KWA HK45

There is an ongoing debate amongst some replica air gun enthusiasts about airsoft weapons versus “real” air pistols. Many replica air pistol fans regard airsoft pistols as little more than inaccurate, underpowered and expensive toys. While in the past there may have been some truth in this, improved designs and advances in technology mean that newer airsoft pistols handle and shoot very well indeed. Personally, I feel that many modern airsoft pistols should be regarded as air weapons which simply happen to use a different calibre of BB.

So, I’m going to review here the KWA HK45 which, IMHO, is a very fine replica air pistol which stands comparison to other replicas of any calibre.

Real steel background

The HK45 is an evolutionary development of the Heckler and Koch USP (Universale Selbstladepistole: “Universal Self-loading Pistol”) and is functionally very similar to that weapon. Chambered for the .45 ACP round, the HK45 has a distinctive polygonal O-ring barrel, replaceable grip backstraps, improved ambidextrous controls and a standard picatinny accessory rail. To keep the grip within comfortable ergonomic limits, the HK45 magazine holds just ten of the fat .45 ACP rounds (compared to 15 rounds in the 9mm variant of the USP).

The HK45 was originally developed for the U.S. Military Joint Combat Pistol (JCP) and Combat Pistol (CP) programs which were intended to find a replacement for the ageing Beretta M9. Both programs were cancelled in 2006 before a new pistol could be selected but HK continued with commercial development of the HK45, targeting the military, law enforcement and personal defence markets. The HK45 was released in 2007.

The HK45 is the first HK pistol to be assembled (from U.S. and German made components) at the Heckler and Koch manufacturing facility in Newington, New Hampshire, USA.

The KWA HK45

KWA is a Taiwanese company which began as an industrial design specialist in the automotive and power tools sector. However, they moved into airsoft design and manufacture in the late 1990s and became Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) for several well-known airsoft distribution companies before starting to offer products under their own name in 2006. KWA has a long association with Japanese airsoft design and R&D company KSC. KWA manufacture airsoft replicas which are branded as KSC products in some countries. KWA have a reputation for producing very high quality airsoft pistols which are also used as training weapons by some law enforcement agencies.

Umarex hold the worldwide exclusive rights to the HK trademark and the exterior design copy license for the HK45. On the packaging for this pistol the words “Powered by Umarex” are prominently featured, though my understanding is that Umarex have no involvement in the design or manufacture of this replica beyond granting a license to KWA.

The KWA HK45 is a gas powered, blowback replica with a metal slide and fittings and a polymer frame and grip. It is a fully licensed replica featuring accurate H&K trademarks and markings. The KWA HK45 features the NS2 internal gas delivery system, a KWA patented design. NS2 utilizes an advanced lightweight composite gas piston with a two-stage internal expansion chamber that delivers gas more efficiently and more consistently. KWA claim that this increases cycle rate and provides a crisp, powerful blow back action as well as increasing muzzle velocity and providing more consistent shot-to-shot performance. The magazine is an integral part of the system and is a one-piece construction milled from solid alloy billet. NS2 is functionally identical to System7 which is used on some KSC branded pistols.

Packaging and presentation 3/5

The HK45 is provided in a rather nice card box with HK and Umarex markings on the top. The only KWA marking you’ll find on the outside of the box is a discreet logo on one of the end panels, and even there it shares space with HK and Umarex trademarks. Inside, there is a large KWA tag attached to the replica. The box features hard foam with cut outs to fit the pistol and accessories.

Alternative backstrap, hop up tool (top) and lock-out key

The KWA HK45 comes with a single magazine, a small bag of unidentified BBs, an alternative replacement backstrap, a hop-up adjustment tool and a lock-out key. The lock-out key engages with an opening in the mag well. With the hammer down, turning the key through 90° disengages the hammer. KWA claim this allows “safe storage” – I’m not sure this is really relevant to an airsoft replica, but it’s impressive that it fully replicates the lock-out system used on the original.

Using the lock-out key

Visual accuracy 9.5/10

Real HK45 (left), KWA HK45 (right). Probably.

The KWA HK45 is visually identical to the original. Every contour of the frame, slide and grip are accurately modelled and all controls are accurately placed and modelled. All markings on the real weapon are replicated including the “H&K .45 Auto” markings on the inner barrel. Even the tiny green O-ring on the barrel of the original is present on this replica. The only thing that distinguishes this replica from the original is the text “Licensed Trademark of Heckler & Koch Gmbh” in white lettering on the lower right front of the slide. Other than this, it’s virtually impossible to tell the original from the replica.

Barrel O-ring

In terms of visual accuracy, this is about as good as it gets for replica pistols.

Functional accuracy 14.5/15

Many recent KWA pistols are intended as training aids for law enforcement operatives, so it’s no surprise to find that the functional accuracy of the KWA HK45 is extremely close to that of the original. All controls here work as per the original. The slide release and magazine release are ambidextrous as per the original. The safety/decocker lever is provided on the left side of the fame only (again, as per the original) though markings are provided on the frame to allow fitting a right-side lever. Looking at how closely the KWA HK45 matches the real weapon (both internally and externally) I wouldn’t be surprised if the HK parts which can be used to convert the safety/decocker lever to the right side of the frame would fit on the replica, which would make it one of the very few replicas to be truly ambidextrous.

The only thing that I can see which doesn’t work on the replica is the ejector pin. On the real weapon, the ejector pin projects slightly when a round is in the chamber and the upper surface of the pin is painted red to act as an external visual loading indicator. The red paint is present on the replica, but the ejector pin is fixed in place.

The KWA HK45 field strips as per the original – the magazine is removed, the slide is moved back until a cutout is aligned with the combined slide release/locking pin on the left. The pin is then pushed out from the right side and removed, and the slide can be pushed forward off the frame. It’s a very similar setup to that used on the venerable Colt 1911.

Removing the slide locking pin

This replica loads, shoots and strips in precisely the same way as the original. Other than for the addition of a moving ejector pin, it’s difficult to see how a replica could be more functionally accurate.

Shooting 34/40

The KWA HK45 is loaded by filling the full size magazine with gas and BBs. Gas filling is done without drama or leaks. The magazine follower locks down and the mag double stacks to hold up to 29 BBs. I found this replica worked well with 0.2g BBs. The slide is racked for the first shot, which pushes a BB into the chamber and cocks the hammer for single action. The HK45 feels particularly good in the hand – balance is very good and it points naturally. Heckler and Koch spent a great deal of time perfecting the ergonomics of the original weapon and this is apparent when using the replica.

Hop-up is adjusted using the supplied tool which engages with a toothed adjustment wheel round the barrel breech. Adjustment is precise, but the slide has to be held half-way back while this is done – with the slide locked back, the tool can’t reach the adjustment wheel.

