I have already posted individual company updates on this years 2014 Vegas SHOT Show so make sure to checkout the links to each post below. You can also watch my Full Vimeo video that includes some video and a few more photos...
I get asked all the time what my favorite guns are? Truth is it changes from time to time but I still keep coming back to these guns over and over again, here are my top 10 Airguns. But this does not mean these are the only guns I like and you never know, I may change the list from time to time...
I stopped by the ICS Booth, we don't sell too much of their products but have carried a few items from time to time. ICS caries some nice quality Airsoft guns including the M1 Grand with real wood stock, and some AK & AR variants.
One of our suppliers had the new FN Herstal Five-seveN Blowback Airsoft pistol, I believe made by Marushin. Like the real FN Herstal Five-seveN, the pistol is pretty much all polymer including the slide and frame. This pistol also uses CO2 in the full size drop out magazine which should make it fairly powerful.
Looks like there is another Dan Wesson contender available now in the form of a Swiss Arms S&W 357 Magnum 4 inch and 6 inch barreled version, they look really nice and like the Dan Wesson have the realistic reusable brass shells that hold the 4.5mm Steel BB's.
Ever considered owning a mobile Gunsmith vehicle, look no further, I came across this pimped out Firearms Van complete with machine guns mounted in the front :) Inside was a complete firearms workshop.
Last but not least, we had some fun while in Vegas. I go down for the SHOT Show for business but I also bring my wife and we make time for some non business related activities. I generally stay at the WorldMark resort each time and this year the weather was pretty nice so we where able to get some sun by the pool a couple of days and I even got a tan line! Of course the food and entertainment is always awesome in Vegas.
We carry a lot of the G&G line and perhaps have as much in stock as you would find at the G& G booth ;) I did see a few items we do not have in stock so I will have to see what I can do about that. Some products that I hope to see added to our Canada Replica Airguns Store would for sure be the M1 Grand and our Canadian Military Colt C7A1/2.
One company I took notice of was Inokatsu, they make super high quality Airsoft guns. I was drawn to their Sig Sauer P229 and 1911 pistols that by the way are made out of real steel and as close to the real version as possible without it being a real gun. The Inokatsu pistols I looked at are not cheap and will set you back over a grand but are as close as you can get to a real sidearm as possible in an Airsoft version. They feel amazing to shoot with heavy blowback and that sound real steel makes when the slide snaps back.
Let me know if you're like me and would be willing to part with a substantial amount of money for one of these treasures?
Gamo did not have much in terms of new Replica guns this year either? Again, Gamo does seem to focus more on their hunting and target air rifles which for me is not my focus. Pretty much the same Replica guns as last year...
This year the Crosman booth was a bit of a let down in terms of "Replica guns" There really wasn't anything new to speak of? I didn't hang around too long to check on the non-replica guns, perhaps they have been focussing on that area of their market for this year?
One 4.5mm CO2 Blowback BB Pistol they featured as a prototype version last years was on display this year as the final product, the Crosman GI Model 1911BB. And again I was not overly impressed. The Crosman GI Model 1911BB looks for the most part like a 1911 except for the funky trigger which is supposes to look like a 1911 single action trigger. In reality it is a rather heavy double action trigger not at all true to a 1911. I was also puzzled by how recessed the barrel was, sure it's nice to have a slightly recessed barrel to make the pistol more believable but the GI Model 1911BB inner barrel is recessed at least an inch or more robbing this pistol of potential fps.
Guess I'm going to have to try one out at some point to see if it shoots better than I am giving it credit for.
One product from Crosman that is kind of a crossover between a replica and a PCP rifle is the Crosman MAR177 PCP AR Conversion Kit. It is designed to replace the top receiver for a standard AR allowing AR owners to shoot .177 caliber pellets using a standard Pre Charged Pneumatic system with their AR platforms. Of course you need an AR lower to use the Crosman MAR177 PCP AR Conversion Kit.
I also visited my friends at the ASG booth but for some reason I did not get a photo of their booth? I do have some video walk through stuff I will show you in my YouTube Video coverage of this years Vegas SHOT Show. Most importantly I have lots of gun photos so let's take a look at them...
One of my favorite ASG pistols is the Bersa BP9CC, I have already reviewed it and I just really like how this gun looks and holds, ASG took it one step further this year by adding a two-tone silver version and I have to say it looks awesome in person, my photos do not do it justice at all :(
A new handgun to the ASG blowback pistol series is the CZ P-09 Duty Pellet pistol. Basically it shares similar mechanics to the Umarex PX4 and Gamo PT-85 using the double sided rotary pellet magazine with 8 shots located on each end of the stick magazine. The ASG CZ P-09 Duty features a metal slide, working hammer and safety.
Another pellets pistol that should be very familiar to most of you is the new .177 caliber pellet shooting Dan Wesson in 6 inch silver and 8 inch black versions. ASG added a rifled barrel and redesigned solid brass shells that hold pellets instead of 4.5mm Steel BB's. Expect to take a little bit longer to reload the pellets as unscrewing the tip of each shell is required to place a .177 caliber pellet in each bullet tip.
Of course ASG has tons of licensed pistols to choose from, many on both 4.5mm Steel BB and 6mm Plastic Airsoft!
One new rifle that stood out to me was the ASG CZ Scorpion EVO 3 A1 AEG Airsoft Rifle, the Scorpion features an intelligent AEG system that detects when there may be a potential feeding problem and also when the magazine is out of ammo.
Umarex had a lot of new products this year so I thought I would start off showing you some of them. I will be following this post up with a full 2014 Vegas SHOT Show video once I finish posting some of my photos and comments on the show events.
Here is a photo of the main Umarex Booth.
I have always liked the 4.5mm BB version of the Umarex Makarov, Umarex now has the Makarov Ultra version that features blowback, a working slide catch and full size drop out magazine, looking forward to testing this one out!
Another kind of new addition to the 4.5mm Steel BB lineup is the Umarex Beretta Model 84FS. It has been available overseas but is now coming to North America. The Umarex Beretta Model 84FS also features blowback and a full size drop out magazine.
I'm not sure if we needed another rebranded version of the KWC 1911 Blowback BB pistol, but we got one anyways! Umarex now has their own version of what looks to similar to the KWC Tac A1 but with Colt licensing.
Umarex also made up a very limited edition and very weathered looking blowback BB shooting 1911 based on the KWC design called the Colt 1911 WWII Commemorative. I am not sure how many where made but I know there are not a lot of them... Hope I can get my hands on one...
Umarex came out with Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 last year and this year they have added a similar styled 4.5mm Steel BB shooting revolver with removable shells but in a licensed Colt Python 357 version.
Last but not least and going back many years, Umarex is bringing out another Legends Series 4.5mm BB pistol. The German Mauser C96, I'm not 100% sure if it's blowback or not but it does seem to have a working action, the main pistol is made out of Polymer but it does have a full size drop out magazine and seems to have good weight overall. Most of the parts work like the original Mauser C96 including the adjustable rear sight and safeties.
Installment number 2 of my Head-to-Head Airgun comparisons. In this video I compare the replica Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol versus the Gamo PT-85 CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol. Both are very similar mechanically and use very similar rotary magazines combined with single action hammers and very heavy blowback.
Make sure to checkout my other posts for my Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm and also the Gamo PT-85.
Watch the video below to see the Beretta PX4 Storm CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol go head to head against the Gamo PT-85 CO2 Blowback Pellet Pistol in both a test of the feet per second performance and accuracy shooting at 30 feet using a semi rested position.
This post is really all about watching the YouTube video and seeing how these two similar CO2 4.5mm Steel BB revolvers compare to each other. I was working with a new Chronograph since again it was really dark outside and my old Chronograph does not like darkness. I did get some usable Chrony results with the new one but I did have to work for it ;)
Make sure to checkout my other posts for my Dan Wesson revolvers and also the Umarex S&W 327 TRR8.
Watch the video below to see the Dan Wesson 8 inch 4.5mm Steel BB Revolver go head to head against the Umarex S&W 327 TRR8 in both a test of the feet per second performance and accuracy shooting at 30 feet using a semi rested position.
I get many question over on my Vimeo Channel, lots of times people asking me which gun is better and in most cases it really comes down to personal preference. But in some situations the comparisons are really close and to be honest it's even hard for me to decide which gun I think is better.
I get asked which one has higher fps, or is more accurate, or has harder blowback recoil... the list goes on. Without actually taking both gun outside and doing a head to head test using the same exact situations, I really can not honestly tell you! So that's exactly what I am going to do. Take some of the most commonly asked about gun comparisons and have a showdown.
Over the next while I will be making a total of five separate videos where I compare the following CO2 BB pistols head to head:
The Tanfoglio Gold Custom versus the Sig Sauer P226 X-Five Sight Rail Version
The KWC Model M1911 Tac A1 versus the Cybergun/KWC GSG 92/M92
The ASG Dan Wesson 8 inch Revolver versus the Umarex Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8
The ASG CZ 75 P-07 Duty versus the ASG Bersa BP9CC versus the ASG STI Duty One 1911
The Gamo PT-85 versus the Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm
Make sure to come back and check out these upcoming head to head field test shooting videos!
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!
2013 BB Pistols
2013 Pellet Pistols
2013 Airsoft Pistols
2013 Blank Pistols
2013 Rifles
A quick heads up for all our Canada Replica Airguns Store Customers. We just got in a bunch more Umarex products so if you have been waiting on something to come back in stock it may just be waiting for you... Including the very popular Umarex Steel Force BB Machine gun.
As promised, here is my Field Test Shooting Video for the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol. Make sure to checkout my full Table Top Video Review for more details and specifications along with some high resolution photos and of course my full video where I show you around the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol and even perform a field strip.
In this Field Test Shooting Review I do actually shoot the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol which is what many of you want to see :) I shoot 5 rounds through the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol until the slide locks out and capture all of this using my Nikon 1 1080p HD camera along with my Casio EX-ZR1000 slow motion 240 frames per second camera.
My ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol even though it could be as old as 10+ years still performed perfectly with no misfires or failures to load or eject, a testament to the West German build quality!
Type: Blank Pistol.
Manufacturer: ME.
Model:ME 9 Mini-Para (Similar to a S&W 469 or Shorty 40).
Materials: Mostly Metal with some steel parts.
Weight: 2.12 pounds. (960 grams)
Barrel: Front firing. (No Red Tip)
Propulsion: Gun powder.
Action: Single & double action.
Ammunition Type: 9mm P.A.K. Blanks.
Ammunition Capacity: 8+1 rounds.
FPS: N/A.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is fairly light in single action mode as would be expected and this is for the most part how you would shoot the gun since you need to rack the slide to pickup a round for the first shot. If you do decide to de-cock the hammer, you can shoot in double action but it is extremely heavy, perhaps close to 15 pounds or more! The take-up in single action is pretty short and the release is crisp. The safety is a standard firing pin block so you can release the hammer with the safety on but the hammer will hit the firing pin block first rather then strike the pin.
Accuracy: NA.
Build Quality: The overall build quality of the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is similar to the ROHM German made blank pistols we sell in our Canada Replica Airguns Store. So in other words, the build quality is very good. Like most blank pistols, much of the gun is made out of zinc alloy (or pot metal) but the parts that see the most wear and tear and higher pressures are made from steel, these parts would be the barrel, magazine, magazine release, extractor, firing pin, springs and most of the screws and pins. In terms of finish, mine was picked up used and I'm not even sure how old it is? It could be as old as 20+ years? That said it is mechanically in very good conditioned even the finish is pretty good with only some minor wear.
Realism: The ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is a very realistic looking gun; operation, size, weight, feel and looks are what you would expect from a real gun and it almost is a real gun except that it's made to shoot blanks, not actual bullets. The ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is not an exact copy of any gun that I know of in production but it does share a lot of commonalities with a Smith & Wesson Shorty 40.
Purchase from: A private collector.
Pros:
Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good considering it was purchased used.
Decent amount of rounds (8+1) in its single stack magazine.
Steel parts where they need to be.
Nice light single action trigger, can also be shot in double action.
Made in Germany.
Cons:
No external slide catch release, must remove the empty magazine to release the slide.
Double action trigger is super heavy!
Very hard to find here in North America.
Comments:
When ever I find a blank gun that is unique or hard to get, it interests me. Especially if it is as good quality as the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol. Mine may have a few wear marks and blemishes on it since I did get it used but they are minor and I may even strip it down and refinish it at some point since this blank pistol would definitely be worthy of the time and effort involved. It's kind of unfortunate that locating one of these very fine ME 9 Mini-Para's is so hard here in Canada and the US but at least we do have the ROHM line of German made blank guns if you are in the market for such a quality blank pistol.
My Vimeo Full Video Table Top Review for the ME 9 Mini-Para 9mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol:
I wanted to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year, it's almost here! Let's all remember to think about those around us, not all are as fortunate and some may be going through difficult times during this holiday season.
God Bless and Good Will!
After posting my Table Top Review for the Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Airgun, It seemed like most people where pretty interested with it and where looking forward to my Field Test Shooting Review. So I wanted to get this one out before the Holidays! Thought I would wear my Santa hat for this one :)
I did manage to get my Chronograph problem figured out so for this test I got reads on all 8 shots which was awesome! So how did my Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Pistol perform? Pretty nicely overall, since it has 8 shots at each end of teh 16 shot rotary magazine I decided to base my testing on 8 shot groups. The first 8 shots where aimed through my Chronograph resulting in an average 415 fps using 7 grain RWS lead pellets. Not bad considering how cold it was and the fact that I was not using the super light weight PBA® Platinum Pellets. I would expect even lead pellets to hit 450 fps on a warm day.
The next 8 rounds where designated for the paper target which was setup 30 feet from my semi rested position (rested on sand bag and standing in the back). All 8 rounds shot within 1.5 inches and I am pretty sure I could do this all day long with this pellet shooter. I then emptied the other half o my magazine on my swinging steel targets and it appears I hit them most of the time looking back on my video.
The blowback is minimal with this CO2 blowback pistol, I don't think the internal blowback mechanism caries that much weight to it but you do feel some blowback when the CO2 is new and full. Gamo claims the trigger to be around 9.5 pounds worth of pull but to me it feel much lighter, combine that with the pull length being fairly short and you can shoot 8 rounds off at a time in a hurry with this Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Airgun.
If I could have my way I would have liked to have seen a working ejection port like the Umarex MP5K PDW and perhaps a bit more blowback feel but other than that the Gamo MP9 Blowback CO2 Pellet and BB Tactical Pistol is a great replica CO2 Blowback pellets gun for the money.
As promised I did a redo of my Original Chronograph Test for my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. The first time around I just could not get my Chronograph to read in the poor lighting I had going on that day. I spent a fair bit of time doing some testing with my Chronograph since it is that time of year when the lighting is poor and determined that I need to use the white defusing panels as it seems that my roofline and the low light are playing havoc with the Chronograph readings.
Once I sorted this all out my Chronograph worked perfectly and I was able to get some readings for you with my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. As I assumed I did not get much over 350 fps. I also got a lot of variation in the fps, most likely due to the fact that I had to roll down the pellets a bit on the backside in order to feed them in the barrel from front to back, some pellets where tight and some where a bit looser, the looser ones seemed to shoot a bit faster as less of the pressure may have escaped out the back where the primer was situated.
