TSD M4/M1014 Shotgun

I've been looking for this gun in airsoft form for a good long time thanks to L4D and it being my preferred CS shotgun. I was a little disappointed when the only incarnations I could find of the gun in stock were the ECHO-1 spring shotguns. I finally picked this little number up recently at AirsoftGI (which is about a twenty-thirty minute drive from my house, very nearly the same distance as Evike is, but in the other direction), and it's great fun to use. And so, to commemorate my 666th post, I present the review of the TSD M01014 triple-shot shotgun.

Much like the M56C, when you pull the gun from the box, you will notice that it's mostly plastic. That was a downer for me, as was the weight - unlike my other shotgun, this one is not weighted with artificial weights. The entirety of the weight is the shotgun itself, and only the shotgun. It loses and earns points in my book in that regard - it's not too heavy and bringing it up to aim is incredibly fast in comparison, and running with it in tow is much easier. However, it feels a little flimsy because of the material and because it doesn't weigh that much.
I popped the box open while I was still at AirsoftGI. Inside was the shotgun itself, with the stock collapsed, sandwiched between two pieces of styrofoam. The package included a speedloader, the unjamming rod, four shotgun shells, a decent sling, and a bag of about 200 BBs. They're also TSD .20s, and like CubeMan said in his own review:
I would never use a bb twice but these are some high quality shits.
The sling is actually good quality this time around, and the shells are really nice to use and haven't had any problem as of yet when I'm loading or using them. The speedloader's good too, but I haven't met one that wasn't any good yet.

The sights are ghost O-ring types, which (for me at least) is easier to aim. They're also adjustable, with a slot for an allen wrench to lower or raise the rear sight. The rail is also very nice - I've mounted a Leaper's Red/Green dot sight there for shits and giggles - it isn't necessary, but it is very nice for quick target acquisition. I've since pulled it off for usage on another gun, but I do have plans in the future for getting another sight and attaching it to the rail. For awhile there, I did have a flashlight taped on, ala L4D, but much like the sight, I've pulled it off for other uses.

The M1014 is a monstrosity, at least for me, when the longest gun I've used is an M14. It rivals the length of M14s when you don't have the stock collapsed. There's a hollow space in the shell storage tube - the thing is so long that I think I could carry a unjamming rod with me wherever I go. That's a little problematic in CQB - your gun peeking out around a corner could give you away and just moving around in tight spaces can be a chore. That being said, it's not impossible to manuever and manage in CQB games, it'll just end up being harder than if you simply had a carbine or an SMG instead.

Loading and reloading is the standard affair. There's a lever that releases the shell door on the right side of the trigger guard. Shell door opens, you place a shell inside and close the door. This I found really nice - the shell didn't stick when you pressed the release. It pops out just like it's supposed to without any previous oiling or anything. Scored major points in my book, as I thought I would have to break it in over the course of several games or practice loading. Er, ignore my thumb in that picture.

The stock is literally the same thing as the M56C. You have the pistol grip, with a hollow space at the bottom of it for the storage of another shell if you so desired (don't use it, it's troublesome to get the shell out), and then you have the stock, which travels along a piece of metal. You choose the position you want - collapsed, first, second, third, and then the fourth, which pulls the stock straight off. Good for the usage of multiple people, but in my experience, my 6'3" friend can still use the gun on the same position as me, when I'm only 5'6". I haven't noticed any wobbling, but after a bit of hard usage, it is slightly bent to one side.
Racking the slide again is the standard affair. Pull it back, it cocks three springs and loads three BBs into the three chambers. Pulling the trigger releases all three. It's not hard, but it's not exactly easy either, as there is a good amount of resistance. It proves to be easier when you're using gloves of any sort. It lost points here though - there's no bolt to pull back like in the real-steel version. I would have been happy with just a dummy one, but it seems I'm going to have to do that myself if I want one on this shotgun. It's on my list of to-dos, though, along with creating a proper flashlight mount.
Now for test shooting. I before using it on the field, I tested it in my friend's backyard and my frontyard. For targets, I used his old playhouse again and my mom's folding lawn-chair. Setting up at approximately 25' with four shells at each location, I went to work. At my friend's house, I used his old playhouse window as a target. Out of the 120 BBs that I had on hand when I started, I would say that only about fifteen spread out so far that they didn't enter in through a 1' x 2' square window. Going back to my yard, I set up the same exact way. 2' x 2' folding lawn chair set up against a tree, four shells and my shotgun. Each of the BB's hit everytime I fired from about 25' hit the lawn chair without fail. I need to test the range further, but since this is an air-cocked shotgun, I'm more than happy with the range and accuracy results I've gotten.
If you're looking for a CQB shotgun to use or to have an M1014 shotgun without breaking the bank, get this. AirsoftGI has it listed for $75, though Evike does have it listed for $60. I'm not exactly sure why there's such a jump in the price of the gun. Feel free to order from Evike, but if you live close enough, it's probably just better to go and pick it up in person.