TOKYO MARUI M14 SOCOM Electric Airsoft ( AEG )

The rifle is excellent. I can just admire it for hours. And the box is an adventure in itself. The most beautiful unboxing I’ve ever seen!

wow. where to start? how about the box? well you're greeted by a nice matt black sheen and in the centre are the words "m14 socom - 308. CQB battle rifle" in gloss. then you pop the lid off you will find the most sturdy, well built rifle i have seen and so glad i saved up and got this instead of the CYMA clone because the TM has a sandstone stock and just looks nicer overall. And once you adjust the HOP - UP which took 2 minutes into the "sweet spot" you will outrange all those 400+ fps JG's and other clone i cannot tell you how great this is if your in the market for a long range gun or an M14 or even a unique CQB weapon. buy it, you wont regret it!!!

p.s if you say a very small build who say finds an m4 hard to use then this weighs a quite bit more.

As mentioned, the range is absolutely competitive, as the stock gun shoots approx. 45m with 0.25g BBs.
The trajectory is absolutely straight, usually hitting a person on 40m with the first BB.
A tuning barrel is not necessary, but can improve this a bit.
Something really amazing is that the gearbox is fast-cycling on semi and very quiet, even compared to other Marui AEGs.
No one can hear the unmodified M14 at 15m or more, when using an airsoft silencer (thread: 14mm neg.) this can be further reduced by taking the pitch out of the sound, a great advantage for remaining undetected.
The rate of fire on full auto is average, I recommend 9.6V batteries as they are not too weak and not too powerful for the system.
Something exceptional on semi auto is that it simply does not jam.
After 2 years playing mostly on semi auto and completely emptying 8.4V batteries, the gearbox had not one jam unlike all V2/V3 gearbox guns I had, so I conclude this is just not possible or extremely unlikely.

Removing the system from the stock is done in a minute by simply pulling off the trigger guard and taking out the upper system just like the real steel M14, but further disassembly will take more time because of many screws.
This is only necessary for modifying the gearbox or changing the inner barrel, so you won't need to do this often.

The hop-up dial is located in the magwell.
This may be unusual but simplifies hop up adjustments ingame as you don't need to move the gun out of the shooting position.
It is gradual adjustable, clicking every time and locking the current position securely.

The magazine must be hooked in at the front of the magwell before locking in the magrelease itself, as seen on every AK and G3.
With some practice reloading the M14 is nearly as fast as reloading a M4, the magazine itself feeds without problems.

Also unusual is the safety lever, as it is located inside the trigger guard right in front of the trigger.
This is a great advantage, as turning it on/off or checking its status can be done instantly by the trigger finger while keeping the eyes on the target.
Switching from semi auto to full auto takes more time, as the rotating lever is on the right side of the rear sight.

The iron sights are standard, a fully adjustable rear sight and a fixed front sight.
An advantage compared to the normal M14 is the mountbase integrated in the top cover, which is fluted so it does not interfere with the iron sights.
The forward position makes it the perfect choice when using a red dot sight, but scopes require a normal M14 mountbase due to the short eye relief.

Full review:
The package is filled with styrofoam, but coated with cloth.
This holds the gun firmly without losing styrofoam balls all over the room (or over the gun).

The M14 comes with one 68rd magazine and a good manual.
It is both in japanese and english and describes everything about operating the gun with pictures and text, troubleshooting and has an exploded view.

As the gun weighs 3.6 kg when empty, with a battery and optics even more, a sling is highly recommended.
Ergonomics of the old stock are not as good as for example at the M4 RIS, but you can improve that by using an EBR or DMR stock.

The built quality is excellent.
No creaks or wobble, this is also one of the first marui full metal guns.
The stock has metal reinforcements and a matte black sandstone surface, this offers a very good grip and does not wear off as soon as usual Marui M14 stock paint.
Most outer parts are made of aluminum, explaining the missing 0.7 kg compared to the real gun, which by the way makes it impossible to rust.
An exception is the magazine shell as it is completely made of steel.

Batteries should be 8.4V to 9.6V, this is absolutely enough for the unmodified gearbox.
The battery compartment is located in the back of the stock and fits medium 9.6V without modification.
If you need more space, just take out the rear metal parts (hold by 2 screws) and remove some plastic parts that only hold the battery in place.

The charging handle is movable and has the most awesome sound ever heard on an AEG, but the bolt catch needs a small modification to work.
As an alternative, KingArms sells an extended bolt catch so you can just tap it like an M4 bolt catch instead of pulling up the modified Marui bolt catch.

To start with the conclusion and pro/con:
After using this gun für over 2 years (and still using it for most games) I may say that this is one of the best guns on the market for active players.
My M14 was used in dozens of games, and I was not very careful with it as guns are for use, not for decoration.
The exterior quality is excellent and sturdy, full metal unlike most old maruis.
The version 7 gearbox never made any problems or jams, and until today I did not need to replace a single part or even opening the gearbox.
Though it contantly only reaches 300fps out of the box, range and precision are outstanding, easily competing with most 400fps guns.
Due to the weaker spring, the wear and tear is very low and the hop up rubber is softer, allowing it to shoot even at freezing temperature without considerable loss of precision or range.
The main contra is the handling, as the gun is long, heavy and the oldschool rifle stock hast disadvantages compared to actual carbines.

Pro:
-excellent stock range and precision
-high quality built
-100% reliable
-can not jam on semi auto
-efficient and silent system
-big battery compartment
-fitted with mountbase out of the box

Con:
-nearly 1m long, not the best choice for CQB
-heavy weight
-mountbase cannot fit scopes
-complete disassembly takes its time