Part 1 First Impressions

In more than one way I can honestly say that Tokyo Marui has bested even in itself with their release of the M14 Rifle. G&G tried, but I honestly think they missed the boat and rushed their fiber stock model onto the market too fast and should have offered an original GI version first. That’s for another review though.

Marui however, has hit the target with a bull’s eye. Just opening the box and looking at the detailed presentation, you know that Marui has made something special. The manual even has the original type field manual look… Nice touch Marui… The Shiny wood of my new M14 came in a cool box nesting on a silky piece of olive fabric…Like a Faberge’ egg. The beauty of this AEG though is that… It’s not fragile. It’s all metal except the stock and the accuracy right out of the box is awesome! No barrel wobble, no creaks and a snug fitting magazine. Trade in your PSG1’s, there’s now a better platform in an AEG.

                                                                                                                -Kalbs-

M14 History:

Seeking a lightweight replacement for the M1 Garand and the M1918A2 BAR, The Army Selected the M14 rifle in 1957. Production of the M14 rifle was halted in 1964, by which time 1,380,874 had been manufactured. The M14 7.62 mm. rifle is a magazine fed, gas operated shoulder weapon, designed primarily for semi-auomatic fire. It was the standard service rifle until it was replaced in the late-1960s by the 5.56mm M16A1 rifle.

At one time the standard issued rifle for soldiers and marines, the M14 is now used primarily in the Competition in Arms program, or for drill and ceremonial purposes. The M16 replaced the M14 as the Table of Organization rifle for the Marine Corps during Vietnam War. The number of nations adopting the M14 never got beyond a sum that could be calculated by counting on both hands. Also, the M!4 has the ignominious claim of having been the shortest lived standard infantry rifle in American history.

M14, basically a product improved M1 Garand, performed well as an infantry rifle. The M14 had an effective range of 500 yards (460m). The M14 used a standard NATO 7.62mm cartridge in a 20-round magazine. The M14 was the by the mass fielding of the M16 5.56mm rifle in 1966-1967. Some M14s were equipped with a bipod for use as a squad automatic weapon. However, the M14 displayed an erratic dispersion pattern, excessive recoil, and muzzle climb when fired as an automatic weapon.

M14A1

The Army designed the model M14A1 to overcome these problems. But it was too light to become a truly successful replacement for the m1918 series BAR, and production was halted in 1963. The M14A1 featured a full pistol grip and a folding forward hand grip.

M14 National Match (1959) was used in the semi-automatic mode only. The M14NM had special sight parts and barrels selected especially for accuracy. Today the military version is also known as the M21 and can still be found in US service as well as various other nations worldwide. Accurate and deadly it soldiers on.

My team mate One-Zero _(“The Bastard OF Mongkok”) purchased my M14 for me from UN Company in Hong Kong and made a special effort to get it to me here in the USA. You can always count on a good buddy in a fox hole!

Marui offers two options of this gun, the traditional Beech/Walnut stock version or the M14 USMC fiber green stock model. Being old school I had to go traditional and besides, you can still see those old woodies used today.

Regardless of which version you choose you will open up the box and be impressed, not only by the packaging but also the substantial length of the M14. The M14 comes with a manual, 70 round standard magazine, loading tube & rod and a cleaning rod.

The TM M14 measures with the shoulder support down at 113 cm (44 ½ “) amd weighs 3,850g without the battery. This is not an AEG for CQB. The impressive thing is the inner barrel length which is 500 mm long. Consider the PSG1 is only 90 mm longer, the M14 will make a nice sbniper gun and with the option of full auto, with the M14 you have an added assurance of not only range but for suppression fire as well.

The exterior details on this all metal AEG are very accurate. The serial number and stampings replicate a M!4 made in the 1959 by Springfield armory, one of 342,000 produced that year. The 70 round standard type magazine snaps snuggly into place and is released similar to the AK47 by pushing the spring tab forward of the trigger guard. I’ll  The exterior details on this all metal AEG are very accurate. The serial number and  stampings replicate a M!4 made in the 1959 by Springfield armory, one of 342,000 produced that year. The 70 round standard type magazine snaps snuggly into place and is released similar to the AK47 by pushing the spring tab forward of the trigger guard. I’ll have to wait for some high caps before it’s ever used in the field to match my style play. I am not hearing good things about the G&G’s magazine matching up with the TM’s M14.

The part that makes the M14 different than other very long AEG’s, (bar the G3 SG1) is the full auto function. Pictured to Left shows the M14 in semi-auto while the picture below has the M14 selector switch rotated clockwise to full auto.

Another beautiful feature is that the all metal sight works both in the horizontal and vertical, just like the real M14.The setting clicks are short and precise. One more reason to consider this AEG for sniping.

Above left, the safety is pulled back into the trigger guard to “safe” while the picture right shows the safety set to “free’. It’s a smooth operation to switch between Safe and Free without even looking.

The  business end of the M14. The only drawback of this AEG’s design is that the flash suppressor cannot come off without removing the whole front sight assembly. IF you want to add a silencer, this means you’ll need a rail mount and scope to compensate for the loss of the front sight.

Note the Hop-up dial located in front of the magazine well. When the magazine is set in place you still have full easy access for adjustment. Another bonus for a sniper set-up.

So I guess you’re wondering how it shoots? This is the best part about the Tokyo Marui M14. I tube loaded the standard 70 round magazine with marui .25 g bb’s. At 70 feet away from my firing position, I placed a soda can on top of my backyard fence. There was minimal breeze, temperature at 28’C, humidity 80 %.

Firing in semi-auto until the bb flight was straight and no arch I began to set the rear sights and hop-up were set…. I was hitting the can… every time…. In full auto? Forget it, the can was toast. The M14 report is very, very quiet. I suspect the all metal receiver muffles the gearbox/mechbox noise. No need for a silencer. The AK and M1A1 are beasts compared to the M14.

So far this is the best amade AEG I’ve owned. I’m very impressed with the solid construction of the M14 and the operating features such as the working slide sights safety and selector switch. Best of all…. When I say there is no wobble, creaks or loose parts I mean there are NONE! Zip, Zero, Nil. Seems a little pricey to you?.... It’s worth every penny and more…

This ends part 1. Part 2 review will deal with disassembly, upgrades and cometics… until then, happy hunting Hoo Ahhh!