have had good luck with that option. My wife works for 4-H full time here in our state. What a bad experience for your child to have on his maybe “first gun”? For strickly target shooting where accuracy is very important, I would have maybe purchased a Bolt action or Lever action rifle for that purpose. Henry makes good .22 LR rifles that I have had good luck with. I realize that you may have purchased your M4 on looks alone or wanted a simi-auto action. If that is the case, they maybe try the 10/22 Ruger rifle. Magizines with 25 to 50 rounds or more can be purchased for those. All I can say is read all the blogs here, as there are many, take the suggession’s and apply them, and decide for yourself if sending in the rifle for repair is the right option. Colt does not actually manufacture the Umerex M4 .22 LR rifle, they just put their name on it for “marketing”. I also can say my Umerex M4, when kept clean, lubricated properly, and set up the way people here in the blog have done, work’s perfectly for me in the 1 year I have owned it. Hope this helps some.
Shane Gann,
Wow. Sorry to hear that you are having so much trouble with your firearm. You seem very angry, and I can understand, but I certainly hope that your son does not see this anger. Have you talked to the dealer about getting it sent in to see if the company can resolve the issue? I have heard that if all else fails, they are usually fairly good at fixing any issues you may experience.
Remember, you want to be a positive role model, so take a deep breath, count SLOWLY to ten, calm down and contact your dealer and ask for their help getting it fixed.
It is not end of the world stuff going on.
I bought the Colt M4 .22lr for my 10 year old to shoot in 4H. I, unfortunately, have nothing good to say about it. I have had many guns. This is the worst piece of junk I have ever owned. It shoots about 3 out of every 4 shots, if you are lucky. The firing pin hits, but will not fire. You can put the same cartridge back in and it will usually shoot it the second time.
You might shoot 2 or 3 cartridges before it jams, but it usually jams after every shot. I have adjusted the tension spring every way possible. I have shot CCI Stingers, CCI mini-mags, Remington, Federal Lightning, Federal bulk. They ALL do the same crap.
First and LAST gun with the Colt name on it that I will EVER purchase!!
If your having extraction problems most of them are from shooting cheap bulk ammo , The m4 pretty much will not shoot Remington. It will feed and fire federal target grade over and over with out flaw . Magazine pops out ,,on some due to a faulty catch only on some . Umarex will send you a new one right away
the compensator they sell Is pretty much for looks only It did nothing for sound, recoil or accuracy .But it looks cool .
I keep a 1 inch group at 100 , I do not think it can get much tighter .
if your front sights are off . disassemble it Slide the action and barrel out clean it up and reassemble , Do not take the nuts and bolts out of the action. Then do not over tighten the flash hider just snug it up good , I seen this fix several of them Perhaps the flash Hider was way over tightened..
don’t waste your money on the walther flash light, Sure its cheap and it does look good , But its not bright , the switch is of toy quality . Use that money on some more ammo .
once you have all the quirks fixxed it really is a great shooter
Dave;
I had the same prob with one of my colt 22s. I have both the carbine and the ops. I had to get tough but it fixed it. now the aft sight is centered and every thing is ok now. When you use the rubber mallot I could not see the movement but it is ok now. It took me several tries but it worked out ok. Guy they have great service down there and they return your rifle very QUICK not likw S&W they take forever so hang on if you havt to return it.
Sherman Jines
Wichita kansas
Dave Ryan,
It is good the you are now on target. Remember, though, that these sights (unless changed since I got mine last year) are not scaled to the .22lr round. My info stated that they are for full size .223 AR’s. If you can call .223 full size. lol But, since they did send you a return tag, I would send it in and let them fix it.
As much as I loved mine, I ended up giving it up for an HK (okay a CETME, but the same thing). Prob will acquire another in the future.
I have talked to customer service and that was their thought, i loosened the allen set screw and tried to tap the front site with a rubber mallot. I didnt notice any movement but it did help some now it is shooting right on center, but the rear sight is as far left as it will go so its still not right as it has no adjustment left for the future. I’m concerned and dissapointed that the recomended fix attempt is so crude and rough espically after spending $400+. The service center did send me a return tag after i told them of the results even though i dont think they believe me. they did appear to be friendly and somewhat concerned. I guess i will send it in and will see if they can make it right i hope they do the right thing after reading the forum i have become worried about my choice of rifle, I should have researched before i purchased, if they can get it right i will be happy with my purchase although i really dont have much choice.. I guess worst case i could put some sort of optical sight on it and would have the adjustment and accuracy of it although that isnt the way it should be, thanks for letting me ramble. Im hopeing for the best.
