Best Pistol

Sealcon · 27-08-2011 8:30pm #1

Hello I am looking to buy another pistol shortly and I'm not absolutely certain which one I want so I thought I would ask you lads which you think is the best pistol in your opinion.

I'm mostly looking for reliability, and performance. Money doesn't really make to big a difference here. I look forward to your opinions here. Thanks:D

swiftblade · 27-08-2011 8:33pm

Anything made by TM. After that it's up to what you like the look of.

NakedDex · 27-08-2011 8:58pm

The new TM 5-7 is getting rave reviews for performance. I'd say you'd need an idea of the style and type you want though. In most cases, you can get a good version of a pistol you like the look of already.

Bobby Baccala · 28-08-2011 12:02pm

iv heard good things about the mk23 and the tm 5-7 and i think the kjw usp compact is fairly good

Inari · 28-08-2011 2:50pm

Best pistol? Money not an object? Them be dangerous, and rather costly words.

First off, let me be frank. There is no 'best', at least no single best. Everything can be bettered, and depending on what you're after, some may have more than the others. So, are you after raw accuracy, performance (balance of accuracy + consistency), reliability, recoil, realism, metal, shot-to-shot consistency etc?

Having the best in one area requires a trade off in the other, so you're looking at figuring out what is the most important to you. Below is a guide on what to look for in terms of brand:

Reliability:
Reliability is a funny little one - to get something very reliable, you are normally going to trade off a little accuracy. The more finely tuned something is, the less tolerance there is for dirt, different BBs, weather etc. In my experience, the best brand for pure reliability is KWC - their magazines are very well designed and made, and rarely (if ever) develop leaks. They have a wide range of NBB and GBB pistols. They don't have fantastic accuracy mind you, but that can be achieved with upgrading hop up and barrel

Accuracy:
Two words; Tokyo Marui. These are by far the most accurate pistols I have used. Their newer designs are excellent, but their older ones are starting to show real signs of ageing. If you're looking for pure accuracy, stick to the likes of the PX4, Five-SeveN, Glock Gen II etc. One draw back of TM is that they are all green gas powered, which is grand...but not quite optimal. This is a major plus of other brands (e.g. KJW) - the use of Co2 for cooler climates really does help. Another trade off is realism - TM are plastic bodied; this works fine on polymer pistols...but on the likes of a 1911 or M9, metal really is better. Aftermarket metal body kits are of course available, but this adds substantially more cost...it is worth it though

Realism:
Some companies *cough* Inokatsu *cough* pride themselves on developing guns for realism, and not caring too much about performance. Inokatsu have yet to release a pistol, but their full steel Co2 powered 1911 and Desert Eagle look very promising. It's as close to a real gun that fires BBs as you'll get.

Consistency:
Longer barreled pistols will have superior consistency to shorter barrels - the BB has more time to accelerate in the barrel, and thus is a little more stable on exit. Air seal and hop up are the other players in this - TM once again for good performance, but also pretty decent would be KJW. I have not been overly impressed with KSC/KWA pistols in consistency. Raw accuracy is pretty good, but its ability to hit the same place every time pales in comparison to TM. It is on par with KJW, in my opinion at least.

Recoil:
KJW. Co2 powered 1911A1, KP-05 (1911PD), KP-06 (Rail Concept) and M9A1. These pistols shoot hard at 0.95j, with a VERY satisfying blowback. The noise will intimidate for sure. Accuracy is good enough at standard pistol ranges - you can choose upper body or lower body...anything else is a little more difficult.

Being perfectly honest, if money is no object, your best bet is to start with a TM (if a variant exists), get a high quality metal body kit, reinforce the internals (stronger springs, and denser plastic for Nozzle & Piston) and use Co2 magazines (if available). If you can keep the pistol firing consistently at 0.85-0.95 then you won't wear out that beautiful TM hop any faster. But in all sincerity, I reckon a build like this would cost around €700...at a conservative guess

Bobby Baccala · 28-08-2011 7:29pm

he was asking us about good pistols not asking us to write a novel

Inari · 28-08-2011 8:03pm

P4DDY2K11 wrote: »

he was asking us about good pistols not asking us to write a novel

The problem is good and bad are not quantitative - they are at best subjective. What I think is good others think is bad, what I like others abhor. What I tried to do, and I don't honestly know if it was successful, was to be objective and provide some analysis based on my experiences with pistols.

swiftblade · 28-08-2011 8:04pm

P4DDY2K11 wrote: »

he was asking us about good pistols not asking us to write a novel

Inari gave him good solid advise for which im sure he's gratefull. I can also assure you, that post is a bit shorter than a novel...

Bobby Baccala · 28-08-2011 8:24pm

it was a figure of speech now lets stop going off topic and answer this lads question

NakedDex · 28-08-2011 8:30pm

Pretty sure Inari answered it. The first off-topic post was yours.

To add something small, lest I incur the above "wrath", pistols are very personal. You may love how a gun looks and performs, until you hold it and find it uncomfortable or off balance in the hand. Try not to buy anything until you've felt it yourself. This can't always be done, but between stores and other skirmishers, you should be able to find at least one that you can have a touchy-feely moment with.

swiftblade · 28-08-2011 8:35pm

Exactly what Dex said.

I went pistol shopping a few weeks back.
Was dead set on buying the PX4 until I handled it. Hated the grip angle, and just felt it didn't sit right. I ended up buying a Glock 17 instead.