Crane stock that will fit ICS M4 with little work?

[Death March]

Hey guy's,I done a search and have come up with the Apex and Prime ones on this board,but the dates are qwite old and I'm wondering if there are any new ones avalible or what's involved to put one on my ICS M4A1.I would like one that goes on with little or no fuss (would't we all?).Any help on this would be great. Thanks!

[CDN_Stalker]

Brand new Star one is best, with battery (9.6V 3300mAh) is your best bet. I've installed two Crane stocks (serious pain in the ass, need to remove the stock to charge the battery, and they are poorly designed when it comes to running wires), one older style Star stock (easier) and just yesterday a new version of the Star stock (super easy!!!)

[ILLusion]

Get the new G&P versions. Best wiring solution I have seen for any M4 collapsing battery stock to date.

I have a couple in stock right now:
http://www.airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=511

Unfortunately, I don't know if it will fit ICS.

[Jackals]

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

Brand new Star one is best, with battery (9.6V 3300mAh) is your best bet. I've installed two Crane stocks (serious pain in the ass, need to remove the stock to charge the battery, and they are poorly designed when it comes to running wires), one older style Star stock (easier) and just yesterday a new version of the Star stock (super easy!!!)

Thats my crane stock that he installed on my C8, got the package through UN company for about 150ish I think and it comes with everything.

- Jackals

[Death March]

Thanks guys,belive it or not that helps alot.I did't know Stars made one! But I contacted one of the Retailers and they have the G&P as well but nobody seems to know if it fit's ICS,lets face it not much will fit ICS.But I'm to call back latter and they'll tell me if it fits.I'm not a big fan of the Battery box up front as I have an S.I.R. system on it and I want to shift some of the weight to the back of the Gun.can you still adjust the stock on it after,and do you have to leve the battery in it and lose the adjustment?I'v seen the G&P CQB that comes with this on it and it looks great (I think that's my next gun!).How much work is there in putting one of these monsters on?Thanks again Guy's!

[spaceghost0]

G&P can fit ICS guns. I have done it, but for my method it required JB Weld and a dremel. Basically what I did was to shorten down the length of the stock adaptor (http://www.speedytoys.com/shop/item....d=471&catid=13) as you will not be able to screw the G&P buffer tube onto the body. It is hard to explain why this won't work, but you'd basically need a bigger spacer and have to use the ICS screw. The G&P buffer is different than a regular one on the inside to make room for the battery.

But I digress, cut down the adaptor about 3/4-1" so that the channel for wire is not interrupted and to make room for the batt. Now, JB Weld the G&P buffer tube to this piece. Piece together your wiring and away you go! The nice thing about doing it this way is that if you want to remove the crane stock and install a full stock or something, just remove the adaptor from the reciever via the screw under the buffer tube and you are all set (You will need another adaptor though). I hope this made some semblance of sense, if you need more help/pictures let me know.

EDIT: Here is the gun: http://home.comcast.net/~spaceghost0/mre08.jpg

[ert]

Mounting any Crane style stock on the ICS M4 will take more effort then you think because of the unique way ICS mounts their buffer tube to the body. I didn't do what spaceghost did, I took a really long 1/4" drill bit (can get them anywhere for relatively cheap) and drilled a hole below the threaded hole on the end of the adapter for my wires to feed through. I suggest you take apart your M4 buffer tube and stuff to get a better picture of what you're up against, because unless you've seen it, no amount of words will adequately explain how to do it.

[Death March]

What's unique about the ICS ons,I'm looking at the pic's in the manual and I see it has some odd kinda keying too it,is that what your getting at?I'm not to sure I want to JB weld anything on the Gun just for latter service that might have to be done!After all it is Airsoft and service is all part of it.Since I'v been looking for ICS's with this mod. the ones I'v found have a very clean install on them and I don't see stuff like JB or that kind of stuff.From what I'm getting from this is the MA-27 is the prob.correct me if I'm wrong.I'm not sure what the others look like to compare too.Thanks again guy's I know it's hard to do this over the Computer,if it were't for pic's it'd be really crappy.again thanks for the understanding with this,I thought it'd be a little easy'er than this!(I forgot,it's ICS).Hmm wait does ICS make one for thier own gun? I guess I should check on that!Thanks again for the help,any input is great.

