What I have come to understand about pistols

[emilianoksa]

I love the appearance of VFC pistols. They look and feel like the real thing. I have been close to getting myself one so many times. The last time was then they released the Sig P226 early model.

And yet none of them appear to be reliable. And getting parts for them is a gargantuan task.

Armorer Works, Army Armament and many others appear to be disappointing after the first few months of use. I had an Armorer Works gun once. It looked and felt great, but was not built to last very long.

Like many, I have loved Marui plastic pistols because they work and go on working when the rest are out of action. But like many I wished they had metal slides. I have now whittled down my pistol collection to one or two hi capas. And of course I put metal slides and other parts on them. But the funny thing is that of my two Hi Capa 4.3s for example - one with a metal slide, outer barrel, etc and the other stock - it is the stock one I find myself reaching for most of the time,, even for some back garden plinking.

I have boutht and sold so many pistols over the years, but it is the plastic Maruis I regret selling. All of them.

The only other gun I have fond memories of is the WE Glock. Made to a low price with a pot metal slide, but remarkably reliable and with one of the best polymer frames out there, I would still take it over anything else on the market, except a Marui. In fact it is much easier to get stock WE parts than stock Marui ones. I have looked high and low for a hi capa frame in the UK, Europe and the Far East, but they just aren't available. I once contacted Impulse 101 to get some stock parts, but didn't even get a reply. Plenty of custom parts available but when it comes to stock parts you have to see if the customisers have any left over. And they tend to go very quickly.

Fortunately, if you run the plastic Maruis as they were intended to be run, you shouldn't really need spare parts for a very long time.

Yes some have been better than others, but they have all lasted well. Plastic or not Marui r&d is second to none. I am no longer in awe of metal pistols. I prefer those that shoot reliably and last. And some of the later Maruis still manage to look good.

 

[Lyndication]

You need to think in terms of specific models, not brands. Brands can release a gem among stinkers, and vice versa.

Marui is usually really solid, I love my two Marui pistols, but they have a bunch of replicas that will kill themselves even on duster gas. Plastic slides are really popular for the cold weather performance and "snappiness," even despite the "muh £500 aftermarket parts Hicapa" stuff.

I really like my V10 and PX4 currently.

 

[Baser]

Have a similar experience, my first pistol was a WE SIG P226 and it's still running and used most Sundays. I picked up another used one as part of a package last year for £40 with a view to using it for spares at some point but I've not needed to.

Other shout out is to a TM Mk23, bought as a bag of parts with I put back together and it shots beautifully.

Friend has a UMAREX (VFC) Glock, it looks stunning and shoots well but has only been used a handful of times so time will tell.

 

[Tank423]

As a bit of a pistol hoarder I've had a lot pass through my hands and there isn't much I wouldn't buy and use in game. Have had very good experiences with the cheaper brands and would happily recommend certain models to people wanting metal slide pistols without splashing out on a marui with a slide kit.

Current go to pistols are:
HFC M190 (at least 22 years old and still going strong)
Army armament Sand viper
KWA USP 9mm
WE Drug Lord


The two I regret selling are both WE, a G18c that I had modified and a Desert Eagle that I had also modified.

I like the sound of metal slides so will always exclusively go for a metal slide pistol even if the performance is worse.

 

[Cannonfodder]

The way I see it it's like comparing a Range Rover to a Toyota Hilux. The RR may be more expensive and look fancier, but it will break down quicker and be expensive to fix. The Hilux on the other hand will just keep going.

 

[Punisher3990]

I have an RWA BDS9 and the thing is an absolute beast of a pistol out of the box. With 0.30 g, it keeps up with my MK23 in terms of range and accuracy.

It has the looks, the performance, the customisability, and it cost me £130. Not all good RIFs have to be £200-300+

I just had a custom plate made by a friend to get rid of the annoying RMR plate, as I prefer irons (bottom pic). It also has a WE grip as I prefer the texture.

 

[Lyndication]

Also gunna say it's worth digging into the actual manufacturer of these things, (Umarex doesn't make anything, for example).

The Gen of things like Glocks also really matters, and you have to work on a case by case basis. For example, Sig Proforce P320s are terrible in our climate. Parabellum and Stark Arms P320s run great in general. Same manufacturer, one is just tuned for CO2 and thus runs like crap with gas.