The 1911 design was a breakthrough for auto-loading handguns as well as an iconic firearm in WWII and Vietnam. That’s why we see so many of them and their clones in airsoft and the real steel market. As much as I loved my good old KWC Tanfoglio Witness, the fact is that either of the two sub $20 spring pistols facing off in this review will out shoot it every time.

First up we have the Umarex Combat Zone Stryker which is a newer offering that can be found at stores in the US. It also features a nifty accessory rail.

19.99 + S/H
100 FT Range / 210 FPS (.2g)

I also finally picked up the classic UHC 1911. This is a long running, heavyweight spring replica with good performance for its price range.

$19.99 + S/H
100 FT Range / 200 FPS (.2g)

The first thing you’ll notice when these guns are side by side is that they’re basically identical. The packaging and trademarks are different, but these two certainly came from the same manufacturer. Nevertheless, a number of differences come up upon closer inspection.

Aesthetics -
Very similar, both guns have the classic 1911 look, open ejection port, and lack of any real licensing. Detail is still good all the way around. The faux-wood textured grips look like a bad Jersey Shore tan up close, but fine at casual glance.

The Stryker features a unique accessory rail that you could mount a small light or laser on. This adds a lot to the look of the gun and has some functionality. The rail can be un-bolted and removed, although you’ll leave two small empty holes on both sides of the pistol.

Weight/Balance -
The UHC is noticeably heavier and better balanced. This is due to the fact that both the magazine and receiver contain lead weights in them. The Stryker doesn’t feel bad, but it’s certainly lighter.

Magazine -
The UHC includes a 22 round slow load magazine, which is good capacity for a pistol.

The Stryker features the exact same exterior design, but only holds 14 rounds ready to fire coupled with a 95 round reservoir in place of the UHC’s lead weight. Same idea as the magazine included with the full metal 1911. Having this extra ammo on hand may be nice in certain situations, but I personally hate this kind of mag. They feel too light and flimsy, make a huge racket rattling around, and are still difficult to load.

Performance -
All other things equal, I like the look of the Stryker and the feel of the UHC. So it comes down to performance.

Neither have smooth slide action, but this is hard to come by for any low-end replica with an open ejection port. Both have working grip and slide safety’s.

Actual shooting performance is admirable – very good range and accuracy, good projectile speed. The only noticeable difference seemed to be that the Stryker had more aggressive hop-up, which resulted in a straighter flight path and a few more feet of range before falling.

So, neither of these 1911′s are perfect, but they both get close. Sticking the weighted UHC mag in the Stryker adds sufficient weight and is a good compromise. Overall, either of these spring pistols are a great choice in this range of econo airsofting.

Colt 1911-A1 Military Full Metal

• Modeled After: Colt M1911A1
• Hop-Up: Fixed .12/.2g BBs
• Lowest Advertised: 200 FPS / 100 ft
• Purchased from ShortyUSA for $30 + 9 Shipped

Full Metal
Mid-Cap Magazine*…
FPS
Looks almost used n’ gritty. Straight up Platoon status.
Printed Trademarks
…*made of plastic. That’s weak sauce.
Range
Loose Safety

Being a fan of the 1911, I sprung at the chance to pick up a full metal military replica that wouldn’t cost me 4 years of daily Taco Bell. It’s hard to avoid Cybergun products if you buy a gun with trademarks, and this one makes no exception. Although the trademarks are correct and fully licensed, they are only printed on with white paint, as opposed to engraved. This detracts from the authentic aesthetic almost as much as having the trademarks would add in the first place. Still, they’re legit. The gun, as stated, is full metal. It has good balance and heft and feels pretty solid. It has a very rough sort of finish too it, and some great looking faux-wood hand grips. A prominent seam-line runs down the top and bottom of the body however. Overall, it mimics a used military sidearm well. It feels more Vietnam than most. This gun should age well, like a fine wine. Except probably not.

The trigger and hammer are metal and have some nice inertia going with them. The action is surprisingly smooth and it sounds good and solid to fire. The safety leaves some to be desired. It functions, and locks the trigger and slide, but is loose and the slide becomes locked inadvertently. For shooting, this is annoying, and for a skirmish, this is deadly. Not that people usually die during airsoft, but you know.

The clip, on the other hand, is a downer. It’s very noticeably plastic when holding a full metal gun. Not necessarily high quality plastic either. It also has very little weight, due to an internal BB well. The actual clip holds around 12 rounds, which must be re-loaded from the 50 round reservoir. Sort of like a wind up magazine without the wind up. It’s a clever idea, but in reality it takes longer than just using a speed loader, makes the magazine too lightweight, and rattles.

The performance of this gun is on par with a $20 pistol, or at least one with some unimpressive hop-up. Although both the FPS and power are both noticeably impressive, the hop-up only works decently after you warm it up. Most shots with .12g and .2 have only mediocre range.

You pay $20 for performance and like $15 for the full-metal aspect. At this price range, it’s a really cool collector’s item – not a remarkable sidearm.

• Modeled After: Tanfoglio Witness 1911
• Hop-Up: None (.12g or .2g 6mm BBs)
• Lowest Advertised: 320 or 220 FPS / 80 ft Range
• Purchased from CobraAirguns.com for $18 +$14 Shipped

Muzzle Velocity
Dual Ammo Compatibility
Smoooooth Action
Aesthetics
Magazine Capacity
No Hop-Up

The 1911 is one of my favorite guns, and the Tanfoglio Witness variant takes the original Colt and spices it up film-noir style. Love it or hate it, this gun has that Chicago Typewriter look. The fake wood grain grips aren’t unattractive until you get up close. The black slide and engravings (although fake) don’t look bad either. The “ejection port” is actually just a sticker, but it looks so much like brushed aluminum I thought it was metal for a good week.

The newer Version 2.0 which is what you’ll find for sale most of the time features an upgraded slide, higher power internals and the lack of hop-up.

The left-side rear safety locks the slide, hammer and trigger. The hammer isn’t connected to the firing mechanism and has a very light pull. The grip pressure safety is present but doesn’t function.

The gun is fairly light and has little metal, but it feels solid. The action is incredibly smooth, and firing sounds nice and crisp. The Tanfoglio uses KWC’s typical speed loading magazine, which lets 2 BBs fall loose if ejected when not empty. It holds 12 rounds, the gun will not chamber if the magazine is topped off to 13. Speaking of jams, that’s this ones main performance problem. I had a lot of chambering and misfire problems for a while, especially when the magazine is full. It’s gotten better now, perhaps the lube just had to be worked through.

This gun has no hop-up, but for a sidearm that shoots this well it’s not a huge deal. A lack of hop-up also means that this 1911 can use different ammo types. .12g BBs have a remarkably high FPS, although they arc and aren’t that accurate. .2g BBs will slowly dip down but still have signifigant range and good accuracy. This dual-ammo capability is nice for using up those spare BBs you find in the corners of your room.

On close inspection you’d be able to tell this is a cheap gun. However, it performs better than is expected and is nice to shoot. For less than $20, it’s a nice addition to a collection. On top of that, you’ll usually be purchasing this gun in a package that includes a free sticky target, making it a superb entry-level gift/loaner. It’s also a popular gun to mod/paint, and usually winds up looking quite good.