[ert]

Ics does not make one yet. I don't know if they have plans to or not. The poblem is the adapter that holds the buffer tube onto the stock. It is like a small pipe with a cap on the end that has a threaded hole in the end of it. You screw it onto the stock (that's the flathead screw you see on the back of the body under the bufer tube) and then slide the buffer tube onto it and use a screw inside the buffer tube to screw it onto the adapter. That's the problem. The buffer tube is completely sealed so there's no way to run wires through it for the stock. I put everything together and drilled a small hole through that cap that's blocking everything so that I could run my wires through it.

Spaceghost was just saying that he cut the cap right off and just used the JB weld to hold the buffer tube to the adapter rather then the screw that would have gone into the cap.

Like I said, it won't make sense unless you take it apart and look at the parts as I'm explaining things... if need be I can take pictures, but I'm busy with work and school at the moment, so I'd rather not have to resort to that.

[mouse]

i dont wana take away from the crane stocks elure, but i got a custom pack out of 4/5 a cells which i believe most of the crane stocks do. 2000mah NiMh 8.4v in a somewhat of a nunchuck configuration and took my fuse plate twised it 90 deg to the right and popped it in. Good to go. Yes it does make the gun front heavy a tidbit but work those muscles! I wana gona opt for the crane stock but i didnt like how it butted and all the other wiring and junk to deal with. If you get the crane stock you gotta get some real steel handguards to boot!

[Death March]

Ok I think I get what your driving at,it's just drilling a hole into the Adapter? If that's all it is that wound't be a prob. My concern is the threds on the pipe not being the same and I thought that the JB would be the only thing holding it on (yikes!).If it's just drilling it,I'm sure I could get that done!Cause I'v looked at an Classic Army one and the Tube it's self is a no go for my gun,because they don't give you a tube with it or not the one I'v seen.
As far as the large battery up front mouse that's what I was trying to do at first,but if you'v ever seen the ICS S.I.R. (MA-12) system there is no room for a battery that big.The largest I can fit is my 9.6 1200NiMh,and that's just because the size of thoes cells are slightly smaller than Ni-cads,I can't even get my 8.4 800Ni-cad to fit in it any more.And the handguards are solid on the MA-12 I'm not worried about that.The only manufactures I'v found making Cranes are Stars,Forward Armoury($),Classic Army,G&P and Prime but no one lists what fits what?
So Ert from what you saying is if I use the G&P all I have to do is drill a 1/4 inch hole in the stock adapter and everything else fits?I see what your getting at in terms of just trying too get a hole in it in the first place,but the tube does come off right,I think it does?I'd just have to get the Adapter off and drill it right?
Again Thanks for the input and understanding guys Thanks!

[Death March]

Hey guy's,a friend tryed puting the G&P crane stock over the Stock ICS tube and it seems to fit,but theres always a but! it prob. won't fold in all the way(that's what a dremel is for I guess!).Has any one else tryed this? Cause it sure sounds good to me.Regardless nothing seems like it's going to just bolt-up,but this realy does not sound that bad.It would make life easyer if this is the case.The only thing is the last time I tryed taking off the stock ICS stock,It would't come off as easy as other brands.In fact I could not get it off,so this could add more fun to the project!

[ILLusion]

Just make sure you twist the gearbox wiring in the buffer tube properly so that when you collapse the stock, the wire will coil up into the tube.

[Death March]

Thanks Illusion,I know it's hard trying to get the point across on the Computer.Doing odd mod's is nothing new,I'v been doing R/C car stuff for about 18 years so it's just a matter of geting use to this format of parts.Do you have to coil the wires in say a stock set-up ie.the gun comes with it?,or is it due to moding it?Ya know after all this the smoke is starting to clear from a very hazey picture.Thanks again to all for there input.

[ert]

Most crane stocks won't slide in all the way due to the wiring in the stock itself and the connector inside the buffer tube. There's ways around it, but you've gotta get a bit more ingenious and figure out what works best for you to solve that.

Anyways, like I said, I took mine apart to see what I was up against, then I put it back together and got a drill bit and drilled through the back of the buffer tube through the adapter and all just below the threaded hole inside the buffer tube. It's a bit harder then it sounds because a drill bit that long tends to liek to wander a bit, so the trick is to keep it tight to the wall of the buffer tube as you drill so it doesn't wander into the threaded hole making you screw up the threads.