M14 vs. MP40 vs. MP44 (AGM) Which is the best?
 

Hello airsoft Canada,

I just wanted to know which was the best, second, best, and third best of the 3.

So is the AGM M14, MP40, or MP44 better?

Im looking for info on the best one according to accuracy, durability, etc.

I know there might be better brand guns out there but for the price, these are 3 I can afford.

So let me know.

Thanks for the help!

I've handled both but the Mp44. I still have my mp40.

Unless you get the 'Socom' version of the M14, the ACM M14 is actually kind of trashy, the metal is 'very' very brittle, and the thing literally fell apart in my hands.

My mp40, however, is pretty nice, It shoots nice and far, and has a slow rate of fire much akin to the real Mp40.

that and you cant go wrong with stamped steel.

My only beef with the mp40 is that they painted it with some really nasty shit, i'm in the process of refinishing the metal, and nothin will peel the paint off of the steel parts. I'm having them sandblasted in the next couple weeks.

I've heard a lot of good things about the mp44, aside from a faulty hopup and lack of non highcap magazines.

Are you located within Canada? If so, it'd be ideal to get verified, all of the weapons listed above are readily available (The mp44 comes and goes, however.)

While I can't comment on the others, I'll say that if you're looking at an M14, go TM or forget about it. All the low cost Chinese clones are just trash and will fall apart easily. CA and G&G make decent quality ones, but they're a proprietary design, and mags are hard to get.

Of course, this applies to AEGs only. From early reports, the WE M14 GBBR seems to be a really good gun for the money.

I own one, The guns brilliant, but needs a few parts replaced out of the box, primarily the hopup/barrel and the loading nozzle rails. WE made them plastic, so they'll explode pretty fast. Haha

Thanks for the quick reply Strelok and Crunchmeister :)

Yes I am in Canada, and hope to be AV'd next year. (putting my kit together now)

One question: has AGM closed down? I think I read somewhere that they were closing down while I was researching the MP44.

Crunchmeister- Thanks for the info. Most of the reviews I have read about the AGM M14 say that it is good, but the reviewers probably have never handled a TM or other High quality one.

First and foremost, you will be AGED-verified to buy any one of these (expect to pay twice the US price)

Secondly, It depends what you are looking for :
The M14 is a DMR (Designated marksman rifle) that will give you a greater range and better accuracy (assuming you don't a lemon and you do the right upgrades) than the other two. The upgrade potentials of the M14 is OK. In case of an AGM, the build quality is not the best...

The MP44 is all-around assault rifle; it uses only high-cap (it is its major flaw), it uses a standard V2 gearbox and hop-up and can easily upgraded. (It is surprisingly heavy).

The MP40 is a CQB gun (due to its short inner barrel) and I personally own one and I absolutely love it (it has a smaller theoretical effective range does not bother me at all since I like to close in to take a shot) - it is hard to upgrade and use a proprietary hop-up mechanism; however, the gearbox can be upgraded using standard V3 parts (only the gearbox shell differs).

If you want an M14, get a TM. there is no side-stepping this issue or making excuses like, oh i want to try it, but i dont know i will like it. get TM for an M14, and that's it.

between the other two, go with the real-wood MP44. Its a nice rifle. good heft and feels solid. i loved it when i got a chance to handle one.

BoGrain,

Thanks for the reply! Yes I do realize I will have to get AV'd. As I said before I am aiming for next year.


Donster,

Thanks for the info. I think its getting through that I should not buy the M14.

So other than the lack of low/mid caps, is the MP44 a solid gun?

Not entirely.

I wouldn't restrict yourself to the above choices. Once you get verified, the classifieds and private retailers will open a very vast selection of airsoft guns to choose from.

And please, keep in mind. Cheaper doens't necessarily mean better when it comes to canadian prices. AGM/CYMA/JG are alright, but not ideal. I'd look into getting something a bit more sound like a classic army, tokyo marui or the like.

Why? Well, it gives you less of a chance of getting a shitty gun out of the box. Most of the more renouned brands have a stricter quality control than those of chinese make.

I have had no issues with my Mp40 as of yet, but that is just one gun, Its literally a gamble with clone/chinese quality airsoft guns.

from what little ive been exposed to it, yes, it is VERY solid.

however, you are limited to upgrades. Internals can be done, but externally, there is nothing. You can do a custom weathering job on the gun, but other than that and a sling, you dont have much to go with.

If you want to go WWII, the MP44 would be your best bet for the axis side given what is available to us at the present.

if you want a DMR setup, get a TM M14 or a CA G3 (PM me for info on the M14 and where to buy one once you get AV'd)

If you want a gun that you can play with and upgrade to your hear/imagination's content, get an M4 style gun (either CA or VFC).

@ Strelok Makes sense.

The reason for me being specific is because I am creating a ww2 US Airborne impression. I want to have a 'captured gun' complete with mag pouches :D

I know the CYMA Thompson is very solid from what Ive heard. Its just that Im looking for something different.

@ Donster

Thanks. Yeah, I am going with a ww2 impression.

I own the metal/wood MP44.

