ICS MP5 SD6 Electric Airsoft AEG Rifle

ICS MP5 SD6 Electric Rifle Manual
The MP5 SD6 sports an SEF trigger group and a contoured pistol grip. ICS also sports a full metal aluminum receiver and front cocking tube, effective silencer, and highly textured foregrip and stock for an ultra-realistic look. Uses ICS gearbox and parts. Very smooth gearbox that is solidly built, with performance superior to Marui standards. Is compatible with all original and aftermarket parts intended for Tokyo Marui AEGs. Comes with high capacity 250 round magazine. Small or SD battery stored in foregrip. Power is slightly higher than Marui's AEGs at 360fps. Front and rear sling mount built to accommodate tactical 3 point sling. Fully adjustable rear sights.
ICS Revision: Version 3
Length: 680mm
Weight (no battery or ammunition): 2,000g
Magazine Capacity (for included magazine): 230
Magazine Capacity (for other available magazines): 50 / 200 / 240
Rate of Fire (shots per minute): 950
Barrel length: 230mm
Ammunition: 6mm BB
Motor: ICS Turbo 3000
Gearbox: Reinforced (ICS version 2)
Max effective range (quoted by ICS): 30 Metres
Review of ICS MP5 A4

The German made HK MP5 is arguably the world's best submachinegun. Various special forces units and police forces have selected this weapon as THE choice in close-quarter combat. With it's selective firing, easy handling and multiple variants, the HK MP5 shelf-life will continue to expand. The world received a taste of the HK MP5 during the storming of the Iranian Embassy in London, when British SAS agents were shown on TV utilizing the HK MP5 during it's hostage rescue mission. There are several variants that include the HK MP5 SD2 - the silenced derivative of the original HK MP5. The MP5 is a sub-machine gun firing a 9 x 19mm pistol ammunition round. The selector allows the MP5 safe, semi-automatic, three-round burst, and fully automatic modes of fire from a 30-round magazine. The MP5 is widely used by both military and police forces around the world.

If you're serious about Airsoft CQB battles, there aren't a whole lot of options to choose from. Primarily, you've got the M4 CQB, UMG, and of course, the famed MP5. The MP5 Airsoft Rifle is the world's most popular and effective submachine gun. The MP5 SD is much less common than the standard versions, used primarily in special forces units like the US Navy SEAL commandos, where the sound advantages provided by the integral suppressor outweigh the reduced effectiveness of the rounds. There are several good choices for a full metal MP5, even for those on a budget.. However, for an all around great MP5 AEG, the ICS versions come highly recommended. So, for my entry specialist weapon, I chose to go ICS. There are tons of ICS MP5 reviews out there, but virtually nothing on the SD versions. So, without further ado, let's take a look at the ICS MP5 SD5 Airsoft Electric Rifle.

First Impressions:

The ICS packaging is mostly black, with a nice picture of the gun on the packaging.

Once you open the box, you are struck by the sheer beauty of the packaging. The molded plastic that protects the gun is housed in burgundy velvet that really shows off the gun. Truly a classy design.

Although it is a bit lighter than a real MP5, the gun is a beautiful replica. The weight is perfect for CQB skirmishes.

In order to prevent accidental discharges, this gun also comes with a muzzle plug in the suppressor. If you've ever been the victim of an accidental discharge, you will greatly appreciate this safety feature. The gun also comes with an entire 1000 round bottle of high grade ICS .2g bbs, which is a really nice touch. All it needs is a battery (and goggles) to be good to go. And, of course, it comes with two nice metal 170 round high capacity magazines (which are CA compatible).

The magazine wheel is nice and large. It winds cleanly and feeds well in both ICS and CA MP5s. Please note that it's somewhat challenging at first to get seated without practice, but it fits very snugly. The metal looks and feels great. The gun is compatible with aftermarket magazines, such as TM, STAR, or MAG.

Appearance/Feel/Build Quality:

This gun is clearly one of the most reliable and affordable full metal MP5s on the market. On the full-stock MP5, you can load a battery by pushing up on the buttplate, which then pops off to reveal a large battery compartment in the stock. The stock itself is made out of solid plastic or nylon fiber, and has absolutely no wobble in its connection to the receiver. The stock also includes a built in sling mount on the right side. It can fit an 8.4V large-type battery, but you'll need to modify the stock to get a larger battery to fit (unless you use small-type batteries).

The grip is the classic MP5 grip, but with a notable distinction from the TM and other models: the ICS grip sports a massive heat sink to help the turbo motor dissipate heat and perform efficiently. It is also made out of durable plastic with a nice polymer feel. The trigger is metal, and the contacts work flawlessly. The trigger guard is the classic shape, and fits a gloved hand.

This ICS MP5 SD5 only has safe, semi, and full-auto modes. The selector switch moves cleanly and the markings are flawless, with the bullets marked in red, and safe in white. The lack of burst fire is a big flaw for a supposed SD5 model, but it's still a good AEG; likely it was just marketed wrong.

The receiver is full metal - it looks and feels great. This gun is very light and maneuverable, and is perfect for its main role in CQB. It looks to have a molded ejection port, which, unfortunately, does not open when you rack the charging handle. Then again, no AEG MP5 that I've seen does that, except perhaps the Systema PTW. The left side of the receiver also boasts what I suspect is a unique serial number, and the quality is definitely superb.

