Searching for an affordable handgun for self-defense? Pellet pistols are favored for their accuracy and ease of use. I tested the best options on Amazon for concealed carry.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Umarex GLOCK 17 Blowback .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 5,346 ratings | 669 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Features a full metal slide, drop-out metal mag, and realistic controls.
Helpful review: "I am a Sheriff's Deputy and wanted something like my duty weapon to train and practice with. I have neighbors in close proximity and live rounds are not an option. Ammo restrictions and lack there of make Range time tough. This co2 pistol is identical to my Glock 34. Other than the length, the weight, cant and feel is ideal for drills. Its accuracy is not so good after 10-12 yards but close enough to run through a post course. I never anticipated being able to drive tacks with it. So I’m not disappointed.
I do love the blow back action. If you purchase an extra mag, you can make practice more realistic in post or even combat situations. This is not a toy. It shoots 365 FPS. It will cause damage. It looks very real and could easily be mistaken for a G17 or 34.
The cost is nominal. If you calculate the cost of ammunition and the fact this BB pistol is a lot quieter than 9mm or 40; it’s a lot safer for practice in your yard; the feel and operation are nearly the same as your duty weapon, in my opinion it’s a good purchase. I have read reviews that state pistols were broken or non functional upon delivery. I suppose it’s worth the risk when purchasing anything online.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
The gun is quite heavy and feels just like the real deal. It consists of a metal slider and polymer lower receiver with a metal trigger, magazine, and interior components making it durable and not so easy to break. If properly taken care of it could last for a very long time. That includes not leaving the CO2 cartridge inside for more than 24 hours, oiling all the moving parts about every 1000 shots, cleaning it, and carefully using it as it was intended.
I get about a good 70 accurate shots (4 mags) at around 55 - 70 meters before I start noticing slight changes to power and accuracy, up to 100 shots (6 mags) from a full Crosman 12g CO2 cartridge. It is quite impressive, especially when taking into account that it is a blowback, which tends to fire less shots per cartridge than non-blowbacks. Another aspect I like about this gun is that the gas seal and firing mechanism is located within the magazine, meaning that if any of that ever fails, you can just purchase another mag without having to replace the actual gun.
The only drawbacks for me are: First, that you cannot remove the iron sights to attach other sights. However, getting used to iron sights is not a bad thing. Second, the trigger rarely gets stuck, but it is quite simple to fix. All you need to do is either carefully press a little harder or pull the slide back." — John D. Felder
Get it from Amazon now: $169.99 & FREE Returns
2. Umarex Beretta M92 A1 Blowback Full-Auto .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 1,487 ratings | 353 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Durable and realistic all metal construction; semi-auto and full-auto shooting modes.
Helpful review: "Fully automatic is crazy fast. I read bad reviews and it’s not at all like that with mine. I don’t care if it shoots straight or how many fps it is. Single shots are boring. I’m not interested in shooting a target one shot at a time. I bought it to chase deer out of my yard and it works. Then we installed a deer fence three weeks later. I was having fun. It’s not hard to load and the spring locks so you can put bb in it. I called customer service with a question and got a live person quickly. He answered the question and said if I needed anything, call back.
My gun works fine. I don’t use it every day but when I do it’s a blast on fully automatic. I mean fast. For me I’m glad I got this gun at this price. I don't know why people are saying everything bad about it but it’s not like that with my gun. I’ll update if anything comes up.
By the way, I shot a fence and the BB got there really quick. I don’t want to kill anything or do boring target practice. I just like pulling the trigger and unloading 18 rounds in a couple seconds if that long. Oiling the gun makes it better. UPDATE. The co2 will not come out..I tighten it really tight but they usually come out with no problem just falling out.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
This thing is fun! Nice heft and feel to it from the metal construction. Still working on the aim with the fixed sites, but also tossed a mini laser sight that mounts on the underneath rail. When using the laser, the 92A1 produces really tight groups. Love the automatic mode (just for the sheer fun of it) but, wow, it goes through the magazine and CO2 cartridge fast. Knew that going in on the purchase, but still a surprise. The magazine has been reliable.
A bit of a pain to get the spring pulled back and set for loading... would have used a bit of an extension from the magazine but I suspect they kept it within the magazine for the sake of realism.
Need to get an extra magazine or two - it's way too easy even on semi-auto to burn through the clip quickly. Haven't done it yet due to the comparatively high price for spare magazines - keeping my eye out for sales :) My version ended up being manufactured in the Taiwan version versus in Germany but so far the built quality seems fine." — Ken Hamby
Get it from Amazon now: $140.50 & FREE Returns
3. SIG Sauer M17 CO2-Powered .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 21 ratings | 118 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: 1-year warranty.
Helpful review: "This pistol is a great training aid. I wanted a CO2 pistol which was as close to my real pistol as possible. This pistol combined with the Sig Air red dot sight fit that ticket. I have been able to consistently shoot 2 inch groups at 10 meters while standing 2 handed without support. It can shoot an inch or so high with a new cartridge and then an inch or so low as the cartridge is on its last breath. The safety, mag release and slide lock are the same as the real version.
I have found the 7.4g wadcutter from Crossman to be the best fit for me. When 9mm are costing 40 cents a trigger pull, this is a much cheaper option that allows you to shoot in your home without going to the range. That makes it easy and fun to train each day.
I want to take a second to address some concerns expressed by other negative reviews:
1. Leaky CO2 . This also happened to me at around 700 shots. The o-ring in the magazine failed. There are a number of Youtube videos showing how to replace this o-ring. The smaller of the two appears to be 6mm OD and 3mm ID. I can't confirm this as I chose to contact Sig Sauer customer service and they promptly responded and sent out a new magazine. Take note - this has a full one year warranty.
2. Pellets plug the barrel. I have only had this happen twice. Once when the CO2 was on its last breath and another time when an apparent malformed pellet got stuck. Each time, I pushed the pellet out with a wire and continued to shoot without further issue.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I have no experience with weapons and this is my first purchase of a pellet gun. I was looking for a pellet gun to practice firing, handling, and maintenance before actually purchasing a real firearm.
In spite of the negative reviews regarding failures, I decided to buy this pellet gun. Fearing the same failures occurring with my gun, I did some research and found out that lack of regular maintenance and care was the primary cause for these issues. So, I regularly tear down and clean using gun cleaner/lube including lubing the pellet clip. I also completely empty the CO2 cartridge, by dry firing remaining CO2, before releasing it from the magazine and use pellgunoil every time I use a new CO2 cartridge.
I have put over 2000+ pellets and 80+ CO2 cartridges through it and the gun works just like it did when I received it. No issues and no complaints. I would buy it again for myself, as a gift for someone else, and would recommend it." — Mike Ward
Get it from Amazon now: $138.99 & FREE Returns
4. Umarex Glock 19 Gen3 .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 13,319 ratings | 1000+ answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Fixed Glock-style sights and officially licensed Glock markings.
Helpful review: "Bought this little thing for target practice and plinking. I was pleasantly surprised for the first 3 days. Shot exceptionally accurately considering it's not only a pistol, but a BB pistol. Pretty comfy in the hand too, especially if you have big meaty claws like I do. However, my joy was short lived when SOMETHING in the magazine that came with it busted. It has 2 major issues. After putting... I'd say just 10 magazines through the gun, the spring used to feed the BBs kept slipping, resulting in all 15 pellets being violently shot out of the magazine. It was actually pretty funny at first. "Hey look! The magazine is its own little gun!"
Once the joke wasn't funny anymore, it quickly just became infuriating. Loading the gun was finicky at best, and 9 times out of 10, the spring would slip and shoot the BBs into the grip of the gun. I'd have to dump em all out and start again. The second issue was that the retention peg (idk what else to call it) that kept the BBs inside the magazine when the feeding spring was released quickly wore out and frankly just didn't work at all. The experience quickly degraded into just a frustrated ginger spending more time trying to load the gun than actually firing the thing.
VALUE FOR MONEY:
If it weren't for the magazine, this would be fantastic for the price, but I simply don't feel like blowing 12 bucks on another magazine every 3 days.
FOR BEGINNERS:
The trigger is almost *too* hard to pull after more than 20 minutes of straight shooting. Fairly niche scenario (thus a niche complaint) but something to watch out for. It's also worth mentioning that the safety on the trigger kinda sucks. Certainly gets the job done, but it's not labeled all that well and it feels kinda mushy. A nice "click" would not only be satisfying, but reassuring. Nothing much worse than flipping a switch and not being sure it got flipped properly... especially when it controls whether or not a GUN CAN BE FIRED.
