Review: KWA M9 PTP

[Colin_S]

I recently received a KWA M9 PTP (Professional Training Pistol) so I figure I’d write a quick review on it. According to KWA the M9 PTP has been totally redesigned for better gas efficiency and reliability but since I do not have access to a first generation KWA M9, I can’t do a direct comparison. The gun is suppose to be a 1:1 copy of the real M9 and weighs in at ~1kg, one nice feature is that the weight is not all in the mag and it’s pretty well distributed. Click on the thumbnails for higher res pictures.

In typical KWA fashion, the gun is devoid of trademarks but that’s normal. The M9 PTP comes with a hefty metal receiver and slide but the outer barrel is plastic. The colour of the receiver is very slight matte brownish, the slide is a flat black and the outer barrel is matte flat black. The combination may bother some, but I don’t care much.

On the err left hand side of the gun there’s the slide starting at the top right is the safety switch, there’s the slide lock, slide/barrel lock, trigger and mag catch button. On the right side we find the other side of the ambidextrous safety switch and a button (just below the circle near the middle of the gun) which needs to be depressed to disengage the slide/barrel lock.

As with all other GBB’s when the gun is empty the slide locks back, pop in a new mag, flick the slide lock down and you’re ready to rock and roll. The KWA M9 PTP is a double action pistol which means you do not have to rack the slide or cock the hammer to fire (although your first shot will be dry because no BB is chambered). One nice feature of the M9 PTP that no other airsoft M9’s have is its functional safety decocker (I found out that KWA is full of shit here, older KSC/KWA M9s and WAs have working decockers too). If the hammer is locked back, flick the gun to safety and the hammer will jump back into the forward position.

To access the hopup pull the slide back and lock it into place, once that’s done you’ll need the hopup adjustment tool (the one that comes with all KSC/KWA GBBs). It’s fairly simple to do but of course that means if you want to adjust your hopup on the field, you’ll need to carry it with you and it’s small and easy to lose unfortunately.

Taking down the KWA M9 PTP is very easy simply eject the mag, press the button on the right side, turn the slide/barrel lock and the slide the whole assembly forwards. To take out the barrel first remove recoil rod and spring, slide the barrel forward a bit so everything clears the nozzle then pull backwards. The inner barrel and hopup assembly is held in place with a pin so you’ll have to remove that first to get the whole thing out. The inner barrel looks like a normal KSC/KWA as does the hopup rubber. I think after market rubbers (if they’re available) and regular after market KWA M9 inner barrels would be compatible but I don’t have any to test compatibility with. If you lost your hopup adjustment key, you can adjust it now with your fingers.

The iron sights are integrated into the pistol slide and are not adjustable but they’re very easy to use. The white dots make lining the gun up extremely fast and it’s possible to sight things with both eyes open.

Performance

Heh finally the good stuff... ;-) The blowback of the KWA M9 PTP is nice and crisp, although it’s not strong, there’s less recoil than with my wife’s KSC Glock 19. According to KWA the M9 PTP is suppose to fire at 325 fps with 0.2g BBs when using propane but my Guarder Speeder 2000 records a muzzle velocity of 360 fps ! With 0.25g the gun was shooting 350 fps and with 0.28g chronies 340 fps (same energy as ~400 fps with 0.2g!) GBBs are variable energy weapons which is why the heavier BBs have more energy. Results are similar to other M9 PTP reviews I've read. I don't have any duster to test with but I think the heavy slide and stiff recoil spring would be too much for that gas.

The KWA M9 PTP requires a custom mag (second generation M9 mag) and is not compatible with first generation magazines. The KWA M9 PTP mag holds 25 rounds and in my condo at ~20 degrees Celsius I can get 30 shots from each gas fill. Not exactly the best gas efficiency but I guess it uses a lot in order to get that high muzzle velocity. KWA touts this new fill valve which it claims prevents gas from escaping during fill up, personally I prefer the old TM/KSC design as you know when the mag is full. With this one, I try and listen till the propane tank stops making noise or leave it for five seconds.

It's about the same size as my TM M1911A1

I have yet to game with the gun so I cannot comment on its accuracy however KWA/KSC generally aren’t bad. I’m hoping that I can get its consistency up to TM levels but I guess that will have to wait for the spring outdoor season as the KWA M9 PTP fires too hard for TTAC3 (350 fps with 0.2g maximum). It’s new so there haven’t been any problems yet but when they arise I will be sure to post them. The KWA M9 PTP has a lot of potential, too bad I won’t be able to try it out till spring.

My friend who picked up the gun for me would prefer to remain anonymous so please don't ask where I got it, thanks!

[dontask]

awesome review colin, I really want one of those to compare with my KSC M9 1st gen (send one my way? )

the PTP seems to be only a marketing term used by KWA since KSC is only calling theirs the new version (also full metal)
from what I've read the only thing different from the old one is the blowback chamber and the new mag design
it's a shame they left the outer barrel plastic

just a note: WA M9's and the old KSC/KWA M9's are all capable of decocking too

360fps... wow that's amazing
but are you sure the sights are non-adjustable?

[Griffin]

You would be able to take the gun to TTAC3 just on the range and get good accuracy test done?.

[Colin_S]

Originally Posted by dontask

awesome review colin, I really want one of those to compare with my KSC M9 1st gen (send one my way? )

the PTP seems to be only a marketing term used by KWA since KSC is only calling theirs the new version (also full metal)
from what I've read the only thing different from the old one is the blowback chamber and the new mag design
it's a shame they left the outer barrel plastic

just a note: WA M9's and the old KSC/KWA M9's are all capable of decocking too

360fps... wow that's amazing
but are you sure the sights are non-adjustable?

Heh thanks, unfortunately I'm having a bit too much fun with the M9 PTP right now to send it to someone else but nice try.

Yeah I saw that KSC has a new version M9 but I'm not sure if it's exactly the same (although I think it is). Thanks for the info on the M9 decocking, lol I took KWA's word for it that it's the only company that does that.

Yep, the sights are not adjustable they're molded (dunno if that's the right term) into the slide.

Originally Posted by Griffin

You would be able to take the gun to TTAC3 just on the range and get good accuracy test done?.

I plan to but I'd like to see it in an outdoor environment before I comment on accuracy... With my old Hi Capa 5.1 and my TM 1911 I can hit static targets 100' away would like similar ranges to test with.

[Griffin]

Yes it truly looks like a beautiful gun and, has already set the wheels in motion.

[ancorp]

Thanks for the review, seems like a nice M9. Perhaps a video of the blowback in the near future?

FYI Western Arms' Berettas also have functional decockers.

[amano999]

I was never really a fan of the M9, but after holding Colins I have to say I was impressed. The balance and weight are really nice and for a stock gun it feels like allot of GBB that have allot of money in them.

[Griffin]

Well I thought I would email Mark to inquire about this gun, like I said wheels have been set in motion. He response and I hope he does not mind is he is going to order some soon.

[The Saint]

Any chance for an update on range and accuracy, Colin?

[Goldman]

Any chance on an update Colin?

[Colin_S]

Damn didn't notice your post The Saint, thanks for posting Goldman. Yes I have updates on this gun and I'll post them shortly, lol after I unpack and cleanup my stuff from Rawdon.

[Colin_S]

I wanted to post this earlier but have been very busy in the last few weeks. Anyway a reader (from my blog) emailed me earlier in the year about his KWA M9 PTP pistol, the wings which align the outer and inner barrel with nozzle broke on his gun and was wondering if I had heard of the same thing. At the time I didn’t but it looks like my KWA M9 PTP has suffered the same fate.

While the failure looks catastrophic, if I use a pin and push the remaining wing into place when putting the slide back on the gun does function just fine. Of course I’m not sure about any long term damage that may occur due to the cycling of the barrel being uneven. What makes the matter worse is my friend Mark's KWA M9 PTP and his gun failed in the exact same way.

From what I hear on the grape vine, this is an issue that affects first generation KWA M9 PTPs and has been resolved with second generation guns. Apparently if you email KWA, you can get the new generation replacement parts for $30 (free if it’s in the warranty period in the US but not for us Canadians). I haven't contacted KWA yet because I've been lazy and using my TM Hi Capa 5.1 more.

I plan on giving them a call shortly and will update everyone with my progress.

[mikecc]

i have a question do you have any extra magazines for the gun and if you do where did you buy them from?

[Disco_Dante]

I'll field this one if you don't mind Colin!

Well Mike, I can't say whether or not he has extra magazines, but based on the assumption, (A logical one at that) that he does, he probably bought them on the internet!

Also, your question was rather pointless, where else would he buy magazines for his pistol?

[gun runner]

If your looking for extra mags, try The War Store. I picked up 2 a couple of months ago. Paid $45.00 each plus shipping, got them with in a week. mags work great... As far as I've searched no one in Canada has them.