Way back in the beginning of 2011 I posted some video reviews on a Chinese made AK-47 CO2 BB gun I owned and also at the time sold in the Replica Airguns Store. Unfortunately I had to pull these videos off of YouTube and the Replica Airguns Website because there was a police investigation related to these CO2 BB rifles.
I decided to repost these videos now that some time has gone by and the sting from this experience has lessoned for me a bit.
For those of you that want to know a bit more background on the reason why I removed the videos you can read on... Without going into a huge amount of detail, the police thought that for some reason these CO2 BB guns where being illegally imported into Canada and could be somehow converted into real working AK-47's. The police even believed that people like myself who owned and sold them had some sort of underground conversion operation going on? All of this make believe nonsense sent the RCMP down a path that led to over a dozen Airgun resellers like myself getting a visit from their local SWAT detachment, getting arrested, and spending some time at police HQ trying to figure out what in the world we where being arrested for? This all took place in October of 2011.
To give you an idea of the extent of the raid, there where at least 40-50 police officers at my house, police cars lined up down the street, SWAT members clearing rooms, a team of police going through all my personal belongings gathering guns, computers, network gear, cameras, drives and other evidence. I can not even imagine how much this would have cost Canadian tax payers just at my house alone never mind the other dozen or so simultaneous raids going on?
What makes all of this so silly is that the CO2 BB AK-47's in question where legally imported into Canada with the CBSA's seal of approval and to top it off the company that imported them was the same company that also sold the police their real firearms. You would think the police would have done a little bit of research checking into the background of where these AK-47 CO2 BB Rifles came from instead of jumping headlong into a very costly sting operation that did not even include a visit to the warehouse that imported them into Canada legally in the first place.
Even though I was arrested I was never charged with anything since the police quickly realized the error in their assumption. But still the police confiscated all my guns, my firearms license, my computers, my network gear, my hard drives, cameras and memory cards and kept all of it for a over a month. Perhaps next time they could of just asked a few resellers where they got their guns from rather than causing a huge disruption in peoples lives and business.
The icing on the cake is that these scary CO2 BB AK-47's could not be converted to fire live ammo but even still the RCMP declared them "prohibited" and went about tracking down as many buyers and owners as they could and confiscating their BB guns without any sort of compensation to the owners who bought them legally. No accountability was ever put on the CBSA who allowed them to be imported in the first place and no compensation has ever been paid out to the law abiding Canadians who spent their hard earned money on these BB guns (about $300-$400 each).
Anyways, I tell this story not to get people riled up and mad at the RCMP and/or CBSA, most of these folks are very good people with good intentions. After all, everyone makes mistakes from time to time. My problem is that my kids watched me get arrested and hand cuffed, yet I had done nothing wrong. At no point in time did the police give me any kind of apology or send some one over to talk to my kids and let them know that their Daddy was not a bad person and that it was all just a big misunderstanding? I hope that whoever masterminded this so called sting operation got some sort of reprimand since it would of cost Canadian tax payers a boat load of money just to get a bunch of BB guns off the streets!
In this Field Test Shooting video I test out the performance of the Gletcher Grach NBB using my Chronograph to get a real world Feet Per Second rating, I also take aim 30 feet back and shoot 10 rounds at a paper target using a semi-rested position (Sand bag up front and standing in the back).
In terms of velocity the Gletcher Grach NBB CO2 BB Pistol performed a little lower fps then I expected shooting just under 350 fps. It was about 15 degrees celsius on this day but I also kept the pistol indoors where it was nice and warm right up till shooting time. I used a brand new CO2 and my ammo of choice was RWS 5.1 grain zinc coated BB's.
Stepping back 30 feet and shooting at a paper target, the Gletcher Grach NBB CO2 BB Pistol produced a very tight 10 shot 1 inch grouping, not many BB's pistols have been able to get in that 1 inch grouping at least for me! The Gletcher Grach did shoot a little to the left and a bit low but not far off the bullseye. The sights are not adjustable so you will have to slightly adjust your aim point if you find yourself not exactly dead center.
I found the Gletcher Grach NBB to be extremely quite so if you are looking for a discrete backyard shooter then the Grach would be a good choice. I also found the trigger to be very good in both single and double action but when the BB mag is loaded to the max, the trigger first stage will be very heavy since the follower spring is holding the BB's in place and creating friction while a BB is loaded into the chamber. To fix this problems simple don;t load as many BB's in the magazine.
In this Field Test Shooting video I test out the performance of the ASG CZ 75 CO2 Blowback 4.5mm BB Pistol using my Chronograph to get a real world Feet Per Second rating, I also position myself 30 feet back and shoot 10 rounds at a paper target using a semi-rested shooting position (Sand bag up front and standing in the back).
In terms of velocity the ASG CZ 75 BB Pistol shoot fairly conservative at just under 300fps. The noise this CO2 Licensed Replica Pistol makes is fairly quiet making it a good choice for the backyard if you have neighbors to consider. I also found the blowback to be mild since the amount of CO2 being released with each shot seems to be minimal.
Stepping back 30 feet and shooting at my paper target, the ASG CZ 75 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol produced a decent 2-2.5 inch 10 shot grouping that was just a little to the left and a hair low. The trigger is super light and the release is crisp, I actually had to get a bit used to how light the trigger was as I was shooting a bit early and before I was ready since only a slight bit of pressure is required.
I would like to see just a bit higher fps from the ASG CZ 75 CO2 Blowback BB Pistol, that would also give it a little bit more blowback kick but even the 300-ish fps out of the box, the ASG CZ 75 is a really nice pistol to shoot with it's super responsive trigger!
In this Field Test Shooting video I test out the performance of the Gletcher SS 2202 Metal Slide using my Chronograph to get a real world Feet Per Second rating, I also step back 30 feet and shoot 10 rounds at a paper target using a semi rested position (Sand bag up front and standing in the back).
In terms of velocity the Gletcher SS 2202 Metal Slide CO2 BB Pistol performed very close to the KWC SP 2022 review I did earlier shooting as high as 468 fps. I did have some chronograph miss-readings that made the average come down a bit but I would say a flawless string of readings would have been around 450+ fps.
Stepping back 30 feet and shooting at my paper target, the Gletcher SS 2202 CO2 BB Pistol produced a respectable 4 inch grouping that was just a little to the left but not by too much. I really like the trigger on the Gletcher SS 2202 CO2 BB Pistol, for a double action only pistol it is very smooth, light and not overly long! The release is very predictable and there is zero stickiness in the first stage.
The fairly high fps for a shorter barrel pistol is most likely due to a more than average amount of CO2 released per shot but even so you can expect close to 100 shots per CO2. If you plan on using the Gletcher SS 2202 in your back yard, keep in mind that it is louder than most CO2 BB pistols, it really gives a nice loud crack with each shot.
All in all a real decent performance out of the Gletcher SS 2202 Metal Slide CO2 BB Pistol, if you are a Sig Sauer fan like I am then this Sig Pro replica is a no brainer to have in your collection!
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Gletcher Metal Slide SS 2202 is double action only but is very smooth and fairly light, it does allow for some pretty quick shooting even though it is double action only. When you pull the trigger the internal barrel moves back into the magazine while the internal hammer moves rearward and then releases forwards striking the CO2 valve releasing CO2. It is a very simple yet effective design.
Accuracy: I have not done any preliminary shooting with the Gletcher SS 2202 Sig Pro Replica so other than how the trigger feels I can not comment too much on the performance. If I where to base my result on the performance of the Cybergun Sig Sauer SP 2022 I tested previously, then I can expect very high fps and good overall accuracy, we will have to wait and see...
