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CYMA M14
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3 6528 12/11/07
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100% of reviewers £89.50 8.5



Description: This is the newest M14 out of China, and sports a standard v.7 gearbox with metal bushings, a stock 6.04mm tightbore, and better finish than any other ACM M14 to date.
Keywords: CYMA CM032 M14 AEG
Homepage/URL: www.rsov.com


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crimsonfalcon07


Registered: October 2006
Location: Boulder, CO, USA
Posts: 160
Review Date: 25/8/07 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: £49.00 | Rating: 0 

 
Pros: best ACM M14 to date
Cons: plastic stock instead of wood

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...


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23521173740.jpg


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
The Final Word


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331253.jpg


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


http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/crimsonfalcon07/m14drawing.jpg


(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:


http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/crimsonfalcon07/m1gar_2.jpg


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:


http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l134/crimsonfalcon07/Usmc_DMR_suppressed_green-1.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331558.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331326.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331362.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331441.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331340.jpg


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:

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331480.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331491.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331352.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322022033.jpg


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

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322022063.jpg


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 cock 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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331367.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331321.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331673.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23120341735.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23120341714.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322021963.jpg


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.


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322021941.jpg


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.


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322021912.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322022017.jpg


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

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322021936.jpg


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

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322021968.jpg


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):


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322022010.jpg
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23322022025.jpg


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:

http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23117331527.jpg


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, cock the charging handle (well, you don't have to cock 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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23600162999.jpg


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:


http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/8/23600163028.jpg


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.


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.


------------------------------
Average rounds per kill with the M16 in Vietnam=50,000. Snipers averaged 1.3 rounds. The cost difference was $2300 v. 27 cents.

The ASGAR Project: <a href="http://groups.google.com/group/asgar?hl=en" target="_blank">http://groups.google.com/group/asgar?hl=en</a>

Armory:
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dayglowfroggy

Registered: February 2006
Posts: 193
Review Date: 6/10/07 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: Not Indicated | Rating: 8 

 
Pros: performance,weight and sound
Cons: stock is crap looks like orange plastic if you ask me .

For the money fantastic only used it for one days skirmish so far but it had amazing range and accuracy out of the box .
The stock on mine has a scratch on it and a thin looking bit of molding behind the trigger guard . Thats the only down side the stock, need to get real wood one asap or do something with it I want this gun for nam and ww11 load outs so got to keep it woody far to orange plastic for my taste but I was comparing it to a k98 mmmmm.
Would have got ten but for the stock .
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niust


Registered: September 2007
Location: Sheffield, UK
Posts: 125
Review Date: 12/11/07 Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: £130.00 | Rating: 9 

 
Pros: Range, Look, Upgradable
Cons: Long, Heavy

Hi,
I got this gun for long range semi sniping. Post here to UK so the total cost is much more than in Hong Kong.
I uses it for 5 full days game so far. So I think it could be review now.


First, I generally don't keep anything in stock, this gun included. I do change thing little by little until I am satisfied with it. So, this Cyma M14 got these upgrades:


- Tanio Koba twist Barrel
- Star Shorten outer barrel
- King Arms VerII m14 suppressor and steel muzzle
- Guarder Infinite Trq Motor and Mosfet unit
- Systema ball bearing, shims, piston head
- and more ..etc... Ok... too much to type ... let say they are all new parts...only the outer body is original


So far, I broke the original gear... no its got the Heli type. and that was my Bad as I use 12V batt to push the limit. The old gear could not handle the upgrade spring and speed. Now, every function as it should.


I had a problem it the Madbull hop set (silicone and shark fin H type set) ... So it works now on the KM V hop R45.


I found that most of the original CYMA part is good enough to last its gun life limit and since it is a true clone unlike the AGM and Kart M14 ( the magazine of cyma is even better), you can keep this gun works for a long time by TM and others spare parts.


I think the only bad thing to say is that it is a toy gun and have this cheap plastic look on this. So, you can get a wood and steel upgrade to make it nicer later on. Parts of the gun are weak pot metal as in most toy guns. I broke a safety lever so far. don't know what else I will brake again as I abuse it ( with in reason) in the field as real gun should be able too.


Final word
This gun is a man gun. It is 5+ kgs (12 pounds) of the weight on this baby. So, you will get a real workout on the weekend. If you use it as stock.. you should not have any problem with it. If you like to upgrade, then you can throw in another 300£ or more, like I did. This Gun is your work horse. Classic and deadly. Don't leave home with out one Wink ... Cheers


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That's not a pistol. THIS IS A PISTOL.
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