by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
SigAir ProForce MCX Virtus AEG right side.
This report covers:
- Spring piston
- Battery basics
- Avalon gearbox
- Replacement M110 spring
- This gun
- Sights
- Magazine
- Velocity
- Hop Up?
- At what price?
- Discussion
- Summary
I did a search in the blog archives and could not find another report I had written about automatic electric airsoft guns (AEG). I have done some large articles about AEG in the past for Shotgun News and for my own newsletter. I even wrote two articles for Pyramyd AIR about the basics of batteries for airsoft guns — one in 2008 and the other in 2009. Those articles are still good today — 10 and 11 years later.
Spring piston
An AEG is a spring-piston gun whose piston is retracted (cocked) and loosed by a mechanical gearbox that’s powered by a small high-torque electric motor. To power the motor a battery is contained somewhere inside the gun. There is a great animation of how an AEG works on Wiki.
Battery basics
Two things to know about AEG batteries — their milliampere-hour (mAh) rating and their voltage. The higher the milliamp-hours, the longer the battery lasts, which equates to the number of shots the gun gives on a charge. The higher the voltage, the faster the electric motor spins, which equates to rounds per second, because the principal reason for the existence of an AEG is to give full-auto capability.
The gun I am testing has a stick-type lithium polymer (lipo) battery that’s rated at 1100 mAh, which is on the low end, and 11.1Volts, which is quite high. That means a fast-firing gun that will need a recharge sooner than one that has a battery with a higher mAh rating.
The Virtus stick battery goes in the forearm. The yellow connector connects to the gun’s motor. The white connector is for the charger. The battery must be installed and removed again for every charge.
Stick-type batteries are designed to fit inside tight spaces within forearms. Sometimes there is enough room to stuff in an aftermarket battery with a higher mAh rating for longer operation. Sig says this 11.1V battery is the maximum allowable, but that refers to the volts, only. They don’t address the mAh. I will look into that for you. The thing you don’t want to do is use a battery with a significantly higher voltage, because the gearbox may not take the additional strain of faster operation. The thing is — this battery is already running close to the top in voltage, so you aren’t likely to do that. And then there is the gearbox.
Avalon gearbox
The MCX Virtus AEG has an Avalon gearbox with upgraded steel bearings. The gears are metal as well. I have built up airsoft gearboxes this way in the past, exchanging metal gears for plastic or Nylon, but this one comes to you ready to go.
Replacement M110 spring
The gun comes with an M120 mainspring installed and a replacement M110 spring to swap in if you like. The M110 spring will give a lower velocity (30 to 60 f.p.s. slower for a given weight BB) but put less strain on the motor and less drain on the battery. If you are doing a drill inside close quarters, the 110 spring is the one to have. It will give you longer operating time. If you are outside the M120 is the way to go. Sig has made swapping this spring very easy, and I will test the gun with both springs. I believe at this point that the M110 spring will allow the motor to run cooler longer in the full auto mode. We will see as we go.
This gun
All right, I’m going to stop the tech discussion right there. There is a lot more to tell you, but now I want to shift your attention to the gun I am testing. The MCX Virtus AEG is a close replica of Sig’s MCX Virtus SBR firearm — their short-barreled rifle version of the Virtus. The airsoft gun’s receiver is CNC-machined metal and has M-LOK-compatible slots for accessories in the metal handguard. The metal stock telescopes to three positions and locks solidly in all three. It removes quickly to change the mainspring for power changes.
The gun weighs 6 lbs. 9 oz with a battery and an empty magazine. The length runs from 25-3/4- to 29-inches overall.
This is a select-fire airsoft gun with an ambidextrous thumb switch for Safe, Semi and Full Auto. If you are used to the M16/M4/AR-15, the switch is exactly where you expect it to be and the selection works exactly the same way.
