I finally answer the question... Which Airgun is the Best? There has to be a best airgun out there right? So let's cut to the chase and stop waisting everyones time and money buying the third Best Airgun or even the second best Airgun! Why would you even want anything other than the very best Airgun available to mankind!
I really hope you weren't one of the gullible ones that actually bought something other than the Best Airgun, well I guess you're going to have to watch my YouTube video to find out which Airgun is the Best Airgun of all time...
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!
I originally made this Field Test Review Video a few months ago but had to pull it down because it featured two WE Products. The WE AK74-UN and the WE G18C which unfortunately looks a bit like a Glock. If you are not familiar with the video I made on the Glock Trademark Infringement Cease Order I received then you should probably watch that video, it will fill in some of the gaps on why I had to cut out the WE G18C portions from this video and repost it with only the parts that showcase the WE AK74-UN.
Anyways you can still read my Original Field Test Review post minus the video and photos of the WE G18C.
FPS: 750 with Pellets and 800 with BB's for the US version (Up to 495 with Canada version).
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Crosman MK-177 is medium length and fairly light. The trigger mainly releases the bolt so no pre-cocking of the trigger is required. The trigger is plastic but seems to work just fine as there is no real load on the trigger when shooting, you do need to get used to where the release point since there is some take up well before the trigger releases.
Accuracy: I found the Crosman MK-177 Air Rifle to be a very good shooter, getting about a 1 inch 10 shot grouping from 30 feet out in a semi rested position (sand bag up front, standing in the back). I also put 3 rounds through my somewhat failing Chrony Chronograph using 3,5 & 10 pumps and the MK-177 with the maximum 10 pump shot as high as 631 fps using 6.9 grain RWS lead pellets. I would expect the Canadian detuned version to shoot well below the 500 fps Canada limit much like my Canadian Crosman M4-177 I reviewed a while back.
Build Quality: The Crosman MK-177 Multi-pump Air Rifle is mostly molded plastic, but for a $100-ish Military Styled Replica Air Rifle it hits the mark in terms of affordability and if it was an all metal airgun you would more than likely expect to double or tripple this price point! Even though plastic is used throughout this Air Rifle, there are some internal metal parts where they need to be, the fit and finish seems to be good and I do not get the feeling the Crosman MK-177 is cheaply made in any way. The fact that most parts are molded means there is very little that can snap or break off and will make this air rifle even more durable longterm.
Realism: The Crosman MK-177 is a lose replica or copy of an FN SCAR Assault Rifle or ACR. It is not exact in terms of true dimensions to accommodate the pumping mechanism, You will not find very many working parts as just about everything is molded into the plastic on this Crosman MK-177 rifle. Unlike the Crosman M4-177 the lower magazine area is not removable and the rear stock is also none adjustable, I am not sure why Crosman didn't add these features to the MK-177 like they did to the M4-177? I am glad to see another Replica Assault rifle on the market as so few of them are available in Pellet or steel BB shooters.
None red dot version comes with detachable and adjustable iron sights.
Rails on top and sides for accessories.
Option of shooting pellets or BB's, I would stick to pellets and save the barrel since it is not semi auto.
Feels super solid since there are very few moving parts that could break.
Looks like the Crosman M4-177 Pellet magazines are compatible.
Cons:
Mostly plastic and just about everything is molded into the gun.
Bolt and magazine are on opposite sides?
Would of been cool if Crosman made a dedicated BB magazine?
Comments:
The Crosman MK-177 Multi-Pump Pellet/BB Air Rifle is very much like it's brother the Crosman M4-177 with a few plusses and a few minuses when comparing the two of them together. On the plus side the MK-177 has a bit more power and also the pumping is much easier while yielding higher internal pressures. On the downside the Crosman MK-177 is almost entirely molded plastic with no removable lower magazine or adjustable stock, and the bolt has been switched around to what I feel is the wrong side since now you need to index the magazine on one side and work the bolt on the other requiring a less efficient approach. Either way it is nice to have another replica air rifle on the marker and for the relatively low price you get a nice accurate pellet rifle, great for target shooting and even small pest control.
Watch my Vimeo Full Video Review of the Crosman MK-177 Pellet/BB Air Rifle:
I wanted to cover some basic Airgun, Airsoft Gun, Blank Gun and Paintball Gun information on what do they all shoot, what makes them shoot and some other miscellaneous info thrown in along the way...
Your should also watch the video attached at the bottom of this post as it goes into a fair amount of detail.
Let's begin with the types of ammo used:
Airgun Ammo
Airgun ammo for the most part is broken down into BBs and Pellets, the most standard size BB and Pellet is the 4.5mm or .177 caliber Steel BB and Lead Pellet. You can also get Pellets in other calibers and even other materials other than lead such as steel or aluminum, some can have plastic skirting around a metal interior.
Pellets also come in a variety of caliber's like .177, .20. 22. 25 and even larger but then I would start considering them to be bullets as they will take on the shape of a bullet when they get into the larger sizes.
Airgun Ammo is not be fired at people, it is primarily used for target and hunting small game.
Airguns can use Spring Pistons, CO2, Compressed Air and Multi-pump propulsion systems.
Airsoft Gun Ammo
Airsoft Guns for the most part shoot round 6mm (.22 caliber) plastic BBs which come in a variety of weights ranging from .12 grams up to .48 grams. There are larger Airsoft BBs such as 8mm and even larger.
