| | Review: Bell M1911A1 Full-Metal GBB (EG723) Dennis Wells  Table of Contents - Introduction - Ordering - First Impressions - Externals - - Finish - - Controls and Operation - - Sights - - Trademarks - Disassembly - Internals - Performance - Conclusion - - Pros and Cons Introduction "The 1911 .45 ACP pistol has a mystique that is unmatched by any other pistol. Its owners are devoted to it. It continues to be chosen by SWAT, special forces, and competitive shooters despite challenges by newer designs and technologies. It is a cultural icon and symbol of America at its combative best. Yes, it's a combat sidearm, not a pocket gun or a concealment piece. It was designed for the Army in an era when the cavalry rode into battle on horses. Created by John M. Browning at the turn of the Twentieth Century, the 1911 was the climax of a series of autoloader designs which culminated in the adoption by the Army of the M1911 in the year from which it took its name. It is perhaps the most loved, studied, and enduring pistol design of all time." © 2008 The Sight M1911 (http://www.sightm1911.com/). Used with permission. Ordering The gun was ordered from Hong Kong airsoft retailer RSOV (http://www.rsov.com) for $65 plus overseas shipping, which is usually around $30 to the United States. The gun was shipped five days later and arrived six days after being shipped for a total of an eleven day turnaround between ordering and arrival. The gun arrived with the standard orange tip but with the trademarks uncovered and intact. First Impressions The gun showed up in its normal packaging, a hard plastic case with foam padding. The box art is a simple sticker with a picture of an unmarked M1911A1 along with various information and Bell’s logo. While nothing to write home about, it’s capable of holding the gun and allowed its contents to make it through overseas shipping without any damage.  Simple, yet effective – much like the M1911A1 itself. Included inside the box are the gun’s instruction manual, a tool for loading the magazine, and a replacement loading muzzle. The loading muzzle appears to be made of a decent quality plastic and it’s always nice to have a replacement part on hand. The gun’s instruction manual is labeled EG720, indicating it to be the same manual issued with the plastic version of this gun. The manual, like the gun, is a copy of its Tokyo Marui equivalent.  The gun, manual, and accessories. Lifting the gun from its case, it becomes apparent that this is, in fact, a full-metal pistol. Other than the checkered plastic grips, the gun is made entirely of metal and feels cool to the touch. It’s quite comfortable to hold and accurately proportioned. The box claims the gun to weigh 1000 grams (roughly 2.2 pounds); however it seems to weigh a noticeable amount more than that, at least 2.5 pounds, putting it about the same as the real M1911A1 with a round or two in the magazine. Externals - Finish - The gun’s externals are full metal and are finished with a coat of dark grey paint to replicate the parkerized finish of the real-steel. It’s nothing special, but it’s visually-pleasing and gets the job done. However, as is the case with many Chinese-made airsoft replicas, the paint seems to be very susceptible to normal wear and other damage. It is likely that skirmishing and holstering will take a noticeable toll on the overall finish.  The timeless appeal of the M1911. The only exception to this dark grey finish is the gun’s metal outer barrel. Bell, for some reason, decided to manufacture these replicas with a shiny silver and almost chrome outer barrel. This is not the case with World War II era M1911A1s and, given the simple and classic appeal of the M1911A1, looks quite tacky. However, considering the otherwise nice externals and the replica’s affordable price, it’s not a huge deal and something that can easily be remedied by a quick coat of paint.  The chrome barrel detracts from the overall appearance and authenticity. Along with this flaw in the finish, there are a couple other problems. There are some casting marks on the weapon’s thumb safety as well as near the ejection port. The front of the slide has some extraneous paint build-up and some parts of the frame’s finish are nicked, revealing the lighter-colored metal underneath. The metal is not casted perfectly on the gun either and there are some small nicks in the finish including one small air bubble on the top of the slide. Additionally, there are two small circles on the trigger and trigger guard left over from casting. None of these are glaring problems; however they are noticeable if one sets out to look for them. - Controls and Operation - The M1911A1’s controls are placed on the right side of the frame, a design which lends itself best to right-handed shooters. The controls, from left to right, are: slide lock, magazine release, thumb safety, and finally the grip safety. The thumb safety is set to safe when placed in the “up” position, while the grip safety is set to safe so long as it is not depressed. As with the real steel, the grip safety cannot be engaged unless the hammer is back and the gun will not fire unless both safeties are off. Although the concept of dual-safeties may seem annoying to some, it actually proves quite useful in combat. When holstered during a skirmish, the gun can be left loaded with the thumb safety in the off position and relying only on the grip safety. This prevents an accidental discharge while holstered and, since the grip safety is deactivated simply by holding the gun, does not slow down the user in a quick-draw situation. - Sights - The weapon’s sights are simple M1911A1 sights. The rear sight is a single block with a notch in it, while the front sight is a single post used for targeting. It’s a simple and no-frills