Sights
The MCX Virtus comes without sights. On a gun like this they would be back-up iron sights (BUIS). I will mount a dot sight for testing and, since Sig sent me the Romeo5 XDR, that’s the one I will mount. The gun has a M1913 Picatinny rail that runs 16 inches along the top of the receiver and handguard to augment the M-LOK slots on both sides and the bottom of the forearm. Mounting optics and accessories should prove no problem. Before you go crazy, though, remember that this is a close-quarters battle gun. Sights, a laser and a light are about all you want. Yes, thermal imaging, a rangerfinder and a bipod are nice options, but not when you are clearing rooms!
Magazine
The gun has a 120-round magazine that fits into the receiver just like an AR mag would. The release is in the same place and works the same so, once again, those who are familiar with the Armalite platform will be at home with the MCX Virtus.
Virtus magazine above and speedloader below.
Sig gives you a speedloader to fill the mag. The gun is rated for 0.20-gram BBs, and, as I have with other guns, I will test it with different BBs and different weights.
Battery box
Like most stick batteries in full-auto AEGs, the battery on the Virtus lives inside the forearm. Unlike many AEGs, the Virtus forearm slides off easily with the removal of a single captive pin. I have fought M4 handguard keepers for days, trying to install and remove batteries! There seems to be plenty of room inside the forearm of this one for larger batteries, but I have asked Sig if a higher mAh rated battery is acceptable, since they do not want you to use one with higher voltage. I understand the operational difference between volts and amperage, but I still want to hear from them.
Velocity
As it comes Sig rates the gun at up to 370 f.p.s. That would be with the M120 spring installed and using a 0.20-gram BB. Naturally I will test that with a lot of ammo, and then install the M110 spring and test it, as well. It looks like I have a lot of testing ahead of me!
Hop Up?
An airsoft gun in this price range has to have Hop Up. This one is mounted on the steel bolt. Dial the toothed wheel up or down to adjust the backspin on the BB.
And this answers another question — does the dust cover really work? Yes, it does — just like the firearm. The forward assist, however, is just for show. It is spring-loaded but is cosmetic, only. I still remember tap, tap, pull, tap as the mnemonic for a jammed M16 — because in my day they always did.
The dust cover is up. At the left you can see the spring-loaded forward assist.
Retract the bolt to see the Hop-Up adjustment (arrow).
At what price?
On the Sig website they have the MCX Virtus AEG in stock at the full retail of $459.99. All the dealers I checked with who list them minus the battery and charger for $399.99 were sold out. Hmmm — might there be an axiom there?
Discussion
This is not a kid’s toy AEG. This one is serious, and Sig intended it to be. It’s heavy, solid and cold to the touch. The rest of what it is will have to wait for the next report.
Summary
We are starting to test a real high-end AEG here. This test will be thorough and long, for there is a lot to look at!
B.B.,
Not a boomerang, but still something completely different.
Siraniko
https://www.boomerangs.com/
That is a nice looking gun.
We would have to ask Sig, but I already know the answer.
Can we get it in pellet model?
I am probably different from a lot of diehard Airgunners, as I do see this as an air gun.
Yes it uses a motor and a battery, to load the projectile, and cock the spring.
But it is still propelled by air.
Why don’t we see the Sig pellet Virtus in an all metal platform?
It could be any of several reasons.
(They wanted to keep the weight of the larger gun down)
They wanted to keep the price down possibly.
Probably a combination of both reasons.
Air softers typically spend more for their military styled guns than we do.
But we demand a higher standard of accuracy from our guns of any type, military or sporting style than they do.
You can have cheap, or you can have decently made, or you can have accurate, but not all three…
(Except for the Beeman P17, it is cheap, fairly well made, and accurate.)
Airsoft is all about the look.
When you boil airsoft down to its simplest form, it is a 6mm round projectile, being fired through a smoothbore barrel, and powered by compressed gas, or air driven from a spring.
It may look like an M4, or M16, an AK47, or MP5, a Mauser 98k, or Mosin Nagant 91/30, or an M60 machine gun, or a Barrett M82 on the outside.
They even make airsoft multi barreled Vulcan miniguns.
