Is an Airgun Good for Self Defense? Another one of those questions I get asked fairly often that's a bit hard to answer in a few sentences... Not all of us have easy access to a 9mm pistol or even a rifle but many of us can get our hands on an airgun fairly easily and they look real enough, I guess that is one thing they have going for them.
But what if the mere sight of what looks like a gun does not scare an intruder off? If you where hoping that would be enough, you may just be out of luck and what if you just brought an Airgun to a "real" gun fight? You are going to be drastically "outgunned" pun intended and here's why. A 4.5mm Steel BB weighs about 5.1 grains and generally you are looking at about 2-3 foot pounds of energy from a CO2 BB gun. Even a .177 caliber lead pellet is only marginally heavier at around 7-8 grains and if you're really lucky you might just get 4 foot pounds of energy out of a CO2 pellet pistol.
So let's take a look at a fairly conservative "real pistol" rounds, the 9mm. The 9mm rounds come in different bullet weighs but you can get a 120 grain 9mm in a plus p ammo with as much as 400 foot pounds of energy and even with that much raw power, many people claim that a 9mm round does not always have enough stopping power to put down a person even when shot multiple times center mass. It just depends what vital organs or arteries you hit that determines if he gets lucky or you get lucky.
Your 5.1 grain 4.5mm Steel BB is not going to do anything if it hits any type of clothing and even if you find some flesh it's just going to piss off the intruder.
My suggestion is to consider a bat or a golf club or a really big knife or just about anything other than an airgun because if the sight of the airgun replica does not scare an intrude away then you are really buggered.
Keep in mind that you need to abide by any laws regarding the use of self defense in your areas. Even just physical force could be considered a crime and at the end of the day you are ultimately accountable for your actions.
Two questions that come up over and over again and to be honest I just hate answering, mainly because both of these questions to me are kind of common sense questions. I feel if someone where to stop and actually think about teh question, the answers would become obvious.
That said, common sense has to be learned somewhere and not all of us are exposed to the same life experiences so here goes...
The two questions are:
Will this Ammunition Work in my Gun?
Can I Convert a Blank Gun to a Real Gun?
The answer for both of these question is actually the same! Use the ammo made for your gun and do not try to use anything other than the ammo that was made for your gun. Do not try to modify your gun to shoot anything other than the ammo that was made for it, if you do, you may be breaking the law and could land yourself in jail. If you can follow these rules then your ammo and gun will work as intended :)
So that's pretty much it in a nutshell, watch my YouTube video below as I show you examples of ammo types with visuals on exactly why you need to use the ammo made for your gun. I also talk about the dangers of attempting to modify a blank gun to shoot some sort of real bullet and why it is a very bad idea in so many ways to try and convert a blank gun into a real gun.
As promised I did a redo of my Original Chronograph Test for my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. The first time around I just could not get my Chronograph to read in the poor lighting I had going on that day. I spent a fair bit of time doing some testing with my Chronograph since it is that time of year when the lighting is poor and determined that I need to use the white defusing panels as it seems that my roofline and the low light are playing havoc with the Chronograph readings.
Once I sorted this all out my Chronograph worked perfectly and I was able to get some readings for you with my Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol. As I assumed I did not get much over 350 fps. I also got a lot of variation in the fps, most likely due to the fact that I had to roll down the pellets a bit on the backside in order to feed them in the barrel from front to back, some pellets where tight and some where a bit looser, the looser ones seemed to shoot a bit faster as less of the pressure may have escaped out the back where the primer was situated.
It's a bird, it's a plan, no wait... It's a pellet gun, no it's a cap gun, or is it a blank gun or maybe it's a real gun? Well it shoots lead bullets out of the barrel using gun powder so who really know's what we should call it? At least here in Canada you don't need a license to buy or own the Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol so that's a good thing :)
So on with the Field Test Shooting Review results... Right off the top, I have no Chronograph test result, try as I did I could not get my Chronograph to read the pellet speed in the rather low light situation I had today, even with a bunch of added extra lights :( I would say off hand that it was shooting somewhere in the 350-450 fps range and when I do get a brighter day I will pop outside and shoot a couple rounds off and post the updated info here for you all, so check back in a bit if this interests you.
What I can tell you for sure is how this gun shot in terms of accuracy. I was expecting to spray pellets all over the target because there is no back sight on the Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol, there is just a post sight up front. I was not even sure if I was going to get all the pellets on the paper. I even setup my target at the 20 foot mark just to be safe and as per usual I was using a semi-rested position by placing a sand bag to rest my hands on and then sitting on my knees in the back, pretty stable all around.
I started off the target test by aiming dead center but quickly found that I was shooting about 6 inches high, so my next 5 shots I aimed 6 inches below the bullseye and low and behold 4 out of 5 of the shots landed within 1.5 inches of each other. So I guess having a rear sight is over rated! If you can figure this gun out, the rifled barrel will direct each pellet straight and true so I think it really comes down to knowing how to line up the front sight with an imaginary rear sight and don't try to shoot really small targets far away. Once you get used to where to point the Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol, you should easily be able to hit a pop can out to 20-30 feet with no problems.
Of course you have to reload this pistol before each shot which consists of cocking the hammer, placing a pellet in the front of the barrel and pushing it to the back with the loading ram rod and then positioning a #11 percussion cap on the primer nipple. Not a rapid fire gun at all but you do appreciate each shot considering the work involved. I also found pre-rolling the back side off my pellets helped to reduce the rear diameter so that the pellets loaded into the barrel much easier. You may have to blow out some residue between each shot which is not something I would recommend with most guns but it's very clear that this pistol is safe since in order to see the barrel obstruction there would be no percussion cap loaded onto the gun.
The Pedersoli Derringer Guardian #11 4.5mm .177 Pellet Pistol is a very unique pellet pistol and actually kind of fun to shoot since it involves a bit of work for each shot and of course some hands on time to figure out exactly how and where to point it to get accurate target results.
Make sure to watch my second Chronograph Test where I was able to get some readings for you!
I finally got out to shoot my Wyoming Arms Parker 10mm S.S. and it worked pretty well for me, the kick was hard but the design of this 10mm pistol helps reduce recoil so the recoil was not really all that much more than shooting a .45 or .40 caliber. If you have not watched my Wyoming Arms Parker 10mm S.S. Pistol Real Steel Overview then make sure to do so... I did have a few of my reload rounds that seemed to give me a bit of trouble but other than that the Wyoming Arms shot very well for me and was extremely accurate.
I also brought along my little ISSC M22 .22LR shooting Glock look-a-like to keep some of my shooting costs down since the 10mm are so expensive I needed to recoup some of my costs shooting the super affordable .22LR ammo. And yes I have a full Table Top Review for the ISSC M22 so check that one out if you're in the market for a fairly low cost .22LR that looks a lot like a Glock.
I had a great time and we got to shot some other guns while we where at the gun range; Walther P38 9mm, Glock 22 .40 Caliber, Sig Sauer Mosquito .22LR and the Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 .22LR in all.
I do get requests from many of my viewers to do some real steel reviews and so far I have pretty much stuck with 22LR real steel reviews and my Tokarev real steel review. I recently purchased an interesting 10mm semi auto handgun used at a local used gun show and so I though I would share this rather interesting and no longer in production pistol with you. The handgun we are looking at today is the Wyoming Arms Parker 10mm S.S. At first place it looks a lot like a 1911 but it is different in several ways. the obvious traits are the safety on the slide and lack of a grip safety, it also has a very different looking handle and there are some internal differences also.
What drew me to the Wyoming Arms Parker 10mm S.S. was it's 1911 looks, the very nice stainless steel finish and the rather unusual 10mm ammo it was chambered to shoot. If your not familiar with the 10mm round it was developed by the FBI for sue by their field agents but was later determined to be a bit too much to handle for some of their smaller but later agents. The 10mm was then detuned and turned into the S&W 40 caliber which is essentially a shorter less powerful version of the 10mm.
Here are a bunch more photos that really show off the beauty of this pistol!
Definitely make sure to watch this video as I go through the gun and show you around, I also do a field strip and talk a bit more about the Miami Shootout that was the FBI's reason to look into the development of the 10mm Auto round.
Earlier this week my father called me up and asked if I wanted to head out with him to go do some hunting/shooting. He has his bear tag but for the most part, hunting with my Dad consists of driving around in his truck hoping to stumble on something since he can not walk all that far these days.
We had a great time just enjoying each others conversation and of course the beauty of Canada BC's Harrison Lake area. We also got to shoot some guns to "make sure they where sighted in and working correctly". I brought my Norinco 12 Gauge Homeland Security 780 which I needed to test out and I'm glad I did since it needs some TLC to get working smoothly. I also brought along my little Henry Lever Action 22LR which is always a blast to shoot. My Dad brought his Savage Arms 7mm Magnum just in case we did see a bear on this outing.
Long story short we didn't bring any meat back home with us but we did see some out of season doe and of course had some nice father-son time together...
I am happy to report back to you on all the new cool stuff I got to see at this years 2013 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. Make sure to also watch my Vimeo video at the bottom of this post for some first person styled play by play of my experience at the Vegas SHOT Show 2013. (like you're there with me ;)
First up I want to cover a new gun from ASG, I have been wanting to get my hands on the 4.5mm Bersa BP9CC and I finally got to, not only did I get my hands on it but ASG was kind enough to supply me with one to take home for review. You can get the Bersa BP9CC in both Blowback and non-blowback versions and also in either BB or Airsoft. I opted for the 4.5mm BB Blowback version. I will be reviewing this BB gun very soon!
ASG also had a very cool prototype of an Airsoft CZ Scorpion EVO 3A1 hopefully coming out soon.
While roaming around SHOT Show 2013, I came across an interesting booth from FlashFog Security. I often get people asking me about using an airgun as a home defense weapon and I strongly advise against this. If the intruder is not scared off by the gun there is little an airgun can do to actually stop them. The FlashFog system works by rapidly filling a room with dense fog combined with a strobe light effect which blinds and disorients intruders completely. There is little an intruder can do other then try and get the heck out of there!
UPDATE: FlashFog just added a new section to their website specifically for School Security to help keep our schools safer from potential safety threats! So check it out: School Security Smoke Screen
I was a bit surprised by Gamo this year, they tend to stay away from actual Replica's and generally make BB/Pellet guns that look like popular guns but not any gun in particular. Gamo has a new BB/Pellet MP9 based machine pistol that uses a similar mechanism to their P-25 and PT-85 so it can shoot both 4.5mm BB's and .177 caliber Pellets using a double ended 16 shot rotary magazine. It also has an internal blowback system so it should have some recoil feel to it! I am pretty sure it is semi auto only but still a nice addition to their lineup!
Gamo also brought out a new 4.5mm BB Blowback pistol called the C-15 which has a metal slide and plastic frame, it kind of reminds me of the Umarex HPP in how it looks and feels.
Umarex had several new products that I am sure everyone is going to like! One that I think will do really well is the Steel Force, the Steel Force is designed around the 4.5mm BB shooting Steel Storm platform so it has a 6 round burst blowback operation and holds the 2x12 gram CO2 in the magazine while the BB's go in a 300 round hopper that feeds into a 30 round spring fed internal magazine. Like the Steel Storm it will shoot around 430 fps. The Steel Force has the advantage of being styled after the AR platform so it has a collapsible stock which will make shooting very easy.
Another often asked for airgun replica is the historic German Luger. This year Umarex stepped up to the plate and introduced the Umarex P.08 4.5mm BB pistol. Sorry, no blowback or even a working slide on this one but it is all metal and has a very good weight and feel to it.
If you're a fan of the entry level Umarex XBG then you may be interested in the new Umarex T.D.P. 45 which is very similar to the XBG in looks and features but with a slightly different look to it.
If you've ever wanted to turn your pistol into more of a PDW styled gun, you may be able to depending on which Umarex gun you have? Umarex added a very cool accessory called the T.A.C Converter that converts your Umarex HK USP (BB-Airsoft), SW MP40 (BB), XBG (BB), CZ Enforcer (Airsoft) and Walther P99 DOA (Airsoft) into more of a tactical (PDW) or Personal Defense Weapon complete with for-grip, adjustable rear sight, lots of rail options and a foldable stock.
