Two questions that come up over and over again and to be honest I just hate answering, mainly because both of these questions to me are kind of common sense questions. I feel if someone where to stop and actually think about teh question, the answers would become obvious.
That said, common sense has to be learned somewhere and not all of us are exposed to the same life experiences so here goes...
The two questions are:
Will this Ammunition Work in my Gun?
Can I Convert a Blank Gun to a Real Gun?
The answer for both of these question is actually the same! Use the ammo made for your gun and do not try to use anything other than the ammo that was made for your gun. Do not try to modify your gun to shoot anything other than the ammo that was made for it, if you do, you may be breaking the law and could land yourself in jail. If you can follow these rules then your ammo and gun will work as intended :)
So that's pretty much it in a nutshell, watch my YouTube video below as I show you examples of ammo types with visuals on exactly why you need to use the ammo made for your gun. I also talk about the dangers of attempting to modify a blank gun to shoot some sort of real bullet and why it is a very bad idea in so many ways to try and convert a blank gun into a real gun.
This video should go "Hand in Hand" (pun intended) with my Best Two Handed Pistol Grip Tutorial Video that I did last year back in August. After that video I had several people ask me to talk about how to aim a gun. I guess if you have been shooting guns for a while you kind of take it all for granted but after teaching my kids the proper way to aim a gun at a target, this info is not naturally born into us ;)
This video demonstrate how and where to place your open gun sights on a target and also how you can compensate for a gun that may not be perfectly sighted in.
This is take 2 of my Modification to my F1 Chrony Chronograph. The purpose of this modification is to improve the low light FPS readings. In my first attempt I used LED Puck Lights but they where the kind that used flat panel LED's and they only had 4 panels per LED Puck which made each LED panel kind of bright. I did get OK with my first mod using LED Puck Lights but not as good as I would like to see.
So here we are with take 2 of F1 Chrony Chronograph LED Puck Light modification and this time around I am using standard bulb styled LED lights and to improve my chances of this working I went with and LED Puck that contained 24 LED bulb lights per puck, this way each light on it's own is a bit dimmer which I feel will give a more diffused lighting effect and hopeful consistent fps readings.
By the way I got these LED Puck Lights at my local dollar store for $2.50 each so not a very expensive modification, especially if they work.
Well... Watch the video and see how they perform...
This video was made to show you the results I got by mounting LED puck lights to the top of my F1 Chrony Chronograph defuser panel in order to improve the low light Feet Per Second readings when using 4.5mm Steel BB's.
I have been struggling with my F1 Chrony Chronograph during the fall and winter months as tit becomes overcast and dark where I live. There have been days where I have gone out to shoot my field test shooting video and not been able to get any Chronograph fps results which is very frustrating because much time and effort goes into the planning setup of each video.
I was given advice from several of my viewers to mount an LED puck style light on the back side of my Chronograph defuser panel and that this helps the Chronograph to read much better in low light situations.
I bought a multipack of the LED puck lights from my local Costco but they did not work as well as I expected them to as they had a panel style of LED rather than the bulb shaped LED which I think may diffuse the light a bit more. My next experiments will be done using LED Puck lights but with the bulb styled LED.
You can watch my video to see how my first attempt using an LED Puck light with my F1 Chrony Chronograph worked out.
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.
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.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the King Arms Thompson Machine Guns is fairly short and light as it is essentially just an on-off switch for the internal electronic components. You can shoot this gun very quickly in semi auto mode, and of course even quicker when full auto is selected. As with all AEG systems their is a slight delay between when you pull the trigger and the shot is taken as the internal spring needs to compress first before releasing.
Accuracy: In many cases Airsoft guns can be just as accurate as 4.5mm BB guns, well at least at fairly close ranges, I was able to get most of my .25 gram BB 10 round target test shots within 1 inch from 30 feet away using a semi-rested position. There where a couple BB's that lengthened the group out to about 2 inches but still a very good result when you consider these are plastic BB's being used. In Terms of FPS, I did stick with the slightly heavier 2.5 gram Airsoft BB's and still got a decent 360 average 5 shot Chronograph test result making this AEG Airsoft rifle perfect for just about any Airsoft game type.
