Airsoft Gun Review

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UNITED AIRSOFT ALLIANCE

in cooperation with

SWAK

presents

M4 vs AK

0900H, 24 NOVEMBER 2007, SATURDAY
CAMP MADAWIG
450fps@.20

GAME FEE : P150

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East meets West in a battle for supremacy.

One day… multiple missions in a challenging terrain…

Who will survive and triumph?

Precision will be key.

The clock is ticking…

But who will you trust?

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1. WHO CAN JOIN

a. M4 (Firebase Tundra) : 150 troops

Players 18 years and above who have any M4 AEG variant that passes the 450fps limit set using .20g plastic bbs. M4 players are required to wear any complete patterned BDU (upper and lower garment, i.e. Woodland, Multicam, Acupat, Marpat, etc.) for identification during the entire game.

b. AK (Camp Ahlakbarik) : 150 freedom fighters

Players 18 years and above who have any AK AEG variant that passes the 450fps limit set using .20g plastic bbs. AK players are required to wear jeans as the lower garment and any plain/unpatterned upper garment that can give ample player protection, i.e. plain OD, black, brown, gray, etc., for identification during the entire game. Other “rebel” looking loadouts (i.e. Taliban, Afghan, etc.) are also acceptable.

c. Mercenaries (Sector Cool : 50 mercenaries

Players 18 years and above who have any AEG other than the M4 and AK variants that passes the 450fps limit set using .20g plastic bbs. Mercenaries or “Mercs” will be banded but are encouraged to be in contractor loadout.

WARNING : Due to the extremely challenging terrain of Camp Madawig, players who have health concerns should visit their physicians before joining this event.

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2. HOW TO JOIN

This event has limited slots for 350 participants only, so the “first come, first served” policy will be enforced. Players who have purchased tickets during the pre-selling period will be entertained first. Those who do not have tickets can buy at the registration booth on game day. Pre-selling period starts on 29 October. Please contact any UAA core member (Fallujah, RAMrod, Church, Captain, Sgtoinky, Ginson) or SWAK coordinators (Griffin, Pyromasta, Ripley). The availability of tickets at select airsoft shops and gunrunners will be announced later. Waivers will also be available during the preselling period.

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3. EVENT SCHEDULE

0900H – Registration, submission of ticket stubs and waivers

1030H – Practice mission scenario to familiarize players with terrain

1130H – Commanders selection. Mission packets distribution

1200H – Lunch break/Commanders brief their teams

1245H – Game rules briefing by Head Marshal. Radio frequency chanels for each team will be secretly assigned to commanders.

1300H – Game start

1630H – Awarding ceremonies

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4. REGISTRATION

a. Present/buy ticket at Registration booth. Players who have purchased tickets during the preselling period should also submit the signed waivers. Those who are buying tickets on site are required to read and sign the waivers.

Event usher will tear off stub and will drop it in designated box. Signed waivers will be consolidated and will be turned over to the event organizers.

Players will keep his ticket which will be used in respawning during the actual game.

There will be no refunds given to players whose AEGs did not pass the chrono.

b. Proceed to chrono section. Present AEG with safety on and mags out. Follow the marshal’s instructions. Have your AEG tagged with the security seal if it passes the fps limit.

c. Proceed to you camp, i.e. Firebase Tundra for M4 troops, Camp Ahlakbarik for AK freedom fighters, Sector 8 for Mercenaries.

d. Gear-up and await deployment instructions from your commander.

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5. MECHANICS

a. Commanders will be chosen by the team members. However, if no selection has been made within the specified time, event organizers will select on site. Upon their selection, commanders will be given their respective mission packets and “bargaining tokens.” Commanders will be given ample time to review their mission objectives with their men. They can assign/delegate mission specific duties to their troops to ensure the completion of a mission within the given time frame.

b. The mission packets will contain specific objectives that each side must accomplish within the given time frame to earn higher points. Mission can continue even as time expires, but lower points will be earned. Scoring will be as follows:

- Mission failed within the allotted time : -50
- Mission failed after time expires : -75
- Mission accomplished within the allotted time : +100
- Mission accomplished after time expires : +75

c. Both M4 and AK teams can acquire the services of the Mercenaries via radio communication BUT must pay them using the “bargaining tokens”. The amount of “tokens” that each side has is equivalent to the maximum points that can be earned if their team succeeds in accomplishing all missions within the set time limit. Mercenaries can win the game by getting as many “tokens” from both M4 and AK teams. Players delivering “tokens” to the Mercenaries, however, can be ambushed and the “tokens” captured. Any “tokens” that are unused and still in the care of the M4 or AK commanders will be added to their final score. The team that gets the most number of points at the end of the game wins.

d. Respawning is allowed to a maximum of 5 lives. A player who is hit will raise his weapon with both arms and proceed to the nearest respawning area. Once inside the respawning area, he will present his ticket to the game marshal on duty so that it can be “marked.” Redeployment of players in the respawning area will be done every 10 minutes.

e. A player who has exhausted all 5 lives before the end of the game will be escorted to the safe area and will not be allowed to reenter the game field. However, a player can reenter the field and play again if he/she purchases another ticket at a discounted price of P100.

f. A ceasefire will be called in any one of the following instances:

- Game marshal checks an injured player and calls for immediate evacuation from the field. Combatants are to hold their positions until the signal to resume is announced.

- Game marshal calls a reset of the mission scenario because of a technicality. Players will move back to their original starting point.

- Commanders request a clarification of a marshal’s call. Combatants are to hold their positions until the signal to resume is announced.

- Lunch break, 1200H – 1300H

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6. GAME REGULATIONS

a. Any player caught tampering the security seal on his/her AEG before or during the games will be automatically escorted out of the playing field.

b. There will be roaming marshals who may perform spot chrono checking of questionable AEGs, if the situation arises.

c. Complains on player misconduct (i.e. hit calling, trash-talking, dishonesty, blindfiring) during the games should be immediately brought to the attention of the game marshal for appropriate action.

d. Marshal’s decision is final.

e. UAA code of ethics will apply.

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7. OTHER INFO

a. There will be ample parking space for every participant playing for the M4, AK, and Mercs. Guests and organizers will also be given their own parking space. A map of the parking areas will be posted here two weeks before the event. For convenience, vehicle parking will be situated near/close to the base/camp of the M4, AK and Mercs.

Please follow parking marshal’s instructions.

b. Players can bring their own food and water. There will be concessioneirs on each base/camp to serve lunch and snacks. Water refilling stations will also be available on each base/camp.

c. Every base/camp will be provided with first aid stations so that injured players can be attended to immediately.

d. Restrooms for female and male players will be provided.

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8. AWARDING

After the completion of the last mission, at approximately 1630H, a simple awarding ceremony follows.

a. Best M4 get-up/loadout

Player will be chosen by 2 UAA and 1 SWAK representatives according to:

20% – Authenticity
30% – Tactical maneuverability
50% – Overall appearance

b. Best AK get-up/loadout

Player will be chosen by 2 UAA and 1 SWAK representatives according to:

20% – Authenticity
30% – Tactical maneuverability
50% – Overall appearance

c. Best Team

Team who has the most accumulated total points will be declared the overall winner.

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G O O D L U C K T O A L L P A R T I C I P A N T S!

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Airsoft – CYMA CM032 M14 full photo review
Review by: Crimsonfalcon07

CYMA CM032 M14 Full Photo Review

My newest designated marksman review is for the newest ACM M14’s, this time made by CYMA, who are following up their hugely successful CM031 AK74, CM030 G18C electric pistol, and their excellent Thompson with what appears to be the best ACM M14 to hit the market. Now, I realize that’s a big statement to make, especially with the Kart EBR coming out as well. But this one has some interesting features that I think you’ll probably appreciate. I received this gun as a free review copy from Keith at RSOV, who I highly recommend as a friendly and reliable retailer. RSOV also gets the newest and best ACM’s before anyone else except Gunner Airsoft and maybe CheckSixAirsoft, and has the full lineup of Dboys accessories. So, let’s go ahead and take a look at this new China M14…

As always, let me provide you with a brief table of contents so that you know what you’re looking at.