There are biodegradable and even tracer florescent Airsoft BBs available.
Airsoft Ammo is traditionally used for Airsoft battles and can be fired at people using protective gear. Airsoft Ammo can also be used for target shooting.
Airsoft Guns can use Spring Pistons, Spring Piston - AEG (Electric Motor) CO2, Gas (Green, Red, Propane) and Compressed Air propulsion systems.
Paintball Gun Ammo
Paintball Guns or "Markers" have been historically used for the sport of Paintball but their whereabouts came from the need of ranchers and forestry workers to mark trees. Hence the name "Marker"
Paintball ammo comes in a variety of sizes ranging with the most common being .43 and .68 caliber. They are generally made from a gelatin outer coating containing primarily polyethylene glycol, other non-toxic and water-soluble substances, and dye, they are usually biodegradable.
Paintball Guns can also shoot a variety of Paintball Ammo that can be made out of Rubber, Plastic, Glass and they can also contain Powders and even Pepper for use in non lethal defense.
Paintball Guns can generally use either CO2 or Compressed Air as their propellant.
Blank Gun Ammo
Blank Guns are just like Real Guns but without the dangerous bullet at the end of the brass shell. Other than that they work exactly the same as a Real Gun!
Blank Guns are used when a bullet is not required or even wanted. For instance... Gun safety, gun training, training animals to be around guns and/or loud noises, Props for Movies - Stage - Film - TV, Collectors that do not want the red tape associated with owning a Real Gun or when owning a Real Gun is prohibited.
Blank Guns can shoot a variety of sized ammo, most common are .22 caliber crimped, .380 crimped, 8mm P.A.K. and 9mm P.A.K.
Blank Guns use gun powder as their means of operation.
Here are the most common forms of propulsion used in the guns we discussed earlier:
CO2
CO2 is the most common propellant in Airguns (BB and Pellet), it is also used in Airsoft Guns and Paintball Guns.
CO2 is a compressed gas which expands when released, it requires a warm environment to fully expand and tends to cool it's surroundings quickly when shot fast or in full automatic which can slow the velocity of the projectile and even freeze up the gun being used.
The most common reusable CO2 cartridges are 12 and 88 gram but you can get larger CO2 tanks in a variety of sizes that can be refilled with CO2.
Gas
Gas is used primarily in Airsoft Guns, I have not personally seen an Airgun that is made to use Gas other than CO2.
Gas is similar to CO2 in that it is a compressed gas that expands when releases, it also cools down the gun it is being used in and requires a warm environment.
Gas comes in a variety of names, Green Gas, Red Gas and Propane Gas. Green Gas contains Propane as it's base but has additives in it like silicone for lubrication .
Red Gas is know to be a bit more powerful than Green Gas as it has Chlorodifluoromethane or HCFC-22, R22 or Freon 22 used in refrigeration which turns to a liquid under a slightly higher pressure giving you slightly higher fps.
Many people use propane gas with an adapter that allows the mixture of silicone as propane is cheaper to buy.
Compressed Air (HPA)
Compressed Air (HPA - High Pressure Air) is most commonly used in Airguns and Paintball Guns but some people use it for their Gas based Airsoft guns.
The compressed air comes from high PSI tanks that can be purchased in a variety of sizes and contains compressed air at pressures up to 5000psi.
These tanks are reusable and usually need to be refilled at a paintball or scuba shop, some people buy their own compressors or large scuba tanks for refilling purposes.
Some Compressed Air (HPA) guns have their own built in tanks that can be filled with a compressor or even a manual pump.
Compressed air does not cool down the gun it is being used in and is a great option for high output or fully automatic guns.
Multi-Pump Pneumatic
Multi-Pump Pneumatic systems are most commonly used in Pellet and/or BB guns.
Multi-Pump Pneumatic guns use the same principle as HPA - High Pressure Air guns in that they require pressurized air as the propellant. The main difference with Multi-Pump Pneumatic guns, is that you do all the work by pumping the gun between shots. Generally speaking you pump the gun 3-10 times, take a shot and repeat this process.
Multi-Pump Pneumatic guns are not effected by air temperature and are great for target and small pest control.
Spring Piston
Spring pistons are generally found in Pellet Rifles and Pistols but some Airsoft Guns also use a Spring Piston System and generally speaking Spring Piston Guns are single shot only or in other words, the Spring needs to be drawn back before each shot. Spring Piston Guns can have magazines that allow for quicker repeat shots.
Spring Piston Guns come in many cocking configurations, Brake Barrel and Side lever to name a couple.
The Spring can be a Mechanical Spring or a Gas Spring.
Spring Piston Guns are not effected by temperature and are often used for small game hunting and target shooting.
Automatic Electric Guns (AEG)
Automatic Electric Guns are generally found in Airsoft Rifles but there are some Airsoft Pistols (AEP) that use this same system.
Automatic Electric Guns use a similar system to a Spring Piston gun but have an electric motor that does all the work of drawing back the spring. You can even have fully automatic AEG guns.
The power for the electric motor comes from removable batteries, so it is a combination a battery supplying the motor with the power to draw back the spring that creates a pillow of air that shoots the BB.
AEG Airsoft Guns are great for situations when you require high capacity magazines with full auto capability.
Gun Powder
Gun powder is used in Blank Guns, in the same manor that it is used in a Real Gun, the charge from the Gun Powder supplies the force required to operate the blowback in most semi auto Blank Pistols, it also creates the sound of a live round along with the muzzle flash which makes Blank Guns great for training and as Props for Movies and Film.
Because the kinetic energy from a blank gun is the same as a real gun, blank guns can be very dangerous when used in close proximity to an object, see my "Are Blank Guns Dangerous Video"!
Some other Gun Relevant Terminology:
Blowback
Blowback operation is when some of the force of the propellant is used to move the slide backwards, which in most cases cocks the hammer for single action and can also pickup and chamber a round into the barrel.
The slide spring supplies the energy for the return to the forward position of the slide.
Blowback Guns do rob some power from the bullet force and in the case of CO2 or Gas Guns the also reduce the amount of shots per CO2 or Gas fill.
Revolver, Semi Automatic
Revolver: Revolvers feed ammunition via the rotation of a cartridge-filled cylinder, in which each cartridge is contained in its own ignition chamber, and is sequentially brought into alignment with the weapon's barrel by a mechanism linked to the weapon's trigger (double-action) or its hammer (single-action)
Semi Automatic: semi-automatic pistols use the energy of one shot to reload the chamber for the next. Typically recoil energy from a fired round is mechanically harnessed. After a round is fired, the pistol will cycle, ejecting the spent casing and chambering a new round from the magazine, allowing another shot to take place immediately.
Single Shot, Repeater, Semi Automatic & Fully Automatic
Single Shot: A Single Shot Gun needs to be reloaded each time it is shot.
Repeater: Repeating action Guns are single barreled guns containing multiple rounds of ammunition. These rounds are loaded from a magazine by means of a manual or automatic mechanism, and the action that reloads the rifle also typically re-cocks the firing action. The term repeating rifle is most often applied to weapons in which the next cartridge is loaded by a manual action, as opposed to semi-automatic rifles, in which the force of one shot is used to load the next.
Semi Automatic: A semi-automatic, or self-loading, firearm is a weapon that performs all steps necessary to prepare the weapon to fire again after firing.
Fully Automatic: A Gun that uses either its recoil or a portion of the gas propelling the projectile to remove the spent cartridge (in the case of a gun-shell), fire again repeatedly, as long as the trigger is held down or until the magazine is exhausted. Automatic Guns are distinguished from semi-automatic Guns in their ability to fire more than one shot in succession once the trigger is pulled.
Single-Action (SA): trigger performs the single action of releasing the hammer or striker to discharge the firearm each time the trigger is pulled.
Double-Action (DA): The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer or striker
SA-DA: A SA/DA firearm combines the features of both mechanisms. You can pull the trigger in Double Action when the hammer is down which cocks and releases the trigger or you can cock the hammer with your thumb and then release the trigger using Single Action to fire the weapon.
Lever Action, Pump Action, Bolt Action
Lever Action: In a classic lever-action firearm, rounds are individually loaded into a tubular magazine parallel to and below the barrel. A short bolt is held in place with an over center toggle action. Once closed, the over center action prevents opening solely by the force on the bolt when the weapon is fired. This toggle action is operated by a hand grip that forms part of the trigger guard. When operated, a spring in the tubular magazine pushes a fresh round into position. Returning the operating lever to the home position chambers the round and closes the breach.
Pump Action: With a pump-action firearm, the action is operated by a movable fore-end that goes backwards and forwards to eject, extract, and chamber a round of ammunition. Pump-actions are usually associated with shotguns.
Bolt Action: The bolt opens and closes the breech end of the barrel and contains the firing pin. The bolt is held in place with a lever that fits into a notch. Moving this lever out of the notch will release the restraint on the bolt, allowing it to be drawn back. An extractor removes the spent cartridge, which is then ejected through the lever slot. A spring at the bottom of the magazine pushes up the reserve rounds, positioning the topmost between the bolt and the chamber at the base of the barrel. Pushing the bolt lever forward chambers this round and pushing the lever into the notch locks the bolt and enables the trigger mechanism.
Magazine vs Clip
Magazine: A magazine is an ammunition storage and feeding device within or attached to a repeating firearm. Magazines can be removable (detachable) or integral to the firearm. The magazine functions by moving the cartridges stored in the magazine into a position where they may be loaded into the chamber by the action of the firearm. The detachable magazine is often referred to as a clip, although this is technically inaccurate.
Clip: A clip is a device that is used to store multiple rounds of ammunition together as a unit, ready for insertion into the magazine or cylinder of a firearm. This speeds up the process of loading and reloading the firearm as several rounds can be loaded at once, rather than one round being loaded at a time. The term "clip" is also frequently used to refer to a detachable magazine, though such usage is incorrect.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the WE AK74UN GBB Airsoft Rifle is very light (maybe even under 1 pound) since the blowback action has already pre-cocking the action making this rifle single action only. The take-up is very short, about one eighth of an inch or even less! The magazine has two switches, the one on the top allows you to dry fire while the one on the backside resets the trigger block. You will need to push the side switch down after reloading your magazine to allow the trigger/hammer to function again.
Accuracy: Out of the box the WE AK74UN Airsoft Rifle shot on the high side for me, about 8 inches at 30 feet, you can adjust the front sight post to some degree for elevation but I was not able to find any way of adjusting the windage? I did my pretest shooting from the 30 foot mark and I found the WE AK74UN Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle AK74 Replica shot a very respectable 5 shot 1.5 inch group in semi auto which opened up of course when I shot the rest of the rounds in full auto. The full auto group stayed pretty tight considering all the recoil that was going on. I would say this gun should be able to shoot fairly accurately at distances even greater than 50 feet and even in full auto.
Build Quality: The WE AK74UN Airsoft Rifle is very well made with a lot of actual stamped steel parts, the only metal (zinc alloy) would be the trigger group, bolt, and part of the front sight, the pistol grip and front stock are made out of a matt finished hard plastic. Fit and finish is near perfect and I had no problems with the functionality of this Airsoft replica in any way. There are third party steel replacement parts for the trigger group and bolt if you want to swap these out at some point.
Realism: Everything about this gun is realistic! Operation, field stripping, tones of steel and metal parts, the long travel bolt, the slower cycle rate, and the heavy recoil all make the WE AK74UN GBB Airsoft Rifle as near perfect a working replica that you can find. Sure WE modernized this AK74 variant a bit with the addition of some enhancements but they do work well and make this Airsoft rifle very usable.
Long travel bolt with heavy blowback, lower cycle rate like a real AK!
Lots of steel and metal in this gun, very hefty and solid.
Awesome blowback kick really hits you in the shoulder.
Semi auto & full auto selectable.
Field strips just like the real AK.
Nice high 400+ FPS and good 1.5 inch 5 shot group from 30 feet away.
Decent use of Gas.
Modified improved selector/safety switch can be used with trigger finger and also can be used to lock the bolt back for easy hop-up adjustments.
Magwell guide helps with insertion of the magazine.
Cons:
Long travel bolt kicks so hard that it can wear the softer Zinc Alloy internal parts quickly like the bolt and trigger grouping.
Sights are not really very adjustable, at least for windage.
Comments:
I really love my WE AK74UN Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle, it is truly one of the most realistic replica guns I own, not just in looks but in how it functions and shoots. The heavy use of stamped steel, lots of metal throughout, full travel bolt with heavy blowback and realistic AK cycle rate make this one of the most fun guns to shoot that I own. If you're looking for a Gas Blowback AK styled Airsoft rifle this one is one of the best out there!
My Vimeo Table Top Video REVIEW of the WE AK74UN Gas Blowback Airsoft Rifle:
I had a chance today to get out and shoot my B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle, the weather held out just long enough for me to setup my target a good 90-100 feet out in the field but as luck would have it, it started to rain on my camera gear right as I started doing my target shooting test using .36 gram Airsoft BB's. So in a bit of a rush, I shot off a good 10 rounds and was able to put most of them on the paper which from 100 feet out using an Airsoft rifle on a target the size of a standard 8x11 sheet of paper is not too bad at all, and don't forget I was just using the iron sights.
I found I didn't even need to use the hight adjustment on my rear sight as the hop-up seemed to keep the Airsoft BB's floating nicely on plane all the way to at least 100 feet. By the way if you watched my earlier Table Top Reviews I mentioned the B&W Dragunova SVD was shooting a bit to the left even after full windage adjustment to the right, well I managed to sort this out and pull the sight the little bit extra I needed to get it pretty much dead center.
Moving on to the Chronograph portion of this Field Test Shooting Review, I got the same results as my pretest with an average fps of 498 using .20 gram Airsoft BB's and an average fps of 277 using the heavier .36 gram BB's. I have heard that the B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle can be a bit of a chore to cock but for me it was actually pretty easy and using a left overhand approach worked well, allowing me to cock the charging handle pretty easy while keeping my finger on the trigger and the rifle in position ready for my next shot.
The iron sights and the trigger setup seem to both work very well with this rifle, I really have no real complaints and really enjoyed shooting the B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle. If the rain hadn't been coming down on my camera gear I may have put a bunch more shots into the target for the simple reason I was having so much fun :)
Watch my Field Test Shooting YouTube Video for the B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle:
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle is good overall, just a bit of initial take-up and then a medium trigger pull to release the heavy spring. You will of course nee to pull the charging handle with each shot to preload the spring.
Accuracy: My initial accuracy testing was done from about 45-50 out using .36 gram Airsoft BB's, it was a fairly windy day but even so I was able to get a nice tight 2 inch grouping using a semi rested position. I also put the Dragunova SVD through my Chronograph testing and shot both the lighter .20 gram and heavier .36 gram BB's to see what kind of fps I would get using both weights. The lighter .20 gram BB's got right around 500 fps while the heavier .36 gram BB's shot a bit lower at approximately 380 fps. I did however find that sighting the SVD in for windage adjustments (left and right) was a bit of a challenge as you can only adjust the front sight by loosening it with an allen key and make only very slight left to right adjustments. I was not able to get the SVD to shoot far enough to the right using this method so I amy need to do figure something else out, perhaps a scope setup?
Build Quality: The B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle is not a super expensive rifle but still has a good combination of metal and plastic components. Most of the parts that you would find on the real SVD are metal including the barrel, bolt/charging handle & receiver, trigger, magazine, sights, strap rings and rial system. The stock is of course plastic with some added rubber. The B&W Dragunova SVD is not overly heavy but still has a reasonable amount of weight to make it believable. Performance was very good with no mechanical problems other than the last two BB's in each magazine do not load into the rifle.
Realism: I have never held an actual Dragunova SVD in my hands but from what I have seen in photos, it looks to be a good copy of the real steel Russian sniper rifle. Lots of metal helps pull of the realism, a working charging handle, removable bolt cover, and lots of other working components make for a believable looking and functioning version of this Airsoft BB shooting Dragunova SVD Sniper Rifle.
Lots of metal parts throughout where they would be on the real SVD.
Good power and accuracy combination.
Fairly high capacity magazine at 40 rounds.
Sights are adjustable for elevation front and back and a bit for windage.
Bolt is surprisingly easy enough to cock with either left or right hand.
Lots of upgrades available for this sniper rifle.
Inexpensive way to own a piece of history.
Cons:
Some discrepancies in the manual (180 fps and 100 round magazine)
Sighting for windage may not be adequate?
Would definitely be much nicer with the wood stocks.
Two BB's always pop out of the magazine area when empty.
Comments:
I found the B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle to be a lot of fun to shoot, I was not sure how the charging handle system was going to work in terms of weight and easy of use to pull it back. I ended up using my left hand and reaching across and over and surprisingly this was very efficient and effective in charging the spring and allowed me to keep my righthand in place and on the trigger for very quick follow up shots. Power was as much as you would want from a sniper rifle and accuracy was also very good even in windy conditions. The only real problems I had where the two BB's that did not load from each magazine and the windage adjustments not quite allowing me to move my aim point enough for a bullseye at 50 feet out. I would recommend this B&W Dragunova SVD Airsoft Sniper Rifle and would suggest possibly adding some wood stocks and a magnified scope setup.
ALL GUNS ARE NOW SOLD - THANKS FOR THE AWESOME RESPONSE!
This is a first for me but I guess you could say I have to make room for some more guns ;) I have some duplicate guns and a couple I juts don't have a need for anymore so instead of having them sit around collecting dust, I thought I would offer them up for sale and get them in the hands of someone who can really appreciate and get some use out of them...
Here is a list of the items up for sale:
Baikal IZH-61 .177 Caliber Spring Piston Pellet Rifle: $115
Baikal MP-655K Pellet/BB CO2 Pistol (missing pellet magazine): $125
Umarex CP99 Compact CO2 BB Blowback Pistol: $50
Swiss Arms Sig Sauer GSR 1911 CO2 BB Pistol: $30
ASG CZ 75 P-07 DUTY Dual Tone CO2 BB Blowback Pistol: $125
Umarex Beretta M92FS .177 Caliber CO2 Pellet Pistol - Nickel with Wood Grips: $200
(2x) AK47 BB Gun Magazines: $50 Each
Crosman 2240 .22 Caliber CO2 Pellet Pistol (14 inch barrel, RJMachine Breach/Brass Bolt, Wood Grip, NcSTAR 6x32 Scope): $225
Shipping/Handling is $15 Canadian and $25 to the US and you must be 18 or over to buy. You will need to email me at mike@replicaairguns.com to let me know what gun/guns you want to buy - first come first serve, I will send a PayPal request to the person with the first offer to buy and give them 24 hours to pay or I move on to the next buyer.
You can watch my YouTube Video to get a good look at each pre-owned item up for sale:
My son Gabriel just turned 6 and I have been wanting to give him a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun (set aside for him) for a while now, Mom has been encouraging me to hold off... But the day finally came and on his 6th birthday he got it! As you can imagine, Gabriel is very interested in guns as he watches Dad shoot guns all the time.
I have been educating him on how to handle guns since he first showed some interest so he knows all the basics like; treat guns as if they are loaded at all times, never put your finger on the trigger till you are ready to shoot and never point a gun at anything you do not want to shoot.
There is no right or wrong age at which you should introduce a young person to sport shooting, it is really dependent on the child and the parent who is willing to train the child. There are many adults who should not be in possession of a gun (even an airgun) as far as I am concerned and this may be in part to little or no education from their parents!
My son will only be shooting his Red Ryder when accompanied by myself or another adult I trust to watch over his shooting. At some point Gabriel will be allowed to shoot on his own but he needs to show me he is ready and I am sorry to say, but a 6 year old is just too unpredictable even if they are very responsible for their age.
Funny enough, now my 8 year old daughter wants her own BB gun :)
I am happy to report back to you on all the new cool stuff I got to see at this years 2013 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Make sure to also watch my Vimeo video at the bottom of this post for some first person styled play by play of my experience at the Vegas SHOT Show 2013. (like you're there with me ;)
First up I want to cover a new gun from ASG, I have been wanting to get my hands on the 4.5mm Bersa BP9CC and I finally got to, not only did I get my hands on it but ASG was kind enough to supply me with one to take home for review. You can get the Bersa BP9CC in both Blowback and non-blowback versions and also in either BB or Airsoft. I opted for the 4.5mm BB Blowback version. I will be reviewing this BB gun very soon!
ASG also had a very cool prototype of an Airsoft CZ Scorpion EVO 3A1 hopefully coming out soon.
While roaming around SHOT Show 2013, I came across an interesting booth from FlashFog Security. I often get people asking me about using an airgun as a home defense weapon and I strongly advise against this. If the intruder is not scared off by the gun there is little an airgun can do to actually stop them. The FlashFog system works by rapidly filling a room with dense fog combined with a strobe light effect which blinds and disorients intruders completely. There is little an intruder can do other then try and get the heck out of there!
