Hey it's Mickey with SoGo Airsoft. Recently I got an AEG that I've had my eye on since I got into airsoft, but have never brought myself to shell out the cash for. I can't tell you how excited I am to finally own an CA M14 EBR! And let me tell you, it was worth every penny. To start off, this gun was originally around the $470 range, only recently has Classic Army set their MAP pricing much lower across their AEG line-up. Now it has a much more reasonable price tag of around $360. This is even less than the conversion kit available from G&P.
It features a full CNC machined steel chassis and stock; the polymer parts include the handguard, pistol grip, and cheek piece. Just like the real EBR, the stock retracts, has a thick rubber butt pad and an adjustable cheek piece. This gun also has a full RIS for mounting scopes, bipods, forgrips, or any other modern accessory that you want to mount. The pistol grip is much more ergonomic than the previous M14 grip in my opinion, as I often found myself straining to bend my wrist to the correct angle on a standard G&G M14 I used to own. To top off its plethora of features, it also comes with classic m14 sights, a functioning bolt catch/release, and a metal 470 round high-capacity magazine (standard on any Classic Army or G&G M14). Weight-wise, it's comparable to it's real-steel counterpart at around 11.5 pounds, with no wobble anywhere on the gun. This thing is SOLID.
In terms of performance, it is good for the most part but begs for a couple of upgrades. Mainly an upgraded inner barrel and means of upgrading the FPS into DMR range (whether it be an upgraded spring or some way of improving compression). Personally, I have on order a Maple Leaf 80 degree bucking and a Magic Box Miracle barrel. My hopes are that the miracle barrel will provide the consistent groupings and range that it was designed for and that the Maple Leaf bucking, which is "ribbed for your pressure" as Maple Leaf so politely put it, will give my BBS more velocity as it barely qualifies as a DMR FPS-wise out of the box. Call me a perfectionist, but isn't the point of a DMR to not only outrange other AEG's, but to pack more power? Or am I carrying a rifle that is limited to semi-automatic and has a minimum engagement distance just because it looks cool with a scope? I know FPS does not necessarily equal range, but I like to take advantage of my gun's potential however I can.
As usual, I do have a couple of quarrels with the gun. First off, the battery compartment. It is not hard to get a battery in, but a 9.6 Nunchuck is the biggest battery I've been able to fit so far. Since the compartment requires taking out three screws to get to, it would have been nice to be able to store a larger battery. Secondly, the charging handle track was DROWNING in grease out of the box. Not a big deal, it's just not normal for a good quality brand like Classic Army. Lastly, there is an imitation shell ejector on the top of the bolt cover which was lightly glued on and fell off within a few days. Again, not detrimental to the gun's function, but still kind of a let down. But oh well, I'm planning on swapping it out for the G&P one which has Navy MK14 MOD0 markings anyway.
Overall, I would recommend getting this gun especially since SoGo has one in stock, no need to special order!
Pros: Full CNC Steel
Full RIS
Adjustable Stock
Realistic weight
Great trigger response and ROF
Springfield Armory and 7.62mm Markings
Looks awesome because its an EBR!!!
Cons: Charging handle track COVERED in grease
Battery compartment could be bigger
Imitation shell ejector came off
Only shoots 390-400 FPS stock (more of a personal issue since mine will be a DMR)
Comes with Hi-Cap Magazine (In only run mid-caps, not necessarily a bad thing)
Just got my Madbull Surefire 9.8'' Suppressor, will post a picture of the finished gun once I get a scope.