Today I bring to you my shooting field test for my second new Umarex Blowback 4.5mm CO2 BB Pistol and this one is part of the Legends Series, it's called the "Pistol C96" and is a variant of the Mauser C96, all though more so like the M1932 or M712 Schnellfeuer. The Umarex version is not licensed but none the less is a very good replica with lots of working parts including the blowback metal bolt, metal hammer, metal safety and adjustable metal rear sight. The single action only trigger is also metal along with the internal barrel and full size drop out metal magazine giving this otherwise all external plastic gun good overall weight of around 2 pounds.
Getting to the performance aspect of the Umarex C96 Mauser CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol, I can say it is even more fun to shoot than admire it's beauty! I first put 5 rounds through my Chronograph hoping to get somewhere near the 380 fps claimed rating and actually exceeded it with an average of 390 fps even on this slightly cool day.
Lately I have been stepping back to my 30 foot mark even for pistol field tests and so I tested the Legends Mauser C96 with 10 rounds at 30 feet out using a semi rested position and got a very respectable 1.25 inch shot group. I did have to adjust the rear sight up a few notches to get it a centered on the target but it is very easy to do on the fly with this Replica Blowback BB pistol.
I am very impressed with the single action only trigger on the Umarex C96, it is nice and short and not too heavy with a predictable release, combine that with a very snappy fast blowback and you have yourself a very quick shooter on your hands! You can expect to get somewhere around 100 shots per CO2 and this gun is very backyard friendly as it is one of the quieter CO2 BB guns I have tested.
Yes there is a a lot of plastic on the outside but everything else is awesome about this pistol so don't let a few molecules turn you off of this little treasure...
Finally, a field test video for you and I thought I would start off with the new Umarex Beretta Mod. 84 FS CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol. This replica BB pistol is fully licensed and is a very decent operational replica to boot. It has a full size drop out metal magazine with blowback operation, a working slide catch/release and safety along with the ability to be easily field striped. Did I mention it's pretty much an all metal gun?
So this video is mainly about the performance and overall I was very happy with how the compact Umarex Beretta Mod. 84 FS shot for me. Even on this somewhat cool day, my average fps came in just a smidgen higher than the claimed 360 fps from Umarex. I was a bit surprised at the slightly heavy single action trigger but it didn't seem to effect the accuracy at all as I got about a 1.5 inch 10 shot group from 30 feet away using a semi rested position. You can even coax out around 100 shots per CO2 if you space your shooting out a bit and let the CO2 warm up between magazines.
All in all, if you like the Beretta 92 FS styled pistols but perhaps want a more compact version with good overall fps and accuracy along with licensing and quality build. Then for sure pick your self up an Umarex Beretta Mod. 84 FS CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol.
Moving on to the head to head comparison of the Tanfoglio Gold Custom versus the Sig Sauer X-Five Sight Rail (Open version). Again like my previous video of the KWC Model M1911 Tac A1 versus the Cybergun-KWC GSG 92-M92, these two Air Pistols feature full size drop out metal magazines that hold the CO2 and 4.5mm steel BB's, along with full blowback with working slide catches, safeties and magazine releases. Both are field Strippable and both have the addition of sight rails with red dot sights for quick target acquisition.
I did not find either sight rail pistol to be all that much more accurate than similar open sight pistols like the KWC Model M1911 Tac A1 and Cybergun-KWC GSG 92-M92, but I did find that target acquisition was much quicker and even when I accidentally double tapped the trigger, the second round was right on target.
In this field test comparison I shoot both guns through my Chronograph to see what kind of feet per second performance each one shoots, I also take them back 30 feet and shoot 10 rounds on a paper target using a semi rested position for true accuracy results.
Watch my Field Test Head to Head Shootout for the Tanfoglio Gold Custom versus the Sig Sauer X-Five Sight Rail:
Both CO2 4.5mm Replica Air Pistols feature full size drop out metal magazines that hold the CO2 and 4.5mm steel BB's. These super realistic BB guns also have full blowback with working slide catches, safeties and magazine releases and they can both be field stripped juts like the real steel versions.
In this field test comparison I shoot both guns through my Chronograph to see what kind of feet per second performance each one shoots, I also take them back 30 feet and shoot 10 rounds on a paper target using a semi rested position for true accuracy results.
Watch my Field Test Head to Head Shootout for the KWC Model M1911 Tac A1 vs Cybergun-KWC GSG 92-M92:
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.
We carry a lot of the G&G line and perhaps have as much in stock as you would find at the G& G booth ;) I did see a few items we do not have in stock so I will have to see what I can do about that. Some products that I hope to see added to our Canada Replica Airguns Store would for sure be the M1 Grand and our Canadian Military Colt C7A1/2.
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.
Installment number 2 of my Head-to-Head Airgun comparisons. In this video I compare the replica Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol versus the Gamo PT-85 CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol. Both are very similar mechanically and use very similar rotary magazines combined with single action hammers and very heavy blowback.
Watch the video below to see the Beretta PX4 Storm CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol go head to head against the Gamo PT-85 CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol in both a test of the feet per second performance and accuracy shooting at 30 feet using a semi rested position.
This post is really all about watching the YouTube video and seeing how these two similar CO2 4.5mm Steel BB revolvers compare to each other. I was working with a new Chronograph since again it was really dark outside and my old Chronograph does not like darkness. I did get some usable Chrony results with the new one but I did have to work for it ;)
I get many question over on my Vimeo Channel, lots of times people asking me which gun is better and in most cases it really comes down to personal preference. But in some situations the comparisons are really close and to be honest it's even hard for me to decide which gun I think is better.
I get asked which one has higher fps, or is more accurate, or has harder blowback recoil... the list goes on. Without actually taking both gun outside and doing a head to head test using the same exact situations, I really can not honestly tell you! So that's exactly what I am going to do. Take some of the most commonly asked about gun comparisons and have a showdown.
Over the next while I will be making a total of five separate videos where I compare the following CO2 BB pistols head to head:
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!
In this Field Test Shooting Review I do actually shoot the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol which is what many of you want to see :) I shoot 5 rounds through the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol until the slide locks out and capture all of this using my Nikon 1 1080p HD camera along with my Casio EX-ZR1000 slow motion 240 frames per second camera.
My ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol even though it could be as old as 10+ years still performed perfectly with no misfires or failures to load or eject, a testament to the West German build quality!
After posting my Table Top Review for the Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Airgun, It seemed like most people where pretty interested with it and where looking forward to my Field Test Shooting Review. So I wanted to get this one out before the Holidays! Thought I would wear my Santa hat for this one :)
I did manage to get my Chronograph problem figured out so for this test I got reads on all 8 shots which was awesome! So how did my Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Pistol perform? Pretty nicely overall, since it has 8 shots at each end of teh 16 shot rotary magazine I decided to base my testing on 8 shot groups. The first 8 shots where aimed through my Chronograph resulting in an average 415 fps using 7 grain RWS lead pellets. Not bad considering how cold it was and the fact that I was not using the super light weight PBA® Platinum Pellets. I would expect even lead pellets to hit 450 fps on a warm day.
The next 8 rounds where designated for the paper target which was setup 30 feet from my semi rested position (rested on sand bag and standing in the back). All 8 rounds shot within 1.5 inches and I am pretty sure I could do this all day long with this pellet shooter. I then emptied the other half o my magazine on my swinging steel targets and it appears I hit them most of the time looking back on my video.
The blowback is minimal with this CO2 blowback pistol, I don't think the internal blowback mechanism caries that much weight to it but you do feel some blowback when the CO2 is new and full. Gamo claims the trigger to be around 9.5 pounds worth of pull but to me it feel much lighter, combine that with the pull length being fairly short and you can shoot 8 rounds off at a time in a hurry with this Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Airgun.
If I could have my way I would have liked to have seen a working ejection port like the Umarex MP5K PDW and perhaps a bit more blowback feel but other than that the Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Pistol is a great replica CO2 Blowback pellets gun for the money.
As promised I did a redo of my Original Chronograph Test for my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. The first time around I just could not get my Chronograph to read in the poor lighting I had going on that day. I spent a fair bit of time doing some testing with my Chronograph since it is that time of year when the lighting is poor and determined that I need to use the white defusing panels as it seems that my roofline and the low light are playing havoc with the Chronograph readings.
Once I sorted this all out my Chronograph worked perfectly and I was able to get some readings for you with my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. As I assumed I did not get much over 350 fps. I also got a lot of variation in the fps, most likely due to the fact that I had to roll down the pellets a bit on the backside in order to feed them in the barrel from front to back, some pellets where tight and some where a bit looser, the looser ones seemed to shoot a bit faster as less of the pressure may have escaped out the back where the primer was situated.
It's that time of the year again where I dread having to go outside and do my Field Test Shooting Reviews, it's way too cold so the CO2 guns are not performing at their very best, neither am I since all I'm thinking about is "let's get this over so I can go inside and warm up with a nice cup of coffee ;)". It's also dark and dreary which means the lighting is not so good for the cameras or the chronograph, even with a bunch of extra lights setup, it's just not the same as what a nice bright day can do to spruce up the video and get the chrony to read the pellet speeds.
After some playing around with the lighting, I did manage to get my Chronograph to read a couple of shots and it shot just a bit above 350 fps, I would imagine the Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol should get 400" fps easy on a warm day with a fresh CO2. At least we have an idea of whereabouts it shoots.
