I just got my M9 in the mail today so I'll have to update this later to talk about its in game performance and overall durability(or maybe people who have owned the gun a while can post their own thoughts).
All right, so here's my review....
When I opened the box and took the gun out the first thing I noticed was its weight. The only other airsoft handguns I have first hand experience with are springers(mine was a UHC M92F). The second thing I noticed was how impressive the finish was. Again, with only springer handgun experience I was expecting a much more "plasticy" feel to it. It feels really solid, and I honestly can't tell if the gun is ABS(like I expected) or metal(which it really, really feels like).
After getting over my initial shock(and excitement, although that won't wear off for a while) I started examining it in detail. As far as I can tell the KSC M9 has all of the same features the real steel M9 does. And by that I mean working, ambidextrous safety, slide lock, disassembly lever, decocking, single or double action and clip release. The only deviation from real steel that I noticed was the KSC logo on the handguard, but I couldn't care less about that. One other feature that I wasn't expecting, but was very pleased with, is the white dots on the iron sites. I had to paint those on to my springer with whiteout.
The next step, obviously, was to shoot it. So I loaded up a magazine with gas and bb's and set up a target across my room and let her rip.
I was a little surprised at how quiet it was. I was expecting it to sound like a paintball gun, but it wasn't even close. It sounded more like my electric M4A1. But there are worse things than a quite gun.
The gas blowback was impressive. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was FAST. Very impressive.
OK, I took her to a game this weekend...The accuracy was incredible and the power was impressive as well. While trading shots with an electric rifle I didn't really feel like I was at a huge disadvantage. The range and power of the gun were comparable to a stock AEG, and the rate of fire was excellent too.
So this very pleased airsofter rates the KSC M9 HW at:
FINISH: 5/5 - Superior to the AEG's I've seen.
REALISM: 4/5 - It features as real M9, but very quiet.
ACCURACY: 5/5 - Seems great for a handgun, I'll let you know if I change my mind once I use it more.