Most likely your front sight is canted off to one side. I have heard there is a set screw underneath it that will allow you to move it (I have not personally verified this) or you can call Umarex and ask them how you can correct it. They have good customer service.
my m16 SPR shoots 5″ to the right at 75′ i have adjusted the rear flip up site as far as it will go to get it this close, any one else have this problem otherwise i love it shoots well looks good, help!!!
I don’t know CA law but if it’s illegal, it’s illegal. Doesn’t matter if it’s just a .22LR, the law doesn’t change. I’ve never seen any code that excludes a certain caliber from a draconian law.
I have a Remington 597 vtr and i live in California.. i only use the gun for target shooting but i was wondering if you can get in any serious trouble for using illegal 30 round large capacity magazines. My uncle lives in navada and offered to ship me one over.. but if someone with no prior law violations of any kind is looking at jail time if u get busted then i don’t wanna mess with that.
Ron, glad I could help. Sounds like you have your rifle working really well now. If you take the time to read everyone’s comments of this whole blog, you will learn just about every trick in the world to get your 22LR AR-15 Colt/Umerex running like it probably should have from the factory! Experiment with different brands and types of ammo, and bullet types. You will usually be able to find some ammo that you can buy locally that will do the job, then just buy that same ammo each time and it should work for you. Remember to clean your rifle as often as needed to keep it functioning with 99% of less malfunctions. You will never want to sell or trade your rifle for something else if you are happy with it! There is a great wealth of information on this website for sure.
Hello. I just got back form the range and after cleaning my rifle I am happy to report all your suggestions and advice really helped me a lot.
I fixed my bolt setting issue, the mag issue, and out of 500 rounds I only had 6 mis fires and I blame the cheap Blazer ammo for that.
This M16 22 is a great fun rifle. I had a blast shooting my brains out for 4 hours today.
I was going to pawn her and get me a SIG 522, but not now. I am very happy with my M16 22.
I just wish they made magnetic magazines for the Colt 22, and eliminate all them feeding issues.
ankenytom, Oh yes. Thanks I did not even look there. My local gun guy only has to 30′s or 10′s.
Yeah i will buy the 20 rounders and give them a shot.
thanks a lot.
I purchased 2 20 round magazines from Umerex on their website, and I am very happy with them. They stick out the bottom of the mag well about the same length as a 30 rd mag in a AR-15 .223 caliber. I found they are not as prone to failure to feeds as the 30 rd mags, due to shorter springs in the 20 rd mags and when bench shooting the mag does not hit the bench because it’s shorter and you still have enough firepower and capacity for most shooters.
I think there is such a thing as too much oil used on guns and rifles. The reason the military does not like excees oil is because it attracts sand, dirt and grit in dry, humid climates. A light coat of good, high quality gun oil such as TetraGun brand, or Break Free, CLP, ( cleaner, lubricant, preservative), or even WD-40 if you have nothing else. In really cold weather, do not over lube or your gun not function well. There are some “dry lubes” out on the market for really cold climates. Besides solvent, try Tetra brand “ACTION BLASTER” gun cleaner. Follow instructions on can. Good luck and have fun shooting your M4/M16 Colt/Umerex .22LR!
I would disagree on the need to clean bolt and guides. Any .22 rimfire will blow back some crud, semi auto’s are probably the worst. Also the “grease” that comes from factory on bolt gets dirty and gritty. There are procedures on web on disassembly of rifle down to bolt removal and cleaning. On my 2 after cleaning and light coat of Wilson Slide grease or Wilson oil the rifles cycle much more reliably with 0 FTF or stove bolts. Another good practice is to only hand tighten the flash supressor. These guns do require regular through cleaning to function reliably. Tim in NC
Ron, unlike an AR or the mil-M4 there’s no blow back tube, so this M4 is relatively clean shooting. I suppose you could clean the bolt assembly, but not sure it would serve any practical purpose. AR’s and military M4′s are really dirty shooting weapons and need serious cleaning to avoid jams. My advice is just give it a normal cleaning followed up with 5 or 6 drops of gun oil. I know a lot of people never use more than 3 drops. That’s wrong. Don’t be afraid to use gun oil where its needed, just be reasonable not to over do it that’s all. The military has a fettish about keeping oil to a bare minimum because it looks cool, but it’s not doing your weapon any good if its too dry.
