By Jason Curtis
Are you new to air pistol shooting? Maybe it’s something you have been thinking about giving a go and you’re looking at getting your first pistol, or you want to get the kids involved in your hobby, but don’t want to splash out too much cash, then you might find this article helpful.
I have been having fun with air pistols for many years, from top end competition models to backyard plinkers, and a vast array in between. So to get involved you need your first pistol, as a rule I always recommend the Umarex Walther CP88 as a good starting pistol, it was the first replica co2 pistol Umarex made and it is still being made over 35 years later, so it has stood the test of time and there’s a lot to be said for that, not forgetting it looks good, feels nice to hold, is accurate and doesn’t break the bank at around £240
That said not everyone wants to pay £200+ for their first pistol, and you don’t have to, there are some nice pistols out there in the sub £100 price range (ok two here are a little over that), but they will all give you hours of fun plinking away and even a bit of target work. We will be looking at 13 yes 13 pistols, mainly 4.5mm bb co2 pistols at this price range, though we will look at a couple of pellet spring guns, and a sub £150 pellet blowback. As there are 13 pistols to get through the reviews will be short, but it will give you an idea of what they are like. All were shot at a distance of 6 yards in my home range from a rested position to make it as uniform as possible for each pistol, with the point of aim at the centre of target, it’s the grouping we are interested in, point of impact can be adjusted later, the temperature was 20°C for new shooters temperature affects the CO2 capsules, the colder it is the less shots you will get and vice versa. All pistols are less than 3 Joules (approx. 2.2 foot pounds) and for testing purposes all were loaded with either Umarex Steel 4.5m BB’s or Umarex 4.5mm Mosquito Pellets.
Right let’s begin with a pistol I reviewed in September’s issue.
This little spring powered single shot pistol is light weight, but not the lightest here, having a polymer frame and barrel shroud weighing in at 625g and 274mm in length, the silver version I have has imitation wooden grips that look really nice, the build quality is solid and the most accurate of all the pistols in this review. It looks great, easy to cock and load, fully adjustable sights, comfortable grip with an automatic safety, the more .177 pellets you put down the rifled barrel the better it gets. Great fun for plinking and perfect for some decent target work and with a RRP of £74.95 in Black or £89.95 for the Silver you just can’t go wrong.
Umarex HPP
From a light weight to a heavy weight, the HPP is the second heaviest and second highest priced on the list, with its full metal construction, this blowback steel bb firer weighs in at 815g and is 175mm in length, it feels nice in the hand, has a 15 shot BB drop out plastic stick mag, which gave 120 shots from a single CO2 capsule. It has fixed sights and all the catches work and not just for show, and the safety is a manual solid slide action. The trigger is broad and lighter than expected and is double action only, the blowback isn’t harsh, and it does lock back after last shot, not as accurate as some of the others here, but add a laser to the lower frame picatinny rail, put some tin cans out and this compact handful with put a smile on your face for a RRP of £109.95
The Tornado is a 10 shot rotary mag futuristic looking BB revolver, it has a polymer frame though still a nice weight at 687g and 260mm long, has a metal hammer and trigger, a slide safety under the hammer, fixed sights and two picatinny rails to add a red dot and laser if you wanted to add to that futuristic look. Its single and double action, though double action is a little heavy, it’s an accurate little gun, giving 120 full power shots from a single CO2, and they really pounded the back of the target box, it did give me another 20 lower powered ones before the CO2 ran out. Perfect for plinking and target work, hours of family fun for a bargain RRP of £74.95
The Defender is a bit of a personal favourite, this stubby non blowback 1911 is all metal weighing a nice 760g and only 177mm long, the mag release allows the grips to slide back and reveal a built in 16 bb shot magazine so no chance of losing it, and simple CO2 fitting. From a single CO2 capsule I squeezed out a staggering 192 full power shots, and it still managed another 48 lower powered ones. It has nice trademarks and really looks the part, it has fixed sights, a single slot weaver rail, and imitation moulded catches. It’s comfortable, feels great and the double action trigger isn’t too heavy, with the safety being a nice press and slide action. Accuracy is pretty good for an entry level pistol, groups well with a few fliers. There you have it, compact, accurate with an amazing shot count for a RRP of £95.95
Dare I say another favourite, the M&P 40 has a polymer frame and a metal non blowback slide, weighs 577g at 194mm long. It is very similar in build to the Defender above with nice trademarks, imitation moulded catches except mag release, same press and slide safety, fixed sights, picatinny rail and double action trigger that’s slightly heavier than the defender. Though the M&P benefits from a metal 19 shot drop out BB magazine, from which I managed another high shot count of 171 full power shots and another 38 lower ones, accuracy again was very good, giving a reasonable group from this bb firer. This really is a great pistol if you’re on a budget at an incredibly cheap RRP of £79.95
The Makarov is an all metal non blowback with a moving slide for cocking, weighing in at 684g and 162mm in length, and has imitation Bakelite grips that slide bake to reveal the single CO2 compartment. It has an 18 shot drop out metal stick BB magazine from which it managed 126 full power shots, and like the Tornado they hit the back of the target box with some force, which makes sense considering the lower shot count from these two pistols, though it did manage another 36 lower powered shots. Its single and double action with a heavy trigger, the safety is thumb operated, along with fixed sights and nice trademarks. Though compact it felt nice to hold as the grips are broad, it is accurate for this type of pistol leaving a nice big hole in the target with only a few fliers. if you fancy a nice little replica, you can pick this up for a RRP of £89.95
Umarex TDP 45
The Tactical Defence Pistol 45 is the light weight of the bunch weighing in at only 455g and 165mm long, it is also the cheapest of the bunch, it does feel very plastic, but the price reflects this. Thank fully it has a 19-shot metal drop out BB magazine, had it been a plastic stick mag the TDP may have floated away. Sounds a bit naff I hear you say, oh no you would be wrong, if this is your first ever pistol, it will put a smile on your face just like the rest of the list, with its high 190 shot count, firm but smooth double action trigger and white dot sights, it’s a fun little gun. The back strap lifts up for easy CO2 insertion, a safety that does what it should, it also has a picatinny rail for a nice little laser. Yes, it’s simple, a no thrills budget pistol with accuracy that matched and beat some of the other pistols tested, and it can be yours for a bargain basement RRP of £54.95
Umarex IWI Jericho B
This was my first time shooting one of these, it was very comfortable with the finger grooves on the grip and felt substantial in the hand even though its only 548g at 190mm long. It has a polymer frame and metal slide, its stated as double action but you can pull the slide back, to give you a sort of single action, it’s a nice touch all the same, the trigger is however a bit graunchy but useable. It has fixed sights, a weaver rail and moulded catches apart from the right-hand thumb safety and mag release. The magazine is a full drop out version which houses the single CO2 and 23 BB’s, which gave 138 pretty accurate shots. It’s a shame this wasn’t a blowback version it would have made it even better, but it is entry level and it’s a fun pistol all the same. You can pick this up for a RRP of £79.95
Umarex Heckler & Koch HK45
Another new one to me, and this felt just right straight out of the box, the stippled grip and finger grooves felt comfortable and a nice weight at 630g and 203mm long. The HK45 has a polymer frame with a metal fixed top slide so no blowback here. It has a nice matt finish with H&K trades, fixed sights as we have come expect from this price range with a picatinny rail. The back strap lifts for a single CO2 capsule, the safety is thumb operated and the mag release is incorporated into the trigger guard, which drops a metal 19 shot BB stick magazine. The trigger is double action only and squeezed off 209 shots all staying in the black of the target, now that’s impressive. This pistol feels more expensive than it is at a RRP of £99.95
I have always liked the Buckmark, its cheap for what you get, self-contained being a springer and accurate. It is a mostly metal construction with a polymer barrel shroud, it has a rubberised grips with finger grooves, which makes it comfortable to hold, and its well-balanced weighing in at 680g and the longest of the bunch at 305mm. It has fully adjustable rear sights, and a picatinny rail fitted to the top, so you could add a red dot or scope to further improve its accuracy. The trigger is metal and quite broad, the pull is firm without being too heavy and has a predictable let off to each shot. Cocking this single shot shooter is easy and smooth, and like our other springer the Ruger it has a rifle barrel and is the second most accurate pistol here. All this can be yours for the truly amazing sum of £74.95 RRP
Bring out your inner Dirty Harry with this light weight 357 Magnum, the most powerful handgun here, weighing in at 561g and 290mm long, it’s lighter than it looks, but still a hand cannon. The Python really does look the part. As you can guess it is mostly polymer, and has a metal hammer, trigger and pellet mag. You get three 10 shot rotary mags included, two that are metal for pellets and one plastic that’s for BB’s. Even though the barrel isn’t rifled, more just a touch of swirling it’s still accurate, and its pretty good with BB’s too. It managed 100 shots, less than others on the list but with more hitting power. This can be shot single or double action; the trigger isn’t heavy and rather light once cocked, and the safety is found under the hammer. Fitted with fully adjustable rear sights, chequered grips, one of which houses the hex key for tightening the CO2 capsule. It looks nice in its matt finish with subtle trades. This is a lot of pistol for a RRP of £84.95
Umarex Legends P.08
The P.08 is a heavy weight, it’s all metal and the second heaviest here at 818g and 216mm long. This is the non blowback version, with imitation action and catches, apart from the sure-footed safety and mag release. It is fitted with plastic grips, of which the right-hand side comes off to reveal the CO2 compartment. The stick mag is metal and holds 21 BB’s and fired off a healthy 147 shots and kept them all in the black of the target. The sights are fixed, and the trigger blade is wide and heavy, not one for the kids, but it somehow suits this pistol. Give your trigger finger a workout and grab this piece of history for a RRP of £99.95
We have reached the final pistol, an entry level blow back pellet and BB shooter. The Storm has a polymer frame and metal slide, its well balanced and feels nice in the hand weighing a 755g and 192mm long. The mag is a plastic stick drop out that has an 8 shot rotary mag at each end, which take both pellets and BB’s and houses a magnet to stop the BB’s falling out. The shot count is low at only 80 shots as the blowback takes up a lot of CO2. Shooting with pellets it can hold its own accuracy wise, with BB’s you better find yourself a nice barn door, to be fair for some plinking at tin cans it will be plenty good enough. It has fixed sights with nice white dots to quickly acquire your target, along with a picatinny rail for a laser. The blow back is strong and adds to the real feel and will have you grinning from ear to ear. With nice trades it’s a good looker and a worthy first pistol. We are breaking the sub £100 with this but it’s still a steal at a RRP of £145.95
There you have it, after approx. 1800 shots and one sore trigger finger we have a baker’s dozen of pistols, types and prices to suit everyone, all you have to do is decide which one. Once you have shredded a few tin cans why not go to the Umarex Boys Club website and print off some free targets and enter our competitions to keep the fun going. Happy Shooting and Stay Safe.
I would like to thank John Rothery Wholesale, who kindly supplied the pistols I didn’t own to be able to complete this review, your support and help is always greatly appreciated.
