KWC/Cybergun Smith & Wesson SW1911 Ultra Grade

• Modeled After: Smith & Wesson SW1911
• Hop-Up: Fixed .20g / Up to .25g
• Lowest Advertised: 250 / 220 FPS, 80 ft Range
• Purchased from ShortyUSA for $63 + $9 Shipped

Shooting Performance
Look, feel, action
Weight & Balance
Magazine Issues
Trademarks and Printed Text

Okay, so paying $70 for a spring pistol doesn’t exactly fit the “econo” airsofting viewpoint, but I couldn’t resist. The best spring pistol money can buy? I don’t know, but it’s got to be pretty damn close. Save for a few gripes, the SW1911 Ultra Grade is an example of completely unnecessary overage of springer performance and beautifulness. If it wasn’t so fun to shoot, I’d frame it on my wall.

This 1911 is heavyweight, and very nicely balanced. You get very good inertial feelings when picking this thing up. Haha, get it? The build quality is also outstanding, I can’t find a seem line anywhere… The model isn’t full metal, but it contains metal in the important spots. The plastic is also high-quality and feels good. The gun is solid, no wobblies save for the magazine, which sits a tiny bit loose.

The SW1911 is a wicked looking real steel gun. Although this is pretty much a replica of the stock version, the stock version looks custom made. A slick finish, “beaver-tail” grip safety, nice grips, vented trigger and hammer, elevation-adjustable combat sites, and forward-slide grip give this gun a mean look. The ejection port stays closed, but the metal “barrel” insert looks good and is engraved with “45 AUTO”. It also includes engraved sequential serial numbers, and (since this is a Cybergun product) it’s actually legally licensed to bear S&W’s trademarks in the US. This particular version has the S&W logo and “SW1911″ only printed on the slide in white, it looked like some other versions of the gun had this engraved, and IMO that would look better. On the ejection side of the slide you also get a nice big warning block of text printed in the same white font. Meh.

The thumb safety and grip safety both work nicely, as does the working slide-lock, which will let you know if you’re cocking with the magazine empty. Here’s when we get to a few noticeable problems. For one, after inserting a new magazine you’ll have to pull-back on the locked slide to chamber the first round – you can’t just release the slide-lock, and that’s a big part of the fun…

Secondly, the magazine is the classic speed loading design. It fills up nice and fast, but only holds 12 rounds, drops a few BBs if ejected early, and doesn’t auto-release the spring when inserting into the well. It’s very nicely constructed, and full metal, but doesn’t cut it from a high-quality airsoft standpoint. There are probably compatible alternatives out there.

Pre-shooting aside, the performance of this gun is epic. The slide action is super smooth, trigger pull isn’t super great but that’s not a big deal. Using .2g BBs, performance is superb for a pistol. The SW1911 has comparable range compared to the M14 “Sniper Rifle”, which is a low-level but full size spring rifle, although the pistol is notably less accurate and less consistent, at least with .2g BBs. Still, srlsy. It’s got a lot of power as well, rivaling the punch of the powerful Model 17.

The existence of a spring airsoft pistol at this price range is reaching impracticality. If seeking competition, you should move on to gas guns, while those looking for performance should just be buying pellet guns. Then again, there are those of us who just want to have one of the best spring pistols available. Springers are simple and it appears that this one will last, even with a good amount of abuse. Unnecessary? Yes. But completely awesome? Also yes.

• 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.

• Modeled After: Compensated Glock 17L
• Hop-Up: Fixed for .2g 6mm
• Lowest Advertised: 220 FPS / 100ft Range
• Purchased from ShortyUSA.com for $30 +$8 Shipped

Accuracy
Sound
Simplicity
Looks
Light Weight
Low Capacity

This was my first spring pistol after the tragic loss of my generic Wal-Mart Beretta. Compared to the pistols we had all been plinking with, the KWC M17 was a sniper rifle. Of course, the upgrade to a heavier .2G pellet will generally increase accuracy and range, but this gun performs far better regardless of the added weight and punches each round out with a very satisfying thud.

With the M17, KWC delivers the performance of a low level Tokyo Marui gun with a significantly lower price tag. At $30, this Glock keeps it simple but still delivers pure performance. You don’t have a hammer to get caught on anything, like your pocket or shrubs, and although this gun isn’t a pretty piece to look at, it’s simplicity and the ported barrel keep it from being ugly by any means.

One gripe would be a small magazine capacity, at only 13 rounds topped off, you may want an extra. The clips are speed loading, which means you can fill up quickly, but they’ll shoot out just as fast if you’re not careful. This gun is also quite light, but is aided by 2 lead panels inserted behind the pop-offable rubber grips on the handle.

The sites are dead on, easy to use and feature a white dot front and center. The safety switch is located in the middle of the slide, and is accompanied by another safety, the one that looks like a second trigger coming out of the first. (The slide doesn’t actually lock back.)

For it’s price, this is undoubtedly one of the most solid performance-oriented low-level spring pistols. Although I personally prefer shooting this one more, the newer UTG MK23 does manage to beat the M17 in both price and performance. Still, you won’t easily find a pistol with this much sheer can-ripping power.