Way back in 2006 I made a video called the World Smallest Full Auto BB Pistol and uploaded it to YouTube then I kind of forgot about it fro a while… A few months later I went back and checked on it and had received around 100,000 video views and I lost my mind for a bit. It made me wonder perhaps if people wanted to see more Airgun Videos so I started making the occasional Airguns Video when I bought a new Airgun and uploaded them to YouTube. They kept getting decent views and people seemed to want to watch them so I decided maybe starting an Airgun Blog that I could link my YouTube Videos to would be something people would be interested in?
Well that was how the Replica Airguns YouTube Channel and Website all began and since then things have really grown with over 300 thousand Subscribers, 138 million Video Views and over a thousand Video made to date.
I figures it was time to take a look back at the Airgun that started things all off and see if it still stands up to the newer Airguns on the market. That Airgun is the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol which by the way was Umarex’s first ever BB Pistol and was also the first BB pistol to have a working blowback slide. I tried to find out exactly when the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol went into production but could not find this exact info but I’m guessing it is around 20 years old by now.
As far as I know there are no new Walther PPK or PPK/S Steel BB pistols on the market, perhaps some in 6mm Airsoft versions so the closest 4.5mm BB Airgun I could compare it to was the Makarov line of Airguns, Umarex and KWC have made versions of the Makarov including the original Umarex non blowback all metal Makarov, the Umarex Legends Blowback Makarov Ultra and the KWC Full Blowback Makarov PM. Of course there is the Baikal Makarov but that is a gun that is hard to compare to other Airguns so I left that one out of the picture.
In this video I compare the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol to the newer Makarov BB Pistols to see if it holds up at least in terms of appearance and features and to be honest other than the plastic stick magazine it really does hold up considering its age and how much time Airgun Manufacturers have had to make improvements over the years.
Make sure to watch this video to see how the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol compares to todays modern Airguns and stay posted for my shooting comparison where I test out the much older Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol to the much newer KWC Makarov PM in the Replica Airguns Indoor Shooting Range.
In this Makarov comparison video I look at a variety of different versions of Makarov BB Airguns and compare them to each other to determine which one I feel is the best in their class. My final choice is of course based on my own personal opinion and even then I found it hard to pick a clear winner.
Ammunition Capacity: 16-17 round full size drop out magazine.
FPS: 350.
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Umarex Legends Makarov Ultra is fairly long but in term of resistance is about a medium pull, there is no double action so single action only but the pull is longer than most single action triggers to accommodate the BB chamber mechanism on the magazine. Basically a BB is pushed into the breach/barrel during the first half of the trigger pull, then the trigger is released.
Accuracy: I tested the Umarex Makarov Ultra Legends from 30 feet back shooting at a paper target using a semi rested position (sand bag up front and standing in the back). My 10 shot grouping was just a bit below the bulls eye but fairly well center left and right and all 10 BB's stayed within 2 inches with most of them grouping even tighter than that. Not bad at all! This pistol also got a respectable 333 fps on this not super warm day so I would expect it to hit the claimed 350 fps during summer weather.
Build Quality: Being a pretty much all metal gun, makes the Umarex Makarov Ultra feel solid and sturdy. The only plastic parts on the Umarex Makarov Ultra where the grips and some magazine parts like the CO2 tab. The painted finish is a nice metallic dark grey, a definite improvement over the previous Umarex non-blowback Makarov glossy black finish.
Realism: The Umarex Legends Makarov is a licensed replica of the Makarov PM 9x18 Russian military and police pistol. It is a very close copy in both looks and feel, has a very heavy blowback action and field strips just like a real Makarov. You'll also find a full size drop out magazine that holds the CO2 and BB's and a working slide catch/release that locks back when the magazine is empty.
Working slide catch and release (Locks back after last shot).
Realistic working metal safety.
Full size dropout magazine that holds BB's and CO2.
Can be field stripped like original Makarov.
Fully Makarov licensed.
Much better finish than original Umarex Makarov.
Cons:
Has the exposed CO2 tab on the bottom of the magazine.
No recessed barrel.
Trigger is a bit long because of how BB's are chambered.
Safety does not de-cock the hammer like original.
Comments:
Umarex really addresses the majority of the shortcomings found on the original non-blowback 4.5mm Steel BB shooting Makarov. They added the much asked for blowback operation, made the slide catch/release operational, upgraded the magazine to a full size drop out CO2 and BB magazine, gave it a more realistic paint job and even replaced the plastic safety with a metal safety. The only tradeoff is the loss of the short take up single action trigger and perhaps a few fps. All in all a big improvement over the first version which even today is still a very good BB pistol.