The charging handle is metal, and seems to hold up fine to HK slaps. Even so, you should still be careful not to do it too much, since MP5 charging handles are notorious for breaking. In any case, it is not as much fun as an M14 charging handle, so I usually leave it alone.

The magazine catch spring is very stiff, which might account for the very tight fit of the various magazines that I've tried. It is made to very tight tolerances, so unlike other models, there is absolutely no mag wobble. The magazine will not fall out randomly in a skirmish. The magazine release button is on the right side of the receiver, but like all HK guns, you can also release the magazine with a pull on the lever at the bottom of the gun, which is great for those of us who are left-handed.

The ribbed SD foregrip is flawless, and feels just like it should. One nice feature that distinguishes the ICS from lower quality models is that the foregrip is coated with a nice non-stick rubbery finish that gives it a great ergonomic feel. You can remove the foregrip by taking out the rectangular tabs on each side, which reveals an empty space suitable for storing a spare battery, snack bar, or tool set.

The other flaw on this gun is the rear sight. If you don't look too closely, the sight looks great. But, a closer look reveals that the holes are all the same size, so there's no real way to get a good sight adjustment for range. Fortunately, I have some jewelers files, and plan on enlarging two of the holes. A drill would also work fine. In the meantime, the MP5 sights are full metal, nicely detailed, and work great. I plan on using mostly the notch setting anyways. The front sight is full metal, and sports another sling mount on the left side, suitable again for a right-handed sling.

Of course, the central feature of this gun is the suppressor, which is an integral screw-off design. It is close to 14mm threaded, so you can probably mount another suppressor if you so desire. The supplied suppressor looks and feels great, but unfortunately it does not do anything. I have been unable to open the suppressor, nor does it look like it ever could have been functional. Unfortunately, this flaw makes me less happy with the replica, since the only remaining reason to choose an SD is the look of the gun. The SD does not support the tac light foregrip or MP5 RAS, nor can it take standard aftermarket suppressors (without looking stupid, that is).

Minor flaws aside, ICS has produced a fine replica of the world's most popular SMG. It is light, durable, comfortable, easily maneuverable, and looks and feels great. The build quality and finish are superb, and the design (rear sight aside) is great. Externally, it's clear why the ICS is one of the best full metal MP5's on the market.

Internals:

The internals are another reason why the ICS comes so highly recommended. There are a number of good videos on YouTube and Mechbox.com discussing the internals and how to take down this gun, so I'm only going to touch on the highlights. It uses a relatively standard v.2 gearbox (rather than the split gearbox design). It sports a nice black metal spring guide with a bearing, a nice quality white piston, brass cylinder, high quality ICS steel gearset, good quality bushings, and a nice thick wiring set. The shimming and grease job look very professional, and the turbo motor provides a solid ROF. Overall, the internals look very good. The inner barrel is brass, and does not appear to be a tightbore-probably the usual 6.08mm barrel. The barrel is 230mm long. The hopup unit is very solid, and works great. No need to replace it, in my opinion. The hopup adjust is on the left side of the receiver:

Function:

Surely by now you know how to work your gun, so I'm going to just say-please treat your replica with respect, and be safe. Respect your MED, and exercise good trigger discipline. Keep your gun on safe when not in a skirmish area, and wear goggles whenever you have it loaded. Don't forget to clear the chamber of the last 5 bb's that stay in the gun when you remove the magazine, and make sure the barrel is clear to avoid accidents.

Performance:

Performance on this gun is very good. It easily punctures both sides of a can, but it cannot puncture the bottom side of a can. Chrono results put this gun at 368 fps with .2g bb's, but I expect it will probably settle a bit to around 350-360 fps, which is good for CQB (maybe a bit hot for some places, but having been shot point blank by this gun, it's not too bad). Stock accuracy is decent, but of course, it's an SMG, and the shorter barrel makes it less accurate. Since the suppressor isn't functional, you would probably be well served to get a longer tightbore and run it most of the way through the suppressor.

Accessories & Modications:

Unfortunately, there's not a whole heck of a lot that you can do to this gun. You can modify the rear sight for better realism, and you can paint it. You can also install scope mounts and claw mounts, but front ends and foregrips will not fit, unfortunately. Then again, it IS an SD, so you shouldn't need to do a whole lot with it. Reflex sights and Aimpoints look great on MP5's, incidentally, although I always liked the plain jane MP5.

Pros & Cons:

Pros:

• Relatively inexpensive
• Full metal replica
• Unique serial number
• Absolutely no seams or molding issues
• No stock wobble
• Durable plastic parts look and feel great
• Awesome stock performance
• Great heat sink on the grip
• High quality internals
• Ambidextrous Navy trigger group
• It's an MP5 SD

• Suppressor is not functional as advertised
• It does not have burst fire, like an SD5 should
• The rear sight holes are all the same size

The Final Word:

If you're in the market for an MP5 (and I think everyone should have an MP5 in their collection), you really can't go wrong with the ICS MP5 SD. It is a great looking and great performing replica for an affordable price. While there are a few points that I would like to see changed, notably the receiver, it's also a great platform for upgrading. If you want a reliable MP5, this replica is definitely a great option.

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