MK14 EBR... Range? Accuracy? Your Experience?

[Beowulf]

Hello fellow airsofters! I wanted to see what YOUR experience was with your M14 / MK14 EBR platform was. Doesn't matter what company or if it's AEG, Green Gass, Co2, Propane, Propylene, HPA...Hydrogen Sulphide, Arsine, Chlorine, farts...whatever you use, share your experience with me. I want to know as much about the weapon as much as I can. Things I'm most interested in hearing is how accurate your M14 was at 50+ meters (54 Yards or 164 feet). Also how different were your M14 after upgrades?

Also, I wanted to provide some insight, despite having no experience with airsoft so I've to contact Daedalus from Scoutthedoggie's youtube channel and asked him about his infamous RA-Tech Custom LV2 WE M14 EBR.

Happy new years Daedalus! I just wanted to ask three simple questions about your old RA-tech WE M14 EBR.
1) Did you get the level 2 version or the level 3 version of the RA Tech WE M14 EBR?
2) How much farther and more accurate were your shots compared to a stock WE M14 EBR.
3) If you did have a level 2 version do you think a level 3 version would shoot farther and more accurate that the level two?

Daedalus responded with:

The level 2 wasn't really that good. I rarely hit anything and the rifle wasn't reliable at all. Cool down, jamming and venting was a major issue. I doubt the level 3 will be much different. All year round. The major issue was self cool down which caused venting and jamming. Didn't matter how warm it was or how many times I stripped it down. When it did fire it was not consistent at all. It's just a wall hanger. 





5

Some questions about what he said.

1) What is "Self Cooldown"? From what I've researched it has to do with GBB systems and that the gases get colder as they shoot jamming magazines and the gun.
2) I know that Scotland is colder than many other countries. Would these "Self-Cooldown" problems have never happened if he had lived in, let's say, California? (Which is much hotter climate than Scotland)

3) "I rarely hit anything and the rifle wasn't reliable at all" Is the gun completely at fault or is it the cold climate that drastically affects accuracy and range?

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[TheFull9]

Is this going to be your first airsoft gun?

If so, you could hardly get anything worse in terms of actual gaming with it.  Great toys in the same sense as a de-act or the odd garden plinking but terrible, terrible choice for skirmishing.  When an experienced end user says it's bad, take heed.  There's a reason you'll see essentially zero people (or as close as to make no odds) actually using WE M14s in games, even less so using them to any effectiveness.

 

[Beowulf]

Is this going to be your first airsoft gun?

If so, you could hardly get anything worse in terms of actual gaming with it.  Great toys in the same sense as a de-act or the odd garden plinking but terrible, terrible choice for skirmishing.  When an experienced end user says it's bad, take heed.  There's a reason you'll see essentially zero people (or as close as to make no odds) actually using WE M14s in games, even less so using them to any effectiveness.

Are you referring to the WE version only or the m14 platform in general?

 

[TheFull9]

TM make a great M14 AEG, long as you've actually held one to get a grasp of the ergonomic aspects, reloading it, the magazines that aren't as easy to carry as 556, the fact you'll be really hindered in CQB games etc.  But a WE GBB as your first gun in general is a bad move, doubly so the M14.

 

[Wo1f]

If you are intent on buying an EBR get the G&G one. It will work out if the box. If you just want an m14, buy a TM. If you must have a gas gun as your first gun, get a TM m4  MWS

 

[Beowulf]

Is this going to be your first airsoft gun?

If so, you could hardly get anything worse in terms of actual gaming with it.  Great toys in the same sense as a de-act or the odd garden plinking but terrible, terrible choice for skirmishing.  When an experienced end user says it's bad, take heed.  There's a reason you'll see essentially zero people (or as close as to make no odds) actually using WE M14s in games, even less so using them to any effectiveness.

From the reviews I read most of the problems are from using the gun in cold temperatures. Which I wont have due to the warm weather where I live. Also the problems that many have seem to be easy fixes according to this comprehensive review of the gun. http://www.airsoftsniperforum.com/36-rifles-parts-reviews/11657-we-m14-ebr-comprehensive-review.html

Also, it sounds to me this other person is having a blast with the M14:

“First of all remember it's a gbbr. It's not a cheap rifle. As such it requires regular maintenance. I clean and lube it every time I take it out. If you use propane keep in mind that velocity and accuracy can vary with temperature. I try to maintain propane 15 deg warmer than the mags. I try not to let the propane get over 90 deg F. Some days it is really hot so the propane will get up there. I had. Mag explode in the house once but think it had a flaw in the casting. It was scary to say the least.So, here are the mods needed:RA-Tech steel trigger. This is an expensive piece but you've to have it, plain and simple. I tried to make the stock one work but it finally just split right in half.I like the RA-Tech SS 6.01 inner barrel. Make sure t is straight. I RHopped mine. It took a lot of screwing around to make it work but it helps down range.I have used a number of hop up bucking but the Reaps for SR.--10 seem the best. The hop up system is solid but the adjustment is marginal. If you remove the selector bar you can adjust it without field stripping the rifle. Otherwise Carolyn mark and drill a hole in it for the Allen wrench. Removing this bar disables full auto which you need to do anyway for most fields at higher velocities.500 fps nozzle. I like this too. Get a few as they do break. Get a NPAS when you can so you can adjust the velocity if necessary. The ultimate fix is the new aluminum nozzle. $100 however. Also get the aluminum guides. The stock one will break.Get the Matrix scope mount. They are cheap. You may need to shim it a little to get perfect alignment. I use a 3-9 x 40 illminated scope.I got a M-1 Garand leather sling. I just like leather slings.You will need 6-8 mags. These are heavy just like the real steel. Can you believe we carried 20 or more of these.  You need a small punch set. Harbor Freight has themMeric Allen wrench set. Phillips screw driver, standard screw driver, pliers, small side cutter, small hammerPropane oiling adaptor. Get the all metal one. Mad bull I think.Temperature gun. Harbor Freight has these for $20 or so.I'd start with .30 & .36 bb's This should get you to a reliable hard hitting rifle. I've got over 10k rounds though mine.How does it work? Well I get to 70-75 yds on man sized targets pretty easy. It will go out to 100 yds but accuracy isn't the best. If you shoot enough you can compensate some. When it is hot out I have to watch velocity so it doesn't go over 500 with .20. I've had to put a stock nozzle in a couple times to cut velocity down.  One shot kills? Actually I think the rifle does pretty well on first shot. I try shoot a lot so I have a pretty good feel for the gun. I use dark bb's now and don't look for my bb's. Also use double or triple tap shots. The rifle is pretty scary as far as noise goes. Some of the inexperienced players get nervous and expose themselves to easy multiple shots. .36's hit pretty hard out a ways, I. Like to judge how well I'm doing by cuss words after I fire. Haha.If you are going to back up a fire team it's great gun because you can sit at the far end of most AEGs range and plink away at the enemy. Even in fields that have street battles you can pour shot af shot into windows and doors from a good distance.There is a lot more to this rifle. It's just plain fun to shoot and the recoil is hard and noisy. A bit of humor, my son is a pretty big guy but didn't think my M14 was very hot. He put my leather jacket on and walked out about 35 yds. He wanted me to shoot him on the jacket, but I riddled him in the azz with about 8 rapid fire shots. The welts looked like bee stings. Haha. He has respect now.I like to hunt out the enemy snipers and drill them with shots well within their range. The experienced snipers are hard to get the jump on but with carefull stalking I can get in in range and force a fire fight. The M14 is a force to recon with when you don't have to deal with a high powered AEG. Since full auto is limited to 400 fps or less I have better accuracy on semi auto than most AEG”

I even called CRW-Airsoft at Hong Kong last night asked them if they had any instock. The guy told me that they didn’t have any in stock however he told me that by next month they would have new updated ones. He told me RA-Tech were updating the RA-Tech WE M14 EBR and putting their own version of the receiver. I found it funny that he sounded exactly like the guy in the crwairsoft youtube videos.

 

[Immortal]

If you're going to sink money into a RIF then why not sink it into one with a good review and real potential?

I don't read that review as positive, just an insight into the authors mentality more than the RIF itself.

With the money the bloke suggests spending, you could just up your budget and go for something better...

 

[TheFull9]

What you're doing is talking yourself in to the thing you've set your heart on, in the face of advice from people far more experienced giving you contrary information.  That much is evident because I've seen this hundreds of times over the years.

It's your money, spend it how you like.  The fact is the WE EBR is one of the heaviest, least all-around effective guns you can buy for actually playing airsoft, that fact is not going to change.

 

[Dentonboy]

That is a good point. 

There is a world of difference loading up and pinking a rif on camera or in a garden, to actually using it 'in anger' and hoping to out gun or match an opponent.