I was really looking forward to not only shooting my recently acquired Front Firing ME 8 General 1911 8mm PAK Blank Pistol and making sure it worked as promised, but I also want to checkout the new 720p at 240 frames per second slow motion video feature on my new iPhone 6 plus!
Everything went pretty much as expected, all rounds chambered, fired and ejected without a hitch. No slide lock back on the last round but this blank gun is not designed to do that so I was not expecting this to happen :)
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is exactly what you would expect from a single action only 1911 styled semi auto pistol, short and light. But not super light, it's far from a hair trigger, perhaps more of a medium pull weight for a 1911 SAO.
Accuracy: NA.
Build Quality: The overall build quality of the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is really very good, nothing fancy at all going on with this pistol and a lot less actual moving parts than you would find on a real steel 1911 so much less to go wrong but the metal quality and fit and finish are very good overall. You will not find a lot of actual steel in this gun other than the magazine, screws, pins and springs but again the metal is good quality and the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol even sports real wood grips.
Realism: The ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is a very realistic looking 1911in terms of overall looks and true to scale size and weight. As mentioned already, many of the parts are not operational but actually moulded into the gun. Like the Safety, side trigger mounted magazine release and back strap safety. You will find the actual magazine release on the bottom of the pistol grip and even thought the slide catch release is operational, there is no spring assist to lock it in the up and open position when the magazine is empty so if you want to lock the slide back you will need to manually do this.
Purchase from: Private collector.
Pros:
Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good even though very little use of hardened steel.
10+ round single stack magazine is very hi-capacity.
For a used gun it is in very good condition, not many rounds through it and well kept.
Front firing and came with flare adaptor.
Real wood grips.
Made in Italy.
It's a 1911!
Cons:
Slide catch release, must be engaged manually.
Many working parts are simply moulded into the gun.
Not easily field strip-able.
Comments:
So the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol is not the most accurate replica of a 1911 in terms of all parts being operational but it hits the major ones for me like: It's front firing, the slide will lock back, it has a true 1911 SAO trigger and for the most parts it looks and works like a 1911. Finding 1911 blank guns here in Canada is super hard and I am a big fan of 1911's so when the opportunity to pickup this gun came around I was interested even if it was not cheap. Blank guns are getting harder and harder to find here in Canada and I guess that's what is making them so appealing. Don't forget we sell the ROHM Blank guns here in our Canada Online Store and they are very good quality guns so check them out if you are in the market for a blank shooter.
My Vimeo Full Video Table Top Review for the ME 8 General 8mm P.A.K. Blank Pistol:
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!
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:
Model:ME Ranger (1873 Colt 45 Single Action Army).
Materials: Mostly Metal with wood grips.
Weight: 2.2 pounds.
Barrel: Cylinder venting with fully plugged barrel. (No Red Tip)
Propulsion: Gun powder.
Action: Single action only.
Ammunition Type: .380 Crimped.
Ammunition Capacity: 6 rounds.
FPS: N/A.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Bruni ME Ranger Colt 45 Single Action Army Revolver is very light as it is a single action revolver and most of the effort is done by pre-cocking the hammer. All you are doing is releasing the hammer which with the ME Ranger is nice and light with next to no creep.
Accuracy: NA.
Build Quality: The overall build quality of the Bruni ME Ranger is nice an believable. It has good weight to it and the finish is not perfect but you would not expect and Single Action Army styled revolver to be perfect. All the mechanical parts felt tight and functioned perfectly for me.
Realism: The Bruni ME Ranger Blank Revolver is a pretty decent replica of a real Colt 45 Single Action Army Revolver in terms of size, weight and most general appearances. It does lack the 45 caliber larger more open Cylinder holes as it is chambered in .380 caliber but you can only see this when looking from the forward position of the ME Ranger. My version also had the plugged barrel so all flame and gasses emit from between the cylinder and the back of the barrel, it would be nice to un-plug this barrel so some of the gasses and flame would come out the front of the barrel.
Purchase from: A private collector.
Pros:
Well made, materials fit and finish is all very good.
True to the original 1873 Colt Single Action Army Revolver.
Real wood grips.
Nice light single action trigger.
Made in Italy.
Cons:
Not fornt venting.
9mm P.A.K. blanks do not fit - too long.
Wood grips are a bit bland.
Comments:
As my first replica Old West Single Action Blank Revolver, it is a nice addition to my collection. It would make an awesome prop for any cowboy or cowgirl costume, maybe I can convince my wife to go as a cowgirl this year for halloween ;) Overall I really like the Bruni ME Ranger and I plan to perhaps open the barrel up so that I get a more realistic shooting experience with flames and smoke coming out the front of the barrel. That and perhaps some work on the grips to give them a more rugged and weathered look.
My Vimeo Full Video Review for the Bruni ME Ranger Blank Revolver:
