Comparison Umarex IWI MINI UZI vs Umarex MP5 K-PDW

Model of the combat pistol/revolver from which the product was copied.

Replicas of military weapons are very popular among air pistols; here you can find, in particular, models imitating Beretta M84, Colt M1911, IWI Mini Uzi, Jericho 941, various models of weapons from Smith & Wesson, as well as Makarov (PM), Tokarev (TT) and Stechkin (APS) pistols. Devices chambered for a blank cartridge (see “Type”) are also often copied from firearms, but in Flaubert’s revolvers the situation is different - most of them have a certain “average revolver” shape and design that is not related to a specific model of military weapon.

Copying such weapons from real firearms/revolvers has both aesthetic and very practical meaning. On the one hand, such models are popular among gun fans who, due to legal restrictions, cannot acquire a full-fledged short-barreled firearm. On the other hand, a pneumatic or starting copy often reproduces all the controls of the original, which allows them to be used effectively when training shooters. In addition, when designing “real” pistols, a lot of attention is paid to ergonomics and user friendliness. As a result, it also happens tha...t a copy of a real-life model also turns out to be preferable from the point of view of general convenience.

Regarding starting pistols, it is also worth noting that their caliber does not always correspond to the caliber of the combat prototype. A typical example is the Desert Eagle: the original pistols come in calibers ranging from .357 Magnum to .50 AE, while replicas of this pistol typically use the traditional 9mm blank cartridge. In this case, this is more of an advantage than a disadvantage: 9 mm flash-noise cartridges are ubiquitous, while similar ammunition in larger calibers is not easy to find.

The working length of the barrel installed in the pistol / revolver is from the chamber to the muzzle. In airsoft models (primarily AEGs, see "Type"), the length of the inner barrel is indicated, along which the bullet directly moves. Three main points directly depend on this parameter: the initial velocity of the bullet, the length of the aiming line and the dimensions of the weapon.

In short-barreled (up to 20 – 25 cm) pneumatics and Flaubert's revolvers, a long barrel allows you to achieve higher initial speeds. However there is no rigid dependence here, and models with the same barrel sizes can differ markedly in initial speed (especially since the latter also depends on a number of parameters, primarily the principle of operation — see "Type"). However, long-barreled pistols are generally better for long-range shooting than short-barreled pistols. This is due to the second nuance — the length of the sighting line: a long barrel allows you to increase the distance between the front sight and the whole, thereby reducing errors in aiming. However, with regard to dimensions, the increase in the length of the barrel not only makes the weapon more cumbersome, but also worsens its balance, since the centre of gravity shifts forward because of this.

There are a couple more nuances associated with this indicator. So, in copies of combat pistols (see above), the barrel length is selected in accordance with the size of the weapon from which this model wa...s copied. And for products chambered for a blank cartridge (see "Type"), this parameter is not indicated at all, since there is virtually no full-fledged barrel in such pistols.

The cocking system provided in the weapon - that is, the method of transferring its mechanism to the position of readiness to fire.

This parameter is relevant mainly for classic pneumatics; here you can find pistols with automatic cocking, barrel fracture, as well as bolt and trigger systems. Almost all weapons chambered for Flaubert and blank cartridges (see "Type") are auto-cocked, as an exception, there are individual trigger models. And the features of various systems are as follows:

- Autoplatoon. Systems that provide for automatic cocking of weapons before each shot; in other words, with such a pistol, the shooter does not need to perform any additional actions to cock the weapon. The advantages of such systems are obvious - they make shooting as simple and convenient as possible. So it is this option that is most popular in modern short-barreled pneumatics; other cocking systems are used mainly where they are indispensable for structural reasons. However, it should be borne in mind that the features of the auto-cocking may be different, depending on the type and form factor of the weapon (see above for both). So, blow-back pistols (see below) and AEG-type models usually have auto-cocking in the full sense of the word - that is, for each shot, it is enough to press the trigger, and the trigger pull remains unchan...ged and rather low. However, for the first shot in such pistols, it may be necessary to cock the hammer or even move the bolt. In revolvers, automatic winding usually means the so-called double-action mechanism, where the cocking of the trigger (and turning the drum) is carried out by the muscular strength of the shooter when the trigger is pressed. This format of work requires significant effort on the trigger, so most of these revolvers allow you to cock the trigger separately; there are also pistols without blow-back with this feature. And for compression and multi-compression models, auto-cocking is indicated if the pistol mechanism is cocked right during the inflation process; in such a weapon, you still cannot do without “extra movements” between shots.

