Right off the bat I have to say I had a great time making this Field Test Video Review of the RAP4 RAM X50 (Sig P226) .43 Caliber Blowback Paintball Pistol. I did something I don't generally do, I went back into my forest area of the property and setup some human sized targets (5 gallon buckets) and did some tactical real world shooting simulation, it was a lot of fun and the RAP4 RAM X50 Paintball Pistol worked perfectly for this as I could very easily see exactly where I was shooting and also did not have to worry too much about rebounding ammo.
This video only covers the shooting performance of the RAP4 RAM X50, so checkout my Table Top Review for things like the Specifications and Features.
In this video I start out by doing a Chronograph Test and shoot not only Paintball rounds but also some Rubber bullet and got very good average FPS results using both ammo types (288 fps using .43 caliber Rubber Balls and 279 fps using .42 caliber Paintballs).
I also tested the accuracy out from 20 feet away in a semi rested position and got about an 8 inch group with a full 9 round magazine, which on a human sized target would do the trick for sure. Keep in mind this is not a target pistol! My Tactical Field or should I say "Forest test", showed that this paintball pistol performs very well when used in a simulated shooting scenario.
I can really see a use for a gun like this, mainly for training oneself on how to acquire targets quickly and how to improve your tactical shooting skills.
Action: Semi auto, single & double action with blowback.
Ammunition Type: .43 caliber paintball or rubber bullet.
Ammunition Capacity: 9 round magazine.
FPS: 250-300fps.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Real Action Paintball RAP4 X50 is rather nice, being a true blowback action gun, the cycling of the slide not only chambers a round but also pre-cocks the hammer allowing for a very smooth and light trigger pull in single action mode. There is also a de-cocker that allows you to release the hammer without activating the firing pin and placing the hammer in a half cock position rested about 2mm off the firing pin.
Accuracy: I did not expect amazing result with The RAM X50 Paintball Pistol in my preliminary testing as it does use rather light weight and fairly small caliber Paintballs that will be susceptible to wind gusts and the seems on them will make them a bit more turbulent than a standard Pellet, BB or Airsoft round. Even so I was able to hit pretty much any moderate sized target I shot at and I would assume in a battle situation I could place most shots on a human sized target fairly well as along as I was not too panic stricken ;)
Build Quality: The RAP4 RAM X50 Sig Sauer P226 styled Pistol is built very well, it does have a polymer frame but the gun overall has lots of metal parts and a very good overall 2.2 pounds weight to it dry. The blowback action is very snappy and all the mechanics and fit and finish all look and function very nicely. The only function that was not working on my "used" gun was the slide catching on the last round. I have not looked into it too much to see what may be the problem but I can see some wear on the catch area of the slide that may be causing it. I have no idea how the previous owners may have cared for this Paintball gun but overall it is in good condition.
Realism:The RAP4 RAM X50 was primarily made to simulate real word shooting environments for Police and Military users and even though it is not branded and licensed as such, it is a bang on copy of a Sig Sauer P226 Semi Auto Pistol. Other than the exception of the CO2 Cylinder hanging a bit far out of the bottom of the handle, The RAM X50 would be hard to tell from the Real Steel Sig Sauer P226, especially when looking down the large .43 caliber barrel. The Blowback action and firm recoil help pull off the believability when shooting this Paintball Pistol.
Everything works pretty much like the real gun so a great training tool.
Fairly affordable in the US adn Canada.
Seemed to have Decent accuracy, decent amount of shots, about 3-4 good magazines
Nice light single action trigger.
Cons:
CO2 cylinder sticks out from the handle and looks a bit odd.
My slide does not lock back after the last shot, may be a potential wear problem?
Does not field Strip conventionally.
Comments:
I have had my eye on this paintball pistol for some time now, the first time I saw it, it was behind the counter in a Paintball store and generally in Canada they sell in retail shops for about $450+ so I have kind of been holding off to see if it woudl come my way a bit more affordably. The time came when I was able to leverage another sought after item I had and I was able to add this gun to my collection. I found that it shoots much like many of my other blowback airguns but perhaps with a bit more force than most. Shooting at targets 20-40 feet away was easy and the Paintball's had no problems breaking on contact with most medium to hard objects. I normally would not have a need for Paintball pistol but heck, why not if it looks this good and next time I go out to a paintball battle, I will have a surprise waiting for when I run out of rifle ammo or need to work in some close combat situations...
Some more updates for you, I received some more NcSTAR Accessories for my Canada Replica Airguns Store, some Red Dots, Scopes, Lasers, Tactical Lights, Rails, Bipods and some Vests, Slings and Holsters. I will be updating the Canada Store shortly with these very well priced items shortly so check back soon!
I also have a couple more blank guns that I will be conducting a Silent Auction on shortly: An EKOL Lady in Satin and an EKOL Special 99 in "White", which is more like a soft textured Nickel.
Lastly I also just picked up my first paintball pistol a RAM X50 and it is one I have been after for a while since I am a big Sig fan. It' basically an unlicensed Sig Sauer 226 that uses CO2 and chambers .43 caliber paintball and/or rubber balls. It is blowback and has a drop out 9 round metal magazine.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Daisy Powerline 5501 is about average, a bit long but fairly smooth and about a medium pull weight. The first part of the action loads a BB into the chamber and the second part releases the hammer which give the pistol a bit of a creepy first stage.
Accuracy: I was not impressed with how my Daisy 5501 performed in the accuracy portion of this review, it got about a 3 inch 8 shot group from 20 feet out in a semi rested position, in comparison many of my BB pistols can easily get a 1 inch grouping shooting this way. I may try a different brand of BB's even though the RWS BB's I used where of high quality, they just may have not suited this pistol? FPS velocities where a bit under the manufacturers claimed ratings but very close at a respectable average of 386 fps with my 8 shot test shooting on a somewhat cold day. Not bad for a blowback pistol!
Build Quality: The Daisy Powerline 5501 is a pretty much all metal pistol with what looks to be very good build quality. The 5501 is made in Japan, I have found most Japanese made guns to be well made in the past. The frame, slide, trigger, safety, slide catch, CO2 screw, and de-cocker are all metal and of course many of the internal parts too. The only plastic parts to speak of are the grips and the magazine. I would have liked to have seen the magazine with more metal in it but for the most part it is protected within the gun so you should be OK.
Realism:The Daisy Powerline 5501 is loosely styled after the Sig Sauer in combination with a Walther semi auto pistol. It is lacking a cut-out ejection port that would have added greatly to its realism. I would have also liked to have seen a metal magazine as it's seems a bit cheap compared to the rest of the pistol. I do like the fact that the barrel tip has a large diameter opening making the gun look more like the larger caliber weapon it is styled after. It's also one of the few BB pistols with a working de-coker on it.
The two-tone look is very nice with a stainless look to the frame.
Accessory rail makes adding a tactical light or laser easy.
Warning instructions on slide are color matched to be more discreet.
Very well designed CO2 tightening system and also well hidden.
Cons:
Did not shoot very accurately for me with the BB's I used.
Ejection port is not cut out, takes away from the realism a bit.
All plastic magazine.
No white dotes on rear sight.
Comments:
All in all I liked this Daisy Powerline 5501, other than the poor results I got in terms of accuracy using my chosen zinc platted RWS BB's, the Powerline 5501 was really very good in all other aspects. I think it is a rather nice looking gun with excellent build quality throughout with lots of metal giving the 5001 a nice 1.5 pounds weight. The Daisy 5501 had very heavy and snappy blowback while retaining decent shots per CO2 and respectable close to 400 fps real world velocities. This Daisy Powerline 5501 blowback BB pistol is priced at well under $100 making it very good value in my mind.
My Vimeo Video Comparison Review for the Daisy Powerline BB Pistol:
Just a quick heads up for our Canadian customers waiting on Dan Wesson Revolvers, the ASG Airguns and some Airsoft guns have now cleared customs, we still have some more Airsoft guns from ASG coming down the road but at least we have some to start with for now.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND that we have a very large backorder list and we will be doing our best to send out the backordered Dan Wesson starting tomorrow. It will take some time to get caught up so please try to avoid sending us an email about your backordered Dan Wesson, we are working very hard to get them to all of you and will update everyone with a tracking number as soon as yours ships.
If you are interested in some of the ASG Airsoft guns then make sure to check back over the next few days as I update our Airsoft guns section or our Canada Replica Airguns Store with the new ASG Airsoft items.
