Got two Maruis pistols but have a problem

[emilianoksa]

This afternoon I received two TM pistols in the post.

I was going to buy only one, but unexpectedly found an extra ton and a half at my disposal. 

The pistols are an M9A1 and a Sig 226 E2.

I wanted the Beretta because of its looks and weight (almost a kilo) and it is a handsome gun. The Sig I was not quite as enthusiastic about but I thought it would be the better gun for CQB.

I must say that never having owned a plastic gun before I was blown away by the quality of construction. I will never turn my nose up at plastic guns again - provided of course that they are TMs. What came as a complete surprise was that I actually preferred the Sig. It looks better than in the illustrations and has a nice weight and lovely balance.

I still like the Beretta, but there is a problem with it. The mag had slipped out of place in the box, but there are no signs of damage. However the decocker doesn't function. I am familiar with the workings of the gun, but watched a couple of videos just in case I had missed something. In the videos the decocker comes down smoothly and does its job. However on mine it is stiff and stops - and when I say stops I mean stops like it is locked, sufficiently strongly that I am afraid to give it more pressure - and the hammer remains fully cocked.

If I were an experienced gbb man I could probably locate and fix the fault, but I am not. And the gun is brand new. Looks like I will have to send it back to Fire Support and ask for a replacement. How I will be able to post it without risking its confiscation I do not know. I hope Fire Support will come up with a solution.

So I am over the moon with the Sig and disappointed with the M9. TM are lauded for their build quality but it looks like I have received a lemon. It kind of puts me off this model. I wish now that I had ordered something else - an HK 45 or a Hicapa 5.1. But I do like the look of the classic Beretta. I just wondered what other members would make of the fault.

I have four gbb pistols now and all of them came with gas in the mags. Is this normal. Do retailers generally gas them up for checking purposes? It bothers me a bit with the Maruis because I have no way of telling what type of gas was put in them. Whatever it was I don't suppose the mags were filled to full capacity.

I must mention that I have bought from Fire Support before and been very happy with their service. So this post is not intended to be critical of them. 

 

[heroshark]

If it's the earlier M9 they don't de-cock.

 

[Tiercel]

As for the gas, every time Ive ordered one theyve been empty. Perhaps they put a drop of maintenance gas in it for storage. Not like it really matters what gas they put in, despite all the OMFG ONLY USE 134a GAS OR ULL XXXXPLODE UR GUNZORZ!11!1ELEVENTYONE! TMs will not suddenly catastrophically fail if you use anything more powerful. I run all of mine on propane all year round and have yet to see one fail.

And yes, they dont actually have a de-cocker.

 

[emilianoksa]

It isn't the earlier model..

As for the gas, every time Ive ordered one theyve been empty. Perhaps they put a drop of maintenance gas in it for storage. Not like it really matters what gas they put in, despite all the OMFG ONLY USE 134a GAS OR ULL XXXXPLODE UR GUNZORZ!11!1ELEVENTYONE! TMs will not suddenly catastrophically fail if you use anything more powerful. I run all of mine on propane all year round and have yet to see one fail.

And yes, they dont actually have a de-cocker.

Yes they do.

Have a look.

https://www.fire-support.co.uk/product/marui-m9a1-gbb-pistol

 

[Tiercel]

Oh thats the new one.

Well if you really care about a pointless feature feel free to go through the hassle of returning it? Personally if the rest of the gun works fine I wouldnt bother. As for how to return it, youve answered your own question. Ask fire support and use the method they suggest. So if it gets destroyed for being a gas container or whatever then thats not your fault surely.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

i'd not be surprised if they were de-gassed for posting, and as tiercel says they don't explode on using something with a bit of poke, i've been running the hicapa on red since i got it and it'll be getting put on black with the rest of my pistols come winter.

as for the de-cocker are you sure it's lining up properly with the frame? i know my makarov has a habit of the slide moving just a tad as you press the lever which will mess up the decocking process. i'd pull the slide off and check there's nothing broken/jamming in there.

 

[emilianoksa]

Oh thats the new one.

Well if you really care about a pointless feature feel free to go through the hassle of returning it? Personally if the rest of the gun works fine I wouldnt bother. As for how to return it, youve answered your own question. Ask fire support and use the method they suggest. So if it gets destroyed for being a gas container or whatever then thats not your fault surely.

I wouldn't call it a pointless feature.

The decocker is the only form of safety on the gun. If the decocker doesn't work there is no safety. The lever will not go down all the way to cover the read dot. It stops half way.

i'd not be surprised if they were de-gassed for posting, and as tiercel says they don't explode on using something with a bit of poke, i've been running the hicapa on red since i got it and it'll be getting put on black with the rest of my pistols come winter.

as for the de-cocker are you sure it's lining up properly with the frame? i know my makarov has a habit of the slide moving just a tad as you press the lever which will mess up the decocking process. i'd pull the slide off and check there's nothing broken/jamming in there.

Thanks for the tip Adolf. I'll try that in the morning before I phone Fire Support 

 

[emilianoksa]

Well I checked everything again but to no avail and then called Fire Support. The decocker works with the slide off but not when it's on the frame.

The man I spoke to was very good. He got another M9 out of stock and talked me through a set of possible fixes, but none of them worked. He did say that the ambidextrous  decocker of his gun was very stiff and needed to be engaged by pressing down on each side at the same time. So there seems to be a problem with some of these pistols. Prospective buyers might want to take note.

He told me to send it in and they would check it out and probably replace it.

When I mentioned my worry about sending a gbb through the post he sympathised but said some post office would probably take it. However I am afraid that it could be confiscated because that is just my sort of luck. So now I am wondering whether to risk it and send the lot or just send the gun without the mag. The thought of paying my money for a new gun and ending up with nothing pisses me off.  The post office has some very silly rules. 

What would you do? Any tips? 

 

[Jedi_Master]

Peterborough is probably too far for you to drive to hand deliver it to Firesupport, a pity because that would guarantee the gun arrives safely. Could chat to the staff/tech as well.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

just send the gun without the mag? they don't need the mag to check the decocker works and even if they do they can pop in one from another gun.

 

[Prisce]

Emil. Put the gun back in it’s box, get a piece of paper, write Depressurised container, wrap it around the mag with a little clear tape, close box and then send it as normal. 

If the the post office asks what it is, it’s Sporting goods. Your not lieing. 

Have done this this each time I have sold a pistol(up to 6 Sold now).

 

[heroshark]

Send without the mag. They are not bothered if it's empty, they just scan randomly as well as ones they suspect are things they will not post any destory it. As it's not right they should refund your postal cost too.

 

[emilianoksa]

Thanks for the advice lads.

I hate it when this kind of thing happens.

One of the reasons I bought a TM was because of their legendary reliability. ?

 

[BigStew]

send it back parcel force not royal mail

 

[koppel]

One of the reasons I bought a TM was because of their legendary reliability. ?

TBH i always thought the TM reliability thing was a bit of a myth, i've had innumerable faults & failures with Marui stuff over the years.

 Back in the day they were the best of a bad bunch in AEG's, and their pistols were worse than KSC & Western Arms. However those two appear to have disappeared off the face of the earth now.

 

[emilianoksa]

In the end I sent it without the mag - RM next day delivery.

It would probably have been alright complete (the post office didn't even ask me what was in the parcel) but I just wasn't prepared to take the risk.

If random screening had shown up my parcel, insurance wouldn't have helped me. 

They may not be 100% reliable, but boy do they look good. The Beretta weighs almost a kilo and looks more like metal than a KJW or WE. Lovely satin finish: a display piece in fact.

I'm very taken with one of the 1911s too. Plastic it may be but it has good weight and a "blued" finish. Try doing that with zamac.