What is this rod made of?
What does it look like?
Does it wrap around the mechbox?

http://www.airsoftgunrepair.com/albu...72/1617711.htm

Above: White plastic part (at least in that pic). It does wrap around.

http://www.airsoftgunrepair.com/albu...72/1617719.htm

Is the rod plastic, generally?
I think I've got it, but don't want to mess anything up.
Also, should the gun be in 'semi' before I remove it?

Can't remember if it's plastic generally, but the last M14 I worked on was.

Doesn't matter what mod the gun's on. The cut-off lever is spring-loaded to always return to the semi-only position. What that plastic U does is to push the lever forward and hold it forward to enable automatic fire.

I've had a semi-auto only M14 for about 2 years now. (380-390 FPS)

I do have the enhanced cut off lever, and other than that I have not had a single problem.

390 fps M14
stock gearbox.
stock levers and all that other fun stuff.
not a single problem
the guns about 3 years old and still shootin just fine, and will continue to shoot fine when the new owner picks it up in a week!

if u want to increase longevity.. get a sorbo pad for the thing. Otherwise, the guns perfect as it is. the V7 gearbox is the toughtest one on the market.

But the real solution is to get a TM M14, and not these cheap rip offs.

People have managed to crack v7 on M110 springs, and to be honest, it's no more beefy than a v3, if that.

Now a G&G/CA M14 mechbox, that's a monster of a mechbox. I've never seen that much metal at the front of the cylinder assembly. Can't imagine any spring cracking that thing.

Sure the mechbox is beefy... but the gun its self sucks.

Haha, it's certainly not for the faint of heart.

Okay so...
Am I taking off the ENTIRE plastic peice... because the rod that connects each side can not be taken off, only the whole peice (or each half)..

Sorry for the stupid questions... but this is literally my FIRST time tinkering inside.

Just take the whole thing off.