Choosing the right GBB

[kilolima]

So i've decided to get a GBB. I've read reviews and done some research, but i want to hear from people who have first hand experience. I need a gun that will run on propane and that will last long. I'm going to be using it from temps ranging from 5c to 25c. It will be fielded and will most likely be used alot.
I've narrowed it down to four guns the TM 1911, TM p226, KJW m9 and KJW p226. I'd also be intrested to hearing other suggestions. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks

[The Acer]

pretty much its up to preference of looks. they all work on propane, all pretty much equal for preformance, and we all recomend metal slide

[dontask]

If you want a reliable GBB to use in the cold I would recommend you the KSC M9 Heavyweight
it has served me well even in subzero temperature games

YouTube - KSC M9 Low Temperature Testing pt2/3

[Wilson]

Out of your four selections I can narrow it further for you: Eliminate the TM's as they are plastic to begin with. The KJW's are metal.

Then its pretty much up to preference of looks. Do you like the look of the M9 or the p226? The M9 probably has more aftermarket support so you can buy fancy bits to stick onto it that make it less wieldy as an effective sidearm - if that floats your boat as much as half the GBB-centric folk around here then your choice is made.

One thing to consider is a holster - does the GBB you're thinking of purchasing fit the holster you're hot for? I'm personally a fan of Glocks, and when a good deal came up for a G18C I jumped on it, not realizing that Safariland doesn't make its 6004-series holster to fit one without serious modification.

Do you have an AEG? Those are more important in playing airsoft. Your GBB, your sidearm, is a backup...

[arman]

just make sure whatever you buy that you can find parts for it.

[Shinjin_MC]

if you shoot weaver, go M9 or P226
1911 is more isosceles friendly, weaver tends to bump the safety up every now and then

oops; TM 1911 is GI style safety
harder to ride it with the thumb

[Colin_S]

You should not eliminate TM GBBs simply because they're plastic, they'll dramatically outperform KJW pistols on the field. Yes it's expensive to "bling" out TM GBBs but even stock perform very well. TM's newer GBBs (Hi Capa and up) are extremely accurate and have excellent range, hell I have no problems running with just my pistol against people using AEGs.

Of the bunch you listed, the TM P226 is what I would go with, it has a large gas reservoir and there are many upgrades which will improve performance. With the TM 1911 (I have one), you're limited on how high you can go due to the small res in the single stack 1911 magazine.

[Captain Tenneal]

I'm gonna agree with Collin on this one. Current Gen and Next-Gen TM GBB's (Ie. 5.1/4.3, Glock 17, P226, 1911, Detonics) pretty much blow everything out of the water as far as performance stock out of the box economy wise, sure you can get a really really accurate WA, but it'll cost more.

I'd say avoid KJW as the factors of cheap FMU are outweighed with poor cold weather performance, poor build quality/fit and monkey metal.

The 1911 is a nice design, and has a gorgeous build (no mould lines!), but has the downside of trying to fit too much ammo in a singe stack magazine. Aftermarket parts however (since it's a very similar design to the slightly older 5.1/4.3 designs) make it extraordinarily easy to make into a very nice looking and high performance race gun.

I'm a fan of the P226 (having owned one for two-three years running virtually stock on propane) mainly because it has a nice grip (enhanced by hogue), has the decocker and has been notoriously accurate for something with such a short barrel. Plus; it's different!

[ex]

Ya really...Two full seasons with my stock TM P226 on propane and not even a hiccup. It's rock solid and shoots amazingly. Just because a GBB is full metal does NOT make it better.

[Naglfar]

Don't M9 mags have roughly the same size gas reservoir size as P226's?

Also with regards to WA pistols, though I've never handled one, the allure of a stock gun with plastic slide and a $10 flow restrictor from Carl seems pretty nice, does anybody have any real experience with this setup?

[Donster]

i can personally vouch for Colin_S and his TM 1911 getting BBs out past 100ft. THe TM1911 is a beast of a pistol that will shoot hard, far and accurate!

[The Saint]

You're not going to get much performance at 5C or even 15C. GBBs are warm weather guns, if it gets too cold, they can stop working period. You can convince them to work by warming up the mags after filling, but that gets annoying fast and isn't really practical outdoors.

If you are really, really set on using a GBB in the cold, try a TM Hi-Capa 5.1 in its stock form. Its got a very large magazine, which will allow plenty of gas. The stock slide is plastic, which will reduce your gas consumption. You can also get some CO2 mags from WE for your 5.1 and use them when it gets too cold for propane.

[Goodl2ussian]

ive played with the following

TM 1911
KJW M92F
KSC G17 + G19

KJs are awesome because theyre fairly cheap and full metal, berettas and P226s are at least. Only thing i didnt like about my KJs was the mags. Either the reservoir was too small to fire off all the rounds or it was leaking. Maybe its cas i was outdoors and it was nighttime by then and temperature affected it, never really got to the bottom of it. Other than that not a single damn problem.

KSC Glocks. pretty guns metal slide plastic frame (kinda like a real glock) have been troublesome for me lately... However! Mags are amazing i can get ~50BBs (aka 2 mags worth) from 1 fill of propane.

TM 1911 it was a friends sidearm and i got to play with it a lil bit. Good gun aside from the fact that its plastic, dont remember there being any problems with it. Was fukin loud. Downdside was you couldnt use propane. Well you could but at the risk of blowin off your slide (correct me if im wrong) and propane = 10x cheaper than green gas

[ThunderCactus]

I agree with the TM's, they're awesome they just need metal slides.
KSC is a good brand as well.
HFC is freakin awesome, full metal, works in 10 degrees (although not nearly as good as it doesn in 20 degrees), but it will be difficult to find parts for them, as they just rebuilt their parts factory lol

[Danke]

Either of the TMs for sure. DA a must go with 226, SA OK 1911.