Once I finished playing around with my temperamental chronograph, I headed back to the 30 foot mark and took aim at my paper target using a semi rested position (sand bag rest up front, standing in the back). I shot the rest of the magazine, which was around 10 rounds left since I was originally loaded up with 30 rounds and ended up using a lot of them trying to get my Chronograph to read for the first part of the field shooting test.
Even with the fairly wide open sights, I managed to get a very consistent 1.5 inch grouping out my Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol which kind of surprised me since I did not really feel the sight picture was suited for accuracy. Too much open space side to side but none the less it shoot straight and true and even very well centered on target with only a bit of pull to the left.
In terms of shoot-ability, the Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol felt pretty good, the trigger is not the lightest for a single action only trigger but it is short and the break is clean. I had no miss-feeds or jams which I have heard this gun is prone to with some pellets. I did notice when shooting rapid fire without any pellets in the gun, it wanted to go into short full auto bursts, this may have been the cold weather and/or low CO2 playing into things.
All-in-all the Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol is a nice air pistol to shoot even though it is a bit unorthodox looking, kind of a shame it's no longer in production. If you can find one in good working condition at the right price, pick it up because you may not get another chance.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the KSC M11A1 GBB Airsoft Machine Pistol is pretty much exactly what you would expect from this fast firing single action only semi and full auto machine pistol, it has a really short take-up and then a nice crisp light trigger pull. Since it is an open bolt system, you will need to pull back the bolt for the first shot, releasing the trigger releases the bolt, just like with a real M11A1.
Accuracy: At this point because I received this gun from another collector in used condition, it is not working 100%, the hop-up bucking was damaged and the new ones I ordered are not the correct versions for this Airsoft gun. It does shoot but it is temperamental, sometimes the bolt will not cycle all the way and I have no idea how this is effecting the fps and accuracy. It would not be fair to test it in this condition, hopefully I can find the right hop-up bucking for it and do the Field Test Shooting Review at some point.
Build Quality: MyKSC M11A1 GBB Airsoft Machine Pistol has been used a fair bit so it is somewhat battle scarred, still it looks pretty good and other than the Hop-up bucking problem I am having it should be in working condition, unfortunately without the correct hop-up bucking, this gun will not work properly. Hopefully I can find a hop-up bucking? Even though much of this machine pistol is plastic externally, it has held up very well, the metal parts do also help to balance it off and give it a decent overall 3 pound weight which feels good considering it is such a small gun.
Realism: The KSC M11A1 GBB Airsoft Machine Pistol is a very close copy of the real steel Cobra M11A1 Machine Pistol, all the parts appear to function just like the original Cobra RPB Industries M11A1 and it even field strips in the same manor. The full licensing and trademarks also help to make this replica very believable.
Very realistic and accurate replica with full Cobra RPB Industries licensing.
Even though there is lots of external polymer, it still has good weight to it.
Full metal 40 round drop out magazine, holds BB's and Gas.
Everything works like the original, field strips and lots of mechanical parts.
Shoots in both semi and full auto.
Cons:
Hard to get here in Canada and hard to get parts here in Canada.
Mostly plastic main build - Limited usage of metal and steel.
Have no idea how it will perform because it is not functioning at 100%.
Comments:
Well I've pretty much said everything I can say without actually shooting it? Even though my used KSC M11A1 GBB Airsoft Machine Pistol is not in 100% working condition, I still like having it as I like the replica aspects of owning it, how else would I get my hands on a .380 caliber full auto machine pistol here in Canada ;) And you never know, I may just luck out and find the proper hop-up bucking for it and then have the chance to do my Field Test Shooting Review for you all :)
My Vimeo Table Top Review of the KSC M11A1 GBB Airsoft Machine Pistol:
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol even though it is single action only, is a bit heavier than you may expect, it is more of a medium pull with a very short take up and then somewhat unexpected release due to the medium to heavy pull. Quick shot succession should be achievable though due to the short trigger pull length.
Accuracy: Well we will have to find out in my followup Field Test Shooting Video Review? And I really hope that this pistol is in working order so I am able to bring that review to you shortly. I am expecting it to produce around 400 fps and some decent accuracy with its rifled barrel.
Build Quality: The Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol is made in the US and is primarily a plastic built air pellet pistol, it does have some metal internal parts along with the screws, barrel, cross-bolt safety and CO2 Tab. Fit and finish seem to be fairly decent, in terms of reliability I have no idea but my hopes are high. I have heard that this pistol can jam if not using pellets that are agreeable with it.
Realism: The Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol is not really a replica so to speak, it does kind of resemble a bloated version of a Browning High Power but is much larger and out of proportion when comparing the two of them. The actual mechanical aspects of this gun are not like any other gun I have every come across, specifically when it comes to the 35 shot rotary magazine as the pellets spiral internally from front to back. The single action blowback mechanism is also very unique to an airgun pellet pistol, it has been said that this pistol can be converted to full auto but I have no intensions of doing so.
