WE-Tech M16A1 Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle

"OK, so the not so good:

Open bolt system needs work. Find how to work with it on Youtube. Still gives me some problems. Somebody please make a better bolt catch.

Triangle handguards are absolute garbage. creaky and thin. spend $30 and get a real set that pop right on and transform this into something that feels right.

Gas Mags can be a little leaky, but fixable. Buy a valve wrench!

The bolt carrier shows wear in a short time. Many upgrade parts for this if needed. I am going to shoot the stock one out then get the steel one.

Color of the anodizing is black. should be a "colt XM grey". Easy fix if you want to go the mile and use Norrells moly resin. You can get etching stencils from Dogfight inc if you email him. a 9volt battery and salt water and you can etch whatever you want into the reciever.

The Good:

Price. Catch this on sale, you got a good deal.

Shoots great. almost 2 full loads per gas fill on a mag.

Magazines: you can hack the mags and load 35. Take the spring out, and get rid of the plastic shim on bottom of the spring. Does not affect loading and lets you load at least 5 more bb's.

A ton of upgrades parts and ALL the parts you need if you break it directly from KY Airsoft

Great platform to upgrade the furniture to real steel parts. I did this and it looks, feels great. I am turning this into an armalite 601 by grinding off the fence, grinding off the forward assist and filling the small hole with high temp epoxy and adding a duckbill.

Shoots great.

"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.

"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.

"This is a nice gun. Has a nice weight to it and the recoil kick is something else. I would highly suggest taking it apart and cleaning off all the excess grease and oil, then give it a nice lube job. I have found no reason to file or mod any parts in order to make it work. Maybe some folks have had to do it, but not me. I do not like the "semper fi" engraving on it. Not that I have anything against the Marines, I think it looks toy like without the more realistic trades. I would highly suggest getting the NPAS and installing it. I did, and I can actually use this rifle at the local fields. The NPAS is really easy to install.

"Pros:
Kick/recoil
Full metal
Vietnam look

Cons:
Some time gets stuck on full auto even when you put the gun on semi

Mags cost a lot

Weight can be a pro to

"Good rifle for sniper use of reenacting war Milsim games. Very accurate and light, lots of fun to use in a game. Very realistic feel and nice recoil.

Pros:

Light weight can be carried all day
Accurate
Real cap mags for the Milsim junky (like me)

Cons:

Can't use 30rd WE mag (with out changing bolt)
not many accessories for this model

Conclusion:

Don't let anyone tell you this rifle is not good for pick up games at you local field. It holds it own you just have to chang you style of play, but I don't recommend it for close quater combat due to the length, but that choice is yours.

"Will definitely need modifications. I must admit when people said this gun should be for experienced airsofters they were right. You will literally have to file, scrape, and trim the parts in your rifle for it to function properly, and every magazine that you buy as well. Green Gas Mags Only!!! The co2 ones Do Not work. And the Ra-Tech bolt carrier will not fix the bolt catch either, you have to mod your rifle. It's a shame that you pay good money for something that doesn't work, but I guess if you have the time, money, and patience it will work out.

Pros:
Realistic
Fun
Powerful

Cons:
The quality of the rifle
Expensive

If you do decide to take the challenge of owning a WE rifle, ye be warned! There is a 30 minute how to video on youtube by Non Existent, good luck