I just read all the new posts in this thread, and I actually agree with all of you! There's no need to argue over anything. If you want to make a 100% clone, the get the PGW EFR. It's the correct rail that the Marines used, and it's currently available. I feel that if an original part that was used by the Corps is currently available, then everyone should be using that part.
However, if the original OEM part is no longer available for whatever reason, the definitely look for old stock originals first and then start looking for replicas made by other companies. There's also an issue of price. Some cloners have very tight budgets and they need to shave costs wherever they can. This means using cheaper parts, sometimes they're used originals or new replicas. Everyone with any kind of budget should be able to enjoy cloning, so I'm always going to support people who might only be able to afford some airsoft parts.
There's not many corners to cut on M40xx clones, especially with how much the stock costs, but it's possible to save a good amount of money and build an M40xx lookalike. Notice how I said "lookalike" as opposed to "clone." If you use a lot of reproduction or airsoft parts, as opposed to original OEM parts that the Marines used, then it eventually gets into an area where it's not really a clone, but it still really looks like the issued rifle. This is a grey area in cloning since most non-clones don't look anything like the original issued rifle.
I give a lot of advice to collectors and clone builders. I talk to many new people each week and I currently have 19 pages of messages on this forum alone! The best advice I can give is to use the same original OEM parts that the Marines used. If you can't afford some of these parts, then slow down on your build and save up. People are everywhere on the money spectrum, but they all have 1 thing in common - they all want to get their clone done and built right now! I tell everyone to hit the brakes, and do the build slowly at a rate they can manage to find and afford original parts. Every single clone builder I've talked to already has some guns in they collection, so I tell them to just go shoot and enjoy those guns in the meantime! It's very rare that someone contacts me asking about clone building advice, and that clone is their first EVER firearm. It might be their first clone build, but 99.9% of people already have other firearms to enjoy while they're collecting parts.
For the people who are looking at the SOL Strategic EFR over the PGW EFR, don't buy the SOL! For a while cloners couldn't get PGW EFR's, so the SOL EFR was an acceptable alternative, but that no longer appears to be the case. And if anyone thinks they're saving money buying the SOL EFR over the PGW EFR, it's actually cheaper to buy the original PGW part! The PGW EFR is $340 CAD, which is roughly $246 USD, and the SOL EFR is $290 USD. If anything happens to PGW and they're no longer able to supply the EFR for whatever reason, then people can look into getting the SOL EFR.
As for the $20 airsoft rail, it's wrong in so many ways, but if you really want to build a lookalike or non-clone M40xx and save a ton of money, then by all means try it out. There's quite a few guys out there who buy the airsoft Mk18 and M4A1 Block II Daniel Defense handguards for their AR15 builds, and they somehow make them work! These airsoft DD handguards look almost identical to the real ones, but they need some work to convert them to be usable on an actual firearm. People save a ton of money doing this, the rails look like the real deal, and they actually hold up just fine. The $20 airsoft EFR won't be put through anywhere near the same use as an airsoft handguard on a real firearm, so it should work out just fine. Using a $20 part on an M40xx build is pretty ridiculous, and if that's all you can afford, then maybe you shouldn't be doing clone builds right now, but that's none of my business. I'm not going to tell people what they can and can't do with their hard earned money.
Everyone should be able to have fun building clones, and we should be supporting each other. That includes guys who don't have the money to spend on the more expensive and correct OEM parts. You guys know how I'm a huge clone collector/builder who's insane about using very rare original parts, and yet I don't see any issues with anyone using cheap airsoft parts. I want everyone in our community to be happy, and I give advice to people who can't afford to build a perfectly correct clone rifle. If they're happy with their build, then I'm happy that I was able to give good advice. I usually give people options, and most people decide to stretch their build out longer so that they can save up for the correct OEM parts, but not everyone does that or is able to do that.
The only issue that I have with people using cheap airsoft parts is what they end up calling their build. In this situation, I kindly ask them to not refer to their rifle as a clone build, but instead say that it's "inspired by xxx" or it's an "xxx lookalike" or it's just a "custom rifle" etc., etc., etc. To me, being able to call a build a "clone" means that the person used as many original parts and build specs as possible, and the vast majority if the build has to use these original OEM parts. There's obviously exceptions for parts that are extremely rare or extremely expensive, and it's acceptable to use 1 or 2 reproduction parts. This community hasn't reall set a standard in stone for what is and isn't a clone build, so this is just my personal thoughts on it.
So, I see where you guys are coming from in your arguments, and I see each of them being valid. Instead of arguing with each other, lets (as a community) finally figure out what an actual "clone" is, and what "non-clone" "lookalike" "inspired by" builds are. Let's work together and support each other, everyone in our community should be able to enjoy these amazing rifles in one way or another. That's just my opinion on the subject, nothing more, nothing less. I don't expect anyone to agree with me, but this is how I view things. I hope that cloners reading this pick up the real deal PGW EFR's while they're still available, and I hope that someone buys the $20 airsoft rail to see if it's actually worth getting and saving a ton of money (and please share the results with us!).
Fuck me, I didn't realize that I just wrote 9 paragraphs on this topic! Sorry for the long winded post!
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