Trigger Pull: The single action only trigger pull on the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is actually pretty good. It's fairly short with only a little bit of very light take up and then an easy release that has no added friction. So you will have to get use to when and where the release happens but it is a really decent trigger for such an inexpensive airgun.
Accuracy: I have only shot the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol a few times to get use to the mechanical operation of using this spring powered pistol since there is a very specific order in which you need to cock and load the Umarex DX-17 for proper operation. I did find the DX-17 shot a bit high for me at 30 feet out so I had to adjust my aim point about 5-6 inches lower to hit targets at this range. For further out shooting you many not need to do so since the fps is fairly low and I would expect the BB to drop pretty quickly. In terms of power being that the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is only rated at 200fps, well it seems sufficient enough for plinking away at targets and should have no problem getting through a pop can.
Build Quality: I was expecting this $20 low cost BB airgun to be fairly low quality in general but when I took it out of the plastic clamshell packaging I was pleasantly surprised by the overall quality and how the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol felt in my hand. It has a good weight to it and the fit and finish are really good. Mechanical parts tolerances feel snug and the plastic used feels of good quality.
Realism: The Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol as far as I know is not a replica of any specific real steel gun in production but it does kind of remind me of a Browning Hi-power at least the back half and the way the frame angles up a bit in front of the trigger. Other than that it looks the part of a real gun. The DX-17 has what looks like real working parts on it with the slide catch, magazine release and magazine but plat all moulded into the airgun. Available at the:Replica Airguns Store
Pros:
At $21 Canadian its great value for a target plinker.
It actually looks and feels pretty good in person, better than I expected build quality and weight to it.
No CO2 required so very cheap to shoot.
Single action trigger is actually really decent, better than most airguns.
Accessory rail for adding a red dot or perhaps a tactical light.
15 round reservoir makes followup shots quicker and no fumbling around loading BB’s in-between shots.
Lower fps means if you do do something stupid you are less likely to have to make a trip to the doctor
Cons:
Pretty low fps so don’t expect any long range shooting or great penetration.
Sights are not adjustable and it seems to shoot kind of high.
Why not rifle the barrel and make pellets an option?
Comments:
I rarely review these super low cost airguns especially spring powered ones with low fps, it almost seems like why would you want any of that? But you know the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol is actually a great little airgun and you really can't beat the price tag. You are also going to save a bunch of money not having to buy CO2 and once you load 15 rounds into the BB reservoir you can empty the DX-17 fairly quickly. Sure the power seems a bit low but it gets the job done and like I said if there was an accident, you are less likely to break that window or require medical attention. I think this would be a great add on to an existing order you might be making with us, that way you wouldn't have to pay for shipping for this one item and you get a fun little plinker for only $20 more.
My Vimeo Videos for the Umarex DX-17 Spring Powered BB Pistol:
Type: Nerf Gun. Manufacturer: Nerf Hasbro Model:Rival Zeus MXV-1200. Materials: Mostly plastic build. Weight: About 3 pounds with batteries installed. Ages: 14+ (My son is 10 and he is more than OK with this gun!) Propulsion: Electric flywheel 6x C batteries. Action: Semi auto. Ammunition Type: Nerf High-impact round balls. Ammunition Capacity: 12 round tube magazine. Max FPS: 100.
Trigger Pull: The trigger on the Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 is a little long and requires a firm trigger finger but it is not overly heavy. When you press the trigger it allows a Nerf High-impact round ball to advance into the motorized spinning flywheel area where the ball is accelerated and shot out of the inline barrel .
Accuracy: Keep in mind the Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 is designed as a fun in home battle gun so long range accuracy is not really that important. At up to 30 feet or so you shoudl have no problem hitting a person sized target. The Nerf High-impact round balls do come out the the barrel with a fair amount of spin so some random hooking can happen, usually the spin is more of a backspin that helps keep the ammo targeting in a more linear trajectory.
Build Quality: The Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 like most Nerf guns is built to take a fair bit of a beating since the target audience has mainly been kids and we know they are rarely careful with anything ;) The Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 is mainly plastic but as I mentioned it is high quality and so far has held up well to usage. Fit is good with all interchangeable parts working well and the finish has stayed pretty much pristine!
Realism: Nerf guns are not made to be too realistic since they are meant to be toys and not look too closely like a real gun, hence the brightly colored plastic and more futuristic design. I do like the addition of Picatinny styled rails in several locations where one can add accessories like magazine clips, red dots or even a tactical light or laser sight.
Pros:
Not as extreme as a Paintball gun but a little more intense than a standard Nerf gun.
Good build quality overall.
Easy to quickly swap out a fresh 12 rode tube magazine.
Flip up sights
Picatinny raise for adding accessories.
Decent power and accuracy for a Nerf style gun.
Semit auto action for fast follow up shots.
Cons:
Will use up batteries pretty quickly.
Flywheel will slow down when shooting close together semi auto shots.
Loading magazines does take some getting use to.
Comments: The Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 is a great option for pretty much anyone looking for a fun battle gun you can use indoors in your home with no worries about breaking windows or messing up your house. not to mention leaving west all over your body! The Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200 is going to be a bit more extreme than a standard Nerf gun for sure but way more toned down compares to a paintball gun or even an airsoft gun so if you want some good old rainy day indoor fun then checkout the Nerf Rival line of Nerf guns.
My Vimeo Table Top Full Review for the Nerf Rival Zeus MXV-1200:
Action: Bolt-action single shot, single action only.
Ammunition Type: .22 caliber pellets.
Ammunition Capacity: 1 round.
FPS: 460.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Crosman American Classic P1322 22 Caliber Pellet Pistol is non-adjustable but is short and fairly light with virtually no creep at all, it's just right there! The Crosman American Classic P1322 will allow for very accurate shot placement with only a little trigger time required to get use to the release tension required.
Accuracy: I found my Original Crosman 1377 (The .177 caliber version of this airgun) to be an amazing target pistol, getting about a 1/2 inch grouping from 30 feet out in a semi-rested position. And I even performed my accuracy test twice with the same result each time. In terms of fps performance, the Crosman American Classic P1322 22 Caliber Pellet Pistol is not required to be detuned for Canada importation so we should see very close to 460 fps even using heavier grain lead pellets! Make sure to look for my upcoming Field Test Shooting video for the Crosman American Classic P1322 22 Caliber Pellet Pistol.
Build Quality: The Crosman American Classic P1322 22 Caliber Pellet Pistol is not a fancy looking airgun but it gets the job done with a mostly all metal design and build. Remember this Croman configuration has been around since 1977 so about 40 years and has pretty much stayed the same so Crosman must be doing something right with the American Classic series if it has stood the test of time with very few changes to its design other than some cosmetics ones.
Realism: The Crosman P1322 American Classic Air Pistol is not a replica of any gun out there. The P1322 is made as a target airgun, so it looks like a target air pistol and is not expected to resemble a tradition real steel pistol of any sort.
Pros:
Fairly inexpensive target pistol (under $100 Canadian - $79 US)
Know to be very accurate.
Ability to regulate power with the amount of pumps.
Mostly all metal construction.
Rifled steel barrel.
Adjustable rear sight.
Light single action trigger.
Would be good for small close shot pest control because of good FPS and good accuracy for shot placement ability.
Lots of mods and upgrades available for this series of Crosman Airguns.
Cons:
The trigger is a bit thin (Can be upgraded).
Rear sight is adjustable but is hard to setup.
All black sights are hard to aim on darker targets.
Pumping is fairly firm and will take some time for max 10 pump power.
Comments:
The Crosman American Classic P1322 22 Caliber Pellet Pistol is a bit of a sleeper target pistol. It has been around for a long time and for this reason can be overlooked. It also is a super flashy looking airgun that requires a bit of manual pumping to get to maximum power. There is also the kind of finicky sight setup required to get this air pistol to shoot on target. If you can put all that aside you have yourself a super accurate and rather powerful little target or even small pest control airgun for a lot less money than some other pellet target pistols out there. And to be honest I would trade having to pump this gun up over a springer for the main reason that the recoil is so much less violent on a pump gun allowing for better accuracy at the end of the day. When you factor in all the mods that are available for this line of Crosman Airguns the sky is the limit allowing for a ton of customization in performance and looks.
My Vimeo Video Review of the Crosman P1322 American Classic .22 Caliber Target Pistol:
First off, I want to thank Crosman for providing these two guns for review! Now they're not exactly new guns by any means but for sure worth showing and doing some update reviews for.