Build Quality:Build quality was very good, I was extremely pleased with the fit and finish of my Gletcher SS 2202 BB Pistol! The metal slide and polymer frame along with the all metal full size drop out magazine gave this BB air pistol a really nice balance and weight to it. I would expect it to feel in weight and balance very similar to the real steel version since they are both constructed similarly.
Realism: The Gletcher SS 2202 Air Pistol is very close to the look, weight, and feel of the real Sig Sauer SP2022 Sig Pro! For a lower cost airgun, I was very impressed with all the details and closeness to the real steel Sig Pro. There is no actual Sig Sauer licensing on the Gletcher SS 2202 but other than that it is pretty much identical in appearance. It would have been nice to have a working slide and slide catch release but at least you have the ability to take the slide off for cleaning and oiling if required.
Pros:
Good weight and solid feeling gun.
Metal slide.
Full size all metal magazine.
Very Accurate Sig Sauer SP2022 replica without licensing.
May have good FPS! Fingers Crossed!
Fairly affordable.
Nice light and quick double action trigger.
Picatinny rail for accessories.
Cons:
No blowback - slide does not move either
Hammer does not move at all.
Non adjustable rear sight.
Comments:
I have always been a big Sig Sauer fan so I like the look and feel of the Gletcher SS 2202 Metal Slide CO2 BB Pistol. I would love it even more if it had a working slide with blowback action but then again the non-blowback version keeps things simple so should be super reliable and have good power. I am optimistic about the fps performance of this pistol since I got such good results when I tested my Cybergun distributed version a while back. Stay tuned for my Field Test Shooting Review for this pistol to find out how it does...
My Vimeo Table Top Video of the Gletcher SS 2202 Metal Slide CO2 BB Pistol:
Trigger Pull: The trigger pull on the Gletcher Grach NBB is nice in both double and single action modes. Double action is fairly light as the hammer spring tension is moderate but there is a fair bit of trigger pull length, Racking the slide or pre-cocking the hammer will allow for single action shots which reduces the trigger pull but you still have the full range of trigger take-up before the hammer is released.
Accuracy: I have done no preliminary shooting with the Grach NBB BB pistol so other than how the trigger feels I can not comment too much on the performance. I would expect to get pretty close to the factory claimed fps based on my other testings with Gletcher products. With it's single action trigger and white dot sights I am hoping for a fairly tight grouping when I perform my accuracy test later on.
Build Quality: The Gletcher Grach NBB CO2 BB Pistol is well made, the black semi-gloss finish looks really nice and the fit is good, not much of slide wiggle to speak of and pretty much the entire pistol is metal including the frame, slide, trigger, slide catch-release, safety, hammer, magazine and inner and outer barrel. The only plastic parts would be the grips and some internal seals and o-rings.
Realism:The Gletcher Grach is a 1 to 1 replica of the Russian Yarygin (MP-443 Grach), all the mechanical parts function just like you would find on the real steel version. The only indicators that it is not a real Yarygin would be the smaller barrel opening since the 4.5mm BB barrel is not recessed at all. Even the weight is near identical to the original MP-443 Grach coming in only 10 grams heavier.
Pros:
Good weight and solid feeling gun, over 2 pounds
Pretty much an all metal pistol
Full size all metal magazine
Working slide that also locks back
Very Accurate Yarygin (MP-443 Grach) replica without licensing
Fairly affordable
Nice light and quick double action trigger, also shoots in single action.
Field Strippable.
Cons:
No blowback
Barrel is not recessed.
Non adjustable rear sight.
Comments:
Without shooting this gun so far all I can comment on is how nice it looks and feels, the Gletcher Grach NBB really is a well made and detailed CO2 air pistol mirroring the original real steel Yarygin (MP-443 Grach) almost exactly. Pretty much everything is metal on this pistol helping it come in only 10 grams off again of the original. I like the single and double action trigger / hammer and the working slide and slide catch release that locks back when the BB magazine is empty. I am really looking forward to giving this gun it's field test shooting review!
My Vimeo Table Top Video of the Gletcher Grach NBB CO2 BB Pistol:
