I recently bought an Airsoft Club M14. Before ordering, I read as much as I could find about it. Everything I found said that it's not a gun that can be used reliably right out of the box. It seems that everyone who has bought one has had problems. Knowing this, I still bought it. I determined that any problems it may have could be fixed with a minimum amount of money and effort.
When I received it, I was pleasantly surprised.
It seemed to be put together well, and didn't have any of the major problems that other people have had. After looking at it for awhile, I did find several things that would need to be taken care of:
The flash hider was bent to the left. I don't think it would have blocked a BBs path, but it was noticeable. The castle nut is also missing a tooth (I broke a second tooth off when removing the flash hider).
http://members.cox.net/kurn31/m14/6.jpgThe rear sling mount was very wobbly. Looking into the stock, I could see why. It was mounted very poorly.
http://members.cox.net/kurn31/m14/5.jpgThere is a small metal piece that covers a screw on the left side of the gun. It is only held in by friction, and I am sure it would fall out quickly in a game.
http://members.cox.net/kurn31/m14/4.jpgNow the good things:
There is very little plastic on this gun. The only plastic I have found is the stock itself, the hand guard, and the battery compartment door (on the rear of the stock). That being said, these few plastic parts are not of the highest quality. While the stock has a beautiful wood finish to it, it still feels plasticy, and is not as solid as I hoped it would be. The hand guard is very flimsy, and is about the only part of the gun that looks bad (I'm hoping to replace it with a real one soon). The battery door is also made of cheap plastic, but this does not really matter since is hidden by the metal stock plate.
http://members.cox.net/kurn31/m14/7.jpgThe rest of the gun, however, is metal. The metal parts seem to well made, and have a very nice finish. I am glad that I didn’t spend the extra money for the steel outer barrel, since the stock one is metal, and more than adequate.
The way the M14 is put together is rather clever. There are no screws that hold the metal parts to the stock. The trigger assembly clamps onto the upper part of the gun, which makes the whole thing very sturdy. It also makes it very easy to disassemble. With a single Allen wrench I can take it apart in about a minute.
I really like the mags for this gun. They are metal, and have the same finish as the gun itself. They are quite heavy, and seem to be very sturdy.
I have already made several improvements:
I was able to find a real M14 flash hider at a gun show to replace the original one. I have also painted the stock and hand guard. Not only does this improve the looks of the gun, but it also helps the stock feels better, and keeps the hand guard from looking as cheap. I also used some epoxy to better secure the rear sling mount so that is does not rattle.
Soon, it will be modified to shoot semi auto only, and I will upgrade the internals to a higher FPS. Hopefully it will be ready for the next AA game.
Overall, I like this gun. I would not recommend it to a newbie, but a seasoned Airsofter should be able to work around this gun’s quirks. It will be interesting to see how the upcoming TM M14 will compare.
Questions? Comments?