Build Quality: The King Arms 23 Karat Gold and Chrome Platted AEG Thompson Machine Guns are very well made using Aluminum Zinc Alloy bodies and real Wood Stocks, the fit and finish is very good and pretty much everything on these rifles are either metal or wood. You will have to polish these guns with a cloth from time to time since the mirror finish shows every smudge and finger print.
Realism: I'm not sure how many real 23 Karat Gold and Chrome Platted Thompson Machine Guns there are out there but there has to be at least a few ;) But going on how these guns look and feel, they are solid and very realistic. Some people have mentioned that the bolt should be on the top for some versions of the Thompson's but there are some Thompson's with the bolt on the side so I suppose we will let that one slide. The Wood stocks are a real plus adding to the overall weight and authenticity. Most parts works as they would on the real steel Thompson M1A1 Military or M1928 Chicago (Gold or Chrome) AEG Airsoft Machine Guns.
Nice high capacity metal magazines, can be mixed and matched.
Adjustable rear sight for windage with two sight positions (Notch & Peep).
Semi and full auto selectable with really nice rate of fire.
FPS is bang on for indoor or outdoor Airsoft games.
Fully Thompson licensed.
Comes with Certificate of Authenticity.
Cons:
Does not come with a battery or charger.
Prone to finger prints and smudges.
Need to use a screw driver to get at the battery.
Comments:
I am a big fan of the King Arms Thompson line, even the all black version with the plastic stocks looks and functions great. Internally the lower cost black version is the same and having previously shot my black Thompson, I knew these blinged out 23 Karat Gold and Chrome Platted versions where also going to perform as good as they looked! I'm not so sure about buying a Gold or Chrome Thompson for everyday use, since they will get knocked around and scratched up but if you are looking for the best of the best with real wood stocks and all metal parts then make sure to consider one of the Thompson
My Vimeo Video Review for the King Arms Thompson Gold & Silver AEG Airsoft Machine Guns:
We just received an order of KWC products so if you've been waiting for some out of stock items then go take a look! By the way, the KWC Beretta / Taurus full metal blowback BB and Airsoft versions now come semi and full auto enabled!
I am jumping the gun so to speak with this field test review and showing you my field test video review for the King Arms Thompson Gold M1A1 Military AEG Airsoft Machine Gun before I've even done the table top review... Guess I just wanted to shoot this one :)
I decided to perform my field test shooting review using just the Thompson M1A1 version since the 1928 style has the same internal mechanics, there really was no point in testing them both. Other than a few cosmetic changes like a stick magazine versus the drum magazine and the forward stock pistol grip on the 1928 version, these guns are pretty much the same. I also opted for the most flashy 23 karat Gold version, well... because "Gold is Best!"
So let's get to the results! As with most of the guns I field test, I shot 5 rounds through my chronograph, this time I decided to use .25 gram Airsoft BB's for both my chronograph and target portions of this shooting review since fishing the ammo out of the stick mag was a bit of a pain ;) I was able to get a respectable 360 fps average 5 shot Chrono test which makes this AEG Airsoft rifle bang on for just about any Airsoft battle situation. I would expect to get right around 380-400 fps if I was using the lighter .20 gram BB's.
Once I stepped back to the 30 foot semi rested target position, I shot 10 rounds first in semi auto which got me a pretty nice tight 1 inch group (if you throw out the couple of fliers). In Full Auto the shot placement also stayed nice and tight spreading out to about 2 inches or so. This Classic Thompson AEG Airsoft Machine Gun definitely hits what every you are shooting at and has a nice rate of fire that's not too wasteful of BB's but still offers plenty of cover when required.
At the end of this field test shooting review for the King Arms Thompson Gold M1A1 Military AEG Airsoft Machine Gun, I shoot some water filled cans while capturing the experience in slow motion using my new iPhone 5's 720p 120 frames per second 4 times slow-motion feature.
We have some new arrivals in our Canada Replica Airguns Store that some of you who like the more flashy guns may appreciate! What makes a classic Thompson machine gun even better? First of all make sure it's got an all metal body, then add real wood furnishings and of course cover it in 23 karat gold platting or if you prefer a slightly toned down version, then go with the Chrome plating.
