In this 2016 SHOT Show Interview I talk with Chip Hunnucutt from Crosman Corporation. Chip was eager to show off Crosman's new Airbow which is a essentially a hybrid PCP Air Rifles combined with a Crossbow. SO take away the bow and replace the power source with a 3000 PSI compressed air system that is capable of shooting standard archery arrows at 450 fps with 160 foot pounds of energy using 375 grain arrows.

The Crosman Airbow on a full 3000 PSI charge can deliver 8 consecutive shots @ the regulated 450 fps. The Airbow also weighs in at 7 pounds and being that it is a Bullpup design it is only 33.5 inches long so nice and compact for an arrow shooter.

Since the power is generated by the PCP compressed air system there is no heavy cocking rope so a simple lift of the ambidextrous cocking bolt is all that is needed to charge the Crosman Airbow. The Airbow also comes standard with a CenterPoint® 6x40 mm scope specially designed with the Airbow in mind.

Since the Crosman Airbow is technically an under 500 fps airgun, it should be considered an uncontrolled firearm here in Canada which means no PAL license will be required to buy and own the Crosman Airbow in Canada. In terms of using the Airbow for hunting as it is not a bow but rather an Airgun, that is yet to be determined here in Canada.

In this 2016 SHOT Show Interview I talk with Bob Li from Action Sport Games. Bob shows me some of the new products this year from ASG. Some of ASG's newer pistols are the Dan Wesson 715, the CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow, the CZ P-09. New to the rifle line is the CZ Bren 80, also a couple of sniper rifles, the M40A5 and M40A3. ASG is also coming out with a an Inferno HPA version of their CZ Scorpion EVO 3A1.

The ASG Dan Wesson 715 has ot me my favorite product from ASG, you need to hold it in your hand to really understand how solid this pistol really is at close to 3 pounds. Everything about it is an improvement over previous Dan Wesson models including the trigger and hammer action, crane setup and the more actuate frame length with the new more compact internal CO2 valve. The ASG Dan Wesson 715 will be shipping in 4.5mm Steel BB, 6mm Plastic Airsoft and .177 caliber pellet versions.

ASG's two new Full blowback CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow, the CZ P-09 pistols should be coming out shortly, both will be available in 4.5mm Steel BB and 6mm Plastic Airsoft. Both pistols feature a metal slide and frame with full size drop out metal magazines and will have CO2 and Green Gas magazine configurations. The CZ P-09 will have a threaded barrel and barrel protector.

In this 2016 SHOT Show Interview I talk with Dani Navickas from the Airgun division of Sig Sauer. Dani and I discuss Sig's new line of CO2 Blowback Pellet rifles and pistols. Dani talks about some of the behind the scenes information that went into the development and manufacturing of Sig's new line of CO2 Airguns.

Sig CO2 P226 and P250 Air Pistols along with their Sig MPX and MCX Air Rifles have been developed in house by Sig.Sig has been working very closely with a Japanese manufacturer to make sure that every stage of development is to Sig's high standards. The new Sig CO2 Blowback rifles and pistols are made to match the real steal version in almost every way including dimension, weight, functionality, materials used and even trigger pull.

Sig's new Sig MPX and Sig MCX Pellet Rifles have a brand new patented belt fed 30 round pellet magazine that is indexed via the internal blowback action of these rifles smoothing out the trigger action. The Sig P226 and Sig P250 pistols use a double ended 16 round pellet magazine similar to what you would find on Umarex's PX4 Strom blowback pellet pistol.

Look for Sig's new line of CO2 Blowback Pellet Airguns coming out shortly.

This is my SHOT Show 2016 Teaser Video! You will get to see some new gun highlights from companies like Umarex, ASG, Crosman, Sig Sauer, KWA and ISC. I will be following up this video with some interview videos very soon so do make sure to check back for those uploads. All I can say about the show is it’s huge! So much to see, so much walking and too much to take in…

ASG:

As always, ASG had some new products this year. The all new Dan Wesson 715 357 Magnum shell loading Revolver! This gun feels absolutely amazing in the hand and will be available in Steel BB, Airsfot and even Pellet shooting versions. Also new are the CZ P-09 and CZ 75 SP-01 Shadow Full Blowback BB and Airsoft Pistols.

Crosman:

Big at Crosman this year was their PCP Airbow, Crosman put a lot of focus on this product and even had a lot of crossbows on display to go with their new PCP Airbow. Crosman also introduced their low cost entry level Benjamin Maximus PCP rifle in .177 and .22 calibers offerings. Not really much in the way of replica pistols from Crosman this year, but then again last year was kind of the same?

Sig Sauer:

I finally made it to the Sig Sauer Booth this year to checkout their new CO2 Pellet gun line. All new Sig Airguns are made true to size and weight with similar trigger actions as their real steel versions. The Sig MPX is their more compact (shorter barreled) pellet shooting CO2 rifle with internal blowback and belt fed 30 round magazine. The Sig MCX is the longer barreled rifle version but built much the same as the MPX. Sig also introduced two new pellet shooting CO2 Blowback Pistols, the P226 and the P250. Both use similar double ended rotary magazines as the Umarex PX4.

Umarex:

Umarex always seems to have some new exciting Airguns products to offer at SHOT Show. The PPK is back with a few updates including no more ugly CO2 tab sticking out of the bottom! And yes the Beretta Model 92A1 will finally be shipping soon, I believe in February! My favorite product this year from Umarex would have to be the Full Blowback, Full size drop out magazine S&W M&P 40 CO2 BB Pistol. Umarex released yet another 1911 on the market, this version does come with a stick mag and sports pretty high fps and more shots per CO2 then the KWC based 1911’s. The super popular Colt SAA Revolver is now available in a pellet shooting version with a rifled barrel :) Umarex had on display another low cost revolver, the ultra futuristic looking Brodax CO2 BB Revolver.

KWA:

KWA always has really nice high quality products to showoff at there booth each year, we may even start carrying some of KWA's products this year, fingers crossed on that one… New to the KWA line are some AEG rifles with simulated blowback action, I really liked the Blowback AEG AK they had on display. KWA also released a new Airsoft shell loading revolvers that had some of the nicest looking brass and aluminum shells. On display under a glass cover was a very solid Gas Blowback Thompson Machine-gun with real wood stock, it was absolutely gorgeous!

ISC:

ISC known for their top quality AEG internals, had their full line of high quality Airsoft rifles on display. And new this year to ICS was their first ever Airsoft pistol, the blowback BLE Alpha. The BLE should be out mid year and looked and felt really nice. The trigger on it was super short and light.

I have some really awesome Interview videos I’m working on, I will be uploading them shortly so stay tuned for those…

When I say Airguns, I am referring to pretty much all BB, Airsoft, Pellet, Paintball and even Blank guns for most of the topics listed here.

Do’s:

1. Treat your Airgun just like you would a real gun. If something goes wrong, perhaps the outcome will not be as severe but do you really want to take a trip down to your local emergency ward to get a BB or Pellet removed?

2. Always assume your airgun is loaded, for some reason it always seems those empty guns are the ones that do the most damage.

3. Be discrete, If it looks like a gun other people will think it is a gun so don’t flash your airguns around in public. Keep it in a case when transporting and shoot it in an area that will not alarm other people.

4. Always wear eye protection when shooting your Airgun. Do you really want to shoot your eye out? No Joke!

5. Be aware of your surroundings like windows, hard objects that could make your ammo bounce back at you. Make sure you are shooting your Airgun in a safe direction at all times, know your target and beyond.

6. Use Airguns to teach others and learn how to safely and effectively shoot a gun. Airguns can be less intimidating then a real gun (Not so loud and very little recoil) and make for great start out and transitions guns.

7. Use Airguns to get more inexpensive trigger time and become a more experienced shooter. Airguns cosy only pennies per round to shoot and can be shot in way more areas than a real gun can, practice makes perfect so get shooting!

8. Use Airguns in areas where real guns may not be allowed or safe to use. Again, Airguns can be shot in all kinds of places, in your back yard or even in a properly setup indoor home range.

9. Use Airguns with adequate power for safe and humane pest control where real guns may be prohibited.Airguns are quiet and less likely for the bullet to travel long ranges which makes them ideal for close range pest control in areas where real guns are too loud and to powerful.

Don’ts:

1. Do not assume because it is an airgun it is not dangerous or simply a toy. Many Deaths have been caused by Airguns along with a lot of pain and suffering so treat your Airgun with respect. It is not a toy or you would find them in the toy department at your local store along with yo-yos and stuffed animals.

2. Do not point or shoot at people unless of course you are using an Airsoft gun in an Airsoft field or facility. Yes Airsoft guns are meant to shoot at each other (with appropriate attire like eye protection and full body clothing), but steel BB and Pellet can cause serious injury especially at close range and on direct skin contact.

3. Do not leave your Airgun loaded, you never know who is going to come across it and accidentally discharge it. Remember, a loaded gun is a dangerous gun in the wrong hands. You may know better than to assume the gun is undulated but children and even adults without any gun training will most definitely handle the airgun without consideration of the danger it poses.

4. Do not use an Airgun for self protection. See my related video. Simply put, Airguns are not practical for self defense because they rarely have enough Stopping Power. The ones that do have enough power need to be pre-charged and in most cases are only single shot meaning if you miss or don’t get the job done no the first shot then you are done.

5. Do not use an underpowered Airgun for pest control. See related video. Using a low powered BB pistol for pest control is cruel, you will only injure the animal making it suffer unnecessarily. Use a high powered pellet rifle to get the job done.