Watch my Vimeo Review for the Legends Umarex Makarov Ultra CO2 Blowback BB Pistol:
My last CO2 Blowback 4.5mm Steel BB Pistol Field Test Review from my latest acquisitions of New Umarex Air pistols. For many people that already liked the Umarex Makarov CO2 BB pistol, the Umarex Legends Makarov blowback version may just have everything you where looking for that was missing from version One? Well let's see... It has blowback - check! It has a working slide catch/release - check! It has a full size dropout metal magazine - check! And it's still all metal, field strip-able and has single a single action trigger!
As per usual, I tested the Umarex Makarov Ultra out shooting 5 rounds through my Chronograph with a new CO2 to find out the real world fps performance. Umarex claims 350 fps and I got pretty close to this at an average of 333 fps and I would have to say the temperature was no more than 10-15 Degrees Celsius (50-60 Fahrenheit) so there is definite room for improvement on a warmer day.
Next I stepped back 30 feet and shot 10 rounds at my paper target using a semi rested position (Standing in the back, rested on a sand bag in the front). After review of the video I noticed that the first shot was a double shot and both of these rounds hit a bit to the right compared to the remaining single shots, so my grouping ended up being more of a 2 inch group rather than a 1.5 inch group when discarding the double shot from this test.
I have to say I really like shooting the Umarex Legends Series Makarov Ultra, it has really solid blowback, a pretty decent single action trigger even if it is a bit long travel. I also found the accuracy to be very respectable from 30 feet out and the fps even though it could be a bit higher is more than enough for plinking purposes. And all of this from a really eye catching all metal licensed Makarov replica. Another nice Legends Series CO2 BB pistol from Umarex.
I finally got some brand new Umarex pistols to share with you in this Vimeo video, all three of these CO2 4.5mm Steel BB pistols have blowback and use full size drop out magazines. They also all share single action only operation.
The Umarex Makarov Ultra (Legends Series) is an all metal pistol with very heavy blowback and a long but fairly smooth and medium pull single action trigger. Everything works just like the real steel version including the slide catch/release and safety. It is also fully field strip-able.
The Beretta 84 FS (Cheetah) also has a decent blowback feel but the trigger was a bit heavier on this model, perhaps the trigger will break in a bit over time? Still a really great full metal and fully licensed CO2 Blowback BB shooter with awesome weight to it. The Beretta 84 FS is fully field strip-able and has a working slide catch/release and safety.
Lastly I show you the Umarex Mauser C96 Boomhandle (Legends Series), although much of the external materials are plastic, there is lots of metal throughout like the barrel, bolt, rear sight, hammer, safety, trigger and most of the drop out magazine, giving this pistol a good overall weight to it. The blowback is super fast and crisp with a nice short and light single action trigger making rapid fire very quick.
Umarex Makarov Ultra CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol
Full metal
Blowback operation
4.5mm Steel BB
12 Gram CO2
Single action only trigger
Fixed sights
3.5 inch smooth bore barrel
1.4 pounds
16-17 round magazine
350 fps
Umarex Beretta Mod. 84 FS CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol
Umarex had a lot of new products this year so I thought I would start off showing you some of them. I will be following this post up with a full 2014 Vegas SHOT Show video once I finish posting some of my photos and comments on the show events.
Here is a photo of the main Umarex Booth.
I have always liked the 4.5mm BB version of the Umarex Makarov, Umarex now has the Makarov Ultra version that features blowback, a working slide catch and full size drop out magazine, looking forward to testing this one out!
Another kind of new addition to the 4.5mm Steel BB lineup is the Umarex Beretta Model 84FS. It has been available overseas but is now coming to North America. The Umarex Beretta Model 84FS also features blowback and a full size drop out magazine.
I'm not sure if we needed another rebranded version of the KWC 1911 Blowback BB pistol, but we got one anyways! Umarex now has their own version of what looks to similar to the KWC Tac A1 but with Colt licensing.
Umarex also made up a very limited edition and very weathered looking blowback BB shooting 1911 based on the KWC design called the Colt 1911 WWII Commemorative. I am not sure how many where made but I know there are not a lot of them... Hope I can get my hands on one...
Umarex came out with Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 last year and this year they have added a similar styled 4.5mm Steel BB shooting revolver with removable shells but in a licensed Colt Python 357 version.
Last but not least and going back many years, Umarex is bringing out another Legends Series 4.5mm BB pistol. The German Mauser C96, I'm not 100% sure if it's blowback or not but it does seem to have a working action, the main pistol is made out of Polymer but it does have a full size drop out magazine and seems to have good weight overall. Most of the parts work like the original Mauser C96 including the adjustable rear sight and safeties.