Table of Contents

First Impressions
Real Steel History
Appearance/Feel/Build Quality
Internals
Function
Performance
Accessories and Modifications
Pros & Cons
Ordering
Video Review
The Final Word

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First Impressions

I have to say that I’m really very pleased with how this gun looks. The faux wood is very good; I’m really impressed with how good China faux wood looks. Unlike the Kart, it’s not shiny, and looks much more realistic. In fact, the overall finish of the gun is much better than the Kart or the AGM; more on this later. It comes in a nice big M14 box, although I should mention that it comes with a China charger also. Fortunately I have tons of chargers, so that’s not going to be a problem. Okay, so here’s what you get:

The CM032 comes with the usual accessories, including a sling (which isn’t the best quality), absurdly long barrel clearing rod, manual, battery, charger (which is a China charger if you get it from RSOV or Gunner, so if you buy from overseas, make sure you have a compatible charger for wherever you live). Nothing really special here, so I’m going to move on to discuss the real steel history.

Real Steel History

(picture courtesy of www.world.guns.ru)

The M14 is the heir of the legendary M1 Garand. The famous WWII rifle unfortunately had several problems. Its eight round stripper clips could not be easily refilled during combat, it was large, heavy, and unwieldy, and the 30-06 ammunition was too bulky for soldiers to carry as much as might prove necessary. Various attempts were made to fix these problems, including the T20, T37, T44, T44E4 and E5, culminating in the M14. The M14 was designed to replace the M1 Garand, the M1 Carbine, the M3 Grease Gun, and the Browning Automatic Rifle. Yes, that’s right, it was supposed to be a battle rifle, a carbine, a submachine gun, and a heavy squad support rifle. Here’s a picture of the Garand:

While Springfield Armory is, in the airsoft world, the most well-known producer of M14’s, it was also produced by Thompson-Ramo-Woodridge (TRW Inc), Harrington and Richardson Arms Co (H&R), and Winchester-Western Arms Division of Olin Mathieson (Winchester). Approximately 1,380,000 M14’s were produced, but production stopped due to problems encountered in Vietnam. The gun was too long and heavy to be effectively used as a battle rifle, too light to handle selective fire (the muzzle would rapidly climb skywards when firing bursts), and too powerful to be an adequate SMG. More, the wood stock was given to thermal expansion in jungle climates, which affected accuracy.

However, the gun was not a complete failure. It has been adopted for use by snipers and Designated Marksman, in updated forms including the M21 SWS and the XM25. The USMC still uses an updated M14 for their DM’s and some snipers. The gun was also made famous in the movie Blackhawk Down, in which SFC Randy Shughart uses an M14. The gun has since become beloved among airsoft snipers and DM’s. Unfortunately, during the Clinton administration, the BATF declared the M14 receiver to be a machine gun, and almost 500,000 were destroyed. Tragedy! However, a semi-automatic version is available for sale to civilians courtesy of Springfield Armory. Here’s a picture of a USMC M14 DMR:

So, let’s take a look and see how the CYMA M14 compares to the other models out on the market, and to the real deal.

Appearance/Feel/Build Quality

The appearance and feel of this gun is very good, on par with the TM in many ways, and better than the Kart M66 or AGM MP008. The finish is much cleaner, and you can tell that QC is much better with this gun than on the other ACM M14’s. The Kart, for instance, is notorious for having a shiny stock; this one is nice and dull, and looks very much like a wood stock would. The color is nice, although I’d prefer it to be a bit darker so it would look more like a stained walnut. I might try sanding it with coarse sandpaper, using some brown and black latex paint, finish, and then soaking it in wood finish to see what it looks like. We’ll just have to see… Anyways, here’s a shot of the gun:

I want to remark that the massive orange flashhider is just a quick job done by RSOV to get it to clear customs. They won’t all be like that.