Using the hop-up adjustment tool

The trigger pull in single action is crisp, light and consistent. In double action it is longer, but still fairly light and consistent. The three white dots on the non-adjustable sights make lining up the target simple. Blowback is particularly crisp and strong and the pistol fires with a satisfying crack. I have had no misfeeds or failures to fire though I have seen other owners reporting occasional double feeding of BBs when using this replica. The magazine holds gas for more two weeks without appreciable leaks and it’s possible to fire two full magazines from a single fill, though power drops noticeably for the last few shots. The slide locks back when the mag is empty.

Six shots, six yards, 0.2g BBs, note single flyer at lower edge of green circle

0.2g BBs hit the target hard at 6 yards and penetration is good – this knocks chunks out of a backstop which some other airsoft pistols just dent. Accuracy is good. I regularly get groupings around 1″ – 1¼”at 6yds though with occasional flyers which hit anything up to 2½” from the point of aim. At 6yds, best accuracy seems to be obtained using 0.2g BBs.

Overall, this is one of my favourite airsoft pistols for target shooting. It feels good and shoots well and reliably. Groupings are generally good, though as noted with flyers approximately every ten shots. My HK 45 is still fairly new, so it’s possible that this may improve with further use. In terms of accuracy and consistency at six yards, this is comparable with many pellet shooting replicas and better than most steel BB shooters.

Quality and reliability 13/15

The weight of the KWA HK45 is good and is very close to the weight of the real weapon. One slight disappointment is that a fair portion of this weight comes from the magazine which is machined from solid billet, and with the magazine removed the pistol feels notably light. However, most of the time you’re using this pistol the magazine will be in place, so this isn’t a major problem and the KWA HK45 does feel very well balanced.

The finish on the metal parts of the KWA HK45 seems well applied and durable – my pistol is showing no signs of wear. The polymer parts seem robust and the textured finish feels good.

The only slightly suspect area is the outer barrel. This is made of lightweight plastic, and some owners have reported that this can crack with extended use. The pistol will continue to shoot if this happens, but it’s a surprising flaw in what otherwise seems to be a very well made replica. I have also read reports of premature wear on the slide locking catch of this replica, but my pistol seems unaffected.

Overall Impression 13/15

This a high quality, nicely finished replica which handles and shoots well. Like the original, it’s ergonomically very good indeed with fine balance and a slim, contoured grip. Visually it’s almost indistinguishable from the original weapon. It has good weight, feels good to shoot and the crisp blowback helps to replicate the recoil of the real weapon. It’s accurate enough for satisfying target shooting, though the occasional flyer BBs are something of a mystery.

Overall, this feels like a quality replica. No surprise then that it’s also a little more expensive than most other Taiwanese offerings.

Conclusion

This is a hefty and accurate replica pistol which shoots as well as it looks. Forget that it uses green gas and shoots plastic BBs – this is as satisfying as any replica air gun I have tried. I’d recommend anyone who thinks that airsoft pistols are toys to try one of these. Don’t think of it as an airsoft pistol – it’s simply a very fine replica air pistol indeed. If you are considering dipping your toe in the world of airsoft, this would be a good place to start.

Given KWA’s involvement in producing airsoft pistols that are suitable for use as training tools, it should be no surprise that this looks, operates and handles identically to the firearm it replicates. However, it’s also reliable, well-made and accurate and powerful enough for satisfying target shooting. If the higher than average price doesn’t put you off, I really can’t think of any reason you wouldn’t want to add one of these to your replica collection.

Total score: 87/100

Cons

A little more expensive than the average airsoft replica pistol.

A large part of the overall weight comes from the magazine.

Pros

Spot-on visual and functional replica.

Has enough power and accuracy to be a satisfying target shooter.

Seems well made and finished and my HK45 has been completely reliable.

Related pages:

KSC HK P10 review

WE Bulldog review

Ruger Mk I review

6mm Reviews

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Classic Handguns: The Colt Single Action Army revolver

November 17, 2016 by Stevemac in Handgun History Article and tagged 45, action, army, BB, classic, classic1, co2, colt, handgun, history, m1873, peacemaker, pistol, replica, review, single | Leave a comment

The Colt Single Action Army is indelibly associated with the romance and adventure of the Wild West. Sitting through countless cowboy themed television shows and Saturday afternoon matinees in the 1950s and 60s meant that every small boy (and even some discerning small girls) became familiar with the SAA, even if most of us didn’t know what it actually was. Whether we called it a “Peacemaker”, “Colt 45” or just a “six-shooter”, for a whole generation, the SAA was simply the “cowboy gun”. It somehow looked right and the evocative and distinctive click, clack, click, clack of the hammer being cocked became a kind of aural shorthand for manliness, excitement and danger. Sadly, the idea that every cowboy carried a Colt SAA is not historically accurate – S&W top-break revolvers for example, were more numerous on the frontiers of America in the late 1800s. However, in the 1940s, 50s and 60s, when many cowboy movies and television programmes were being made, Colt SAAs were more readily and cheaply available than most other guns of the frontier period and so were most often used as props. For this reason the Colt SAA will always be the pistol most people associate with the Wild West.

The Cast of the Maverick television show demonstrate their Colt SAAs, circa 1957

However, in addition to fuelling adolescent cowboy fantasies, the Colt SAA was also an important handgun. It may not have been the first revolver or even the first handgun to use a self-contained cartridge but it combined these things in a simple, rugged and enduring design which provided reliable firepower to very large numbers of people. Few would argue that this handgun, which has remained in production almost continuously for over 140 years, is worthy of the title “classic“.

Who was that masked stranger? It was Clayton Moore actually, wearing unfeasibly tight trousers and dual-wielding a pair of 5½” Colt SAAs in the 1955 Lone Ranger television show.

Development

Up to the late 1700s and early 1800s, most handguns were single-shot, muzzle loading designs which used sparks from a piece of flint to ignite black powder. There were multi-barrel pistols, but on most, pulling the trigger fired all the barrels simultaneously. Reloading was slow and cumbersome and even a light shower of rain could render a pistol incapable of firing. However, in 1807 a patent was accepted for the percussion cap. This was a small copper cap filled with percussion sensitive material such as mercury fulminate or potassium chlorate. If the percussion cap was struck by the hammer of a pistol, it produced a small explosion which was then used to fire the main charge. Percussion caps were reliable and less prone to failure due to damp than the flint/black powder system. A number of muzzle loading pistols were produced which used percussion caps, but most were still single-shot designs.

In 1830, a young American farmer’s son, Samuel Colt, was sent to begin a career as a seafarer. The 16 year old lad was interested in firearms and pyrotechnics (one of his most prized possessions was his Grandfather’s flintlock pistol). His ability to produce spectacular explosions and fireworks had made him very popular with his friends at school, until one of his experiments led to a fire which resulted in his expulsion. Looking for a suitable career for his son (and presumably one which would keep him as far as possible for explosives), Samuel’s father decided that seafaring might provide a safe outlet for his son’s interests and enthusiasm. Samuel joined the small brig Corvo, sailing between the US and Calcutta. Legend has it that Colt spent time during the voyage examining the ratchet and pawl mechanism used to control the ship’s steering gear and pondering whether a similar mechanism could be used to index multiple barrels in a handgun? He later claimed that he whittled a prototype pistol with revolving barrels from wood while on the ship to confirm that this was possible.

Colt Paterson revolver

Colt returned to the US in 1832 and began refining his design. In 1836 he registered a patent for a “revolving gun”. This incorporated a revolving cylinder (rather than the rotating barrels of his first prototype) and used percussion caps to ignite the powder charge in each chamber of the cylinder. In 1836 Colt formed the Patent Arms Manufacturing company in Paterson, New Jersey and began manufacture and sale of the five-shot Colt Paterson pistol, which is claimed to be the first practical revolver. Initially the Colt Paterson was offered in .28″ calibre though it was later upgraded to .36″. Sadly, it didn’t prove very popular in any calibre. Each pistol was hand-made, which meant it was expensive compared to other contemporary handguns and it proved to be fragile and unreliable in use. Colt was forced to sell the company and abandon manufacture of this revolver in 1842.

However, some people saw the possibilities inherent in the concept of a revolver. Captain Samuel Walker of the Texas Rangers was one of these. He contacted Colt to discuss ways of improving the Colt Paterson design (one of his suggestions was that a larger projectile would make the pistol capable of killing not just people, but horses too, an important consideration for the Rangers who often found themselves fighting mounted opponents). In 1846, the Walker Colt appeared. This six shot pistol was a clear improvement on the first revolver. The design of the internal mechanism was simplified to make it more reliable and the new pistol was chambered for a .454″ (11.5mm) bullet. This was still a percussion cap design where black powder, a percussion cap and a bullet had to be separately loaded into each cylinder. When it appeared, the Walker Colt was the most powerful handgun available, and it would remain so until the introduction of the .357 round in the 1930s. The Walker Colt also used a number of machine-made parts (an innovation in 1846) which meant that parts were more uniform and could safely be interchanged between pistols. The Walker Colt proved to be much more reliable and its use by the Texas Rangers provided positive publicity. Commercial success followed and Colt was able to build his own firearms manufacturing plant.

Clint Eastwood as The Outlaw Josey Wales with a pair of Walker Colt revolvers

Colt continued to evolve and refine his designs, producing a number of percussion cap revolvers up to the 1860s. However, another important innovation appeared in the early 1860s: the centre-fire cartridge. This was a self-contained cartridge where a charge of gunpowder and a bullet were mounted in a brass casing which also incorporated a percussion cap in its base. The centre-fire cartridge allowed much faster reloading and was virtually impervious to rain and damp. Unfortunately for Colt, Smith & Wesson held the patent for the bored-through revolver cylinders required to use this new cartridge, and Colt wasn’t willing to pay royalties to a competitor. However, the S&W patent expired in 1869 and the Colt company immediately began work on the design of a new revolver using the .45″ centre-fire cartridge which could be offered to the US Army.

Like all previous Colt revolvers, the new design was single action only but it allowed the loading of up to six centre-fire cartridges via a loading gate on the right side of the frame. It also incorporated an ejector under the 7½” barrel to remove spent cartridge casings (early cartridge cases were prone to distort on firing, often jamming them in the chamber). For the first time on a Colt revolver, the SAA included a top-strap on the frame to provide additional strength to deal with the power of the .45″ round (the new pistol was originally to be called the “Colt Strap Pistol“). Colt entered the new design into the US Army trials in 1873 and it was adopted as the M1873 and used as the main US military sidearm until its replacement in 1891 by a Colt double-action revolver.

7½” Colt SAA from 1875

The Colt Single Action Army revolver also proved massively popular as a civilian weapon. It was rugged, reliable, easy to repair if it did fail and its machine-made internal parts could be interchanged between weapons. Best of all, Colt’s hi-tech manufacturing process meant that it was also cheap: the SAA cost just $17 when it was launched on the civilian market. This compared very favourably to the $40 – $50 asked for the Colt Paterson pistol in 1836, though the US Army paid just $13.50 for each of their first batch of SAAs.

Other versions followed including the Flat-top Target with a decent notch rear sight and the Bisley Target Model with a longer grip, wider hammer and trigger and a rear sight which was adjustable for windage. However, although these later developments were in many ways more practical, especially as target shooters, none could match the rugged simplicity of the original SAA.

Use

Between 1873 and 1941 (when production of what became known as the “first generation” SAA ended) more than 350,000 Colt SAAs were produced in more than thirty different calibres, though .45″ was the most popular. In addition to the 7½” “Cavalry” version, two other barrel lengths were commonly offered: The 4¾” “Civilian” and the 5½” “Artillery”, though numbers of SAAs with different barrel lengths were also produced including a compact version (known as the Banker, or Storekeeper) with a 4″ barrel and without the under-barrel ejector rod. A number of finishes were offered including blued and colour case hardened though limited numbers with nickel, gold or silver plating or other unusual finishes were also produced. Standard grips were either black hard rubber or walnut though other exotic woods, ivory, mother of pearl and staghorn grips were also used for special models. The huge interest in the Wild West promoted by movies and television led to Colt re-introducing the SAA in 1956 (the “second generation”). In 1975 the third generation SAA was introduced, and this version remains in production to the present day.

All versions of the SAA are single action only and all have a delightfully light (around 3lbs) pull and a crisp and consistent release. When you compare the profile of the SAA to any modern handgun, it looks kind of odd. The grip has an elegant if rather unusual curve. Sit it beside almost any modern semi-auto pistol and it just doesn’t look as if it will fit your hand. And yet it does. Perfectly. The SAA will comfortably fit most hand sizes and it’s a natural pointer with great balance. Hold an SAA, look at the target and you’ll find that the pistol just naturally follows. Which is lucky, because the sights (especially on first generation models) are rudimentary. The tall foresight is lined up with a V shaped groove in the top of the frame. Windage adjustment is done by bending the foresight in the required direction. Elevation adjustment is done by either filing down the foresight, or squeezing it in a vice to make it taller. Not that the lack of accurate sights was a major issue – this isn’t a target pistol, it’s a hard-working, blue-collar gun designed to hurl a large bullet in the approximate direction in which it’s pointed. The SAA is also lefty-friendly. Because there is no manual safety or cylinder release on the left side of the pistol, it can be used comfortably in either hand. And the loading gate on the right is especially easy to use for lefties.

But though it may not have provided pinpoint accuracy, if you did hit something with a Colt SAA you were going to do some serious damage. Those soft, .45″ bullets travelling at over 900fps caused horrific injuries. Remember all those movies and television shows where the good guy would get shot in the left arm? And he would either ignore this or perhaps pause briefly while he or his adoring girlfriend tied a handkerchief round the wound before he continued to battle the bad guys? Well, I’m afraid you can forget about that. Getting hit in the arm with a round from a Colt SAA might tear the arm off altogether or at least shatter the bone so comprehensively that you’d be left permanently disabled. If you got hit in the body or chest, you’d be left with a baseball-sized exit wound and very little time to explain that you’d come for the man who shot your Pa. This gun had stopping power long before that term was invented.

Of course the SAA wasn’t perfect. The sights were basically useless and accuracy (especially with early cartridges) was poor. Adequate if you were trying to shoot the hombre with aces up his sleeve on the other side of a poker table, less so if you were trying to hit a man-sized target at anything over 50 feet. Distorted cartridge cases were difficult to remove, even using the ejector rod (you might wonder about that given that cowboys in movies and television shows from the 50s and 60s never had any trouble emptying out their used cartridge cases – this was because the reduced charge used in blank shells didn’t tend to distort the cases). The SAA had no manual safety and no drop safety, but it was provided with a half-cock position for the trigger, which allowed the gun to be carried safely. Sort of. After a number of US Cavalry troopers and civilians shot themselves or their horses while galloping with a half-cocked SAA, it was decided that it was safer to load with just five cartridges and keep an empty cylinder under the hammer.

Jessie James’ Colt SAA

The Colt SAA has become one of the most collectible handguns from the Wild West period. Very large sums indeed are paid for examples with well-documented provenance. A Colt SAA with the serial number 1 was sold at auction in 2009 for $862,500 (at the time this was the highest price ever paid for a historic handgun). Another SAA which belonged to outlaw Jessie James went to auction in 2013 with a starting price of $400,000. Even first generation SAAs in only fair condition and with no particular history sell for $3000 – $5000. So, for many people, replicas are the only way to enjoy the SAA experience without spending a great deal of money.

Colt SAA Replicas

Marushin removable shell 6mm SAA

There have been a number CO2 and gas powered replicas of the Colt SAA over the years (there have also been several spring powered versions, but really? Don’t bother!), but none have been ideal both as replicas and as shooters. Hahn/Crosman produced a range of CO2 powered SAA replicas from the 1950s to the 1980s. All shot pretty well, but they looked slightly odd due to the CO2 cartridge being located under the barrel. Tanaka produced a beautiful gas powered SAA replica using their Cassiopeia system in the early 2000s where compressed gas was stored in the removable shells. Unfortunately, these proved to be unreliable and shot with all the power and authority of a gnat breaking wind. They were also discontinued fairly quickly due to concerns in Japan that they could be converted to fire real cartridges. Tanaka responded with a redesigned SAA using their Pegasus system and Marushin have also produced a removable shell SAA replica, though neither are particularly satisfactory shooters.

Umarex Colt SAA

It wasn’t until 2015 that we finally got a decent Colt SAA replica which was also a reasonable shooter. Umarex released a CO2 powered Colt SAA with removable shells and a 5½” barrel. It’s generally a decent visual replica of the original and is available in 4.5mm, 6mm and .177” pellet shooting versions. If you want an SAA replica that you can also enjoy shooting, this is currently the only option.

Conclusion

For me, the Colt SAA is one of those replicas which no collection should be without. Whether you are interested in the history of this iconic handgun or you just want to practice your quick-draw technique, the Colt SAA does it all. It’s surprising and perhaps a little disappointing that there is only one current SAA replica that both looks like the original and shoots well, but at least we do now have the Umarex Colt SAA. It’s not the perfect replica, but at least it does give those of us who are interested in handguns the opportunity to experience a little of that SAA magic.

Related pages:

Crosman Wild West replicas

The Umarex Colt SAA

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Classic Handguns

Links

Colt SAA on the Umarex website

Classic replica air pistol review: Crosman Model 451

November 8, 2016 by Stevemac in Classic Replica Air Pistol Review and tagged 1911, 45, 451, auto, classic1, co2, colt, crosman, gi, pellet, repeater, replica, review | Leave a comment

If you asked replica air pistol collectors to name the first CO2 powered, pellet shooting replica airgun styled to look like a semi-auto pistol but using a concealed internal rotary pellet carrier, many might suggest the Umarex CP88 from 1996. But they’d be wrong. Some might nominate the Crosman Model 1088 RepeatAir from 1992. But they’d be wrong too. To find the very first one, you have to go all the way back to 1969 and the Crosman Model 451 “GI 45” Auto Repeater. Crosman, riding high on the success of replica air pistols based on the Colt SAA and S&W .38 revolvers, decided to produce a pellet shooting, CO2 powered repeater based on the Colt 1911. The result was far from elegant and less than reliable and it sold like ice cream in December. Despite that, the little-known 451 is now one of the most sought-after and collectable of all Crosman’s replica pistols. But, would you really want to own one of these?

Development

Relatively little seems to be known about the development of the Model 451. Most of the information in this part of the article comes from the book My Life, Our Lives by Roger Molina, Head of Sales at Crosman in the late 1960s. If anyone has additional information on the development of the 451, I’d be happy to hear about it.

The idea of a Colt 1911 replica initially came from Ed Denniston, CEO of Crosman in the late 1960s and preliminary design had been completed when Roger Molina and Denniston visited the US Army Infantry Training Center at Fort Benning in Georgia. The main purpose of the visit was to discuss the possible production by Crosman of a conversion kit for the M16 rifle which would allow it to fire BBs, ideal for training inexperienced troops destined for the conflict in Vietnam. During the visit discussions also covered an air pistol which could be used for training army personnel who would be using the Colt 1911. The US Army Training Center had evaluated the multi-shot Crosman 600 as a possible training weapon, but rejected it because it was just too different in use to the 1911. When the people from Crosman described the 1911 replica they had on the drawing board, the Army trainers seemed interested. Sensing that they might be able to achieve sales if they could produce a reliable, multi-shot air pistol which resembled the 1911, work on the development of what would become the Model 451 accelerated.

Like the Crosman 38 series of revolvers, the 451 was designed initially as a training tool which would replicate the feel and function of the original firearm as far as possible. The rear and top of the slide was a moveable part and some of the CO2 from the firing valve was used to push this backwards via a rod actuated by a nylon piston when the pistol was fired. This replicated the recoil effect of the cartridge firing weapon and cocked the hammer. As springs moved the slide forward, it also indexed the pellet carrier for the next shot, resulting in a true single-action trigger as on the 1911. However, early testing showed that the blowback system used more CO2 than was desirable. Prototype versions produced plenty of power, but gave only ten shots or less per 12g C02 cartridge. This was thought to be unacceptable both to potential army users and hobbyists. Power was therefore reduced to improve CO2 consumption, but production versions still only managed between 15 and 20 shots per CO2 with pellets leaving the barrel at around 300fps.

Despite these issues, some people within Crosman were still confident that the 451 would be the best selling air pistol the company had ever produced. In addition to possible interest from the US Army, it was known that air pistol shooters in the US and elsewhere would be very interested in a reliable multi-shot air pistol which was also a replica of a well-known semi-auto firearm. Although the Army had not made a decision to use the 451 for training, the decision to commercially launch the 451 was taken in 1967 and work began on producing the tooling required to produce this model in large numbers in the Crosman factory in Fairport, NY.

However, in addition to the relatively poor CO2 consumption, testing of the 451 also revealed recurring problems with pellets jamming in the barrel, particularly after power was further reduced to improve CO2 consumption. The Crosman Engineering Department claimed that these problems had been addressed, but other people within the company felt that the 451 was not sufficiently developed to be ready for commercial sales. Sadly, the pessimists proved to be right. When the 451 was launched, jamming soon proved to be a major headache. Large numbers of 451s were returned to Crosman Service Stations across the US because of pellets jammed in the barrel. The problem was so serious, particularly when it involved a double jam of two pellets, that these often had to be returned to the factory for repair or replacement. In response, Crosman tightened quality control checking on the 451 in late 1969, but this led to a rejection rate of around 50%.

Unsurprisingly, the US Army showed little interest when the 451 proved to be unreliable. Added to this, poor commercial sales, loss of revenue through returned 451s and the unacceptably high QA rejection rate meant that instead of being a best-seller, the 451 was a commercial disaster in which Crosman failed to re-coup the high costs of design and development. After just twelve months of production, the 451 was quietly dropped from the Crosman range. It has been suggested that the large amount of money fruitlessly poured into development and production of the 451 was a factor in the losses which led to the sale of Crosman to British company Bagnor Punta in 1970.

Production

The 451 had a very short production run compared to most Crosman replicas. The Model 451 “GI 45” Auto Repeater was introduced in 1969 to a fanfare of publicity: “The most asked for pistol by our customers“, “Another Crosman pace-setter“, “Superbly crafted in the tradition of fine gun making“, “As sleek and beautiful as its famous firearm counterpart!“. However, “sleek” and “beautiful” weren’t the words which most potential buyers used to describe the rather bulbous and ungainly looking 451. Worse still, although it represented technical innovation, it was unreliable in use.

In addition to jamming, the other main problem was the hammer, which was made from sintered steel and was simply too brittle to withstand the forces acting through it. Hammers cracked regularly, and if this happened the hammer could not be repaired by welding or brazing because of the material from which it was made. It has been suggested that if the 451 had been produced with a steel hammer, many failures could have been avoided and it might have proved more popular. We’ll never know if this might have been true because the 451 retained its fragile sintered steel hammer throughout its production life. The 451 also suffered from premature wear of the nylon piston which actuated the slide. If this wore, CO2 leaked and the slide eventually stopped working entirely. Added to these problems was comparatively high C02 usage (15 -20 shots per CO2 for the 451 compared to 30-35 for the Crosman 600 and anything from 40 – 70 shots per CO2 for the 38 series revolvers). No wonder that buyers in 1969 were reluctant to buy the 451 – it has been claimed that it would actually have been cheaper to shoot a cartridge firing 1911 in 1970 than to use the CO2 gobbling 451!

By the end of 1970, all sales of the 451 had ended. Like many aspects of the 451, no-one is completely certain how many were made during its short production life though most estimates agree on somewhere in the region of 10,000.

Design

The Model 451 is a hefty, all-metal replica (only the grips are plastic) which is close in weight to the Colt 1911 which it resembles. The metal used is mostly cast alloy and sintered steel (though some internal parts such as the rifled barrel are steel) with a painted black finish and brown, wood effect grips. Pellets are loaded into a six shot rotary carrier which is located horizontally in the top of the slide above the trigger and causes the odd bulge in the profile of the 451. However, unlike most modern replicas which use a vertically mounted, removable rotary carrier, on the 451 the rotary carrier is fixed in place and has pellet chambers cast into its circumference. To load the 451, .22″ pellets must be pressed into each of these chambers, skirt first. To load pellets, the magazine cover button must be pushed forward which moves the slide to the rear and reveals one pellet chamber in a recess on the right side of the pistol. A pellet is pushed into this chamber and then the pellet carrier is rotated manually using a grooved thumbwheel to expose the next chamber. You must do this six times to fully load the 451. Once done, the magazine cover button is moved to the rear which moves the slide forward and the magazine cover button then masks the open pellet chamber.

Magazine cover button forward, slide moved to the rear and pellet chamber exposed for loading

CO2 is retained in the grip and tightened and pierced using the rather unsightly knurled knob in the base of the grip. Just as on the 38 revolvers, the right hand grip (which must be removed to load CO2) is retained by a spring steel clip, one leg of which attaches to the CO2 cartridge. So, the right hand grip cannot be attached unless a CO2 cartridge is in place.

The hammer must be manually cocked for the first shot – like the 1911, the 451 does not have a double action trigger. The 451 fires when the hammer strikes the firing valve. A charge of gas is then sent up the hollow tube which also forms the spindle on which the rotary pellet carrier rotates. This gas is directed towards the pellet chamber opposite the barrel, firing the pistol. The blowback action is snappy, fast and fairly strong and this is (as far as I am aware) the only pellet shooting semi-auto replica which uses blowback action to cock the hammer and index the next pellet for shooting (most current pellet shooting replicas use blowback only to cock the hammer). This provides a very light, short, single action trigger.

No manual safety is provided. Instead a hammer safety is used. To engage this, the hammer is pulled back from rest until the first click is heard (approximately ⅛”), or carefully lowered from the full cock position. With the hammer in this half-cock position the pistol cannot be fired and is claimed to be drop safe.

Operation

Using the 451 is a mix of good and bad. CO2 loading is simple and works well. Turning the CO2 loading knob anticlockwise lowers the whole bottom part of the grip. With a CO2 cartridge in place, turning the knob tightens and pierces without major loss of gas. Loading pellets however is a pain. It’s fiddly to accurately seat a pellet in the single, recessed visible chamber if you have large man fingers and you must do this six times to fully load the pistol.

When it’s finally loaded, shooting the 451 is fun. The blowback action gives a delightfully light (around 6lbs), short and consistent trigger action. A well maintained 451 will shoot at around 300fps and you can expect groups of 1″ at six yards. The fully adjustable rear sight (adjusted using slotted screws on the right side and top of the sight) means that the point of aim and point of impact can be set to coincide at your preferred shooting range. The 451 fires with a loud bang and blowback is strong and snappy. Despite Crosman claims that it should be used only with their “Super Pells“, the 451 works well with almost any type of .22” pellet.

CO2 consumption isn’t great. Depending on temperature you can expect anything from 15 – 20 full power shots from a single CO2 (though some users report that 25 – 30 shots are possible). That means you may not even get three full loads from a single CO2. High CO2 consumption also contributes to one of the major problems with the 451 – pellet jamming. As CO2 pressure falls, it’s possible for a pellet to become jammed in the barrel. With the light trigger on the 451, you can fire six shots very quickly indeed. If you fail to notice that a pellet is jammed in the barrel and fire again, you may get the dreaded double jam where two pellets are stuck in the barrel. This can be difficult to clear and, if one of the pellets sticks between the rotary carrier and the barrel, the entire action can be locked, making it even more difficult to remove the jammed pellets. Crosman correctly identified jamming as a potential problem on the 451 before launch. A rod intended to remove jammed pellets was included with the 451 and if you read the Crosman manual for the 451 it’s notable that almost one whole page of the four page manual is devoted to how to clear jammed pellets. If you are shooting a 451 it’s important to take the time to be sure that a pellet leaves the barrel each time you shoot if you are to avoid a double jam.

Early publicity for the 451. Which makes you wonder if someone in Crosman had a rather sneaky sense of humour – “fool proof, jam proof shooting fun” was one thing the 451 was almost guaranteed not to provide.

Buying a 451

If you’d like a 451 for your collection, the first problem will be finding one. Only around 10,000 were made almost fifty years ago, and it’s probably safe to assume that many of these were either returned to Crosman due to immovably jammed pellets or quickly destroyed by enthusiastic but inexperienced users unfamiliar with blowback semi-auto replicas. Inherent weaknesses such as the fragile hammer and wear to the nylon actuating piston have accounted for many more over the years, so there just aren’t many working examples still around. This means two things: prices tend to be high due to scarcity and spares are almost impossible to find – the limited numbers still in existence mean that it just isn’t worth any service company setting up tooling to produce parts for the 451.

The finish on this well used 451 is far from perfect. It’s still worth more than just about any modern replica though.

If you can find a working 451 in good condition, you can expect to pay anything from 400 – 600 dollars in the US and Canada (the main markets where the 451 was sold) and 400 -500 pounds in the UK. That’s a lot of money for an elderly air pistol with known reliability issues. So, why would you want one? Well, it’s still the only pellet shooting blowback semi-auto replica with a true single action trigger for one thing. It’s also accurate and satisfying to shoot and it’s one of the most collectable Crosman replica air pistols, so you are unlikely to lose money if you keep it working. But that’s the main problem here. The fragile sintered steel used for the hammer will probably be even more brittle almost fifty years after it was cast. If the hammer on your 451 cracks or breaks, there’s not a great deal you can do other than try to find someone willing to make you a new hammer out of steel, not an easy or inexpensive job.

The risk of experiencing a difficult to clear double pellet jam is also just as high now as it was in 1969. Well used 451s also suffer from a cocking problem where the slide fails to fully cock the hammer (though you can still do this manually). Finally, the rear sight, which moves as the rear part of the slide retracts, can shear off. So, do you risk shooting your precious and expensive 451, knowing that it may suffer terminal damage? But, if you can’t shoot it, why would you want to own one? After all, part of the fun of owning replica pistols is actually shooting them. While other vintage Crosman air pistols like the 600 and the 38 revolvers go on providing a reliable and satisfying shooting experience year after year, the same can’t be said for the fragile 451.

Find one as good as this and you’ll be doing well. You’re still likely to need that clearing rod though…

The Crosman 451 was an ambitious attempt to produce a functional replica of a semi-auto pistol. However, in many ways it was ahead of its time, or at least ahead of materials and engineering technology available in 1969. Twenty-five years later, Umarex produced the Walther CP88 and proved that the concept of a revolving pellet carrier, dressed up in alloy castings to look like a semi-auto firearm, could produce a reliable, powerful and accurate air pistol. The 451 was also one of the first (or perhaps the first?) CO2 powered replica pistol to use blowback to mimic the function of a moving slide. This was a bold experiment, but one that was poorly developed and executed and it proved to be a commercial disaster for Crosman.

I can understand why you’d want one of these in your collection. It represents a level of innovation that’s rarely seem in any branch of commercial engineering. But the 451 failed in 1970 because it was expensive, complex and unreliable and suffered from basic design flaws. All these things are still true today, compounded by the wear and deterioration which affect any older replica air pistol. If you’re happy to own an air pistol mainly for display and very occasional use or if you just want to complete your Crosman replica pistol collection, you may be prepared to pay the going rate for a 451. However, if you want a vintage air pistol which you can also enjoy shooting without worrying that it will self-destruct, you may want to spend your money on something other than Crosman’s quirky Model 451.

Classic replica air pistol review: Crosman Wild West revolvers

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Classic replica air pistol review: Crosman Wild West revolvers

November 2, 2016 by Stevemac in Classic Replica Air Pistol Review and tagged 1861, 36, 44, 45, 6, action, army, colt, crosman, featured, frontier, hahn, homepromo1, peacemaker, repair, replica, review, revolver, sa6, shiloh, single, west, western, wild | Leave a comment

In 1958 Crosman produced their first Colt Single Action Army replica. They were so nervous about the reception the new pistol might receive that they created a new company just to sell the gun, so that if it flopped, the Crosman name wouldn’t be tainted by association. In the event, it was a huge success and over the next twenty-five years Crosman went on to sell very large numbers of a range of Wild West revolver replicas while establishing themselves as a leading player in the replica air gun market. But, are the Crosman Wild West revolvers actually any good?

Background

In the 1950s, America went Wild West crazy. There had always been an interest in the frontier period, but television, books and movies about the Wild West and its characters suddenly seemed to be everywhere. By 1959, there were more than 30 Western series on prime-time US television every week and seven out of the top ten rated shows were Westerns (Gunsmoke ran for more than 20 years, longer than any previous prime-time drama series). Movies also made extensive use of the Wild West setting. To name just a few of the best from this decade: The Gunfighter, (1950), Only the Valiant (1951), High Noon (1952), Shane (1953), River of No Return (1954), The Far Country (1955), The Searchers (1956), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), The Big Country (1958), Rio Bravo (1959) and The Alamo (1960).

Many theories have been put forward to explain the sudden interest in the old West. Most consider the growing uncertainties and fears of Communism and the burgeoning cold war and have suggested that this promoted nostalgia for a period when good and bad appeared to more clearly defined. Whatever the reason, interest in the Wild West spread outside the borders of America and there could hardly have been a small boy in the English speaking world and beyond who didn’t play Cowboys and Indians at some point in the 1950s and 60s. As part of this fascination, one gun came to be associated with the period more than any other: The Colt Single Action Army revolver. Colt had ended production of the SAA in 1940 after a sixty-seven year production run, but such was the interest in all things Western that it was re-introduced in 1956.

The Crosman Arms Company Inc. (later to become Crosman Air Guns) was founded in 1925 by members of the Crosman family, who also owned the large and very successful Crosman Seed Company. Crosman produced several moderately successful pneumatic pump air rifles, but the effects of the Great depression limited sales and by 1940 the company had just six employees. The flamboyant and mercurial entrepreneur Philip Y. Hahn (who was related by marriage to the Crosman family) had been involved from the beginning, but left in 1930 following disagreements over the direction the company should take. However, in 1940, Hahn bought the company from the Crosman family for just five thousand dollars and set out to revitalise its range. Sales were slow during World War Two, but in the post-war years Hahn identified a growing market for recreational target shooting airguns, especially models using the new compressed CO2 cartridges. The interest in the Wild West in the 50s prompted Hahn to consider the production of replicas of guns from that period (Crosman hadn’t produced any air guns which were replicas of firearms until then), using zinc alloy die-cast mouldings, powered by 12g CO2 cartridges and shooting BBs (all previous Crosman guns had been pellet shooters).

Crosman had previously produced only high quality, powerful pellet shooting air guns, and there was a degree of nervousness in the company about an association with what some people might see as more toy-like BB shooters. To avoid possible problems, it was decided to market the new Wild West replicas under a different company name, and the P. Y. Hahn Mfg. Co. Inc. was established specifically to produce and sell the new BB shooting Hahn “45” revolver and the Model 166 repeating rifle.

Hahn “45” Revolver (1958 – 1970)

Advertisement for the Hahn “45” from the May 1959 edition of Popular Mechanics

The Hahn “45” was a full-size replica of the Colt Single Action Army made from die cast zinc alloy and it weighed and balanced almost exactly like the original. The firing valve and CO2 seat remained fixed in place inside the cylinder, but the outer metal part of the cylinder revolved to bring each BB in line with the barrel. A CO2 cartridge was stored under the barrel and tightened by turning a thumb wheel under the front of the barrel. Piercing was done by firing a single shot. The Hahn “45” stored up to 18, 4.5mm BBs (six in the cylinder chambers and twelve in a spring-fed tubular magazine). A rather flimsy black plastic cover was used to conceal the CO2 cartridge, and these were often quickly lost or broken. The trigger was single action only and the hammer had a half-cock position, just like the original pistol. Grips were plastic but provided in a distinctive imitation staghorn finish.

Hahn used extensive advertising to promote the 45, including appearances by Dee Woolem, the National Fast Draw Pistol Champion and self-proclaimed “fastest gun alive“. The Hahn “45” was an immediate and spectacular success and Hahn went on to offer a high-quality leather cowboy style rig incorporating a pouch for CO2 cartridges to promote the use of the new replica in increasingly popular fast-draw competitions.

Dee Woolem demonstrates his fast-draw action

When it became apparent that the new replica wasn’t going to be an embarrassment to Crosman, it was sold under Crosman branding between 1963 and 1970 as the “Crosman 45“. Although provided in Crosman packaging, the Crosman 45 is identical to the original Hahn “45” and even includes “P. Y. Hahn Mfg. Co. Inc” text on the castings.

Crosman Single Action 6 (1959 – 1969)

Following the success of the BB shooting Hahn “45”, Crosman released a .22″ pellet shooting version, the Single Action 6 (SA6) within a year. Concerns about linking the Crosman name with a replica had obviously disappeared and the SA6 was identified as a Crosman product from the start. The SA6 is mechanically similar to the Hahn “45”, and uses some of the same castings and internal parts though is does not have the spring fed magazine for additional rounds. Instead, up to six pellets are loaded one at a time, skirt first into the front of the cylinder through an opening on the right side of the frame. Pellets are retained in the cylinders by a spring which runs round the inside of the revolving part of the cylinder. The SA6 has a 4.25″ rifled barrel and is a weighty, well balanced pistol and was provided with black or white imitation staghorn grips. Four different versions of the SA6 were produced during its ten year production run, but the differences are minor and mainly involve changes in markings.

Crosman Peacemaker 44 .22″ (1970 – 1976)

The Crosman Peacemaker 44 in .22″ calibre is mechanically virtually identical to the SA6, though it is claimed to be less powerful. The principal visual difference is that brown, wood-effect plastic grips have replaced the imitation staghorn versions on the SA6. The Peacemaker 44 is of all-metal construction and is still a weighty pistol, though many people feel that the quality of fit and finish is not as good as seen on the SA6. Three different types of Peacemaker 44 were made between 1970 – 1976, but the differences are minor and mainly involve changes in markings.

This picture shows my .22″ Peacemaker 44 after restoration. As on many examples, the flimsy plastic CO2 cover has been lost at some point and I painted a few CO2 cartridges black to use with this replica.

Crosman Frontier 36 (1970 – 1975)

The Crosman Frontier 36 is essentially a Crosman rebranding of the original BB shooting Hahn “45”, with some detail changes and price cutting measures. For example, the hammer no longer has a half-cock position, grips are brown, wood-effect plastic and this version is less powerful than the original. Otherwise, the Frontier 36 is functionally identical to the Hahn “45”. On some versions, the hammer and trigger are polished rather than the more common black.

Crosman Peacemaker 44 .177″ (1976 – 1981)

The Peacemaker 44, .177″ is similar in construction to the previous .22 version, except that it has a plastic outer cylinder. This plus some other detail changes make it much lighter than the .22″version. On some versions, the left grip includes a gold coloured Crosman medallion.

Crosman Model 1861 Shiloh (1981 – 1983)

The Crosman Model 1861 Shiloh is a replica of the Remington Model 1861 Army revolver. While it’s visually similar to the original, it isn’t as close a replica as the other Crosman Wild West revolvers are to the Colt SAA. It also introduces some new features. The Model 1861 is the first of this series of Crosman replicas to feature a manual safety, with a crossbolt type safety below the cylinder. The CO2 cover is a hinged section underneath the barrel, in the position occupied by the loading lever on the original firearm. The CO2 tightening screw beneath the barrel is much bigger on the Model 1861 and this replica is able to shoot both .177″ pellets and 4.5mm BBs. Finally, more parts are made of plastic on this replica including the CO2 cover and the cylinder. The sights on this replica are also similar to conventional notch and post sights, which helps to make this one of the most accurate of all the Crosman Western replicas.

Specifications

Function and shooting

I have owned three of these Crosman replicas: A Peacemaker 44 in .22″ calibre, a Peacemaker 44 in .177″ calibre and a Model 1861 Shiloh, so information on shooting and use are mainly based on my experience of these models.

A commonly held view is that the earliest of these Crosman Wild West replicas are the best in terms of fit, finish and power. My experience certainly seems to confirm this. My favourite was the oldest in my collection, the Peacemaker 44 in .22″ calibre. It felt sturdy, hefty, well-made and it was reasonably powerful and shot with a very satisfying bang. In contrast, the later Peacemaker 44 in .177″ and the Shiloh felt notably lighter and more “plasticky” and neither was particularly more powerful or accurate though both used less CO2.

The brass firing valve in all models is fixed in position and the outer cylinder (which holds the pellets and/or BBs) rotates round this. As the outer cylinder indexes it lines up one of six air galleries with the firing valve outlet. Each gallery leads to one of the pellet/BB seating areas in the front of the cylinder. It’s a simple layout (other than the stem seal on the firing pin, there are only three O rings in the whole CO2 system) and robust, though not especially efficient. The action is fairly simple with a leaf hammer spring and a coil trigger spring and the single action trigger pull is wonderful, one of the best I have come across in a replica. When buying any older replica, it’s sensible to assume that seals and O rings may need to be replaced and that some level of fettling may be required and the Crosman Wild West replicas are no different in this respect.

The sights on the original SAA are rudimentary and only visible when the hammer is cocked and they’re nicely replicated here. A V-shaped groove is cast into the rear upper frame and this can be lined up with the narrow front post. A bit. Sort of. Because of the sights, the Crosman Wild West replicas are never going to be tack drivers. And even if you could contrive some sort of mounting, you really don’t want to fit any of these with a red-dot or anything like that. Live with it. Jesse James did…

Loading CO2 is simple – just loosen the thumb screw under the front of the barrel, insert the CO2 and tighten. On my Peacemaker 44, .22″, the CO2 seal was an O ring inside the brass CO2 chamber which sealed against the shoulder of the CO2 cartridge. On the .177″ version and Shiloh the CO2 seal was a conventional face-seal. All sealed without leaks. Once tightened, the CO2 isn’t pierced until you cock the hammer and fire a shot. It’s best to do this without pellets loaded because the piercing shot is very low power, and you’ll likely end up with a pellet stuck in the barrel.

BB shooting versions are loaded by pouring BBs into the under-barrel, spring fed magazine. As the cylinder turns, these are fed into the chamber openings in the cylinder. Pellet shooting versions are loaded by turning the cylinder until one of the chambers lines up with the opening on the right side of the frame, in front of the cylinder. One pellet is then pushed into the chamber, skirt first, until it engages with the internal spring. Then the cylinder is turned and the next pellet loaded. Using chunky man-fingers to load the pellet shooters is a slow and cumbersome process which I found even more difficult with .177″ pellets – the larger .22″ items just seemed easier to load. The Shiloh can also be used to fire 4.5mm BBs which are loaded in the same way, though I have no idea why you’d want to do this given that shooting steel BBs through a rifled barrel is never going to give good accuracy and can actually damage the barrel.

Once you have CO2 and pellets/BBs in place you’re ready to fire. The hammer cocks with a smooth and satisfying “snick”, and the pistol nestles in your hand perfectly. You line up what pass for sights in the general direction of the target and pull the trigger (which is short, light, consistent and all-round great). The first thing you’ll notice is the sound. Early versions of these guns are loud. Really loud. Loud enough to leave your ears ringing after an extended shooting session. Personally, I like this. I have also owned a couple of Tanaka 6mm Colt SAA replicas. They were gorgeous – beautifully made and finished, but they lacked power and when you pulled the trigger, they went “fip“. When I pulled the trigger on my .22” Peacemaker it went “KA-BOOM“. I know which I prefer, but if your spouse, family, pets or neighbours object to sudden loud noises, you may want to consider carefully if you really want one of these.

Six shots, six yards, free-standing, Peacemaker 44, .22″

OK, so you have shot off six pellets, your startled cat has run up next-door’s tree and you can see your wife’s lips moving but you can hear only a low drone over the ringing sound in your ears (hmm, maybe I can live with that…). Then you look at the target. And you’re probably going to be a little bit disappointed. Because, despite their rifled barrels, none of the Crosman pellet shooting Wild West rplicas are especially accurate. My .22″ Peacemaker grouped at around 1½” – 2½” inches at six yards and my .177″ Peacemaker grouped closer to 3″ at the same range. My .177″ Shiloh was a little better, giving groups of around 1½”. Overall, no better than most BB shooters really. I have seen claims of much better accuracy with these replicas, so perhaps the barrels on the versions I owned were worn? All I can really say is that in my experience these are not particularly accurate and the basic and non-adjustable sights make things even worse.

Power is reasonable. On a chilly November day in Scotland, my .22″ Peacemaker chronoed at an average of 230fps for a six shot string. In the same conditions, my .177″ Peacemaker averaged at 290fps and the Shiloh at around 300fps. I believe that you can expect around 270-290fps from an SA6 in good condition and around 320-350fps for the Hahn “45” and the Frontier 36. CO2 consumption varies. My .22″ Peacemaker gave no more than 36 shots from a single CO2, with the last two notably losing power. The Shiloh and .177″ Peacemaker were a little better, with 40 – 50 shots per CO2 depending on temperature.

Reliability

Working on any of the Crosman SAA replicas is simple – four slotted screws hold the two halves of the cast body together – when these are removed and the pistol is laid in its left side, the right-hand casing can be lifted off, leaving the cylinder, valve, hammer, trigger and indexing mechanism in-situ.

The CO2 seating and firing valve in the Crosman Wild West replicas is an elegantly simple design. There is no pipework – everything is contained in a brass housing in the centre of the cylinder which remains static while the outer part of the cylinder revolves. There are only four seals in the whole design: one O ring seals the outlet part of the valve into the main body and another seals outlet tube into the body of the pistol. On early versions the CO2 seal is another O ring which seals against the neck of the CO2 cartridge, on later versions it’s a conventional face seal. Finally, there is a face-seal on the firing pin, contained within a brass housing. All O rings are easily replaced, though the face seals need more specialist equipment to replace and are best left to an experienced airgunsmith.

Metal outer cylinder and brass valve from my Peacemaker 44, .22″

The hammer spring is a steel leaf which can be placed in three alternative positions to vary tension. The trigger, hammer and indexing mechanism is also admirably simple, especially if compared to more modern revolver replicas.

Problems with these replicas are mainly related to age and use. O rings and face seals degrade and must be replaced. Hammer springs break or lose their elasticity and must be replaced. On the Peacemaker 44, .177″ and the Model 1861 Shiloh the plastic outer cylinder is prone to wear on the drive teeth which affects indexing and will eventually cause the pistol to fail altogether. All models benefit from lubrication of the trigger, indexing and hammer mechanisms.

Wear on the plastic cylinder drive teeth on a Shiloh

Overall, the Crosman Wild West replicas with metal cylinders are robust, well-made and well engineered. With regular lubrication and seal replacement, these will go on shooting almost indefinitely so there is no need to be put off by the idea of buying a replica that might be more than fifty years old. I would be a little more cautious about buying an example of the Peacemaker 44, .177″ and the Model 1861 Shiloh versions with plastic cylinders – the plastic indexing teeth on the cylinders can wear, and if this happens your replica won’t be much use other than as a wall decoration.

Conclusion

They don’t make ’em like this any more. No, really, they don’t! The early Crosman Wild West pistols are heavy, well-engineered, crude, loud, inaccurate and use more CO2 than you might expect. And they’re wonderful. They really do handle and balance like the original. If the sights are useless, well I guess that’s just how it was back in the old West. I think that most people would enjoy handling and shooting an SA6 or a Peacemaker 44 in .22″ calibre. I haven’t tried the Hahn “45”, but I believe that it’s similar too.

Polished SA6 with pearl grips. I want one of these!

The newer versions are more frugal with CO2, quieter and the Shiloh is certainly more accurate. However, I don’t really care for these new models so much. They’re generally much lighter than the early versions and use more plastic in their construction. Compared to my .22″ Peacemaker which I used regularly, my .177″ Peacemaker and Shiloh spent most of their time gathering dust at the back of the gun cabinet. In my opinion, the later versions don’t have the accuracy to compete with more modern pellet shooting replicas and lack the character and fun factor of the early all metal models.

So, find yourself a decent Hahn “45”, an SA6 or a .22″ Peacemaker 44 and one of those quick-draw rigs, set up a target featuring a mean hombre in a black hat and I think you’ll have plenty of fun.