Sidearm Help

Will Lewer

Will Lewer

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So.... I have exams throughout this month and once I've finished them, I then have an extended summer so there will be plenty of time for airsoft! :D I have therefore considered purchasing a sidearm for airsoft and I really like the Glock 17, however I am struggling to decide between the WE and TM.

From reviews, It seems to me that the WE has better construction as it has a polymer frame and metal slide, whereas the TM is mostly ABS plastic. I also like the fact that there are CO2 mags available for the WE. However, I have heard that TM have a better QC and so their products are more reliable despite being slightly more expensive? I really am stuck with what to go for arghhh. :rolleyes: I want a glock that is reliable, solid, has plenty of after market upgrade parts available and will last me for a long time with proper care.

If anyone has had any experience with either of these then their advice would be most appreciated! :)

 
TM if you want a gun that works well out of the box, WE if you want to mess about with it and also run the risk of it not working properly without work out of the box. Nothing wrong with either approach, I just wouldn't get a TM if you want to tinker with it, but personally I wouldn't get a WE because I don't like tech work so it's your preference really :)

 
Ok...

A few things first (Note, this may become an extensive ramble...)

One, TM make good guns. So does WE, but TM have broken the code when it comes to hop-up units with their magic pixie dust they use.

Two, WE have metal slides. This is both a pro and a con. A metal slide feels better, and you get the bonus of a very nice 'clunk' when you chamber that first round, as well as a fair amount of kick. But, the trade off is that they use more gas.

Third, generally stay away from CO2 (personal opinion), as most sites don't allow it (or at least the ones I've visited), and it can (using the term loosely) damage the gun. GG or propane is just fine.

Four, WE (pistols, at least) guns are, or at least tend to be, clones of TM guns, so they will fit the same upgrades, holsters, and such.

So, what does that come down to?...

I have the WE G17, and it is my favourite sidearm that I have ever held in airsoft. I was given one by Bill Roger, owner of Rogers Shooting School and Safariland, along with some Safariland gear for it. Although the loading nozzle broke before I got it (easy fix) I enjoyed the feel of it immediately. I've had a few things done to it, including throwing an upgraded TM recoil spring (for a bit more kick) in it, a custom installed Tiridium sight, and some the aforementioned Safariland products on it. I'll throw some pics on the bottom. All in all, it comes down to it. I don't believe that the hop is as important on a pistol, as it's more of a last-ditch item in the world of high-caps (I use low cap maps in everything, so I do need a pistol, especially at the close ranges of The Mall) and I love the metal slide and kick of the WE one. I would say, try to find one and test them yourselves (look around at your next skirmish, someone should have one; worst case scenario, come to The Mall on May 24, I'll happily let you see mine; I've even lent it to people whose guns failed during games.

*Edit:

I say I'll post pics, and I forget to even do that...

Also, my sight allows me to interchange green and red high visibility front-sights. It's as Eso said; WE guns do require some tinkering to get them working at their full potential.

 
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Wow thanks for the quick replies! I think I'll go for the TM then haha! I'm not really into all of the Tech work but would be interested in perhaps smallish' mods in the future. I'll go to my local retailer soon and will handle both guns again and hopefully have the chance to test fire them :) .... And thanks for the offer SeniorSpaz! I'll most definitely be taking the long journey down to the mall this summer!

 
There is also the KWA ATP which is just about a Glock 17 as well, and its the most gas efficient gun and tested as one of the most accurate pistols out there. Its also a metal slide, doesn't kick as hard as the WE but its also not going to strip paint and break in 6 months like the WE inevitably will! I was told there was nothing inheriently wrong with the WE but mine was loosing paint within the first clean and after a metal piece snapped because of the pot metal I got my first taste of WE manufacturing quality. I don't want the toy feel that TM has, I don't want the quality issues WE has so I got KWA, quality metal slide guns.

 
SeniorSpaz87 said all there is to say really.

I have a TM P226 and I love it to bits. Out of the box, I'd say TM would give the best performance, and the least problems in the future. TM mags don't take gas as well as WE though.

Do correct me if I am wrong.

 
Will Lewer said:
Wow thanks for the quick replies! I think I'll go for the TM then haha! I'm not really into all of the Tech work but would be interested in perhaps smallish' mods in the future. I'll go to my local retailer soon and will handle both guns again and hopefully have the chance to test fire them :) .... And thanks for the offer SeniorSpaz! I'll most definitely be taking the long journey down to the mall this summer!
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Alrighty then. It's a great site, one of the best in the country. And it happens to be one of my locals :) .

jeffery7466 said:
SeniorSpaz87 said all there is to say really.

I have a TM P226 and I love it to bits. Out of the box, I'd say TM would give the best performance, and the least problems in the future. TM mags don't take gas as well as WE though.

Do correct me if I am wrong.
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Right. Either way, WE mags are better, and as clones of TM, WE mags will work even in TM guns.

 
It's not gonna affect range or anything; people just tend to think that WE mags hold and use their gas better. Most people I know use WE mags in TM guns.

 
We mags are better than TM? How bad are the TM mags? Because my We mags all leaked, all required replacement seals and valves and need to be tightened and silicon applied every few months. They are pretty high maintaince and they don't survive past 1 magazine. My KWA ones on the other hand have required no maintenance, came with no leaks and has 2-3 fills of BBs per gas fill.

 
BrightCandle said:
We mags are better than TM? How bad are the TM mags? Because my We mags all leaked, all required replacement seals and valves and need to be tightened and silicon applied every few months. They are pretty high maintaince and they don't survive past 1 magazine. My KWA ones on the other hand have required no maintenance, came with no leaks and has 2-3 fills of BBs per gas fill.
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TM mags are no where near as bad as that

Thank God!

 
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BrightCandle said:
We mags are better than TM? How bad are the TM mags? Because my We mags all leaked, all required replacement seals and valves and need to be tightened and silicon applied every few months. They are pretty high maintaince and they don't survive past 1 magazine. My KWA ones on the other hand have required no maintenance, came with no leaks and has 2-3 fills of BBs per gas fill.
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Honestly, I can't say. Maybe you got lemons, or I got really good ones. Having only used WE mags in my two pistols, I can only report how they work for me, which is good. Only one of my four P226 mags leaked badly (it was internally damaged, as I had messed with it before I knew what I was doing), and none of my G17 mags have ever had any issues, nor have had any work done to them. My TM MP7 mags were all sorts of messed up when I got them, but soaking in warm water, silicon grease, and 144a maintenance gas fixed all four of those up. Generally, I get a full mag of bbs from them all, except for sometimes the 50 rnd mag I have for my G17; but I have a mini-can of gas I carry in a spare M4 pouch just in case.

 
And I have no idea on KWA; I've only been airsofting for a year, but my hands-on approach has given me lots of knowledge, but only for what I use. My first pistol happened to be WE, and the one I was sent from Safariland was WE as well (now it was from the States, but I don't think that would make a difference), and besides issues I made myself (cutting the oring on a 226 mag cause I couldn't get it out -_- ) both the WE mags in my pistols and the TM mags in my MP7 have worked flawlessly.

 
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