[Stealth]

Actually let me post my "review" of the A&K M249.

Likes:
* Full Metal
* Low price (lowest price for an M249 of any make/model)
* Quick-change spring (we literally bought this gun JUST to test out springs with)
* Bearing spring guide! (I shouldn't even be putting this here - what kind of gun doesn't come with a bearing spring guide nowadays?)
* Passes the 10ft test - intimidates the n00bs? (means it looks real nice from 10 feet away, then when you step in closer, you notice the poor-looking fit/finish of the gun. Maybe I'm picky)

Dislikes:
* Pistol grip has really bad plastic moulding and will literally cut your hand open if you don't sand the flash smooth.
* Pistol grip plate is pathetic - the spring is weak and the door keeps flapping open
* The switch is garbage. Right after I sold the thing to someone, the new owner complained that the switch was burned out. It basically burned out after about 1000 rounds. Yes I was using an 11.1V lipo. Stock V2/V3 trigger contacts last longer than that. Thankfully replacement switches are something like $5 from amazon or some electronics store. If you're paying more than $10 for one you're getting ripped off. Don't spend $25 on the CA one.
* The top cover above the outer barrel is made out of some cheap happy meal plastic while the lower handguards are made out of a more sturdy fiber/nylon. The top cover will just randomly shift out of place for no reason
* The lower receiver that contains the pistol grip and trigger assembly literally flexes with the weight of the gun
* Rock-solid gearbox shell that looks like it can take a 600fps spring, shitty bearings means that you're pretty much limited to under 400fps. Otherwise your bearings will grenade itself over time. Proprietary bearings also mean you can't just swap them out easily. The only replacements are the Kanzen Ceramic bearings ($$$)
* The nozzle length is proprietary (actually I didn't really spend a lot of time here, but it has no o-ring on it = air seal problem). I'm sure there's a length match somewhere.
* The hop-up unit/bucking combo is pathetic and needs to be replaced before you can game it. (lots of threads on the web on this)
* The pinion gear on the motor that it comes with has a weird angle on the teeth which means it doesn't mesh with the gears properly = whiney gearbox no matter how much time you spend shimming it.
* The stock gearset grenaded itself after about 100 rounds. Half dozen teeth peaced out from the spur gear.
* Holding the gun with the box mag gave me an idea of what it's like to hold the moon. Seriously the box mag is oversized. Yes it's "realistic" but the MAG 100rd box mag is much more manageable.
* The ergonomics of the gun with the box mag is all weird. Maybe it's my long arms, but I couldn't hold the gun by the handguards comfortably without my forearm interfering with the box mag in some way.

Almost all the "dislikes" above can be remedied fairly easily if you know how to do some of your own work. I wanted to say that it's disappointing that the internals don't really match the external build quality but the externals aren't phenomenal either so I'm not really too sure what to say.

This is my experience with ONE A&K M249 Para. Your mileage may vary!