UPDATE: FlashFog just added a new section to their website specifically for School Security to help keep our schools safer from potential safety threats! So check it out: School Security Smoke Screen
I was a bit surprised by Gamo this year, they tend to stay away from actual Replica's and generally make BB/Pellet guns that look like popular guns but not any gun in particular. Gamo has a new BB/Pellet MP9 based machine pistol that uses a similar mechanism to their P-25 and PT-85 so it can shoot both 4.5mm BB's and .177 caliber Pellets using a double ended 16 shot rotary magazine. It also has an internal blowback system so it should have some recoil feel to it! I am pretty sure it is semi auto only but still a nice addition to their lineup!
Gamo also brought out a new 4.5mm BB Blowback pistol called the C-15 which has a metal slide and plastic frame, it kind of reminds me of the Umarex HPP in how it looks and feels.
Umarex had several new products that I am sure everyone is going to like! One that I think will do really well is the Steel Force, the Steel Force is designed around the 4.5mm BB shooting Steel Storm platform so it has a 6 round burst blowback operation and holds the 2x12 gram CO2 in the magazine while the BB's go in a 300 round hopper that feeds into a 30 round spring fed internal magazine. Like the Steel Storm it will shoot around 430 fps. The Steel Force has the advantage of being styled after the AR platform so it has a collapsible stock which will make shooting very easy.
Another often asked for airgun replica is the historic German Luger. This year Umarex stepped up to the plate and introduced the Umarex P.08 4.5mm BB pistol. Sorry, no blowback or even a working slide on this one but it is all metal and has a very good weight and feel to it.
If you're a fan of the entry level Umarex XBG then you may be interested in the new Umarex T.D.P. 45 which is very similar to the XBG in looks and features but with a slightly different look to it.
If you've ever wanted to turn your pistol into more of a PDW styled gun, you may be able to depending on which Umarex gun you have? Umarex added a very cool accessory called the T.A.C Converter that converts your Umarex HK USP (BB-Airsoft), SW MP40 (BB), XBG (BB), CZ Enforcer (Airsoft) and Walther P99 DOA (Airsoft) into more of a tactical (PDW) or Personal Defense Weapon complete with for-grip, adjustable rear sight, lots of rail options and a foldable stock.
I am assuming the Crosman M4-177 Pellet/BB Rifle has been doing well for Crosman as they have expanded with some more similar assault styled air rifles. The Crosman MSR77NP pretty much looks like a classic M16 but is in fact a Nitro Piston break barrel pellet rifle able to shoot .177 caliber pellets at 1200 fps (I hope there is a 499 fps Canada version planned too?).
A new takeoff of the M4-177 is the MK-177 which also shoots .177 caliber pellets and 4.5mm BB's using a multi-Pump System but it uses an upgraded more efficient pump system that squeaks out more fps with less pumps. The Crosman MK-177 is designed after the FN SCAR and is available in an adjustable iron sight version or a Red Dot equipped kit version.
One thing you can never get enough of in my opinion is another 1911 pistol! Crosman is introducing their GI Model 1911BB Blowback 4.5mm CO2 pistol, the one they had on hand was more of a prototype so the slide was not operational but it will feature an all metal design, blowback operation, 450 fps and a 20 round drop out magazine. I am sorry to say but it looks like the Crosman C51 has been dropped from Crosman's lineup but if you want a similar styled gun you can checkout the KWC SW40F which is a very close airsoft version.
We recently started carrying G&G Armament Airsoft guns, you can checkout my review of the Xtreme 45. I did stop by their booth and they had some new products on display, the M1 Grand (all wood stock) Airsoft had it's magwell all wrapped up as G&G had a propriety magazine system they did not want their competition to see. G&G also had some very interesting targets that light up, when shot they would react by individually turning off so you could see if you hit it or not.
There was a rather large crowd at the KWA booth but it was a shared booth so it's hard to say what everyone was looking at, the KWA area was pretty full, I did talk to the KWA rep and asked him point blank if KWC and KWA where the same or sister companies and the answer was not at all. There are often a lot of guns that look like they could be from the same company, I guess there is a lot of copying going on ;) One gun from KWA I would love to get my hands on is the Kriss SMG!
Now keep in mind many of these guns I have highlighted today are not available yet and a lot of them should be coming out in the spring time frame so please try to refrain from repeatedly asking when I will review them and have them in the store, it takes time and as much as we all want them now, they get here when they get here!
Watch my Vimeo video of the Replica Aiguns at SHOT Show Vegas 2013
It would not be the end of another year without another Airgun, Airsoft Gun and Blank Gun Collection video for you. This year I'm not showing all my guns, I started to take them out and quickly realized there where just way too many and this years video would have been several hours long and would have taken most of the week for me to shoot and edit...
So this year I have hand picked some of my top favorites and most notable replica Airgun, Airsoft Gun and Blank Guns. They may not all be the best made or hardest shooters or even all that accurate but each one has some significants to me.
I already posted that I recently hit 10,000,00 YouTube video Views but I have been hinting about there being another Giveaway/Contest. After much thought I wanted to have a way that more than just one person could benefit from this. So I decided to list a bunch of my Canada Store products on sale. (Sorry US customers but I have a lot more restrictions in the US when it comes to what I can do with my pricing).
These Canadian sales will be in effect from now until October 10th and to make things even better, one lucky shopper during this time will get their entire order for free (This includes US Customers too).
So make sure to get in on the savings and the chance to get your order free!
In this "Update Video" I also show off some new previously owned guns added to my collection, an Airsoft ASG shell ejecting CZ 75, a no-name KSC Airsoft shooter and a Gamo Combat .177 caliber pellet revolver. And if you're into spring piston break barrel pistols, make sure to watch for my customized Exisco XSP180 .177 caliber Verminator!
Ten Million Video Views Giveaway Plus CZ 75 - Glock Airsoft - Gamo Combat Pellet Revolver
Here is a sample of some of the items on sale right now...
Just thought you'd like to know we've added the classic Daisy 1938 Red Ryder BB Rifle to the Canadian Replica Airguns Store.
The legendary Red Ryder! Who hasn't wanted one of these? Daisy's 1938 Red Ryder model is still a favorite of boys and girls (and men and women). Suitable for shooters 10 and older (with adult supervision), this lever-action spring rifle is lightweight, easy to cock and durable. The solid wood forearm and engraved wood stock are just the right length for young shooters.
With a capacity of 650 BBs (Never shoot BBs at hard objects!), you'll be shooting all day long! The rifle comes with a blade and ramp front sight and an adjustable open rear sight. It has a stamped metal receiver.
Christmas Story Red Ryder. Ralphie was enjoying his BB gun, should your kids or grandkids enjoy it too? Experience the Christmas Story at home!
Materials: Mostly metal with minimal plastic parts.
Weight: 2.1 pounds.
Barrel: 6.9 inches, metal rifled.
Propulsion: Spring-piston-operated.
Action: Single shot.
Ammunition Type: .177 & .22 caliber pellets.
Ammunition Capacity: 1 pellet.
FPS: 400-499.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Webley Tempest is very good, being that it is single action, there is next to no take-up and the pull itself is very light, yet not so light that you would accidentally shoot the gun. This helps a lot with accuracy. And to top it off, you can even adjust the trigger pull weight to your liking from 3-5 pounds!
Accuracy: Being that the Webley Tempest is a spring piston design, there is a noticeable amount of felt recoil when the spring snaps backwards, and I say backwards because it compress towards the front of the gun. With many spring piston rifles the spring snaps forwards almost giving a reverse recoil effect. The Webley Tempest recoil hits you in a familiar direction which made the airgun feel a bit more natural and I believe helped me to get a nice 1.5 inch 5 shot grouping from 30 feet out in a semi rested position. I also got a 400 fps average rating form my .22 caliber 11.9 grain RWS pellets which took me right up to the Canadian limit of 5.7 Joules to stay just within the limits of the uncontrolled firearm status for an airgun. FEW!
Build Quality: Build quality is very good, most of the gun is all metal with a few plastic parts, basically the nose cap and hand grips, everything else is metal on the Tempest. The Webley Tempest has a nice compact size for a spring piston design and has a nice weight to it making it feel very solid but not overly heavy. I do have to say the cocking effort is very heavy and you will have to try a few different techniques until you find a way that works for you.
Realism: This is not a replica airgun so to speak of but the basic pistol grips and trigger are designed to replicate a revolver more than anything. The Tempest is very unique and its basic design roots go back to the 1920's.
Fully adjustable rear sight for windage and elevation.
Small and compact yet very effective power.
Trigger pull adjustable from 3-5 pounds.
Cons:
If you're left handed the grips will not be as comfortable for you.
Sight adjustment will take some time to get right.
Spring recoil takes some getting used to so practice - practice - practice.
Cocking effort especially on the .22 caliber model is very heavy.
Comments:
Some people may qualify the fact that this "new version" is now made in Turkey but with that said I have been selling the Turkish made Webley Alecto for some time now and it has been one of my most trouble free airguns in the web-store. The Tempest looks to me to be just as well made and a nice perk with the Turkish made Tempest is its jump in velocity with the .22 actually hitting 400 fps and the .177 getting right around 500 fps, not bad at all for a fairly short barreled pistol. I also really like the small size this airgun has, it's no larger or heavier than say a Beretta 92 yet somehow it has to cram all the mechanics for the spring piston design into it and still get good performance. The only real reason I would not recommend this gun to some people is if you are of slight build or perhaps have some hand or wrist problems because it does take some effort to cock this gun, if this is a factor for you, you may want to go with the .177 caliber version as it does have a lighter cocking effort.
The Browning Buck Mark URX has a single stroke super easy cocking mechanism with break barrel action. This pistol shoots 320 FPS and has an automatic safety. The ergonomic ambidextrous grip help the user to feel comfortable while shooting this lightweight pistol. If you own the 22LR version this is a for sure purcahse as it is a dead ringer and will make a great off range practice gun.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Umarex Browning Buck Mark URX is not too bad but I feel it is a bit heavier than the claimed 5.75 pounds. In comparison to my real steel 22LR Buck Mark, the trigger is much heavier but then again my 22LR trigger is what I would consider to be near perfection. I was able to work with the trigger as is but found I was expecting the trigger to release earlier then it actually did and I needed to apply just a bit more force than I would have liked to. Even so, with a bit of practice I was able to nail my shots.
Accuracy: Wow is all I can say, you will need to work withe the Umarex Browning Buck Mark URX a bit to get used to where the trigger breaks but once you dial it in this airgun is a tac driver. I decided to go with a non-magnified NcSTAR Ultra Compact 1x25 Red/Green Dot Sight and found it worked well with this Buck Mark pellet shooter. From 30 feet out I was able to land 4 shots pretty much right on top of each other and ended up with an under 1 inch 5 shot group, and keep in mind that I was only using a standing but rested stance (non braced).
Build Quality: Considering the very low price tag for this pellet shooting Buck Mark Replica, I was not expecting it to be as well constructed as it was, there is a decent amount of metal in teh URX giving it a nice 1.5 pound heftiness to it and the rubberized grips make this air pistol feel much more expensive than it is. My only concern is the hinge area in the break barrel portion of the gun, once cocked there seems to be some play that could effect accuracy down the road when wear appears. But once locked back into the closed position the play is all but eliminated.
Realism: The Umarex Browning Buck Mark URX is a licensed replica of the actual Browning Buck Mark 22LR semi auto pistol. Umarex did a great job making this break barrel pistol look very close in most ways to the actual Browning Buck Mark URX with the exception of the lever required to cock the spring that is located just under the back of the barrel. The barrel itself is also a tad bit long but I am sure this helps when cocking to get a bit more leverage. When you consider this is a single shot break barrel pellet shooting version, it looks pretty authentic and most importantly it feels very similar to the real 22LR version which makes it a great off range alternative for 22LR Buck Mark owners.
I've had a lot of requests to review the Umarex Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 and the Umarex Beretta 90two BB CO2 Pistols, perhaps not as many requests for the Umarex Browning Buck Mark URX but the URX has been one I have wanted to get my hands on as I am an owner of a 22LR Browning Buck Mark pistol.
Umarex came through and sent all three of these pistols to me this week for review so now we all get to benefit, I get three new guns added to my collection and my viewers get some new Umarex Product Reviews from me!
I will of course be doing full review of all three Umarex pistols, in this videos I just quickly show you around them all.
In short, The Umarex Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 is very similar to my Dan Wesson Revolvers in most every way but with the Smith & Wesson branding and licensing and a slightly different barrel design. The Umarex Beretta 90two is what I would consider an upgraded Beretta Elite II complete with a working metal slide, full size drop out magazine that holds both the CO2 and 4.5mm BB's and a single and double action trigger.
The Umarex Browning Buck Mark URX is the sleeper of them all in my opinion, even though it is a single shot .177 pellet pistol with fps on the lower side, it is really a joy to shoot with its supper easy to cock break barrel and well balanced grip. Right out of the box I was getting excellent shot placement with it!
Make sure to watch this short Preview video and stay posted for the full review to come out shortly:
It's always good to start the week off with an update video so everyone knows what's happening short-term and long-term...
I recently acquired a couple new items that I will be reviewing in the near future (along with several other reviews that I will be trying to get to ASAP!) First off is the Crosman M4-177 which is basically a multi-pump pellet and BB shooting replica of an AR or M4 styled carbine used by the US military. The Crosman M4-177 is mostly plastic on the outside but on first inspection seems to be built fairly well. It has removable metal sights and the magazine is also detachable but is not used as a magazine but rather a compartment for storage. The unit I have is the Canadian detuned version which shoots .177 caliber lead pellets and 4.5mm steel BB's at under 500 fps.
I also received my first old west blank shooting revolver (M1873), I have wanted one of these for a while and finally got my hands on one :) Unfortunately this one has a plugged barrel so it vents out of the cylinder area which may get a bit messy. I may see about making this one a front venting gun if possible and of course as long as it's within the law as I plan to make sure the cylinder stays semi plugged so no actual rounds could ever be shot out of it. The Old West M1873 Blank Revolver holds six .380 crimped blanks and is an all metal and wood construction. This should be a fun review!
I also touch upon a few other guns on the list of items I need to review and by the way in an attempt to get caught up I will be doing my Table Top and Shooting reviews combined.
Here are some of the guns that I will be reviewing over the next while...
Gamo P-25 & PT-85 .177 Caliber Blowback Pellet pistols (This one will get done this week!)
I wanted to make a quick video to showcase a few items I will be reviewing and some of which are also for sale in the Replica Airguns Store.
First off we have a few of the new front firing Kimar Model 85's (Orange Slide) left in Canada. I stated out with 9 and I am not down to 3 so hurry on this one if you want one in Canada. If you are in the US, I also have them for sale in my US Replica Airguns Store in both Black and Nickel.
Next up I just wanted to show you a Kimar Lady K that will show up some time down the road in a video review, this item is now in my personal collection and sorry it is not for sale in either my Canada or US store at this time.
I have had lots of requests to review the Daisy Powerline 5501 and to be honest I have wanted to get this one for some time and even though it is available for sale in our US Replica Airguns Store I have not had the opportunity to pick one up until now so look forward to that review again some time down the road...
Last but not least I wanted to give you a closer look at the new Turkish made high powered Webley Tempest I have available in the Canada Store, these ones shoot as hard as legally possible within our Canada limitation to be classified as uncontrolled firearms and they make great compact pest control pistols that you can keep handy for when required.
OK, so that's it for now and be sure to watch the full reviews of these guns when I get to them shortly!