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
Shooting has gotten expensive, even if you can find ammunition to buy. We got these BB pistols for shooting when we couldn't get to the range. They are authorized replicas of a Glock 19. They are metal and the weight of the real thing is there. It gives the feel of a Glock 19. It is NOT a blow-back model. As another reviewer stated, blow-back might add some realism, but it takes CO2 gas to do the blow-back and that robs power from the shot. And these things shoot!
They are rated at over 400 feet per second and they really propel that BB. We have targets (ok, they're empty bleach bottles) at 5 and 10 yards. Put the sights on 'em, pull the trigger and pop -- the BB hits the bottle. They are very accurate and powerful.
I've used other CO2 pistols and this is the best I've used. The trigger is a little stiff and there is a slight ridge on the bottom of the trigger guard, but for the money you get the feel of a real pistol. I have a bad habit of dropping the front of the pistol just as I shoot. I'm using this replica to work on that. Do you get recoil? No, but a sage shooting expert wrote that recoil isn't part of the shot, but the aftermath. With this quality BB pistol you can practice all parts of the shot and get accurate results out to 10 yards and beyond. It's the best BB pistol I have used. It's a fun, quiet and inexpensive way to keep improving your shooting." — Bleys Wilson
Get it from Amazon now: $84.99 & FREE Returns
5. Heckler & Koch USP .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 600 ratings | 128 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Shoots .177 caliber steel BBs at up to 325 fps (Blowback Action) or 400 fps (Standard Action).
Helpful review: "For the money spent this has been a very good BB pistol. I read all the reviews including the bad ones but took a chance and bought it through Amazon. So far I have had no problems. I have shot about 1000 rounds so far and have used only 9 CO2 carts. This gun, at least mine, gets over 100 shots per Co2. The accuracy is very good for a repeater BB pistol. Most BB pistols Have 2 stage triggers which take a little effort to pull. This pistol is about average for trigger pull. I like the CO2 cart. /BB magazine comes out. This is a nice looking gun and as long as your gun does not begin to leak CO2 you will be very happy with this pistol.
UPDATE:
So for a blowback BB gun it is SUPER realistic. Love the feel. Great craftsmanship. Heavy feel. 18 bb's per mag. One thing I dislike is how hard it is to get the screw to catch to puncture the CO2. 2 and a half full mags (about 40 shots per CO2). I was at 14.667 yards (about 44 feet) and shooting monster energy drink cans (empty of course) with ease which is decent. It does shoot low as almost every bb gun I've ever had did also. Overall, it is an awesome fun BB gun to shoot and plink around. I would have given it 5 stars but that damn screw on the bottom of the magazine is a bit annoying but it works. Would DEF recommend this product
A WEIRD FRIEND’S REVIEW:
Feels like the real deal. However, other commenters have mentioned that the thing that actually punctures the C02 isn't the most reliable and is liable to become useless if you tighten the nozzle too much. If you're not just using these as props like I do, you may want to steer clear and spend a few extra bucks on something that'll last you longer.
If you ARE weird like I am and just using these as props, then you get a lot of bang for your buck. This airgun looks REAL. Real enough that you shouldn't take it outside unless you live out in the sticks where nobody will see, or are around an airsoft range (and even still, I believe they require you to have orange tips in some places). The lack of an orange tip (or any option to tack one on) is a double edged sword. You get to feel like you're holding a real gun, and everybody will THINK you're holding a real gun at first glance unless they've seen a real USP before and are very familiar with that particular range of handguns." — Jay Smith Jr.
Get it from Amazon now: 124.99 & FREE Returns
6. Umarex Glock 19X Gen5 .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 1,169 ratings | 239 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: All-in-one magazine accommodates the cartridge plus 18 steel BBs.
Helpful review: "I had high hopes for this Glock 19X but was disappointed in performance. All of my other Glocks beat this one in velocity measurements. A disappointing Max Velocity of 364 fps and Mean Velocity of 362.4. As a comparison, my Glock 17 Gen 3 max velocity was 403 fps, my Glock 19 Gen 3 max velocity is 409 fps (but it's non-blowback), and my ISSC M22 (also a Glock before official licensing) shoots max velocity at 391 fps.
Don't get me wrong. At 364 fps, the G19X is no slacker. That's still an impressive figure and the Standard Deviation of the G19X was very good at 3.38 fps. I used garden variety BBs and Black Diamonds with virtually no difference. The accuracy was impressive, though. Most shots stayed within the 2” ring at 10 feet (I'm not a great shot).
The rendering of this 19X, like all Umarex Glocks, is excellent. Great feel and realistic weight. Very nice blowback, although partial, not full. Trigger pull is gritty and actuation is literally at the end of trigger pull. Great white dot sights. The max velocity was only 13 fps below advertised spec, so I’m sure that if I kept shooting using only fresh CO2 cylinders I would probably have made spec sooner or later, but I consider average velocity a better indicator of performance. Love the Coyote color.
I do like the smaller size and the accuracy, so I will probably favor this Glock for my Glock shooting. I will do some future testing with the intent of reaching advertised specs. Measurements are always subjective and at the mercy of ambient temperatures. My basement range can be a little cooler, which is not really a fair test. Congrats to Umarex for a great job of design on this half and half. Has a G17 frame and a G19 slide. Very creative.
A FEW WORDS FROM A NEIGHBOR:
This is an incredibly close replica of the Glock 19X. The size, weight, and weight distribution is very good. Most of the exterior dimensions are very similar, so it should fit most holsters. It doesn't fit my Safariland, however. Aside from the obvious fact that this is a half blow back that shoots steel BBs using CO2, the differences are:
- The slide release only functions on the left side, and is non-functioning on the right side.
- The light mount is different, in that the notch is narrower, so you'll have to use a skinnier adapter for your light. You won't be able to hot-swap from your Glock 19X. If you're good with a Dremel, you could probably adjust the Umarex and remove the excess material so it matches the width of the notch as the Glock 19X.
- The trigger does not lock back after dry firing, whereas in the real Glock 19X, the trigger remains in the rearmost position upon dry firing.
- The inner diameter of the barrel is wide at the very end, but quickly tapers to the barrel diameter of the steel BB. I think this is why the Umarex does not fully holster in my Safariland holster, as the holster has a nub that fits inside the barrel. I wish this taper didn't happen until further back in the barrel.
Overall, this is an excellent training platform for children with large enough hands and for adults, especially if you have the Glock 19X or similar. It will allow you to practice holstering, unholstering, target acquisition, magazine change, indoors or in the backyard, and for much cheaper than shooting real ammunition." — Menachem Pinson
Get it from Amazon now: $114.99 & FREE Returns
7. Gamo P-430 Dual .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 2,324 ratings | 127 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Single/double action; shoots pellets or BB's.
Helpful review: "I have owned this CO2 gun for over a year and I really like it for its ability to shoot pellets and BBs. The gun is very light weight in the hands and shoots extremely fast to where I can’t see the BBs fly out of the pistol. I kept thinking if shots have been fired or am I shooting dry? Haha…
The gun is very accurate, but you have to compensate for the downwards of the gun when pulling the trigger. There is no recoil, so the gun doesn’t bounce when the trigger is pulled, compensating for the finger pull; expect to be shooting further down from the target. I kept three extra magazines so reloading is much faster. Each magazine holds 2 sets of 8 Bbs in a revolver style, holding 16 BBs/pellets total. It’s very easy to empty half the mag and having to flip it around which isn’t my preference for shooting airsoft; less reloads the better. Reloading can be tedious because you can’t pour the BBs into the magazine, but instead place each individual BB or Pellet into a revolver style slot.
The construction is plastic on the outside and metal on the inside. It’s fairly easy to insert a CO2 cartridge, but expect to use tools when screwing it in place, unless you have very strong fingers. Each CO2 cartridge will last about 100 BBs or Pellets which is considerably good.
I never had to deal with BBs jamming or misfires, so I’d say it’s reliable to use for target practice and efficient enough to use where you’re not draining your pockets by buying CO2 cartridges. I left one in for months and hardly noticed a drop in pressure. I wouldn’t recommend this, but just a perspective of how well it can hold gas pressure inside the gun.
I would definitely recommend it as a first CO2 entry level pistol, but not as your “go-to.” I prefer a CO2 pistol with weight, realistic trigger pull, and a faster way of reloading the mag.
Hope this helps with your purchase and ALWAYS remember your gun safety rules:
1. Treat Every Gun as if it was loaded.
2. Never point the muzzle towards anything you’re not willing to destroy
3. Keep your finger off the trigger until your eyes are on the sights and ready to fire.
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
This is not a toy. It’s a CO2 gun! So please treat it with respect as if it was a real firearm. Be responsible, as it will kill small birds, rodents, cats, lizards, etc... at close range - like at 10 - 20 feet. FYI, it comes with a 1-year warranty and Gamo is trustworthy. Highly recommend! " — Joe Radcliff
Get it from Amazon now: $42.99 & FREE Returns
8. Umarex Smith & Wesson M&P 40 .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 2,591 ratings | 215 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Features a manual safety, 19-shot drop-free mag, and fiber optic sights.
Helpful review: "I bought a BB (this one) and pellet pistol (Beeman P17) due to rodent problems in my backyard. After putting hundreds of .177 bbs through this from about 15 feet and 40 feet out, here are my impression.
PROS:
1. Large capacity clip (16 is about the max)
2. Quite economical with CO2 (I get around 100 bbs per canister)
3. It's fairly light, doesn't make my arm tired so I can shoot more
4. Not very loud so backyard plinking doesn't disturb the neighbors too much
CONS:
1. The sight is off, it's set to too low and to the left, and there is no easy way to adjust (I just adjust mentally)
2. Not very accurate especially at the longer range > 30 feet due to the smooth barrel
3. The CO2 leaks without using the pellgunoil
4. The trigger is way too heavy compared to my Beeman P17 (it's 2 stage so you need to figure out the boundary)
5. The screw to push in the CO2 is a bit flimsy, made of plastic and looks fragile
TIPS:
1. Always put a drop of pellgunoil on the new CO2 cartridge before loading into the pistol to prevent leaks
2. I left the same CO2 canister in the pistol for 5 days and that didn't reduce the number of shots I got from that cartridge.
3. There is a drop and slow down at 40 feet, so if you have the same rodent issues, you probably want to get as close as you can and then blast away
Overall, I like the pistol quite a bit and just wished it came with better sight and trigger. If you are looking for an economical bb pistol for rodent control, this should work at close range (< 20 feet).
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
Let me start by saying I am a certified pistol instructor and range safety officer. I work full time as a patrol officer and have been shooting all types of firearms for a long time. These are great. I purchased one to help a new adult pistol shooter grasp the concepts of safety and pretty much had the intention of settling for any shortcomings involving the consistency of the characteristics of actually shooting.
Well, this thing turned out to be an awesome tool to teach with and have fun with. Not only is it about as safe as something dangerous can get without being an airoft gun, but it can provide enough consistent shooting to reinforce the basic concepts of pistol handling. It fits into a blackhawk serpa holster for Smith and Wesson m&p series pistols allowing it to be further utilized as a training aid in holster discipline.
The sights are legit and can be trusted to properly represent what a real pistol is going to look like while aiming. Out to about 10 yards, this thing provides trustworthy feedback in trigger critique. I could go on and on.
Long story short, I have two now. My nephews have learned on these, and I have several extra magazine, have shot over 6000 BB's through them and they have provided days on end of great active fun, excellent learning opportunities, and low cost practice of grip, sight picture and sight alignment, and proper safety protocol in a very affordable and safe manner." — L. Wilson
Get it from Amazon now: $43.23 & FREE Returns
9. Umarex SA10 .177 Caliber
Top-rated: 1,465 ratings | 138 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Features an integrated accessory rail and tactical sights.
Helpful review: "I want so badly to give this a good review. I'll give it four stars for some reasons. It's cool looking. It feels great to shoot nice blow back action with a good recoil. Here's the problems I've had so far. I'm only using pellets so I just leave out the BB rotary ( it kept falling out anyway every time I removed the mag. ) So after about 90
shots the first co2 died, not the best not the worst, and then the jamming started. New co2 more jamming, and at one point the trigger wouldn't move; it just sticks in the back. When that's not happening the hammer won't settle properly.
Next day tried some more switched out the wadcutters for h&n hammers started great noticed at the 60 shot mark the gun started to lose power, then stopped shooting, trigger jammed up couldn't remove the magazine again... kinda bummed. But when it does shoot it shoots well. I have an extra mag on the way maybe there's something defective with this one. I'll field strip it and see if there's an obstruction. If anything positive happens I'll update this review but like I said it's pretty cool looking.
1ST REVIEW:
The problem I was having with jamming was the type of pellet. This thing doesn't like pointed pellets... been shooting with h&n and Crosman hollow points no problems, must have run at least 250 + rounds not one jam. And man with an extra mag. This thing is fun fun fun fun.
UPDATE:
This thing is awesome. With an extra mag and using Crosman hollow points it's been fun, really nice recoil getting a solid 48 + shots per co2, usually swapping out mag's. Really fun, popping a laser on it helps a lot. Highly recommend
A FEW WORDS FROM A FRIEND:
I sat at a 5" target from 25' away and had a good grouping. The first shot surprised me, it blew my hair back from CO2 blowback. It is louder and a lot more powerful than my other 3 CO2 blowback pistols. This pistol is also heavy duty compared to my others, plus you can field break it for easy maintenance which is why my old one does not work any more. My old one you can take it apart easily for lubing and cleaning. I really like this pistol, it is totally worth the money." — Thomas Foster
Get it from Amazon now: $94.99 & FREE Returns
10. Crosman PFAM9B Full-Auto CO2-Powered Blowback
Top-rated: 1,497 ratings | 159 answered questions
Credit: Amazon.com
Highlight: Ergonomically placed controls to emphasize safe handling.
Helpful review: "If you'd like to understand where I'm coming from, here's a quick background on me: I'm a machine enthusiast who has not only been a fan of air guns, firearms, cars and similar machinery, but I am a huge fan of high-quality craftsmanship and that is the #1 thing I look for in the stuff that intrigues me. I am good with my hands and have rebuilt engines, restored many cars and dozens of pinball machines, arcade games and similar things, and can make or build almost anything. Basically what I am telling you is that I know when something is designed well and when it is not. So with that said, here's my take on the Crosman PFAM9B:
The design and build quality of the BB gun itself is excellent. All the moving parts - slide, trigger, hammer, etc - are very nicely designed and constructed and they work well together with minimal slop or play which makes for a nice, solid-feeling pistol. The thing is heavily constructed, mostly from metal, and after firing a few dozen rounds from it, in both semi and full-auto modes, I find that I love the way it feels when it fires.
Full-auto mode delivers a big punch, spewing the 20 or so bb's down-range in what seems to be less than a second. It's quite impressive, feels solid and you can't beat the feeling of that thing shaking in your hands as it does its thing. It's awesome!
The CO2 cartridge did not last long. Just long enough to blast one mag of bb's in single mode, plus one mag of them in full-auto. After that, the CO2 was empty. Seems like a lot of CO2 for not a lot of shots, unlike the similar Tanfoglio Witness 1911, which I also own, that fires around twice as many bb's on a single CO2.
The finish on the PFAM9B is beautiful and the gun feels like the real thing, but since I don't own the real dealio, I can't do a one-to-one comparison.
If you were going to use this for self-defense it might be a good choice. However, I can't speak to how long the CO2 would last if it were already pierced and sitting on a shelf for who-knows-how-long until you needed to dump a mag of BB's into a bad guy's face. Though at full CO2 it seems this gun could seriously mess someone's face up. There are much better alternatives for bullet-less self defense, however.
And now the biggest, and perhaps only, problem with this otherwise fine bb gun, and that is the design of the magazine. Or more accurately, the design of the plug that you have to screw in and out every time you change CO2 canisters. Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put a metal Allen key plug inside a threaded PLASTIC plug meant to be torqued down hard onto a CO2 canister must have been an idiot or drunk that day. The problem is that after you put the canister in and then torque down the plug with the large Allen key, it takes VERY LITTLE EFFORT to spin the metal Allen plug around inside the outer threaded plastic plug and BOOM! it's ruined.
Good luck getting a second CO2 canister in THAT magazine. It then takes even less effort to spin it around (by the way, it's NOT supposed to spin around at all). So once that happened, on the very first CO2 canister, I couldn't get the plug out again and of course the empty CO2 canister was stuck in the mag and the gun was useless (I had no 2nd mag). The outer plastic part of the plug has two holes in it, I assume because they knew this was an issue as those holes are there to help unscrew it out of the mag, there's no other purpose for them.
So I got crafty with an old fork, bent it up and poked two of the prongs into the holes and turned that whilst turning the Allen key and got the thing out. What a drag! Maybe it was my fault for thinking it took more effort to pierce the canister, but even if that were the case, to design this in such a way that if you over-torque it you end up ruining a $30 mag, well, that's horrendously poor design. Unless it was designed this way on purpose, but I doubt that.
Anyways, great BB gun and I do love it and will try to figure out a way to fix this problem. If I could, I'd just machine my own replacement plug, but I'll probably need to buy a different brand of mags for this gun. Overall, I do recommend it, just be very careful to not over-tighten that plug. Oh, and be sure you rack the slide after you put in a new CO2, otherwise the gun acts like it's out of gas and won't fire. Be safe!" — Harry Hiscock
Get it from Amazon now: $114.08 & FREE Returns