In this Field Test Shooting Review of the KWC PM Makarov Non-Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol I find out what the actual Velocity is and how accurately I can shoot it at a paper target setup 30 feet down range. If you have not already watched my Table Top Review for the KWC PM Makarov Non-Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol then make sure to do so to see some nice closeup video of it and all the details and specifications laid out for everyone.
Starting with what the actual velocity of the KWC PM Makarov Non-Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol. I made sure to keep it nice and warm before making this test and I also placed a brand new 12 gram CO2 cartridge in it and went with lead pellets I am guesstimating where around 7 grain so not super heavy or super light, definitely not a high velocity pellets. I was a bit shocked that my average fps was no where near the claimed 340 fps. My 5 shot average came to 263 fps with the highest being 272 fps and the lowest being 256 fps. Is that good enough for shorter range plinking? For sure but far off the called 340 fps. Maybe the manufacturers claim was using high velocity super light weigth pellets?
Next I performed my accuracy portion of the test and reloaded the 12 round magazine which is actually a dual 6 round rotary magazine you manually switch sides to unload all rounds. My first 6 shots I pointed the KWC PM Makarov Non-Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol right at the bulls eye and found out it shoot a bit on the low side so only two rounds actually made it on the paper. I then switched to the other 6 round rotary magazine and aimed a bit higher, this time I was able to get fairly well centered on the target and produce about a 3 inch grouping. So in other words no awards are going to be handed out for this pistol in terms of accuracy or power. By the way I was using my standard shooting stance which is with my hands stabilized on a sand bag up front and sitting on a stool in the back.
The KWC PM Makarov Non-Blowback CO2 Pellet Pistol is not listed as any sort of target pistol so I was not expecting world class performance but I was expecting it to shoot a little bit better than your average blowback CO2 BB shooter and it really didn’t at the end of the day. If you’re specifically looking for a pellet shooting Makarov then this will be your Airgun since I am pretty sure it is the only one out there at this time but personally I would go with one of the CO2 Blowback BB versions since they shoot a bit harder and are maybe even more accurate not to mention you also get that blowback recoil with a nice light single action trigger.
This is both a revisit and a comparison Field Test Shooting Video all wrapped up into one so hold onto your socks! Make sure to watch my Table Top Revisit for the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol where I go over the importance of this gun and how it started things off not only for Umarex but also Replica Airguns!
As always with my Indoor Filed Test Shooting Videos I test out the velocity of each Airgun along with the accuracy but in this case I want to see how a nearly 20 year old Blowback BB Pistol stacks up agains a much more modern similar BB Pistol. The closest CO2 Powered Blowback BB Pistol to the Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol as far as I could tell was the KWC Makarov Full Blowback BB Pistol since both are about the same size, share a similar look and design, have similar velocities and should perform relatively the same.
I’m not going to give it all alway in this written version of my Umarex Walther PPK/S CO2 Blowback BB Pistol Field Test Revisit, so you will ahed to watch my YouTube Video to find out. I will say both guns performed well and for the first ever working slide with simulated blowback action BB pistol ever made, I would say it holds its own against todays more modern airgun designs.
During this Field Test Shooting Video Review of the Baikal Makarov MP-654K, I take a look at the actual real world velocity using my Chronograph along with some accuracy testing using paper targets with a controlled shooting position.
I shot 5 rounds through my Chrony Cronography and got an average fps of 306 which was not super high but just fine for plinking. I would expect to get well over 100 shots with my Baikal MP-654K Makarov since the CO2 being released with each shot is fairly conservative. The temperature on this day was under 10 degrees Celsius.
Moving on with my accuracy results from 30 feet back in a semi rested position, I was able to get a 5.5 inch goruping with 10 shots. The Baikal Makarov CO2 BB Pistol does have a rifled barrel which may work better when using lead BB's but you would have to be careful not to load too many at a time since the magazine follower spring is rather heavy and could deform the softer lead BB's making them jam in the gun. Hard Steel BB's do not deform or jam in the gun but are not optimal for rifled barrels since they do not grip the rifling very well and can give sporadic results. My grouping was also centered a bit to the right but not by too much.
The 2013 Baikal Makarov MP-654K CO2 BB Pistol may not be the best performer I have tested in terms of velocity and accuracy but it is for sure one of the best built and most realistic BB pistols I have reviewed.
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.
Ammunition Capacity: 13 round full size metal magazine -18 round metal stick magazine.
FPS: 428 - 380.
Trigger Pull: There is a lot of difference between the trigger on both of these guns, first off the Umarex Makarov has both a single and double action trigger/hammer while the KWC Makarov has a double action only trigger/hammer. Comparing the double action of both guns the definite advantage goes to the 4.5mm Steel BB shooting Umarex Makarov as it is shorter and lighter, the KWC Airsoft Makarov does not have a bad trigger but it is much longer and a bit heavier, but still very usable. The single action trigger on the Umarex Makarov is not really any lighter than when shooting in double action, it is however much shorter with a medium take-up and predictable release.
Accuracy: Both Airsoft and BB Makarov's performed very well in their shooting tests for me, they bot shot fairly well centered with the KWC Makarov getting all five shots in the black bullseye and the Umarex Makarov having a tighter group but just off to one side. This was good news since both guns do not have adjustable sights! They also scored very well in the velocity department shooting over their advertised claimed feet per second rating. The Umarex BB version shot a very respectable 390 fps while the KWC Airsoft pistol shot a very surprising 480 fps well over the claimed factory 430 fps. Both guns also shot very accurately out to ranges of 50 feet or so. From a single CO2 I was able to get 162 shots from the Umarex Makarov and 112 shots from the KWC Makarov before I noticed a significant power drop.
Build Quality: Neither one these Makarov replicas is going to win a prize for build quality, some shortcuts have been made to keep the price down on each model, but they are both built with mostly metal parts and they both performed perfectly for me during my testing. The Umarex 4.5mm Steel BB Makarov did have more moving parts while the KWC did weigh in a bit heavier, both guns had reasonable fit and finish to them.
Realism: In terms of being good Makarov replicas the pair for sure look the part, size and overall weight are very true to the original real Steel Makarov PM with the Umarex Makarov having a working slide, Makarov licensing and the ability to be field stripped. The KWC Makarov had a nicer recessed barrel and full size drop out metal magazine. I was not a big fan of the KWC screws on the right side slide or the Umarex exposed CO2 tab.
KWC may shoot a bit too hot for CQB Airsoft games.
Both guns do not have adjustable sights.
Comments:
To be honest when I got the KWC Airsoft BB shooting Makarov, I was not all that awe struck, the lack of a working slide, DOA trigger and screw holes in the slide put me off just a bit. This Airsoft pistol did warm up to me a lot once I shot it, I was surprised by the very high fps and how accurate it was for such a low cost Airsoft pistol. I can really see this gun being used as a backup or sidearm in an out doors style Airsoft game where you may need to shoot targets out at range where other lower powered pistols just would not be able to get out to. The Umarex Makarov has always had a place in my heart, it is just a really good little CO2 BB pistol for the price with mostly all metal parts, a working slide, single and double action trigger and very good overall performance. In my books you can not go wrong choosing either of these Makarov replicas so choose wisely!
My Vimeo Video Table Top Comparison Review for these Makarov Air Replicas:
