Sidearm (pistol) Recommendations

[grolix]

Hi all,

So I have all my equipment that I really need to play airsoft other than a hand gun for taking those tight corners. I was hoping the community can make me some recommendations on what to look into.

I would really like a blow back that is roughly in the $200 range. I am not to sure what is better; CO2 or Natural Gas, that is something I was hoping to get some feed back on.

[BioRage]

$200? Grab a WE Pistol or KJW pistol.

You can find some used on the classifieds, but better if you buy new (usually).

You'll want to run propane/green gas. Easier to fill, CO2 cartridges add up in time, about 0.50 - $1.00 each, so each mag you shoot you'll need to refill the cartridge, and typically the FPS on CO2 pistols exceed the limit at cqb places.

[naminator]

There are a lot of factors when it comes to pistol preference. The size of your hands, the size of the pistol, ammo capacity, current load out, how you want to holster it ect.

It is hard to pick out a gun or make recommendations for guns without know more information.

Personally I have a TM Hicapa 5.1 with a heavy metal slide. The thing kicks hard, holds a huge number of rounds and fits in very few holsters without dropping the mag.

The first question is double stack or single stack. Single stack pistols are obviously slimmer and more ergonomic for small hands. The length of the barrel/slide/silencer is something to consider too.

Personally, I would recommend you go to a local store and fondle the merchandise for a bit, get a feel for what you like. If they have holster options even better. You should practice 'drawing' the pistol and going around a corner with it.




Or just go buy an ASG 8" Revolver for that badass look and reduce the velocity.


I also second KJW is a good pistol brand on a budget. WE has flaws but have gotten better. TM is one of the best but the popularity has fallen in recent years.

[cav.]

Go to a local store, and just try whatever fancy's you and feels comfortable to hold :l No one can ever recommend something to you as we all have different preferences. I love M92s, 1911s and some others hate them. I prefer gas/propane as its cheap!

[augherk]

I'm an HK guy, so I'm very much a kwa user. Great out of the box performance and functionality and good aftermarket parts support. If you prefer to have access to the insane amounts of aftermarket marui parts, KJW makes decent TM compatible metal pistols, just be sure to use WE or TM mags.

[BioRage]

$160-180 for brand new WE pistols here,

http://airsoftcanada.com/showthread.php?t=151043

[_Whiskey_]

I have owned Several KJW pistols and they run great for the price. MY M1911A1 is a great gun.

[Red Dot]

Fondle them in stores, I thought for sure I'd get a Glock but the salesman showed me an M&P compact and I fell in love with the ergonomics over other pistols. As for brands I think these days you have a lot of good choices, I second buying new as a first purchase and going green gas so you can use it indoors/outdoors.

[hollywood...]

Originally Posted by Red Dot

Fondle them in stores, I thought for sure I'd get a Glock but the salesman showed me an M&P compact and I fell in love with the ergonomics over other pistols. As for brands I think these days you have a lot of good choices, I second buying new as a first purchase and going green gas so you can use it indoors/outdoors.

you need to hold one to ensure it is right for your hand and that you can operate the bolt catch etc easily.

For instance Glock and Barretta are good for my hand, P226 and 1911 no so much so.

KWA makes a solid gun.

[Kozzie]

The best advice I can give you is to first chose the model you want; Glock, 1911, M9, etc. See which one fits well in your hand and points well for you; consider features such as hammer fired vs striker fired, single action vs single/double action trigger, mag size and capacity etc.

Once you've decided what model you want then look into which brands make that model and find reviews. Be careful of reviews based solely on unboxing or first impressions, they don't really tell you much about the gun beyond aesthetics, try and find opinions and reviews based on experience and extended use of said gun.

[waylander]

Comfort, reliability, price, accuracy, weight, fps, aesthetics, parts/upgrade availability, features... etc. They are all different between manufacturers and guns.

I personally like P226's as they fit my hand very comfortably and the ones I have are accurate, reliable and I like the decocking feature.

It's going to be different for each person though. You need to decide yourself what's important then go out and try a few out.

[Ricochet]

I have personally seem a lot of WE and KJW guns fail, especially WE. This isn't always the case, but it's happened enough to scare me away. I have seen a few that have worked well long term, so I guess it's a risk.

If you're on a budget grab a KWA $150 - $250

If your not grab a Tokyo Marui $250 - $400

Double check prices on the ASC retailers. Many retailers in Canada have huge price differences on the exact same gun. Also make sure that if you buy a Tokyo Marui it isn't the snoked reciever version. Some retailers carry that for some reason, and it can be hard to tell from pictures.

On a personal note, I avoid any models that have skinny hammer mechanisms and this mags. Skinnier mechanisms can mean skinneae parts and I've seen my share of 1911 and M9 have issues. Skinny mags like on a 1911 can have issues going through a whole magazine before the gas resevoir runs dry.

Guns that are usually a knockout; Sig P226, USP, P8, PX4, etc. They're eegonomic, well balanced and reliable.

With pistols, seriously consider buying new.

[Hectic]

kwa m9 ptp about 280 with tax at mach1. Great gun for the money. Or just grab a WE whatever. They are all okay and most in the 200-250 range.
kjw, i got my m9 in 2008 and stuck a tight bore a good hop rubber and some high flow valves and heavy springs all round. Thing is a work horse, not the best fit n finnish, meaning it rattles like a hicap mag. But ifs been in mud snow sand swamp and had a thousand mags or more fired and still goes hard all day. But the ptp is solid no rattles and has propper function, the kjw decocker doesnt work.