Tanfoglio Gold Custom CO2 Blowback, Airsoft Pistol

Right out of the box I do not have to purchase any special accessories to allow me to attach a red dot sight to the pistol. The pistol feels really good in the hand and I especially like the trigger on the pistol. I do not get much left or right movement when I pull the trigger allowing me to keep all my shots on target. Trigger control is something I struggle with. This is not the case with the Tanfoglio.

At first glance the controls may seem similar to a 1911, however when I try to reach all the controls with my thumb, they feel out of place. When I am shooting the pistol, I tend to use my none firing hand to put the pistol on safe or fire, and to release the slide. My thumb is not long enough to reach the slide release and the safety switch is a little stiff. I do wish that the pistol was Green Gas operated rather than CO2 but this is only a minor con since CO2 is more easily obtainable than Green Gas. Of course this does mean I will need to spend a little more time on maintenance since the CO2 cartridges do not have silicon oil mixed in. I also do not like that the follower on the magazine clip does not lock down so I can load the bbs. I have brittle fingernails and loading the magazine can sometimes be painful. I usually try to use tools to help me load the magazine but I don't seem to have an option for that with this pistol.

Before shooting the pistol, you might want to field strip the pistol, clean it and oil it first. Some of the screws might also come loose during operation so you need to tighten them down, especially on the compensator. You do not need to take the rail off to breakdown the pistol and access the hop-up. You'll only need to remove the charging handle from the slide and the entire slide assembly should slide right off.

I got mine as a kit with the entry level Walther green dot sight. Now, generally I don't like "all metal" airsoft guns because parts that would be precisely machined in the "real steel" are cast or machined to much lower tolerances, resulting in a product with lots of loose fitting clunky parts, and they end up being very heavy. However, I really like this pistol. Yes, it has some instances of floppy fitting parts, but only the cosmetic parts suffer. The action itself is very solid and the barrel stays coaxial with the dot sight. In fact, I find that the one I got is one of the most accurate airsoft guns I've ever seen! (cans at 25 yd NP) Additionally, their version of the hop up system is very precise. The blowback is quite sharp and consistent & CO2 consumption is quite reasonable for a blowback. I've gotten as many as 5 full magazines out of a single 12 g. cartridge, as long as I allow sufficient time for the CO2 to warm up , (particularly on the last 2 mags)

Some of the cosmetic barrel extension parts could fit a little tighter. A little dab of thread lock on the pre-installed sight mount system would have been worthwhile. The magazine would benefit from some kind of locking system for the spring loaded bb follower. It would be easier to load that way. Better still, would be a configuration where the bb slot widens at the bottom so bb's could be loaded from the bottom as is done frequently with gas airsoft magazines. As much as I like this pistol I wish there was an all ABS version. It would be better for skirmishing. That said , this is a very realistic feeling rendition of the subject pistol.

It's really quite heavy. With the dot sight installed you'd need a specialized holster. That and the fiddly nature of loading the magazine would make this a little challenging to use for skirmishing, but not impossible. The accuracy might outweigh the inconvenience. You will almost certainly need to thread lock the screws connecting the sight rail to the adapter and the adapter to the pistol's upper frame. Mine was coming loose quite frequently. This is to be expected when you screw two metal parts together in a heavy vibration environment. Thread lock is used universally in other hobbies under similar conditions. Once thread locked, the problem is solved completely . I would recommend using BLUE thread lock ONLY . red is too strong and you may have trouble getting it apart later if you need to.

To start off I have not shot the Sig P226 X5 yet. But when I receive it a couple of days earlier then I though, what a suprise how well the P226 X5 is made and tight the slide is to the frame in battery. Just alittle of wigle in the barrel to slide and should not make too many flyer when shooting pie pans in the back yard.

The only thing is would change is the getting the barrel a little tighter in the slide when in battery.

By two and have one for fun and one to collect because if it was not for the orange tip on the barrel you could say it was a real Sig P226 X5 Gold Custom. Get the Pyramyd Air test before shipped it is well worth it. Have FUN, be safe in the backyard, shotting plates.