I have some more anticipated items from Umarex to show you all, and a special thanks to Bradley from Umarex for sending them my way to review.
If you like the Steel Storm then you should for sure like the Umarex Steel Force, both models share some basic mechanical attributes like semi auto and 6 round burst blowback operation, duel 12 gram CO2 cartridges, 300 round BB hoppers and 30 round spring fed magazines. The Steel Force however is more of a "replica" as it is modeled on the AR platform including an adjustable rear stock which will come in handy taming the high rate of fire 6 round burst mode.
Next up from Umarex is a classic replica of the Luger P08, it's always nice to see some older classics made into BB shooters, it may be the only way some of us will get to experience them and from what I can tell, the Umarex Legends P08 is near spot on! You won't find blowback or even a lot of actual moving parts other than the trigger, the safety and magazine release but this BB gun is all metal and well built, it has a nice weight to it with a firm double action trigger.
My last review item is not a gun but rather a gun accessory, the Umarex T.A.C. Converter which transforms several Umarex pistols into tactical PDW's. The actual models supported are the: HK USP, S&W MP40, X.B.G, CZ Enforcer, Walther P99 DOA and the now retired Umarex SA 177. With the T.A.C. Converter wrapped around your pistol of choice you are all setup with a folding stock and foregrip, not to mention anything else you may want to add onto the rails.
Keep posted for my full reviews of these items from Umarex.
Watch my Vimeo Update Video for these Umarex Products:
All references, photos and video claiming that any item in this review/video looks like a Glock or is a Replica of a Glock in any way shape or form have been removed from this post as requested by Glock "Renzulli Law Firm"
I almost forgot to do my field test review for my WE AK-74UN & WE G18C Tactical GBB Airsoft Pistol and Rifle! I decided to do them both together on this one but I still did my usual full testing for both guns which consisted of my Chronograph, Target and Can destruction along with some high speed slow motion of the blowback action of both guns in full auto mode.
Photo of WE G18C Removed by Request from Glock "Renzulli Law Firm"
Your best bet is to watch my Youtube video and see how both of these WE Airsoft guns perform. Overall they are both rally nice and super realistic, the WE G18C Tactical is definitely the full auto monster here while the AK-74UN is the bull in the China store with its crazy heavy blowback action, it has so much recoil that when shooting in full auto it kind of runs our of steam near the end, not so with the WE G18C as it did not slow down even with the 50 round magazine loaded up!
The WE AK-74UN even with it's crazy recoil holds on target very well in semi and full auto and of course has the superior fps performance. I found when shooting the G18C in full auto, I needed to hold my aim-point low as the blowback and super fast cycle rate wanted to pull the gun up and over my target, same would be true with a real gun so no surprise here.
Photo of WE G18C Removed by Request from Glock "Renzulli Law Firm"
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:
We have added some items to the Canada and US Replica Airguns Stores, most are completely new items and one is a Canada only item we added to the US store!
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.
I wanted to show off a few new items that I will be reviewing, one being the Crosman MK-177 Pellet and BB pneumatic multi-pump air rifle that was very graciously provided to me by Crosman for review. And the other item is something kind of new in terms of the type of gun, since it is not really gun but rather a bow, or crossbow to be exact. We hope to be adding to our Replica Airguns Store a couple variations of the Avalanche Trailblazer 150lb Crossbows in wood stock and polymer stock versions.
Here are a couple key points about each item being looked at in this update video and then I will leave you with some detailed photos to drool over and of course my YouTube Update Video to watch...
Crosman MK-177 multi-pump bolt action .177 caliber BB/pellet air rifle:
Shoots both .177 caliber pellets and 4.5mm Steel BB's
Maximum 800 FPS (US Version being reviewed here)
5 shot pellet magazine and 300+ BB reservoir
Multi-pump single shot bolt action
3-10 pumps per shot
16.75 inch rifled barrel
3.5 pounds
Mostly plastic with some internal metal parts
Avalanche Trailblazer 150lb Crossbow with Wood Stock:
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 have a couple of guns I wanted to share with you all and no we do not sell them at this point in time and I can not say if we will or not down the road.
There is just no way we can carry every brand of gun and every gun from every brand, that said I still sometimes have my eye on a gun and will pick it up even if I have to pay full retail juts so I can add it to my collection and also do a review for all of you.
Photo of WE G18C Removed by Request from Glock "Renzulli Law Firm"
Today I showcase two Gas Blowback Airsoft guns from WE. I have been wanting to get an AK variant of some sort since there was a big whole in my collection after the RCMP came into my house and took my scary AK BB gun away. And if for some reason you feel this "again" legally imported through the CBSA non convertible airgun is in some way a concern, please feel free to come on over and have a good look, no SWAT team necessary this time. I am just around the corner from the police station and I make a good cup of coffee!
Getting back to this update, the other WE Airsoft gun is the WE G18C which like the WE AK74UN, also has semi and full auto select-ability. Both guns have excellent blowback kick with the AK74UN having a full travel blot which kicks like a mule and has a slower full auto cycle rate much like a real AK47.
Both guns have metal parts where you would find them on the real steel versions while the AK even goes so far to have actual stamped steel all over just like you would find on an AK.
Photo of WE G18C Removed by Request from Glock "Renzulli Law Firm"
I will be doing full reviews for both these WE GBB Airsoft guns so stay posted for those video reviews, in the meantime you can watch my Update Video showcasing both these WE Airsoft guns.
The rainy weather let up today so I grabbed up my Umarex - KWA MP7 Blowback Airsoft PDW and put it through its paces today. I was a bit surprised that my groupings from 30 feet away shooting from a semi-rested position where a bit spread out, mostly top to bottom. Perhaps the hop up was effecting the MP7? The good news is that shooting in full auto did not seem to make things any worse :) I was using .25 gram BB's for the accuracy test.
As for the Chronograph portion of this field test shooting review, the Umarex - KWA MP7 Blowback Airsoft Machine Pistol shot a bit higher than claimed at just over 400 fps using .20 gram BB's with Propane Gas. I had no problems shooting a full magazine of 40 rounds with a full gas fill up and the cycle rate stayed nice and high with very little cool down effect.
I really enjoyed shooting the Umarex - KWA MP7 Blowback Airsoft PDW, it has a nice sound with just the right amount of blowback to give it a good feel without throwing off the sights, the trigger was very light and responsive and I ended up preferring to use the pop up sights over the pistol sights as I was shooting mostly with the stock and fore grip open. Those Cans never had a chance!
All in all the Umarex - KWA MP7 Blowback Airsoft PDW is one of the coolest compact and ultra modern Airsoft guns I have had the pleasure to review and test out.
Watch my Field Test Shooting Vimeo Video for the Umarex - KWA MP7 Blowback Airsoft PDW:
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.
Earlier this week my father called me up and asked if I wanted to head out with him to go do some hunting/shooting. He has his bear tag but for the most part, hunting with my Dad consists of driving around in his truck hoping to stumble on something since he can not walk all that far these days.
We had a great time just enjoying each others conversation and of course the beauty of Canada BC's Harrison Lake area. We also got to shoot some guns to "make sure they where sighted in and working correctly". I brought my Norinco 12 Gauge Homeland Security 780 which I needed to test out and I'm glad I did since it needs some TLC to get working smoothly. I also brought along my little Henry Lever Action 22LR which is always a blast to shoot. My Dad brought his Savage Arms 7mm Magnum just in case we did see a bear on this outing.
Long story short we didn't bring any meat back home with us but we did see some out of season doe and of course had some nice father-son time together...
I don't often get to shoot my airguns out at the 100 foot mark but I purchased my Sheridan Silver Streak .20 Caliber Multi Pump Pellet Rifle mainly to shoot up to and even past this fairly distant range as the Silver Streak is my new vermin gun for pests around the farm. I get a lot of Crows that to be honest are just feathered bullies that pick on all the other friendly birds on the farm, they have also been known to get into my garbage and even attack the Eagles and Hawks in the area. Flying Rats I like to call them.
