The question comes up often about which Airgun to buy. Customers are wondering when they are looking at a specific Airgun and they see several similar products but from different companies, are they the same gun and if so which one should they decide to buy?
One of the biggest Airgun suppliers out there is for sure KWC, their BB and Airsoft guns are redistributed through companies like Umarex, Crosman, Sig Sauer, ASG, Gletcher and more. Often times the companies that redistribute KWC Airguns hold licensing agreements with real gun manufacturers like Smith & Wesson, Glock, Colt, Beretta, Sig Sauer, Taurus to name a few… KWC makes the Airguns in their Taiwanese factory but they are not allowed to put a real gun manufacturer license on the Airguns they distribute directly so KWC distributed Airguns will generally be all black.
I have also seen companies like Umarex distribute a new KWC Airgun that I have not seen yet from KWC, I believe KWC works with these big name Airgun companies directly and will build a new gun or variation of an existing KWC Airgun for them and give that Company an exclusive for a period of time. KWC will eventually regain the rights to sell that Airgun model directly after 6 months to a year.
Now that you know a little bit more on how it all works let’s get back to whether you should buy a KWC branded Airgun or other Brands same Airgun. It really comes down to I would say three factors. Do you want a Licensed version of the Airgun you are buying? Is there a price difference? Which gun is available to buy when I am ready to buy?
When you buy the Licensed version of the KWC Airgun redistributed through a third part Airgun Company you will often get a lot more writing on the Airgun than just the Gun Manufacturers name. Warning information comes to mind and does not look all that attractive on the slide where it is usually found in bright white lettering. If you like a cleaner look and don’t mind the lack of licensing then the KWC distributed version will generally be all back, nice and clean looking.
You would think buying the KWC Version that is sold more directly to the end customer would be the less expensive of the options because less hands are involved in the selling process. This is not always true, it is more about supply and demand, if more people want the cleaner looking KWC version but it’s harder to get ahold of than the price of the KWC version may actually be higher than say the Umarex or Crosman version. So shop around if price is the deciding factor as the guns are going to be mechanically the same with just some slight cosmetic differences between them.
Lastly, availability maybe what eventually leads you to buy a KWC version over an Umarex, or Crosman or Sig version since if the gun is not in stock well you may have limited options and so the one in stock is going to be perhaps your only option! Don’t feel like you got short changed, again these guns are virtually all the same at the end of the day no matter if you buy it from KWC, Umarex, Crosman, Sig Sauer, ASG, Gletcher or whomever.
The subject of Red/Orange tips on Airguns is often a bit controversial, the idea behind putting a Red or Orange tip on an Airgun is to distinguish an Airsoft gun from a “Real Gun”. Is this really a good idea? Do we really want to encourage people from treating an Airgun as if it was not real? Does the Orang/Red tip give people the wrong idea that an Airgun can be used with less responsibility than a real gun and if so what are the consequences.
In my “Is a Red or Orange Tip on an Airgun a Good or Bad Idea” YouTube Video I dress two main issues I have with putting Red or Orange Tips on Airguns and in this case I am talking mainly from the perspective of a person living in North America where we often see Red/Orange tips on Airsoft guns that come from the US. In Canada our legally imported Airsoft guns do not require Red or Orange tips since they are actually considered unregulated firearms as an Airsoft gun has been determined to be able to cause serious injury.
Main Point Number 1: Does adding a Red or Orange tip give the false impression that an Airgun is a toy and can be treated just like a toy? Would you give an Airgun to a child unsupervised? Can an Airgun cause a serious injury or even death, and if so why is an Airgun potentially less dangerous than a “Real Gun”?
Main Point Number 2: Does the additional a Red/Orange Tip on and Airgun make it harder for law enforcement to make a decision when they are forced to act on someone that appears to have a gun and is using it in a dangerous way? What do they do when a person is brandishing what looks to be a firearm but it appears to have a Red or Orange Tip on it? What if someone simply painted the tip Red or Orange to throw people off and make them second guess themselves allowing the perpetrator critical time to get the first and most critical shots off?