We have been waiting a while here in Canada for some of our ASG products to come back in stock. ASG provides us with our Dan Wesson line and the Dan Wesson Revolvers have been a very popular airgun to say the least. We did manage to get a few of them, mainly to fill some of the earlier back orders but this big order had to come by cargo ship and now it has arrived and has been with Canada customs for about a week so we should be close to having them for you!
The hold up on this shipment is because we have some ASG Airsoft guns in with the regular Airguns which is good news as we will soon be stocking some very nice ASG Airsoft Pistols and Rifles but the new Airsoft guns are the main reason that Canada Customs is taking their time giving their OK on this shipment.
My advice to anyone who has been waiting a long time for their Dan Wesson Revolver (Mostly the 2.5 & 4 inch versions) is to hold on a bit longer because the wait is almost over and we will sell out of these guns quickly so having your backorder in guarantees you will get yours.
It's always good to start the week off with an update video so everyone knows what's happening short-term and long-term...
I recently acquired a couple new items that I will be reviewing in the near future (along with several other reviews that I will be trying to get to ASAP!) First off is the Crosman M4-177 which is basically a multi-pump pellet and BB shooting replica of an AR or M4 styled carbine used by the US military. The Crosman M4-177 is mostly plastic on the outside but on first inspection seems to be built fairly well. It has removable metal sights and the magazine is also detachable but is not used as a magazine but rather a compartment for storage. The unit I have is the Canadian detuned version which shoots .177 caliber lead pellets and 4.5mm steel BB's at under 500 fps.
I also received my first old west blank shooting revolver (M1873), I have wanted one of these for a while and finally got my hands on one :) Unfortunately this one has a plugged barrel so it vents out of the cylinder area which may get a bit messy. I may see about making this one a front venting gun if possible and of course as long as it's within the law as I plan to make sure the cylinder stays semi plugged so no actual rounds could ever be shot out of it. The Old West M1873 Blank Revolver holds six .380 crimped blanks and is an all metal and wood construction. This should be a fun review!
I also touch upon a few other guns on the list of items I need to review and by the way in an attempt to get caught up I will be doing my Table Top and Shooting reviews combined.
Here are some of the guns that I will be reviewing over the next while...
Gamo P-25 & PT-85 .177 Caliber Blowback Pellet pistols (This one will get done this week!)
I wanted to make a quick video to showcase a few items I will be reviewing and some of which are also for sale in the Replica Airguns Store.
First off we have a few of the new front firing Kimar Model 85's (Orange Slide) left in Canada. I stated out with 9 and I am not down to 3 so hurry on this one if you want one in Canada. If you are in the US, I also have them for sale in my US Replica Airguns Store in both Black and Nickel.
Next up I just wanted to show you a Kimar Lady K that will show up some time down the road in a video review, this item is now in my personal collection and sorry it is not for sale in either my Canada or US store at this time.
I have had lots of requests to review the Daisy Powerline 5501 and to be honest I have wanted to get this one for some time and even though it is available for sale in our US Replica Airguns Store I have not had the opportunity to pick one up until now so look forward to that review again some time down the road...
Last but not least I wanted to give you a closer look at the new Turkish made high powered Webley Tempest I have available in the Canada Store, these ones shoot as hard as legally possible within our Canada limitation to be classified as uncontrolled firearms and they make great compact pest control pistols that you can keep handy for when required.
OK, so that's it for now and be sure to watch the full reviews of these guns when I get to them shortly!
We where out of the Umarex Steel Storm for a while, I had a lot of people asking about this one so I thought I would let everyone know we now have the Umarex Steel Storm back in stock and for sale again in the Canada Replica Airguns Store.
Canada Customers only - Act fast on this one, I am selling the Cybergun Sig Sauer P226 X-Five Sight Rail Version at $30 off the regular price, this is for the first five customers that buy it! I am also throwing in five CO2 cartridges for free!
Keep in mind the sight rail version comes with a compensator, sight rail and adjustable rear sight and it's selling for less than the standard version right now!
Here is a bit of a heads up for some future reviews and YouTube videos. I have had a lot of requests to review the Gamo PT-85 and Gamo P-25 so I went ahead and picked up one of each. Now I do not currently sell these blowback air pistols in the Replica Airguns Canada Store but I do have them available in our US Replica Airguns Store.
I also took in an EKOL Lady in Chrome finish from a customer of mine looking to purchase another item in the Replica Airguns Store. Since I don't have this model it will get added to my personal collection of replica guns :) Either way we all benefit because now I have a new blank gun I can review for you all!
After what seemed like forever, we now have some more Cybergun Sig Sauer P226 X-Five's back in stock. And I am talking about the non-open or non-sight rail version, we never did run out of the sight rail version...
So if you have been waiting you can pick one up Right Now!
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Western Arms Smith & Wesson Shorty 40 is very light in both single and double action but of course the lightest when shooting in single action mode. The single action is short with next to no reset making for very quick followup shots. If you have de-cocked the gun using the de-cocker, you may find it hard to re-cock again as there is no exposed hammer to grab. You will need to pull the trigger just a bit to expose the hammer and then pull it back the rest of the way as per normal.
Accuracy: This is now the third Airsoft gun I have tested and I always assumed Airsoft guns would not be nearly as accurate as my metal BB shooters but again I have been proven wrong! The WA S&W Shorty 40 even with its short 3 inch barrel got a nice 2 inch group my first time testing it out from 20 feet out in a free standing position. And 4 shots got right in the bullseye! Considering this Airsoft gun was supposed to be non-working, it worked pretty good for me!
Build Quality: When you first pickup the Western Arms Smith & Wesson Shorty .40, you immediately think it is an all metal gun since it's all black and has really good weight to it sitting in at 1.7 pounds and in a very small package. On close up inspection the WA Shorty 40 has a lot of plastic in it including the slide and the frame. Polymer frames are not uncommon and to be honest if the gun looks and feels like metal but is actually plastic, there are some benefits. This review model being used has seen some action but it looks pretty much like a brand new gun, the reason being is because of the plastic exterior - in general, plastic is not painted but rather the color is throughout the material so it will not rub off or show a scratch nearly as much as a painted or blued finishe which will show the grey metal underneath. And to be fair, my Western Arms Shorty 40 has lots of high quality metal parts where they really need to be like the magazine, magazine release, slide catch, trigger, hammer, barrel and many other internal parts.
Realism: From looking at photos of the real Smith & Wesson Shorty 40, I can say the Airsoft version is a dead ringer. The Western Arms version has all the markings and and licensing in all the right places and from what I can tell without actually having used the real steel version, it seems to function and even field strip like the real .40 caliber model. The only real telltale sign are the plastic parts but as I said before it is very hard to tell because of this Airsoft guns heavy weight.
Purchased From: Used.
Pros:
I got this one as a bargain ($50) to say the least.
Very realistic replica with full licensing.
Seems to be very accurate for a short barreled Airsoft pistol.
Decent FPS for a compact GBB Airsoft gun.
Even thought the frame and slide are polymer, it has very good weight and feel to it.
Everything works like the original, field strips and most mechanical parts are metal.
Hard to find this one, not in production as far as I know?
Plastic slide and frame but still very high quality.
Seems to go through gas fast - 20 BB's and it's done!
Comments:
For those of you who have been a bit down on the Airsoft guns I have been reviewing, maybe you just haven't put your hands on the right ones so far? I am now on my third Airsoft product review and I have received all kinds of comments from people ranging from very positive to very negative, with some people comparing Airsoft guns to kids toys. The funny thing is it's all about perspective - people who only shoot powder burners will say an Airgun is a toy but again many powder burner shooters also shoot airguns for economical and practical reasons. I think we should respect peoples interest and if it's not for you then stick with what is for you but at least first give it a chance. I plan to take part in some Airsoft games so this is a great time for me to see what Airsoft guns I like and will work well once I get in a battle situation. Now getting back to the Western Arms Smith & Wesson Shorty 40 at hand... It is a pleasure to shoot and for a "Broken" gun it sure works well, I wonder what a new pristine condition one would shoot like? It's hard for me to tell you to go out and buy one since they are not readily available but if you do manage to come across one, grab it if you can!
