Springer tests are separated into Hop-Up and Non-Hop Up.
Non-Hop Up Springers
First up was a selection of Non-Hop Up Springers.
The guns selected were :
- Tokyo Marui Beretta M8000 Cougar
- KWC Smith & Wesson M4505
- KWC Colt 1911 A1 Custom
- KWC Walther P99
The ammunition used for this test was .2g BBs
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First shots, aimed at Aim Point 1, were from the Cougar (there are 7 rounds, you note!) The grouping is remarkably good, with all 7 rounds within a 2" (50mm) diameter and 6 within a 1.5" (40mm) diameter.
Next up was the Colt 1911 A1 - I was new to this gun and it's grip safety, so the results may be slightly harsh. I also aimed at the head (Aim Point 2) and placed 3 rounds in a 1.5" (40mm) diameter. The remaining shots fell in a 80mm diameter (shot 4), low and to the right, in the body (shot 5) and the 6th went wide (or, I suspect, high) of the target.
Third was my Smith & Wesson M4505 - This is a nice gun in the hand and I wasn't too disappointed with the results (it cost me around half the price of the Cougar!). 5 shots are within a 2" (50mm) diameter, whilst the 6th (shot 5) was high and to the right, which may have been me snatching the shot. All shots were aimed at Aim Point 1.
Finally, I used my Walther P99, which is the gun I'm most familiar with. As I fired, I felt the shots were going where I aimed them (Aim Point 1), but the results show that, although arranged well around the target, they are quite widely spaced. 3 shots fell within a 1" (25mm) diameter (shots 2,3 and 4), but the others are widely spaced, although all hit the target effectively.
Addendum: I later acquired a HFC H&K USP, which I believe has no Hop-Up, so put it through the test.
The ammunition used for this test was .2g BBs
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There are two sets of shots on this test. The first, marked with circles, were caused by aiming with the dot on the foresight about half way up the rear sight groove. This led to the shots falling low. 4 were in a 2.5 inch (65mm) diameter. Another is in a 3.5 inch diameter, whilst the last was high as I adjusted the site.
I realised the sighting was wrong and repeated the test (the hits marked with a square) with the dot at the top of the rear sight groove. This led to 2 hits dead centre on the aim point, but other shots, although better aligned with the aim mark vertically are in a wide 5 inch (125mm) diameter radius, with one extreme outlier on the bottom left.
A subsequent test put 15 of 16 BBs on a smaller target (at the same range) with 10 within a 3 inch (75mm) diameter, so I suspect the issues are more due to my inexperience with the gun and that it is really a quite capably accurate springer.
Conclusions
I was slightly surprised by the results of this test. I wasn't, I'll admit, expecting such good accuracy from the Cougar and it's improved my view of both Tokyo Marui pistols in general and this particular gun, especially. It emerged the clear winner.
The Walther came up to my view of an effective, last ditch (or springer only) skirmish gun, being powerful and easy to fire, whilst putting shots in the right sort of area. The Smith & Wesson was pretty good in terms of grouping, performing well for the price, although feeling less powerful than the P99 and the Colt was, probably let down by my lack of experience with it, as in most respects it appears to perform very closely to the S&W.
The USP performed reasonably, without being exceptional, although the sight design makes acquisition easy and probably led to me being a little less thorough with sighting on the aim point in my second test than I should have been. The initial grouping (and later non-test shooting) was more impressive.
Hop Up Springers
For this test, I tried the accuracy of a couple of Hop-Up automatics and my UHC S&W M19 revolver (which some ads claim HAS hop-up).
The guns selected were :
- Tokyo Marui S&W PC 356
- UHC Beretta M9
- UHC S&W M19 6" Revolver
The ammunition used for this test was .2g BBs
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All shots were at aim point 1. This first set of shots was a bit of a test, as the M9 had a mix of .12g and .2g BBs. However, I've included it to show the results of the two test with the M19. Most shots are VERY high, suggesting either awful sights or aggressive Hop-Up. In addition, a number of shots went LEFT off target. I decided to not bothering to test the accuracy of the M19 anymore, since there doesn't appear to be any!
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The UHC M9 is a well respected, and reasonably priced, Hop-Up springer (I paid £20 for mine) and have had it about a year. All the shots were within a 2.5" (65mm) diameter and mainly a little high of the aim point, supporting the fact that the hop-up is well set for .2g BBs. All but one shot fell within a 1.25" (40mm) diameter.
The Tokyo Marui S&W Performance Center 356 is a premium grade springer, being the latest design sharing technology with the Mk23 SOCOM and Colt .45 1911. As you'd expect, accuracy is again very good with all but one shot within a 1.5" (45mm) diameter and all within 2" (50mm).
Conclusions
This test was interesting, to me, as it suggests that Hop-Up does, indeed, help accuracy. At the test range, the BB still has quite a lot of range left and does not drop off or fall away randomly.
Overall, though, the UHC Beretta and PC 356 were very evenly matched, which wasn't an incredible surprise - Both are excellent springers.