Tanaka’s
Colt
Police “Positive Special”
(Heavy weight
version)
A
first glance review is of the overall impression made on me from 2 days of
studying the gun’s exterior and interior quality, along with its performance
and apparent durability. All pictures
taken are of the actual gun studied and taken at the time of observation. This review is not intended to be 100%
conclusive, but to give the reader a better idea of what they can expect from
the manufacturer or the particular model
In the International Airsoft Community,
Tanaka had earned the reputation of being the “Western Arms of Revolvers”, with
that said, I had to see for myself how well built these revolvers are
made. They have a wide selection of
different brand-replica revolvers & semi-autos (i.e. Colts, S&W’s, SIG’s,
Rugers & Lugers), along with variations that make
it very hard to decide which one to get first.
I was fortunate enough to have a friend that just so happened to be
selling his new Colt Police special. As you
read this review take into consideration that not all of the revolvers will be
the same, but their general quality and detail will most likely be.
The
looks of this Tanaka Is impressive. There are more than a few trademarks on the
Colt Police Positive Special to note. Two
Colt trademark logos in silver, inset within the grip (at the top of the
grips). The Colt “Horse” engraved on the
left hand side of the body (the metal side).
Plus the barrel has COLT’S MFG.
CO. HATFORD CT. U.S.A. on the right side and POLICE POSITVE SPECIAL .38 SPECIAL CTG. on the left.
Molding seams were nearly un-noticeable. Tanaka really outdoes the competitors in the
revolver category with both the appearance and materials of the exterior.
The weight of the
Police Positive Special “Heavy weight” version is 510 grams/1.12 lbs. It feels very much like the real thing. Most of the weight comes from the Cylinder;
however the left half of the body is made of a metal composite.
By design, revolvers are very solid feeling in the first
place. However, when talking about
airsoft revolvers it’s a different matter. Some brands that make revolvers for airsoft
(Marui, KWC, etc.) feel too light and too cheaply made to have a solid
feel. This Tanaka is not one of those cases. It’s very much like the real thing in
reference to the weight and solidity of the exterior design.
The
feel of the Colt design is awkward with its curving thin
grip. If you have used nothing but
semi-auto pistols, you will find gripping this style of handle to be uncomfortable. Your pinky will be forced further forward
than the first two fingers holding the grip; However, I found myself growing accustom
to it and almost enjoy it’s unique feel from the typical semi-auto’s that
plague the Utah Airsoft scene (kidding about the “plague” part).
Moving parts don’t move unless you make them. There is no slack from either trigger or
hammer. The cylinder release has a great
hold on the cylinder and it takes a little effort to get it to release the
cylinder. It’s not a comfortable release
button compared to the Smith & Wesson’s (A comparable revolver to the
Colts), but as long as it holds the cylinder as tight as it does, I have no
real beef with the design. Regardless, I
find it more comfortable if I hold the gun sideways instead of pointing
forward.
The
trigger-pull is much the same as a real revolver. Same goes for the Hammer. When pulling the trigger, it engages the
hammer and releases it at the last few millimeters of the action. Firing by using the revolver double action
(pull trigger as it pulls the hammer) can mess up your accuracy like nothing
you’ve ever felt if you are a semi-auto user.
Fortunately, you can use it in single action by pulling the hammer
first, then pulling the trigger. The
trigger pull will then be shorter, and you can make a more accurate shot.
When pulling the hammer back for single action use you
will hear a beautiful locking *click* noise.
The cylinder rotates as the hammer or trigger is pulled. Visually, this is very exciting to see
especially with Tanaka’s mock shells in view.
The Mock shells
are not actual shells that can be pulled out for loading. They are actually a plate that is one piece
of metal. It locks into place, but can
fall out. I recommend applying a very
small amount of glue to the lock-in knobs.
Be careful not to apply too much (I stress that point) if you are to get
one.
The Cylinder is one of the coolest features. Releasing it to reload is such a satisfying
experience; However, You do not need
to release the cylinder to reload though.