I am not trying to stir up any pots here but simply bringing up concerns I have with adding Red or Orange Tips to Airguns. Maybe the powers that be need to reconsider if a Red or Orange Tip on an Airgun is a good or bad idea?
To celebrate Victoria Day here in Canada we are having a SALE over in the www.ReplicaAirguns.ca Online Store! Everything will be 10% OFF! Sale will go over this weekend and end Monday night.
We are featuring a couple of newer products in the Canada Store, one from G&G and one from Umarex…
I’ve reviewed a lot of the Single Action Army Revolvers to date in a variety of 4.5mm Steel BB and .177 caliber lead pellet shooting versions but so far I have not reviewed any 6mm Airsoft versions, until now!
In this Field Test Shooting Video Review I test out the Umarex Legends Wildcard 45 CO2 Airsoft Revolver to see what the actual real world fps is and also shoot at a paper target 30 feet down range to see what kind of accuracy I can get from it.
Starting with my Chronograph test. I placed 6 shots using my Umarex Legends Wildcard 45 CO2 Airsoft Revolver through the Chronograph and averaged them out getting a result of 342 fps. Not bad considering Umarex claims only 335 fps. I was using .20 gram plastic Airsoft BB’s with a brand new CO2 and the indoor temperature was 22 degrees Celsius or about 70 degrees Fahrenheit which is a fairly neutral temperature for testing a CO2 Airgun.
Next I loaded up my Umarex Legends Wildcard 45 CO2 Airsoft Revolver this time with .32 gram plastic Airsoft BB’s and shot the full 6 round cylinder on my paper target 30 feet away using a rested seated position. 5 of the rods all shot within about 3 inches while one came outside of this just a bit. The Umarex Legends Wildcard 45 CO2 Airsoft Revolver shot really well center on the target and since there are no sighting adjustments or hop-up adjustments this is good news!
I’m not really sure if a six shot single action only revolver is really going to be your best option for an Airsoft battle but hey who am I to say. The Umarex Legends Wildcard 45 CO2 Airsoft Revolver does have about the right fps for close quarter shooting and shoots on target at least at 30 feet or more so in those regards it’s just fine. Low ammo capacity, not so quick reloading and having to cock the hammer for each shot could be a limiting factor but if the old west cowboys could clear a room in seconds with these six shooters then why not give it a go!
In this Update Video we take a look at some BB and Airsoft pistols I have already reviewed but in a slightly different form factor. They are all Umarex Legends pistols but two of them (The P.08 and M712) are WWII Special Editions versions with that aged weathered look to them.
The Umarex Single Action Army Wildcard .45 is in 6mm Airsoft which I have so far not review in a Single Action Army Revolver so not only will I be showing you this one up close, but I will be doing a followup Field Test Shooting video for it shortly.
Here are some basic specifications on these three Airguns:
Umarex WWII Limited Edition M712 Full Auto Blowback BB Pistol
Type:BB Pistol Manufacturer:Umarex Model:WWII Limited Edition M712 Materials: Full Metal Weight: 1424 grams (3.15 pounds) Barrel: Smoothbore Power Source: CO2 Action: Semi and Full Auto Ammo Type: 4.5mm BBs Ammo Capacity: 18 Rounds FPS: 360
Umarex WWII Limited Edition P08 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol
Type:BB Pistol Manufacturer:Umarex Model:WWII P08 Materials: Full Metal Weight: 808 grams (1.7 pounds) Barrel: Smoothbore Power Source: CO2 Action: Semi and Full Auto Ammo Type: 4.5mm BBs Ammo Capacity: 21 Rounds FPS: 300
We recently updated our Canada Replica Airguns Online Store and made some visual and navigation changes to help our customers find products they are looking for a little bit easier. We will also be rolling this new look and design over to the US Replica Airguns Online Store shortly but for now you can see the before and after by swathing between Canada and US Stores.
Watch my Replica Airguns Online Store Update and New Look Video to see some of the new changes!
It’s not always about bunnies and chocolates, why not celebrate Easter with some savings over at the Canada Replica Airguns Online Store! Save 10% Sitewide till Monday April 22nd.