My Vimeo Video Review for the Western Arms Smith & Wesson Shorty 40 Airsoft Pistol:
Every once in a while you get kind of lucky and get a real steel on something. Here in Canada, getting your hands on an "all black" Airsoft pistol is kind of hard since they are literally impossible to import as they are considered replicas unless they shoot "over" a set fps which most Airsoft pistols have trouble obtaining. There are some all black guns floating around from before the import restriction and there are some that slip through the cracks.
Yesterday I went into my local Army Surplus store (they also sell Airsoft guns) and saw a rather interesting little black pistol in behind the glass, something I had never seen before. When I looked at it a bit close it was in fact an all black GBB Airsoft pistol version of the Smith & Wesson .40 caliber Shorty! The sales person quickly told me the $50 price tag was because it was non-functioning or as he called it a "Grave Yard Special" I though hey, makes for a nice replica even if it does not work and so I bought it on the spot.
As is pretty normal for me, I rarely take anyone at their word and like to check things out for myself. So I loaded the magazine up with propane, added 20 BB's to the magazine and headed to my deck to give it a try. 20 rounds later and with my slide locked back I came to the conclusion that there was nothing wrong with this Airsoft catch of the day!
If your wondering where to get one I am not really sure, I did see them online in some overseas sites for around $220 or so. So my $50 was well spent ;)
I am in the process of making a "preview video" of this gun and will do a follow up full review video down the road a bit.
One question I get asked often is "Which are my favorite airguns?" or "What are my top 5 gun choices?" I have done my best to avoid answering this question because it's a very hard question to answer and to be truthful on any given day I may come up with a different selection of guns as there are just so many great airguns out there!
So today I took a bunch out and shuffled through them all to see if I could come up with five of my top picks, well at least for today that is, and I'm pretty happy with my selection (Umarex Desert Eagle - ASG CZ 75 P-07 Duty - Baikal MP-654K Makarov - Cybergun Tanfoglio Witness 1911 - ASG Dan Wesson 6 Inch Sliver). I know for a fact they are some excellent choices and if you happen to own or plan on buying one then I'm sure you will agree wiht me.
So checkout this Vimeo Video Review where I go through them and explain what I like about each gun, and why they made my Top 5 Airgun Pick.
One question I get asked all the time is to give my feedback on guns and in most cases I am asked to compare two or three guns with each other and come up with a definitive answer as to which on is the best or "which one should I buy?"
In this Vimeo Video I talk a bit about how I feel answering these questions because in many situations the guns being compared can not always be ranked on a scale as one being better then the other. Many times each gun offers its own set of positive and negative features and it really comes down to what features are most suited to your needs. Your needs may be very different then mine
Often it can be as simple as what style or look do you prefer because the guns in question may share the same features and benefits.
As you know I have been doing some reviews of my 22LR "Real Steel" guns and I added a couple more to the collection I want to share with you all. From my past experience, airguners also like the low cost 22LR guns for a variety of reasons including reduced operating cost, low recoil, lots of places to shoot them and so on...
I took both these guns to the gun range and put several hundred rounds through them and by the end they where both shooting very reliable using inexpensive box Blazer 22LR ammo. I stuck with this ammo because it seemed to be working well. The Chiappa 1911-22 was a bit pickier at first but I think it was mainly to do with a rather stiff magazine spring, making it difficult for the first couple rounds to chamber, again most of this sorted itself out by the end of the shooting day.
My ISSC M22 really performed well, the slide was a bit tight at first creating a few failures to chamber and eject but after a few magazines it settled right down and would hammer through all 10 rounds with no problems. I am really loving this little 22LR Glock replica!
Stay tuned for my full reviews on both of these guns and enjoy my Vimeo preview video for now!
UPDATE: The 4 inch Black and 6 inch Silver Dan Wesson Revolvers are now back in Stock!
First, the bad news... We are sold out in our Canada Store of some of our most popular Airguns; this includes most of the ASG Dan Wesson revolvers along with the STI Duty One, and the very popular Cybergun Witness 1911.
Now for the good news! You can pre-order these while we get some more back in stock and save $20 while also reserving yours ahead of the non-pre-orders.
We are looking at about a 2-3 week wait while we get more in and as soon as they are back in stock we are putting the price back up so if one of these has been on your wish-list then make sure to grab one on sale now!