- Shutter. Systems that provide for manual cocking before each shot using a bolt. They are found mainly in two types of air pistols. The first type is most PCP pneumatics. In such models, the shutter has the form of a separate handle or lever; in multi-shot models, due to its movement, the next charge from the magazine is fed into the barrel, in single-shot models, the chamber opens and closes, allowing you to load the weapon. Thanks to this format of operation, the number of parts that move in the weapon at the time of the shot is reduced to an absolute minimum, which in turn reduces shock - an important advantage, given that PCP pistols are used mainly in sports precision shooting. The second type of pistols with this cocking system are spring-piston models. At the same time, in classic pneumatics of 4.5 mm caliber, the role of the shutter is usually performed by a lever, such weapons are usually made single-shot and have an original design; and airsoft models of 6 mm caliber copy combat pistols and the platoon in them is carried out in a similar way - by moving the casing-bolt (bolt frame) back and forth.

- Fracture of the trunk. A cocking method found exclusively in spring-piston models (see "Type"). The barrel in such pistols is mounted on a swivel mount and turns down when cocked, due to which the weapon literally “breaks” in half (hence the name). In this case, the piston becomes cocked, and the chamber opens for reloading (such weapons are made only single-shot). Breakthrough models are simple, inexpensive, easy to handle and require a minimum of skill, making them suitable even for beginner shooters. On the other hand, it makes no sense to make such weapons multiply charged, and the barrel mount can become loose as it wears. It is also worth noting that the barrel in the “breaks” should be quite long - otherwise the cocking force would be too high for normal work with the weapon. This nuance can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on the planned use of the pistol.

— Kurkovy. Systems in which the hammer must be manually cocked before each shot. Quite a rare option; found, in particular, in individual pistols, where auto-cocking was abandoned for the sake of reducing cost and / or simplifying the design, as well as some miniature revolvers, where the size of the weapon did not allow for a full-fledged double-action mechanism (auto-cocking).

The capacity of the magazine provided with the pistol, or the drum installed in the revolver (see "Form factor"). For obvious reasons, it is indicated only for multiply charged models (see "Charging capacity").

Repeatingly charged air pistols / revolvers are conditionally divided into models with magazines up to 15 charges and more than 15 charges. The largest capacity here is airsoft AEGs (see "Type"), copying submachine guns — they are not uncommon in stores for 50 balls or more, and as additional accessories for many models, so-called "bunkers" are produced, where the number there are already hundreds of charges. As for traditional pneumatics, it is worth noting that if the pistol is designed for bullets and balls at the same time (see "Type of ammunition"), then the capacity when using different types of charge may vary — usually, it is higher for balls in such cases, and this figure and indicated in the characteristics as the main one.

As for the weapon chambered for Flaubert, in it the “classic of the genre” is a revolver with a drum for 9, less often for 8 rounds. A greater number of charges is not found — for this the drum would have to be made too bulky; a smaller number — about 5 – 6 rounds — can be found in individual revolvers, as well as models in the form factor of a pistol, where the dimensions of the case do not allow you to install a larger drum. In turn, pistols chamb...ered for blank cartridges usually more or less correspond in terms of magazine capacity to the firearm models from which they are copied; here you can find models that can hold from 5 to 30 charges.

The number of shots on one gas station that an air pistol or revolver is capable of producing. Specified for gas models and PCP (see "Type"); in the first case, the data is usually given for a standard 12-gram cartridge with carbon dioxide, in the second case, for a full filling of the built-in reservoir.

Note that this parameter is quite approximate, since the actual number of shots at a gas station may differ slightly from the claimed one. Nevertheless, according to the claimed number of shots at a gas station, it is quite possible to evaluate different models of pneumatics and compare them with each other. However it must also be taken into account that the last portions of gas / air pressure is noticeably reduced — and this reduces the initial velocity of the bullet and the firing range, and can also lead to problems in the operation of blow-back systems (see below). So if the number of shots from one gas station is important for you, you should proceed from the fact that the number of “effective” shots (with full bullet speed) will be somewhere 10-15% less than the maximum claimed.

The type of sighting device provided in the design of the pistol / revolver.

The vast majority of short-barreled pneumatics, "floberts" and starting pistols are equipped with the simplest mechanical sights in the form of a front sight and a rear sight. In pneumatic weapons, models with adjustable and non-adjustable sights are approximately equal; in Flaubert's revolvers, the possibility of adjustment is somewhat less common than non-adjustable front and rear sights ; and in models for a blank cartridge, in principle, it makes no sense to provide adjustment. There are pistols / revolvers without sights at all.