6. Do not take your gun apart, in most cases this will void the warranty and the reality is that airguns rarely need to be cleaned since no dirty gun powder is used. lead pellet rifles may require occasional barrel cleaning to keep the rifled barrel free of debris.

7. Do not over oil your Airgun, a little goes a long way and too much oil will just attracted dirt, use the right airgun oil and just enough to keep part functioning smoothly.

8. Do not over pump an Airgun. Over pumping an Airgun can cause damage to valves and seals and in a worse case situation a rupture the air pressure reservoir or even cause the airgun to explode!

I'm getting close to uploading 600 videos now over on the Replica Airguns Vimeo channel, so there are bound to be a lot of similar questions and popular discussions. In this Replica Airguns Vimeo Video I address what I feel are my Top 10 Most Common Airgun Questions and Discussions.

1. Can I shoot my CO2 gun without CO2? (1:00)

2. Can I refill CO2 Cartridges? (2:08)

3. Will XYZ BB gun kill a bird, rat, rabbit, gopher…? (3:33)

4. Can I shoot Airsoft BB’s in my BB gun? (5:58)

5. Can I use my Airgun for self defense? (7:47)

6. Do Airguns & blank guns have recoil? (10:42)

7. Why play around with Airguns, just buy a real gun?(12:50)

8. Can I have a free gun? (17:15)

9. Which gun should I get? (19:10)

10. Mike, can you do a review of such and such a gun? (20:05)

What is a Blank Gun?

The best way to describe a Blank Gun is to imagine it as a real gun in just about every way except one… There are no dangerous bullets flying out the front of it. That’s right, a Blank Gun just like a real gun uses a brass or metal shells, loaded with a primer and gun powder, but for what ever reason reason, some rocket scientists forgot to put a bullet at the end of the Blank shell. 

Why Would You Want a Blank Gun?

Isn’t the entire purpose of a gun to shoot something? So why on earth would you buy a gun that doesn't  shoot anything at all, what purpose would it serve? Even Nerf guns, water guns, potato guns all shoot something…

One way to look at a Blank Gun is to imagine it as a cap gun, but for grown ups. Similar to how kids like to shoot their cap guns because they go bang and sparks and smoke fly out of them, Blank Guns do the same thing but on a much grander scale and in most cases they look and sound a lot more like a real gun than a cap gun does.

So Blank Guns don’t actually do the main function of a real gun (that is to shoot a bullet), but they do look and sound the part of a gun. So how could this be of practical use to anyone?

Signalling Devices:

First off, have you ever heard of a Starter Pistol or a Flare Gun? Blank Guns have been historically used to signal the start of races. Many Blank Guns also have the ability to shoot flares by adding a flare adaptor to them so a person can shoot a flare into the air to signal distress if they are lost or hurt.

Gun Handling and Training:

Since many Blank Guns look, operate and feel almost exactly like real guns, Blank Guns are a great place to start out when training a person on proper gun handling and operation. If they make a mistake while using a Blank Gun, the consequences are far less severe than with a real gun. There is also much less kick from a Blank Gun so shooting a Blank Gun is less scary or intimidating for new shooters.

Dog Training:

Dogs used for police, military and hunting are required to stay calm around loud noises like gun shots, trained dogs also need to get used to the presence of guns and even how to attack the gun hand of a person who could be a potential threat. Again using Blank Guns in this training situation is a much better option than using a real gun for obvious reasons.

Movies, Video TV and Stage:

Introducing live ammunition on a movie set would be ridiculous, there is absolutely no need to shoot a bullet in this type of situation. Blank Guns make perfect stage props since they again look the part and sound the part without the dangerous bullets flying all over the place…

Collectors:

Many collectors want to own guns but for reasons like gun restrictions in their area, they may not be able to own a real gun or certain types of real guns. Blank Guns can offer a person with heavy gun restrictions in their area the ability to own similar Blank Gun versions. Perhaps they can own real guns but just simply don’t want to go through the licensing and registration hassle of owning a real gun. Blank Guns can generally be purchased for far less money than a real gun which is appealing to collectors who in many cases may not even shoot them.

Celebration:

In places like Turkey, people celebrate holidays and events by shooting Blank Guns into the air, at one time they actually shoot real guns, but people where getting injured or even killed by the falling bullets. Because of this, Blank Gun production became an industry in places like Turkey as Blank Gun manufacturers like EKOL, Retay and Zoraki (also know as ATAK Arms) are Turkish companies.

So now you know some of the reasons why a person would want to own a Blank Gun. I have Blank Guns and I also own real guns too. One reason is because there are many Blank Guns I own that I can not own in their real steel versions because of Canadian gun restrictions so obtaining a similar version in a Blank Gun allows me to own these models.

If a Blank Gun is not for you, then by all means get a real gun, but please understand that there is a place for Blank Guns, and in those environments, a Blank Gun is actually a better choice than a real gun.

