w?rd mich auch interessiern - im prinzip schauts aus wie ne MP5 mit gradem mag ?_O ...
- Report start - The G&G company, which is a Chinese manufacturer of airsoft guns, had a display at the SHOT SHOW. Most of their wares typically are accessories based with handguards, rail mounts etc. but they are expanding quite aggressively into full complete guns. They have a very solid feeling all metal M4 which is quite impressive in feel and looks. The bodies, weight and build quality of their guns and accessories appear and feel quite good.
The interesting thing that caught my eye is they have an M-14 AEG with a plastic stock in a very subdued black textured finish. (looks like Springfield Armories Civilian version offering) It's supposed to be available for retail sales by May. (One fellow said March and one said May) Hmmmm? When in doubt go conservative. This is definitely a finished gun and fully functional so it is absolutely real and will clearly be out soon as a retail, functional model.
Since I have two Airsoft club M-14s which I've had for over a year I'm probably in a unique position to compare this offering with the only currently available M-14 airsoft product out there. (Obviously I didn't get to shoot the G&G). Compared to the Airsoft Club M-14s (which I love and unlike a lot of folks have had no problems with) This one is much more solid. The G&G has a one piece stock with no center seam which tends to creak and groan on my Airsoft Club versions. The use of metal is very impressive in terms of the receiver group and barrel assembly for both versions. The G&G has a functional selector switch and functional safety which the Airsoft Club version doesn't offer. The G&G is a tad heavier and feels a bit more balanced. The upper hand guard assembly is a bit more solid and less flimsy then on my two existing M-14s. (This is an items that's pretty flimsy on the real steel so that never bothered me.)
The magazines are unique to the gun and obviously wouldn't be usable in other brands offerings unless they somehow managed to get a TM variation before the fact and cross engineer it. (Not likely) They're quite a bit different then the Airsoft Club magazine.
Dissasembly of the G&G will be much less problematic due to the one piece, more robust stock. The internals are supposed to be upgraded 120 spring with heavier gears and piston for out-of-the-box 400 FPS performance. Obviously there weren't any Springfield marking or military style serial numbers so authenticity falls a bit in this regard. There's plenty of room in the butt stock for any battery you might want to put in there. The real metal butt plate flips open just like on the real M-14 which then can serve as a shoulder brace above your clavicle. (not something I ever remember doing!)
I'm not a fan of the black stock. I prefer the wood finish on my Airsoft Club M-14s. If it were mine it would quickly be camo painted or solid OD. (Obviously easy to do) The folks manning the booth were ambiguous about the availability of a faux wood stock finish and didn't know if there would be a full wood stock available. (probably not likely anytime soon.) There are going to be adapters available for mounting scopes and a conversion kit for the shortened barrel SOG version as well as accessories like bipod mounts and cheek adapters. These should be available by the initial release date. If it functions as well as it feels, I'd say it represents an excellent value at the suggested retail of $500.00 US.
The existence of this model and the large number of other airsoft manufacturers who are offering the M-14 is very encouraging. Hopefully with the angled alignment of the gear box (required by a non pistol grip assault rifle) we'll start to see an expansion of traditional rifle designs come out in AEG offerings. If these sell well, can a Garand, M1 Carbine, SKS, BAR and others be far behind? It gives me hope. What scares me is that with so many choices suddenly chasing this one model, none of the manufacturers will see the volume they need to support and justify their offering encouraging them to expand their offerings. Keep your fingers crossed!
REMF OUT