Here's a fun little item! I ordered this a couple of weeks ago and just today had the opportunity to try it out a little.

I had been wanting some kind of CO2 revolver for a while, but I wanted it to be as authentic and as close to a S&W as possible. There are a number of airguns out there that look like revolvers, but operate differently - they have a rotary magazine that inserts in the side, or something like that.

This one looks and functions like a S&W, even though it says Dan Wesson on it. (It has the S&W type cylinder latch and not the Dan Wesson type which is in front of the cylinder.) There are other models available that differ mainly in barrel length, finish and style, but I wanted one as “plain vanilla” as possible.

From time to time I have been asked to give people shooting lessons. I have no qualifications other than 45+ years of experience, which doesn't mean squat but people seem to think I can teach them. Anyway, I always start off with a .22 of course but sometimes I wish I could just introduce people to the basics at my house before going to the range, with all that noise and commotion. With this revolver, I can do just that.

The gun comes with six shells, a spring loaded speedloader (which I haven’t tried out) and a rail that you can screw onto the top or bottom, to attach a laser or red dot sight. I left off the rail. The CO2 cartridge fits into the grip. The back part of the grip slides back and pivots at the top allowing access, and there’s a thumbscrew at the bottom that retains the cartridge.

I thought it was kind of funny that even though it comes with a speedloader, it only comes with six shells so you couldn’t actually practice a speed reload. But extra shells are available, either six at a time (including speedloader) or a package of 25. I got the pack of 25, so now I have 31 shells – enough for five cylinder fulls plus one extra.

The shells that hold the BBs have the size and weight of a .38 round. Each one weighs about 155 grains, but is not as nose-heavy as an actual round would be. I think the main body is mostly solid brass, and the “bullet’ nose is soft plastic. But the overall feel is reasonably authentic. To load a BB you simply put a BB on a flat surface and push the shell nose down onto it until it’s flush. The BB is a solid friction fit into the hollow nose. With a bunch of BBs in a little tray it goes pretty quick.

After that, all of the manipulation is just like a S&W revolver. About the only difference is that the cylinder latch can be pulled back and functions as a safety then, which is probably mandated somewhere. But you don’t have to use it, and it’s a very clever and unobtrusive way to incorporate a safety. The hammer can be thumb cocked for single action, or the trigger pulled for double action. It doesn’t quite feel like a real S&W, but it’s okay. The DA pull is pleasantly light and reasonably smooth, and the SA is clean enough. Cylinder lockup is not strong so it’s probably best to be gentle with it.

I didn’t chronograph muzzle velocity but it’s pretty puny, supposed to be about 344fps. I was shooting at a paper target on a corrugated cardboard box with nothing in it, and the BBs were not going through the back. If you were super cheap (or “green”) you could recover the BBs and reuse them. I was shooting towards the setting sun and could see the glint of the BBs in flight. The other interesting thing was the complete lack of recoil, just the thing for starting off a new shooter.

I got it from airgunwarehouseinc.com, but it’s available from any number of places online. Be aware that they also sell guns that look the same but use 6mm plastic airsoft pellets – these seem to all have an orange tip on the muzzle. The revolver itself was $120 and the additional pack of 25 shells was $40.

http://www.airgunwarehouseinc.com/py-2651.html
http://www.airgunwarehouseinc.com/py-a-3992.html

Here’s a link to the same gun but with an 8” heavy barrel:
http://www.airgunwarehouseinc.com/py-2597.html












The target was set up at 15ft and 30ft, with six rounds fired SA and six DA at each distance. It’s quiet enough that ear protection is not required, which is another plus for teaching. The neighbor’s blue heeler did notice the sound and start barking, but she’s always on the alert. She stopped after a little bit. Of course eye protection is always a must – “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

The grid on the target is 1" squares so you can see how well I did, all shot standing offhand. My point of aim was dead center on the black diamonds, so close enough. I haven't actually looked but I assume that the barrel is smoothbore.

Midway has the S&W M&P in a CO2 pistol for $35 right now. I have one. You shouldn't attach the target to a tree, that thing buries bb's in a tree.

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Luke 22:36

There are lots of lookalike CO2 BB guns. That's fine if you just want the gun to look realistic. I'm more interested in realistic functionality. Although the Dan Wesson is not a dead ringer for a S&W revolver in looks, it operates exactly the same. There are other BB guns that look almost exactly like a S&W 586, but they don't operate like a real revolver.

Likewise for a semi-auto BB gun, I want the slide to move when it fires. This is a feature that a few have called a "blowback slide". On the M&P BB gun the slide is fixed and does not move, and I haven't seen a version with blowback.

I received just yesterday a BB gun that is a dead ringer, in size, shape, and operation for a 1911. If it weren't for the text on the side you'd think it was a GI .45. I think it might be just a little lighter than a real 1911, but not much.

Tanfoglio Witness 1911 CO2 BB Pistol, Brown Grips. Air guns

I haven't had a chance to shoot it yet but the gun operates just like a 1911. The slide reciprocates, the hammer cocks, it has a functioning grip safety, mag release is the same, and the magazine that holds the BBs also holds the CO2 cartridge, and is approximately the same size and weight as a loaded .45 mag. It's even supposed to lock the slide back on the last shot! About the only difference is that you can apply the thumb safety when the hammer is down - on a real 1911 you cannot.

The magazine holds 18 BBs - it's one of those "high capacity assault" magazines. I got an extra magazine as well, to have a spare.

I'm looking forward to trying it out this weekend! I'll post some pics.

I tried out the Tanfoglio 1911 today and man, it's a hoot! The slide reciprocates just like a semi-auto, and even locks back on the last shot. The slide movement simulates recoil a tiny amount, as opposed to the Dan Wesson revolver above which doesn't recoil at all. You have to reaquire the sights after each shot with the 1911. It also seems a little louder.

Here it is compared to an original 1911. I didn't have a 1911A1 to compare it to (hey, gotta fix that) so the mainspring housing, trigger length, and frame cuts behind the trigger are different. Other than that and the slide markings, it's pretty much a dead ringer.










No extractor in the end of the slide.




The barrel is pretty cool in that it has a false muzzle .45 diameter, about half an inch deep. It even has "rifling".









The magazine is easier to load than I originally thought. There's a tiny tab on the follower that you use to pull it down, kind of like a lot of .22s. I thought you had to hold the follower back and drop in the BBs just above the top end of the follower, and tilt the magazine so that they'd roll to the top. Turns out you can pull the follower all the way back and it'll tilt up and catch, and you can press in the BBs one at a time at the top.

You'll notice that the column of BBs looks kinked. I think that's because the probably use the same magazine body for the airsoft guns that use 6mm plastic pellets, and just change the retainer at the top of the mag.





It disassembles more or less like a real 1911 too. This is as far as I went, except I did try removing the barrel bushing - there was a large diameter spring under it that I wasn't sure about so I just put it back. I rather suspect that I could replace the arched mainspring housing with a flat one (which is what I prefer) although it'd probably be necessary to replace the spring with the one from the airgun. But I kind of like the retro lanyard loop and even the plastic GI grips, so I may just leave it as is.




Fired five shots at each diamond, from 15 and 30 feet. Not bad. Surprisingly my last 30' group was about the same size as the 15' group - I must be getting better! I also did a rapid fire of five rounds into the woods, and it operated without a hitch.




I like it!

So I received a Pyramyd Air catalog in the mail the other day and decided to look through it. There towards the back were the air pistols, including a P.08 Luger and M712 Mauser. A few minutes later I was on the website putting in my credit card info.

Web price was discounted to $120 each, but there was also a coupon for 10% off plus free shipping, so they came out to $108 each.

The P.08, like the 1911 BB gun above, is a dead ringer for the real thing. (They never actually used the word "Luger" in the description as Stoeger has the copyright on that term.) It even has the same weight and the toggle mechanism operates. Stays open on the last shot, too. Nice.




I noticed that they have a non-blowback model for a cheaper price, but where's the fun in that?





The M712 also looks and feels like a real Mauser. I have a C96 with an aftermarket detachable magazine installed so the resemblance is even closer. Unfortunately my Mauser is not a Schnellfeuer and so does not have the happy switch, but the BB gun version does. It's a little stiff to use. The magazine is also a little difficult to load.

One major drawback on the M712 is that the bolt does not stay retracted on the last shot. Consequently it keeps on firing even after you've run out of BBs, which doesn't take long. I don't know what the cyclic rate is supposed to be but 18 shots are gone in a couple of seconds or less. After that you're just wasting CO2. Hopefully they'll put a fix on this.






There isn't anything that will hold the bolt back, so I just wedged them open with a couple of pieces of dowel. You can see that the real Mauser has a longer bolt travel.




I wonder what's next? They did have a break open Webley MkVI revolver but it was more than I wanted to pay, about $200. Maybe later....

Some really cool guns there.
( he said, Green with envy )

Man, I gotta get me one of those 'schnellfeuers'. Loooks like great fun to shoot. Is the rear of the butt grooved for a shoulderstock/holster?

Yes, it is grooved for a shoulder stock but since the receiver is diecast metal, it may not be strong enough to hold up. There's also no telling if it is dimensionally compatible.

Rough looking reproduction Chinese shoulder stocks for the Mauser are available on Ebay for about $65. Might be fun to give it a try.

Here's a blog about the M712. It is Part 3 but there are links to part 1 and 2:
Legends M712 full-auto CO2 BB pistol: Part 3 | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

The P-08 is also grooved for a shoulder stock. Blog for the Luger:
Legends blowback P.08 CO2 pistol: Part 3 | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report

Blog for the Dan Wesson revolver:
Dan Wesson CO2 BB revolver: Part 3 | Air gun blog - Pyramyd Air Report