Ah Western Arms. Anyone that knows gas blowback pistols knows that WA make some of the best ones out there. Being my first blowback pistol, this sets the standard.
First thing i noticed as soon as i got the gun was its sheer weight. well over a kilo.. for a sidearm. This is mainly down to 70% of the gun being metal. With the magazine in its a lot heavier..as the magazine is solid metal on its own. At the time.. i couldnt fire the gun, as the gas was misplaced from my order. Whats in the box? Well firstly.. a rather difficult to read manual.. unlike the tm ones, the manual is solid japanese. Thankfully there are pictures to get the basic message across. other paper work consists of the usual ASGK warning sheets and a paper target. The gun comes with 3 interchangeable triggers, a loading rod, magazine and 2 allen keys, one to change the trigger and one to adjust the hop up.
In terms of realism, i dont think you could get any more realistic. To use the gun you have to manipulate it exactly as you would the real version. The only minor nitpick i have is the grips.. when out of the box they're fairly spiky. Wearing gloves (as you would do) makes this minor problem inexistant.
Shooting it. The fun part. Load the magazines up (30 round double stack) and charge them with gas. Slap it in the gun, rack the slide and fire away. The kick is pretty significant..definatly enough to notice deviation in aim. Surprising since the gun is so heavy. Rate of fire is good. Ive experienced a few misfeeds..but that could be because of the rounds im using (airsoft armourys on brand) instead of the said "Magna" BB's as portrayed by a little cartoon picture in the manual. One small problem i found would be the fact that the plastic section of the magazine is not very strong. Being dropped it will break (due to the heavy metal magazine falling on it). It can easily be repaired with super glue, but this plate has come adrift on both of my magazines, and have been repaired with cyanocrylate gel.
Power wise id say its high. Redwolf say it shoots 310FPS stock.. My usual Tropicana carton target couldnt take the strain..and the infinity just blew holes straight through it. As for the coke can test, i havent managed to conduct one yet. Range is good when the hop up is adjusted right.. and accuracy depends more on aim and how still you can hold the gun.
Maintenance.. The dreaded thing that almost put me off buying a gas pistol. Apparently with Western arms it isnt extensive. just a clean and a spray over with Silicone oil after each skirmish. However Abbey produce a special "134A maintenance gas" which includes a special lubricant to keep inner workings in top shape. They recommend using a magload every 10 magazines of so. For cleaning purposes, the gun field strips in seconds by removing the slide release. This is also how you adjust the hop up. I found a quarter and a bit turn is suitable for 0.2s and 0.25s. |
