Opinions/help needed for potential upgrades

[Bremijo]

So I'm new here, and I know that on most forums, people will get upset over newbies making their first posts in sections other than the newbie sections, so in the absence of me knowing the community here, and having found nothing that says I can't post here, cut me some slack.

I'm what I would like to call 'new-ish' to airsoft - I've played for the past 3 1/2 years, but only now have I got a gun that is starting to progress beyond a starter. But this isn't about that gun, this is about the one that got me started, my good ol' ICS M4.

What I'm here for is some opinions, facts, and help on what will become a project for me over the next little while (hopefully).

This thing has gotten me through the past 2 years of airsofting, and has served me well. Unfortunately, it's starting to show its age. I would like to upgrade it, but I'm not sure exactly where to start, who to see, and what to buy.
I also am not even sure of what the gun is itself, save for the maker (ICS), and the type (M4) and if all that I'm doing is just a lost cause.

Here are the specs. I am relatively new to the world of airsoft internals, so bear with me:
-Gun model: ICS 'M44 Tactical Carbine' (engraved on gun). The box it came with says ICS-49, but also shows a model of the gun saying ICS-41A1. This is where I'm confused a bit as to what the gun is. If anyone has owned something similar, please help.
-Receiver is plastic, upper is opaque, and lower is slightly see-through. Whole thing is black.
-Upper part of the split gear box (Apparently this is unique to ICS guns) has had no upgrades, and is completely stock. Spring is starting to wear out, and I wouldn't doubt it if the other bits like the cylinder head were wearing out too.
-Hop-up and barrel is stock, neither have anything really wrong with them, though I'd imagine it'd do no harm to get a new hop-up.
-Lower part of gear box has had metal gears installed, as about a year ago, the stock gears stripped off. Everything else about it is stock.
-Motor is stock, it's an ICS Infinite Motor
-TL;DR 95% of gun is stock, save for the gears.

What is wrong with the gun:
-Trigger has some issues on semi-automatic mode
-FPS is WAY too low for what I would want, and that is to have a gun that can be used for mid-ranges. It clocks in at a whopping 275-80 FPS. Not fun. This is probably my biggest gripe.
-I have an issue with double feeding occasionally.
-Area around the retaining pin on the lower receiver is starting to crack.
-Alot of parts are wobbly, namely the handguard, stock, and front sights, (even though I can tighten the front sights, they still loosen up after a while). I'm not entirely sure, but I believe that this is causing my BBs to spray around, which although is cool, is something I don't want.

Remember, the gun is 2 years old, has only seen a gun doc once for the gears, and has seen a TON of use.


What I would like to have for my gun, should upgrades be possible:
-At least 340 fps.
-parts that don't wobble.
-I'm guessing I'm gonna need a new receiver to avert the crack near the retaining pin.
-New trigger, if possible.
-Anything else people can recommend.

So to sum it all up, I just want to know what people think. I have no idea what works with ICS internals, and even more importantly, I don't even know if it's worth it to upgrade. It seems like I'm pretty much rebuilding the entire gun. If people could tell me what to buy, what to avoid, hints/tips/tricks on internals, etc., I would greatly appreciate it.

Conversely, if anyone knows a good gun doctor in London, ON, that would be nice too.

Thanks.

p.s. I understand that this is alot for a first post.

[peacekeeper]

6.03 or 6.04 promethus barrel , m120 spring ( aprox 425 fps) , new bushings and a inspection of mechbox for wear , gaurder clear hop up rubber and bucking . new trigger switch may be needed ( ics one can be finiky ). new lower reciever , possibly metal if you can find one.

[Forever_kaos]

For a gun plumber in London, I have heard good things about Lanepratt:

http://airsoftcanada.com/member.php?u=49806

Last I heard (god knows what he has worked on since) he got an ICS M4 up and running good.

If you're looking for Age Verification, feel free to shoot me a PM and I can work that out with you.

[Bremijo]

Originally Posted by peacekeeper

6.03 or 6.04 promethus barrel , m120 spring ( aprox 425 fps) , new bushings and a inspection of mechbox for wear , gaurder clear hop up rubber and bucking . new trigger switch may be needed ( ics one can be finiky ). new lower reciever , possibly metal if you can find one.

I have a few questions:
-Is there a specific brand I should get for the spring? I looked at JG springs recently, would those work?
-Does the clear Guarder rubber bucking work with ICS?
-Where should I look for a new trigger switch?

Also, thank you very much for the input.