It’s pretty cool actually. Let me
explain how this can be done. This
involves 2 separate operating parts of the cylinder (besides the valve that
takes in gas, and releases the gas). The
type of system that Tanaka uses is called the Pegasus system.
The Pegasus system is a combination of an outer and inner cylinder. The internal
part holds the gas (that is fed in an
intake valve next to the mock shells) and a reserve of BB’s (that is fed into one hole in the front of
the cylinder). The internal cylinder
holds 6 rounds as the reserves while the outer cylinder holds 6 in each
chamber. The inner reserves are stored allot like a standard AEG mag works,
except they go in a circular direction.
This internal cylinder does not rotate when firing.
The
external cylinder is the rotating part.
It’s turned by the action of the receiver’s mechanism. The outer cylinder rotates over the inner-cylinder,
and as this happens the outer cylinder chambers are loaded with a single BB
while it passes over the loaded tubing of the internal cylinder. This is called the Pegasus system (an
original design by Tanaka Works).
The coolest thing (in my opinion) about the Pegasus system is
when you load the cylinder as is it closed, directly in the BB intake of the
inner cylinder, you can then release the cylinder out, spin it, and all external
chambers will be loaded as they spin past the BB reserve. You’ll have to do it to understand how fun it
is.
The cylinder spins very freely making a silent sound hard
to describe. You can then jerk it into
the body. A very satisfying experience
especially if you are playing Russian roulette J
The Performance: The cylinder will rotate into position for
the next shot, but if you are shooting it in single action mode (pulling the hammer back first, then the
trigger) the cylinder can be slightly misaligned and the cylinder will not
catch after the first shot, making the cylinder keep in place until it is
assisted.
It’s a bit more sensitive in single
action mode. When the hammer is pulled
back manually, it must be pulled back firmly otherwise the cylinder
rotation issue will happen.
You can usually tell if the cylinder
is not locked into the correct place by looking at the shells while aiming. If they don’t appear to be symmetrical, the
cylinder is most likely not locked in correctly as needs manual assistance. What I did to prevent this from happening was
I gave the cylinder a soft turn to the right after I pull the hammer back. It will make a soft *click*. It will then complete the lock of the
cylinder and continue in double action after the single action shot.
As
for the velocity, here is where it gets fun. I have
read that the revolvers have a low FPS.
Perhaps I lucked out with this version, but I couldn’t disagree more. Most GBB/Semi-auto pistols shoot around 180-220
with HFC134a gas. This revolver shot 250
CONSISTANTLY with 134a, and it shot 350 with HFC22 gas (“Green Gas”)! How’s that for power?!
Quirks and Amazing features of the Pegasus system
Loading gas SUCKS if you do
not have Tanaka’s gas loading adaptor.
Because of the position where the intake valve is (in the cylinder) you
cannot get a straight position when loading gas. So, if you don’t have that adaptor, you have
to take off the left grip to get a *some-what-but-not-really-straight* angle to
load of gas. It works, but it has the
potential of damaging the intake valve. Unfortunately,
if the Tanaka adaptor is lost an after-market adaptor can not be found.
Now, here’s the outstanding feature
of the Pegasus system...
*A GBB/semi-auto pistol gets an average (if you’re lucky) 2x
full-mags-worth of shots (2 loads of BB) with a single charge of gas, roughly
30-60 shots depending on the type of pistol you use.
This revolver shot 90 rounds with
134a gas before losing power and depleting its entire gas load. That’s 15 cycles of 6 shots. And, once you get use to loading without
taking the cylinder out, you can keep yourself a threat to anyone nearby for a
long time after they typically run out with their GBB pistol. Green Gas only lasted for 13 cycles (78
shots), but that’s still awesome.
My overall impression of this Tanaka Works Colt revolver
is that the design of the exterior and interior with its Pegasus system surpasses
any revolver that uses the standard shell system. The attention to detail put into the logos, mold
seams, etc. is nearly flawless. Any
revolver fan should get a Tanaka if they want to experience revolver combat the
fun way, and the best way.