But it’s still just a round plastic BB coming out of a smoothbore barrel.
But they do come out at anywhere from 10 to 20 rounds per second depending on the gun.
And since it uses a battery and electric motor for power, there is no cool down effect for long burst.
Ian..
Ian,
I am certain you remember this.
/blog/2019/08/beeman-p17-air-pistol-part-5/
BB and all
The mah and volts is a big thing in RC planes. The size of where the battery fits usually isn’t a problem. But where you place the battery for balancing the CG of the plane can be a problem. And obviously how much the battery weighs. The lighter the better. The combination of the right mah, volts and weight of the battery does make a big difference.
And the battery chargers make a difference too. I have a 12 volt quick charger that I can hook up to a car battery if out in the field. And several small balancing chargers that I use at home that discharge and balance each cell when charging. They are probably the best for the batteries versus the quick charger but usually take up to 3 times longer to charge than the quick charger.
The batteries I use for the planes are lipoly batteries. They tend to not develop a charge memory like nicads and you usually get more flight time out of the lipoly battery of the same size nicad.
What kind of charger comes with the gun and how long does it take to charge a 1100 mah battery? Usually the charge time is longer than the working time of the battery. I do see the battery you talk about and show in the picture hat it is a lipoly too. So that’s a good thing.
And to get back on track with air guns. I know someone that has one of the first Evonix Speed in a .25 caliber pellet rifle. It has a selector for full and semi auto action. And like I said one of the first ones. They stopped making the full auto version for some time now. He was suppose to be putting a bigger mah battery in it for longer shooting time. Haven’t talked to him for a bit now. I’ll have to ask him if he got it done. The battery goes in the butt of the gun where the butt plate is. I think he said he was going to have to open the wood up inside to get it to fit.
Anyway that is one full auto pcp (pellet) gun that I know of that runs on a battery.
GF1,
Those early Evanix rock and rollers used an airsoft action.
RR
I had a .177 caliber Speed along while back. Matter of fact I just missed out on the full auto version. PA sold out right before I placed my order. I decided to go ahead and get the .177 semi auto. I liked it but wasn’t crazy about the kind of loud tick sound everytime the gun fired. Now if it was the full auto version I would of been able to over look the the tick sound. Matter of fact that tick tick tick sound in full auto probably would of sounded cool.
I have almost bought the .25 full auto Speed from my buddy at different times. I got that $2400 stimulus check deposited in my account today. Maybe I’ll have to give him a call today and see about it. 🙂
GF1,
I have heard good things about them, however it may be prejudicial.
Bolt action is fine for me.
RR
Semi auto, double action is what I like.
But give me full auto and I’ll be a happy camper forever. 🙂
GF1,
I have a smart charger for batteries. I used to do a lot more with AEGs.
I didn’t think of testing the charger that comes with the gun but I will try to do that, or at least give you some thoughts.
B.B.
BB
Ok that would be good to know about the charger that came with the gun and how it does.
Matter of fact a little run down about your smart charger would be nice too. That way people will know there is a charge option if they want to get something nice to charge with.
BB,
Looks interesting. Looks like they did a fine job on construction.
In the gear box section of the report,… you say that this has metal gears. Then,… you go on to say that you have swapped metal gears for plastic or nylon gears. So which gear is considered better,… metal or plastic/nylon ones?
Chris
Chris,
Plastic gears are cheaper and you find them in cheaper AEGs. But it seems buyers are becoming more savvy and demanding better gearboxes. Plastic gears wear out and break, so metal is preferred.
B.B.
BB
That is like with the servos that operate the control surfaces on RC planes. The regular servos have plastic and nylon gears. The better servos have metal gears. I always get the metal gear servos.
If one of the plastic gear servos failed. Guess what the plane is coming down.
BB,
Just what I need, another expensive hobby.
The truth is, as many of you are aware I am one who finds “playing” at killing someone abhorrent. I find the technology of these to be interesting as I also find the technology of war interesting, but its usage…
B.B.
I’m curious what sort of accuracy can you get with it at 25yds?
My position is that Airsoft is too range limited for target shooting,
as defined by pellet shooters at distances much greater than 15yds. For CQB training, it seems like a safe
effective platform. To make the pellet firing Virtus a 12 ft/lbs gun that also
has the funtionality of the Airsoft version, it would cost at least as much as the Mar177.
Kewell, no doubt, but I doubt it. Thats why I think it might be worth it to push Airsoft based tecnology a little further,and give us better range and accuracy and economy than you can get with ball ammo right now. That might be conical plastic airsoft ammo. But not for hunting or long range shooting.
I would probably go for this design instead of the pellet firing model, it’s a nice looking copy of the real deal.
Rob
Rob
I had a sniper air soft rifle with a spring kit and one of my better air gun scopes on it and it would hit a aluminum can at 30 yards every shot and always go through one side of the can and occasionally both sides of the can.
I had the hop up set to resemble the trajectory of a pellet gun trajectory. It was actually a pretty fun gun.
gunfun, I cant seem to put this airsoft thing to bed. I dont care that much for the clackety mechanical action of the AEG. Is there such a thing as the piston being a magnet that is drawn back and forth in the ‘spring’ tube by electronicly alternating the polarity? the back end would be open. Still battery powered.
R
Rob
Don’t know much about the airsoft actions other than that spring air soft gun I had. And know a out some of the different types of air soft a tions but really never got deep into them.
But I think that’s how the semi auto Speed pcp pellet gun works. I think it cycles the striker back on a spring to fire the valve by a magnet. Matter of fact I think that’s how the Daystate fire the guns valve too. I may be wrong but that’s what I believe I remember from looking at diagrams and such with those guns I mentioned.
B.B.,
I look forward to the rest of this series of reports as I have owned a few airsoft guns, but not yet an AEG.
I suppose airsoft, like everything else, is driven by consumer demand, and I guess the things in which I was interested are just not in demand. I always liked the airsoft pistols that were just spring guns, especially the high-end ones. A few years ago, you could get an S&W 1911-type airsoft pistol that was ALL metal (costly, but cool); and my wife got me a 1911-type (KWC, I believe) that was pretty-much all metal, except for the grips; it had hop-up (although not adjustable), and shot pretty flat out to about 40 feet (it was a full “one joule” gun, about 0.7 fpe).
At 30 feet, I could hit a soda can most of the time, and I was hoping that we would see more air pistols like this, with perhaps a bit more power, and adjustable hop-up. But I guess airsofters see things differently; I was looking for a nice quiet accurate backyard plinker; they [seem to] care more about firearms replica realism; I see many gas or CO2 powered airsoft pistols that are high-end, but all the spring gun air pistols seem to be going down in price and quality; they seem to be starter guns for people just getting into airsoft.
Also, please correct me if I am wrong, but it seems there are many high-end airsoft guns of all types that are more available in Japan than they are here (like the wood and steel firearms replicas).
I’d love to see a manufacturer put out an all-metal airsoft spring pistol at 2 or 3 joules and with a rifled barrel.
Sadly, such a gun would likely not be allowed for skirmishing; hence, we are not likely to ever see one…
…but it would be just so cool if we did! =>
Looking forward to the rest of this series,
dave
Dave, there are some airsoft guns that cost thousands of dollars.
There have been many attempts to rifle the barrels or impart a spin on the round projectile over the years.
The problem is, the ball is just undersized form the bore like our metal bb’s.
A 6mm bb, will be fired from a 6.03 tight bore barrel.
Some have made 6.01 diameter barrels, but unless you use extremely precise projectiles you take a chance to stick one or more in the barrel
Most off the shelf and lower price guns use a 6.05 inside diameter barrel to allow for inconsistent sizes of projectiles.
The hop-up system has a rubber nub that impinges on the ball at the rear of the smooth bore barrel, it imparts a backspin on the ball, so as it passes through the air the Magnus effect causes the ball to follow a pretty straight and flat flight path. Too much backspin, and the ball actually starts rising above the aim point.
But once the velocity/backspin of the ball drops to a certain speed, it drops like a stone.
TK (Tano Kobia) made barrels that were polygon shaped on the inside and had good success with its accuracy.
Others have made extra long rubber nubs that give better consistency than the small ones found on most airsoft guns that just bump the projectile as it passes.
54Bravo, thank you for the tutorial! You obviously know a lot more than I do about airsoft. =>
Ian
Hop up is avery good tuning setup for the airsoft guns.
When you learn how to use the hop up it can make for different trajectories and helps with different gram airsoft balls.
They can perform pretty good with a little work.
Anytime, we are all here to share information.
I started playing with it in the early 90’s. And hav been tinkering with them since.
For years, if you wanted a wall display of realistic looking weapons, this was your only affordable option.
And many of them used to come with the appropriate logos and trademarks for the guns they copied.
You would not want to display real weapons, on the wall for obvious reasons.
And the realism of even the less expensive guns can be made to look very real at 3 ft. With paint and simulated wear and tear.
And if you were giving classroom instruction for firearm handling and safety, it is the safest option.
Only in recent years has Umarex and other manufacturers brought us realistic looking and functioning, replicas, in standard airgun calibers.
Ian..
Ian
I like.
Remember the old commercial,
Is it live, or is it Memorex?
Ian
Is that airsoft copies of the 430 grenades. The gold colored rounds on the lower left of the picture?
I use to make the 430 grenades when I started in the machine shop business in the early 80’s.
We made the green live rounds as well as the blue target practice rounds that shot out a puff of colored smoke so they could tell where the round hit. The gold colored rounds was solid aluminum and they was used for practicing loading the machine gun and ground rocket launchers.
Good looking picture either way.
These grenades are powered by “green gas” that is essentially propane without the smell, and with silicone oil added.
Some others use co2 for propellant.
These shells actually fire 2 .68 caliber paintballs, loaded into the front of the shells. .
You get better velocity and accuracy from a single paintball, or rubber ball.
They also make airsoft beehive rounds that fire anywhere from 60 to over 100 airsoft BB’s per shot, essentially a shotgun.
The launcher barrel is actually rifled, but but the sub caliber projectiles never touch the rifling.
Similar to the way a .50bmg sub caliber device does in a M18, or M20 recoiless rifle.
They do make foam shells and nerf grenades that do engage the rifling,
Here is a low res photo of the entire rifle.
The rifle itself is an AEG, but the battery is wired to the butt stock where the cleaning kit went on a standard m16.,
It gets a lot of attention on the wall of the man cave.
I Have also loaned it to a friend from time to time for historical re-enactments.
Ian
They look like 430 grenades to me.
So do they launch from the grenade launcher on the gun? Does the green grass propel them from the launcher or is that what makes them explode the air soft balls.
Or does a spring launch the grenade. And how far does it launch?
I see I need to get up to speed more on the airsoft stuff.
The grenades are a stand alone item.
The launcher works like a real launcher, other than when you pull the trigger.
on a real m203, the firing pin strikes the primer in the real grenade, sending the projectile down the bore, to the target.
On the airsoft launcher, the firing pin moves in conjunction with the trigger, it doesn’t strike the rear of the shell, it just moves forward and pushes on a valve in the rear of the shell..
But the real action is in the airsoft grenade.
You charge a reservoir in the shell with either co2, or green gas. Depending on the shell.
Then you load the .68 caliber paintballs, into the front of the shell.
On the beehive round, you load the balls into their multiple holes, then charge the shell with gas.
The pressure stays in the shell, until you push on the “primer” in the base.
Pushing this, opens a knock open valve that dumps the gas from the shell, launching the projectiles.
The shells can be fired in your hand just by pressing in the primer.
No launcher needed.
But keep your fingers from in front of the shell.
If you are using a foam plug, or a nerf ball, you charge the shell with gas, open the launcher like a real one, insert the foam plug or ball in the launcher, then the shell, close the breech, and fire.
The shell dumps its gas out the front, which pushes on the plug, or nerf ball, and sends it down the tube.
Hope it’s a little more clear now.
Ian
Yep got it thanks.
This link will explain a lot.
http://www.b17queenofthesky.com/paintball/guides/m203.html
Ian
Thanks for the link. Very good. And what we made was called the 430 grenade. The real round but launched from the gun the same way as the grenade you have been talking about.
Do you know what velocity the .68 caliber airsoft balls go? And how many grams are they. Or do they weigh them in grains like firearms and pellets. Was wondering what kind of energy they produce.
I never chronographed any, so I don’t know.
As to the weight?
Again, I have no idea,
The only thing I use paint balls for now is targets for my pellet guns.
Here is a photo of the valve assembly, it’s very simple, but effective.
Ian
I imagine the airsoft balls are probably the best loaded in the grenades.
And yep a simple valve.
This is a paintball shell, you can load from 1-4 ball, and shoot paintballs, or you can pour in a load of airsoft balls, and insert a plug, or piece of tape to retain 5hem until fired.
Ian
Cool stuff. Thanks.
To some of it is, to others I am not so sure.
It seems like the airsoft gun blogs don’t get too much love.
But it’s just a different aspect to our hobby.
Ian
It is a different type of shooting that’s for sure.
I’m glad I gave it a try with the sniper gun I had. But I shot it like a pellet gun plinking. It was fun though.
Some people like big motorcycles, others like mini bikes.
Some people love super cars, some love muscle cars.
Some people love to fix and drive a Trabant. (It’s a East German made car made from 1957 to 1990,) it was called a spark plug with a roof.
It used a 2 stroke motor.
Never disparage anyone for their choices in women, guns, cars or motorcycles.
Ian
Yep.
Ian,
Now you are getting too close to home. My family has a Wartberg that was a 3-cylinder two-stroke. Every so often the driver had to push a plunger under the dash to lubricate the suspension system.
B.B.
A Wartburg, now that is something to write a blog about…
At least the early Wartburgs had some style.
The 311 is absolutely cute.
The Trabant on the other hand had, well, not much…
And toward the end of their production, they look like they both had the same design party.
I have never known anyone who has actually owned a wartburg.
Did they have the same lead time as the Trabant?
as in ordering it as much as 10 YEARS or more before finally getting one?
Ian
Ian,
Our’s was sold by a guy in Akron who just wanted to sell cars for a little while. When the ignition switch failed a year later it took 6 months to get a replacement from East Germany.
My mom bought it because she didn’t want a Volkswagen — to be like everyone else! If she only knew!
B.B.
BB,
I worked for a guy back in the early 80’s that had some NSU’s. One was a Spyder model as I recall. He said he did road rallies/races. I did not think much of the cars,… but he sure was passionate about them. The 2 he had were pretty rough and not even sure they ran, but they were the ones he had raced with.
Chris
Bravo,
The older I get,… the more I realize on how deep the various proverbial “rabbit holes ” can be.
Motorcycles, hot rods, fire arms, air guns, drones, RC’s, etc., etc.,…. and even the “lowly” air soft. 😉
Ahhhhh?,….. what would I choose if I had the chance to choose all over again??? At some point,… (at least in most cases),…. funds come into play.
Still,…. fun to ponder the “what if”? 🙂
Chris
I always said, if I won the lottery, I would call pyramyd air and say.
You know your current catalog?
Ship it.
No not a copy of the catalog just one of everything in it
And I have said the same thing about Natchez shooter supply catalog and the same thing about a tower hobbies catalog and the Dixie gun works catalog
And my personal favorite..
My first hands on experience with an honest to goodness machine gun with one of these.
My dads friend had a real one in .380.
I was 10 years old.
When I found this full metal airsoft version for sale, and selective fire, gas blow back, I had to have it.
With all the proper trademarks.
Ian
Do you enjoy shooting them?
What is your shooting range like? For the airsoft gun’s anyway.
The airsoft guns I normally use for rolling tin cans, or paper plates, or man sized silhouettes.
Something that moves, or reacts to the hits.
On full auto they will cut a soda can in half in very short order.
Since the electric guns don’t cool down, and they have anywhere from 100-300+ round mags, they will just keep shooting until you let off the trigger.
Or run out of ammo.
They are especially satisfying to shoot at sheet metal, or a steel oil drum because of the sound they make when the projectiles hit the target,
You fire a burst, and if the target is far enough away, after a slight delay, you can hear and count the hits.
The shooting experience is entirely different than shooting a standard airgun.
Also, at less than 400fps, shooting a white projectile, you can follow the bb path all the way to the target,
You can use black bbs, so you have to aim, and can not see the projectiles.
They make tracer units that look like suppressors.
They have a sensor that fires a strobe light inside the suppressor as the bb passes,
If you use tracer projectiles, they will absorb the light from the flash, and glow in the dark for several seconds as the round makes its way to the target.
They are very cool, and fun in the evenings as the sun goes down.
It brings back a lot of memories from the ranges.
You can get red or green tracer rounds.
Ian..
Ian
All very cool.
Sorry but you need to do a guest blog on everything you just mentioned. I’m very interested. And there has to be other people out there that will get something out of it too. Seriously do a report about it. Looking forward to it with out a doubt.
I’ve been learning from your articles for several years.
I was pleased to see this review of an airsoft gun. I think it would be useful if you could do more airsoft reviews, ideally reviews that compared similar designs using airsoft BBs, steel BBs, and pellets.
In my own shooting, one goal is to use a blowback CO2 pistol for realistic training simulating a semi-automatic pistol; I think that’s a fairly common goal.
For that purpose, conventional pellet pistols and BB pistols require significant compromises, as you and others have pointed out:
— pellet pistols: Potentially adequate accuracy out to 10 yards and maybe further, but imperfect ergonomics for reloading and field stripping. (The SIG P320/M17 seems to come closest, judging from reviews.)
— BB pistols: Significantly less accuracy, but potentially near-perfect ergonomics.
Both pellet and BB pistols typically come with fixed sights, causing two problems from my point of view:
(1) Judging from reviews, the fixed sights are often significantly off, especially in elevation. You could learn to compensate for a sighting error in your primary weapon, but if the training weapon is sighted wrong, you’re just training in the wrong sighting. (I have two blowback pistols; one is sighted spot on; the other is significantly low.)
(2) My eyes are bad enough that I shoot a lot better with a dot sight or a laser. Available pellet and BB pistols don’t offer a way to mount a laser or dot sight that would not interfere with a realistic carry holster. (The SIG M17 pellet pistol is supposed to be coming out with arrangements for a slide-mounted dot sight.)
Airsoft pistols may be a better compromise: Again judging from reviews, they offer the near-perfect ergonomics of steel BB pistols, while the adjustable hop-up appears to let you compensate for elevation errors in the fixed sights. And at least some of them appear to offer either a slide-mounted dot sight or a grip-mounted laser. And the possibility of force-on-force training is a potential major advantage.
Accuracy remains a major question: I haven’t seen airsoft reviews that give the sort of accuracy information that would let me compare with pellet and BB pistols. Are airsoft pistols just too inaccurate to be interesting, or are they really just fine within some reasonable range? Does the adjustable hop-up help significantly with the problem of elevation errors in fixed sights?
I’m looking forward to seeing the rest of your review of the SigAir Virtus; I’d be very interested to get your evaluation of some of the better airsoft pistols.
Guy Carden
Pullman, Washington
Guy,
Welcome to the blog. Since this is an airgun blog I limit my reviews of airsoft, though there does seem to be enough recent interest for some of them. I have done more in the recent past than in the previous several years.
B.B.
Thanks.
I’ll be looking forward to the rest of the Virtus review.
Guy