The thing is a friggan tank. Heaviest airsoft gun I own.. heavier than the L85. The real wood is a really nice touch. Definitely unique. Having only hi-caps available is a bit of a downer for me... I hate hi-caps. The rifle shoots hard but isn't overly accurate. I bought mine more for a wall hanger. To make it into a serious gaming gun I'd drop in a new barrel, hop-up, weaker spring, and reshim/regrease the mechbox.. basically stuff that's par-for-the-course for any china-made gun. Otherwise it's solid.

well it depends on a lot of factors: personally, I bought my MP40 because I wanted to assemble a WWII impression and adapted myself to its limitations - and now, it is hard to go back using my Type 56-1... It is a very solid gun and weight close to 7lbs. Personally, I have been pleased with its performance(I use 0.28g BB and with the hop-up properly set - it has great accuracy with quite a few confirmed kills at 150 feet) and with its reliability(I bought an extra gearbox in case of failures, 15000BBs later - the extra gearbox is still in its original wrapping). I would recommend it to anyone.

I just thought of this: isnt the AGM MP44 a bit overpowered? I hear it shoots 450, and I know that 400 is the limit.

Thats impressive. Do you know what its max range is? 150 is impressive for such a small gun.

Range is a factor of hop-up quality and BB weight more than anything else.

Power doesn't necessarily mean range, nor does size.

If you can pair up the gun with a good barrel, hopup rubber, and a consistant gearbox, you can reach incredibly far with an airsoft gun

I don`t really know its maximum range; but with my usual set-up, the BB trajectory drops shortly after 150 feet. I assume that you could get extra distance with another Hop-up&BB set-up. And as Strelok and Kalnaren have pointed out range and accuracy are mostly dependent on the hop-up, bb weight - While the length of the barrel and power does increase accuracy and range; but a properly set hop-up with good quality BBs (and proper weight) will ultimately determine the overall accuracy and range.

Oh ok. Thanks for the range factor info.

Im kind of in a dead lock now, MP40 or MP44?

Both sound like great Air Soft guns.

I do have mp44 ammo pouches already, not that it really matters.

I also had the same dilemma - I ended up buying the MP40 because it had low-caps and mid-caps; while, the STG was high-cap only which was a big turnoff for me

I'd go for the mp40 for now. Mags are super easy and cheap to get.

I have to agree. The Mp44 is great, but for a first gun, I think the Mp40 is a better choice.

Also, on a quick note.

If you get the one with the orange tip.

do 'not' mangle off the orange tip. Haha, its what holds the front assembly on the gun,

@BoGrain
That and the fact that it looks like so much fun to game with.
Thats what is pushing me towards the MP40.

I am still unsure. But I have time to think.

If anyone else has something to say about either of the 2 guns then please go ahead.

yours had an orange tip?

Yeah, it was plastic and literally molded into the threads.

At the time I didn't know it held on the front end so I just chopped it away.

Spent a good while getting a new one, a good freind in the UK ended up sending me one of his extras.

Should I paint it over? (If I go with it)

what about STG mags- are they difficult to find? I have never really looked for mags.

they are easy enough to find but carrying 7 hig-caps is a bit overkill in terms of firepower :D

You could, but when you do, try and source a new one that is metal.

As for STG mags? I cant be sure here, but i've heard they're often out of stock, and they're primarily highcaps.

@ BoGrain
Hehe, yeah. Not very ideal for games with bb or mag limits. And it has been over a year (I think) since the MP44 was released, so I dont think that any mid or low caps will be produced.

@ Strelok- Ok.

Also don't forget that if you do WWII milsims, it was made in '44. If you're OP is in '43, well theoretically, you're wrong :P


I say go for the MP40 as a starter guns.

You'll want more than one gun anyway.

well technically the STG44 (AKA MP44) was first produced in november 1942 as the MKb 42(H) - 11833 of them were send to troop on the front-line for field trial in the late 1942/beginning of 1943. Following the field trial, a few changes were made which ultimately leads to the adoption of the final production version which we know today as the Sturmgewehr 44 (Maschinenpistole 43, Maschinenpistole 44 was also used to refer to the weapons). It would therefore be theoretically correct to see an early version of the STG44 on the eastern front in 1943 albeit they were rare.

Beside, just the fact that you made the effort to have a period weapons is more than good enough in my books - historical accuracy is just the icing on the cake.

But if you want to be on the safe side from an historical point of view, the mp40 was used from the start to the end of the war with few variations being made. Personally, I think you should choose the weapon you like first and worry about history later.

Yeah.

I like MP40 better :P

Glad you do too - I always preferred the mp40 too - the MP40 was also truly innovative in its own sense. In fact, the mg42, the mp40 and the stg44 have all influenced post-war weapon design to a significant extent; however, the MP40 marked a turning point in term of innovation through its use of the folding stock (a first in the world of submachine gun), the introduction of steel stamping combined with electro-spot welding techniques instead of machine steel, the first use of a polymer (bakelite) in the construction. It was a revolutionary design that inspired both soviet and american - PPS-43 and M3 grease gun respectively during WW2 - and the AK-47s folding stock - post war

The problem with reviews is their source. It's the same for anything, be it airsoft or anything. Every noob that thinks his new cheapo item is hot shit writes a glowing review of it 10 minutes after unpacking the item. And they have no experience with their item in the first place, so have no idea what to really look for when looking for problems or flaws.

I don't know how many times I've seen noobs here on ASC calling their cheapo gun "awesome", only to be told by others it was crap. Then they defend their position about their awesome new gun and the thread turns into a shitstorm of name-calling, etc. In a couple of weeks, said noob is starting a thread in the gun doc section because their awesome new gun is now badly broken after only a few test shots at home.

That being said, I also think a lot of the older guys have have thousands of dollars invested into their top of the line guns are sometimes overly harsh and get extremely butthurt when they see an upgraded "cheap" gun that cost 1/5 the price of their masterpieces that outperform them and are more reliable. But that's the other end of the scale and it doesn't apply here.

That aside, the lower end M14s really are junk. Anyone here on ASC who's owned one for a while will tell you they're very problematic. While they may perform reasonably well with internal upgrades, the externals will fall apart in no time.

+1 Chinese clone are hit or miss (cheap clearsoft are always a miss) - the AGM M14 are no exception. Except that in the case of M14, chinese clones have yet to produced and reliable copy of the m14 internals; while chinese brand AKs like CYMA/Dboys are very popular because they have achieved a decent levels of hit relative to the miss over the years. So for now, it is safer to stick with a Tokyo Marui M14 until the clone company step up their quality control so that buying one results in a relatively safe calculated risk.

Since it will be a starter weapon, I probably will go with the MP40 or maybe the CYMA Thompson.

Thanks for all of the info everyone.

Hey, what kind of fields do you play at?

If they are heavily wooded areas you might want to avoid the M14. It's a Battle Rifle and akin to carrying a fishing pole in the forest. I have done that and it's not so much fun.

IMHO the AGM MP40 is wanting. I have had two of them. They are creaky and the shot per shot perfromance is horribly inconsistent. The Cyma Thompson is a better choice for a WW2 airsoft SMG. Besides that, the MP40 isn't the best to use when prone due to the long magazines.

I have participated in a few WW2 milsims in Ontario. I can barely recall anyone using an AGM MP40 in recent memory.

The MP44 shoots a wee bit hot for most fields. It has its' faults too (hop up and fastener issues come to mind immediately). But out of the three I would recommend the MP44. The hi cap mags haven't been much of a problem from what I witnessed at WW2 milsims. Most players only have one and fill it will the appropriate bb's.

Don't worry about that period appropriate nonsense either. WW2 airsoft is in it's infancy in Ontario. And besides that most of guys that have allied impressions are either 101st or British / Canadian Airborne. This makes the games ETO and Normandy or Post Normandy or "what ifs".

Given that the price point for these three AEG's is roughly the same I recommend you go with the MP44.

How the Axis AEG goes over with your Allied impression is another story :p

Oh, I intend to liberate it from an enemy. :) That along with a WE Luger :p

Thanks shiftsup, for the respone! I appreciate your input. I am seriously considering the MP44. I am guessing that they run in the $350-450 range for the gun itself?
And one more question: How much does it cost to fix the fps on the mp44 so that it meets the ASC rule for 400? (Its 400 right?)

Thanks!

it's not an ASC rule, it depends on where you play, talk to your local community. to lower or raise the fps, you will need to change the spring.

Congrats trooper welcome to WWII... well soon. :)
Here is a great site located in canada for WWII uniforms.
http://www.militarytour.com/

Haunted Tank

Like Pus said, you just have to change the spring.

That being said, plenty of MP44's at ww2 games are running stock internals.

I got my MP44 for <$400 including shipping.

Tank, I already have all of the gear! :) I ordered from Atthefront.com- they're great to do business with.



@Shiftsup and pusagani- Thanks. $400.00 isnt that bad.

I have a WE Luger. The gun itself if actually quite well built for the most part. It's your average WE pistol "default" paint job, but it's well done. The plastic grip feels cheap, but looks ok. Otherwise, it looks great. and functions well. The only problem I've ever had with the gun is the front sight broke loose after a lot of shooting. However, it can easily be glued back on with any adhesive that bonds metals.

Otherwise, the gun has always performed flawlessly. and I haven't had any failures. That being said, I don't game the gun. Mine is a plinker but has been shot a lot. It still functions lilke it's supposed to. IMO, the WE is the only real way to go for a gaming Luger. That's the gun.

The magazines, however, are another issue. I've had 2, and both sprung massive leaks repeatedly. Every seal, from fill valves, to main body valves has burst massive leaks. I've managed to temporarily get them working again either with silicone oil or sealing the mag with a gasket sealer, but they always end up failing again somewhere else. Your results may vary. I haven't really looked into the Luger mags in a couple of years, so they may have improved since I got mine.

Thanks Crunchmeister!

Im not too focused on a side arm right now, but I have always liked the look of the WE Luger. Ive read that it can shoot 300 on a warm day- do you think that is true?

Thanks once again for sharing. :)