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 :)
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 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:
