KWA 1911 PTP Series/1911's

[beta678]

So I've been looking into acquiring a 1911 styled gbb while slowly building up the rest of my gear over the course of winter in prep for getting into airsoft next year once the weather warms up a bit.

I've been a to a couple of local retailers and got a chance to handle a few pistols and the 1911s seem to fit best in hand (on the fence for glocks, feels nice but not sure if I like it or not). I'm rather fond of Kimber styled 1911's so preferably, I'm looking to find a 1911 which has a similar appearance.

Anyways, I've stumbled upon KWA's PTP 1911's while perusing the internets and I've found very mixed reviews regarding them, so I thought I'd ask and see if anyone here could share their personal opinion/experience with them.

I know the NS2 gas system is efficient and KWA has been recommended to me but from what I've read their 1911's seems they're rather finicky when it comes to dry firing and tend to lose their firing pins in the process. This seems to be a bit of a turn off for me as I'm sure I'll dry fire it every once in a while, despite the fact that its not highly recommended for gbb's of any brand.

The other thing that concerns me is the limited access to parts and next to non aftermarket support.

The WE 1911 KB custom/B version, whatever it's actually called, appeals to me as well so I'm also considering it along with the KWA 1911 PTP but I've been told to stay away from WE's as they seem to be hit or miss when it comes to their gbb's. Despite the issues though, they seem to be more robust. The only concerns would be parts breaking but that happens with all gbb's so I'm not sure if its an actual concern or not.

I'm not really looking for a showpiece or pin point accuracy, just something to fill a holster and use for cqb ranges while relatively reliable (but that seems to be related to mags more than the gun itself). On the topic of mags, that's also another factor which I've considered as WE mags are about half as much as the KWA's. Don't want to spend an excessive amount on a secondary as they seem to spend more time in the holster than in use.

I haven't really looked at that many other 1911's on the market so I'm open to suggestions as well. I've read a few threads on here about the Army R28, a few hi-capas as well but that's pretty much it. Not too knowledgeable at the moment about whats out there.

Anyways, thanks again!

[cav.]

Ive got a KWA 1911 MK I, fielded it twice. Worked swell! Although the second time I fielded it, something broke that holds the spring on the thing that hits the knocker valve. Easy fix though, just gotta put a drill bit in place and it will never break again. They say don't dry fire, but I've read on the KWA forums it's going to break regardless, since it's a mighty small piece of metal

[QUATTROISKING]

Iv owned many gbbp the worst one by far is the kwa mk series. Mine was brand new and maintained very well.
Mags are expensive and it is extremely hard to load bbs do to the spring guide after 4-8 times loading bbs gets very stiff and almost unmovable. The guns hop up is a pos! After a mag it will spin by itself to 0 hop. The front sight fell of while gaming ( I'm very carful and tedious of my stuff) I would not recommend this gun! I exchanged it after all these problems at select Airsoft and the second one did the same shit except the front sight didn't fall off. After a week I sold it and hate kwa mk series pistoles.

[EchoFourTwelve]

Whoa, that's a serious horror story. I actually have had a POSITIVE experience with my KWA 1911 MKII. It's a used gun and the previous owner took pretty good care of it, it's solid, very true to form and is efficient on gas.It also loves and i mean LOVES .25-.3g bbs. With 0.2g bbs it's still very accurate. The only downside to it is the proprietary parts. With regard to customizability a TM clone would be the way to go. With regard to realism and accuracy KWA MK___.

[Styrak]

You seems to be only considering KWA or WE.

I suggest you consider KJW or if you have the money, TM makes the best one.

[beta678]

Wow, lots of helpful feedback, but it's starting to look like the KWA 1911's are more "hit or miss" prone than the other options out there (though atm KWA's got a lot of "misses").

cav., really enjoyed seeing your KWA 1911 in the 1911 thread, I didn't even consider the KWA's at all until I saw your post. Didn't like the ugly white KWA trades but once I realized I could have it blasted and powder coated I started looking into them a bit.

Styrak, I'm open to other brands but WE and KWA are the one's I've read up on the most up until this point. I've briefly looked at the KJW 1911 MEU (might have held it at one of the local shops around here but I can't remember) and its also one I'm considering as it seems to have rather positive reviews. Not too big a fan of the lower frame and the fact its wider at one point to accommodate co2 mags though. Would mean I can't really fit aftermarket grips without modifying or finding ones made specifically for it. That and I get the feeling the grip feels wider than other 1911's, not sure if its true though (weird minor things tend to irk me a bit). Anyone have a KJW 1911 and other brand 1911 to compare? If its not too bad I'd probably go the KJW route.

TM's are nice but I don't think I'd be going that route just due to the fact I'd prefer a full metal gun and I don't really want to bother spending the money on an aftermarket PGC or guarder kit. A few years back I'd have agreed with you about TM being the best, but with more companies coming out with rather decent guns at more competitive prices which perform at more or less the same level, stock TM guns seems somewhat average to me. Ofc, this is my personal opinion and I don't mean to start an argument about it, upgraded TM showpieces on the other hand are a different story. If I was looking to build a 1911 to showcase and not skirmish with I'd grab a TM and upgrade the heck outta it until it looks like one of the Kimber customs by Illusion or RacingManiac, definitely top of the line stuff.

Anyone care to suggest other 1911 brands or specific models I should look into? I think going with something TM compatible would be the smartest route as there's a lot of aftermarket support without needing to acquire a premium priced TM gbb.

[_Whiskey_]

I have 2 KJW 1911 MEU (KPO7) pistols and they are great bang for your buck in my opinion. I've shot WE,KWA and TM. I would go with KJW (TM is of course the best but rather pricey) they have good aftermarket parts and options (most TM upgrades fit a few don't) Plus the KJW will take CO2 or Green gas.Right out of the box. Plus the things are pretty tough, I totally smashed my first one and its still kicking and its bone stock no upgrades.

[Styrak]

beta, the grips are not widened for CO2, it is just the opening at the bottom of the grip. They are the same size as a standard 1911 grip.

As for WE, that would probably be the last 1911 I would recommend. Actually I wouldn't recommend one at all.

Originally Posted by beta678

TM's are nice but I don't think I'd be going that route just due to the fact I'd prefer a full metal gun and I don't really want to bother spending the money on an aftermarket PGC or guarder kit. A few years back I'd have agreed with you about TM being the best, but with more companies coming out with rather decent guns at more competitive prices which perform at more or less the same level, stock TM guns seems somewhat average to me.

If you want a performer that you can game and has amazing accuracy, reliability, and crispness, get a TM. If you want a showpiece that sits on your wall or one that you just rack every once in a while for the sound, get a full metal.

There is no better performing pistol with the reliability and accuracy than a stock TM pistol. (This is not opinion, most would consider this a fact)

[HackD]

I have a KWA PTP MkIII .. only gamed it once, and plinked around the HackD Killhaus, so no real comprehensive reports on offer.

Ergonomically speaking - it's the best one out of a couple others that i have, in terms of the grip and hand size/wrist angle positioning - KJW M9 and P229, and a POS out of the box WE 3.8 hicapa. However, physically it is also the largest of my collection, and the most front-weighted bias. I've got the paws and wrists of an anorexic 10 year old girl, so while the slim grip makes for a firm grip, the 1911 pistol is like a Mk23 in the grip of someone else's normally proportioned hand.

No reliability issues so far - it's definitely more gas-efficient than my two KJW's. Great kick-back. It hits a consistent 330fps on propane, and shoots laser-beam accurate - no fliers observed so far.

For the price that i paid for mine (new, $170.00), i have no complaints whatsoever. It ain't an Illusion Custom.. but it ain't a WE either.

[beta678]

Originally Posted by Styrak

beta, the grips are not widened for CO2, it is just the opening at the bottom of the grip. They are the same size as a standard 1911 grip.

Good to know, though aftermarket grip fitment will be a bit of an annoyance still.

There is no better performing pistol with the reliability and accuracy than a stock TM pistol. (This is not opinion, most would consider this a fact)

Perhaps I worded myself incorrectly, TM isn't the best value for what I'm looking for at the moment and factoring in the cost of a TM in Canada, I don't consider it the best. I don't doubt I'll be acquiring one further down the line but at the moment I don't particularly need a TM.

This blog post here by one of the local players pretty much sums up what I think about sidearms and why I wouldn't consider getting a TM right now. As long as I get something that looks good and can send bb's 20-30 feet out with relative accuracy I'm satisfied.

http://overhoppers.wordpress.com/201...ngs-sidearmsi/

At this point I'm not really considering KWA's 1911 series as much just due to the fact it hasn't been designed well or has been "designed to fail". A KJW/Socom gear MEU seems to be the best bet.

As for WE, that would probably be the last 1911 I would recommend. Actually I wouldn't recommend one at all.

Out of curiosity, why is this so? Is it due to its longevity? I see a lot of WE bashing but not a lot of follow up on why. I've been through numerous forums and either they love WE or hate WE. Either they're robust as hell or breakage prone but that applies to every brand as we can see in this thread with the KWA's. I've read about issues with internal parts breaking but seeing as its largely TM compatible parts wise (correct me if I'm wrong) wouldn't swapping breakage prone parts resolve those issues?

I know early WE products were apparently crap but I've been seeing a number of threads saying WE's been coming out with better stuff lately.

I'm not stuck on WE or any brand for that matter, pretty open minded but would like to know whats up with their products as I'm still a noob when it comes to these things.

P.S., HackD you just posted while I was in the midst of writing this, now I really don't know what to think about the KWA's... haha

P.S.S., If you guys haven't noticed it by now, I tend to write a lot and ask a ton of questions, someone stop me if I start citing stuff... lol

[HackD]

Originally Posted by beta678

Out of curiosity, why is this so? Is it due to its longevity? I see a lot of WE bashing but not a lot of follow up on why. I've been through numerous forums and either they love WE or hate WE. Either they're robust as hell or breakage prone but that applies to every brand as we can see in this thread with the KWA's. I've read about issues with internal parts breaking but seeing as its largely TM compatible parts wise (correct me if I'm wrong) wouldn't swapping breakage prone parts resolve those issues?

I know early WE products were apparently crap but I've been seeing a number of threads saying WE's been coming out with better stuff lately.

I'm not stuck on WE or any brand for that matter, pretty open minded but would like to know whats up with their products as I'm still a noob when it comes to these things.

My only experience thus far with WE is with a 3.8 hicapa. As such, it's purely a subjective opinion.

I got it in a trade for an item i wanted hanging around, even less. new in box, along with an imploded (many) parts gun. The ambi-safety was separated, just sitting in the box. It looks cheap. It is cheap, at least as compared to my KJWs/KWA. It'd be pretty much more accurate, if i were to physically throw it at someone.

I knew of the guns rep before trading something else that was pretty much useless to me.. i wasn't disappointed.

Maybe WE has improved, in rebranding to WEi? or WeTech, or whatever they are going by now. Hopefully it is something more than just a cosmetic corporate re-branding. I'm not totally up on that topic.

Originally Posted by beta678

P.S., HackD you just posted while I was in the midst of writing this, now I really don't know what to think about the KWA's... haha

Again, I'm relatively unsophisticated, and inexperienced as far as the KWA's go.. all i know, is that it meets my expectations, given my investment in it. It hasn't gone South.. yet.

[Strelok]

WE makes an alright GBBR, but I wouldn't bother with their handgun lines for the life of me. If you get one that actually manages to last, which there are apparently. You should be set. But I've experienced nothing but problems with the brand and have lost my patience with them a long time ago.

They have very low standards as far as QC goes, and most of their handguns have little to no aftermarket support unless its a generic HiCapa or some shit like that. If you're going to buy an M1911, buy KJW at the least. WE will be a waste of money and time.

[K3vX]

WE. A brand that makes cheap (price) pistols that can be easily obtained, compared to the more expensive alternative. They have much less aftermarket should something break, and they tend to break often.

A sidearm is a weapon that should only be brought up and shot when your sidearm failed, is empty, or cannot be used in the present time. It should be THE MOST reliable weapon in your arsenal, since it's *sole* purpose is to work when the main weapon isn't working.

And from what I've seen on the field, from the complains I've seen everywhere, and for other reasons mentioned above like the lack of quality control, *I* don't want to rely on a WE pistol.

Get a KWA, it'll most likely work, and if it doesn't, you'll know before on the field, and will solve the issue through the availability of replacement parts and support from KWA themselves (for example, the KWA help desk/forum and the Pro shop).

Or get a KJW, more chance of not working right, but if it works, it works for good and if doesn't, they are mostly compatible with TM stuff, or you can contact KJW and get replacement parts.

[_Whiskey_]

Go KJW if you don't go KWA. They take most TM parts and they are way better that WE.

[beta678]

Well from all the feedback I've gotten looks like I'll most likely be going the KJW route for the 1911 but no promises lol (I'm indecisive as hell when it comes to these things). I'm not quite comfortable with KWA's 1911 MK series largely due to the stories about the impact pin going MIA and lack of aftermarket support but its still a tempting choice.

Alternatively, I might go with a different sidearm model completely. I really want to avoid WE as I've been avidly inform of their short comings but the WE M&P9 has peaked my interest somewhat.

But thanks for everyone's input, really appreciate the help and advice I've been getting. I'll post an update on what I decide to go with when I do decide what to get and a mini review as well (don't be surprised if its not anything mentioned in this thread though lol).