Thompson M1928 Chicago Grand Special - Gold/Chrome
Thompson M1A1 Military Grand Special - Gold/Chrome
6mm Plastic Airsoft BB's
420 round stick or drum magazines
AEG 8.4v (Large Type)
6.6 pounds (3000 grams)
400+ fps
Aluminum Zinc Alloy body
Real Wood
Gold version is 23K Gold Plated
Checkout my update video for the Thompson Special Gold & Chrome AEG Airsoft Rifle:
In this informative video I go over the very basics of gun "handling" safety. I don't talk about gun storage or even shooting of the gun, I strictly go over the main aspects of handling a gun in a safe manor.
These are the four main points I demonstrate in this video:
Fingers off the trigger till you are ready to shoot.
Keep the gun unloaded till you are ready to shoot it.
Assume your gun is loaded at ALL times.
Always point your gun in a safe direction.
Hopefully this video will prevent some unfortunate accidents, even airgun related accidents can cause serious injuries which in most cases can be prevented with the correct gun handling information.
You really need to watch my Vimeo Video to see how easy it is to take a brand new out of the box gun and give it that weathered, old, worn and used look that you would find in a classic vintage gun like a Luger P.08, Colt 45 1911 or any other classic firearm. Of course this is something you would do to a new gun that you want to make look old :)
This is a great way to take a gun that already has some wear marks on it and really give it the full worn in look, kind of an alternative to having to touch it up or refinish it.
Here is a hint... I use something magical to do it!
One of the most important keys to shooting accurately is how you grip the gun! In this video I show you the two handed grip that I use and that I have learned from watching other accurate shooters. I also talk about arm and shoulder placement which is more important when shooting large caliber pistols but even when shooting airguns that have virtually no recoil you may as well practice the correct hand arm and shoulder placement for when and if you do start shooting heavy recoil guns.
The main hand grip points I talk about in this video are how to overlap your finders and thumbs and also the pressure used by each hand that will make all the difference down range when shooting at targets.
Watch my Vimeo Tutorial Video on the Best Two Handed Pistol Grip:
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.
Every once in a while something goes wrong and your favorite BB shooter stops working as it should :( One of the most common problems I see with many of the full blowback BB and Airsoft pistols are BB's getting stuck in the gas tube. This is because this style of gun loads a BB into the breach area of the barrel every time you rack the slide forward. Of course this is only when there are BB's in the magazine.
The semi auto style of these guns is similar to that of a real gun, the blowback operates the slide which in turn moves back and then forward and loads a BB into the chamber. With a real gun, if you where to rack the slide manually again without shooting it, the chambered round would be ejected by the extractor but with a BB gun there is no extractor because there is no spent shell to eject. So multiple BB's can be loaded into the chamber area of the barrel overloading it and if the BB's have nowhere to go they just jam up and often go back into the gas tube which can cause all kinds of problems...
In this Cybergun KWC Tanfoglio Witness 1911 Stuck BB Removal Tutorial Video, I show you how to remove a BB or even multiple BB's from the gas tube area which in short requires; the removal of the slide and guid rod and spring so that you can push the gas tube forward and shake the BB out of the front of the gas tube.
Watch my Vimeo Video on how to remove a stuck BB from the Gas Tube on my Tanfoglio Witness 1911.
I have not done my official Table Top and Shooting Reviews for the Gas Blowback Airsoft Cybergun Sig Sauer P226 but I really wanted to cut off the ugly orange painted barrel tip, it was kind of driving me crazy! keep in mind here in Canada we are not required to have orange tips on our Airsoft guns, most of the all metal or all black Airsoft guns imported these days fall into the "airgun uncontrolled firearms" category. If you live in the US or other parts of the world you could be breaking the law if you do this mod so be warned...
Your best best is to simply watch my Vimeo Video as I show you exactly how I removed the orange painted portion of the metal barrel using a hack saw, file, vice and some sand paper. All in all it was not too difficult and only took about 15 minutes to complete...
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:
