Post by 2nd Bat on Feb 26, 2007 13:32:08 GMT -5
M-14 Variations
What, is what, in the world of the M-14?
With suddenly so many M-14s available it's only natural that one would want to ask what's the difference between them all? With price ranges from $900.00 to as low as 155.00 (delivered in the US) how do they stack up? I am a huge fan of the M-14. After the M1 Garand it is my favorite weapon. I have owned virtually every airsoft variant and the M-14 was my first issued weapon in the Army so I think I'm in a unique position to answer that.
The key versions currently available are: Airsoft Club, G&G, Marui, Double Eagle, AGM, KART, UTG and
?? I think that's it but I could be missing aniteration or two.
The very first on the market was the Airsoft Club. They are still available on a somewhat limited basis. They ran around $850.00 new and were custom made by Tim Chan in China and came with four different power upgrades. I pre-ordered two M-14s at a pre-order price of $550.00. After many set backs and 18 months of waiting the guns finally arrived. I was so impressed I ordered a third. I got the level three upgrade and they fired at just under 400 FPS. They were quite heavy and used a great deal of real steel components. The stock was plastic but finished in an authentic Walnut wood grain finish. The seam was more noticeable then I would have liked and the two halves had to be separated to disassemble the guns. The stock held the battery and there was ample room for any sized battery up to a 12 volt. I actually had to wrap cloth around the battery to quiet it and to keep it snug in the stock. The gun only fired fully automatic with no functional selector switch. Hop up is awkwardly accessed by drawing the bolt back an inch and flipping up the trap door hidden in the front upper part of the fake bolt. The stock was more robust and dimensions more authentic then the later Marui or Marui clone iterations. It was the first AEG configured in a traditional rifle configuration (Non pistol grip) Many people reported wiring issues and mechanical difficulties but I had tremendous luck with the weapons I had and used them extensively. After years of use I had one in need of a tappet replacement. I converted all three into M1 Garands and they served as my original prototypes. I have since sold them all as custom one off configurations. No two were done the same. The Airsoft Club Tim Chan specials were limited to 1000 produced but you still see new ones occasionally for sale.
The next to market (beating Marui’s long announced introduction) was the G&G from China. Like the Airsoft Club it had a thicker stock then the later introduced Marui and Marui clones. It shot harder right out of the box. It had a reported claim of 330 FPs but in fact both of mine shot at 360FPS right out of the box. I think G&G wanted to be able to import them in England and their stock power would exceed regulations in the UK. They have a selector switch and can fire either semi or fully automatic. There is a noticeable gear wind when fired on semi automatic. Early weapons exhibited some performance issues but these seem to be taken care of in current versions. They are the second most expensive M-14 on the market. They offer a wide variety of configurations from a traditional simulated wood to a SOCOM shorty and a variant with wild attachment capability. The magazines are zig zagged at the top and the bolt won’t draw all the way back. They seem to sell for about $70.00 to 80.00 more then a Marui. Their magazines are not compatible.
The Marui is the standard for virtually any AEG and this remains the case with the M-14. The Marui M-14 is silky smooth and straight shooting. It does not shoot nearly as hard as the G&G right out of the box but it fires seamlessly and precisely on semi. The hop up system is by far the best and most predictable. They shoot out of the box at roughly 280 with .20 gram BBs. The plastic simulated wood stock is disappointing and looks quite plastic to me. The stock is thinner then a real M-14 and looks a bit too svelte compared to the real thing. The bolt slide all the way back and has a satisfying thud. It fires in both semi and fully automatic. The butt plate holds the battery and like the G&G and Marui knock off fitting a battery inside the stock is challenging and time consuming. An 8.4 is pretty much the limit without modification. Disassembly is straight forward and not unlike the real weapon. You begin by pulling up on the trigger guard and lifting out the trigger assembly. This frees up the barrel and receiver group. There is a separate tamiya switch that has to be unhooked from the wiring leading to the stock area. The price is a moderate $379 or so.