If you have a Power Line 2003 then you have a really rare gun from Daisy.
True single action Blowback operation.
One of the only Pellet Pistols that can be converted to full auto.
High capacity 35 round pellet magazine.
Made in the US.
Cons:
No longer in production.
Kind of large for a pistol, not true to scale.
Mostly plastic build materials
None adjustable sights.
Comments:
I have had an interest in the Daisy Power Line 2003 for some time but did not know how or if I would ever get my hands on one and lucky for me it finally happened :) The main interest here is simply that it is the only pellet pistol I know of that has a true single action blowback operation and to top things off it has a 35 round magazine! Sure there is the implication that it can be converted to full auto but for me I really want to keep this pistol in factory condition, I have other guns that shooting in full auto if I feel the urge to go Rambo on anything ;) Definitely stay posted for my Field Test Shooting Review for this rare Daisy pellet pistol.
My Vimeo Table Top Review of the Daisy Power Line 2003 Blowback Pellet Pistol:
I struggled a bit with this pistol during this Field Test Shooting review, mainly just in the accuracy portion. Perhaps the G&G GS-801 CO2 Blowback Airsoft Pistol did not like the .36 gram BB's I was using, maybe a bit too heavy or perhaps the hop-up did not agree with the size of this Airsoft round. Either way, my accuracy test did not do so well! I may give this gun another go at some point using a different Airsoft BB and perhaps simply using the iron sights over the built in laser just in case that was the issue?
As per usual, I tested this pistol out using my Chronograph to see what kind of actual feet per second rating I get from it. I fired 5 rounds from the G&G GS-801 using .20 gram plastic Airsoft BB's and this CO2 semi auto blowback pistol shot a very speedy 415 fps average.
Next up was the accuracy test, I decided to setup at the 30 foot mark and I shot a total of 10 rounds from my G&G GS-801 CO2 Blowback Airsoft Pistol using a semi rested position, (sand bag for a hand rest and standing in the back). My grouping was all over the place vertically (about 6 inches) but not so bad horizontally (about 2 inches). It makes me wonder if the hop-up was playing into it or maybe my laser sight was moving around up and down?
The trigger pull on the G&G GS-801 CO2 Blowback Airsoft Pistol is kind of different, it is single action only since the blowback action cocks the hammer back with each shot. There is a fair amount of take up with next to no resistance followed by the release point which seems kind of heavy after the soft take-up section, you need to keep applying pressure and then with no real movement it will just suddenly release so it's kind of hard to predict without practice. During the take-up portion of the trigger pull, a BB is loaded into the barrel and the laser sight will automatically turn on if you have the laser in the active position.
Over all the G&G GS-801 CO2 Blowback Airsoft Pistol is a well put together Semi Auto Pistol, it looks good, performs nice and hot and is a lot of fun to shoot, I would have liked to have seen better accuracy from it but in a heated Airsoft battle at close range, the built in laser will get you on target quickly and as long as you are not shooting at really long ranges you should be just fine.
Since both the Gold ASG Dan Wesson and the G&G G731 Airsoft Revolvers both have the 2.5 inch barrels on them and in many ways are very similar (at least mechanically), I thought I would not only do my Table Top Review but also my Field Test Shooting Review using both guns side by side so we can really get an idea of how they perform and compare.
As per usual, I test both pistols out on my Chronograph to see what kind of real world feet per second rating I get, since they are 6 shot Revolvers, I fired 6 single action rounds from each gun using .20 gram plastic Airsoft BB's and averaged out the string. Both guns shot a little bit over 400 fps with the Dan Wesson having just a bit of a higher fps over the G&G G731.
Next up was the accuracy test, I decided to setup at my 30 foot mark so that any accuracy differences would be more noticeable, again I shot 6 rounds from each gun while I used a semi rested position, (sand bag for a hand rest and standing in the back). This time I would have to give the slight edge to the G&G G731 as it seemed to shoot just a bit tighter grouping over my Dan Wesson Gold. Both guns shot pretty close to a 2 inch 6 shot group.
Both pistols have pretty decent single and double action triggers, there is a some noticeable friction when shooting in double action due to the way the barrel seals against the cylinder so you may want to shoot in single action when going for the most accurate of shooting.
When it comes to sight picture the Dan Wesson does have a fully adjustable rear sight but the G&G G731 gets the job done with it's simple yet effective grove sight which I kind of preferred with this style of short barreled revolver.
If you want more of that combat look with some Gold Bling than perhaps the Gold ASG Dan Wesson is the one for you? Perhaps you want something like the G&G G731, as compact and simple as it gets that you know you can count on as a backup ready sidearm. There isn't a bad choice here with either of these nice compact Airsoft Revolvers.
