Beretta M93R AEP - Tokyo Marui
This was TM's second AEP, a minaturised AEG system, using a battery, motor and gearbox to compress a spring after each shot.
I tested their first, the Glock 18C, some while ago, but was keen to obtain a Beretta M93R to match up against a GBB M93R in a comparison test for Airsoft International.
This particular example was obtained used, but in excellent condition, from an online forum's classified section.
In the Box
The box is very much like the Glock, with a black lid with some artwork, including a ghosted image showing the AEP mechanism, of the M93R.
Inside, the gun nestles in a dark grey polystyrene base, cut out to hold the gun and it's charger. There is a elasticated loop to hold the battery, too.
There is also a barrel cleaning rod, a small bag of BBs (missing with my gun, so I don't know the weight provided) and the usual collection of Japanese only manuals, warranty sheets and a couple of ring targets.
Finally, there is a battery and a charger, which by default is fitted with a 110V plug - I modified mine to work with a 12V battery charger by fitting a mini-connector, a common mod to cope with the problem of higher voltage electricity here in the UK and Europe.
First Impressions
Despite owning an upgraded KSC M93R GBB with a metal slide and barrel, I was quite impressed with the weight and look of the TM AEP.
The fake trademarks (as they are on the KSC GBB) are deep, wide and clear, as you expect of TM guns (possibly a little two big, compared to a real gun, but that's quibbling).
The gun is all plastic, but with the weight of the motor and gearbox in the grip rear of the frame, feels fairly substantial and surprisingly well balanced.
Trademark M93R features like the selector/safety on the frame, the fold down metal foregrip, large trigger guard and compensator slots in the extended (compared to a M92) barrel are all present and accurately replicated.
Metal parts include the stick magazine, magazine release, trigger, selector, take down lever, (inoperative) slide lock, folding foregrip and hammer.
Closer Look
The slide is totally fixed, except for the ability to remove it to replace the battery or adjust the hop up.
It forms a one piece unit with the outer barrel (there is a replacement unit that has a rail along the top of the slide, if you want to fit accessories such as red dot sights) and the barrel is complete with the 6 vents in the end, to reduce muzzle climb (although, unlike most such compensators, they vent partly horizontally, rather than just up).
The slide is marked "PISTOLA di DCPP MODELLO E.S. CAL 9 Parabellum" on the left side and "P.E. - MOD 93R - MADE in JAPAN POLIZIA" on the right.
The frame features the elongated trigger guard and fold down, metal foregrip unique to the M93R. The idea is that you slip the thumb of your off hand into the front of the trigger guard and fold your fingers around the grip, folded down.
you can remove this on the TM gun and fit a rail which lets you fit the combined uprated battery and torch unit (which is said to give substantially longer battery life and a better ROF).
The frame is marked CO51127 on the left, above the trigger and there is an ASGK and Tokyo Marui marking on the right side along with numerous proof markings on the trigger guard.
The disassembly lever is metal as is the moving, but non-functional slide lock. The trigger and magazine release are also metal as is the hammer, which will move by hand, but is not connected to the trigger or firing mechanism and won't lock back.
The safety/selector works as it should, with a full auto (marked with the 3 white circles to indicate that the real thing would only do 3 round burst here) and semi auto (one white circle) setting at the front and a safe/fire setting at the rear, operated by two levers fitted around a common pivot (see the picture if that doesn't make sense).
With the slide removed (see below) the hop-up adjustment wheel is visible along with the lever (just ahead of it) which you depress to pop out the battery.
The magazine is all metal (The one I have with my gun is actually from a Cyma clone, but it works fine, something that is not said to be true in reverse, if you plan to use TM mags in a Cyma M93R...), but is just a stick unit (holding around 30 rounds), due to the bulk of the grip (and extended mag housing fixed to it, to look like the gun has a full sized magazine in it all the time) being filled with the motor and gearbox. This magazine is different to the Glock 18C one, but there are 100 round hi-cap magazines available (they are stick mags with yet another extension which hangs down below the standard length fake magazine, which is already longer than the grip).
There is a lanyard loop on the butt of the grip, but the small slot for the folding stock on the front of the left grips lower edge is closed off meaning my stock will not securely fit, even though the slot in the rear of the grip is correctly sized.
Shooting Impressions
Carrying out my standard 5m/6 round, off hand test, the M93R AEP delivered decent accuracy.
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
At this range, in semi auto mode the best 5 of 6 shots fell in a 35mm diameter.
Click on image for bigger version in separate window.
Switching to full auto, the rounds were similarly clustered (a best 5 of 33mm).
Over 10 shots, the TM M93R AEP averaged 213 fps using .2g Excel BBs, almost exactly the same (unsurprisingly) as the near identical Glock 18C.
| Shot | FPS |
| 1 | 210.4 |
| 2 | 212.7 |
| 3 | 213.3 |
| 4 | 208.8 |
| 5 | 210.0 |
| 6 | 222.0 |
| 7 | 221.5 |
| 8 | 212.0 |
| 9 | 214.5 |
| 10 | 210.4 |
Firing down my 70ft or so garden, the TM AEP was able to hit a postcard sized target with ease time after time, was again testament to TM's excellent Hop-up as little else with so little power could do thi
Automatic Rate of Fire (ROF) is obviously important and I tested the ROF of the AEP by recording the sound and counting the peaks of each shot.
This yielded 10 shots in .851 seconds, with a freshly charged battery, or around 650 rounds per minute, less than a full size AEG (and less than the GBB M93R I have, using Green gas), but quite usable.
Click here to hear the TM M93R AEP in action.
I did not test the trigger pull weight on this AEP, but the trigger feels slightly long and dead, much like an AEG's really...
Take Down
Basic 'take-down' only extends as far as removing the slide to adjust the hop-up or change the battery.
This is achieved by pressing in the button on the right side of the frame and them rotating the disassembly lever slightly down.
This allows the slide/barrel to pushed forward on the frame and then lifted up, from the rear, to clear the mechanism.
The battery is removed by pressing down on a lever under the left side of the barrel.
Conclusions
Overall, the AEP Beretta M93R is very much like the Glock 18C, in a different shell.
Some people will prefer the Beretta's styling, others the Glocks, and that's pretty much all there is to differentiate them, aside from the greater ease of finding a holster for the smaller Glock.
Power from this AEP design is as disappointing as ever, but again Tokyo Marui have addressed that to a degree with a great hop-up system, delivering good range for the power.
For an all year round backup sidearm capable of delivering decent rate of fire, the AEP Beretta M93R is worth a look, just don't expect it to be much fun to shoot.
Weight : 830g (120g Magazine)
Realism : ***
Quality : ***
Power : **
Accuracy : ****
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