Contact Us Tel:(626) 286-0360 Store Locations
Phone Support M-F 7am-5pm PST
Browse by Type or Category
Free Shipping for Orders over $149. EPIC DEALS released daily!

WE-Tech M16-A1 Full Metal Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle

19 Customer Reviews

by Jonathan L. on 12/20/2021
"very good. I dont recommend as a first gun. but if you have used a gas blowback gun i recomend this one
by Taylor G. on 07/09/2021
"Shortened version- Has one major flaw that’s easily fixable but other than that this is an amazing gas blowback rifle that I truly recommend.

Full review- Once you get this rifle out of the box it comes with the usual. This includes your manual, takedown tool, hex key, and the rifle itself. The rifle quality is amazing, everything that is metal on the real Rifle is metal on this rifle. And everything that is polymer on the real rifle is polymer, taking this outside to the chrono I got 387 FPS average with .20g. Everything about this rifle is great including the recoil range, gas efficiency (about 2 mags worth on one fill), and accuracy but there is one major flaw. After using this rifle for one week I became a victim of the infamous WE bolt catch issue. My bolt catch would not lock back on the final round and it was frustrating realizing I was dry firing the whole time. This is an easy fix all you need is a Dremel and patience. There are a few videos on YouTube that will walk you through this, one of which is 30 minutes long which Is the one recommend viewing. After this issue was fixed the rifle was perfect and I recommend it to anybody who’s looking to buy a gas blow back.
by Dominick V. on 10/17/2018
"Pricey!

This gun looks great, sounds great, cycles as it should and feels great (except for the plastic handguard which is normal for an m16)
Very easy to disassemble and reassemble.
It does need to be broken in at first like any gun.
So far I love it. I can't wait to use this baby at a game.
by Josh J. on 09/25/2018
"It performs very well from my experience so far especially with accuracy. But I've only run into one issue, some of the pins like the pin hodling the forward assist in were a little loose. Also the handguard feels a little cheap but overall I'm very satisfied with the m16a1.
by Alex S. on 08/18/2017
"This is a absolutely amazeing gbb. Nice kick, good feel and the classic m16 look will stand out from the rest of the m4s. Ive put a Daniel defense omega x rail on mine with the Angel custom 6.01mm barrel and it out performs any aeg or hpa system in accuracy and sometimes even in fire rate! The only downside is that I needed a new upper to mine and the takedown pins would not fit in it, but I just used a drill press and all is now good. If you want a gbb that will be heard from across the map and strike fear into your enemies then this is the gun for you.
by Craig R. on 06/14/2017
"this is my favorite gun, i have had it for 3 years and I use it in every battle, I bought the original version without the Semper Fi symbol on it but that is the only difference, I did have to fix a couple parts but that's because its an M16 and requires taking care of. If you dont know how to care for a real m16 then i wouldnt suggest it because you have to clean it regularly but you can learn to use it and when you do its the best gun ever. once you get good with this gun you will always come back to it.
by Raymond G. on 12/01/2016
"I just recently bought this M16-A1. After 2 Weeks of using it I will give you an opinion.

In the Box....You get the Rifle, one 20 round good quality metal mag, a 20 round speed loader and Manual written in Asian. No instructions in English, but pictures and full glossary of parts (in Asian) You will have to assemble this rifle out of the box. (upper and lower together) There is now cleaning rod or site adjustment tool included.

To start off --- Five Stars. (Even with the 1-2 flaws. Because the flaws are not permanent)

Summary: This is an authentic replication of the M16-A1 Vietnam Rifle. The look and feel is amazing. So much so, some external parts are interchangeable with the real one. I also have a WE M4 OB GBB Trainer for yr now. And that is authenticity as well. Appears WE has paid attention to detail as much as possible.

I lean towards realism. The open bolt, Recoil, the puff of gas coming out of the barrel and bolt when you shoot, the jamming of the rifle if you don't clean it, the maintenance and limited mag rounds. All the good and bad of a real M16 a soldier faced in VN. And this M16 has that all. It's FUN to use. I like my AEG M16A1 when I don't want to have to worry about that stuff and just want to keep shooting in any weather.

Below is my opinion on the rife I received based on the specs provided. I'm sure not everyone out of the box is the same. I'm not doing a pro or con as someone pro can be another person con. And Vice Versa. My opinion will be next to the spec in parenthesis.

* Gas efficient with high velocity, accuracy and range - (I agree with this statement using both 20 and 30 round mags. Semi accuracy is dead on out of the box. Full Auto is a spray and pray. The FPS is nice. It's high enough to use .30-33g BBs if you want to target practice or .25g if you want distance accuracy)
* New GBB system with higher tolerance for cold magazines and weather - (No Opinion. Not Tested)
* Co2 powered magazine available. - (No Opinion, Not test. However, read mixed reviews on the CO2 mags)
* Realistic hard kick recoil blowback. - (Totally agree. It's got KICK. My WE M4 has a stronger recoil, but that may be do to it being a shorter rifle. Full Auto is where the kick is)
* Adjustable Front and Rear Sights - (Yes. However you need a tool for the front and it's not included)
* Retractable LE Telescopic Stock - (Fixed stock. Someone forgot to take this out of the copy/paste)
* Working Bolt-catch (Agree. Works fine and adds to realism when mag is empty)
* Full Metal Receiver, Barrel Assembly, and Stock Tube (Agree. Nice feel and solid. No WE or Colt markings at all on it this rifle. Only words on it are Safe, Semi and Auto)
* Nylon Handguard, M16 Full Stock, and Serrated AR Type Pistol Grip (Grip is nice, Stock Nice and has a storage door which is a pain in the butt to open and handguard looks ok)
* Integrated Front and rear sling swivel. ( Only front Swivels. Rear is fixed. You can use authentic military slings. Made for standard 2 point)
* Fully Automatic / Semi Automatic select fire. (This is what you will love about the rifle)
* 100% Factory direct part support. (No Opinion, Never used. WE site has stuff, but a bit vague on things)
* Authentic M16 VN type triangle hand guard. (Authentic looking outside and inside. Cheap plastic and not firm. Major Flaw. I'll explain later)
* Authentic M16 VN type one piece upper receiver with carrying handle. (Yes. Solid and very accurate. The windage wheel is hard to turn. Just like the real one was..... on purpose)
* Long barrel for superb accuracy and range. (Agree on both)

Triangular Handguard - I'm surprised with all the quality and attention to detail, the triangular handgard was overlooked and so cheap. Thin plastic and no reinforcement at the vent holes to make it less bendable. Will definitely break/crack. I replaced the Triangular hand guard with a Military Surplus one and fit flawlessly.

The dust cover works fine. However, the nipple piece that holds it closed became lose and will open or not stay closed some of the time. Happened on my WE M4 as well. Nothing that a little crazy glue didn't fix in 10 seconds.

I've only bought WE for OB GBB rifles. I have no experience with other GBB brands to benchmark my opinions.

Cleaning - We all like to play with our new toy once we get it. Do that for a mag or two and than do a basic breakdown, clean and lube this rifle out. (you can youtube how to do it) I believe this to be the approach with all GBB rifles. These rifles get test fired before boxed up. So there is dirt in there. Than you don't know how long it's been sitting around in that cardboard box on a shelf with the factory gunk and dust settling in. Both my M16 and M4 functioned flawlessly after a cleaning/Lube.

The above may sound like a lot. However, it really isn't. It's part of the fun of owning a realistic GBB. I am VERY HAPPY with this rifle. If I needed to, I would definitely buy it again. It's reasonably priced for a GBB, realistic and fun to use.
by Jesse T. on 03/25/2016
"I have seen some negative reviews on this gun, but I think those people have just had some bad luck, mine has been great. I had used a lot of aegs and I was tired of all the problems that could occur and the poor performance. I tried out a gas gun and it did NOT disappoint! The rifle has great distance with amazing accuracy! The mag holds 20 bbs, and I have gotten 20 kills in a row before.
Perhaps you have seen an enemy hiding in dense underbrush or tall grass and you tried to shoot them with your aeg, but the bbs just bounced off the vegetation. Not with this gun, the gas propels the bbs cutting straight through thick underbrush and keeping power at far distances, and the bbs don't start to drop after 50 feet.
The kick on this gun when it shoots is awesome! It feels great and actually moves the gun, but it is not intense enough to throw off accuracy! The sound it makes from the blow back is awesome! It may not be that practical to shoot it in full auto, but it definately turns some heads when you do! The gun also breaks down almost just like the real m16. For realism and performance, this gun can't be beat!
I run a Vietnam load out, and this gun is perfect for it! I put a lot of time and money into my authentic load out, so I needed a rifle that was just as cool, not any of those crappy Aegs. Also, the gas is held in each mag, as with all gas rifles, so it makes life a bit easier not having to worry about charging your battery, just pump some gas into the mag.

So I have been praising the gun, so now I have to list some cons. This gun needs a lot of maintanence, but no different than any other GBB rifle, you need to clean and lube it after every day of playing. This isn't exactly a con, since you should do this with all GBB, but it is kind of a pain. Every few months the barrel might get a little loose, and need to be tightened, but WE has included a special tool to tighten the barrel with.
The mags only hold 20 bbs, which is t exactly a con, because it is realistic, and great for mil-slim! The mags may not hold as much ammo as an aeg, but the rifle makes up for it with its performance! I have held my own against aegs slinging their torrents off bbs out there, meanwhile I make my shots count! Plus extra mags are $25, which is a good deal for a gas mag! Another con is that gas guns do not really work in the cold, of course aegs don't function at their best in the winter either, but at least aegs work. But so long as it is at least in the high 50s and your gun is well lubed you shouldn't have any problems. The gun feels a bit light, which isn't really a con, because it weighs about the same as the real m16 used in the 60s. Plus the gun has a solid feel to it, other than the hand guard, but the hand guard is supposed to feel that way.
You will want some extra mags if you are going to do matches with this gun. I have 5 mags total, plus my sidearm, and so long as I'm not wasteful, that is usually enough. This gun is compatible with the 30 round mags, but the short 20 round mags are much better. My whole team uses WE open bolt GBB, and they will all tell you that my short mags are better. The long ones seem to have more problems, and the baseplate on the bottoms of the mags come loose, but these short mags are very sturdy and they have a much better feel to them!
People say to only use green gas in your gun, but I have been using propane in my. So long as you keep it well lubed you should be fine, it hasn't given me any trouble.

Overall this is probably the best gun I have ever used. I give it 5 stars. If you are looking for a realistic, high performance Vietnam era weapon, then this is hat you want! I am never going back to aegs... Except for my m60, they don't make GBB LMGs, sadly.
by michael j. on 12/24/2014
"ok so i have had this gun for well over a year. it has couple of problems that are easy fixed but overall this gun is one of the best gbbr i have ever used or owned.

pros
rof
fps
parts
three prong flash hider

cons
inner barrel
bolt catch

this gun if you know how to fix it and clean it is amazing i would definitely recommend this gun for experienced airsofters the internals arent bad but they aren't amazing so i would suggest getting ra tech internals.

P.S. if you want to remove the flash hider you need to use a torch to heat up the muzzle.
by Cole M. on 07/06/2014
"I have had this rifle for 1 month. This rifle is truly amazing when it functions properly. The recoil is amazing and the sound puts the fear of god into people. Its effective to up to 200ft with .30s. The gun is also fairly easy to understand and clean. I started having problems with the valve knocker not making contact with the mags gas release. However, with a pulling the charging handle a few times and lots of lube, It started working again.
PROS:
Pretty much everything.
Range
Accuracy
Recoil
All around feel
CONS:
Takes alot of time and care (not completely a con)
Handguard is very cheap
by Max H. on 09/29/2013
"I bought this rifle a while ago at the Evike Super Store and I got to say, this rifle is very realistic!
I want to point out that my dad had an AR-15 and said that the recoil is almost spot on and the hand guard felt like his ( cheap and plastic feeling, which again is a pro for realism.) I want to mention that i did buy 2 30 rd magazines and they work perfectly fine. those have a matte gray finish and look totally different than the 20 rd mag. also, 20rd mag was way more solid feeling than the 30rd mags. the finish of the gun is a dark black not gray, but it looks good. the paint job is pretty good and the forward assist does work. the accuracy is amazing. I hit a target about 100-120 ft and hit it almost dead center! I love this rifle and have had no problems with it so far I totally recomend it to players with realsteel AR expirience. One thing to mention, when you get it, lube it with good lubricant and baby this rifle. Always take good care of your rifle and it will take care of you ;)
Pros:
highly realalistic
accurate
great paint job
awesome blowback/recoil
no need to upgrade
light
clean
uses 30rd mags and 20rd mags
great for 'nam softing
cons:
comes dry and dirty (a little lube and a good cleaning in the bolt and trigger assembly wouldn't kill you)
by matt e. on 04/17/2013
"I bought this about 3 weeks ago I use it every day its cheeper then shooting my real steel AR and it works the same way. This is my first gas blowback airsoft gun, this is deffently a great training tool im not sure if I would use this in a airsoft game just cause the mags only hold 20 rounds. When I got this It worked good for the first 6 mags then my fire slector broke it also broke bbs in the chamber so I took everything apart and cleaned all the broken bbs out of the lower reciver and upper and fixed the fire slector switch. This is as close as you can get to a fully automatic M16.. do not I mean DO NOT buy this if u can not take the time to clean it when u get home from the field and make sure you lube everything b4 u head out . I used .25gram bbs and they still broke in the chamber so I wouldt recomend using anything lower .
I also would not recomend this to a young kid unless they have someone that can show them how to clean and maintain a firearm (make sure you use airsoft safe lube to clean

Pros
Great gun
Good build quailty
Great FPS
Hard recoil
Good traing tool

Cons
Instruction manual is all in japanese
Since this is a new gun not many videos out on it
Some minor stuff wrong with it (mentioned above)
by Michael S. on 08/08/2012
"This gun is AMAZING!!! not really any problems when i first got it that were not able to fix easily. First off its fps is 430+ and accurate as hell. feels great in your hands and light weight for it's size. the first problems that were easily fixed were the feeding nozzle in the upper receiver, leading onto the barrel, so i sanded it down a little and it fixed it. The other is the hop-up, it is a pain to find the right allen key (the one that mine came with didn't fit) to fit and turning is a pain, i used small needle nose pliers to turn it(left is up and right is down) and fixed the hopup. but it all turned out great and it is a great gun. when i got this gun i never went back to aegs so when u go gas u dont go back. the mags are very efficient but sometimes the bolt catch doesn't work on the mags. couldn't have gotten a better gun. Over-all an amazing gun.
by Anthony Y. on 10/28/2022
"I've had this gun for about 3/4 of a year and I've got to say it's been generally reliable for me 90% of the time. It's got a cheap handguard that can break easily under wear and tear, and I've had jamming issues when using this platform in cold weather like any GBB. If you are going to buy this I suggest putting money down for extra mags and buying a steel nozzle because I've had to replace the base plastic one.
by Christian T. on 01/02/2018
"Update: After about 3 years, some parts have broken/work out, and I advise upgrading to steel where applicable:
Hop up bucking and chamber, nozzle, hammer, trigger group, bolt carrier assembly. Other than those few parts made of questionable metal, this gun is wonderful. To be fair, I'm pretty hard on it. I game with it every week, and over the summer I do 4-day Vietnam ops on a recon team. This thing has seen snow, dirt, rain, and mud, and even with all those broken parts mentioned before- IT STILL SHOOTS!! It definitely needs some experienced maintenance; don't buy this if it's your first gun. But if you know how to clean and care for a gbbr, (they're simple), then this is a great, reliable M16A1 that every Nam head must have. If you give this thing steel internals, it's unstoppable. Giving it 4 stars instead of 5 because the metal parts need to be beefed up, but considering I got 3 years out of it with NO MODS WHATSOEVER- it's a great out of the box platform.