by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
ASG X9 Classic.
This report covers:
- Setup
- Loading the BBs
- ASG Blaster BBs
- Blowback
- Hornady Black Diamond BBs
- H&N Smart Shot lead BBs
- Plastic BBs
- Trigger pull
- Shot count
- Evaluation so far
Today I look at the velocity of the ASG X9 Classic BB pistol. If you recall, this is the pistol that came with the plastic BBs, so they will be included in this report. Let’s get started.
Setup
The CO2 cartridge was installed first. If you remember, with this pistol the cartridge goes into the drop-free magazine, and the floorplate has to be removed for access. A large Allen wrench is provided to pierce the cartridge. Then the BBs can be loaded.
Loading the BBs
The manual is not very helpful on this matter. It just tells you to load the BBs. The picture with the explanation, though small, shows them being loaded at the bottom of the magazine, with the follower being held down, so I tried that and found it worked. It’s hard to see where the BB enters the magazine, but when the follower is held all the way down, it’s right there. A channel in the magazine helps you load.
ASG Blaster BBs
First up were ASG Blaster BBs. Ten of them averaged 294 f.p.s. The spread ranged from 284 to 304 f.p.s. That’s 20 f.p.s.
Blowback
The X9 Classic is a full blowback pistol, and that function feels very realistic. On some blowback pistols the slide only comes back part way and it operates very rapidly, so the feel isn’t as intense as it is on the X9 Classic. This one feels quite real.
Hornady Black Diamond BBs
Next I tried 10 Hornady Black Diamond BBs. These averaged 292 f.p.s., with a spread from 283 to 303 f.p.s. That’s 20 f.p.s. again.
H&N Smart Shot lead BBs
Next I tried H&N Smart Shot lead BBs. I knew people would be interested in how these perform in the X9 Classic. The spring-loaded magazine allows you to use them. Ten of them averaged 245 f.p.s. The spread went from 236 to 254 f.p.s., so 18 f.p.s.
Plastic BBs
Okay, I know nothing about these plastic BBs that came with the gun. They have no brand name and are in a plain white cardboard box. They each weigh 1.2 grains and measure 0.1725-inches in diameter. They loaded in the same way the other BBs did.
Shot number one went out at 500 f.p.s. and the next shot went 468 f.p.s. And that was the last plastic BB to leave the gun. The next 8 jammed in the barrel! I will not be testing these for accuracy, as they are too unreliable in this airgun. I might try them in a different BB gun sometime though. I know some of you are very curious how accurate they are.
Trigger pull
Because of the blowback, the X9 Classic cocks itself semiautomatically every time. So the trigger is single action, only. Yes, the gun does fire double action, as well, but only on the first shot when the hammer is not already cocked. After that it’s single action, so that was the only way I tested it.
The trigger pull is light with a lot of trigger movement. Stage two is not definite. But the trigger releases at 1 lb. 15 oz, which is very light. This pistol will be a pleasure to test for accuracy.
Shot count
I had fired 47 shots to this point in the test. Now I was ready to check the shot count. I was going to fire 10 more blank shots and then check the velocity with ASG Blaster BBs but the gas ran out completely at shot 51. The slide stopped catching on the last shot on shot number 48. From that I would say there are about 40-45 safe shots per CO2 cartridge. That makes the X9 a heavier user of gas than expected. I think it must be using a lot of gas to operate the blowback.
Evaluation so far
The ASG X9 Classic BB pistol is certainly different. It has a very realistic recoil from the blowback, and the trigger is very light. But it uses more gas than I am accustomed to and the velocity is lower than similar BB pistols I test. I think those things might be related to the blowback.
Accuracy will be next.
The plastic bb’s are interesting. It would be interesting to see what they would do in a cheap multi-pump. I like the allen piercing screw for the Co2. Better than the lever action type in the 92FS that I have. The light trigger pull was a surprise. I am re-thinking my take on action pistols, especially the blow-back type, with their propensity to self destruct after awhile. I guess it all comes down to how much you are going to shoot it and what you expect from it.
Good Day all,… Chris
Reliability can be a problem. I remember the old Daisy CO2 200 BB pistols. They were great fun to shoot but often didn’t last. The store I worked in back then sent a number of them back to Daisy for repair/replacement.
Mike
B.B.,
I have several different CO2 pistols with this familiar “92” design. I find they melt into my hand and feel like a part of it. None of mine is blowback, and I am a sucker for a light trigger, so I will pay close attention to your accuracy test.
On the other hand, there are at least two 92 style CO2 pistols available that have full-auto, so If I were to buy just one more, this one would be in a tough spot.
Michael