Being that KWA is a new product in our Replica Airguns Online Stores, I wanted to go over as much of the KWA product line as possible and really not only learn for myself but be able to share all of this information with everyone. I have to thank Jonathan for spending so much of his time really diving in deep to what KWA has to offer.
There really is an absolute ton of info in this video that in no way I can put into words so you’re going to have to watch this KWA SHOT Show Interview from start to finish. So go get yourself a snack and something to drink, cause it’s going to be a long one!
This year at SHOW Show 2019 Bob from ASG had a lot to show me so make sure to watch the full Interview Video for all the details and information.
Bob and I first go over a new ASG CZ Airsoft Pistol called the Shadow 2 kind of like a modernized SP-01 Shadow. The ASG CZ Shadow 2 is a competition stile pistol with adjustable sights and trigger and will come in both CO2 and Green Gas magazine options.
Next up Bob showed me the CZ75 SP01 ACCU Shadow with some special edition features like: Ergonomic anodized aluminum grips with grip tape, match style high sights, oversized slide release and ambidextrous safety and a tunable anodized aluminum trigger.
ASG being the exclusive partner with ICS had some new ICS Pistols to show us. First up was the Airsoft ICS XPD, a compact Gas Blowback System that will come with shorter compact magazines and extended magazines that will hold more green gas. Both Gas magazines will feature a new valve system called the Revo system.
If you like the feel of a 1911 but perhaps want something a bit more modern then checkout the New ASG Korth PRS Airsoft Pistol, you can even put real 1911 grips on it!
Not new to ASG this year is the CZ Scorpion Evo 3 A1 but ASG has enhanced this Airsoft rifle by working with a designer to adding an M-Lok Handguard, Magwell Grip and Fore Grip that will be a three part system you can customize.
Last Bob showed me around the CQR Hera Arms Airsoft Rifle that is a collaboration of ASG, Hara Arms, ICS. It will come in standard Mosfet and Triple-S (Smart Shooting System).
Looking forward to getting my hands-on some of these new ASG
I stumbled on what I thought was one of the most interesting new Airsoft products at SHOT Show this year. A company by the name of American Airsoft Factory has made an AR styled Airsoft Rifle that is completed Battery/Electric operated but acts and feels like a Gas Blowback System. They use a computerized fire control system to operate a mechanical Open Bolt with full Blowback operation. The American Airsoft Factory AR system will auto decide when the your standard Hi-cap or Mid-cap AEG magazine is empty and the bolt will lock back ready to swap out a full magazine, just press the bolt release and you’re ready to engage your target!
The American Airsoft Factory product will not be cheap but it is incredibly high end and features real steel compatibility. I see this being of interest to military and police organizations along with serious Airsofters that are looking for the ultimate Airsoft Rifle.
So now I just need to get my hands on an American Airsoft Factory rifle so I can test it out and make a review! Maybe we can even add them to our Online Replica Airguns Stores?
I’m a bit late getting this one out, I was a bit distracted yesterday and not with your typical Valentines day events. Sometimes life get’s a bit in the way. So here’s the deal. Save 10% Site-wide from Feb 14th till Feb 17th.
Air Venturi announced their new Springfield Armory lien of BB and Airsoft guns at SHOT Show 2019 and of course I stopped by to talk with Scott and see what these new products where all about!
First off we have the Springfield Armory M1 Carbine Rifle. You will be able to get it in either 4.5mm Steel BB or 6mm Airsoft versions. Both will have full drop out metal magazines that hold the 12 gram CO2 and either 15 BB or Airsoft rounds. You can expect around 40-60 shots per CO2 since the Springfield Armory M1 Carbine is a full blowback Airgun. The standard version will come with a synthetic wood stock that is very believable but for around $100 more you will have the option of a real wood stock which does add a bit to more weight to the rifle.
Continuing on with some more Springfield Armory Airguns. Air Venturi will be distributing the XDM pistol in a compact and full size configuration, again both 4.5mm Steel BB and Airsoft versions. There will be a solid black version and a two tone silver slide version so lots of options to pick from. The 4.5mm Steel BB version will use a 12 gram CO2 while the Airsoft version will allow for Green Gas or CO2 mags.
I wanted to mention one more product Scott showed me that is still in production, a reactive target system called the Bata-Bang that connects to your phone via Bluetooth allowing you to time your shooting and play shooting games with it and others even online. Hopefully we see this product soon from Air Venturi!
This may be a bit confusion to some of you but Crosman has done a bit of a rebrand and is now going by the name of Velocity Outdoor. This is because Crosman has been acquiring more and more products over the years that are not necessarily airgun related and felt that putting all the brands under the name Velocity Outdoor made more sense from a company stand point. Of course in this video we are going to focus in on the Crosman Products within Velocity Outdoor.
So what’s new? Well an even better Crosman DPMS SBR! How can you make the Crosman DPMS SBR even better? By creating an updated or version 2 called the Bushmaster MPW. It comes in two tone black and false dark earth with a shorter hadnguard yet it keeps it’s barrel leith by extending the barrel right to the end of the mock suppressor. Tis can also swap out the but stock with any AR but stock and the Bushmaster MPW comes with a red dot sight. Internally the Bushmaster MPW and the Crosman DPMS SBR are the same.
Some of you may remember the Crosman Night Stalker CO2 Pellet Rifle? That product was retired years ago but Crosman has used the name in a new CO2 BB Pistol called the Night Stalker. The Crosman Night Stalker Pistol has a built in guide rod styled laser, has blowback operation along with a stick magazine. This should be a fun plinker with its laser sight.
Going even further back to the old Crosman 357 days, this revolver styled CO2 air pistol just seems to live on and on being revamped just a little each time by Crosman. Now you can get it in their Triple Threat package. Basically it’s the same Crosman 357 frame that comes with three barrels you can swap out as needed. You get a three inch snub nosed barrel, a six inch barrel similar to the Vigilante and then an eight inch Dirty Hairy styled barrel. Who says you can’t have it all?
This year at SHOT Show Las Vegas 2019 Umarex introduced some new Glock's, a New Beretta and a new Pellet Rifle which unfortunately was not brought to my attention when I did my Interview so sorry now coverage of the Ruger 10/22 CO2 Pellet Rifle :(
Starting with two new CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Glocks, Umarex now has a Glock 17 Generation 3 partial blowback CO2 BB Glock with a full size drop out metal magazine. This setup will increase the fps a bit since it uses the more efficient partial blowback system. If you would rather have a full Blowback CO2 BB Glock then Umarex has it in a Glock 17 Generation 4 version that functions pretty much like a traditional Airsoft Blowback gun but instead this one uses 4.5mm steel BB’s.
In terms of Blowback Airsoft Glocks Umarex has a two Glock 17’s, yo can get them in generation 3 or 4 an both are full blowback with full size drop out metal magazines.
Umarex introduced a really nice M9A3 Beretta this year at SHOT Show 2019. The Umarex Beretta M9A3 comes in the FDE color scheme and has an extended threaded barrel that should be able to take a much suppressor. The Beretta M9A3 is full blowback with a full size dropout metal magazine and can be shot in semi or full auto.
Now for the Umarex Ruger 10/22 Pellet Rifle I completely missed at the Umarex booth… Well if you didin’t know there was a pellet version of this rifle you would be hard pressed to be abel to tell the difference between it and the real 22LR version! The Umarex Ruger 10/22 Pellet Rifle utilizes twin 12 gram CO2 cartridges to fire .177 caliber pellets. It has a 10 round drop out magazine with interchangeable rotary nmagzines that can be pre-loaded. And yes the Umarex Ruger 10/22 Pellet Rifle is a blowback Airgun!
Here we go, the first SHOT Show Interview for 2019 and why not kick things off with Sig Sauer. After all Sig Sauer has been super dedicated to bringing new Airgun designs to the airgun community year after year and this year at SHOT Show was no exception!
My favorite item from Sig Sauer this year at SHOT Show was the Sig Sauer P365 ASP, as the name suggests it is based on their 9mm firing real steel Sig Sauer P365 and somehow similar to how they fit 10 rounds of 9mm ammo into such a compact magazine and gun, the BB version also manages to jam a 12 gram CO2 cartridge into a very tiny drop out metal magazine! Really looking forward to getting my hands on this one!
Sig Sauer launched several Airsoft guns, an AEG Airsoft Rifle called the MCX Virtus and two GBB Airsoft Pistols, the M17 and P226. All of them fully licensed and also should be Canada import ready.
Last up but something that we have all been waiting for in an ASP Pellet firing rifle, the Virtus 22 Caliber PCP Rifle. Well the name says it all. It’s basically an MCX Pellet Rifle but now in 22 caliber and with a PCP tank built into the rear stock. In Canada you will need a PAL to buy one but import into Canada should not be a problem for license holders since the 22 Virtus PCP will quality as a long gun.
I’m back from SHOT Show Las Vegas 2019 and as always I had an awesome time. I love January since I get to go to SHOT Show each year. What an awesome job!
This year was another great show with lots of new products from the Airgun companies. I managed to get seven interviews in this year so I have my work cut out for me editing and uploading all of these informative YouTube Videos.
For now here is a SHOT Show Las Vegas 2019 Teaser Video along with some photos…
I’m heading off to SHOT Show in Las Vegas so you won’t hear much from me this week. I will be posting photos and videos as they happen over on the Replica Airguns Instagram Channel so make sure to follow us on Instagram to see all the new stuff as I see it!
My Field Test Shooting videos for blank guns are pretty basic! I can’t test for accuracy since there is no bullet hitting a target and similarly since there is no bullet I can not test the velocity or feet per second power. SO what is there really left to test?
I guess will the blank gun I am testing fire when I pull the trigger? That’s all there is to really test. You may ask why even make a Field Test Shooting Video for a blank gun if you can’t test accuracy and power. I’ll tell you why… Because it’s just fun and it looks good on camera :)
So watch my YouTube video of me popping of some .380 caliber blanks with my ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver inside the Sea Can Airgun Shooting Range.
Type: Blank Revolver. Manufacturer: ROHM (RÖHM). Model:RG-89 Materials: Mostly Metal. Weight: 1.45 pounds (658 grams). Barrel: Front firing designed for attaching a flare adaptor. Propulsion: Gun powder. Action: Single & double action. Ammunition Type: 9mm / .380 caliber crimped. Ammunition Capacity: 6 rounds. FPS: N/A.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver in single action is fairly light weight with virtually no take up at all as you would expect from a revolver. The double action trigger pull is much heavier with a smooth release. Mechanically the trigger feels really solid.
Accuracy: NA.
Build Quality: The overall build quality for the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver is excellent, being German made its built to last and the fit and finish is typical German quality. There are steel parts where they need to be like in the barrel, pins, screws and reenforcing parts, the rest of the gun is generally made out of a zinc alloy otherwise know as pot metal with only the moulded grips being made out of plastic.
Realism: The ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver is not an exact replica of any given gun in production as this would make importing it into Canada even more difficult, but it is styled after a Snub Nosed type Revolver. As for looking like and working like a real gun, the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver looks and sounds as loud as a real gun, of course with the exception of the dangerous bullet coming out of the barrel!
All metal gun with reenforced steel in some areas.
Front firing gun.
Large caliber makes a bigger bang.
Higher 6 shot capacity over RG-59.
Chrome (Silver) finish is very nice.
Also like the moulded grips on the Chrome version.
Comes with Flare Adaptor & Cleaning Rods.
Comes in a nice foam lined plastic hard shell case.
Right now Rohm is the only blank gun brand we can get in Canada.
Cons:
Double Action trigger pull is a bit heavy.
Have to make sure you only shot them where you will not get in trouble. Very loud!
Expensive due to them being harder to get and in high demand in Canada.
Comments: I think the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver especially in the Chrome (Nickel) version is one of the nicest looking ROHM Blank guns we stock. The additional size over say a ROHM RG-59 makes it feel a lot more beefy in the hand, you also get the extra 6th 9mm / .380 caliber blank with the larger cylinder of the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver. Anther bonus with the Chrome or Nickel version is that you get moulded grips that again I feel looks and fells better in the hand. Along with the ROHM RG-88, the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver is one of my Top ROHM Picks!
My Full Video Review for the ROHM RG-89 .380 Caliber Blank Revolver:
