ARCTURUS M4/AR-15 Lite CQB AT-NY03-CQ AEG Rifle

The ARCTURUS M4/AR-15 Lite CQB AEG Rifle is a replica of one of the most popular current real-world M4/AR-15 platforms in the US, and as such, is packing some highly desirable external parts and would make the perfect base gun for your custom dream AR build.

The rifle is constructed with weight at the front of ARCTURUS' mind, as the handguard is composed of lightweight aluminium, with the receiver, grip and stock built from tough but lightweight polymer to reduce the overall weight as much as possible. As a result, this rifle handles like air and allows you to zip around in skirmishes at lightning speed, making it perfect for high-intensity CQB games, but also keeps you agile well into the later hours during those all-day outdoor skirmishes - Your shoulders and arms will thank you!

At the front of the rifle, we have the flash hider. Held in place with a grub screw, the flash hider is attached to the outer barrel via the 14mm CCW thread, so it can always be removed if you have your heart set on your own flash hider or suppressor/tracer unit. But you may not even need that option, as the included alloy flash hider is a sweet design, being that of a bird cage style flash hider with a slightly sleeker, more modern aesthetic that complements the M-LOK rail system well.

Speaking of M-LOK rail system, we can see that the handguard sports exactly that, with some additional cut grooves that match the aesthetic very nicely, as well as allowing you to see the barrel, mock gas tube and gas block that is now visible behind handguard, in keeping with the modern stylings of this rifle. The M-LOK system allows you to attach a whole host of tactical devices anywhere at 45 and 90-degree angles along the handguard, allowing for a superior level of customisation for devices such as torches, lasers and foregrips. The handguard is constructed from sleek aluminium with laser engraved rail slot numbers along the top rail, to keep track of your accessories as well as ARCTURUS trademarks and serial numbers etched into the sides, for a sleek design. Another neat feature of this ARCTURUS AR is the addition of 3x QD sling points at the 3, 6 and 9 o clock positions, which can be used in tandem with the stock sling plate, as well as the QD sling point located in the stock, to allow you to attach your choice of aftermarket sling.

Moving on to the body of the rifle we come to the modernised 'Billet' style receiver, which has a bunch of contemporary features not present in similar rifles at this price point. Firstly the front magwell panels feature a ridged texture, which is a boon for those of you that like to switch it up and wield your rifle with a magwell grip, as the ridges make gripping just that little bit easier. The biggest positive of this receiver is that it boasts fully ambidextrous controls, as the fire select is present on both the left and right-hand side of the rifle, so lefties fear not! Not only that but the mag release can be activated on either side as can the mock charging handle. Pulling back the charging handle will open the mock bolt release, within which the HOP-up unit is contained. The HOP is that of a rotary design, which can be adjusted to apply backspin to your shots to help with elevated shooting.

The pistol grip is somewhat oversized to aid in grip and has been designed with a few positive ergonomic touches. The front and back straps, much like the magwell grip sport a ridged texture to aid in grippage. Likewise the sides of the grip feature a stippled texture, so this rifle is a dream to grip, with or without gloves. The motor is housed within the grip, accessed by turning the steel screw on the underside of the grip.

At the rear of the receiver, we are treated to an ambidextrous sling plate which offers two sling points on the left side and one on the right. The sling plate is ideal for single-point slings, but can also be paired with a front sling mount if you prefer a two-point sling setup. Being constructed from steel allows the sling plate to take the weight of the rifle easily, and provides confidence that the plate will never fail and dump your gorgeous rifle into the dirt.

We advise that once you have removed the buffer tube cap you stash it away for future use unless you are going with a slimline stock with no battery space, as the rifles stock has a wealth of space inside which should be taken advantage of! With the cap removed you can now reinstall the stock, and turn the dial on the butt plate by 90 degrees to open the stock's battery compartment. Inside you will find a Deans battery connector (assuming you have removed the threaded cap of the buffer tube, otherwise, it's inside!) to which you mount your battery of choice. We recommend a 7.4V 1300mAh LiPo if you are using the buffer tube battery compartment, or a 7.4V 2600mAh LiPo in nunchuck/crane configuration if you are using the stock battery compartment.

If you thought ARCTURUS special treatment of the M4/AR-15 Lite CQB stopped at the externals, think again! The internals of the rifle are equipped with a rock-solid internal feature set with some well chosen upgrade parts and nothing overly complex which may go wrong. The gearbox is a version 2 reinforced type with a quick change spring guide mounted on ball bearings for reduced rotational stress, and the piston head is also fitted with ball bearings, resulting in a long lasting and low stress gearbox setup.

The nozzle is Teflon sealed for superb air seal qualities, and the steel gearset runs on 8mm steel bushings for a smooth gearbox sound and unlaboured functionality. All of the wiring is heavy gauge low resistance wiring, making for a setup which is far more efficient in both air seal and power use than most of its rivals. This superb feature set is enhanced by the microswitch trigger, which provides a snappy trigger response in semi-auto, and genuinely feels like it must have a MOSFET inside. It doesn't, but it looks like ARCTURUS has proved you don't need a MOSFET for a rapid response if your gearbox is well built!

So if you are looking for an M4, of course, there are many choices available, however the M4/AR-15 Lite CQB doesn't overcomplicate things and really sticks to the ethos that you need strong fundamentals to make a good assault rifle. Lightweight and manoeuvrable, with plenty of room to customise down the line with its M-LOK rail system and monolithic top rail, this M4 provides an absolutely rock solid baseline to get skirmishing. Perfect for both beginners and veterans alike, the AR-15 Lite sits at a very attractive price point, with plenty of features in a sleek modern package.

Features

• 6.01mm Steel tightbore inner barrel
• Rotary adjustable HOP-up unit
• 10.5-inch M-LOK handguard - Plenty of space for modern shooting styles!
• 14mm CCW male threaded outer barrel - Ready for a tracer or suppressor
• 20mm Picatinny railed receiver - Seamless integration with the handguard rail
• Ambidextrous charging handle - Modern looks, ambi HOP-up access
• Extended bolt release - Matches the real MK16 build perfectly
• Ergonomic pistol grip with filled backstrap - Comfortable for most hand sizes
• Ambidextrous steel sling plate - Ready for single-point slings
• QD sling points on handguard and rear of stock
• 6 Position M4/AR-15 buffer tube - Compatible with aftermarket M4/AR-15 AEG stocks
• Mil-spec curved trigger - Perfect for military style loadouts
• Bearing spring guide and piston head - Reduced rotational force, less friction
• Rotary adjustable HOP-up unit - Fine increments of adjustment, holds setting well
• Teflon sealed air nozzle - Great compression/air seal qualities
• Microswitch trigger - Snappy trigger response
• Low resistance wiring - Great electrical efficiency
• 8mm Steel bushings - Smooth running gearbox
• Compatible with M4/AR-15 AEG magazines
• Deans connector with option for Mini-Tamiya adaptor

Package Includes

• ARCTURUS M4/AR-15 Lite CQB AT-NY03-CQ AEG Rifle
• 30/130rnd variable capacity magazine
• Flip-up ironsights
• Deans to Mini-Tamiya adaptor
• Instruction manual
• ARCTURUS stickers