system, much like the M1911A1 itself. You won’t find a fancy tactical rail, exotic grips, night sights, or anything else really exciting on this weapon. The M1911A1 is a gun whose design prides itself on simplicity, efficiency, and effectiveness. It’s combat-tested and timeless design is an excellent alternative to today’s more modernized pistols. Unfortunately, the rear sight (which is separate from the slide itself) worked itself loose after about an hour of test firing. It is not at the point where it can come off the slide on its own; however it does have a very noticeable amount of play, making it likely that it will fall off in the future. Luckily, this flaw is easily remedied by applying a small strip of electrical tape on both the front and rear of the sight, thus filling the gap between the sight and slide and providing a more secure fit. - Trademarks - One of the selling points of this pistol are the accurate trademarks featured on both the slide and receiver. First and foremost are the markings on the slide. All of the patent dates are correct as well as the Colt and Hartford, CT markings. The only real flaw with the markings themselves is the spacing of the text. When compared to a real M1911A1, the horizontal spacing between letters is too small and the vertical spacing between lines of text is too large. Unfortunately, the trademarks on the slide are very thin and shallow and rely on paint to make them noticeable. This is not accurate to the original M1911A1 and, like the nearly-chromed barrel, looks somewhat tacky. Also noticeable is the lack of a P proof marking on the top rear of the slide. Additionally, the outer barrel lacks any proof or inspector markings. However, since the gun is a clone of the Tokyo Marui, it is compatible with Marui parts and it is possible for the user to purchase and install a high-end metal slide and barrel.  Colt trademarks on the slide as well as various markings on the left side of the frame. Moving on from the slide, the frame also features accurate markings as well as an attention to detail. On the left side of the frame, Guy H. Drewry’s Ordnance acceptance mark, G.H.D., is replicated horizontally in the correct position to the top-right of the trigger. This is an accurate marking for 1943-manufactured Colt pistols. On the trigger guard itself are two markings – the first being a T to represent the Colt inspector’s mark and the other being the triangle-enclosed VP (Verified Proof) logo. Lastly is the P proof marking below the magazine release. Once again, these markings are correct for a 1943 Colt M1911A1. Unfortunately, all of these markings appear to have been stamped a bit too low on the frame on this particular gun, almost completely obscuring the VP logo. Continuing on to the right side of the frame, the United States Property marking can be found, as well as the serial number, 913419 in this case. This serial number, if found on a real Colt-manufactured M1911A1, would indicate a 1943 manufacturing date. To the right of these markings is the M1911A1 U.S Army marking. Unfortunately, this marking, as well as the property marking and serial number are off in both their size and font when compared to a real Colt-manufactured M1911A1.  Trademarks on the right side of the frame. Featured on the trigger guard and directly below the Army marking is the assembler’s number, 76. This is the same number used on the Tokyo Marui M1911A1 models, suggesting that Bell copied their markings from the Marui model. On the far left side of the right half of the frame is the Ordnance “crossed cannons” marking. It is perfectly engraved into the gun’s frame which, although nice, is rather unrealistic. The real M1911A1 would have this seal stamped on, resulting in an imperfect marking, often barely half of the image. Overall, considering the price of this replica, the trademarks are fairly good. They certainly aren’t perfect, but they’re still better than the Made in Japan and ASGK markings found on the plastic Tokyo Marui model. For the large majority of purchasers the trademarks should prove more than sufficient – only 1911 purists are likely to notice the problems. Disassembly Disassembling this replica is simple and similar to the real-steel takedown procedure. As with any gun maintenance, the magazine should first be removed from the gun and checked to ensure it is empty. Next, cycle the slide and ensure there are no rounds left in the chamber. Before moving forward with disassembly, ensure the grip safety is off and the hammer is back.  Slide lock a bit back of being properly aligned with the slide. Next, pull the slide back about three quarters of the way of a full pull. In doing so, align the end of the slide lock with the small notch in the slide directly below the feet of the Rampant Colt logo. A small tab which is part of the slide lock should be visible – align this part so it will fit through the notch. Next, push the pressure pin on the right side of the frame above the trigger and pull the entire slide lock unit out. From here, the slide can be pushed forward and removed from the gun.  The slide, frame, and slide lock. Internals Looking inside the disassembled frame, there’s nothing particularly special. The trigger assembly works like any other gas blowback airsoft pistol and, other than that, there’s not much to look at. The parts fit together nicely and do their job. However, there’s a very large amount of grease over most of the internals. Other than it initially seeping out onto the trigger, the grease doesn’t seem to cause any problems.  Nothing to write home about. Moving onwards, the slide also features a very large amount of grease. However, like the slide, the grease does not interfere with the gun’s operation. The individual parts are surprising well made and both fit together and perform properly. The inner barrel, however, had a bit of dirt inside it which was easily remedied using the included cleaning wand and a small piece of cloth.  