Let’s face it, a big part of airsoft is how you look. I’m not talking about the Milsim guys or the authenticity buffs, I’m talking about the average player who will judge you or anyone if you draw a clear pistol on the field. It’s often just a “cute toy” comment or a muffled laugh.
We’ve discussed choosing a sidearm on the site before (Choosing a Sidearm). One of the things with so many handguns on the market is deciding what style you really like. It can be an expensive mistake or just an annoyance causing a delay in getting “the one you really want”.
Just to be clear (sorry), for the purpose of this article I’m referring to clear, CO2 powered handguns and not the springers found at big box stores. On the spec page some of these $25-50 guns are pretty respectable.
While bouncing back and forth between wanting a Desert Eagle, M1911 and a Sig, I stumbled across a clear body Sig P226, CO2 on sale for $29 from $59. With a field day fast approaching and no real decision in sight I figured I should just pick it up and see if I like the feel of it.
Playing around with the gun, it felt much more solid than I expected. After several target shots it also proved to be more powerful and accurate than it looked.
After a couple field days use I decided it had to be painted, because, honestly, I was embarrassed to have a clearsoft pistol. My idea was to keep it simple, black everything. Just use painter’s tape to mask off the important moving parts and paint away. After a little touch up, I think it turned out pretty well. It has even caught a few people off guard when they ask to see it and it’s not what they expected. Even had one guy respond with “Damn, that’s impressive.” after he looked it over and fired a few test shots. By no stretch of the imagination do I think it fools anyone but it does look decent and blends in pretty well.
Want to see the gun in action? Check out this short video.
Recently, I finally chrono’d it and was surprised when it hit 310fps with .20g. That’s not amazing, but seriously, it is an under $30 gun.
Final result and after a bit of on field wear and tear…
Is it as realistic as a $150 gun? Of course not but until I decide (if I decide) what Gas Blowback, full metal pistol I have to get, this one will do just fine.
Our next project and possible video will be a clear 1911 that specs at 350fps that we picked up for $24 and included a 2nd mag.
For the record, after his Desert Eagle blew out the o-ring and dumped CO2 everywhere, SneakyT decided to run one of his first ever clear springers as an emergency backup. On the range he chrono’d it — getting a somewhat laughable 112fps — but he ended the day with 4 confirmed kills.
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