I got my Allen wrench form Umrarex, and it has taken care of 95% of the issues.
I had a few jams, and I think a 10 round mag might help FTF less??? What you think?
Also cleaning the blot assembly? The Video says nothing about that…
Just leave it dirty?
Hi guys,
I just bought the full size Colt m16 22 and was wondering if its possible to
put on a collapsable stock on it instead of using the fixed buttstock? Would there be a need top modify it in order to do so or can i just bolt on an aftermarket one? Kinda new here so please bear with me and all help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
my wife gave me a m16/22 for xmas what a great wife or what? Its in the middle 6000 ser# and there have been changes for the better. 1st the dust cover will stay closed. Lock the bolt open with an empty mag and close the door. It will open when you install a loaded mag and pull back the charging handle to load. ( there is a cut out in the bolt for the door catch) and will open when pulling the charging handle. 2nd the safety in now a 90 deg. arc not the 180 deg. as before. 3rd the bolt buffer is held in place by a long set screw ( will not fall out while cleaning) and the fake bolt release is locked in place. Emailed umarex and they said that they were indeed updates, because of customer requests!!! Anna was very nice to deal with. Tested the unit after cleaning on 1/14/11, ran 50 rounds of 10 different types of 22 LR ammo both standard, high and hyper velocity. There wasn’t any problems at all “0″ none nada zip! The bolt spring is were the factory set it, all the way out. The ammo used was Rem. viper hyper solid point, rem yellow jacket hyper hp, federal auto match , rem std velocity target, wolf match target (i do not like the jello lube on these) American eagle HV, Peters Hv (have had these a long time, brown boxes, $1.39 sticker per box from Big 5) Federal 550 HV value pack, federal 525 blue box and CCI stingers. There was not a single FTF, Fail to fire or FTE. The best was the peters HV 3 ten round mags (30 rounds) into a 1 inch sight in target box at 25 yards off bench and bags. Using open A2 sights, only adjustment was 4 clicks right. The only thing I did’nt like was the 2 ton trigger, but it did get better the more I shot it. Do I like this rifle/ whats not to like? W. Ray G.
Hey Ron,
Welcome and congrats on your purchase of the M16. I got the M4 before I knew about the M16 or I would have gotten that instead. I prefer the look of the longer barrel. As for the FTF and FTE issues, I think just about all of us had those same issues. Once you get the bolt wrench, and get it adjusted, you should not have too many problems. I have not. Just remember, these things like High Velocity ammo. I have not ran the CCI Mini-Mags yet. I purchased a butt load of BVAC (Bitteroot Valley Ammo Corp.)
I am surprised that you did not receive an Allen wrench with your gun. Mine came with two. Maybe I got yours? lol Most people that I have spoken with that have these guns crank the bolt screw in clockwise until it bottoms out, then back off a couple full turn counter-clockwise. That USUALLY solves the issues. But you will have to just keep at it. In the end, I am sure you will enjoy yours as much as I do mine.
Ron;
“usually” all the tools needed are in the box, sometimes under the ‘flaps’ that make up the ineed box.
Take your time, experiment with different ammo, and different settings of the bolt. Put a small mark on your bolt and write down the changes you make to the adjustment. this will help alot.
Good luck. it took about 5-6 trips to the range to finally get dialed in.
RON – You should read through the comments some, but I would suggest you turn the recoil screw all the way in despite whatever the factory recommends. I had the same problems as you and tried dozens of settings, this one worked the best and will shoot damn near any ammo, including Remington, CCI, Federal, etc without consistently FTE. I get about 1 every couple of mags and a handful of FTF out of a box, which is gonna happen with cheap .22 sometimes.