I again had the opportunity to attend this years SHOT Show in Las Vegas, it has pretty much become a tradition for me now. First of all it's a great excuse to go to Las Vegas! And then there is the SHOT Show with all the big Airgun companies to go and checkout their products and of course meet some of the folks that I have been emailing. It also give my wife and I nice break from the kids, Vegas is almost like a second home to us now we have been so many times, we have our favorite eating places, of course there is the Fat Tuesdays we make sure to stop in most days for our troff of slushy boozy drink. We generally hit a show of some sort and if you like shopping, there is plenty of that to do in Las Vegas.

OK, so back to the 2015 SHOT Show, I have to say every year is a lot like the years before, most of the booths are even in the same locations so it is making it easier for me to find them, SHOT Show is a big show with lots of area to covers! Generally most companies will have all there old guns on display along with a few new ones, for me I am there to see what's new and I am sure most of you are interested in the upcoming products as well.

I know many of my American viewers have been wanting a Single Action Army 45 Revolvers and I too have been asking for this classic Cowboy revolver, I have even mentioned this to the big companies the past several years. Well I guess they finally got the message! Umarex is releasing their Colt Single Action Army 45 in a few different configurations. Their run of 500 Limited edition US Marshal revolvers sold out within the first few hours but I got my name on one this time so look forward to that review when I get mine :) Don't worry if you don't manage to get your hands on one of the US Marshal Single Action Army's, there will be two other none limited edition versions, one in silver and one in blued, both with bone handles. Like the Dan Wesson and Colt 357 shell loading BB revolvers, the Colt Single Action Army pistols will be mostly metal and also have removable shells that you place the BB's into. You will have to load each shell one at a time into the Colts, just like the old cowboy versions. The 12 gram CO2 is located in the pistol grip as expected and all version shoot in single action only as the name indicates.

Another noteworthy Umarex new product is the Umarex Pietro Beretta 92 A1 which is a pretty much full metal licensed Beretta with full blowback and a full size drop out metal magazine that holds the BB's and CO2. Umarex also added the KWC Luger and Mauser to their line off classic Blowback BB pistols this year.

ASG had some interesting offerings, they showed me a new styled Dan Wesson that will be able to accept a sight rail, it will come in Steel 4.5mm BB, 6mm Airsoft and .177 caliber Pellet. The new style Dan Wesson will not include the sight rail but you will be able to purchase it separately.

While visiting ASG I played around with their new Airsoft CZ P-09 full blowback semi auto pistol, wow the slide felt good, I am pretty sure the ASG Airsoft CZ P-09 is going to be a lot of fun to shoot!

Crosman didn't have a lot in terms of Replica guns which is not all that unusual for them, I did get my hands on their new P15B Blowback BB Pistol, I am not sure if it is the final version or a prototype at this point? The Crosman P15B has blowback action but no slide catch or slide lock, it sports a drop out full metal stick styled magazine and kind of looks like a cross between a Sig Sauer and a Desert Eagle.

Gamo, again, not known for their huge selection of replica guns did have an interesting new revolver, the PR-776 which is based on the shell loading Win Gun Frame but instead of incorporating removable shells, you load .177 caliber pellets directly into the cylinder of the PR-776.

I got to take a close up look at the Gletcher .177 caliber brass shells for their 357 series CO2 revolvers and they are a lot different than the Dan Wesson version of pellet loading brass shells. Instead of screwing together they press together and have a rubber O-ring system to help them seal tightly.

Even though I don't sell many KWA branded pistols, I do occasionally bump into them when companies like Umarex or ASG use them in their licensed lines. I did like their Scorpion KZ61, hopefully I will get to try one out sooner than later...

Well that's about it for this years SHOT Show Las Vegas 2015, until I return again in 2016 :)

My last Blank Gun Shooting video went really well, my iPhone 6 plus 720p 240 frames per second slow-mo video worked awesome and so did my newly acquired ME8 General 1911 Front Firing 8mm blank pistol.

I was hoping my Bruni Mod. 92 Top Venting 8mm PAK Blank Pistol would also perform just as well and as luck would have it, it did :) I did notice on the last round the shell kind of stayed in place and got re-chambered, not really sure what happened there but all 4 rounds fired which was my main goal and of course I caught it all in slow-motion HD!

Enjoy my Shooting Test Video of the Bruni Mod. 92 Top Venting 8mm PAK Blank Pistol and if you have not already checked out my Table Top Review of the Bruni Mod. 92 then make sure to do so.

Buy Blank Guns in the Canada Store 

Buy Blank Guns in the US Store

I was really looking forward to not only shooting my recently acquired Front Firing ME 8 General 1911 8mm PAK Blank Pistol and making sure it worked as promised, but I also want to checkout the new 720p at 240 frames per second slow motion video feature on my new iPhone 6 plus!

Everything went pretty much as expected, all rounds chambered, fired and ejected without a hitch. No slide lock back on the last round but this blank gun is not designed to do that so I was not expecting this to happen :)

Enjoy my Shooting Test Video of the Front Firing ME 8 General 1911 8mm PAK Blank Pistol and if you have not already checked out my Table Top Review of the ME 8 General, then make sure to do so.

Buy Blank Guns in the Canada Store 

Buy Blank Guns in the US Store

Type: Blank Pistol.

Manufacturer: Bruni.

Model:Mod. 92 (Beretta 92).

Materials: Mostly Metal with some steel parts.

Weight: 2.8 pounds unloaded. (1274 grams)

Barrel: Top Venting. (No Red Tip)

Propulsion: Gun powder.

Action: Single and double action.

Ammunition Type: 8mm P.A.K. Blanks.

Magazine Capacity: 15 rounds.

FPS: N/A.

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Bruni Mod. 92 Top Venting 8mm PAK Blank Pistol is fairly decent on both single and double action with a fairly long take-up in double action and of course a much shorter lighter take-up in single action mode.

Accuracy: NA.

Build Quality: The overall build quality of the Bruni Mod. 92 Blank Pistol is good, mine does show some wear since it is an older previously owned blank gun but for the most part the wear and tear is cosmetic only, the mechanical parts all seem to be in excellent working order. Most of this blank shooter is made out of a zinc based metal with a few steel parts, mainly the screws, pins and springs. But it has an impressive weight to it! The grips seem to have been replaced with wrap around rubber grips that may actually be for a real steel Beretta M92.

Realism: The Bruni Mod. 92 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is a very realistic looking Beretta 92 in terms of overall looks and true to scale size and weight. Most of the parts work as you would expect them to on the real steal version including the double and single action trigger, safety, locking slide catch release and magazine release button. The only exception really is the fact that this version is top venting so there is a small hole just in front of the breach that allows the full discharge of the blank round to escape out the top of the blank gun. The barrel is actually fully plugged but seems to have been partially drilled out to give the impression of being a front firing gun.

Purchase from: A private collector.

Pros:

• Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good even though very little use of hardened steel.

• 15 round double stack magazine is nice hi-capacity.

• For a used gun it is in very good working condition, some minor wear mainly on finish.

• Barrel has been partially bored out to look like a front firing gun.

• Grips have been replaced with what looks to be real Beretta grips.

• It's a very close Beretta Model 92 replica!

• Made in Italy.

Cons:

• Top venting instead of front firing

• No actual take down lever for easy field striping

• Finish is a bit worn.

Comments:

In terms of being a very accurate Beretta Model 92 replica, the Bruni Mod. 92 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is very close in almost all areas. Sure I would have liked it to of been front firing but the reality is, I rarely get around to shooting my blank guns. My blank pistols are mostly for show and since actual replica only guns are prohibited, being a blank gun skirts around our Canada laws allowing for ownership. Don't forget we sell the ROHM Blank guns here in our Canada Online Store and they are very good quality guns so check them out if you are in the market for a blank shooter.

My Vimeo Full Video Table Top Review for the Bruni Mod. 92 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol:

Buy Blank Guns in the Canada Store 

Buy Blank Guns in the US Store

Here is a Press Release taken from the NFA website, I have also made a YouTube Video going over all of this in my own words and what it really means for us law abiding airgun owners in Canada so make sure to watch my video below for further explanation...

"On Wednesday, November 5, the Supreme Court of Canada issued its ruling R. v. Dunn, finding that most air guns are considered “firearms” for all purposes in the Criminal Code except for licensing and registration.

The Court affirmed the previous decision of the Ontario Court of Appeal, which itself had overruled a decade of its own jurisprudence in finding that air guns are “firearms”. Prior to this case, the courts had held that air guns are not treated as “firearms” unless they are used for some offensive or unlawful purpose.

This decision applies to all air guns that are capable of causing serious bodily injury or death. Most courts have found that any air gun with a velocity of more than 214 feet-per-second meets this threshold. The vast majority of air guns sold across the country are capable of such a velocity.

This decision will have numerous significant impacts on those who buy and use air guns lawfully in Canada.

First of all, the Criminal Code provisions regarding careless storage, use and transportation of firearms now apply to air guns. Therefore, it is an offence to store or transport an air gun in a “careless” manner. However, because the ordinary firearms Storage Regulations do not apply to air guns, air gun owners are left with absolutely no guidance as to what precisely constitutes careless storage of an air gun.

It will be left up to police, prosecutors and courts to determine what charges will be laid, which will be prosecuted and ultimately who will be found guilty of this nebulous and ambiguous offence.

Moreover, as air gun owners do not require a license or a firearms safety course to possess these items, law-abiding Canadians will not be put on notice of the new legal requirements for air gun use, storage, transportation, etc.

Secondly, the offence of “carrying a concealed weapon” now applies to air guns, regardless of whether or not the air gun owner acts in an otherwise lawful manner. Placing an air gun in a backpack, a pocket or other concealed place will now be a criminal offence.

As the Supreme Court has ruled on this issue, the only route forward is through legislative amendment. Canada’s National Firearms Association has been extremely active on this front and will continue to pressure the government and provide all assistance in order to see that this decision be responded to by Parliament."

Canada’s National Firearms Association is this country’s largest and most effective advocacy organization representing the interests of firearms owners and users.

My big concern with this new Supreme Court of Canada ruling is that it really only effects law abiding Canadians. The criminals are not going to be worrying about how they store, transport and handle an airgun and since this new "airgun rule" does not change how an airgun can be purchased, or the fact that a criminal can still be charged with a gun crime while using an airgun in a crime, nothing has really changed by this new law from a criminals perspective.

Even more disturbing is the fact that the vast majority of airgun owners are now criminals since most will not be storing their airguns in the same way a firearm needs to be stored. Most Airgun owners do not have a PAL Firearms license, so they will have no idea of this new airgun ruling or even be educated on firearms handling and regulations, making most airgun owners criminals because for the most part, they will be storing, transporting and handling airguns in an unlawful manner now according to this new airgun ruling.

Links:

• RCMP on Airguns
• Safe Storage and Handling of Firearms
• NFA Press Release

Type: Blank Pistol.

Manufacturer: ME.

Model:ME 8 General 1911 (Colt 1911 A1 Replica).

Materials: Mostly Metal with some steel parts.

Weight: 2.9 pounds loaded. (1355 grams)

Barrel: Front firing. (No Red Tip)

Propulsion: Gun powder.

Action: Single action only.

Ammunition Type: 8mm P.A.K. Blanks.

Ammunition Capacity: 10+ rounds.

FPS: N/A.

Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is exactly what you would expect from a single action only 1911 styled semi auto pistol, short and light. But not super light, it's far from a hair trigger, perhaps more of a medium pull weight for a 1911 SAO.

Accuracy: NA.

Build Quality: The overall build quality of the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is really very good, nothing fancy at all going on with this pistol and a lot less actual moving parts than you would find on a real steel 1911 so much less to go wrong but the metal quality and fit and finish are very good overall. You will not find a lot of actual steel in this gun other than the magazine, screws, pins and springs but again the metal is good quality and the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol even sports real wood grips.

Realism: The ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is a very realistic looking 1911in terms of overall looks and true to scale size and weight. As mentioned already, many of the parts are not operational but actually moulded into the gun. Like the Safety, side trigger mounted magazine release and back strap safety. You will find the actual magazine release on the bottom of the pistol grip and even thought the slide catch release is operational, there is no spring assist to lock it in the up and open position when the magazine is empty so if you want to lock the slide back you will need to manually do this.

Purchase from: Private collector.

Pros:

• Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good even though very little use of hardened steel.

• 10+ round single stack magazine is very hi-capacity.

• For a used gun it is in very good condition, not many rounds through it and well kept.

• Front firing and came with flare adaptor.

• Real wood grips.

• Made in Italy.

• It's a 1911!

Cons:

• Slide catch release, must be engaged manually.

• Many working parts are simply moulded into the gun.

• Not easily field strip-able.

Comments:

So the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is not the most accurate replica of a 1911 in terms of all parts being operational but it hits the major ones for me like: It's front firing, the slide will lock back, it has a true 1911 SAO trigger and for the most parts it looks and works like a 1911. Finding 1911 blank guns here in Canada is super hard and I am a big fan of 1911's so when the opportunity to pickup this gun came around I was interested even if it was not cheap. Blank guns are getting harder and harder to find here in Canada and I guess that's what is making them so appealing. Don't forget we sell the ROHM Blank guns here in our Canada Online Store and they are very good quality guns so check them out if you are in the market for a blank shooter.

My Vimeo Full Video Table Top Review for the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol:

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This YouTube video was made to touch upon the tragic shooting and death of a young man at the Beavercreek Walmart in the US. The tragedy was the result of poor judgment and misunderstanding of the situation that started with John Crawford (22) deciding to walk around a Walmart store with a very realistic looking replica Air Rifle. Subsequently in the midst of all the excitement as customers ran out of the store, Angela Williams (37) had a medical emergency that also cost her her life. 

Below is an outline of YouTube video that follows:

John Crawford 22 Years old was shot  by police in a Beavercreek Walmart while holding a Crosman MK-177 Pellet BB gun.

Another death as a result: Angela Williams, 37, was with her 9-year-old daughter and suffered a medical emergency and died as a result as people attempted to flee the store amongst the panic.

John Crawford is Survived by: LeeCee Johnson, 22 Mother of Crawford's children (Believe he had 2 children)

NOTES: 

• Walmart US keeps these guns on shelf in the box generally, but not locked up or behind glass.
• In Canada Most places keep even Airguns behind locked glass. 

The weapon (Crosman MK-177), which can shoot both pellets and BBs, had been removed from its original packaging, was this done by John Crawford or was it already unpackaged when he picked it up?

Ronald Ritchie made the original 911 call, I listened to two of the police 911 phone call recording and he seemed to be talking level headed and not making it out to be anything more than what he saw which was a black man walking around a Walmart with what looked like a real rifle. John Crawford was holding the rifle while he had his phone between his shoulder and ear, John was fiddling with the rifle and looked to be trying to load it. Ronald Ritchie said John was periodically pointing it at people (which may or may not have been intentional).

LeeCee Johnson, 22, who identified herself as the mother of Crawford’s children, said she was talking to Crawford on her cell phone at the time of the shooting:

“We was just talking. He (John) said he was at the video games playing videos and he went over there by the toy section where the toy guns were. And the next thing I know, he said ‘It’s not real,’ and the police start shooting and they said ‘Get on the ground,’ but he was already on the ground because they had shot him,” she said. She added she “could hear him just crying and screaming” and said officers “shot him down like he was not even human.”

First and Foremost, this event is very tragic and my condolences go out to the families and friends of John Crawford and Angela Williams.

Questions we need to ask ourselves:

• Why was John Crawford walking around the Walmart with what looked like an "assault rifle" in a very public location?
• With all the public shootings these days, why would you walk around a public Walmart with what looks like a very real and threatening rifle, similar to the kinds used in these types of shootings in the past?
• Why did the police seem so quick to shoot John down? Where they a bit eager or hyped up? It would be very interesting to see the surveillance video for this tragedy?
• Why are very realistic Airguns on open display and so easy to attain? Keep in mind even a regular break barrel Airgun looks like a real rifle to most people.

What is so damaging about all this:

• This will add "ammunition so to speak" for bureaucrats and authorities to question if Airguns should look realistic, or if they now need to have bright colored markings all over them so people will assume they are not reel? Or perhaps outlaw them completely or make them very hard to attain for the average person.
• Now the general public will have yet another reason to have a negative view on Airguns. I fear that putting more restrictions on airguns is just a stepping stone to more restrictions on real guns and more restrictions on our rights overall.

What ever happened to common sense? It has become uncommon these days…

 Based on how easy it is for a person to get their hands on very realistic looking Airguns in most US based retail stores, I am surprised this tragedy has not happened already, or more often.

Would you walk around your neighborhood with what looks like an Assault rifle? So why walk around a Walmart with one?

Unfortunately we can not protect everyone from themselves, the more failsafes we put in place, the less reasonability people have for themselves and the more responsibility it seems is placed on businesses, government, organizations, parks and events…

We even need warning labels on our coffee telling us it's hot, or to not put poison in our mouths, there are railing and barriers around any bit of water or slight ledge.

Society is programing people to think less fore themselves and trust that everything is going to be OK.

Well it's not true, there is still something called survival of the fittest no matter how many safety nest are in place.

We need to spend more time teaching our kids how to act and behave and how to think for themselves and not be so dependent on everyone else to protect them from themselves. Don't  leave it up to the TV, movies, video games or even their just as oblivious friends. 

I stopped by the ICS Booth, we don't sell too much of their products but have carried a few items from time to time. ICS caries some nice quality Airsoft guns including the M1 Grand with real wood stock, and some AK & AR variants.

One of our suppliers had the new FN Herstal Five-seveN Blowback Airsoft pistol, I believe made by Marushin. Like the real FN Herstal Five-seveN, the pistol is pretty much all polymer including the slide and frame. This pistol also uses CO2 in the full size drop out magazine which should make it fairly powerful.

Looks like there is another Dan Wesson contender available now in the form of a Swiss Arms S&W 357 Magnum 4 inch and 6 inch barreled version, they look really nice and like the Dan Wesson have the realistic reusable brass shells that hold the 4.5mm Steel BB's.

Ever considered owning a  mobile Gunsmith vehicle, look no further, I came across this pimped out Firearms Van complete with machine guns mounted in the front :) Inside was a complete firearms workshop.

Last but not least, we had some fun while in Vegas. I go down for the SHOT Show for business but I also bring my wife and we make time for some non business related activities. I generally stay at the WorldMark resort each time and this year the weather was pretty nice so we where able to get some sun by the pool a couple of days and I even got a tan line! Of course the food and entertainment is always awesome in Vegas.

Gamo did not have much in terms of new Replica guns this year either? Again, Gamo does seem to focus more on their hunting and target air rifles which for me is not my focus. Pretty much the same Replica guns as last year...

This year the Crosman booth was a bit of a let down in terms of "Replica guns" There really wasn't anything new to speak of? I didn't hang around too long to check on the non-replica guns, perhaps they have been focussing on that area of their market for this year?

One 4.5mm CO2 Blowback BB Pistol they featured as a prototype version last years was on display this year as the final product, the Crosman GI Model 1911BB. And again I was not overly impressed. The Crosman GI Model 1911BB looks for the most part like a 1911 except for the funky trigger which is supposes to look like a 1911 single action trigger. In reality it is a rather heavy double action trigger not at all true to a 1911. I was also puzzled by how recessed the barrel was, sure it's nice to have a slightly recessed barrel to make the pistol more believable but the GI Model 1911BB inner barrel is recessed at least an inch or more robbing this pistol of potential fps.

Guess I'm going to have to try one out at some point to see if it shoots better than I am giving it credit for.

One product from Crosman that is kind of a crossover between a replica and a PCP rifle is the Crosman MAR177 PCP AR Conversion Kit. It is designed to replace the top receiver for a standard AR allowing AR owners to shoot .177 caliber pellets using a standard Pre Charged Pneumatic system with their AR platforms. Of course you need an AR lower to use the Crosman MAR177 PCP AR Conversion Kit.

I also visited my friends at the ASG booth but for some reason I did not get a photo  of their booth? I do have some video walk through stuff I will show you in my YouTube Video coverage of this years Vegas SHOT Show. Most importantly I have lots of gun photos so let's take a look at them...

One of my favorite ASG pistols is the Bersa BP9CC, I have already reviewed it and I just really like how this gun looks and holds, ASG took it one step further this year by adding a two-tone silver version and I have to say it looks awesome in person, my photos do not do it justice at all :(

A new handgun to the ASG blowback pistol series is the CZ P-09 Duty Pellet pistol. Basically it shares similar mechanics to the Umarex PX4 and Gamo PT-85 using the double sided rotary pellet magazine with 8 shots located on each end of the stick magazine. The ASG CZ P-09 Duty features a metal slide, working hammer and safety.

Another pellets pistol that should be very familiar to most of you is the new .177 caliber pellet shooting Dan Wesson in 6 inch silver and 8 inch black versions. ASG added a rifled barrel and redesigned solid brass shells that hold pellets instead of 4.5mm Steel BB's. Expect to take a little bit longer to reload the pellets as unscrewing the tip of each shell is required to place a .177 caliber pellet in each bullet tip.

Of course ASG has tons of licensed pistols to choose from, many on both 4.5mm Steel BB and 6mm Plastic Airsoft!

One new rifle that stood out to me was the ASG CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 AEG Airsoft Rifle, the Scorpion features an intelligent AEG system that detects when there may be a potential feeding problem and also when the magazine is out of ammo.

Umarex had a lot of new products this year so I thought I would start off showing you some of them. I will be following this post up with a full 2014 Vegas SHOT Show video once I finish posting some of my photos and comments on the show events.

Here is a photo of the main Umarex Booth.

I have always liked the 4.5mm BB version of the Umarex Makarov, Umarex now has the Makarov Ultra version that features blowback, a working slide catch and full size drop out magazine, looking forward to testing this one out!

Another kind of new addition to the 4.5mm Steel BB lineup is the Umarex Beretta Model 84FS. It has been available overseas but is now coming to North America. The Umarex Beretta Model 84FS also features blowback and a full size drop out magazine.

I'm not sure if we needed another rebranded version of the KWC 1911 Blowback BB pistol, but we got one anyways! Umarex now has their own version of what looks to similar to the KWC Tac A1 but with Colt licensing. 

Umarex also made up a very limited edition and very weathered looking blowback BB shooting 1911 based on the KWC design called the Colt 1911 WWII Commemorative. I am not sure how many where made but I know there are not a lot of them... Hope I can get my hands on one...

Umarex came out with Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 last year and this year they have added a similar styled 4.5mm Steel BB shooting revolver with removable shells but in a licensed Colt Python 357 version.

Last but not least and going back many years, Umarex is bringing out another Legends Series 4.5mm BB pistol. The German Mauser C96, I'm not 100% sure if it's blowback or not but it does seem to have a working action, the main pistol is made out of Polymer but it does have a full size drop out magazine and seems to have good weight overall. Most of the parts work like the original Mauser C96 including the adjustable rear sight and safeties.

So it's 2014 but I still needed to make my 2013 Airgun, Airsoft Gun and Blank Gun Collection Favorites for 2013. It's become a tradition I guess you could say. No I do not show all the guns in my collection but I do cover most of my favorites and also some new guns I picked up in 2013.

Here's a peek but make sure to watch the YouTube video bellow where I go over all my top picks for 2013. You can also buy many of the guns I show in this YouTube video over in our Canada and US Replica Airguns Store!

2013 BB Pistols

2013 Pellet Pistols

2013 Airsoft Pistols

2013 Blank Pistols

2013 Rifles