I am assuming the Crosman M4-177 Pellet/BB Rifle has been doing well for Crosman as they have expanded with some more similar assault styled air rifles. The Crosman MSR77NP pretty much looks like a classic M16 but is in fact a Nitro Piston break barrel pellet rifle able to shoot .177 caliber pellets at 1200 fps (I hope there is a 499 fps Canada version planned too?).
A new takeoff of the M4-177 is the MK-177 which also shoots .177 caliber pellets and 4.5mm BB's using a multi-Pump System but it uses an upgraded more efficient pump system that squeaks out more fps with less pumps. The Crosman MK-177 is designed after the FN SCAR and is available in an adjustable iron sight version or a Red Dot equipped kit version.
One thing you can never get enough of in my opinion is another 1911 pistol! Crosman is introducing their GI Model 1911BB Blowback 4.5mm CO2 pistol, the one they had on hand was more of a prototype so the slide was not operational but it will feature an all metal design, blowback operation, 450 fps and a 20 round drop out magazine. I am sorry to say but it looks like the Crosman C51 has been dropped from Crosman's lineup but if you want a similar styled gun you can checkout the KWC SW40F which is a very close airsoft version.
We recently started carrying G&G Armament Airsoft guns, you can checkout my review of the Xtreme 45. I did stop by their booth and they had some new products on display, the M1 Grand (all wood stock) Airsoft had it's magwell all wrapped up as G&G had a propriety magazine system they did not want their competition to see. G&G also had some very interesting targets that light up, when shot they would react by individually turning off so you could see if you hit it or not.
There was a rather large crowd at the KWA booth but it was a shared booth so it's hard to say what everyone was looking at, the KWA area was pretty full, I did talk to the KWA rep and asked him point blank if KWC and KWA where the same or sister companies and the answer was not at all. There are often a lot of guns that look like they could be from the same company, I guess there is a lot of copying going on ;) One gun from KWA I would love to get my hands on is the Kriss SMG!
Now keep in mind many of these guns I have highlighted today are not available yet and a lot of them should be coming out in the spring time frame so please try to refrain from repeatedly asking when I will review them and have them in the store, it takes time and as much as we all want them now, they get here when they get here!
Watch my Vimeo video of the Replica Aiguns at SHOT Show Vegas 2013
I first want to say this isn't exactly a review, more of an overview. I do show you around this Chinese made Norinco Type 54 Model 213 9mm Tokarev copy but I don't shoot it or even talk too much about shooting it. I have shot my Norinco M213 and it's quit nice, especially when you consider this gun was designed back in 1930. The Original Russian made Tokarev was built to replace the aging Nagant M1895 revolver that the Soviet troops used as their sidearm.
The Tokarev looks a lot like the Browning FN Model 1903 and was more than likely based off of it but it is different internally utilizing a short recoil dropping barrel similar to what is used in a 1911. The original Tokarev was not normally chambered in 9mm but rather the Russian made 7.62mm round. Being that the original 7.62 round is longer than a 9mm Lugar, Norinco had to place a block inside the magwell to accommodate the smaller magazine. I think it's a good tradeoff so I can use my readily available 9mm rounds in it. Each magazine hold 7 rounds as they are single stack design, this does make the profile of the entire gun very slim.
Another feature to note, that is found on the Chinese Norinco Type 54 Tokarev copy is the addition of a safety. The original Tokarev did not have a safety on it. The safety is similar to what you would find on a Makarov.
I have several Norinco guns and from what I have seen, people either love them or hate them and it's usually the people that own them that love them and the people that don't own them that don't like them. This may be based on first impressions as many Norinco guns are not as refined as what you would see in a Smith & Wesson, Sig Sauer and many other higher end firearms. With that said the Norinco firearms kind of remind me of many Russian made guns which are more about how they work and less about how they look. The Norinco metal is tuff as nails and has a very high nickel content in it which is what makes it harder to refine.
Even today the Tokarev is a decent gun and I really love the history behind it, once you get used to it's unusual looks it really does start to grow on you and you can pick one up for pretty cheap these days, I only paid just over $200 for mine and it even came with 4 magazines.
Watch my Vimeo Video Overview of the Norinco Type 54 Model 213 9mm Tokarev:
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Chiappa - Puma 1911-22 Tactical semi auto pistol is fairly heavy at the start of it's life at close to 10 pounds! This is a bit distracting but it has been reported that as the metals harden and the gun breaks in (Closer to the 2000-3000 round mark), you can expect a much lighter trigger pull of closer to 5 pounds.