In this Field test Shooting video I test out my brand new Sheridan Silver Streak on the Chronograph to see just how powerful it really is not just at the maximum 8 pumps but also at 3 and 5 pumps. I was actually very surprised at the very decent power I got from only 3 pumps (460 fps), you could easily take out a small rat with the 14.3 grain .20 caliber lead pellets I was using for my Chrony test. At 5 pumps I gained close to another 100 fps and at 8 pumps I maxed out at just a hair under 640 fps respectively. With the 14.3 grain pellets I was using this worked out to right around 13 foot pounds of energy. (My Sheridan was purchased using a PAL)
I also shot my Sheridan Silver Streak .20 Caliber Pellet Rifle at a target setup 100 feet or just over 30 yards away and was able to get what I felt was a nice 1.5 inch 5 shot grouping. 4 of the 5 pellets where all within 1 inch of each other with my first shot being a bit lower and to the right of the rest spreading the group out to about 1.5 inches. Keep in mind I was also a bit winded from all the pumping and I could feel and see my heartbeat in my 9 power Bushnell scope making my crosshairs bob back and forth ever so slightly.
I have not shot my Sheridan Silver Streak all that much and plan to hone my skills further so when the time comes I will be ready for them pesky crows.
Stay tuned for my future Table Top review of my Sheridan Silver Streak, for now you can checkout my Preview video that has some preliminary info.
For the most part, this video is to test out some cameras and using them all together in a multi-camera scenario. I wanted to see how many camera angles I could shoot at one time and see how they would all work together when editing the video.
Cameras used:
My new Pivothead Recon Camera Glasses.
Sony HDR-AS15 Action Cam.
Drift HD170 Point of View Camera.
Nikon 1 with 10mm fixed lens.
Casio TRYX.
*All cameras where shooting in 1080p for this video.
I hope to use camera setups like this in the future, maybe not all at once but at least a couple at a time to give you some viewing options.
I picked out my WE SCAR GBB Airsoft Rifle for this test as it had a lot of mounting points and the Gas Blow Back makes for some great video action. Unfortunately My WE SCAR was not working at 100% but I still think I was able to pull off this test video either way.
Watch my Multi-Camera-Angle Test Video shooting the WE SCAR GBB AIrsoft Rifle:
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:
I like to show off some of my acquisitions from time to time even if they are guns I don't necessarily have for sale, I am a collector and some items are not always common enough or even popular enough to keep in our Replica Airguns Store.
Today I show you two blank guns I picked up from a recent gun show I attended in Chilliwack BC. There where not many blank guns at the show, the two I found may have been the only blank guns there, at least that I saw? The ROHM RG300 .22 Caliber Blank Pistol and RST MOD. 1966 .22 Caliber Blank Revolver I picked up for a pretty good price, at least in my mind, $55 for the ROHM and $20 for the RTS. A nice addition to my blank gun collection!
I have been contemplating between a PCP (Pre Charged Pneumatic) or a really good Multi-pump air rifle for pest control around my house, I have been using a spring piston rifle but the combination of my limited skills with spring piston rifles and the fact that most pests in my area stay a good 50+ yards back, means I need an airgun with pin-point accuracy. At the end of the day I decided on the Sheridan Silver Streak because it was a bit more affordable than a PCP air rifle and also the Sheridan is such a classic air rifle but still with the right amount of power and accuracy to get the job done.
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
In this part of the review I test the HK G36 KV AEG Rifle using my Chronograph to see what the 5 shot feet per second average is using fully charged batteries. I got pretty much right bang on to the factory claimed 450 fps using .20 gram 6mm plastic Airsoft BB's and consistency was within a few fps for each shot.
I also take the Umarex HK G36 KV AEG Blowback (EBB) Airsoft Rifle back 30 feet and shoot it at a target using a semi rested position (sand bag up front, standing in the back) and shoot in both semi auto and full auto, there really was no real difference in accuracy using both selections, I think the built in magnified scope helped out here to get a very tight 1.5 inch group shooting in semi and full auto.
So far out of all my AEG rifles I would have to say the Umarex HK G36 KV (EBB) performed the best getting very consistent and high fps and tight groupings in both semi and full auto even using light weight .20 gram BB's.
Watch my Field Test Shooting Vimeo Video Review for the Umarex HK G36 KV AEG Blowback Airsoft Rifle:
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.
