Short answer, NO the TM is not worth it unless you enjoy gutting the gearbox to get to the FPS you want. Yes it has a "magical" hop up unit, is it more accurate than an upgraded G&G? No. I've owned 5 M14's, and torn apart dozens more. I've owned 1 TM (what a joke, basically fell apart in my hands, not durable at all, had to spend a good chunk of change getting the gearbox up to field limits), 2 CA's (also a joke, CA's usually crap), and 2 G&G's. My G&G m14 Veteran is my pride and joy. At a measily 383 FPS with AE .25's, Guarder Black Hop Up Rubber, Madbull 6.03 509mm length Tightbore, and a Big Out White H nub, I hit 82.6 yards with a 6/10 probability of hitting the target.
LONG ANSWER Direct from my post on Arnies Airsoft pertaining to M14's:
========================================
TM M14/SOCOM16
========================================
Name:
-Tokyo Marui
Website:
-NONE?
Manufacturer Location:
-JAPAN
US Importer:
-NONE
Stock FPS
-310fps with .20's
Warranty:
-None
Average Cost:
-350$
Externals:
Finally, Metal! TM's Second AEG to contain a metal reciever (First was Thompson series). The metal is still not the worlds greatest but it is metal! Solid construction and fun features make it a good external AEG. The metal parts match up with whats metal on the Real M14. Good news for M14 buffs. The only thing that is noteworthy is that the Metal on my Generation 1 TM M14 was not the strongest and parts started to break off. This has supposedly changed for the better.
The plastics are ok. They are the standard TM Plastic, and unfortunately that means the Heatshield above the barrel and infront of the reciever is very flimsy and creaks if moved. The stock is solid enough but I specifically remember mine being able to be torsioned a little which made me a little bitter. The stock has enough room for an 8.4v battery in it but some 9.6v's are too long to fit in there. Filing down the guide rails can fix this issue but it is apparent that TM is still living in the NiCD era for battery tech.
Internals:
Typical TM Internals, Rock solid in stock form. V7 Gearbox means new proprietary parts, and all of them too. The Hop up unit is worth mentioning because it is clearly made of magical pixie dust because in stock form it can outrange a good number of mildly upgraded AEG's at a fraction of the FPS. It is also very easy to set. The unit, however is plastic, but cant be broken because it does not make direct contact with the magazine, ever!
Reliability:
It's a TM, it's going to be reliable in it's stock form running an 8.4v battery. Probably close to 250k-300k rounds
What to Keep:
-Metals, Obviously! Kits are out there to change that
-Stock is OK on it, but can also be changed
-Hop UP unit is made of WIN!
-Motor
What to Toss:
-Internals if you want to upgrade
-Stock if you dont like plasticky stocks
-Heatshield if you dont like plasticky stocks
========================================
Classic Army M14 National Match/SCOUT
========================================
Name:
-Yick Fung Industries, Classic Army
Website:
-www.classicarmy.com
Manufacturer Location:
-Hong Kong
US Importer:
-Spartan Imports
Stock FPS
-325 fps with .20's
Warranty:
-None
Average Cost:
-250$ USD
Externals:
Metal and plastic content matches that of the Real M14. The metal is the same CA potmetal reciever however again it is very very very solid feeling and is very nicely made. The Bolt has a working bolt catch, but because of the gearbox design can only be pulled half back (to expose the hop up unit) It makes a very satisfying and realistic kerclank when you let go of it () The Disassembly is close to the real thing, and the parts are held together very solidly. The frontsight on all CA M14's is canted slighly to the left which irks me a little but is acceptable.
Plastics are ok at best. Old version CA M14's have problems with the stocks splitting out (I had two, both split out) The newer ones do not suffer this problem nearly as bad. The new versions also have a retextured stock that is much nicer to hold onto and much more realistic. Good news! Battery compartment holds enough room for large 9.6v's. You could, if you wanted to shove a 10.8v or even a 12v in there however I dont recommend this. The Door to put the battery in is plastic.
Internals:
The CA M14 uses a G&G Styled gearbox. However there are some stark differences. The CA M14 has a fixed motor cage and uses a TM M14 style fire selector (with the U bar that goes around the back of the gearbox... it's a terrible design, personally). The gearbox uses a slew of parts from different guns but here is quick rundown:
V2/V3 Gears
V3 Spring Guide
AUG Airnozzle
Short Motors
Standard Cylinder
Standard Spring
Standard Piston
Standard Piston Head
G&G M14 Proprietary Cylinder Head
G&G M14 Proprietary Tappet Plate (might be a V6)
7mm Bushings/Bearings
AUG Hop Up Unit
509mm Barrel
Standard Hop Up rubber
The stock motor, follows that of the Armalite series... they are OK.
Reliability:
In their stock form I have no doubts that they would last 150k rounds like other CA AEG's do.
What to Keep:
-External Metals
-Stock
-Gears are good to go
What to Toss:
-Heatshield is still bad
-Motor if you plan on upgrading
-Piston/pistonhead if you plan on upgrading
-Spring Guide
-Hop Up Rubber
========================================
G&G M14/SOC16/Veteran
========================================
Name:
-Guay And Guay
Website:
-http://b2b.guay2.com
Manufacturer Location:
-Taiwan
US Importer:
-Spartan/Tech101
Stock FPS
-350fps with .20's (Veteran shoots 410-430fps with .20's)
Warranty:
-30 Day Warranty from G&G
-STOCK parts replacement, indefinite
Average Cost:
-250$ USD (Standard/SOC16) 345$ (Veteran)
Externals:
The Standard G&G M14/SOC16 is comparable to the CA M14's. Some things to note is the metal is much more solid and the plastic is a heavier duty plastic. The same features apply to both externally. That is the bolt catch, disassembly, butt plate, reciever, and the rest of the metal parts are all well made. No visable casting or mold lines. Trademarks are simple and do not have "Springfield Armory" trades like CA does but instead says "G&G Armament" instead of Springfield Armory.
The plastics are heavier duty, and much nicer feeling than the CA's. Having said that they definetly are nylon fiber. They do not creek at all and do not crack out nearly as easy as the CA's do. This is due to the fact that the internals are slightly different in layout. More on that later though!
**G&G M14 Veteran Evolution** This rifle does not have a plastic stock but instead has a Wood stock painted with a Walnut stain and some light coats of brown paint. It looks wonderfull however it is a bit soft. That of course is totaly out done by the fact it's wood and much nicer feeling than any plastic stock!
Internals:
The G&G M14/SOC16 uses a different design than the TM. CA Copied the majority of the G&G M14 design for their use. It uses the same parts as the CA M14 internally. There are some things to note though. The Fire selector is different, the G&G M14's goes through the gearbox instead of out and around behind it. This makes for a much smoother change over in fire selectors (in my oppinion) and it prevents the fire selector from moving on it's own. Also the motor mount is on a semi moveable mount which allows the motor to fit easier into the stock. This is a good design as fitting into the stocks as that is a pain to do correctly on the CA. The G&G Internals are amazing, and I'd say better then their M16 series. They come with 4x7mm Bearings on the Spur and Bevel gears and 2x8mm Bearings on the Sector gear. They also come with a Bearing Spring guide and metal piston Head. These are truely works of art.
Reliability:
Unlike their some of their M16 series, G&G has worked out the kinks on their M14 lineup. They do not suffer from the reliability issues they used to have. I would say that a G&G M14 could last past 150k rounds easily and push to the 200k limit on good maintenance.
What to Keep:
-Everything, stock internally in the gearbox
-Hop Up unit is rocksolid
What to Toss:
-Heatshield! (buy a real M14 heatshield)
-Hop up rubber is "OK" but could be improved
NOTE: G&G M14 Veteran is by far better than the standard G&G M14's and I'd say, uneasily, that it is probably the King of the M14's. It truely is an amazing AEG and one that I'm proud to have spent the money on.
The G&G M14 Veteran has a slew of upgraded parts over the standard G&G M14 that puts it's performance well above that of the standard version. This includes a metal cylinder head and custom ported Piston head. Not to mention the use of 4x7mm bearings and 2x8mm bearings on the Sector gear. The motor is much higher torque then the standard M14 motor and the spring has changed. This is truely an amazing gun.
========================================