Accuracy: I put about 500 rounds through the Chiappa - Puma 1911-22 and took some time getting used to how it felt and also shot several groups on target before I did my final test group. I shot two full magazines (20 shots) and was able to get a 6-7 inch group from 10 yards out (30 feet). I was shooting in a standing unrested position using the open sights unadjusted and my grouping was well center but just a tad bit high and to the left. Interestingly enough I had a nice tight 5 shot sub-group that all landed within each other almost dead center on target.
Build Quality: The Chiappa - Puma 1911-22 Tactical 22LR is not built out of the same hardened steel material (with the exception of some key high stress areas) as you would find in a large caliber hand gun as it is not necessary with the lower pressure of 22LR rimfire ammunition, but it is an almost all metal gun and seems to have decent fit and finish. Chiappa utilizes a special proprietary metal they call Chiappalloy throughout much of the pistol to make the 1911-22 look, feel and weigh about the same as a conventional 1911 45 auto.
Realism: The Chiappa - Puma 1911-22 Tactical looks the part for sure of a real 1911 A1 styled 45 auto. It even feels about the same weight and has a similar balance to it. On the outside you can tell because of the smaller diameter .22 caliber barrel and the lack of a working grip safety. Internally the 1911-22 has a fixed barrel which is not true to the original 1911 design but it does make the 22LR version more accurate and simpler in design.
Purchased From: Wholesale supplier.
Pros:
Inexpensive to purchase and shoot but still has that "1911" look and feel.
Came with two 10 round magazines.
Comes in a nice hard shell case.
Can add an accessory rail under the barrel.
Adjustable rear sight for windage.
Fixed barrel for better accuracy and less moving parts.
Nice realistic weight adn ballance to it.
Very easy to take down and clean.
Similar dimensions to a real 1911 and should fit most holsters and add-ons.
Has a secondary "tool based" firing pin lock for safe storage.
Trigger is very heavy at first - needs to be broken in!
Slide spring is very light which can lead to some cycling problems if you are not careful.
No working grip safety like the real 1911.
Plastic magazines.
Comments:
My Chiappa - Puma 1911-22 Tactical first impression was that it kind of had a blank gun look and finish too it which is not a bad thing but I wondered if it would take the abuse of constant 22LR rounds being shot through it and it most certainly did. Chiappa has put hardened steel where it needs to be and used their proprietary Chiappalloy where it is best suited. after about the first 100 rounds the 1911-22 stated performing consistently for me using a couple of brands of 22LR I brought with me and cycled both 22LR Standard Velocity and High Velocity just fine. I did notice it started to act up at around the 400 round mark but on inspection, the Chiappa 1911-22 just needed a cleaning to clear the debris that was forming in the breach area. I would also suggest keeping the magazines loaded up fore a few weeks to decrease the spring tension which helps with chambering the first couple of rounds out of a new magazine. Overall, I am really happy with my Chiappa 1911-22 purchase and plan to shoot this gun often and extensively!
My Vimeo Video Review for the Chiappa 1911-22 Tactical .22LR Pistol:
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ISSC M22 semi auto pistol is fairly light at about 4.4 pounds and it has a nice predictable break point. Some people claim the trigger itself is a bit edgy but I did not find this the case for myself at least when shooting off several hundred rounds at a time. No blisters for me :)
Accuracy: I put about 500 rounds through the ISSC M22 and took some time getting used to how it felt and also shot several groups on target before I did my final test group. I shot two full magazines (20 shots) and most of my shots (17 out of 20) landed within a 3 inch group from 10 yards out (30 feet). I was shooting in a standing unrested position using the open sights unadjusted and my grouping was well center but just a tad bit high. I was very happy with these results.
Build Quality: The ISSC M22 is a very well made pistol in just about every way. The materials are very good and the fit and finish is excellent. There is nothing cheap about this gun and even after over 500 shots through the M22, it still looked brand new (after a well needed cleaning of course) with barely any wear marks to speak of. I especially liked the solid aluminum magazines. I have no doubt this 22 caliber pistol will last me for a long time.
Realism: The ISSC M22 may not be a bang on copy of a Glock but it certainly looks the part with only a few exceptions like the rear hammer, safety and fixed internal barrel. I have even heard you can use real Glock accessories with this semi auto pistol! Even the kick kind of surprised me, I was using high velocity 22LR rounds and they gave me a nice crisp recoil that of course was not as hard as a 9mm but never the less it was enough for working on double taps and rapid sight acquisition.
Purchased From: Wholesale supplier.
Pros:
Inexpensive to purchase and shoot but still has that "Glock like" look and feel.
Came with two 10 round magazines.
Very well made - no quality issues as far as I can tell.
Accessory rail under the barrel.
Very usable sights similar to a real Glock. (also fully adjustable).
Ambidextrous safety and de-cocker.
Similar trigger safety as a real Glock.
Very easy to take down and clean.
Nice compact and light weight.
Similar dimensions to a Glock and may work with many of the same accessories.
Some Glock users may not like the external hammer and safety setup?
Some people have commented on it being a bit picky with certain ammo and the trigger being a bit edgy.
Comments:
I really fell in love with the ISSC M22 22LR Glock copy. I know this gun is going to get a lot of use and to be honest I'm not even worried about it. With the low cost of 22LR ammo I will be shooting this gun more than any of my other pistols simply because it's totally fun, and gives me almost the exact same experience as my larger caliber semi auto shooters at about 1/10th the price to shoot. I'm pretty sure I will even get out to the range more often knowing that I can shoot the entire day for about $20! I found the M22 to be reliable, accurate and comfortable while shooting so as far as I'm concerned the ISSC M22 is a real winner!
My Vimeo Video Review for the ISSC M22 Glock Copy .22LR Pistol:
As you know I have been doing some reviews of my 22LR "Real Steel" guns and I added a couple more to the collection I want to share with you all. From my past experience, airguners also like the low cost 22LR guns for a variety of reasons including reduced operating cost, low recoil, lots of places to shoot them and so on...
I took both these guns to the gun range and put several hundred rounds through them and by the end they where both shooting very reliable using inexpensive box Blazer 22LR ammo. I stuck with this ammo because it seemed to be working well. The Chiappa 1911-22 was a bit pickier at first but I think it was mainly to do with a rather stiff magazine spring, making it difficult for the first couple rounds to chamber, again most of this sorted itself out by the end of the shooting day.
My ISSC M22 really performed well, the slide was a bit tight at first creating a few failures to chamber and eject but after a few magazines it settled right down and would hammer through all 10 rounds with no problems. I am really loving this little 22LR Glock replica!
Stay tuned for my full reviews on both of these guns and enjoy my Vimeo preview video for now!
Good things come in pairs so I figured I'd get a Glock 22LR to go with my 1911 22 LR and since I already had another rather nice ISSC 22LR product the ISSC MK22 SCAR 22LR I picked up something familiar and went with the ISSC M22 22LR Glock-Styled semi auto pistol.
From first inspection it is really well made pistol, very similar in design to a Glock but with a few differences like the hammer and safety but still close enough to satisfy many large caliber Glock shooters. I am looking forward to shooting this one for sure!
Yes this is mainly an Airguns and blank gun website but every time I post something regarding my 22LR Firearms, I get lots of great feedback and it seems airguners are also into the small caliber firearms for many of the same reasons... cheaper to buy and shoot, can also shot them in more locations. Less recoil means less fatigue at the end of the day too.
I don't have much to tell you about my recently purchased Chiappa 1911-22 Tactical 22LR semi auto pistol but I will be doing a review on it down the road just a bit so stay tuned. So far it looks pretty nice and has the size and weight of a 1911 45.
OK, so I took a day off to appease the wife and did some "shopping" but then today it was back to business and I made the wife come along for the ride, she was a good sport about it so it all worked out!
I went back to Umarex and Crosman, just to verify a few things, first of all, the Umarex P38 is in fact a blowback pistol and it has a nice 400 claimed fps. I am looking forward to testing this one!.
I also went back to Crosman to checkout the C51 and the C*TT to see if the C51 Glock-ish looking replica had a polymer frame which it does and also to see if the C*TT is blowback which it is not :( But it is mostly metal and has a working slide so there is hope for the C*TT.
