Most recent acquisitions at the top.
FN Five seveN (5-7) - Tokyo Marui
Beretta M92 Elite 1A - Western Arms
SIG P229 - KJW
Beretta M92FS - Western Arms
Luger P08 4 inch - We Ei (WE)
COLT 1911 MEU - Tokyo Marui
Heckler & Koch USP (Metal slide version) - KSC
Heckler & Koch Mk23 SOCOM - KSC
SIG Sauer P226 - Tanaka Works
Glock 34 Straight Frame - KSC
Glock 26C Metal Slide - KWA/KSC
Colt 1911A1 (Full Metal) - KWA/KSC
Hi-Capa 4.3 Tactical Custom - Tokyo Mauri
Colt 1911 Officer's Model - WE
SIG P226 Chrome Stainless - Tokyo Marui
Colt 1911A1 - WE
AMT Automag - Marushin
Detonics Combat Master - Tokyo Marui
SIG P210-6 - Marushin
Hi-Capa 5.1 Alloy Slide - WE
Baby Hi-Capa 3.8 inch - WE
Custom Hi-Capas - Elite/Tokyo Marui
Glock 17 - Tokyo Marui
Heckler & Koch USP Tactical - Tanio Koba (2006 model)
Beretta Tactical Elite - Western Arms
Browning Hi-Power Mk3 - Tanaka Works
Colt 1911A1 - Tokyo Marui
STi Eagle 5.5in Hybrid - KSC
SIG Sauer P226 - Tokyo Marui
Colt 1911A1 - Western Arms Magnatech
SIG PRO 2340 - KSC
IMI Desert Eagle Mk XIX .50AE 10" Barrel version - SIIS
Beretta M92FS - Western Arms (Early Version)
IMI Desert Eagle .50AE (Hardkick Silver) - Tokyo Marui
Colt 1911 Defender - Western Arms
Wilson Combat SDS - Western Arms
Colt 1911 MEU (Early Version) - Western Arms
Hi-Capa 5.1 Government - Armotech(Full Metal)
Hi-Capa 5.1 Government - Tokyo Marui
Beretta M8045 Cougar (SCW Version) - Western Arms
Para Ordnance P14-45 Limited - Western Arms
Colt 1911 Mark IV Series 80 - Western Arms
Smith & Wesson 4013TSW - Western Arms
Colt Delta Elite - Western Arms
Colt 1911 U.S. Army Model - Western Arms
Colt 1911A1 Military - Western Arms
Para Ordnance HRT Special SCW (Black) - Western Arms
Strayer Voight Infinity Hybrid Comp 6" - Western Arms
Para Ordnance P14-45 Two Tone - Western Arms
Smith & Wesson Sigma "Metal" slide version - Western Arms
Wilson Combat Tactical Special - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity SCW 6" - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity SCW 5" - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity Expert 4.3" - Western Arms
Beretta M9 M190 - HFC
Beretta 92FS Elite 1A Silver - Western Arms
Beretta 1934 Silver - Western Arms
Wilson Combat Professional - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity Expert 5" - Western Arms
Heckler & Koch P7M13 - MGC
Wilson Combat Tactical Supergrade Compact - Western Arms
Beretta M92FS Heavyweight Olive Drab - Western Arms
Luger Parabellum P08 Artillery - Tanaka
Heckler & Koch USP Compact - KSC
Heckler & Koch USP Tactical - KJW
Wilson Combat SuperGrade Hi Cap - Western Arms
Smith & Wesson Sigma SW40F - Western Arms
Glock 34 - KSC
Strayer Voigt Infinity Xcelerator Black Fluted - Western Arms
STi Eagle 5.1 Titan - KSC
IMI Desert Eagle (Non-Hardkick) - Tokyo Marui
Strayer Voigt Infinity Tactical Carry - Western Arms
Para Ordnance P14-45 Silver - Western Arms
Para Ordnance HRT Special SCW (Parkerised) - Western Arms
Wilson Combat CQB - Western Arms
Wilson Combat Striker - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity 6" Single Stacker - Western Arms
Beretta M92 Elite CQB - Western Arms
Para Ordnance Doberman - Western Arms
Glock 19 - KWA
Smith & Wesson M945 Black - KSC
Wilson Combat Vreaker 12 - Western Arms
Para Ordnance P14-45 Prokiller Combat - Western Arms
Beretta M92FS Competition Deluxe - Western Arms
Beretta Elite II - Western Arms
Beretta 1934 - Western Arms
Colt 1911 MkIV - Western Arms
Glock 19 - KSC
A quick tour around the forums will show that probably the most popular choice for a skirmish sidearm is the Glock 19. It's simple, cheap and, judging from the heaps of praise it receives, robust and reliable.
I'd decided I'd had enough Glocks, but when a 19 came up for sale at a good price, I decided to see for myself if the 19 was really better than the others.
The Glock 19 box contained the gun and a single sheet G19 leaflet. As the gun was second hand, there was no loading tool or hop adjustment tools.
I was very familiar with the KSC Glock range, having had two 18Cs and a 17 and the Glock 19 is just a smaller version of the 17.The frame is quite different to the 18s or 17 I've had, being much closer in colour and feel to the frame of my KSC MK23. Some people claim the frame is a polymer/metal mix, but it's certainly more attractive than the shiney black of (especially) earlier 17s and 18s.
The gun is very, very simple, with none of the cut-outs in the slide seen on the 18C (C = compensator, which vents gas upwards on the real gun to reduce muzzle climb) or the selector on the rear left.
At first sight, this simplicity, as in the real steel, should make the Glock 19 a fine choice for the user looking for a near foolproof handgun. - The ONLY external metal part on the Glock 19 (like the 17) is the slide lock!
Looking closely at a Glock 19 is fairly pointless; there's little to see. The trademarks are very thin and shallow on the slide and the detailing on the barrel and the serial number plate under the frame is similar to the Glock 17. The two part trigger is the same on both guns, but the frame and slide/barrel are quite a bit smaller than the 17 or 18C. I was surprised HOW small the gun was and I prefer the handling of the bigger frame, although the feel of the 19's frame material is nicer.
Markings on the Glock 19 consist of the Glock logo next to the figure 19 with Austria and 9x19 on the left side of the slide. The grip bears the Glock logo, too. On the left hand side, the frame bears the legend "Made in Austria. Glock, Inc Smyrna, GA". The left side of the slide bears a small Glock logo, whilst the barrel is marked "CSK586" followed by some proof markings. The under barrel serial number plate bears a serial number.
The cycling action of all the Glocks is sharp and quick, especially noticeable when compared with, say the KSC Mk23 or even their Beretta range.
Unfortunately, my experience with the KSC Glock 19 was bad. When it arrived I put 4 BBs in the mag to check it was working and all seemed well.
A day or so later I decided to have a quick plink to get used to the feel of the gun. Pull the trigger and Whoosh! Gas venting from everywhere... Well, perhaps it was cold or low on gas, I thought. Next day, I regassed the mag and loaded a dozen BBs. First pull and ALL the gas came out of the barrel (quite impressive, actually!). I couldn't get the slide off either, but with some gentle persuasion I finally did and found a stray piece of (hollow, note, all G19 fans!) metal inside. This turned out to be the top of the hammer (part 87) and (until I could replace this part, the Glock 19 was dead...).
So that's it - The hammer was hollow and failed and it seems impossible to get replacements at sensible prices (it was £30+ to import a hammer, when I finally found one). To be honest, there's little advantage in a heavyweight frame, if the metal inside is weak.
Conclusion - Disappointing - Generally the reviews are good for the Glock 19, but the inability to get parts for the 19 means the 17 or 18C are probably better options.
Weight : 720g
Realism : ****
Quality : ***
Power : ???
Accuracy : ???
Strayer Voigt Infinity Xcelerator Compact 3.9" - Western Arms
Beretta M84 Cheetah Spy Pack - Western Arms
Strayer Voigt Infinity Xcelerator Hybrid 6" - Western Arms
Para Ordnance Ultimate Competition - Western Arms
Beretta 92FS Inox version - Western Arms
Beretta M8045 Cougar - Western Arms
Walther P99 Military - Maruzen
Glock 17 & 18C - KSC
Beretta M84 Cheetah - Western Arms
Browning Hi Power Mk3 and Target - JAC
Smith & Wesson M945 Silver - KSC
Strayer Voigt Infinity Limited 6" Barrel - Western Arms
Beretta M9 Heavyweight - KSC
Strayer Voigt Infinity Limited 5" Barrel - Western Arms
Browning Hi Power Mk111 - Hsu Wei
I bought this in a moment of madness from eBay, having been a Hi Power fan since I saw that scene in a Bridge Too Far where the General shoots the German through the window with his (I'd always assumed that was a bit of artistic license, but saw the General in question interviewed recently where he described exactly the incident!).
It was being sold by someone fairly local and I went over and collected it - It worked fine, but it had no instructions with it, so I couldn't strip it down.
I found these photos on a website, but couldn't get much info on the gun at all. I finally found out that it was a Taiwanese make, but there the trail went cold.
What's really good about this gun is it has a metal slide. This makes it feel really good in the hand (I've fired real guns a few times and this is the closest airsoft pistol I've ever handled). It also has good markings - some have Hsu Wei stamped on the slide (shown above), but mine has only Browning markings (as shown below) - and many other metal parts (trigger, safety, magazine release, magazine, slide lock and front and rear sights).
At first everything went well, aside from a propensity to fire low, easily compensated for by adjusting ones aim, but after a couple of months the blowback stopped working and BBs just fall out of the barrel as the gas vents out from under the slide. I finally got instructions on how to strip a JAC, which pretty much worked for the Hsu Wei and thought I'd discovered nothing worse than a broken O ring.
This gun is now defunct - I used the slide and outer barrel to revive the black JAC Hi-Power I later acquired.
Weight : 720g
Realism : *****
Quality : ***
Power : ***
Accuracy : ***
Beretta 92FS Elite - KSC
I'll admit to being a bit of a Beretta fan - To me they are the most attractive of the mainstream automatics and they fit nicely in my hand.
I'd been toying with the idea of getting a blowback Beretta (looking at the expensive, but much admired, Western Arms range and the Tokyo Marui Tac Master) when AirsoftClan announced a special deal on the KSC Elite.
It was a very good price, so I paid them via Paypal and the gun arrived a couple of days later.
The KSC Elite is, even more than their Glock, of a high quality. The ABS frame and slide are heavy and beautifully made, whilst metal parts, such as the safety catch (ambidextrous), magazine release (switchable left to right) and the magazine (with a rubber bumper on the bottom on the Elite) add to the weight and solidity of the gun.
The safety catch works, as in the real steel and Western Arms model, but not some other GBBs, as a decocker, which is an excellent feature which other airsoft guns would do well to replicate (notably the TM range), where appropriate to the real steel.
The KSC Elite lacks any genuine Beretta trademarks, although the slide is nicely engraved with an accurate Elite logo (presumably not trademarked). My biggest quibble was the large KSC logo on the handgrips. Whilst not unattractive, it did rather scream 'airsoft', so I obtained some genuine Beretta 92 handgrips from eBay and (with a little modification to get them to clear the hammer pivot - I'm not sure if this is a case of having the wrong version of 92 handgrips or an issue with the KSC version) I think they greatly enhance the appearance of the gun. Another option I seriously considered was getting a Hogue rubber grip, similar to that replicated on the TM Tac Master, and I suspect at some point I will obtain another Beretta and get one of those to go with it.
It's difficult to say absolutely which is my favourite airsoft pistol, but the KSC Elite is the one I get out and fire just for fun the most. It's almost 100% reliable and exhibits none of the gas venting problems the Glock does, when the gas level falls, it just fires less powerfully and the slide stops fully cycling. If the slide does fail to fully cycle, it's easy to rack the slide by hand and loose of another round and this never fails (so far!).
The only quibble I have with it's operation is that the rubber bumper on the magazine is a pain. It's supposed to slide forward to allow you to fill the magazine with gas and then back to use it, but mine sticks and needs some effort to move it forward and then I have to prod something (end of a small paintbrush works best) through the bumper to release the little spring catch which holds it in place, before sliding it back. Strangely, when I reported this on some of the forums, no-one else had similar problems, so maybe they change the design from time to time or my mag is a bit of a rogue...
People are always asking on the forums which is the best airsoft Beretta and, whilst I've not seen a Western Arms one, I'd have no hesitation in recommending the Elite to anyone, especially considering the great price variation between it and any of the WA range. It's a great looking gun, nicely made, with a good weight and balance to it and seems extremely reliable in operation.
Weight : 860g
Realism : ****
Quality : ****
Power : ****
Accuracy : ****