By TheManWithThePlasticMag
Published: 22 Febuary 2004
I am writing this about a year after the arrival of my Tokyo Marui Mk23 NBB SOCOM Set, and as such, I hope that I am able to cover some of the issues surrounding a wonderful, if slightly flawed, package. Much hullabaloo has been raised over the LAM unit of the SOCOM and people have questioned the Tokyo Marui NBB SOCOM’s usefulness. About the only thing left untouched is the silencer, which (by mine and other’s accounts) in outstanding.
Perhaps some background information about the real life Mk23 SOCOM is in order. The USP Mk23 Mod 0 was developed in response to a call issued by the Special Operations COMmand (SOCOM, hence the moniker of the gun) for an “Offensive Handgun Weapons System.” Two companies received a final qualifying contract: Colt Firearm Manufacturing Company and Heckler and Koch GmbH. H&K decided to use their recent USP (Universal Self-loading Pistol) as the basis for the new gun. They lengthened the barrel, added a thread (much like on their USP Tactical model), and made various other cosmetic and internal changes (I don’t know them all and won’t try to claim I do. www.hkpro.com is a good reference source if you are interested). The result is a handgun slightly larger than the .50 AE Desert Eagle and what may well be the largest handgun of modern times.
The handgun alone wasn’t sufficient, however, and H&K turned to America for the LAM unit and silencer the bidding contract called for. The first silencer was originally developed by H&K and was a hideously ugly box-like contraption, though by all accounts it was highly effective. The silencer eventually was changed to one manufactured by Knight’s Armament Corp. of Florida. The LAM unit was contracted out, and a LAM was developed (some sources claim it was manufactured by Wilcox, other sites claim various companies).
Currently the Mk23 is in use by the U.S. Navy SEALs and reports indicate that Delta Force and the Air Force Para-Jumpers also have adopted them for limited use. When first produced, several Mk23s were sold in America to civilians with a threaded barrel and 12-round magazine. After a limited run, however, production ceased, making these original pistols very rare. They retail for $1499, dealer purchasing price, with costs rising exponentially when dealers sell them.
The Gun
The Mk23 as produced in NBB form by Tokyo Marui is apparently representative of the prototype model sent to the US SOCOM, and bears the following on its slide: “HK US-GOVT. Cal. .45” I cannot verify that this is indeed the marking used for the prototypes, however it would seem that these trademarks are correct.
The package comes with a replica LAM, a replica Knight’s Armament suppressor (with no indication that it is ‘produced’ by said company), a bag of 100 TM 0.20g BBs, a cleaning rod/BB unjammer tool, 5 shooting targets, a manual, the gun, a 28-round magazine, and a foam and Styrofoam semi-hard case for protection. All this for roughly $150 USD stateside.
At first glance this seems like a great deal overall, especially when one considers that the GBB SOCOM produced by KSC is roughly $75 USD more, after shipping. The KSC one doesn’t even include a LAM or silencer! The comparison could be made between a Volkswagen with a fiberglass ‘BMW Z3’ body and extras and a real BMW Z3. Let me explain.
The TM Mk23 NBB is an excellent pistol, but it’s a shame there are so many obstacles to glory. First and foremost is the build material. It’s supposedly ABS plastic, but the pieces feel like a more brittle (hence cheaper) plastic, much like the kind used for common RC cars. The finish is rather shiny, and while it looks decent on video, in the hand it looks somewhat like a toy in appearance. The plastic is reflective, unlike the superb finish of, say, the KSC M11A1.
Furthermore, one fairly irritating omission is made in the pistol. The real (and KSC replica) Mk23 has a manual de-cocking lever built into the rear of the gun. The TM Mk23 has a molded plastic obtrusion that resembles the de-cocker but neither moves nor has any apparent purpose. Furthermore, the sights are fixed. In my eyes, that is an unpardonable sin. Fixed sights on a gun that ordinarily has adjustable sights is a no-no. How much more difficult would it have been to add adjustable sights?
Another problem with the sights is that they lack the H&K three-dot system (1 white dot on each rear sight post, a red or white dot on the front sight post), so that when the silencer is attached the sights are harder to use. Fortunately, a bit of Tamiya paint and a fine-tipped brush works wonders.
Now that I’ve bashed the gun’s appearance, allow me to talk about its good qualities. The safeties are both metal, as are the trigger, (ambidextrous!) mag-release, magazine, outer barrel, and hammer. Only a few of the internals seem to be metal, which bothers me slightly. The gun has a nice finish on the slide and the hammer safety is ambidextrous with indicators for each position (red, ready to fire; white, safe). The outer barrel is very strong and seems to resist drops and pliers. The trigger is nice and firm, no soft metal there. Unfortunately, I can’t continue to go on about how great the appearance is, because it’s time for functionality.
Much like the Volkswagen with a BMW shell, the gun has some issues. The 28 rounds can be fed in two ways, either by hand from the top (manually) or poured in from the bottom (speed loader). Neither option is very viable, as both can lead to misfeeds of ammo, but the manual feeding is more reliable. The trigger pull is also very heavy, and it’s easy to pull too lightly, resulting in a messy jam. Unfortunately the front safety is also a retainer pin for the slide and if loosened too much can fall out, resulting in, well, a bad thing. This isn’t a good quality because to adjust the hop-up you need to take this pin out. See the problem?
With hop-up adjusted this gun shoots beautifully, with tight groupings from 12-20’, with looser groupings every 5’ further.
As an added issue, the gun is very large (larger than a Desert Eagle), which makes it rather difficult to holster, especially with the LAM attached. You would have to buy a special holster to accommodate it all, and those can run upwards of $60 USD for a quality one.
The Silencer
The silencer is a very high-quality replica. It’s made of spun metal (I assume a steel sheeting) and has a removable end-cap to reach the internal foam inserts. The threading is 16mm+, so it’s going to be hard to put a flash-hider on if you’re into flash hiders on pistols (I am!).
The silencer actually works (it has foam internals), reducing the volume of a shot from a moderate “Crack!” to a muffled “Pfft!,” much like a real (aka non-Hollywood) silencer. The silencer is the strong point of the whole gun, and it’s certainly light enough.
The LAM
Ahh, the LAM. Everyone who asks about this gun on the forums asks about the LAM feature. Well, I hate to say it, but it sucks. The bulb is a dim LED bulb, much like a cheap pocket flashlight, and don’t even get me started on the red LED light that’s a ‘laser.’ The finish is very shiny, much like a brighter version of the gun frame itself. There are trades by the toggle switch, but they really are just a garbled mess of "Contract NO. 01496-96-YD512," etc. They have no indication of having been made by a real company, just gibberish. It's rather dissapointing.
Furthermore, there are hideous seam lines all over the LAM, most noticably in the front and top of the unit. There are two spinning dials, one for actually attaching the unit to the trigger guard, the other for... nothing? Well, it spins, and that's about it. In the real unit it would adjust for windage of the laser, while a molded dial on the side would act as the verticle alignment. Sadly, none of it works.
The internals (should you ever take it apart, it's a pretty bad sight) are loosely wired, and the cheap red 'laser' LED is encased in plastic. It will take ALOT of modification to actually fit a real laser pointer (as I did at one point), and by the time you actually do all that it's really just more effective, effecient, and all-around more worthwile to buy another replica by another company.
Fortunately, several other companies have come out with inexpensive LAMs for the Mk23 SOCOM. Try your friendly Hong Kong retailers for a decent selection.
The LAM is simple in operation: add three AAA batteries, switch it on, and then use the toggle switch on the back for either a continuous or an interruptible beam. It’s that simple, the only saving grace of this LAM(e) unit. If Tokyo Marui's AEGs are this shoddily assembled and designed, I'll stick with my beloved gas guns.
The Set
Well, it’s a decent gun, don’t get me wrong. I know I’ve just slammed the gun for the past few paragraphs, but as a beginner's gun, it's fairly decent. Really, the only faults about the gun that I cannot stand are its inability to reliably use Green Gas without modifying each mag and the horrible LAM. Otherwise, for $150 USD, it’s an excellent deal for a reliable back up or stealthy weapon. Just keep in mind the downfalls, don't push it too hard, and you'll be fine.
Pros:
- Reliable, accurate pistol
- Excellent silencer
- Great value for the money (the silencer is perhaps the most valuable part of the set)
Cons:
- Large
- Low quality finish
- Non-adjustable, hard-to-use sights
- Shoddy LAM unit
- Dislikes Green Gas without magazine modifications
Here are a few pictures of Supergeek's old Socom (which he's since sold off in favor of some of his project pieces).
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