Here are the general features of different types of scope:

— Unregulated. Front sight and rear sight, fixed motionless and without any additional settings. The advantages of this design are simplicity, low cost and reliability; in addition, such a sight is almost impossible to shoot down due to an accidental impact of the front sight or rear sight on a foreign object. The main disadvantage is the actual impossibility of adjustment, which does not allow adjusting the sights for a change in distance, side wind or deviations due to production errors. On the other hand, for recreational shooting at short distances, these moments are not decisive, and serious factory defects are extremely rare in fact. So i...f maximum accuracy is not critical for you, a non-adjustable sight may be enough.

— Adjustable. Sights with the ability to adjust; however, the specific possibilities of such adjustment may be different. One of the most popular options is to adjust the rear sight in height, for zeroing weapons at a specific distance. For this, a micrometer screw is usually used. Another option is a rear sight with the ability to move horizontally, it is mainly designed to compensate for errors in the design of the weapon itself, which give a lateral displacement of the point of impact. The most advanced models — mostly high-precision sports pistols — allow you to adjust the rear sight on both axes. Anyway, an adjustable sight is more complicated and more expensive than an unregulated one, it may require additional adjustment by the user himself, but with such devices you can achieve maximum shooting accuracy.
Also note that on the market you can find pneumatics equipped with optical or collimator sights; they are also adjustable.

— Is absent. The absence of their own sights is an extremely rare option, found in two varieties of pneumatic and similar weapons. The first is some spring-piston and PCP pistols (see "Type") with long barrels and high muzzle velocity, designed for high-precision shooting. They have sight mounts (see below) or slots for such mounts, allowing the shooter to choose the sights to their taste. The second variety is revolvers (mainly chambered for Flaubert) of miniature size, originally not designed for aimed shooting in the classical sense of these words.

The presence of a mount for an additional sight in the design of a pistol / revolver.

Such mounts are placed at the top of the weapon and are intended primarily for optical and collimator sights. The most popular type of fastening in short-barreled pneumatics is the Weaver / Picatinny rail: it has a T-shaped profile and characteristic transverse slots for rigid fixation of installed accessories. Formally, Weaver and Picatinny rails are different types of seats; however, most sights available on the civilian market are compatible with both variants at once, so these types of mounts are usually not separated.

The bulk of weapons with a scope mount are two types of pneumatic pistols: powerful long-range models for high-precision shooting, as well as copies of military weapons, mainly submachine guns (including those intended for airsoft). In Flaubert's revolvers, additional mounts are almost never used: it does not make much sense to install optics / collimators on such weapons due to the small effective range. And in pistols chambered for a blank cartridge, the sight rail can be provided solely as a decorative element that enhances the external resemblance to military weapons; such a “mount” can even be a dummy that does not correspond to standard sizes and is not suitable for placing sights (which, however, is not a drawback in this case).

The overall length of the weapon is usually from the muzzle to the part protruding farthest back (usually the bottom of the handle). This parameter not only allows you to evaluate the overall compactness of the pistol, but can also be useful for selecting accessories for it — for example, a holster, case or carrying bag.

The total weight of the weapon. As a rule, the "empty" weight is indicated in the characteristics, without consumables (bullets / cartridges, cartridges).

This parameter has two meanings. On the one hand, a heavy pistol / revolver is tedious to hold on weight for a long time; in addition, the increase in weight is often associated with an increase in the length of the barrel, due to which the center of gravity shifts forward - and this further increases the inconvenience. On the other hand, massiveness gives an additional resemblance to military weapons and an overall impression of solidity, and in models with blow-back (see above) it also reduces the perceived recoil. Therefore, many consider significant weight to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

Note that in models chambered for Flaubert and a blank cartridge, the weight more or less corresponds to military weapons of a similar model or size. In pneumatics, the dispersion can be quite large, especially since not every such pistol is copied from a combat one. It is worth noting here that PCP models are the most massive (see "Type"): due to the built-in tank, the weight of such pistols is usually 1 kg or more. Multi-compression pneumatics are a little lighter - here you can find weapons weighing up to 900 g and even up to 800 g. The maximum figure for AEGs is 900 - 1000 g..., and in the lightest models, the weight does not exceed 700 g. And among the spring-piston and gas-balloon models, almost any weight is found - from small ( less than 600 g) to significant (more than 1 kg).