Suggestions for a C8 Stand-in?

[AshleyAshes]

So, from what I've read, finding an airsoft Canadian C8 is prohibitively difficult and/or expensive. What I’d like is a more or less stock ‘C8 Looking’ Colt rifle suitable for a law enforcement theme.

Let me explain a bit. I’m graduating film school here in Ottawa in four months and me and others are starting up for freelance productions from this point. Mostly simple stuff, got a couple things in the pipeline but they’re commercials and corporate advertising type stuff, but what I’d love to do is a crazy multi-million dollars per episode dramatic series about Canadian first responders. So we’re starting production in a month or so on short vignettes/set pieces derived from this idea and put them on YouTube. It’ll be fun, it’ll let us challenge ourselves by doing more advanced productions, and it’s lovely portfolio material to show to future customers and clients. The first vignette is a shootout between police and a suspect in a hospital emergency room. This would include one constable armed with a C8 rifle. This is where the issue arises. Paramedic uniforms, scrubs, Glocks, armor carriers, things like that are no problem to get but the rifle poses an issue. I have a cheap springer M4 with the RIS but I feel it looks a little too ‘Tacticool’ for what I’m aiming for here. (At least till we start doing scenes with tactical officers. Mwa ha ha ha.)

So I’d like some suggestions on the kind of hardware I should look at hunting down. I’m not involved in the hobby of airsoft so the different makes, models and variations aren’t something I’m versed in at all. (But if you want tips on Canon lenses and their hardware, I got that covered) At the same time, keeping in mind that I’d like to keep costs reasonably down, it already costs me about $250 to kit out one actor in police gear, and that’s while keeping it fairly barebones. It’s not like the actual function of the rifle matters to me since we won’t even be using it to fire any BBs. I just want something that looks reasonably close to the stylings of the C8 that you see pulled out of the truck of a Crown Victoria.

So can anyone help me out with some suggestions?

[Hectic]

m4 and c8 are verry close to eachother the differences are not that big and would take a trained eye to pic up, at a distance i can hardly tell the difference, mowt of the differences are prety minor like barrel and handguards being a lil different size/style
if you look at military ones the canadians have green grips and handguard, but for LE they would likely be black.
so an m4 would be a perfect stand in for a c8. id tell u where to find one but i cannot because your not age verrified. Google will tell u im sure.
Good luck and be sure to share links for your videos that have airsoft guns in them we like to see that sort of stuff.

[Hectic]

here arw some pics for reference
m4

this m4 is a "comando" so it has a shorter barrel
c8

the c8 doesnt really use those type of thermomould magazines any more so they will look.even more like the m4

[AshleyAshes]

Originally Posted by Hectic

so an m4 would be a perfect stand in for a c8. id tell u where to find one but i cannot because your not age verrified. Google will tell u im sure.

Working on the age thing now, hopefully I'll meet with testtube tomorrow so I can get that sorted out.

Thanks for the suggestion though, I wasn't entirely sure how close the M4 and C8 were. I kinda know stuff about guns but I don't pretend to be any kind of expert.

Originally Posted by Hectic

Good luck and be sure to share links for your videos that have airsoft guns in them we like to see that sort of stuff.

I can do that. We're looking to do some pretty interesting stuff, we have the skills for filming and even have some good locations as well. We even have access to this handy medical facility to film in, which offers a tonne of production value:

http://sphotos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...44907288_o.jpg
http://sphotos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/hphoto...07014725_o.jpg

I imagine you guys don't get to see much airsoft media shot in a hospital...

[Hectic]

i think one of the sites we play at used to be some sort of hospital, in picton.

[Cico]

Another option for you could be trying to get togethere with the ottawa airsoft groups and having them lend you a gun for this 1 production. It wont be free(unless they are really in a good mood) but it will keep you from having this in inventory when you really only need it once.

[AshleyAshes]

Originally Posted by Cico

Another option for you could be trying to get togethere with the ottawa airsoft groups and having them lend you a gun for this 1 production. It wont be free(unless they are really in a good mood) but it will keep you from having this in inventory when you really only need it once.

That may be an option I'll look into, though I'd like to have a little more material to show off first, so as we can say 'Yeah, we're serious and we can do this'. Anyone can go on a forum and claim something will look cool, it's another thing to have material that demonstrates that they can get it done.

Though we'll at least be getting some G17s to use in sucessive shoots done with this theme.