Jing Gong's ongoing improvement on its AEG line in 2008 further entrenched it as the top ACM brand among low-cost AEG manufacturers. We do not consider Jing Gong as a medium-end airsoft brand, but more of as a high-end manufacturer of airsoft guns, already in the league of Hong Kong and Taiwanese makers, minus the price considerations.

Though many would notice the price increases in JG's line of AEGs, especially with their AK and M4/M16 lines. This should come as no surprise, as JG's investing in improving quality to come out with more reliable, better-performing, and all-metal AEGs --- and these all come at a price. I have to say the performance and reliability of JG's products this year has already surpassed some well-known airsoft makers in the Far East. It may need to invest more in the looks department, but overall, looks don't help you win any skirmish so it's not a high priority area, in my own opinion

However, we have not heard of Jing Gong in the recent months, after the crackdown by the Chinese Government of replica firearms makers in the Mainland in the latter part of 2009. What many are speculating is that Jing Gong exists this year as another brand, manufacturing the parts of its AEG line up in the Mainland where it is allowed, and having the completed airsoft guns somewhere else, most likely Hong Kong, for export to airsoft markets worldwide.

Flashback

We did a comparison among budget CQB-Rs in our May 2008 Issue of the Popular Airsoft Magazine and the JG M4 CQB-R with the ABS body was pitted against its estranged cousins from Dboys/BOYI and A&K. The verdict we had was that the difference between the Dboys version and JG was almost close. Something for Jing Gong to worry about if it has to be the King of the Hill among manufacturers from Mainland China. It has to set aside this worry, as it has an even bigger rivals to worry about; the manufacturers from Hong Kong and Taiwan who are starting to come out with low-cost and average performance AEGs that will undercut the competition from the Mainland Chinese.

The first thing that JG did was get out of the image of being a low-cost, average performing AEG, to that of a medium-cost, high performing AEG line.

And soon enough we then had a taste of this change in strategy by Jing Gong with their M4A1 DX (All Metal). Though what we had a review of the GFC M4A1 All Metal, it is actually a rebrand of the JG M4A1 DX. Dom had the privilege of reviewing this for our September 2008 issue of the Magazine and it's already posted here, and he's blown away by the improvements in the quality of the gearbox, coupled with the MOSFET system. Just by the gearbox alone, and out of the box performance of this AEG has proved that the strategy of Jing Gong is now paying off. The M4A1 DX was the hottest selling ACM in 2008, as evidenced by even bigger demand from Central Europe, Eastern Europe and Asia where FPS limits above 1 joule are not a problem. Even Dom's Deathless King mates have discarded their Classic Army M15A4 Carbines as their favourite AEG, and were in the process of sourcing even just the JG Gearbox to put into the CA version. In the Philippines, it was always out of stock.

This then had an effect of Jing Gong avoiding being the target at the low-end area by the high end manufacturers, with the charge being led by Classic Army with its Sportline series, and brought the fight to the area where Classic Army and G&P have dominated for so long --- the M4 All Metal series, and making great success.  It was a classic flanking manoeuvre, if you think in terms skirmishes.

Out came the JG M4 CQB-R All Metal...

... which then ate into the market for M4 CQB-R lines of the mentioned companies. Let's see how this fares up.

Out of the box, the package comes with the usual stuff: 1500mah crane stock battery, manual, hi-cap magazine, rail covers, wall trickle charger, front sight adjustment tool, and the AEG. As always the JG packaging is simple but an improvement inside, rather than Styrofoam packaging, much closer to how King Arms does its packaging inside the box.

First impression is good, you get an AEG with full compliments to make you dive into a skirmish immediately out of the box.

Now, first strike with this AEG. Out of the box, the front end wobbles, which means that the alignment to the body is not good. We tightened the screws to prevent this. But subsequent use still loosens the screws bringing back the wobble. The best recourse is to do away with any foregrip attachment, and just hold the front rail with one hand when playing. Aftermarket front end rails should do the trick. The Rails sport the Top (T), Left (L), Right (R), and Bottom (B) number markings to indicate where the rails should be placed in case you dismantle the front end and want to put its parts together again. The Magpul XTM Rail Panels and 2-Point sling as seen in the photos are not part of the package.

The sights also, you will also notice that alignment is not too good. A full disassembly is required to check if all parts are properly aligned, which we did, and able to zero in properly.

Going to the metal body, we found the markings put in there were just an afterthought. The markings were crude and not properly placed. Oh well, just hope the other geardos at your skirmish site won't notice it. If you are very particular about proper markings, we suggest that you again go for the aftermarket parts, in particular the metal bodies from King Arms.  The fire selector switch is smooth, and pulling the charging handle, the dust cover easily opens and easy access to the hop-up dial is ensured.  The flat rail on the upper receiver allows you to place any scope or reflex sight, and we highly recommend an Aimpoint Red dot sight with a Cantilever mount, or an Eotech Holo sight.  It is also has number markings sans the white paint as seen on the front end rails.

The hi-capacity magazine gives good feeding. The windup screw that came along with the package does the job well, giving you a continuous stream of bbs when firing. Jing Gong magazines perform better than Dboys M4 magazines and can be compatible with the high end AEGs, with the exception of the new TM M4s.

The cranestock is reminiscent of the JG HK-416 releases (which also now has an metal version, and performance should be the same).  It has a 3-position retractable feature and the rubber butt pad can be removed for battery installation. The 1500 mah Nicad Nunchuck/cranestock battery can be easily inserted and you'll notice the MOSFET exposed during installation. The butt pad is hollow giving extra space for the protruding battery wires rather than having the trouble on inserting all the wires inside the hollows of the buttstock. We give Jing Gong high marks for a well-built rear for their M4 CQB-R.

Internals

We would like to refer to you to the internals of the Jing Gong Gearbox, which is basically the same  as the M4A1 All Metal that came out ahead and also seen in the GFC M4A1 that was reviewed by Dom. Photo below is the same photo as the gearbox of the GFC M4A1. We would like to reiterate the list, as reviewed by Dom:

• 420fps out-of-the-box
• Full-metal construction
• 6.04mm precision inner barrel
• MOSFET switch
• Metal bushings with ball bearings
• Reinforced Torque-up gears
• Piston head with bearing
• Reinforced piston body with metal teeth
• Low-resistance wires
• New type of delayer
• New type of tappet plate
• Metal spring guide
• 8 locking pawl
• Reinforced gearbox
• Ball bearing on the main gear
• Increased torque
• Chromium cylinder
• M130 spring

There is a strong demand for the Jing Gong's version 2 gearbox (2008 release) for its reliability and power. We highly recommend no upgrades for this, with the exception of downgrading the spring to meet your country's legal requirements. If you do a spring downgrade, you can replace the motor with a high-speed one such as those from Systema or G&P, giving you an increased rate of fire (ROF).

Rock and Rolling...

We immediately did a test with the AEG after taking out of the box, using the stock battery that came along with it. Firstly, we zeroed in the sights with the front sight adjustment tool that was also part of the package. The AEG is accurate at 20 metres. We were able to finish about 3 magazines, making it near 900 rounds through it. In the third magazine insertion, we noticed that there was a deviation in the flight of the bbs at the same distance when we fired off 2 magazines. The bbs were veering to the left of the target, which was a wonder as the hop-up was not yet adjusted and still in its factory settings. There were no sudden gusts of wind when we did the testing.

Some more adjustment, to the frontend, which basically corrected this deviation.  The feeding is great and the trigger gave us a crisp response at semi and continuous stream of bbs at full auto. It took us two wind-ups with the wind-up screw to empty the magazine (expect around 20bbs left when using the high-capacity magazine).

Jing Gong, where art thou?

If you're not squeamish on the cosmetics of the AEG, we highly recommend this for as it can certainly outperform the CA M15A4 or the G&P M4 Carbines which would put a bigger dent on your wallet. You get to save more which you can devote to buying accessories or a replacement to the metal body receiver to achieve better markings.

Thanks to the standard MOSFET-installed feature. The Jing Gong M4 CQB-R is efficient in power use, and easier on the gearbox. Highly manoeuvrable and can be used in both woodland and FIBUA games, this AEG can last and gives you definitely the most bang for the buck.

Now, if we only know what happened to Jing Gong or its reincarnation.