Starting with the Crosman PFAM98 Taurus PT-92:
The Crosman PFAM98 Taurus PT-92 is essential a KWC made M92 also branded as the same gun as the Cybergun GSG 92 and the Swiss Arms P92.
So for all intense and purposes if you have watched any of my other revise on this line of KWC Beretta /Taurus BB pistols and even Airsoft versions then this BB gun should be really familiar to you.
History of the Taurus PT-92:
It is often referred to as a Berate 92 copy but in fact it is a Taurus PT-92 replica. The Taurus PT-92 is a product of Brazil, Taurus actually bought the entire Brazilian Beretta factory back in 1980 including drawings, tooling, machinery, and a very experienced work force to make the guns. Taurusimmediately sought to improve on the Beretta design, resulting in the popular and acclaimed Taurus PT-92.
Specifications for the Crosman PFAM98 Taurus PT-92:
Crosman use to make a similar version of the Crosman American Classic P1322 called the Back Packer which had a slightly longer barrel and came with a removable stock. You can kind of replicate this gun by adding the stock but it will have a shorter barrel. Keep in mind there are a ton of mods available for this series of Crosman airguns including barrels, bolts, trigger, Internals stocks, scope mounts…
PHOTOSpecifications for the Crosman American Classic P1322:
Metal and plastic construction.
Pneumatic pump.
.22 caliber lead pellets.
Single shot bolt action.
Rifled metal barrel.
Single action only.
Up to 460fps using lead pellets (10 pumps).
1.88 pounds (853 grams)
Keep posted for my full update reviews for these airguns...
Barrel: 3 inches, metal non-rifled with internal Hop-up.
Propulsion: Spring Piston.
Action: Single Shot, Single Action Only.
Ammunition Type: 6mm plastic Airsoft BB's.
Ammunition Capacity: 11 shot full size drop out magazine with 60 round reservoir.
FPS: 280 using .12 gram BB's.
Trigger Pull: The single action only trigger pull on the Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun is a bit heavier than I expected since generally speaking single action triggers simply just need to release the hammer or striker. There is a little bit of take-up initially but then the release is fairly crisp, just a tad firm but since this is not an action shooter and a full rack of the slide is required to pre charge the internal spring, having a heavier trigger pull is not a big deal and did not seem to effect my accuracy in any way.
Accuracy: I didn't get a lot of shooting time with the Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun but I can say it seemed to be shoot fairly accurately. I tested it out shooting on a paper target from 20 feet back using a non rested standing position. The Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun did shoot a bit high and to the left but my 10 shot grouping was within 1.75 inches with the exception of one stray that shot a little more to the right. I was using .20 gram BB's but they did seem to get to the target pretty quickly and penetrate the paper fairly well. I would say they were traveling well over 200 fps.
Build Quality: The Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun is about a $25 gun so you can't really expect too much in terms of quality materials but that said, the gun does feel solid and well put together. I had no issues shooing it and for the price you should get plenty of good use out of it.
Realism: The Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun is realistic in terms of its shape, operation and even the Walther P99 licensing and trade marks. But as is expected being a clear plastic gun it falls short in terms of feeling and looking the part of a real gun. But that's kind of the point here, this gun is supposed to clearly look like and Airsoft gun and not a real gun including the orange red tip.
Super low cost and even come with an extra mag and some starter BB’s.
Full size drop out mags are nice.
All the parts feel pretty tight, does not feel hokey, even has some metal parts where they are needed.
Has a rail for accessories.
No CO2 required, just your Airsoft BB’s.
Walther licensing and Trademarks.
Slide stays back when out of BB’s.
Has internal Hop-up.
Has a floating barrel like the real steel version would.
Makes a good starter pistol for someone getting into the hobby that may not want a gun that looks too realistic.
Cons:
Is kind of on the light side at about half a pound.
The single action trigger is a bit heavy but works fine, you're not going to be shooting rapped fire with this one anyway.
Being a clear gun obviously takes away from the realism but that is the point of this gun so as not be confused with a real gun.
Shoots a bit high and to the left.
Comments:
Right from the get go I was not expecting much from the Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gunbeing a bit of an Airgun snob and personally tending to stay away from the like of these clear plastic non-blowback super low cost Airsoft pistols. But after playing around with it for a bit I could really see how a first time Airsoft buyer could really enjoy the Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun. It shoots just fine and costs next to nothing to buy and shoot. And I know there are many younger folks that watch my video reviews and perhaps their parents may be sitting on the fence about allowing them to buy an Airsoft gun out of fear that so many of them look so real. The Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun clearly looks like an Airsoft gun which makes it pretty hard to get in trouble with yet you can still enjoy the Airsoft shooting experience without freaking your parents out!
My Vimeo Video Review for the Umarex P99 Compact Clear Spring Airsoft Gun:
Power Sources Covered in this review: CO2 - Spring Piston - Variable Pump -HPA (High Pressure Air)
Pro’s:
CO2 Airguns allow for fast repeat shooting, great for action shooters, generally CO2 Airguns will supply a medium power range. No need to pump or cock your CO2 powered weapon in-between shots and a CO2 power source can allow for a very realistic action of the gun you are shooting.
Spring Piston Airguns are best suited of single shot situations, they can provide low to high power output depending on the spring used. Spring Piston Airguns are very low cost to operate since you only need to buy the Pellets or BB’s. Spring Piston Airguns are not greatly effected by outside temperatures.
Variable Pump Airguns allow you to decide how much power your gun will have and can offer very high power output depending on the Airgun. Variable Pump Airguns are very low cost to operate since you only need to buy the Pellets or BB’s. Variable Pump Airguns are not greatly effected by outside temperatures. Variable Pump Airguns generally have very low recoil and vibration.
HPA (High Pressure Air) Airguns generally do not require pumping or cocking in-between shots and some even come in semi automatic or bolt action. HPA Airguns can have very high power output and even be used on larger game using large caliber ammunition. HPA Air Rifles have lower recoil and low vibration. HPA Airguns can be charged ahead off time so they are ready for use when you need them.
Con’s:
CO2 Airguns require the additional cost to buy the CO2 as they do not function without it. CO2 Airguns have a limited power output and lose power as you shoot and use up the CO2. CO2 Airguns are effected by hot and cold temperatures and will have less power in colder temperatures and may not even work in super cold environments.
Spring Piston Airguns require cocking before each shot. Spring Piston Airguns can have a lot of recoil and vibration, so much so that special optics must be considered when buying an optical sight. The action of the spring recoil can effect accuracy, especially if you are not use to the vibration and recoil or have spent some time practicing using a Spring Piston Airgun.
Variable Pump Airguns will require multiple pumps to achieved maximum power output which can take some time in-between shots. So you are going to have to work for each shot.
HPA (High Pressure Air) Airguns require the use of a manual pump to fill their built in air tank to maximum pressure and it does take a lot of time to manual fill an HPA tank. Alternatively you can have the air tank filled at a shop or buy a pressurization system similar to a scuba tank out paintball setup, the cost of this setup can be very high but will save you the castle of manually pumping air in to your HPA Airgun. HPA Airguns are generally a little more bulky then other Airgun systems since they have to accommodate fairly large air pressure tanks.
Power: Generally speaking a longer barrel is going to allow for more power. If you compare most CO2 pellet pistols to CO2 Pellet Rifles, you will find that the CO2 Pellet Pistol will generally shoot about 300-400 fps using a standard lead Pellet. On the other hand many CO2 Pellet Rifles can get up to as high as 600 fps which is much better speed for humanly shooting some smaller pests.
If you are talking about Springer or Variable Pump Air Pistols versus their Air Rifle counterparts, again the Air rifles will generally shoot with much more power. I have seen some none CO2 Air Pistols shoot up into the 500-600 fps range but again compered to none CO2 Air Rifles, they can even double these numbers.
Some of you may ask about Steel BB Pistols and Rifles. I personally would never really sue this type of ammunition for pest control simply because most BB Rifles have much less raw power than Pellet Rifles and steel BB’s will not be as accurate at any type of longer distance.
Stability: When holding any rifle from the shoulder, you have three point of contact with your body spread out in a much longer distance than a two handed pistol grip. Holding steady even without a rested position is much easier using a rifle. Even when using a rested position, the rifle will more stable.
Accuracy: A big factor in accuracy is stability but there are also other factors to consider. Barrel length its self does not make the gun more accurate, you only need a few inches of barrel length to get constant accurate results from a gun. What makes longer barreled guns more accurate is the distance between the rear and front sight. The closer the sights are together, the more margin for error there is, the longer you spread out the sights from each other, the more accurate the sighting system becomes.
Overall More Humain: When you consider Air Rifles tend to have higher power, better accuracy and overall more consistency than shorter barreled Air Pistols. The logical choice for humanly shooting a Pest is to use the Air Rifle. The last thing you want to do is make any animal suffer, even if it has been causing a lot of havoc around your home or farm or place of business.
It has been a while since I picked out some of my favorite guns, after all my favorite gun picks change on a daily basis since there are so many awesome guns out there to pick from.
This Vimeo video is a little different since I pick out my favorites from a bunch of mostly replica gun categories including Steel BB, Pellet, Airsoft, Revolvers and Blank Pistols.
You may notice most of my picks happen to be blowback guns but to me airguns are all about being as realistic as possible and having blowback operation to me help to simulate the realism that much more. The exception in this video is in the pellet gun category since I decided on a pellet gun that was more about function and purpose over being any type of real replica.
Hopefully you take the time to watch my entire Vimeo video since I also bring out some close runner ups but here is a list of my top picks on this day, tomorrow it could be a completely different list of guns ;)
I try and make it to my local gun show which is held in Chilliwack BC about this time each year. It is put on by the Historical Arms Collectors Society of BC and there are generally a lot of used long guns (rifles) some pistols, lots of accessories, knives, hunting gear, knick·knacks and even some antique items. I tend to be looking for airguns or blank guns that are rare or a good deal.
This year I came across a few items that caught my eye. The first item was a Daisy replica 4.5mm BB pistol, I am not a big fan of Daisy replica gun in general as they are usually a far cry from the originals but this Daisy Powerline Model 400 was actually a really good copy of a Desert Eagle in size and looks. Sure it had a lot of plastic in it but it was made in Japan and even being around 20 years olds was holding up really well. This Daisy Powerline 400 even had Blowback which back then was not all that common.
The Daisy Powerline 400 BB Desert Eagle has a 20 round removable magazine that fits along the top of the barrel and it has a claimed fps. It is almost all high grade plastic with the exception of the single action only trigger, safety, hammer, barrel and several internal parts.
The next interesting item I found was a little compact 8mm blank shooter originally made in West Germany. So this blank gun is close to 30 years old. The SM Model 110 8mm Blank Pistol kind of reminds me of my EKOL Tuna in terms of size and functionality since both have the same half slide and magazine release system.
The SM Mod 110 8mm Blank Pistol is front venting and pretty much all metal with reinforced steel areas, it has a 5 round single stack magazine and shoots in single action only.
My last purchase for this show was a new item, here in Canada we generally are not allowed much in the way of items specifically labeled for self defense. There are some work arounds for instance we can carry a knife as long as it is not concealed entirely and we only intend to use it as a tool. We can also carry pepper spray again only for use on animals. Generally speaking we have not been allowed stun guns or tasers here in Canada and even importing them can land you in a lot of trouble! Again it seems a work around has been made, as long as the Stun Gun or Taser is at least 480mm in length then it is not considered a concealable weapon and as long as you have it out on display and only intend to use it on animals that may be a threat to you then all is good :)
The Stun Gun I purchased is basically a baton with a flashlight on the front and a 1 million volt taser on the front of it. You have several options with this device if harm is eminent. You can try blinding the threat with the built in flashlight which is not all that powerful but good for finding your way in dark areas, you can give the attacker a whack with the baton baseball bat style and if none of that is working well let em have the 1 million volt sandwich! We should be getting some of these Stun Baton Flashlights in our Canada Replica Airguns Store at some point so stay posted for that item.
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.
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:
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?
Always assume your airgun is loaded, for some reason it always seems those empty guns are the ones that do the most damage.
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.
Always wear eye protection when shooting your Airgun. Do you really want to shoot your eye out? No Joke!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This Video Review focuses on the shooting aspects of the Baikal MP-53M. I test it out to see what kind of velocity it can achieve and I also perform an accuracy test to see how straight and true it shoots.
My first test, the velocity test I performed using my Chronograph shooting 5 7 grain RWS lead pellets. the fps ranged from 303 to 341 fps with an average 5 shot reading of 319 feet per second. Keep in mind the Baikal MP-53M is strictly a target shooter and is not meant for pest control so these readings are perfectly adequate for this this pistols purposes. The lower velocity also makes for a nice easy cocking effort.
Moving on to the accuracy portion of this field test shooting review, I performed my usual 30 foot paper target test using a semi rested stance standing in the back with a sandbag up front to rest my hands on. This position is fairly stable but not perfect so there is always so human factor to consider and with a springer which I am not super proficient at so there where a couple of shot that I pulled. For the most part the majority of my shots with stayed within about a 1 inch grouping but I know with practice the Baikal MP-53M would shoot under a half inch for sure.
A couple of side notes about the Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol... It has a super nice trigger which is very light and crisp which will aid in accuracy for sure. I did find that the rear sight moved around a little bit, it seemed to rise a bit and I had to press down on it just a little to keep my shots consistent. The spring is not terribly strong so recoil is minimal for a springer and it is very easy to cock.
I don't often review target and or hunting rifles since for the most part Replica Airguns is all about well... replica airguns :) I have reviewed some of my own personal spring piston and pump rifles since I have them and there is a cross over in folks that like both the replica airguns and airguns meant for target and or hunting purposes.
We do have a small selection of spring piston rifles in our Replica Airguns Canada store suitable for target and small game so I thought I would point some of them out in this preview video.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol is a nice light 2 pounds and the release stage is also crisp, the trigger is not adjustable but it is really nice the way it is with virtually no take-up and a crisp release.
Accuracy: At this point I have only plinked around a bit with the Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol, I have not really tested it out on a paper target or put any rounds through the Chronograph. It does however seem to have pretty decent power for a low effort springer and I was able to place most shots on my targets down range. Stay posted for my full Field Test Shooting Video where I will put the Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol through its paces.
Build Quality: The Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol is made in typical Russian fashion, it may not be super pretty or have the best finishing out there but all the parts are built to last, even the plastic parts are made using weapons grade materials and the 8.5 inch rifled barrel is hammer-forged.
Realism: The Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol is not a replica gun, it is purely made to be a single shot target pistol for plinking purposes. I would not even recommend the Baikal MP-53M for pest control as it is under powered for that purpose. This pistol is simply for placing lead pellets into targets down range. Nothing more.
Anti-beartrap spring piston mechanism. (No pinched fingers)
Baikal quality hammer-forged rifled barrel.
Fully adjustable sights.
Inexpensive to shoot, all you need is a tin of pellets.
Russian made durability.
Ambidextrous pistol grip.
Easy to cock (only 13 pound cocking effort).
Really light and crisp 2 pound trigger pull.
Cons:
Not supper powerful so not good for pest control.
Trigger is non-adjustable but feels really good anyway.
No easy way to mount a scope or red dot without modifications.
Comments:
The Baikal MP-53M Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol is a great choice if you're looking for a simple but really well built air springer for target shooting. There are cheaper springers like the Umarex Browning Buckmark and of course there are more expensive springers like the Webley Tempest but if your looking for a reasonably priced, high quality and good overall performing Break Barrel .177 Pellet Air Pistol than the Baikal MP-53M should fit the bill with its hammer-forged rifled barrel, anti-beartrap mechanism, ambidextrous grip and fully adjustable rear sight.
Watch my Vimeo Video Review for this Russian made Spring Piston Air Pistol:
I thought I would post this video of my recent Victoria Cup Men's Physique Fitness Contest for my Airgun fans that are also interested in what I am doing over on my fitness related YouTube Channel and Website GetFitOver40.com.
Don't worry - More Airgun videos coming next week when I get back from my trip.
While the weather is still holding on, I setup some clay pigeon targets at varying further out distances than the typically 30 feet I shoot on my deck. I paced out approximately 40-60-80-100+ foot ranges conservatively thinking this would be a good test to see if a 6mm Airsoft rifle could effectively hit targets at any of these ranges using heavy .36 gram Airsoft BB's.
So today I brought out an Airsoft Sniper rifle since this is what it's made to do, the model being the ASG AW .308 Airsoft Sniper. As with many of my shooting videos I captured all the fun using a bunch of different cameras and camera angles along with a dedicated lapel microphone so the audio also comes in nice and clear.
So make sure to watch my YouTube video and see how the ASG AW .308 Airsoft Sniper Rifle does shooting clay pigeons up to 100 Plus feet away...
I decided to do my Field test of the Gletcher M1891 Sawn Off Mosin Nagant Rifle a little different than my standard filed tests. I pretty much already did a similar Field Test for the M1891 during Table Top Review and if I used the same methods for testing I would most definitely have gotten the same results. Which by the way where a 1.75 inch group from a full 17 round magazine shooting from 30 feet back, and an average of 430 feet per second.
As you know, I have been utilizing clay pigeons in many of my shooting videos so I thought, why not have some more fun and set up a bunch of miscellaneous targets at a variety of distances ranging from 30 feet, right up to 80 feet, and see what I can hit shooting the Gletcher M1891 shooting a couple mags of 4.5mm steel BB's.
Model: Gletcher M1891 (Replica of Sawn Off Mosin Nagant "Obrez").
Materials: Metal & plastic.
Weight: 5.7 pounds (2.6kg).
Barrel: 5.5 inches, smooth bore (inner barrel).
Propulsion: CO2.
Action: Bolt - single shot - single action.
Ammunition Type: 4.5mm Steel BB's.
Ammunition Capacity: 16 rounds. (I was able to fit 17 rounds in the magazine)
FPS: 394fps (120m/s).
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Gletcher M1891 is single action only, the bolt cycle does most of the work setting up the loading of a BB into the chamber and pre-cocking the bolt spring. The take up is minimal and the release is about medium to light weight. The bolt snaps forward firmly and with a nice clanking sound, you can even feel the weight of it as it moves forward.
Accuracy: I did take the opportunity to do a quick pre-test with my Gletcher M1891. I shot several rounds through my Chronograph and averaged around 430 fps which is a bit higher than the claimed 394. I also shot a couple of magazines at a paper target standing 30 feet back using a semi rested position and was about to get a 1.75 inch 17 round group which is pretty good considering I found it kind of unusual to hold the Gletcher M1891 in this manner. The Gletcher M1891 does take some getting used to since you hold it like a rifle but do not rest it against your shoulder for stability.
Build Quality: The Gletcher M1891 is really well made, you can tell by it's robust weight and how solid the action feels when you draw the bolt back and release it the first time. Everything that would be metal on the real Mosin Nagant is metal on the Gletcher M1891 including the full size dropout magazine that holds both the BB's and CO2. Yes the stock is imitation wood but in some ways it is harder than real wood and may actually hold up better. The finish looks great and I like the silver bolt, as with most electromagnetically coated finishes, the coating is not thick so it will wear off in the high spots fairly easily. Some touch up can solve this problem fairly easily.
Realism: I've never actually put my hands on a real steel Mosin Nagant Rifle but from the photos I viewed online, the Gletcher M1891looks really accurate in terms of being a BB replica. Of course the magazine has been adapted to fit CO2 and BB's but once placed in the gun it is nearly impossible to tell it from a real Mosin Nagant, or I should say a sawn off version of one. The weight of this rifle (5.7 pounds) gives it the feeling of genuineness. The only real giveaway is the imitation wood stock which looks pretty good considering. I have read online that a real Mosin Nagant stock can be adapted to fit the Gletcher M1891 so that would indicate that it is fairly true in size and construction to a real Mosin Nagant Rifle.
Pros:
Very Unique BB gun.
A piece of history you can shoot in your back yard.
Mostly all metal gun.
Nice heavy 5.7 pound weight to it.
Adjustable rear sight, at least for elevation.
Nice single action trigger.
Bolt action feels great and has a firm release.
Full size drop out metal magazine that holds both the BB's and the CO2.
More fps than claimed and decent accuracy, I expect to get lots of shots out of a single CO2 because of the magazine design.
Cons:
Stock is plastic but looks good considering.
No real way to adjust windage and the rear sight does wiggle a bit from side to side which could throw off the aim.
Electromagnetically coated finish may be prone to wear in the high spots.
Comments:
The Gletcher M1891 is one of the most interesting BB guns I have had the opportunity to review, it has history, it's kind of a pistol and kind of a rifle at the same time and in this sawn off configuration it looks both old school and modern. I could almost see it being used as the perfect zombi gun ;) Getting away from it's unique looks, the Gletcher M1891 performs very well, shooting a respectable 430 fps with accuracy that surprised me since I found it a bit hard to hold at first. There is something very gratifying about having to work a bot or lever or the hammer on a single action revolver that makes each shot just that much more precious! If you're looking for that ultimate eye catcher that people will have to take a second look at than this is the one for you.
My Vimeo Table Top Video of the Gletcher M1891 Mosin Nagant Replica BB Rifle:
