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I was asked to review this pistol by an airsoft retailer and fellow teammate. He asked me because I have, and still do, own several airsoft and ‘real steel’ 1911 handguns of various manufacturers and style. I’ve also fired several different kinds of pistols, rifles and support weapons while serving as an infantryman in the Marine Corps. To this day, a 1911 remains as my first choice of a sidearm for on- or off-duty gun. The KWC 1911 I was given came in two versions, a plain gray model with a threaded barrel and a “traditional” 1911 with full trademarks from Caspian. Since both pistols are made with the same internal parts and operate in the same way I picked the plain gray “tactical model” to use for the majority of this review. The differences are small enough not to worry about. I agreed to write this review so readers and potential buyers of the KWC 1911 gas-blow-back gun can get one persons impression of the product. I didn’t get to keep the 1911 when I was done nor did I accept any monies for the writing. I just wish I had found reviews on some of the airsoft guns I have bought in the past so I could have saved myself some money, time and wasted efforts. Hopefully this helps someone avoid mistakes I have made in the past. Opening the box When the package with the 1911 arrived I noticed how heavy it was. I opened the box to find the gun incased in a Styrofoam cut-out sealed over with plastic. It came with a manual (in English), five small paper targets, an all metal screw-on suppressor, one magazine, 200 BB’s and a CO2 adapter valve. Originally I had been warned, by Dwayne Dees of Dees LTD, who asked me to write the review, that the 1911 had been rumored to function poorly on green gas compared to CO2. Well I don’t have CO2 so I used nothing but green gas for this testing. I removed the gun from the packaging to find it heavy enough that I almost wondered if some mistake had been made and I had been sent a real 1911. More than a quarter of an inch of the front of the slide and barrel was painted ‘safety orange’. I ejected the magazine, racked the slide to the rear, then physically check for a BB in the barrel. Sure enough it was an airsoft pistol. The grip on the KWC 1911 is an awesome replica of the ‘real steel’ firearm, with synthetic grip panels and front strap checkering of about 20 lines-per-inch. The exterior finish is a smooth matte gray which looks very stylish yet simple. It also has a high beaver-tail grip safety, to help mate your hand higher up on the grip, yet preventing “slide-bite” while firing the gun. However, I should mention that the beaver-tail is only for looks and feel, it does not act as a secondary safety to prevent an unintentional firing. The “tactical” 1911 has no trademarks or markings on the outside, except for “Made in Taiwan” on the right-hand side of the frame. The airsoft pistol disassembles in the same way a real 1911 firearm does, so anyone familiar with them can clean, lubricate and maintain either KWC version. Inside the pistol-grip you can find a few lead weights to add heft. The barrel and magazine are metal as well, making the “feel” and balance of the weapon solid and comfortable. When extending the gun straight out from the body, with your arm parallel to the ground it settles evenly, causing the sights to come level naturally. One of the main reasons I have used so many 1911's for both airsoft and in the real world is not being the biggest person in the world, I can easily reach all of the controls on them with my firing (strong) hand. A fantastic feature I noticed right from the start was the beveled magazine well on the bottom of the pistol grip. This assists in quickly reloading a fresh magazine, and is a wise choice for anyone who wants to use their pistol a lot in firefights. It also allows a shooter, with some practice for novices, to keep their eyes on the target during an engagement without having to look down when reloading. On top of the slide the adjustable rear sight stands out and should be left alone, no matter what the sight picture looks like until a few shots are fired. However, when taking aim the groove in the rear sight is a touch on the small side for quick alignment with the front sight post. Neither of the KWC 1911's came with any “paint” or markings on the sights to help with low-light shooting. I added my own to the front sight post, but the rear sight, to my great disappointment has no pre-made place to put any kind of markings. I prefer the 3-dot sight picture on my handguns, which I wasn’t able to do on the KWC. The rear sights have ridges on the surface that faces the shooter when griping the weapon. You would have to cut your own place to apply glow-paint or even white-out, as I’ve seen done on some airsoft guns. I checked the operation of all the controls on the pistol to ensure they worked before I began testing. Everything worked properly, but the wide ambidextrous thumb-safety is a bit stiff right out of the box. People who purchase one of these pistols should lube the safety to make it function better. Sanding lightly along the edges of the thumb-safety wouldn’t hurt either so take off rough/sharp points. I followed another usual procedure I have of spraying silicone lube on the mag, inside the pistol and wiping a light coating along the inside of the slide rails to reduce friction during the “break-in” period. Firing Before ‘live’ firing a weapon of any kind, I practice my grip, dry-firing and sight picture. With all of the different kinds of airsoft pistols on the market modeled after the same infinite number of real firearms I think it is important to become comfortable with everything on a weapon before using it. For the KWC 1911, I would have to say it has a good solid feel of weight and not the plastic kind of feel a lot of airsoft guns have. As I mentioned before the grip of the 1911 is very comfortable. Even if your hands have some sweat on them, the checkering on the side panels, front and rear strap of this model will hold fast and not cause significant fatigue in wrists or hands. Balance on this airsoft gun is very even, coming to a natural point of aim easily. This does change some when the metal suppressor is added to the barrel, making it muzzle heavy, but not so much that it would discourage a person from firing one-handed if they had to. Both of the KWC’s have a crisp, reasonable trigger pull (at my guess around 3 pounds), which is about what my real 1911's are set to. There is just a fraction of play in the trigger, which I find is often the opposite in airsoft guns, and don’t like in excess. The small amount of play could allow someone to “milk the trigger” before firing, but in this KWC weapon it’s a bad idea to start such a habit. One of my standards for evaluating a pistol of any kind is firing a minimum of 300 rounds in a single setting without much of a break for the weapon or myself. I find this usually tells me if the sidearm is going to start acting up quickly after use, or fire reliably. With airsoft it is different due to a slower loading time of BB’s and using gas powered magazines, but it retains the principle objective of this test; function-ability and reliability. I did all of my test firing indoors, to limit variables like wind or temperature for the gas powered magazines. My target was an open sided heavy cardboard box stuffed tightly with lots of newspaper, covered with one of the paper targets included and the rear of the box reinforced using duct-tape. I’ve found over time this kind of target-box will hold up to even an AEG firing at 400fps. Distances were two-to-25 feet away from the target. The magazine holds 14 BB’s and takes between four-to-seven seconds to fill with a gas charge. The mag was inserted with the slide locked to the rear, then the slide release catch was hit to chamber a BB. I put the safety on. (Don’t forget to have your safety glasses on.) On a brand new target 15 feet away, I fired 5 aimed shots from a braced position. The BB’s hit the target high and slightly left of the bull’s-eye. A quick adjustment of the rear sight towards the right was made. To do this all you need is a standard slotted screw-driver. I emptied the rest of that magazine right on target, having about a quarter sized grouping. Recoil when firing is firm and controllable, not overdone like some of the cheaper-made gas guns, which allows for double-taps and quick sight recovery. With the metal suppressor on, the KWC fires awesome with no real need to recover the sight picture. It does change the noise the 1911 makes when firing, but it does not make it any quieter. After the sight was adjusted I found the weapon to be very much a point-of-aim shooting gun. A great feature for shooting in a close-quarters environment or when in close contact with an opposing force when your primary weapon runs out of ammo. In my firing test with the KWC 1911 it twice failed to chamber a BB from the magazine. The Cons After considering the experience I had while shooting both of these 1911 style airsoft guns by KWC (also the Caspian mentioned earlier) some drawbacks came to my attention. First is the extra-wide thumb safety. Is has those sharp edges, which I’m sure will wear down with time, but I would expect better when paying for a product. Also with the large safety, it snags or has a hard time fitting into holsters. I used a nylon drop-leg (thigh) holster and a leather belt holster for testing. To improve the thumb safety, I would cut the width of the safety in half and file off the edges a bit if the KWC was added to my arsenal. I compared it to my Western Arms (WA) HRT 1911 model, and the WA has the better safety, hands down. Smoother on the edges and in operation, it’s a normal sized control comparable to “tactical” thumb-safeties on real steel. To someone who has practiced “thumbing” the safety off while drawing the weapon from a holster, it can really throw your grip and rhythm off. The second problem is the front sight post. It is too big and hangs-up the weapon clearing the holster when drawn. Gas usage in the magazine is an area of concern as well. On a proper filling of the magazine with gas, you can be sure it will empty all the BB’s, but don’t count on getting much of a second magazine out of it. However, if you only do a partial fill on gas, the 1911 will probably not cycle the slide all the way or run out of gas before the BB’s are gone. As of right now no one I’ve contacted, including the retailer who asked for this review, can get spare magazines for this model of airsoft gun. I’d never carry any weapon without at least one spare mag on me. Hopefully this situation will resolve itself soon. Conclusion In the end, I think that the KWC is a solid, realistic and reliable product that only needs a few minor alterations to make it completely serviceable. I would also recommend that spare magazines be made available so people who purchase the 1911's can use it as a real back-up weapon in an airsoft game. But that said, I would not even consider carrying it to a game. If you want something just for shooting around the house or to use in the back yard it would be an excellent choice for reliability, feel and accuracy. by Robo of the Death Dealers of Central Washington

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When I first saw that someone was going to release an airsoft version of the M3 Grease Gun, I was very happy to see that more work was being done on the WWII style guns. There were quite a few interesting guns produced during the period, but very few made it into airsoft form. When I learned it was going to be a Hudson gun, I was a little disappointed. Hudson does not have a reputation for high quality guns; actually it has a rep for the exact opposite. I knew I would be getting one in either case, I just hoped it wouldn't be too awful. When I saw the review at Arnie's, the gun actually faired better than I thought it would. The only real issues seemed to be the lightness of the gun. I also knew then that the gun had been released, so I started to track one down. After several weeks of looking, one of the guys at Wargamer's Shop said that the sales department had gotten one in, and that if I emailed quickly, it would be mine. So I did just that. Well, four days later it is in my hands and here are my impressions. Appearance - The gun is an excellent model of the M3A1 Grease gun. There are differences on the bolt with the finger hole. Also I don't think the bolt should be shiny black. I'm guessing I can repaint that to a dark matte silver to match the real gun. The plastic body is done in a very good dark grey that looks very close to military parkerizing. Feel - When you have the mag out of the gun it is LIGHT! It's about like a spring gun of the same size. The mag does weigh a lot, but even that can't make up for the rest of the gun. The gun is physically solid and I'm not worried about breaking it, but one touch and you can feel how light and hollow it is. I will probably weight the pistol grip with bb's and epoxy to give the thing some more heft. Function - I don't know if the real gun is like this, but the stock does not lock in the closed position, so if it is not fully open it tends to slide around. The magazine fits very tightly in the magazine well, and a fair amount of force is needed to insert and remove the mag. Shooting - The gun fires from an open bolt (like the m11's do) like the real gun, which I think really makes a sub-machine gun. The rate of fire is very slow (around 500-600 rounds per minute) and the bolt moves a loooong way through its action. This gives the gun a lot of recoil (for an airsoft gun). Although I have only put a couple of mags through it, it has functioned perfectly so far. Given the amount of force generated within the gun on hc134a, I'm guessing green gas would be a big no. -Review and pictures courtesy of: http://bigflange.com/reviews.htm

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The Hop-up

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**Appearance** The gun is very very nice. This is my first ever Western Arms GBB.I give props to WA for making a really phat looking pistol. Though to me, it felt kind of light and the slide looked too plasticky if you know what I mean. But when the hi-cap mag is inserted, it gets hefty. This Wilson Combat has a Streyr Voight lower frame made of metal, not the whole frame but most of the upper part of the lower frame is metal. The slide is ok looking, it has the "Wilson combat" trademarks imprinted and also the word "Classic" on one side of the slide. What was also neat is that the rear sights are made from BO-Mar and is a licensed from the real one. Only thing that sucked is that the sights had no white dots or anything so targeting takes a while. Another thing I noticed is that it came with an extra spring, a odd looking tool. I didn’t know what they were used for until I did some research. This Wilson combat hi-cap is modeled after a Race Gun. And that extra spring it included, is fits into the recoil rod acting like a spacer for the larger spring. And what it does is it keeps the slide from fully cycling back, so that means you cant really tell if you’re out of bullets. That’s the whole point of this race pistol, the comps have to count how many rounds have been fired. And that tool, you can easily swap springs from the front of the pistol, the spring pops out form the front and you can just take out that tiny spring out form there instead of just opening the whole pistol. Pretty neat. **Performance** Now on to the performance. I loaded the Hi-cap mag and inserted green gas, though using green gas can mess up your slide, I had no access to HFC134a so, yea green gas it is. I warmed up the mag, chambered a round, and aimed at a pile of dirt so that I can spot where the bullets go. Pulled the trigger,*BaYm* this thing was loud and the recoil, monstrous. It kicked me hand back farther than what my KJ USP TAC with its metal slide had. And when the bb hit that pile of dirt, the dirt just like flew up. I’ve done this with my M11and the dirt would just jump, with the Wilson, it flies! This meant to me that the FPS is crazy. I’ve tested it with soda pop cans, and it goes through both sides. Accuracy has to be adjusted with the rear sights, it took me awhile getting used to adjusting and all. Oh yeah and one thing about this pistol. This pistol is NON-HOPUP! Since this is a race pistol, there is no hop up. Sucks but it kind of add a little realism to the real steel. **Over-ALL** Over all, the gun looks great, wieght is kind of on the light side. Detail is just phat! Performance, its really powerful and accurate with the sights adjusted correctly. I would get this gun as to collect, not for skirmishing cause since this is a NON-HOPUP piece, the bbs wont travel as far. If you upgrade it, it could probably be skirmishable. But it’s too pretty to skirmish with. I rate this 8 out of 10 cause the stupid hop-up. Pros: Detailed Strong kick High FPS Accurate Cons: On the light side Adjusting the sights could get hard to get used to No HOP UP And oh yeah, I also did a little customizations to the pistol to make it a little more durable. If you see the pic of the red spacer where the recoil spring is at, that red thing is a recoil absorber, I set that there so that when the lower frame and slide comes in contact every time it blowsback, it could reduce its chance of the slide cracking. And the pic where you see a shiny piece in the slides slide catch, I attached an aluminum reinforcement so that the slide catch won’t wear out like stock guns do. This prevents the slide catch from wearing due to the friction of the slide movement and the catch of the slide. I also did some Trademark jobs, you can see that now the trademarks are White and is easily viewed. Stock it was there ,but you had to look at the slide to see the trademarks. - Tike

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As stated in our earlier springer Glock 26 review, the Glock 26 is part of a recent line of handguns known as "baby Glocks" due to their small size. The grip is just large enough to hold a ten-round magazine (in the 9mm model 26) or a nine-round magazine (in the .40 S&W model 27). Baby Glocks are almost small enough to fit in the palm of your hand; the frame only allows two fingers to wrap around and thus aftermarket finger rest magazine extensions are a popular accessory. Appearance This is the first Marui gas gun that we've had. It is crafted with a fine level of detail, just like the Marui spring and electric guns we've had before. The markings all look good, the finish on all the pieces is excellent, and everything seems well proportioned. As you can see in the picture above, the only way you can really differentiate the airsoft from the real steel from the side is by the orange paint that marks the airsoft version. That, and the fact that the real one has a Glok-Klip installed. The magazine is patterned after the real thing, though where the real one is plastic; the airsoft version is all metal. The Marui G26 comes with two magazine floor plates, and you can use which ever you prefer. There's a plastic flat plate like the factory G26 andG27 magazines come with, and there is a metal finger rest plate. The internals all look good, down to the two-stage recoil spring just like on the real thing. Function This airsoft combines the better of two worlds - Marui's excellent attention to detail, and the training value of a gas blowback gun. I wish TM would make more gas blowback airsofts. The magazine works like many other GBBs - pull down the magazine follower on the front of the mag body while filling fifteen BBs from the top. Once the magazine is full, turn it upside-down to fill it with gas like you would any other GBB. Insert the magazine into the Glock, pull the slide back and let it go, and you're ready to rock. The trigger pull is light and crisp, much like a Glock that's been modified with a 3.5 pound trigger disconnect. The recoil is sharp and satisfying, and the action cycles positively with no jams using .2g ammo. When you're out of BBs. the slide locks open. On Marui's spring Glocks, the safety (which is not a part of real Glocks) is hidden in the takedown lever on the frame. Since this is a gas blowback model and the takedown lever needs to work as such, the safety is concealed in the serial number plate on the bottom of the front of the frame. To disassemble this model, make sure it is unloaded and remove the magazine. Make sure the pistol is cocked (which is the opposite of a real Glock's disassembly - you have to be sure it's NOT cocked). Push down on both sides of the takedown lever and run the slide forward off the frame. The recoil spring can be pushed forward and then lifted back and out, and the barrel can be removed the same way. Believe me, I did plenty of that while testing the cosmetic and functional barrel upgrades for this airsoft. This model features high-visibility white three-dot sights. Normally I'm not a big fan of Glocks, but the Glock 26 has earned my respect in the real world, as well as the airsoft world. It points fairly well, it works flawlessly, and it's fun to shoot. Accuracy I wasn't expecting much from this airsoft since it has such a short barrel. Imagine my amazement then, when it proved to be as accurate as I could expect out of just about any stock gas gun. It hit well to fifteen yards with .2g BBs even without any adjustment to the hop-up. I was able to keep 14 out of 15 shots on an 8.5x11 inch piece of paper at that distance, a respectable feat for such a small handgun. The group size was fairly wide (around six inches) and it was about three inches above the point of aim, but the BBs still carried quite a punch at that distance and would probably still be effective at 25 yards. Please see the review of the upgrade barrel for more in-depth accuracy testing. Overall Impressions This airsoft rivals Tanaka's for appearance and functionality; it exceeds my Tanaka P226 for reliability and way outpaces the Sig in the accuracy department. I think I could probably safely sell my Tanaka P226 and not miss it much, now that I've got an accurate and powerful gas blowback in the G26. -Infrared Team SASOT

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The Tokyo Marui Colt Python 4" Revolver is a very simple design. I feel it is a reliable airsoft gun. There are 6 chambers each that are capable of holding 4 BBs each. Making this revolver hold a total of 24 shots.



The Revolver's "shells" are not removable like KWC or Kokusai revolvers. Instead you load the BBs directly into the chamber through the front. Stock the Revolver has decent accuracy, my fps seems to be in the 290s to 310 quite strong I think. The revolvers grips are comfortable and big so that you can get a good grip on it. You can cock the hammer back for more accurate single shots or you can just pull the trigger. De-cocking is a nice feature if you cock back the hammer and you decide you can't make the shot or something you can somewhat "disarm it" a little more than putting on the safety. The Safety switch is located behind the hammer, by pushing it forward it locks the hammer in place. When your done playing you can empty the gas chamber by cocking back the hammer, while holding it back, press the trigger and hold it back, push the hammer forward all the way and the gas will shoot out of the barrel. It is easier than shoot, shoot, shoot, and so on.



The guns weight is not much (571g) Redwolfairsoft.com claims it is "Heavy Weight" but well maybe it’s just me because I have handled it for awhile. Where the gas is inserted is on the bottom of the grip. Rear sights are adjustable for wind changes and things like that. What is a little cheap looking on this gun is the Colt logo. It is obviously plastic and takes away from the realism effect but this is not a real big deal. Red wolf arisoft also says that revolvers "emphasize style over function" but well power is not in short supply, the Python has the same or more BB capacity as an average gas gun (24rds). Because it is a revolver there is no slide to make problems arise and making you have to buy a new slide. So, slide problems are non-existent. Remember power is 290 to 310 fps. (mine)







All in all if you are thinking about getting an airsoft revolver do so. The Python is a gun worth having. Although I would recommend using it as a sidearm instead of a main arm because it is somewhat difficult to reload on the run. No Magazines. But it makes for a great sidearm, it also brings something different to the field, I don't know about you but I don't see many revolvers out there.



Update: Recently I have found that when I load 4 bbs into each chamber every time I fire 2 bbs come out, this maybe due to the fact that I am using green gas, maybe it is to strong? So now I can, it seems, only load 1 bbs into each cylinder.



Red Cell Airsoft Group

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Introduction



In the 1950s Dick Casull and Jack Fullmer designed a large-caliber “ultimate magnum” handgun cartridge for big game hunting. They used the .45 Colt as the base design, but extended the cartridge casing and packed in more powder charge. This caliber would eventually be named the .454 Casull.



Guns that chamber the awesome .454 can also chamber the .45 Colt. The .454 has twice the impact energy of the .44 Magnum and is pretty close to that of a .300 Weatherby Magnum rifle cartridge! This type of extreme power is ideal for hunting elephants, rhinos, grizzly bears and even drugged-up extraterrestrials with superhuman strength (see the film Alien Nation to understand). The cartridge can achieve 1803 fps with a 260-grain bullet and produce a muzzle energy of 1871 foot pounds — extraordinary numbers that would render Dirty Harry speechless. With all this power comes the most devastating recoil that you can ever imagine (about 75% more kick than the .44 Magnum). Only the most experienced magnum shooters can handle the ear-deafening, bone-jarring and wrist-damaging jolt.



There’re only a few handguns manufactured to fire the .454 cartridge, among them are the 5-shot single action revolvers from Freedom Arms and Magnum Research and double action revolvers such as the Taurus Raging Bull and Ruger Super Redhawk. Due to the extremely high pressures the .454 creates, the Raging Bull can chamber only five rounds in order to expand the cylinder walls. The Super Redhawk has a wider and unfluted cylinder, therefore it can chamber six shots.



Speaking of the Redhawk…



Appearance



Tanaka Works has produced a finely-made airsoft gas replica of the Ruger Super Redhawk in .454 Casull and added a very nice coating to the finish. The gun comes in an attractive cardboard/Styrofoam box with the manual, BB loading tool, and gas loading tube, hop-up wrench and small bag of BBs. The gun uses HFC134a gas and the cylinder holds up to 15 BBs.



This model has a 7.5-inch barrel and a gorgeous Midnight Blue finish that resembles polished blued steel. The gun is constructed of ABS with a good portion of it being metal. Metal parts include: the cylinder and the attached assembly, hammer, trigger and trigger guard assembly, rear sight, part of the front sight, cylinder release button and some internal parts. The gun weighs 950g, and because the cylinder is made of sturdy heavy weight metal, the balance is evenly distributed. The grips are also ABS, but it has a semi-hard, rubber-like surface. In the center of the black grips are the imitation wooden panels, which look very much like real wood.

The safety switch is deeply recessed into the butt of the grip and is difficult to manipulate with fingers.

Closeup of the cocked hammer reveals the spring-loaded firing pin. The adjustable rear and fixed front (inset) sights are nicely designed and easily visible under any lighting conditions.

Closeup shows the Ruger trademarks. Note the tiny Ruger logo just below the cylinder.

The metal cylinder is not coated with the Midnight Blue finish. Like the real counterpart, it's unfluted and has the proper caliber markings.

The front of the cylinder contains two holes: one where the gas comes out and the other where the BBs are "mass" loaded.

The gas is injected into the cylinder using the gas tube. This is not an easy task as the longer nozzle doesn't always connect well with the valve.

Loading the BBs using the loader takes time; however, a faster way is to insert each BB into the slots directly, giving the shooter six rounds per reload.

Unlike other Tanaka revolvers, the Redhawk has an adjustable hop up.

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Maruzen Walther P99 GBB pistol (version reviewed specifically: "Suppressed Version" -- note however that all reviewed aspects are cross-applicable to current-generation Maruzen P99 GBB's) --- Before I even begin this review, let me address an issue that constantly and consistently pops up on the various Forums/d-boards that I frequent. Every once in a while, someone who has a new fancy for a Walther P99 replica will come along, and will want to know whether they should purchase the KWC, KJW, or the Maruzen replica of this semi-automatic pistol. Unerringly, up until this day, I have steadfastly recommended the Maruzen. Why? Because so far, the Maruzen P99's are the only ones with (1) a readily available number of aftermarket upgrade as well as replacement parts, including compatible real-steel parts for use in a "repair" manner, (2) they're the only ones that provide sufficient on-line references that you can "search up" (and oh yes, I really do this FIRST when I have a question!) for troubleshooting and advice - from KNOWN enthusiasts as the sources, and (3) they're the only ones which faithfully reproduce the wonderful Walther trademarks in gorgeous detail as well as (4) the only ones that have properly cloned the multitude of gee-whiz functions that the real-steel P99's incorporate. The KWC and KJW version, unless you happen upon a Cyberguns SA (ex-3PSA; typically cited on commercial pages ) "domestic market" version of this item with full trademarks, what you'll get instead is the cosmetically-dreadful "K99." The KJW "domestic-market" version, which is recently reviewed by noted enthusiast Karl here: http://www.airsoftzone.com/forums/message.cfm?topic_id=45164&forum_id=8 Shows precisely some of the above mentioned deficits (specifically, 1, 2, and 4) – adding insult to injury, the multitude of Swiss Army Knife functions that the real P99's bear will not be properly reproduced on these pieces. They furthermore have virtually no upgrades available (sizing similarities should make at least EXTERNAL modifications, such as the mounted "tactical rails" adaptable -- but that is NOT certain). Additionally, durability and reliability have not been reported much for these items, due to low ownership. Expectations, however, are not high as they are not of KWC's "high-grade" line, while the KJW remains a relative unknown. Am I an elitist snob for saying to a 13 year-old kid that he should abandon his idea of getting a KWC or KJW P99 replica and 15 other el-cheapo springer handgun replicas and instead devote all that money towards a single high-grade GBB? You can see me that way if you want, but the above reasons are based on hard, undeniable FACTS - and I will not retract my support of the Maruzen's until my reasoning is proven wrong. If you want a P99 replica, the Maruzen, IMHO, is the ONLY way to go. Now, with that out of the way, let's give this GBB a closer look. =) The first thing that most will notice upon opening the package is this the cosmetic refinement of this item. The Walther trademarks are finely rendered, as are all other markings, including the licensing agreement between the parties - detracting perhaps a bit from the realism of this piece, but nonetheless, its detailed inscription makes for a convincing one-upsmanship with a "mine is a licensed product" declaration. Flaws are almost nonexistent, with only a very slight trace of the plastic molding line apparent down the belly of the lower frame. At 660 grams quoted weight, without mock suppressor, it's definitely not the heaviest mid-sized GBB around, however, strangely, one barely notices this issue upon hefting the pistol. Now remember, I'm quite used to heavy GBB's, seeing that I have a number of 1 kilo-plus WA SVI's in my collection, with a couple that's dressed in full-metal ware, making them even heavier. The Maruzen P99, due to its rather compact overall dimensions and a solidly fitting drop-free metal magazine, really concentrates most of its mass right at the grip - making for a distinctly solid feel. It's lightweight objectively, making for a good carry-pistol, but trust me, it doesn't feel flimsy at all. With the pistol in-hand, it becomes apparent that all that's been said about its superior ergonomics really isn't just lip-service. The front-strap is subtly scalloped with finger-grooves for positive retention, and both it and the palm-swell have a rather distinctive - almost decorative - functional surface treatment that makes for excellent slip-resistance. Speaking of the backstrap, it can, of course, be fitted with optional Maruzen aftermarket proprietary differently-sized insert replacements (small, medium, and large, with the medium-sized item coming with the GBB as standard), which allows its curvature to blend perfectly with the shooter's thenar eminence (that large muscular structure at the base of your thumb), displacing the grip high up into the ergonomically recurved rear of the frame, right below the slide. Combine that with the smooth recesses left and right of the trigger for the thumb and trigger finger to slide upon, most shooters find that their grip, be it right or left-handed, instantly welds over the grip of the P99. This security is further enhanced by the dramatically bottom-curved trigger itself, which helps lock-in the pad of the trigger-finger, encouraging proper trigger squeeze. Subjectively, it is one of the most easily and naturally pointing pistols that I've ever had the pleasure of using - drawing a bead on a target is as easy as just pointing your finger. Obtaining a proper sight-picture is easily achieved. The rear sight is fully adjustable, with a very nice combat pyramid cut to each of its side edges, enhancing the overall sight-picture. Although I think that its forward edge is a bit too "square" and may snag on clothing, this has not been a problem through my own skirmish use of this item - and the more important front-sight is nicely ramped on both sides. A traditional three-dot post-notch design is utilized. Each dot is superbly rendered in semi-translucent plastic - making for a subdued and almost grayish look on their surface. While easily visible and non-glaring during daytime use, they're almost, IMHO, too "subdued" for darker-corner CQB work. As with all good Japanese airsoft replicas, this item incorporates a "secure" safety catch. Basically, the main disassembly lever block is, instead of pulled-down to allow field-strip, pushed towards the left of the frame to engage the safety. Reversal of this action disengages the safety and readies the GBB for discharge. And here's where things get really fun. Like the real-steel, this GBB is capable of first-shot double-action function. As such, its initial trigger travel is somewhat longish. The first quarter is slack, with most of the heavy - albeit linear - pull occurring through the second through third quarter of the pull. The last quarter of the pull is where the action takes place, the trigger weight increases yet more, and there's a distinct, clean break when the sear lets-off. Practically speaking, as I have so often advised skirmish players, such DA-first shot allows the SKIRMISH GAMER to essentially carry this GBB without the need to resort to actively safing it. This saves a tremendous amount of time during any stressed-draw situations. The player effectively only has to unholster and present the GBB - it's ready-to-shoot from right then and there. The initial DA-pull acts as a passive safety. But the Maruzen P99 is much, much more "trick" than that. Drawing back the slide upon insertion of a magazine will cock the internal hammer. This is indicated by a visible firing-pin indicator, which shows as a visible, yet discreet, red-dot protruding from the back of the slide. Once the internal hammer is cocked, it is possible to engage the P99's dual-stage trigger set. Essentially, this locks the trigger half-way between its DA position and where it will break and discharge the pistol - converting it to a single-action trigger. Subsequent firing of the GBB essentially makes it reset into this mode after each cycle. It's DA-SA, with a twist. =) To decock the internal hammer and return the trigger to its DA setting, it's a simple manner of slightly shifting your grip, and using the thumb of your shooting hand to depress the decocking switch, just forward and to the left of the rear sight unit. An audible click, along with the simultaneous return of the trigger to its DA pull length as well as the retraction of the firing pin indicator into its deeper housing all works to confirm your intended action. Further proving the ergonomic superiority of this item is the well-placed the slide-lock release lever. Riding on the left side of the frame, just above the relieved smooth area for the shooting-hand's thumb or trigger finger, this item can just as easily also be flicked down with either the first section of your trigger finger or your thumb. And this can be accomplished without ANY need to shift your grip whatsoever. And taking a page from H&K's design book, the centrally-located magazine release is also easily actuated with either the left or right hand, regardless of the preference of the shooter. The magazine, with a cosmetically pleasing "Walther P99" baseplate, easily drops free from its own weight, and even also bears intricate markings itself. Loading this beast, though, requires the use of Maruzen's specialized loading tool, as open access is not given to the external guide of the BB follower. What about performance? Subjectively, the lightweight ABS plastic polymer slide on this piece makes for a very nice slide cycle rate, even with only HFC134a used. Blowback "recoil" is also crisp, furthermore what is typically found among GBB's that use such light slides. Use of higher-pressure gasses will undoubtedly boost both slide cycle rate as well as felt recoil, however, with the lightweight slide, one is left to wonder about the possible long-term durability problems that such use may imply. And here is where we first run into trouble with the Maruzen P99. In stock, unaltered form, they're not the greatest skirmish sidearms. Why? It's not that their power output is low (which it is) - as their effective range, thanks to an excellent Hop-system, and accuracy are both up to par of any of the skirmish-viable GBB's. Usually, if a fellow hobbyist is worried about the performance of this piece, I just have them fire a few shots at a soda cans about 40 ft. away. This activity will easily prove that you can just as efficiently effect accurate shots at that distance with the Maruzen P99 as you can with a WA double-stacker 1911 pumping out over 1J of muzzle velocity. =) And as a GBB replica handgun isn't meant to engage targets much over 60-70 ft. anyway, this one is just as viable as the next in terms of being a skirmish sidearm...just as long as you don't intend to use it *heavily*, for which its INTERNAL small parts might become problematic. Objectively, it's doing, at most, I'd say, 250 fps. with 0.20 gram BB's and HFC134a (1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane), at about normal room temperature (65 deg. F). Effective range, though, thanks to an adjustable Hop, is on-par with most skirmish-capable GBB's of comparable inner barrel length. Center-mass hits on a moving, man-sized target can easily be had at 60 ft. with correct Hop setting. And as I stated above, a soda-can is easily picked off at 40 ft., off-hand. The Maruzen P99, while the Hop is well designed simply does not put out as much raw power, in terms of absolute muzzle energy, as some of the other brutes of the "skirmish-capable" genre, such as the KJW USP Series (much of this limitation has to do with gas-use and its associated durability problems, which I'll address later) that can be jacked up with high-powered gasses. As such, it's effectively making up for the lack of straight-line acceleration via the backspin of the BB. In order to achieve the same physical absolute range, instead of being forcefully propelled along what's more or less a straight line, it's taking a more variable path, with more error-inducing factors. The upshot of it is that, strangely enough, despite this Hop-induced variability, you're still going to see that this piece is quite on-par with the others in terms of "accuracy." Why? Objectively, this is likely a result of tighter tolerances. Subjectively, some of this accuracy can be attributed to both the adjustable rear sights as well as excellent overall ergonomics - enhancing user effectiveness. Furthermore, while slide travel is fast and blowback is crisp, even with only low-pressure HFC134a use, there's not excessive recoil, as I stated above. This further aids in overall subjective shot-to-shot consistency. And the two-stage trigger is excellent for this issue, too. So they're great as far as accuracy and effective-range is concerned. OK, maybe not great, but definitely more than skirmish-viable. Then what's the trouble with the Maruzen P99's that I so vehemently defend the view that they're not suitable for skirmish use? Remember I said something about gas-use above? The Maruzen GBB is, as with all Japanese GBB's, intolerant of constant and repeat use of high-powered Taiwanese "Green Gasses" (i.e. "Toy Jack/Top Gas," HFC-brand "Super Power Green Gas," UHC-brand "Super Power Green Gas," etc.). While the latest redesign/evolution (anything Gen.II or later, beginning with the Silenced Version that I own, all the way down to the NATO Limited Edition as well as the Tactical Limited Edition) of the P99 has seen modifications made especially to enhance its durability in its functional aspects - to beef-up certain weak-areas that often led to wear/stress-induced damage - we must still remember that such reinforcements are geared towards durability within the context of use of relatively low-powered HFC134a. Stepping up to higher-powered gasses, such as Taiwanese "Green Gasses," once again will defeat these new enhancements. Owning the Maruzen will essentially mean that you're restricted to HFC134a. The consequences of going with Taiwanese "Green Gasses" instead? Well, forget the little internal parts that can fail -- most players report very fast incidence of catastrophic slide crack chips/fractures. But this has other implications as well -- namely, winter/cold-weather usability: All GBB's suffer from some degree of cold-induced decreases in performance. That's unavoidable, considering the concessions that we must make to physics and the pressure-temperature gradient. Eventually, as temperature falls, the propellant reverts to its more liquid state, dropping effective gas pressure, resulting in lowered observed muzzle velocity and slowed cyclic rate of the slide/action -- trailing down to complete failure of one or both under extreme conditions. Using higher-pressure gasses, of course, will help you in overcoming this issue, but much of such weather-resistance also relies on the design of the GBB itself, and how efficient it may be at producing sufficient power (both for BB propulsion and proper action cycling) under those adverse conditions. Here, the Maruzen will do quite nicely until temps dip near freezing -- when no-one will be playing with gas-powered replicas, anyway. =) As it gets colder and colder, and your GBB's performance drops, you can always "step up" the P99's power output and also maintain its cyclic function with the higher-powered Taiwanese "Green Gas." However, even under the power-sapping cold conditions, the additional stress that such powerful gasses induce on the Maruzen still tips it more towards the "damage" range -- and I'd be very hesitant to use it thus. And this brings us well to upgrades.....what can you do to further "beef-up" this GBB so that it can indeed be fully skirmish-viable. To the best of my knowledge, there is no metal frame for this item. But no matter, this is not typically a stressed component in so far as gas-use is concerned. A metal slide will be important, however. The only metal slide that's on the market now that can be *readily* had -- providing that you find someone who still carries this product -- is the ZEKE model, which, unfortunately, does NOT come with the Walther trademarks. A trademarked model from ZEKE is available, too, but it was *very* popular when it first stepped on to the scene, and finding a retailer who *actually* still has it in stock may be a big problem -- and even if found, expect to pay a hefty, hefty premium. Regardless of which one is chosen, it's expensive, and the combo of a metal slide with metal outer barrel can easily run upwards of $200, even for the one not bearing the proper Walther script. As a further word of caution, ZEKE's metal slides, especially those for the Tokyo Marui M9-Series (including Tactical Master), have been known to suffer cracks and fractures when exposed to long-term use of high-powered gasses -- so just relying on this part to get you the ability to use high-powered gasses may not be a good idea. Since the installation of the ZEKE metal slide modification is so rare on the Maruzen P99's (due to expense), there has been no documentation of whether or not such problems are to be expected here, too. To the best of my knowledge, no-one makes a ready-cut, specifically designed extended inner barrel for this GBB. You will have to have this done yourself on a "custom" basis if you intend to install a mock suppressor and extend the inner barrel through it for added accuracy (note here that the Silenced Version, the one that I own and is now defunct [sold-out, no longer produced], comes packaged with a proprietary mock suppressor unit which does work to alter the muzzle report of the GBB). However, KM/Head1950 does offer a standard-length tightbore (6.04mm) TN coated inner barrel. FireFly offers a "high-flow" magazine valve, but as with many GBB's, the simple substitution of this part, without modification to the valve hammer spring/mainspring and/or the actual GBB mechanical valving, will likely NOT produce as much of a difference in muzzle velocity/energy performance as one would hope for. Furthermore, you'll need to get one such valve PER MAGAZINE, which can get pretty expensive. FireFly also offers a replacement recoil spring guide rod assembly as well as recoil spring (higher tension? -- not confirmed), the latter will likely help reduce your overall cyclic time, especially with a somewhat heavier metal slide installed. But you're going to be looking at more trouble than performance if your high-flow valve doesn't do its job correctly, as then not only would it have to push on the heavier slide, but also would need to push against the heavier recoil spring! Additionally, there will also be more force at the end of the *forward* travel of the slide, and that will of course, also add to shock and thus damage/wear. Tanio Koba does offer a "kick booster," but I do not know of anyone who has used/tested this product yet....and unfortunately, Tanio Koba's previous high-flow valves and other power-enhancing accessories have not lived up to expectations. But then again, this part is new. Regardless, I would make sure you ask someone who REALLY owns any of these items in their Maruzen P99 for a *quantitative* assessment before you spend your money on them, as well as necessitate the takedown of your GBB main internals for such modification. Overall summary: All in all, the Maruzen P99 is much more of a showpiece than a true skirmish sidearm. If you buy it for its looks, you simply can't go wrong -- but if you're expecting a stellar performer that's also as strong and as tough as a rhino, you're barking up the wrong tree...there are many much more practical choices. For me, the P99 serves as a "last-ditch" sidearm due to its overall excellent reliability (it fires every time I pull the trigger) and the fast manner in which I can deploy it (no need for a physical safety; just set to double-action first-shot, and it can safely be holstered and carried on the field) -- in this role, I do not expect it to offer stellar performance nor durability, just that it's there for me, to bail me out of trouble. It's also light enough and compact enough to very comfortably carry for extended periods. Don't get me wrong, overall, Maruzen is an excellent make. Stock, they'd do well in the low-use role that I cited. Properly upgraded, they could potentially serve as a primary skirmish sidearm. Just keep the limitations and stipulations that I cited above in-mind, and I have no doubt that you will be happy with your purchase. =) As always, should you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at: CXL77@po.cwru.edu Alternatively - and preferably - leave your comments for all to see and discuss in the thread below. We can all use the additional input, and I very much would welcome stimulating debate. Thanks! Allen aka DumboRAT

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