I dropped by the ASG booth but there was nothing really new there. I already have pretty much all their 4.5mm BB guns but they do have a nice selection of Airsoft guns, and speaking of Airsoft guns I am spending a significant amount of my time these days looking into the Airsoft market and what I can bring into Canada for sale. I have been talking with several suppliers and we should have some nice offering for us Canadians shortly so stay posted on this one...
Lastly, I have a few 22LR guns coming my way that I will be reviewing. yes I know they are not airguns but whenever I review a 22LR gun, I get a lot of questions and if you are like me, and you have your PAL, the 22LR guns make a nice addition to your low cost guns that you can buy and shoot for a fraction of the cost of the larger caliber guns out there.
Today I stopped by Chiappa and checked them out. I have a 1911 Tactical 22LR on the way that I will be reviewing and I may get some more 22LR from Chiappa down the road if the 1911 reviews well. By the way I also have a 22lR M22 ISSC "Glock" styled pistol also on it's way for review!
Well that's it from the Vegas SHOT SHow 2012 for now, see you on the flip-side!
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the ISSC MK22 is fairly short with a bit of noticeable break point in it but overall is pretty light. I get the feeling that this may be a striker based action because of the slight tension before the release.
Accuracy: I put about 300 rounds through the ISSC MK22 and took some time getting used to how it felt and also sighting in the sights on my 4 power scope. Once I felt comfortable I setup a new target and placed a full magazine (22 shots) all with in a 2 inch group from 20 yards out (60 feet). I was in a seated position using and elbow based rest. I was very happy with these results.
Build Quality: To me the ISSC MK22 SCAR clone feels like the real deal, it's not till you load it up and fire off a few rounds that you can even tell you are shooting the .22 caliber rimefire version. The MK22 has a lot of metal parts and the fit and finish is very good. You do have to use quality .22 caliber ammo in this guns for the best results because it can be a bit picky and also make sure to also take a bit of extra time when loading your magazines to ensure the ammo is set well to the back of the magazine. I'm not saying you can't use the cheap box ammo but you will have to be prepared to clear a few rounds from time to time.
Realism: It doesn't get any more real than this, the ISSC MK22 is basically an FN SCAR in a smaller cheaper .22LR caliber. But if you want to spend $3000 on the real thing and several hundred dollars per day at the range in ammo then get the full NATO round firing version. Unfortunately my pocket book does not allow for this and I don't think we can even get the larger caliber versions here in Canada. I also go to an indoor range that allows .22 caliber rifles to be used alongside the pistols which makes getting out and using the ISSC MK22 that much easier.
Purchased From: ???
Pros:
One fifth the price of the NATO round firing version to purchase and operate.
Mostly metal construction with good usage of polymer in the right places to keep it light.
Lots of rails to mount just about any type of accessory you can think of.
Nice high capacity 22 round magazine to keep the shoots going.
Versatile flip up multi position sights for pistol or rifle based target acquiring.
Fully adjustable stock with three length positions and check hight position, can also be folded in.
Most bad ass looking .22 caliber rimefire rifle around.
Not the Cheapest .22LR on the market in this category but well worth the added price tag.
Can be a bit picky about which bullet's you use in it and how you load the magazine.
The rear stock cheek rest is a bit high when using the pistol sights or a low rise scope, you may need a riser under your scope.
Comments:
As you know, I don't do a lot of actual "real gun" reviews, the ones that use gun powder and shoot lead bullets. I do have a very soft spot for the .22 caliber rifles for a few reasons. Firstly, they are usually more inexpensive to buy and also to shoot as the ammo is only a fraction of the cost of the larger caliber ammo. .22 rimefire guns can also be shot in more areas and at most gun ranges so you are more likely to get better use out of it in the long run. The ISSC MK22 FN SCAR clone is definitely the most impressive .22 caliber tactical styled rifle you can get, at least in Canada and even though it is at the top of the price rang in it's category it is well worth it because it is really a very high quality gun at a reasonable price.
My Vimeo Video Review for the ISSC MK22 FN SCAR Type .22LR:
As many of you may know, I don't just own a bunch of airguns and blank guns. They are one of my biggest passions but I also have my Restricted Firearms License here in Canada and I own several "Real" hand guns and rifles that I enjoy very much.
I have four .22 caliber rimfire guns and I have another one on its way - the ISSC MK22 SCAR .22LR, you may ask why I need another .22 rimfire? Well similarly to airguns, .22 caliber rimfire guns are relatively cheap to buy and operate compared to their big brother larger caliber versions. So I guess that draws me to them, they are just so fun to shoot and in a guilt-free kind of way. With large caliber guns I tend to head to the range with a preset amount of ammo that I am willing to part with and when it's all gone then it's time to switch over to the .22 calibers and go nuts! And not only that, our .22 caliber rimfire rifles do not have the magazine round restriction like our 5 round restriction on large caliber rifles.
For example, the ISSC MK22 SCAR .22LR that is on it's way costs a fraction of the price of the full on military version at around $650 Canadian, that might sound like a lot but the NATO round firing version goes for about $3000 and as far as I know is not even available in Canada to the average joe like me? And you will be counting ammo with one of these NATO round firing bad boys, at least I know I would be :)
I will be doing a full review of the ISSC MK22 SCAR 22LR so make sure to check it out if this type of gun interests you also.
Here are some of the specifications for you till I get a chance to review this awesome .22 tactical rifle!
First off, you may have noticed this Henry Lever Action Rimfire .22 Caliber Rifle is not an airgun or a blank gun! So why am I reviewing it? This isn't going to be a review as much as it's going to be an overview.
I just really wanted to share this awesome little .22 caliber rimfire shooter with you because if you're like me then you may also appreciate the Henry Lever Action Rimfire .22 Caliber Rifle like I do. One reason I like airguns is because they are generally lower cost to purchase and lower cost to shoot then your average powder burner. My Henry .22 only set me back $269 and I have probably paid more for some of my airguns so this was not to bad on the pocket book. Another bonus is I can shoot this gun all day long because .22 caliber rimfire ammo is about 1/10th or less the cost of regular powder based ammo. I can buy a box of 500+ shells for under $20!
When purchasing a rimfire .22 caliber gun, you have to also consider what ammunition you are going to be using as not all rimfire .22 caliber guns will shoot all types of .22 caliber ammo. You can get .22 rimfire ammunition in "Long Rifle", "Long", "Short" and even "Buckshot". Keep in mind that not all .22 caliber guns will operate properly with all kinds of .22 caliber rimfire ammo. For instance, autoloaders generally require the "Long Rifle" ammunition to cycle properly. What I love about the Henry Lever Action Rimfire .22 is that it can shoot pretty much any .22 caliber rimfire ammunition you through at it except for the magnum loads which is a totally different gun altogether.
Another bonus to using the .22 caliber short ammo is that it is about as loud as a standard airgun, at least when using a rifle. So if you don't want to draw attention to yourself then pickup some shorts and plink away! Depending on what manufacturer of shorts you purchase they tend to shoot in the 700-1000 FPS using around a 20-30 grain bullet, so they are still perfectly good for small pest control. Just make sure to keep in mind what is beyond your target as a 20-30 grain bullet will penetrate objects and travel farther then a much lighter .22 caliber pellet even traveling at the same speed.
As this is just an overview I want ot cover some of the main points about the Henry Lever Action Rimfire .22 Caliber Rifle...
Shoots .22 caliber rimfire ammunition in Long Rifle, Long and Short.
Uses a Lever Action with a tube fed magazine.
Magazine holds: 15-LR, 17-L, 21-S.
Weighs 5.25 pounds.
Has an 18 1/4 inch barrel and is 36 1/2 inches long.
Has an adjustable rear sight and hooded front sight with a grooved receiver for easy scope mounting.
It's mostly all metal and wood.
Is totally fun to shoot and looks awesome!
So that's a wrap, if you want more info on this very cool .22 then check out the Henry Website.
The following video is what happens when I grab my big guns and head out to the gun range with friends, lots of guns and some cameras! I still however love taking my air guns out in the back yard and enjoy shooting anytime I want for pennies a round.
You will see a variety of gun photos, HD video and slow motion high speed video capturing various hand guns and rifles on display and in use.
