Category Archives: Airsoft

airsoft category

ASG CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

CZ75 Shadow 2
ASG’s CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol.

Part 1

This report covers:

  • The history of airsoft
  • BB gun wars
  • Airsoft shooters
  • How accurate is airsoft?
  • This pistol
  • 0.25 gram “BBs”
  • Biodegradeable
  • Remove the magazine floorplate
  • Fill
  • Load BBs
  • Velocity
  • Trigger pull
  • Slide blows back
  • Accuracy
  • Summary

Get ready for an odd report! Today we look at the velocity of the ASG CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol. As I told you in Part 1, this is not your run-of-the-mill airsoft pistol. It retails for $180 and is considered a serious competition airsoft gun — just as the thousand-plus dollar firearm (suggested retail of $1,349.00 for the USPSA Production Division) equivalent is considered ready-to-go right out of the box. Of course no champion will ever leave a gun alone — be it firearm or airsoft, so look for another $500 to $1,000 worth of modifications and accessories to be to be bought/made for/ to the airsoft gun — so long as they remain within the rules. read more

ASG CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

CZ75 Shadow 2
ASG’s CZ 75 Shadow 2 airsoft pistol.

This report covers:

  • Different
  • Batteries
  • SHOT Show 2019
  • Bashed Sig
  • Bob Li
  • Not stocked at Pyramyd Air
  • The airsoft gun
  • Caliber
  • CO2 powered
  • Hop Up
  • My plans
  • Summary

Different

Something a little different today. Many newer readers aren’t aware that years ago I wrote a lot about airsoft guns. I even rebuilt some guns with tighter barrels, stronger mainsprings and advanced meca boxes (airsoft term for the actions on automatic electric guns — AEG). In 2013 and 2014 I wrote a 3-part airsoft primer to bring interested readers up to speed.

Over the years I have tested various airsoft guns for you. I won’t link to them all, but back in 2007 I reviewed the UTG Shadow Ops Type 96 sniper rifle and even tested it for accuracy at 50 yards! If you want to see more of these reviews, type airsoft into the search box at the top right of this page and hit the Go button. read more

How to treat a new airgun

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

This report covers:

  • New airgun — what do I do?
  • Be careful!
  • DO NOT GET IT “TUNED” FIRST THING!
  • Lube it?
  • CO2
  • Pre-charged Pneumatic (PCP)
  • Multi-pumps and single strokes
  • Spring piston guns
  • Do I need to clean it?
  • What about disassembly?
  • How should I protect my new airgun?
  • The most important thing

Every so often I am inspired to stop and cover the basics for our readers. Many of you who have been with me off and on over the past 13 years (yes, this blog turned 13 this month) will find the things I am about to say rudimentary, but each of you went through them in your own way. My recent encounter with the Sub-1 crossbow made it clear to me what it’s like to have something about which you know very little. And, as I was in the midst of my discoveries, reader Johncpen asked this.

“When lubing the bolt of a PCP like a Benjamin Maximus would you use silicone oil on the O-ring and Remington oil behind that or just silicone oil on the whole thing?” read more

Using air pistols for defense training

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

  • Why the pseudonym?
  • Defense shooting
  • The ideal airgun
  • The training
  • Action targets
  • Holster?
  • Evolution
  • Suggestions

Why the pseudonym?

Some new readers may wonder why I still write as B.B. Pelletier, even though I put my real name above. Well, it goes back to the 1990s, when I was writing The Airgun Letter. My style of writing that you all feel comfortable with today was unheard of in 1994, when the newsletter started. At that time the world of airguns was full of cliques that tried to exclude others, or if they couldn’t keep them out they tried to ridicule and discourage them. The internet just gave them a larger overpass to spraypaint. Edith and I didn’t allow that on our Airgun Letter Forum, and it drove these guys nuts! We were hacked and spammed and everything else that’s bad, even though many of our detractors were also living on our forum! read more

SHOT Show 2018: Part 6

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

This report covers:

  • Traffic was down
  • Sig
  • Sig magazines
  • Hatsan
  • Crosman
  • Umarex USA
  • ASG
  • Conclusion

Today I will give you the final report on the 2018 SHOT Show. Did I save the best for last? That’s for you to decide.

Traffic was down

Every SHOT Show is larger than the previous one, but not this year. I would estimate attendance was down by 10-20 thousand, based on how open the aisles were on the first 2 days. Some booth holders lamented about it, but all of the ones I talked to who actually write business at the show (take orders for the year) told me business was up. I think the tire-kickers stayed home and only the serious buyers came. Let’s get started!

Sig

The new Sig breakbarrel is a landmark air rifle, but it wasn’t all that I saw in their booth. The next exciting thing was the new Sig Super Target single stroke pneumatic target pistol! When I pumped it I was surprised by how easy it is! This may be a target air pistol that many women and older children can cock. That is a landmark achievement, because I had been holding out for the Daisy 499 to be made into a pistol for the same purpose. If a Daisy 747 single stroke pistol takes 20 lbs. to pump, this pistol takes 10 or less. I was told that the velocity is around the 300+ f.p.s. mark, which is in the Daisy ballpark. The trigger is very nice and I can’t wait to test one! read more

Colt Peacemaker BB pistol: Part 2

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

Colt Peacemaker
The new Colt Peacemaker is also available with ivory grips.

Part 1

This report covers:

  • Loading the gun
  • The test
  • Air Venturi Steel BBs
  • H&N Smart Shot lead BBs
  • Plastic BBs
  • JSB Exact RS
  • Why accuracy before velocity?
  • Evaluation so far

It’s been a month since we first looked at the Colt Peacemaker BB revolver with the 7.5-inch barrel. In that time I thought about how I should test it for you. I think today’s test will be different and even exciting, because I am doing accuracy before velocity. I’ll tell you why as we go.

Loading the gun

We know this revolver accepts a 12-gram CO2 cartridge in the oversized grip. The grip is that of a Colt 1860 Army cap and ball revolver instead of a Single Action Army cartridge revolver, and is about one half-inch longer. It looks right on the gun, though, and feels fine. The wrench for the CO2 piercing pin is permanently attached in the left grip panel so it’s always at hand and installing the first cartridge went quick and easy. read more

ASG X9 Classic BB pistol: Part 1

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by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier

ASG X9 Classic
ASG X9 Classic.

This report covers:

  • Strange things
  • Patterned after the M9
  • BB pistol
  • Action
  • Power
  • Not from Pyramyd Air
  • Summary

Strange things

Today I begin looking at the X9 Classic BB pistol from ASG. This CO2-powered pistol is unique in many ways. First, it was shipped with a box of plastic BBs that are called rubber on the box lid. Yes, this is a real steel BB pistol in every sense of the word, but it evolved from airsoft, and in this case it may not have left airsoft behind.

X9 Classic BBs
These are the first BB-sized airsoft balls I have seen. That’s a real steel BB and two 6mm airsoft BBs for comparison.

The next strange thing I noticed was a warning sticker on the bottom of the magazine that tells you to release the CO2 when you are finished shooting. The warning says this is to protect the o-ring seals, but I’ve not seen an o-ring that could not withstand constant pressurization. It will make the gun safer, though. They obviously mean this, so I will take them at their word — making this the first CO2 gun I’ve ever depressurized after shooting. read more