The Chinese have cloned the Marui M-14 and packaged them under a variety of brands. Each is somewhat different but all constitute a surprisingly good replica of the Marui design. The first to come out was KART. Their stock looked more wood like then the Marui otherwise the appearance was virtually identical. On the first released KARTs the gas reservoir assembly was plastic but this was quickly changed. There were some initial quality issues (Shim tolerances and lubrication) but these seemed to have been improved with each shipment. They came with a standard high cap magazine and a battery and charger although the chargers were Chinese configurations. The butt stock design was not quite as nicely finished as the Marui (Non textured trap door) They shot at just over 300 FPS with 20 gram
This variant was followed by the Double Eagle / AGM clone. It appeared to have the same high quality nicely finished wood grain plastic stock and a nicer finished butt plate and more metal. It came with a nicely done scope mount, high cap magazine, nylon sling and battery and again unusable charger. It fired straight out of the box at an impressive 330 FPS. Both the Kart and Double Eagle exhibit a gear wind not unlike the G&G and do not shoot as crisp in semi mode as the Marui. They occasionally double feed and their hop up mechanism is not as precise. At under $150.00 they are a bargain. (As low as $85.00 overseas)
The latest to come out is the UTG M-14. At first glance I thought it was a brother of the AGM Double Eagle but I now suspect they are cousins. The stock looks the same at first glance but in fact has a different inner wall shape and a disclaimer warning molded into the stock. (Clearly a different mold) The butt plate flap is back identical to the KART and the scope mount is a somewhat nicer replica of the Springfield two screw mount. (One screw on the Double Eagle) It shoots at just over 300 FPS again just like the KART. It comes with two hi cap magazines a sling and the scope mount. The gas reservoir attaches somewhat differently then either the Marui or the Double Eagle and it features a hex screw that holds the castle nut in place on the flash suppressor. (As does the Marui and the real gun)
My assessment is that the Marui is the class leader and finest of all the variants. The Double Eagle rates as the best value and the Airsoft Club followed by the G&G constitute the worst value for dollars spent. The others fall somewhere in between. Other then the G&G they are all somewhat hard to upgrade so if you’re into a hard shooter you may have preference for the Airsoft Club or G&G over my choice.
I love them all as the M-14 to me feels like a rifle and always has been one of my favorite. It allowed me to create the Garand conversion without which I never would have been able to introduce my own custom gun. I have converted each of the variants and hence have handled and fired them all a great deal. With prices seeming to drop all the time the M-14 could fill a nice hole in your arsenal for, not a lot of money. In the case of the Marui clones I like the Double Eagle AGM the best. It’s not a Marui but it comes the closest to it.
What, is what, in the world of the M-14?
With suddenly so many M-14s available it's only natural that one would want to ask what's the difference between them all? With price ranges from $900.00 to as low as 155.00 (delivered in the US) how do they stack up? I am a huge fan of the M-14. After the M1 Garand it is my favorite weapon. I have owned virtually every airsoft variant and the M-14 was my first issued weapon in the Army so I think I'm in a unique position to answer that.
The key versions currently available are: Airsoft Club, G&G, Marui, Double Eagle, AGM, KART, UTG and
?? I think that's it but I could be missing aniteration or two.The very first on the market was the Airsoft Club. They are still available on a somewhat limited basis. They ran around $850.00 new and were custom made by Tim Chan in China and came with four different power upgrades. I pre-ordered two M-14s at a pre-order price of $550.00. After many set backs and 18 months of waiting the guns finally arrived. I was so impressed I ordered a third. I got the level three upgrade and they fired at just under 400 FPS. They were quite heavy and used a great deal of real steel components. The stock was plastic but finished in an authentic Walnut wood grain finish. The seam was more noticeable then I would have liked and the two halves had to be separated to disassemble the guns. The stock held the battery and there was ample room for any sized battery up to a 12 volt. I actually had to wrap cloth around the battery to quiet it and to keep it snug in the stock. The gun only fired fully automatic with no functional selector switch. Hop up is awkwardly accessed by drawing the bolt back an inch and flipping up the trap door hidden in the front upper part of the fake bolt. The stock was more robust and dimensions more authentic then the later Marui or Marui clone iterations. It was the first AEG configured in a traditional rifle configuration (Non pistol grip) Many people reported wiring issues and mechanical difficulties but I had tremendous luck with the weapons I had and used them extensively. After years of use I had one in need of a tappet replacement. I converted all three into M1 Garands and they served as my original prototypes. I have since sold them all as custom one off configurations. No two were done the same. The Airsoft Club Tim Chan specials were limited to 1000 produced but you still see new ones occasionally for sale.
The next to market (beating Marui’s long announced introduction) was the G&G from China. Like the Airsoft Club it had a thicker stock then the later introduced Marui and Marui clones. It shot harder right out of the box. It had a reported claim of 330 FPs but in fact both of mine shot at 360FPS right out of the box. I think G&G wanted to be able to import them in England and their stock power would exceed regulations in the UK. They have a selector switch and can fire either semi or fully automatic. There is a noticeable gear wind when fired on semi automatic. Early weapons exhibited some performance issues but these seem to be taken care of in current versions. They are the second most expensive M-14 on the market. They offer a wide variety of configurations from a traditional simulated wood to a SOCOM shorty and a variant with wild attachment capability. The magazines are zig zagged at the top and the bolt won’t draw all the way back. They seem to sell for about $70.00 to 80.00 more then a Marui. Their magazines are not compatible.
The Marui is the standard for virtually any AEG and this remains the case with the M-14. The Marui M-14 is silky smooth and straight shooting. It does not shoot nearly as hard as the G&G right out of the box but it fires seamlessly and precisely on semi. The hop up system is by far the best and most predictable. They shoot out of the box at roughly 280 with .20 gram BBs. The plastic simulated wood stock is disappointing and looks quite plastic to me. The stock is thinner then a real M-14 and looks a bit too svelte compared to the real thing. The bolt slide all the way back and has a satisfying thud. It fires in both semi and fully automatic. The butt plate holds the battery and like the G&G and Marui knock off fitting a battery inside the stock is challenging and time consuming. An 8.4 is pretty much the limit without modification. Disassembly is straight forward and not unlike the real weapon. You begin by pulling up on the trigger guard and lifting out the trigger assembly. This frees up the barrel and receiver group. There is a separate tamiya switch that has to be unhooked from the wiring leading to the stock area. The price is a moderate $379 or so.
The Chinese have cloned the Marui M-14 and packaged them under a variety of brands. Each is somewhat different but all constitute a surprisingly good replica of the Marui design. The first to come out was KART. Their stock looked more wood like then the Marui otherwise the appearance was virtually identical. On the first released KARTs the gas reservoir assembly was plastic but this was quickly changed. There were some initial quality issues (Shim tolerances and lubrication) but these seemed to have been improved with each shipment. They came with a standard high cap magazine and a battery and charger although the chargers were Chinese configurations. The butt stock design was not quite as nicely finished as the Marui (Non textured trap door) They shot at just over 300 FPS with 20 gram
This variant was followed by the Double Eagle / AGM clone. It appeared to have the same high quality nicely finished wood grain plastic stock and a nicer finished butt plate and more metal. It came with a nicely done scope mount, high cap magazine, nylon sling and battery and again unusable charger. It fired straight out of the box at an impressive 330 FPS. Both the Kart and Double Eagle exhibit a gear wind not unlike the G&G and do not shoot as crisp in semi mode as the Marui. They occasionally double feed and their hop up mechanism is not as precise. At under $150.00 they are a bargain. (As low as $85.00 overseas)
The latest to come out is the UTG M-14. At first glance I thought it was a brother of the AGM Double Eagle but I now suspect they are cousins. The stock looks the same at first glance but in fact has a different inner wall shape and a disclaimer warning molded into the stock. (Clearly a different mold) The butt plate flap is back identical to the KART and the scope mount is a somewhat nicer replica of the Springfield two screw mount. (One screw on the Double Eagle) It shoots at just over 300 FPS again just like the KART. It comes with two hi cap magazines a sling and the scope mount. The gas reservoir attaches somewhat differently then either the Marui or the Double Eagle and it features a hex screw that holds the castle nut in place on the flash suppressor. (As does the Marui and the real gun)
My assessment is that the Marui is the class leader and finest of all the variants. The Double Eagle rates as the best value and the Airsoft Club followed by the G&G constitute the worst value for dollars spent. The others fall somewhere in between. Other then the G&G they are all somewhat hard to upgrade so if you’re into a hard shooter you may have preference for the Airsoft Club or G&G over my choice.
I love them all as the M-14 to me feels like a rifle and always has been one of my favorite. It allowed me to create the Garand conversion without which I never would have been able to introduce my own custom gun. I have converted each of the variants and hence have handled and fired them all a great deal. With prices seeming to drop all the time the M-14 could fill a nice hole in your arsenal for, not a lot of money. In the case of the Marui clones I like the Double Eagle AGM the best. It’s not a Marui but it comes the closest to it.