Home to most of the internals. The hop-up dial is made of plastic and proved extremely stiff and resistant to movement. While this is great for ensuring the hop-up does not lose its position during use, it also makes it difficult for the user to adjust it. For people without long fingernails, it is likely that some sort of thin and stiff tool, such as a small flat head screwdriver, will be needed to adjust the dial. However, it is also possible to damage the plastic dial if one is not careful when using a metal tool. Performance As nice as the trademarks, metal construction, finish, and internal parts appear to be, none of them really mean anything if the gun fails at its most important task – firing. As most experienced gas blowback airsoft weapon users are aware, these guns tend to function best in reasonably warm environments. Testing was performed on a sunny day with a modest 76 degree Fahrenheit temperature. Propane with ten-weight silicone oil was used to power the gun and the ammunition used was .20 gram Japanese-made Excel BBs.  The test setup. First off was velocity testing using an aluminum Coke can, a method known as the “Poor Man’s Chrono.” The magazine was filled with propane and a single .20 gram Excel BB was loaded. The gun’s muzzle was placed about an inch and a half away from a free-standing Diet Coke can. Upon firing, the BB easily penetrated both sides of the can. The test was then repeated using the bottom of the can and the BB was not able to penetrate, instead leaving a small crack. These results indicate a velocity of roughly 360 feet per second or 1.2 joules of power.    The entry and exit wounds of the can’s side as well as the crack in the bottom. Next up were the accuracy tests. To match the real steel, the magazine was loaded to only seven rounds of its full 24 round capacity. Loading the magazine is a fairly simple procedure. The included magazine loading tool hooks onto a notch on the follower and is then pulled to the bottom of the magazine where it can be hooked into place on the magazine’s base plate. From here, BBs are individually loaded into the gap at the bottom of the magazine.  Loading the magazine using the included loading tool. For the first accuracy test, a distance of 25 feet was measured. The pistol was fired from a bench-rest position for all of the seven shots. Accuracy results were good with a three inch by two inch grouping.  Fairly consistent results. For the second test, the target was moved out an additional 25 feet for a total distance of 50 feet. Shots were once again fired from a bench-rest position. All seven shots successfully hit the target with four of them forming a grouping of only two and a half inches both vertically and horizontally. Factoring in the three less consistent rounds, the total grouping was roughly four and a half by three and a half inches.  Noticeably larger grouping. Finally, testing was performed at 85 feet. Rather than a paper target, a foam target roughly the size of an average human torso was used. Firing was performed freehand for this test. All seven shots fired from this distance hit the target. During testing, the magazine averaged a total of 33 shots from a single fill of propane, enough for just over one and a third magazines. When left in the sun for approximately five minutes, a filled magazine was capable of providing exactly one and a half magazines worth of shots, 40 rounds. Also worth noting is the very strong recoil produced by this gun using propane. The recoil is easily stronger than a KWC Desert Eagle running on propane, a gun which also has an impressive recoil. As a whole, accuracy was fairly good and above average. The larger groupings in some of the tests can be partially attributed to user error and an unsteady hand. The hop-up proved to be excellent, carrying the BBs out to distances easily past 100 feet. Repeated firing showed consistency to be very good with flyers being very rare. The gun is more than capable of performing its duties as a sidearm. Conclusion Overall, the gun proved to be an extremely impressive piece for the price. First and foremost, the gun’s full-metal construction not only makes it visually appealing and comfortable to hold, it provides for an impressive recoil that makes this replica an absolute blast to shoot. Along with strong recoil is an equally impressive muzzle report accompanied by the noise made by the cycling metal slide. This results in a replica that is, above all, fun for the user. This model manages to stand above the crowd not only in its full-metal construction but also with its full trademarks. Although the trademarks, like the paint and overall finish, are less than perfect, they still manage to look great overall and should be more than satisfactory for the large majority of users. In conclusion, this is by no means a perfect airsoft pistol. It is, however, a pistol which is more than capable of serving as a skirmish-worthy sidearm and is very enjoyable to fire. For a total of $95 shipped to the United States, this pistol offers value which is currently unmatched by any other gas blowback pistol. - Pros - - Full-metal construction - Colt and US Army trademarks - Good gas efficiency - Reliable functioning - Good-quality internals - Impressive recoil - Extremely affordable - Cons - - Loose rear sight - Paint prone to wear - Some flaws in trademarks - Shiny silver barrel looks tacky |
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Friday, April 30, 2010
Review: Bell M1911A1 Full-Metal GBB (EG723) Dennis Wells
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