There’s also more metal parts, including the front gas tube:

The buttplate is full metal, including the battery door, which is a noted improvement over the Kart, which used crappy shiny plastic. Here’s the buttplate:

The receiver is completely blank, with no trades whatsoever, not even a Made In China. I’m pretty pleased about that, although I plan on engraving trades on the receiver myself:

The finish on the bolt, bolt cover, receiver, and sights is much better than on the Kart also, and even, dare I say it, a hair better than the AGM, which in my opinion had much better finish than the Kart. There’s no rusty parts, no chipped or blotchy paint, and the build material seems to be decent quality metal, not pot metal like the Kart. As an aside, I don’t know why it’s called pot metal, since most pots these days are made out of much better
metal… Okay, back on track. Here’s some more shots of the receiver and sights:

Another feature of this gun that I really like is that the front sight adjustment dial on the flashhider is turnable. It doesn’t seem to change anything on the gun, but it does adjust, which is really nice. Here’s what I’m talking about:

The heatshield is another thing that I really like on this gun. It’s still plastic, but this time it’s made out of matte black plastic, instead of “Come and Shoot Me” shiny plastic like on the Kart:

Here’s some comparison shots with the Kart, which is painted with matte black paint:

It’s also very durable, and much more solid, since they seem to have used better quality and thicker plastic than the Kart. Here’s a video demonstrating what I’m talking about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM8ad4x-3Fo

I also want to mention that it still sounds very good when you c*ck it, which was one of the major draws to the Kart. If you don’t own an M14 yet and you get this gun, I’d expect you to spend a bunch of time cocking it just to hear how sweet it sounds. Makes a nice cha-chunk metallic noise. The sling mounts are also very solid, and don’t move around, so there’s no worries about squeaking:

The gun, unfortunately, does not come with a scope mount; I hope to see this addressed in future versions, since we of course must have scope mounts to mount our scopes. Heft is very good; this is a big gun, and eminently suited to use as a Designated Marksman’s Rifle. Plus M14’s are incredibly sexy… Yea. Fortunately I have an aftermarket scope mount that I got from ehobbyasia, which you saw in the first picture. The hopup dial feels really solid and nice, and is in the mag well. Here’s a picture of the hopup adjustment dial:

The rear sight is fully adjustable for elevation, and looks much better than on the Kart or AGM models, although it doesn’t adjust for windage. That’s a bit unfortunate, although that feature never worked on my Kart. The vertical adjustment is smooth and easy, however. It also has the good old M14 selector switch, which clicks on and off quite neatly. I expect it to have the same problems with the semi-auto cutoff breaking off eventually, but we’ll have to see. Here’s what we’re talking about:

The trigger assembly is full metal, as is the safety, which clicks on and off quite nicely. I want to note that there’s also a catch for the trigger guard, so it doesn’t fold up easily. You insert a screwdriver and pry it up, as is illustrated in the manual. Since it locks into place like that, the gun feels much more secure. Here’s a picture for reference:

The other thing that helps this gun feel more sturdy is the fact that, unlike previous M14’s, it has a setpin in the gastube, which you unscrew with a small Torx wrench. Then the whole gas tube assembly slides down the barrel, allowing for easy disassembly, although when the set pin is tightened, it feels very very solid. Here’s another reference picture:

The flashhider is solidly built from metal, although I don’t see any easy way to remove it. The outer barrel feels very solid as well. The plastic stock feels as solid or better than the Kart or AGM, and there’s no flex. I’d say that it’s probably the best ACM M14 on the market in terms of appearance and build quality, and not too far behind the TM in that regard either, despite the lack of trademarks. Finally, unlike the Kart or AGM, this gun has a functional bolt catch, which I think is a nice touch. Of course, it’s nothing compared to the new G&G M14 with walnut stock, but still, it’s a very nice rifle. Okay, so let’s briefly discuss the internals.

Internals

I’m sure you’re all wondering about the internals. This gun is reported to have a number of differences from the other ACM models. But, in order to find out how that works, we need to disassemble the rifle. First things first, we remove the magazine and clear the gun. Next, we have to unscrew the set screw from the gas tube, and slide that back, as so:

Next, we need to fold up the trigger guard using a screwdriver through the hole in the back of the trigger guard, and then we can pull it out of the stock.

Then we can just lift the meat of the gun out of the stock. Here’s a quick picture of the gearbox. I want you to note that this gun comes with metal bushings, not nylon. That’s a nice touch.

I also got a shot of the bolt spring guide, which is very clean, and looks a bit different from the Kart and AGM:

The bolt cover is also cleanly finished, and looks very good:

Following the M14 disassembly guide, you can finish taking this gun down from there. One more brief thing that I want to note is that this gun comes with a stock 6.04mm brass tightbore, which is nicely crowned (despite the orange paint from the flashhider paintjob):

The barrel is also compatible with aftermarket tightbores, which is a nice change, although since it has a stock tightbore, I don’t plan on getting another until I get around to getting a dbcustom barrel for it. This gun also has a fully TM compatible gearbox with nylon fiber piston, small v.7 spur gear, steel gears, and decent shimming. I wasn’t super impressed with it’s trigger response with the stock battery, which is a large 8.4v 1200 maH NiCd with a small Tamiya connector. I plan on installing a 9.6v small type battery. However, I just tried another 8.4v Intellect small-type battery, and it worked great. Here’s a picture of the battery:

This gun appears to be a full TM clone, as advertised, unlike the AGM or Kart. The battery connection is standard, unlike the reversed polarity wiring on the AGM, so it can take other batteries besides the stock battery. Overall, I’m very impressed with this gun. About the only thing I would do to it would be to regrease it. Eventually I might upgrade the internals and install a M120, but I like it pretty well stock for now. Knowing me, I’ll have modded or upgraded it within two weeks of writing this, however. No gearbox pics, because my camera is out of batteries, but it’s a standard v.7 gearbox, so nothing terribly special there. It does come with metal bushings, as we mentioned earlier.

Function

I really should stop doing these, but hey. Like any AEG, you just have to insert the magazine, c*ck the charging handle (well, you don’t have to c*ck it, but it sounds cool), remove the safety by pushing it forward out of the trigger guard, aim the gun, and fire. Pretty simple, as usual. But, how about performance? How does it perform?

Performance

I have to say, I’m truly impressed with the performance of this gun. First thing that I did was a quick coke can chrono. This gun is easily capable of penetrating both sides of the can, but only puts a serious dent in the bottom. Here’s a picture of the exit wound on the can:

It chronos in at 336 fps, which is pretty good after 5000 rounds have been fired through it, since that means that’s about what it shoots when it’s been broken in. The 340 advertised is probably pretty fair. The real test is accuracy. As usual, I’m setting up my test in controlled conditions, with sandbag stabilization. I’ve cleaned the hopup bucking and barrel thoroughly, and made sure to leave an even layer of silicone lube in the barrel to maximize performance. Okay, so, here’s a 10 shot grouping at 100 feet:

As you can see, the tightbore really has a huge effect; this is much better than the Kart or AGM by about an inch. That’s just under a 4″ grouping, although it looks tighter. After hearing about Darklite’s adventures, I also tried shooting ketchup packets, and can hit them every time with my scope from 60 feet. Not too shabby. The CYMA SOC16 has also been confirmed, for those of you who like shorter guns. Okay, so what sort of accessories and modifications can you do here?

