Another box showed up at my door and this time I had no idea what was inside it, I asked the boys in the warehouse to surprise me and send some new product as I was low on review items, and in a couple of days later this tall somewhat large box showed up. In this Replica Airguns June Mystery Box Unboxing Video I open the box and take a look at what’s inside. I recommend you just watch the video and enjoy the suspense with me, but if you want to cheat and find out now, then look below at quick breakdown of each item…
Starting the year off with a Preview Unboxing Update Video of three CO2 Air Pistols. One from Gamo is a NBB CO2 Dual Ammo (Pellet/BB) Semi Auto style pistol called the Gamo P-27. The other two are for Crosman and are both Revolvers but from very different aras. The First Revolver I look at is the Crosman SNR357 which is essentially an early revision rebranded Dan Wesson in a 2.5 inch barrel. You can use either .177 caliber pellets or 4.5mm BB’s with it loading them into the 6 shells that come with it. A new comer I have never seen is the Crosman Fortify styled after the classic Single Action Army Colt 45 old West Revolver. Unlike many of today shell loading CO2 Revolvers, the Crosman Fortify has an internal tube fed magazine with a spring follower that holds 18 4.5mm Steel BB’s.
Watch my Preview Unboxing Update Video where I take a quick look and go over some basic specifications along with my initial thoughts…
Type: Pellet Revolver. Manufacturer: Gamo Model:PR-776. Materials: Mostly metal construction. Weight: 2.2 Pounds (1 kg). Barrel Length: 6 inches Total Length: 11.5 inches. Propulsion: CO2 x1 Action: Revolver single and double action. Ammunition Type: .177 caliber pellets. Ammunition Capacity: 8 rounds per magazine. Max FPS: 400+ fps.
Trigger Pull: The Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver has your traditional revolver single and double action trigger setup. In double action, the trigger is going to be a bit longer and heavier but it feel fairly smooth with no real friction points and I would consider it to have a medium trigger pull. When you cock the hammer back placing the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver in single action, the trigger pull becomes very short with virtually no take-up at all and the weight of the trigger is very light allowing for more accurate shots.
Accuracy: Make sure to watch my Field Test Shooting video for the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver where I test out the velocity and accuracy in the Replica Airguns Indoor Airgun Shooting Range. In summary the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver shot a little bit hotter than claimed at just over 400 fps using around 7 grain lead pellets. In terms of accuracy with a total of 16 shots the grouping spread out to around 4 inches but I am pretty sure a different pellet choice may have made a difference.
Build Quality: The build quality of the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver is pretty good overall. It is mostly all metal with the exception of the grips of course, Fit and finishes looks good, everything feel snug adn tight with the exception of the pistol grips. I feel like the grips could easily move out of place and get caught on something. This is not a problem when shooting, more so when in a holster. The Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver feels good in the hadn't, nice and solid and with a good weight to it.
Realism: The Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver is a decent looking Airgun in the style of a traditional revolver, I wouldn’t say it’s an exact replica of any specific revolver in production but it does tick off all the boxes in terms of looking realistic. The weight and feel for now and the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver also has a recessed barrel and hidden CO2 crew. The only real giveaway would be the cylinder size as it is a bit smaller than expected and of course is chambered for .177 caliber pellets.
Pros:
Good power over 400 fps using actual lead pellets.
Quicker reloading over shell loading revolvers
More shots per magazine reload, 8 versus 6.
Comes with two metal 8 round magazines.
Traditional single and double action trigger.
White dot front sight with fully adjustable rear sight.
Good weight and feel to it.
Fit and finish look good.
Recessed barrel for realistic looking barrel opening.
Should be able to use a dovetail type scope mount for adding on a red dot or magnified scope.
Cons:
Not a fan of the loose pistol grip setup to access the CO2.
Was hoping to get a bit tighter grouping but may have been a pellet choice issue.
Comments: It was nice reviewing the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver as it was a bit different then most of today shell loading revolvers. I like that the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver still offered a realistic looking cylinder that the shell loading revolvers have but with the moon clip style magazines that allow for quick adn easy reloading of 8 rounds at a time. The velocity or power of the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver was even a bit high than Gamo claims using PBA Platinum pellets since Gamo claims 400 fps using these 5.1 grain lead pellets. My testing with closer to 7 grain pellets yielded fps up and over 400 fps. All the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver needs is to be just a little bit more accurate but I feel this may simply be more of a pallet choice, once you find a pellet the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver likes I am pretty sure it will deliver accurate shots.
My Table Top Review for the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver:
Make sure to watch my upcoming Table Top Review for the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver where I go over the specifications, pros and cons and show it up nice and close. In this Field Test Shooting Video I determine what the accuracy and velocity of the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver by testing out the fps with my Chronograph along with a accuracy test shooting a paper target at a distance of 30 feet away using a rested shooting position.
For the velocity test I placed a brand new CO2 Cartridge in the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver and shot five 6.9 grain lead pellets though my Chronograph. Gamo claims their 5.1 grain PBA Platinum pellets will shoot around 400 fps so I was expecting something in the low to mid 300’s but was surprised at a five shot average of 4115 fps with the much heavier RWS6.9 grain pellets. The slowest shot I achieved was 396 fps while the fastest shot was 434 fps. The temperature was right around 24 degrees Celsius or 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
For the next section of my Field Test Shooting Review I setup a brand new paper target 30 feet down range and loaded up two eight round magazines. The results for the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver where a bit confusing with both eight round magazines. It seemed like most of the shots wanted to group within about 1-2 inches of each other but I was getting several outliers that extended the grouping to closer to four inches. Not the best performance but as I have found with many guns, sometimes you need to find a pellet that the gun is happy with. the wrong pellet can really make a difference and I am fairly sure this was the case with the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver using the RWS pellets. just not the best choice for it.
The Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver overall performer well, like I said I really think pellet choice will be the deciding factor in how accurate it is going to be. The velocity was very good for a CO2 Pellet revolver considering I was suing actual lead pellets and not the alloy pellets Gamo was using as their reference. The Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver uses metal eight round magazines which are easy to preload and allow for two additional shots over the more common these days shell loading revolvers, which makes the Gamo PR-776 CO2 .177 Caliber Pellet Revolver more practical as a target pistol allowing for more power and easier loading.
Yes, I have more of my personal guns for sale, now we are getting into the pistols! I am showcasing here on the Replica Airguns website and over on the Replica Airguns YouTube channel a series of videos I am making for the purpose of selling some guns out of my personal collection. I simply have to make room for the new guns I will be testing and reviewing for everyone, my collection has gotten a little bit out of hand and needs to be thinned down a bit :)
In this 5th Mike's Personal Guns For Sale video, I am offering some of my pellet pistols in a variety of models ranging from some classic Crosman SAA .22 caliber revolvers to more modern CO2 blowback pistols like the Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm
Make sure to watch my above YouTube video to see these Pellet Pistols I am selling and instructions on how you can take part in the sale and purchase of them. By the way I am only selling to Canadian residents since shipping cross borders is a little sketchy.
Here is a list of the Pellet Pistols I am selling from my personal gun collection:
I get many question over on my Vimeo Channel, lots of times people asking me which gun is better and in most cases it really comes down to personal preference. But in some situations the comparisons are really close and to be honest it's even hard for me to decide which gun I think is better.
I get asked which one has higher fps, or is more accurate, or has harder blowback recoil... the list goes on. Without actually taking both gun outside and doing a head to head test using the same exact situations, I really can not honestly tell you! So that's exactly what I am going to do. Take some of the most commonly asked about gun comparisons and have a showdown.
Over the next while I will be making a total of five separate videos where I compare the following CO2 BB pistols head to head:
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
It's always good to start the week off with an update video so everyone knows what's happening short-term and long-term...
I recently acquired a couple new items that I will be reviewing in the near future (along with several other reviews that I will be trying to get to ASAP!) First off is the Crosman M4-177 which is basically a multi-pump pellet and BB shooting replica of an AR or M4 styled carbine used by the US military. The Crosman M4-177 is mostly plastic on the outside but on first inspection seems to be built fairly well. It has removable metal sights and the magazine is also detachable but is not used as a magazine but rather a compartment for storage. The unit I have is the Canadian detuned version which shoots .177 caliber lead pellets and 4.5mm steel BB's at under 500 fps.
I also received my first old west blank shooting revolver (M1873), I have wanted one of these for a while and finally got my hands on one :) Unfortunately this one has a plugged barrel so it vents out of the cylinder area which may get a bit messy. I may see about making this one a front venting gun if possible and of course as long as it's within the law as I plan to make sure the cylinder stays semi plugged so no actual rounds could ever be shot out of it. The Old West M1873 Blank Revolver holds six .380 crimped blanks and is an all metal and wood construction. This should be a fun review!
I also touch upon a few other guns on the list of items I need to review and by the way in an attempt to get caught up I will be doing my Table Top and Shooting reviews combined.
Here are some of the guns that I will be reviewing over the next while...
Gamo P-25 & PT-85 .177 Caliber Blowback Pellet pistols (This one will get done this week!)