LCT or E&L or other AK

[LimaCharlie]

Seeing as the CYMA RIS AK is out of stock everywhere, and the only other place I could get it results in a AEG for $340 I thought might as well just spend extra and get an LCT or E&L after hearing about them.

However I would like some opinions from players who have first hand experience or knowledge of them!

Some needed upgrades and things that need to be replaced would be helpful too.

Otherwise feel free to recommend something else too.

I would prefer an AEG

Please and thanks

[Desmodus]

I havent had the chance to mess with an E&L yet, but from what I hear they are rock solid. LCT however I do have experience with and I would highly recommend them. I owned their RPK74M and currently own their VAL replica and they've been outstanding guns. Everyone on our team runs LCT's and they are our go-to guns. I would just use the gun the way it is (other than switching them to deans) and when something breaks down then upgrade it as you see fit. You might want to upgrade the barrel group down the line with an R-HOP mod or something equivalent. You can't go wrong with LCT!

[Bar1975]

i have the E&L AK74 man and i tell ya.. it smells like gun oil and is absolutely solid. When you look down and your toy airsoft gun is gleaming a real blue steeled gun oiled shimmer.. it blurs the lines between play and real! LOL.. well.. as much as it gets anyways..

Reach down then pop out the real steel gun cleaning kit in the real wood stock!

I'm a gun tech and have upgraded all of my guns out of the box but i haven't opened this one yet.. i have researched the hell out of it though and it comes stock with plenty of upgraded parts.

The full steel outer barrel comes all the way up into the receiver so it's so solid you could literally stand on it between two chairs without it even bending!! Look this stuff up on YouTube.. there are videos all over the place of insane stress testing with these models and it holds up like you wouldn't believe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KToE4m48fvQ

In regards to performance I've gamed it two or three times now and it's standard as far as range and accuracy goes.. when it breaks down (and they all do regardless) i'll crack it open and upgrade where needed.. almost excited to do that actually but refuse to crack it open until something breaks.

I've played with a bunch of guys running LCT's and they blend in like any other AK replica as far as i'm concerned... but everybody stops to take notice of the E&L!

I was in your exact position last year.. do i pay for an expensive brand name like Real Sword or go for the new guy on the block that comes with a myth of being built in a real AK factory in mainland China.. i made my choice and have no regrets yet!

[pestobanana]

Simply put, if you want to just run around with a solid stock gun and never upgrade it, go E&L. If you want a solid, more precisely made gun that's a much better upgrade base, get LCT.

E&L construction feels very sold, but like anything from China, attention to detail is not there. If all you care about is a rock solid feel, then get that. If you just want a pew machine that works and you don't care how it works, get that. Once you open the gun up you'll realize the internals are just glorified Chinese internals. The stock motor is meh, better than LCT but not even as good as a stock CYMA or JG with their neo magnets. The air seal on an E&L is not good, same goes for general fit meant of parts. It's all loosey goosey, as I said attention to detail is not there. The gearbox itself looks kinda crappy, with black paint flaking off it just like a CYMA or DBoys box. Every time I've seen someone upgrade an E&L I've seen them run into air seal issues and the like.

LCT feels solid, but maybe not quite as solid as E&L. LCT attention to detail is way better than E&L. LCT air seal is very good out of the box, and is probably the most well built stock AK gearbox. It is very clean, easy to work on, parts fitment is good etc... Upgrading a LCT ends up being a lot cheaper because there is less to change out, an parts tolerances are much better. I've never seen anyone run into weird issues upgrading a LCT (granted they knew what they were doing).

E&L vs LCT is pretty much the AK version of G&P vs VFC in ARs.

[paulwes83]

Originally Posted by pestobanana

Simply put, if you want to just run around with a solid stock gun and never upgrade it, go E&L. If you want a solid, more precisely made gun that's a much better upgrade base, get LCT.

E&L construction feels very sold, but like anything from China, attention to detail is not there. If all you care about is a rock solid feel, then get that. If you just want a pew machine that works and you don't care how it works, get that. Once you open the gun up you'll realize the internals are just glorified Chinese internals. The stock motor is meh, better than LCT but not even as good as a stock CYMA or JG with their neo magnets. The air seal on an E&L is not good, same goes for general fit meant of parts. It's all loosey goosey, as I said attention to detail is not there. The gearbox itself looks kinda crappy, with black paint flaking off it just like a CYMA or DBoys box. Every time I've seen someone upgrade an E&L I've seen them run into air seal issues and the like.

LCT feels solid, but maybe not quite as solid as E&L. LCT attention to detail is way better than E&L. LCT air seal is very good out of the box, and is probably the most well built stock AK gearbox. It is very clean, easy to work on, parts fitment is good etc... Upgrading a LCT ends up being a lot cheaper because there is less to change out, an parts tolerances are much better. I've never seen anyone run into weird issues upgrading a LCT (granted they knew what they were doing).

E&L vs LCT is pretty much the AK version of G&P vs VFC in ARs.

+1 To Pesto's take

E&L are also a bloody nightmare to disassemble if you what to take the whole thing apart to refinish it. I'm pretty sure the pins that hold the front set together are pressure fit by machines too because no amount of hand punching them would make them move.

You'll notice too that overseas retailers are trying to sell off all of the "Gen 1" E&Ls at low low prices. They have an "economy" line too called Meister, but I'd recommend staying away from them because the attraction of the E&Ls is their appearance and as Pesto mentioned, the stock internals of the regular model is still pretty chincy. E&L is a bit more about looks and the E&Ls look closer to real steel AKs from Poland or Romania with the grey "parkerized" finish. The LCTs look closer to Russian, Yugoslavian and Bulgarian AKs with the dark "black oxide" looking finish...IMO

[thetuch]

No experience with E&L guns but I've owned multiple LCTs and can say they're solid guns. Definitely a massive upgrade in the external and internal departments over cymas and echo 1s. Currently I own one of the 74us and it's solid. Used to own one of the AS VALs as well but traded it.

One thing I like about LCT is how they are continuing to build new unique AK platforms.

The E&Ls do look dope though. Might pick one up when the gen 2s come out.

[Sputmilk]

I have an E&L AKS-74U(for sale actually, but I'm waiting until I get AV'd). It's amazing. Realistic weight, easily disassembled, great finish. The thing's a beast. I haven't messed around with an LCT before, but I would assume it's better to save up and get yourself an E&L.

Also, i hear the GEN 2 E&L's are even better than ones that are out now. Might be worth waiting until they are released, they have much better internals.

[Npf6]

I'm also in the same position as the poster!

LCT's seem great, but they are hard(ish) to come by in Canada. At least the model that I would like the AK 74M.

There are some E&L Gen 1's going for about $350 right now on few sites. I'm thinking of picking one up as my new primary. Any suggestions, regrets, comments? Am I better to wait for Gen 2's?

[DanoftheDead]

Go real sword for an AK. Rock solid and great internals. IMO best AK aeg hands down. Seen many LCT and a couple E&L. They are good but again my opinion Real Sword is just that much better.

[Npf6]

Real Swords are just too far out of my price range. Easily a $700 investment in Canada. I agree if they were priced a bit lower I would go for it, but I cant justify that expense.

[Desmodus]

700 for Real Sword!? Sure, maybe when they first came out in 2008....

If you get age-verified you'll find MUCH better prices here on the classified boards.

As stated earlier in this thread, try to avoid the 1st gen E&L's.

[pestobanana]

RS aren't as amazing as they're hyped up to be when it comes to internals.

[Desmodus]

Originally Posted by pestobanana

RS aren't as amazing as they're hyped up to be when it comes to internals.

Care to elaborate? I was always under the impression that Real Swords had pretty damn good internals. A couple of things may have needed a little tweaking like the spring guide and cylinder head but besides that everything I've read had stated they were good to go.

[BioRage]

Originally Posted by Desmodus

Care to elaborate? I was always under the impression that Real Swords had pretty damn good internals. A couple of things may have needed a little tweaking like the spring guide and cylinder head but besides that everything I've read had stated they were good to go.

Talking about Z here Osc. Anything internally that don't have siegeteks or a BTC/Chimera = meh for him

[pestobanana]

Originally Posted by Desmodus

Care to elaborate? I was always under the impression that Real Swords had pretty damn good internals. A couple of things may have needed a little tweaking like the spring guide and cylinder head but besides that everything I've read had stated they were good to go.

Their internals are not bad, there's just nothing special about them. The cylinder head will break eventually, its the same as every other stock one; plastic with a metal nozzle insert. Their nozzles do not have internal O-rings so they don't seal well. I've also seen them break. I've seen their pistons strip, I've also seen them with off spec pistons.

Motor is average, wires are average, gears are average, everything just seems average to me. Definitely the best mechbox to come out of China and HK, but average compared to VFC, LCT and Krytac.