Accessories and Modifications

Well, first off, it’s an M14, so you shouldn’t do that much. The stock has a hole for a swivel stud or bipod in the front, and it can also accept various kits, so you could put on M14 RAS, scope mounts, leather swings, etc. It’s also fully compatible, so basically anything you could do to a TM, you can do to this gun. You can install any number of upgrade parts, and it even takes the aftermarket barrels that the other ACM M14’s didn’t.

Pros

Its an M14.
Full metal receiver, with really hot cocking handle action.
Nice solid stock, full stock configuration.
100% clone of the Marui.
Accepts v.7 gears.
tightbore barrel, 500 mm long, 6.04mm inner diameter.
Adjustable rear sight.
Metal Hi-cap magazine which works quite well.
Solid magazine catch, no wobble when mag is inserted.
Adjustable hopup.
Functional bolt catch.
Metal bushings.
Best finish of any ACM M14.
Metal gas tube.
Secure construction with trigger guard latch and gas tube set screw.
Stronger heatshield.
Metal battery cover.
Marui compatible hopup that’s better than the other ACM M14 hopups

Cons

It’s an M14, so its pretty long and heavy.
Stock battery doesn’t yield very good trigger response.
Requires modification to fit larger batteries.
Selector switch, as with all M14’s is probably weak.
No trades.
It doesn’t have a walnut stock.

Ordering

I want to thank Keith at RSOV for sending me this gun for review. It hasn’t gotten nearly the kind of hype it should have with Nachosdesign2 gone, but suffice it to say that this is the best ACM M14 on the market. It is available currently from www.rsov.com and www.gunnerairsoft.com. Average cost is around 150-180 USD shipped to the door, although I expect this to go down once U.S. retailers start to bring these in in containers, since they range from 90-100 USD in Hong Kong. This is the most expensive M14 clone to date, but it’s also much higher quality.

Video Review

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/784812/cyma_cm032_m14_aeg_video_review/

The Final Word

My final word on this gun is that it’s definitely worth a buy if you’re in the market for an M14, or even if you’re just looking for a long AEG or DMR. While it’s still almost as expensive as the TM at the moment if you’re ordering overseas, I’d expect to see it be priced around 130-140 in the near future, and it comes with some nice internal features that the TM doesn’t. And, it’s fully upgradeable, comes with a stock tightbore and metal bushings, and a great hopup unit. The G&G also offers those features, but it’s much more expensive also. This new offering from CYMA is great, even in stock form, and I have no reservations about recommending it.

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Airsoft – Well R-16 M4 RIS

An addition to Well’s R6 and R5 is a Well R16. This new addition to Well’s family is for CQB or urban and can still be fit in jungle games. With its compact design, the owner has a great advantage in moving.

Well R16 is made of abs plastic. flip-up front sight, plastic carry handle and metal gearbox which has an approx fps of 290. Box comes with a 9.6v craane battery configuration and charger, BB magazine.

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Airsoft – D-Boys SPR

The M16 SPR Mod is a full metal m-series from D-Boys. With metal upper and lower receivers. With sniper pistol grip that has a thumb rest. Front and rear flip-up sight.

Box comes with the AEG, the magazine, bi-pod, battery and charger.

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Airsoft – JKE M93R Berreta Pistol

Full metal AEP M93R berreta pistol from JKE. Shoots around 250-270fps out of the box. Has semi and auto features to choose from during games. Gearbox and its internals are metal which gives the owner the ability to upgrade the AEP.

Box includes the M93R AEP pistol, a 15 rnds magazine, small packs of BBs, manual, battery and charger.

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Full Metal SPR Sniper Rifle – BIM4 Series

Manufacturer: DBOYS China
Weight: 7.0 kg with box
190rd Short magazine
Power: 350fps with 0.2g BB
Full Metal Receiver
7mm smooth gear box
fibre grip and heat sink motor plate.

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