Smith and Wesson Model 29 Airsoft

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Smith & Wesson M29 .44 Magnum six.5" Midnight Blueish - Tanaka

I actually call back revolvers are swell. Some years ago, on a trip to the US, I had the chance to burn down a .38 special Smith & Wesson and a 44 Magnum Smith & Wesson.
The '44' is the gun made famous as "the most powerful handgun in the world" by Clint Eastwood'due south Dingy Harry character in the film of that name. The fact that I was staying in a property on the very site of the quarry where that movie ends, gives the Model 29 an added cachet for me.

Tanaka Smith & Wesson M29 .44 Magnum 6.5inch barrel.

I'd admired the reputation of the Tanaka revolvers for a long time having read the reviews at Arnies Airsoft, but their very high prices had ever put me off.
Having sold my UZI and a few springers, I'd gear up aside some money for a KSC Beretta M93R, but Guns N Guys were dragging their heels a chip in sending me a quote and getting Paypal payment sorted out so I spotted a midnight blue Tanaka S&W M29 6.five" butt version on Tokyo Model'south site for "only" $130, which wasn't much more than than the KSC Beretta. I ummmed and ahhed for a few days, but when they give me a expert price for a TM S&Westward PC356 springer, I bit and placed the lodge.

In the Box

The guns arrived promptly (ii days, pretty much like any other Hong Kong delivery) and I opened up the package to find a obviously grey box alongside the TM 1. I opened information technology up and there was the virtually beautiful airsoft gun I've ever seen.

In the box.

Offset Impressions

6.5 inch barrel

I like wood grips on a revolver and, although these are actually plastic (Real steel grips are a straight swap, unlike on the UHC and Marushin revolvers), they expect and feel bang-up. Some parts of the gun are metallic (lower grip, trigger, hammer cylinder and spindle, I'yard told) and others are ABS, simply it all looks and feels like metal, due to the 'midnight blue' finish (really a shiny black) and has an impressive weight for its size.

Closer Wait

Before I gassed the gun up I examined it and was mostly very impressed, except for one issue. Firstly, the grey box turned out to be a very nicely printed box, turned inside out (easily resolved and a sensible shipping policy, which I now call back someone else did one time). The mechanism is very sweet and the grips don't suffer the 'empty' feeling that the rubber grips on the Marushin Raging Bull do.

Left side detail

However, the midnight blue finish, which I'd heard was 'easy to scratch' is Impossible NOT TO!
Just working the cylinder release or firing the gun causes metal parts of the gun to scratch abroad the finish and I'd have been VERY annoyed if I'd paid a premium (which about suppliers demand) for the finish - Information technology strikes me that the finish can only stay pristine if you NEVER fire the gun, which really would exist a shame. In that location was even a small scratch on the barrel which (due to its position) looks like it was caused when the gun was assembled - so much for Japanese quality control...)

I have no uncertainty the finish makes the gun expect much more realistic than a typical black ABS airsoft gun, merely stick with the blackness model if yous are worried about scratches on your guns. I'll alive with it, existent guns get scratched besides and if it gets as well bad I'll respray the whole thing.

Gassing the gun upwards was adequately easy, although it requires feeding gas through a special adapter (provided) into the cylinder, which (unlike my other revolvers) has simulated rounds concealing a 14 round mag and the gas cylinder and valve . I just pushed 6 rounds into the open up cylinder holes (from the barrel terminate, not terribly realistic) and took aim.

Cylinder contains FIXED fake rounds hiding magazine and gas mechanism.

Shooting Impressions

BLAM! - This is the noisiest BB gun I've Always heard. It'due south retort is quite like a .22 pistol, but nothing (thank goodness!) similar a real 44! I was as well astounded by the power - I was expecting powerful, just this gun punches through a Coke tin (BOTH sides) at 5 feet! My NBB Mauser tin practise it too, merely my SOCOM can't, and I doubtable the Tanaka can do two cans as easily as ane! This was using American Eagle Wintertime gas, which is a bit more powerful than HFC 134a.

I've read reports on poor accurateness (due, it seems, to poor aligned barrels causing the Hop Up to Hop Right! - This is fixable), but mine placed Bbs exactly where I aimed them.

I carried out the 5m examination. Equally probably the highest quality airsoft gun in my collection (at any time), I had quite high expectations of this gun.

Click on image for bigger version in carve up window.
I wasn't disappointed. 5 of the 6 shots barbarous within a 7cm (3 inch) bore (the sixth beingness wide to the correct - My fault, no uncertainty). 3 of the 5 were inside a 3.5cm (1.5 inch) diameter and dead eye on the target.
All of the v 'on target' shots, hit within the centre of the target, which was pretty impressive. The sights on this gun are very sharp (certainly non truthful of well-nigh of the other NBB guns) and that helped no end. The double activity mechanism didn't seem to crusade any noticeable problems, and so I didn't bother trying a set of single action shots, across the outset shot.

Over 10 shots, the half dozen.5" M29 averaged 411 fps (using Cybergun Winter gas) outdoors (around 20C).

Shot	FPS
1	431.5
2	414.5
3	413.iii
4	412.1
5	409.5
half-dozen	405.9
seven	415.4
8	407.7
9	398.9
x	400.6

The trigger pull weight test produced a figure of 1,550g (54.7 ounces), which is a heavy weight trigger pull and approaching twice the weight of the PC 629, which seems, techincally, similar.

Conclusions

Overall, this gun Virtually lives up to Tanaka'southward reputation. The quality of build and finish IS incredible and the ability is astounding, but the midnight blueish finish's fragility makes you wonder if the price for that realistic appearance is too high. On the whole though this is the replica of that 44 I fired that I wanted. It feels good in the manus and is very powerful, all information technology lacks is the fearsome kicking of the existent thing.

Hammer cocked - Feel lucky?

"What you lot're wondering is did I fire 13 shots or 14? Well y'all know, in all the excitement I kind of forgot myself. What you've got to ask yourself is 'Do I feel lucky'..."

The loveliest airsoft gun made?

Annex : Well, if this revolver looked wonderful earlier, it really is the business now that I've added some real steel oversize Cocobolo wood grips.

Wood grips.
$20 from eBay

They expect fantastic (picked them upwards on eBay), add weight and accept that lovely tactile feel that merely really forest has. A tiny amount of Dremeling (God bless Dremel!) was required and I had to source a grip screw (God bless sometime-style hardware stores!), merely they were pretty much a perfect fit.

Later on a while, I decided I really preferred the original look and spent another pittance on eBay to become some original wood grips.

Wood grips.
$13 from eBay