Hello. I just got my Umarex M16 22 LR. The big selling point for was the 21 inch barrel. Should be the most accurate 22 lr in the game, and it is very accurate when I can get it to fire. I had a lot of FTF, fail to fire, and fail to eject issues the first time I went out. out of 300 rounds I only had 3, 30 round mags that were fail free. All others had issues and I felt like a fool at the range. I could feel the coments in their heads via their looks—- Look at that dummy and his M16 toy… I called Umarex and they said most likey the bolt needs to be set right, and they are sending me the Allen wrench for it. I thought it would be factory set for standard ammo… That is what I was using standard CCI mini mags, the best right??? We’ll see what happens.
If your failure-to-fire is caused by “light-strikes” to the primer, you need to shorten the rebound spring on the firing pin. About 1/8″ off should do it. I have pretty much totally eliminated FTF’s in my colt. When done correctly, you should see a nice “groove” in the rim of the shell after firing, instead of the little “dimple” that’s normally the case.
my husband purchased our colt m-4 ops version for $499 last year, and we love it. we added a cheap laser and a couple 30 round magazines. we have used federal ammo (brown value box) and it fails to fire almost every magazine, we have adjusted the pin and cleaned it well. we have shot maybe 100 rounds or so. otherwise i love the gun to kill snakes and chase coyotes away from my chickens.
” I find it almost beyond belief than anyone could get a one inch group @ 100 yards with a stock M4 even with a 5X scope – but maybe I am just losing my touch and getting old!”
Well fella, over the course of 100 rounds in CCI mini mags, and shot from a bench, over a Midway cheapo rest in the front and a bean bag in the rear, the aveage groupings ran from 1.1″ to 1.6″….like I said, “about one inch”.
I also had to do alot of “tweaking’, as you suggested to make it function flawlessly, up to and including cleaning the barrel with JB bore paste after every 20 rounds forthe first 100, then every 50 rounds till 200, then every 100…I’m at about two thousand five hundred rounds now, it shoots better every time.
One of the biggest things I have found pertaining to the accuracy of the rifle is the torque on the flash hider. Make sure it is NOT over tightened. Follow the ‘book’ on this. I had flyers everywhere at first, till one day on a re-assembly I realized I was over-torquing the flash hider.
Nothing different about how I broke this in, I do the same to EVERY rifle. I feel it does make a difference.
Carlos I totally agree with you. From day one I experimented with my M4 and decided it doesn’t like Remington ammo, but it loves Winchester. Given there is no price difference for me I’m fine with that. I also did the usual tweak with the spring tension to improve ejection and now it works like a fine Swiss watch. Zero problems.
I would like to hear from more people about the group they are getting at 100 yards. I was a former Grand Master in PPC, shooting against the best in the world. The very best group I can get with my M4 is 1.5 inches @ 100 yards and I’ve used every trick in the book to do it. I find it almost beyond belief than anyone could get a one inch group @ 100 yards with a stock M4 even with a 5X scope – but maybe I am just losing my touch and getting old!
jack;
Experiment with different ammos.
My M4 Tacky loves the mini mags, and I can get groups of about one inch at 100 using a scope.
I’m extremely happy with that, considering it’s not a ‘match gun’. lol
I’m using a simple Burris 1.75-5x scope. Perhaps with more magnification, it might even do better.
For Jamie Tinker, I’m sure the rails are standard size, should be no problem.
Next: I’ve just started bench shooting with my M4 and at 100 yards the best group I can get is about 2.5 inches in diameter. Wondering if this is about right for most M4′s or if should be able to do better? My ammo brand is Federal. No jams. Had a few jams with Remington.
I’m waiting on the background check to get a Remington 597 VTR .22lr and I got a Sight mark lazer/holo sight as a gift, and just wanted to be sure that its compatible with the rails that come standard, might be a stupid question but some feedback would be appreciated. thanks
Actually, the first versions of this rifle came with a working dust cover. But, according to Umarex, they made the dust cover non-functioning as a “safety feature”. You are supposed to keep that little blue plastic “empty chamber indicator” in the breech when the gun is not in use. Hence, you cannot close the dust cover.I guess they figured that if the dust cover stayed closed, people would CLOSE IT! And then you would SHOOT SOMEBODY because the little blue plastic thing WASN’T IN THERE! They are apparently trying to make guns “safe” for IDIOTS and CHILDREN. You can probably see where the little spring-loaded “catch” on the cover was intentionally sheared-off. I have an email in to Umarex to see if they can supply the original WORKING catch so that us SAFE, RESPONSIBLE, ADULTS can have this nice feature working on our guns! Also, you may have to file down the piece on the cover that holds the spring and the plunger in order for it to close fully without hitting the bolt when it snaps shut. I had to do it to mine to help it to snap shut more firmly. I actually hand=made a working plunger for mine and it works GREAT. Also, I’d be willing to bet the non-working “bolt-release” button is another feeble “safety” feature to help prevent “slam-firing”. Like there might be a possibility of accidental firing when you “slam” the bolt shut. That refers back to COMMON SENSE again! I’ll let you guys know when I hear back from Umarex about the part in question.
glenda casey,
Believe it or not – that is just what it is there for, looks. Just like the forward bolt assist and bolt hold open on the left side of the receiver. Even what I have found is that the sights are for full caliber AR’s and not calibrated for the .22 LR. Even so, I have no issues with the sights on my example. After adjusting the bolt speed, I have zero issues with mine, except not having enough time to shoot. But that is a personal issue.
has anyone got problems with the dust cover closing surely it is not just for looks
I have recently purchased a Colt/umarex carbine version. After installing the Walther PS22 red dot sight (very good product), I immediately noticed the front sight seemed to be angled slightly to to the RIGHT. To verify this, I re-installed the carry-handle and tried to sight-in the rifle using the open sights. This is when I knew for sure the front sight was off! The rear sight had to be moved almost all the way to the right to zero the shots. I noticed that in previous posts, someone suggested loosening the set screw an “tapping” the front sight back to the left. I highly recommend NOT attempting that! The front sight is VERY tightly PINNED to the barrel. NOT likely to move without loosening, and possibly seriously damaging the receiver halves where the barrel seats, as it has a “flat spot” that aligns it. If you try to turn the sight, you’re gonna turn the barrel, and that ain’t good! Also, the set-screw under the front sight is Locktited in place! You must use HEAT to break it loose. I decided to knock out the pins an thread the pin-holes in the sight using a 6-32 tap, and install allen set screws to secure the sight. After sliding the sight BACK just enough to clear the pin-holes in the barrel, I evenly tightened the set screws after centering the front sight. Now the front sight is visibly straight, and the rear sight is dead center, and the shots are dead-on! Also, this makes the front sight easy to remove to install the Umarex front (floating) quad-rail (RIS) setup. Which is also a very nice product. Also, if you are experiencing “light strikes” from your firing pin causing too many misfires, remove the firing pin from the bolt and SHORTEN the rebound spring (on the firing pin) about 1/8 to 1/4″. This will cause the pin to hit harder against the primer. Also, some misfires are caused by the bolt not closing fully when chambering a round (dirty bore, sometimes) Make sure you have properly adjusted the tension on the main spring. The factory (flush) setting is too light for just about ANY ammo! The folks at Umarex say “a MINIMUM of 9 full turns in from flush.” I keep mine all the way in, with no problems. Now I have a really SWEET-SHOOTER! My next project is to re-work that AWFUL trigger-pull! I’ll keep you informed on my progress…
I bought my Colt M-4 from Big 5 Sporting Goods. Like many, I was getting about 10-20% ftf. These would be first round misfires and failing to chamber, brass not extracting, and light fire pins strike, etc. I tried adjusting the bolt speed tension (9 turns clockwise from flush, then in and out by varying amounts) with no change. I fired about 1,200 rounds of Federal and Winchester Bulk ammo purchased at Wall Mart.
I called Big 5 and the clerk said I have to send it back to Umarex (I thought I was speaking to the manager). I sent the rifle to Umarex and they replaced the extractor. At the range, same crap. I talk to the manager at Big 5 (the real one) and told him of what was going on. He took the gun back and gave me a new one (of course I had to do the waiting period thing again).
Making sure the bolt speed tension was set at 9 turns clockwise from flush, and the compensator set at 1/2 turns from hand tightened, I went shooting again. At the range, with the same ammo as before, I was getting only 1% ftf. Many ftf happened after 200 rounds when the gun was getting dirty. That day I fired about 550 rounds of Federal and Winchester.
I cleaned the gun and set the compensator 1/4 turn in after hand tightening. The next time I had only about 3 (not 3%) ftf with about 600 rounds fired. Excellent!
Lesson I learned about this Umerex’s/Colt M2 tactical rimfire experience:
1. The company has very poor quality control. For the U.S. Market why don’t they set the bolt tension for High Velocity rounds (9 turns in ) that 99% of us will be shooting.
2. Why don’t the manuals emphasize the cleaning of this rifle after 200 or so rounds. The tight tolerences of the gun make it very sensitive to powder residue. Gun Scrubber and a chamber snake or brush will take care of many ftf. Remember: bulk ammo burns dirtier that quality ammo.
3. Why aren’t the manuals clear as to how many turns to tighten the muzzle compensator. The owners manual says nothing. The online owners manual says 1/4 turn from hand tighten, and a orange paper I got with my first M4 (after repairs) says 1/2 turn. Why the difference? I know the compensator tension is very important for reliability, so why doesn’t the company find the correct torque for each individual rifle and mark that spot. I took a engraver and marked the best spot for my compensator once I found it.
4. For the American market, why doesn’t Umarex sight in the rifles using Federal, Winchester, or CCI ammo. My first rifle front sight was not cocked to left so I had to remove the swivel, loosen the screw under the swivel and knock it with a plastic hammer. The front post had to be run down all the way down. In fairness, the second M4 sights were set OK.
5. Clean the barrel then loosen the compensator to seperate the lower and upper reciever to clean the action. Do not bump the end of the barrel when the compensator is loose. This was on the above mentioned orange paper with the “repaired” first M4. Again, why is this important information not included in the the manual???????
6. The rifle seems to get better the more it is broken-in.
7. Big 5 will exchange your guns–just make sure you talk to the manager and not some bozo who says he the manager.
8. Umarex will e-mail you a UPS shipping paper that you put on the gun box for postage free returns. You must cover all writing so nobody will know it is a gun. Just give the box to any UPS driver. I got my gun back in 11 days.
9. 11 days is a long time to part with a $600 gun.
10. A $600 gun should not have problems 1-6.
Things I like about Umarex’s Colt M4 tactical rimfire:
1. It is made from quality materials. I had a Colt AR-15 .223 and they are similiar in fit. finish, and feel (and of course .22 ammo is much cheaper than .223 ammo).
2. They look nice and turn heads!
3. They are very accurate and fun to shoot. I have several .22 rifles but none with aperture sights. Aperture sights are a welcome change and fun to use.
4. It has a banayot lug, although a little filing is necessary for a banyonet to fit.
5. Umarex will give you a free magazine when you send a gun in for repairs.
Overall I really like my M4, and don’t regret the purchase, but I feel that I went through too much research and drama to get it working the way it should. I hope my experience will help you have happy shooting with your M4!
I don’t know what it is about this gun, but I’m having a blast with it. I own an AR-15, but I am having just as much fun with this M-4 22 and it’s a whole lot cheaper to shoot. It looks, feels and shoots very similar to the AR. After reading this entire forum and adjusting the spring all the way in and replacing the front site post with a taller one from Umarex it shoots great. I’ve put 400 rounds through it with no problems. I’m shooting CCI mini mags and cleaning it after each 200 rounds. If the performance continues to be as good as it currently is — Its a keeper!
I know the days of Federal value packs of 525 or 550 at Wal Mart for 10$ are gone, but can anyone recommend a good local or online retailer for Federal Bulk ammo? I live in NC.
JGSXR,
At least you found what works for your unit, that is what matters most. I just hope that you enjoy yours as I enjoy mine. Keep shooting. “Shoot straight and shoot often.” to qoute Jim Scoutten.
I tried the above mentioned settings, but had good results only after turning the screw in as far as it could possibly go. Shooting Fed 525 blue box.
JGSXR, I would lower the setscrew until it’s flush with the surface, see how it shoots then, if still having problems back it off a tad more, 1/4 turn should do it, doesn’t take much to change spring tension. There is a video on the Colt website showing you how this is done.
The compensator doesn’t change the sound, it’s mostly for looks. Yeah, you could ventilate it and that would change the sound but a silencer could get you busted, not sure its worth it.
After rerading the comments here, I would say that 98% of those people that sent their M-4 back to the factory because of misfires could have fixed it themselves by simply adjusting the setscrew for recoil spring tension. You might have to open it up 2 or 3 times before you get it just right, but it only takes a few seconds to open and adjust.
JGSXR,
I have not tried the compensator yet. But since it is not a true silencer, I would not think that there would be much noise suppression. I started my M4 cranked all the way in, and had FTF’s and FTE’s, so I backed off about two turns and it will now digest any HV I feed it.
The info I have says that the sights are not scaled to the .22 round, but I hit everything I aim at. Am I ever going to be able to put 1000 rounds into the same hole at 100 yards? No. But then I never really expected to obtain 1″ grouping at 100 yards.
Can anyone describe the difference in sound with the umarex compensator? Thinking about snagging one. Also, what spring settings are you guys using? I have mine out pretty far and it shoots Federal great that way, but I had several failures to eject the spent casings with Winchester 333 bulk hollow points. Was VERY frustrating. Thanks for any advice.
NHgunner…you might want to try adjusting the spring tension (allen wrench) – see Colt’s manual or watch the video on the net. I had a fe short strokes and misfires until I ajusted the spring just a tad and since then I’ve never had a problem. It’s so simple to do too, its something you can do while at the range in about 2 minutes.
As for cleaning, the take down is just like a military M4…fast and simple. (This is a great .22 – I really like it)
Too bad about your NcStar scope mount. I’ve had good luck with them on my M4. I have one mounted on the A2 handle and fits nice. I use a 3X9 NcStar on my AR-15 with the A3 upper and all I can say is, wow, what a nice scope for the money! The quality is right up there with the more expensive scopes. I’ve owned 3 NcStar’s and never had a problem – just really good scopes for the bucks. Only I wish they were made here instead of China, but then if they were you would be paying about 4 times the price for the same thing.
PS To the people who were concerned about the rattle in the adjustable buttstock, you’re going to have that in anything of this style I have two AR’s, same small rattle. No big.
Hey fellas;
well after unpacking and cleanin’ the M4 OPS, I took it off to the range. With me I brought:
Federal 550 pack
Winchester Wildcats
Federal Blue box HV
Federal Gold Medal Match
The gun ran flawlessly with the 550′s, Wildcats. it would not run with Federal GMM, or the blue box.
The front sight was really high, and rear way left. after adjustment, and a little fine tuning, the rifle was keeping golf ball sized groups @ 50 yards without trying.
I am impressed.
I was louder than I expected, and at first shot, almost sounded like my M4.
Accessories……….
I purchased thru AR15.com a used GG&G sling adaptor that slides over the buffer tube, down to the receiver. While at first glance it appeared it was going to fit, the buffer tube is smaller than commercial or mil-spec tubes. It took some lead shims to get it from pulling away from the receiver.
Put my spare forward broomstick grip on her, works great!
For a sling, I bought a Spectre single point, which is working as it should, as long as the GG&G adaptor stay in place.
Went cheap….bought an NC star Aiopoint clone, which will not stop wobbling in the mount, no matter how much I tighten it, but I feel that is a design flaw or problem with the NC star unit, surely not the gun. It was removed before a single shot was fired.
So after so 700 odd rounds on the first time out, I am now goig to go thru the cleaning process. I’ll let you know how easy [or hard] that process is.
Thanks Quentin, appreciate your comments and the good news is, the professor came around and actually said he could understand my point! Wow, a small miracle, but we’ve still got huge uphill climb when it comes to protecting our 2nd amendment rights.
Next, I just finished another article called “Reloading Steel Ammo Cases” and some of you folks might be interested in reading it. As we all know good .223 brass can be pricey and not always available, but steel cases with boxer primers are considered junk and laying around the range in abundance. If you’re interested in reading my experiment with steel .223 cases just follow the link below and then scroll down till you see the title… http://www.norcalblogs.com/post_scripts/