Echo 1 M4 RIS Review

By:  Tim Seargeant

            If you have been into airsoft for a while then you know about Echo 1, but incase you haven’t here is the shake down.  Echo 1 shook up the airsoft market about 10 months ago by providing high performance airsoft guns for a fraction of what you would normally pay.  A year go from today if you wanted a quality built airsoft gun, inside and out, you had to spend close, to or more than, $300.00.  However if your budget was closer to $150.00 to $200.00 the only airsoft guns available at that price could barely shoot and the only guarantee you had was that it would break, and leave you no other option than to buy another gun.  Since October 2006 Echo 1 has been providing durable, performance airsoft guns for players on a budget.  The Echo 1 AEG’s performance is on par with well established airsoft gun makers like Tokyo Marui and Classic Army, but Echo 1 only cost about half as much.  High performance guns at low costs, it doesn’t get much better than that right?  Wrong!  This may seem unfathomable but Echo 1 has made their guns even better.  One of the hottest selling guns on the market, the Echo1 M4 Carbine, is now available with a rail interface system (RIS).  It may seem like only a minor improvement but it can make a world of difference.

            RIS units are a must have for players that want an edge over their opponent.  The RIS in itself has no bearing on the gun’s firing capability, but what it does is allow for an increase in the gun’s potential and the user’s efficiency.  When two players square off against each other the gun with the RIS could be the deciding factor between who sits out and who keeps playing, assuming both players are of similar skill and experience.  If tactics and shooting capability are the same then the only remaining factor is physics.  The player with the RIS that has a flashlight attached to it will have a fully illuminated target; on the other hand the player with no RIS cannot fire with confidence because they would not be able to see what they are shooting at.  Adding a laser sight to a RIS is especially effective for quick target acquisition.  By combining those two tools and activating them with pressure switches attached to a vertical grip, which allows the user to fire with a more natural wrist position, the user is completely combat ready.

            This gun is a perfect example of a RIS that is utilized to its full potential:

            The Echo 1 M4 RIS is the cheapest monetary solution to having a completely upgradeable airsoft gun, internally and externally.  The M4 RIS is the perfect airsoft gun for novice players who are ready to buy their first AEG.  The price is right, only $155.00, for a gun with sound internals and externals ready to be accessorized as the user develops more skill.  When considering what to buy for a first airsoft gun it is important to keep the future in mind.  At first thought some might think that they would never use a RIS so they wouldn’t consider spending the money on it.  However it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.  The Echo 1 M4 RIS is only $10.00 more than the standard M4 Carbine, but if you have regular M4 and bought the RIS separately then the total cost of that gun would be $200.00 or more.  It is always going to be a little bit cheaper to buy an airsoft gun already equipped with a RIS than to assemble it afterwards, in the case of the Echo 1 guns it is a lot cheaper.  Just try it out for yourself, the best way to understand the advantages of having a RIS is to use one in battle.