Airsoft Action - January 2021

RED CELL
‘OTHER’ GBB PISTOLS RANGE DAY
the grip had interchangeable backstraps to adjust for
bigger or smaller hands. As with the GTP9, being able
to adjust the hop on the fly is a very handy and time
saving idea. Just FYI I did have a small mishap with
the magazine release; this was easily rectified, but
it’s certainly an area to keep an eye on when you’re
maintaining this pistol!
Chris: Being a Child of the 90s, Rainbow 6 was a
huge influence on my interest in firearms. Seeing the
USP on the front cover cemented it in my mind as a
must have pistol. I have owned 1911s, Glocks and
SIGs but the USP was always my first love in terms of
pistols. When Tokyo Marui released their USP in late
2017, I had to have one!
While the debate on owning a Tokyo Marui
product, and the “elitist” stigma attached to them
(which is worth discussion in an article all of its own!)
will go on, ignoring the perceived elitism, I can say
that this pistol is solid and reliable. Although made
from ABS plastic, the USP is solid with no creaking
loose parts and no rattling. Everything fits together
perfectly and the quality control on TMs part is evident
in the quality of materials used. This quality build,
as you would expect, results in a solid dependable
pistol that is consistent and reliable. The slide is fully
trademarked (which is also a discussion for another
article in of itself with EU legislation) and although
made from ABS plastic, the fit and finish is perfect and
feels great.
The ABS lower receiver quality is made to very
similar quality to the real steel HK pistols polymer
lower. The grip has a spiked texture front and back
which is not painful on an ungloved hand and a
reasonable grip for your hands on each side. The
trigger is a double action, when slide is cocked the
trigger moves back into position 2 and has a 4mm
take up to the wall with a nice solid break, reset is
4mm with an audible click and you’re ready to fire
again. The safety is found on the upper left side of the
frame and right-handed shooters will have no issue
activating it by pushing up with your thumb, pushing
down will de-cock the pistol. The mag releace is also
positive, but can be a bit fiddly to get used to. With
practice using your trigger finger or thumb to press it
becomes nice and easy. How does it shoot?
Using NP 1.0 Blue gas it’s certainly no slouch, and
thanks to being made from ABS there is very little
cool down so the blowback consistent for the entire
magazine. You can use green gas but personally I tend
to use it in colder months only. Range and accuracy
are as you can expect with a Marui gun, perfectly
acceptable for a pistol. Accessories and upgrades,
Conclusion, Fun, fast, reliable, light but still stable
with nostalgic styling. If you fancy something different
or are a fan of the USP I would certainly suggest you
give this reasonably priced offering from Marui a go.
Jase: So lockdown kicked in again and out went
out Red Cell meeting which was really gutting as I
LOVE a P226! So when Bill phoned me and said that
he had Sig care package for me, well, it made my day!
The pistol’s design was started in 1980 and finished
in 1983, when it was put to tender in the American
‘Joint Service Small Arms Program’, and for a pistol
that has been around for as long as I have, I think its
aged very well indeed. So in my care package from
‘The Wolf’ there was a KJ Works, WE Mk25, and the
new Raven 226. Coupled with my own custom TM
226, I had four pistols to play with!
The KJW 226 was one of the first ever airsoft
pistols that I had the pleasure of playing with and
fell in love with it and its decocking lever. Now this
was Nige’s personal pistol and was a good few years
old and had a good few rounds through it. The first
thing you notice with this particular pistol is its glossy
finish which I have to say I am not a fan of, it’s just
too shiny. The FPS was 295 on a pretty chilly British
afternoon. As I started to send plastic death down
range I didn’t get more than 5 shots in and the mag
vented from the top and bottom which meant it was
due a good service. From this little lesson we learn
that, yes lads, we need to keep on top of our toys
maintenance and mags with enough gas in them
to keep the seals in good working order. With this
gun’s test over, I knew its history well enough that it
fired well and had good efficiency when it was in full
working order.
From the KJW I moved over to Bill’s WE 226 which
was a homage to Seal Team 6. It had the best paint
work of the four guns I tested, as it just looked silky
smooth with that slight element of ‘Reaper’ to it. It
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JANUARY 2021