Airsoft Glock - review

[W.E.G.]

My Airsoft Glock from Airsoft Atlanta came today.
UPS guy dumped it on the front porch and split.
A large sticker on the carboard shipping box clearly reads “Airsoft Atlanta.”
Within the cardboard box, the gun was nicely packaged in a durable hinged clamshell plastic case with egg-crate type closed-cell foam.

The gun is Taiwanese “HSC” brand.

The HSC Airsoft Glock fits in, and draws from, the Fobus G26 (compact) paddle holster perfectly. However, the Airsoft Glock is too tight for the Fobus G17 (full-size) holster.
According to my caliper, the slide is 0.009 thicker than a real Glock. It can be inserted most of the way into the full-size Fobus holster, but it wedges just short of “snapping” into place as a real G-17 does.

Overall weight is about the same as a real Glock with a loaded mag. The gun feels just slightly more bottom-heavy than a real Glock.

Trigger-pull is pseudo-two-stage - quite similar to a real Glock – but no “safety” dingus on the trigger.
The little bump/hump on the back side of the trigger is nothing more than an overtravel stop. The trigger has a smooth face, with no slot.

Sights are very similar to rack-grade white-dot Glock sights.

The takedown lever is actually the takedown lever.
Magazine release and slide lock are exactly like real Glock.

The “serial number” is inscribed “SAFETY” – and the silver piece actually moves back and forth to lock the trigger.
There is no actual serial number on the gun.



Fargin’ Airsoft Atlanta sells all the cool toys, but – get this - does NOT sell the gas to charge the thing!
So, I’m waiting for the “greengas” cans to get here from Kali before I can actually fire it.
http://www.airsplat.com/Items/GG-1100.htm
Supposedly, one can use propane gas instead of greengas. But, since I’ll be shooting this indoors, I’ll stick with greengas. Further, greengas has some sort of silicone added to it to keep the seals from turning to crap. Intelligent maintenance is particularly important on this gun, as I don’t think there is any good place one could take it for repair – if repair parts even exist.

Magazines hold the compressed gas, and ammo – and are about the same weight as a fully-loaded Glock mag. I foresee ruinous damage to the base of the mags if dropped on a hard surface. The integrity of the base of the mag is important, as the base of the mag serves as the gas valve connection for charging the gas cylinder. I got an extra mag, but mag changes will have to be done with much caution not to damage the bases.

Orange muzzle tip/extension – looks like it could be removed without resorting to destructive methods – if that even matters.
The slide is absolutely devoid of any identifying markings. The gold thing on the grip is some sort of emblem with a spider and web – removable I’m sure.

Ammo is 6mm plastic Airsoft BB’s.

URL: http://www.airsoftatlanta.com/gas.htm
Scroll down to product # HFC G17

Rubik’s cube kid actually does a pretty good overview-review of the gun on youtube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jGLzBlE7hyQ
You have to ignore some of the (unsafe?) wild-west tricks. Check out his “estate.”
Is it too late to get his parents to adopt me?

I’m pretty happy with the new toy so far.
I think it has much promise for quiet, indoor, draw-from-the-holster training and casual recreation.

I’ll post a “range report” after I build up some gas pressure.
Pass the beans please.

 

[RyanM]

Just so you know, "green gas" is propane. People have tried lighting it and stuff. Burns the same. It's just propane with a fancy name. And the propane tank adapters available for sale, the instructions do say to add a few drops of silicone oil to a particular place on the thing, before charging. You get the same lubricant effect that way.

 

[W.E.G.]

You get the same lubricant effect that way.

Is there a preferred silicone oil to be used for this purpose?

Do you know whether the "greengas" has the special stink that they put in propane to let you know you have a gas leak?

 

[pbhome71]

"greengas" has a nicer smell to it.

I have a similar one, which I use to teach gun safety to friends and families.

-Pat

 

[W.E.G.]

good thing for that

http://youtube.com/watch?v=_TVuAQui7SE

 

[BlisteringSilence]

Just so you know, "green gas" is propane. People have tried lighting it and stuff. Burns the same. It's just propane with a fancy name. And the propane tank adapters available for sale, the instructions do say to add a few drops of silicone oil to a particular place on the thing, before charging. You get the same lubricant effect that way.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm.......

Green Gas is NOT propane. Not by a longshot. It's HFC-22, or HFC-22a, and does have silicon oil in it. I have a can of it sitting next to my desk, even as we speak. The lower power gas is HFC-134a, and the higher is simply referred to as Red Gas. I don't know its composition, I don't have any airsoft weapons that will fire it.

Now, I realize that there are indeed people on the internets that claim it's the same thing. It's not. If you order HFC brand Green Gas (all I shoot), it's the real deal. You may be able to find some crazy off brand that is propane, but that's what you get for buying the crazy off brand.

That being said, propane performs similarly. You just have to be prepared to dissamble and lube your weapon, as propane you get from Target is anhydrous, and not condusive to oiling your weapon. You can try to keep your mag seals oiled by putting the silicon oil in the fill port before you use the crazy ghetto propane adaptor/filler, but again, I would not suggest it.

Then again, it's your weapon.

On a totally unrelated note, airsoft weapons are AWESOME for teaching gun safety. When we went through our pepper spray class, they armed us with an airsoft glock for the shooting component.

W.E.G - Does your glock have the metal or plastic slide?

 

[RyanM]

Green Gas is NOT propane. Not by a longshot. It's HFC-22, or HFC-22a, and does have silicon oil in it. I have a can of it sitting next to my desk, even as we speak.

HFC-134a = Hydrofluorocarbon something chemical with numbers. A refridgerant gas. It's commonly used in air conditioners.

HFC-22 = Ho Feng Company - 22. It sounds like a fancy chemical composition similar to HFC-134a, but it's not. There is no such thing as hydrofluorocarbon-22 or 22a (though there is an HCFC-22, which includes chlorine). Try burning a small amount (safely!). Seriously. Hydrofluorocarbons do not burn. Simple hydrocarbons like propane do. And HFC-22, regardless of the brand, burns the same color as propane, has the same gas pressure and other physical properties.

There's also the fact that propane is indeed a "green" gas and safer for the ozone layer than hydrofluorocarbons.

 

[W.E.G.]

W.E.G - Does your glock have the metal or plastic slide?

Metal slide - probably zinc.

Plastic lower containing various small metal parts.

Magazine is amazingly heavy. Lotta zinc I think.

 

[CountGlockula]

That's a great training pistol.

 

[BlisteringSilence]

HFC-134a = Hydrofluorocarbon something chemical with numbers. A refridgerant gas. It's commonly used in air conditioners.

HFC-22 = Ho Feng Company - 22. It sounds like a fancy chemical composition similar to HFC-134a, but it's not. There is no such thing as hydrofluorocarbon-22 or 22a (though there is an HCFC-22, which includes chlorine). Try burning a small amount (safely!). Seriously. Hydrofluorocarbons do not burn. Simple hydrocarbons like propane do. And HFC-22, regardless of the brand, burns the same color as propane, has the same gas pressure and other physical properties.

There's also the fact that propane is indeed a "green" gas and safer for the ozone layer than hydrofluorocarbons.

I've seen the data that the adaptor company has produced. It doesn't convince me. They have no independent confirmation, no real data available. Just some scans of graphs that may or may not confirm their assertions. As they're a company that sells a product that depends on people believing that propane is the same thing. Why on earth would they produce contrary data, data that would not be condusive to the sales of their product?

If they wanted real confirmation of their theories, they would need to engage in a multi-step experiment. They would need data from a flame aa (atomic absorption spectrometer) after a seperation column, GC/MS data, and the gold standard, an NMR anaylsis for structure analysis.

This is how I made my money when I was in college. I worked in an analytical chemistry laboratory.

One of the big parts of my problem with his data is that the presence of silicon oil (a known component of green gas) makes no appearance in his results. This oil SHOULD be there. There's no good way to remove it from the gas. It should have a peak on the scales. It's not there. This makes me really doubt their data.

Finally, the gas I have sitting next to my desk right now is not flammible.

So, conclusion? Believe what you want to believe. I don't care. But just because some dude on the internet says it's true, don't take it as holy writ.

 

[Phelptwan]

I use propane in my gas guns with no problems whatsoever. Just a drop of silicone in the port on the propane take every few mags and that clears up the lube problem. I use this adapter as well.
http://www.airsoft-innovations.com/product1.html

 

[DoubleTapDrew]

I have the g26 version from HFC http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=282111&highlight=airsoft+training
They are fun and the size/weight helps simulate the real thing when you can't get to the range. It's louder than I expected (gas blowback) but not anywhere near being a problem.

 

[W.E.G.]

I use propane in my gas guns with no problems whatsoever. Just a drop of silicone in the port on the propane take every few mags and that clears up the lube problem. I use this adapter as well.
http://www.airsoft-innovations.com/product1.html

WOW.

That guy at airsoft-innovations has really done a LOT of testing on this propane issue. I don't vouch for any of his data, but you gotta at least be impressed at the amount of effort he has gone to in the process.

I'm looking forward to spending more time on his site to learn about repair-capability and "upgrades" and such.

WECSOAP
(Wile E. Coyote School of Airsoft Pistols)

 

[Grayrider]

Airsoft guns do make nice training tools. I picked up one of the nicer Chinese AK-74s recently to use in teaching my son proper gun handling. It is nice to be able to shoot in the back yard and have the firearm resemble one of my real guns in terms of controls, handling, etc. Of course it also has the extra selector position that my guns lack...



John

 

[W.E.G.]

 

[W.E.G.]

150 shots from various distances and angles.

Definitely shoots minute-of-rec-room.
Probably could stand to drift that rear sight a little to the right.
We have the technology.



Cleaning (the floor that is - since we don't clean the gun) required a minute or so with the vacuum cleaner - which really doesn't count since the carpet needed to be vacuumed anyway.

Airsoft BB's cost $0.004 per shot.
So, today's ammo cost for about 200 rounds was 80 cents. Of course assuming that you don't re-use the plastic BB's. They do get dirty on the floor and in the target backstop. I'm not sure I have the interest to actually wash them and re-use them. I do know I don't want to stuff dirty BB's in my gun.

And then there is the cost of the gas. The "greengas" cylinders (propane mixed with the correct proportion of silicone) cost 8 bucks each. I have no idea how long one of the cylinders will last. I'm guessing a couple-or-three thousand shots. That's another $0.004 per shot. Some people "save money" and use straight propane and guestimate the amount of silicone to splurt into the check valve during filling. If they live long enough, they might be able to get a free cheeseburger with their "savings."

So, at $0.008 per shot, airsoft is 2000 times cheaper to shoot than 9mm, and it is 500 times cheaper to shoot than .22 rimfire. And it doesn't even wake up the family.

I can dig it.