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ASG LMT Defender M4

ASG LMT Defender M4

I was inspired last month by Pete Moore’s excellent review of the ‘real deal’ LMT Ultramatch straight pull rifle to look further into the firearms models manufactured by them; although it is undoubtedly the L129A1 designated marksman rifle used by the British Forces that steals the limelight; I discovered that there is a rather specialist unit in the UK that uses the LMT 5.56mm Defender carbine variant, and surprisingly, that is a unit of the British Transport Police!

The website http://www.eliteukforces. info/ states that: “British Transport Police (BTP) began armed patrols of select train stations in February 2012. This unusual armed presence was in response to a ‘severe’ level of terrorist threat. Incidents such as the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which included gunmen attacking a busy train terminus, have highlighted the need for in-situ armed units, such as were already in place at several British airports. Such units can respond immediately to an attack, rather having to travel to the scene, as firearms units from other forces would have to do. Armed patrols were initially limited to the London railway network, although they can be deployed nationally. Armed patrols are not a permanent fixture at any given station.

The specialist firearms team is made up of a select core of Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) with the BTP Counter Terrorism Support Unit (CTSU) who perform routine armed patrol of stations, usually operating in pairs.

The BTP Firearms Unit carry the Lewis Machine & Tools (LMT) CQB carbine, a shortbarrelled, semi-automatic rifle chambered for the 5.56mm x 45mm NATO cartridge and based on the AR-15 design. Photos show Leupold Mark 4 Close Quarter/ Tactical Rifle Scopes mounted on the BTP’s carbines. Other common accessories include a fold-down fore grip and a tactical light. The weapons have been spotted with and without suppressor attachments.”

Now, I was aware that such a unit existed, as I actually have a mate who is part of it; and through talking to him I was also aware that they were issued with an M4 style LMT carbine, so when I found out that ASG were producing an airsoft replica as part of their ‘Proline Series’, I thought that it was high time I got hands on one!

Lewis Machine and Tool Company

Although Lewis Machine & Tool Company (LMT) sounds more like something you’d come across in the construction industry, was founded by Karl Lewis in 1980 and started out by providing law enforcement and government agencies with military type firearms and accessories. Today, LMT still provides law enforcement and government agencies with firearms, but they have now also expanded their services to foreign military and commercial retailers.

All of LMT’s engineering and manufacturing is done in house at the Milan, Illinois facility in the USA. LMT manufactures complete weapon systems, such as the M4/AR-15 and the M203 grenade launcher. Today, the Ministry of Defence of both the United Kingdom and New Zealand, plus the US military, utilise many of the products that LMT produces.

The Next Generation Proline LMT Defender from ASG has been developed to meet the requirements of experienced users that demand a lot from their RIF, and has been extensively updated. By using enhanced parts, redesigned outer components and high-quality internals, the Next Generation Proline series offers quality, accuracy and upgrade possibilities, which means they are good to go right out of the box.

One of the innovative design features of the Proline series is the reinforced gearbox, packed with enhanced components, all powered by an ULTIMATE basic motor.

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The entire package is designed to be compatible with ULTIMATE Upgrade parts, ensuring any future upgrade to the RIF will have an exact fit and can be done without special modification to the individual components. The high performance piston is made of reinforced nylon, with the addition of four steel teeth embedded at the peak stress point. The sectional view of the piston is teardrop shaped, adding strength to the areas most vulnerable to mechanical fractures. The piston head itself is an innovative design, with large conical shaped air inlets and flared outlets allowing more air to flow through, reducing resistance and increasing rate of fire, while providing optimal compression.

The barrel features an inner diameter of only 6.04mm for optimal compression and performance, whilst the enhanced outer barrel is made from a strong aluminium alloy. The upgraded gearbox shell is made with special compound alloy casting materials, and has been designed with reinforcements at critical stress points, to ensure the box is able to endure the extra stress any potential upgrade will put on it. The combination of taps along the lining and high-strength hex-screws prevents the box from twisting under the stress. 8mm steel double-bushings reduce friction when the gears are under maximum stress, providing smooth running and minimum wear on the gearbox components, and to further ensure long lasting and dependable performance, the gearbox has been fitted with an antireversal latch made from high-density steel.

Built for increased durability, high power and reduced energy consumption, the ULTIMATE basic series motor uses ball bearings and a high density steel pinion gear, supported in an aluminium cage to ensure it will endure the extreme pressures and high rotations in both high-speed or high- torque set ups. The combination of heat resistant enamelled wire and a high durability nylon cover built to withstand wear and high temperature, prevents short-circuits due to excessive heat and carbon dust.

Great care has been taken in designing the receivers, barrel and stock, resulting in components that fit together perfectly, making the individual RIFs sturdy and strong; the solid build quality along with the POM hop-up and precision barrel helps ensure accuracy, making all Next Generation Proline models a sure hit on the range or on the skirmish field.

Full metal jacket

The Defender Carbine has authentic markings fully licensed by LMT, and it’s a superb base for a project. This solidly constructed Proline AEG, with full metal barrel and receiver, together with a six position collapsible stock and a full metal Rail Interface System (RIS), really is a durable and dependable AEG. It features a removable top handle with integrated metal sights, mounted on a Picatinny style top rail on the upper receiver allowing easy mounting of optics. Pulling the charging handle opens the dust cover, while pulling back and locking the simulated bolt to reveal the adjustable hop-up dial. To release the bolt, press the bolt release catch just like on the real firearm. The battery can be housed in the 6-position collapsible SOPMOD stock made from heavy-duty polymer.

Also included in the package is a detachable vertical front grip and the innovative 360 BB Hi-Cap Flash magazine; its spring is wound up by a pull-cord in mere seconds, getting you into the action quite literally in a flash. Other than the battery itself and BBs, everything you need to get out on the skirmish field is included in the box!

Once gain ASG have made use of a licence agreement very well indeed, by producing an absolutely top quality, full metal AEG that completely mimics a real world model; in fact, if you pop onto their recently re-vamped website you’ll find not one but four LMT variants and there’s something there to suit all wallets! The LMT Defender RIS is available in either black or tan and is available with either an M95 or M120 spring, so please choose carefully! It retails for around £290, which is tremendous value for money!

The carbine looks and feels outstanding, and thankfully it performs every bit as well too. With the simple to operate Flash mag loaded up, the M120 version was sending .20g BLASTER BBs through the chrono at 1.43 Joule/394fps; so if you’re buying in the UK, do make sure to go for the M95 spring, so as to comply with site limits! Switching out to .25g BLASTERS, using just the standard iron sights, I was easily hitting sandbags at the extent of the 30m range, so this will certainly make a fine woodland RIF, and the great thing with an M4 of course, is that it’s perfectly suited to CQB environments as well.

Conclusion

Although not a ‘recoil’ model, the Defender has a spring-loaded weight in the buffer tube, which gives some kinetic feedback, and is a very nice touch; overall the LMT Defender RIS is a super replica, which is superbly put together, well priced and is ideal whatever your style of airsoft play may be!

 

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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  • ASG LMT Defender M4 - image {image:count}

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