TAKING THE PISTOL
BUT WHICH ONE?
Airsofters are spoilt for choice when
it comes to pistols. Scott Allan,
of Land Warrior Airsoft,
shares his personal
thoughts on the subject
Prices ahoy!
That Glock cost me £135 back in the day. Bugger all I
thought, but these days I see people baulk at the cost
of a full-metal 1911 for £95.
It’s a beginners market just
now – cheaper pricing has
opened up airsoft to a whole new
price bracket of player.
So what’s in it for me?
A
pistol was the first thing
I ever bought for Airsoft.
My first purchase was
a KWA G26c, compact
and nicely finished
with single-shot and full-auto options
– I could hardly put it down! It would sit on
my desk at home (in its box) and I would get it
out just to look at it and feel the replica power
in my hand – smitten doesn’t quite cover it.
I’ve always liked shooting, and the bigger
the better in my eyes. When I first stumbled
into the airsoft market it was a wet dream of
easily available gear that looked as good to
me as the real thing.
Pistols are often what people want the most but use
the least. Whether it is for decoration, to fit in with a
specific look or just because you truly believe you are
the coolest cat on the planet, pistols are plentiful on
the field. The market is packed with replicas that are
well-built in terms of both looks and function. In this
overview I have listed what I believe are the main
reliable brands.
There are a few decent Chinese clones appearing
on the market these days, but in my experience poor
performance and leaky seals (and sometimes no seals
at all) reign supreme in the clone market. When there
are good, fairly-priced entry level brands there is no
need, in my opinion, to buy even cheaper – after all you
are simply eating into the quality of the goods you are
buying.
WE & Socom Gear
WE (or WE-Tech) is a Taiwanese manufacturer that didn’t really do
anything special until a few years ago. These days its pistols are good
all-rounders: their full-metal construction makes them popular with
newer players, yet they still occupy the budget end of the market. They
don’t deliever the best performance – but then you aren’t paying top dollar. After releasing
some innvoative designs, in particular a Browning High Power, WE grew in popularity; more
designs are being released every month. Most of the pistols remain faithful to the 1911 and
high-capa design, although the Berettas and full-metal Luger in various lengths are worth a mention.
■ Expect to pay around £90
Socom Gear is effectively a tuning company that produces licensed, higher-quality versions of WE pistols.
Its licenses such names as Novak, Gemtech and Daniel Defense, and the company releases more reliable and better
performing versions of WE pistols – complete with upgraded valves and seals as standard.
■ Expect to pay around £130-150 for a Socom Gear pistol