Western Arms SCW V12 Review
Shane Lin
(all photographs by author, unless otherwise noted)

Outline
Introduction
Specifications
Specific Unit History
Design / Appearance
       Packaging
       Parts / Features
              Sights
              Controls
              Mag Well
              Light Rail
              Grips
              Slide
              Barrel
              Frame
       Magazine
       Hop-up
       Internals
       Design esthetics & functional ergonomics
Performance
Range
Accuracy
Recoil/Cycle speed
Magazine capacity
Maintenance / Reliability Concerns
After-market parts
       Metal slides/frames
       External components
       Internal upgrades
Conclusion
Appendix I: Rail Accessories
Appendix II: WA V12 and Microtech Vector
Appendix III: Future plans for my V12
Appendix IV: Media
       Photo gallery
       Videos

 Introduction

The Western Arms V12 in question. Rosewood grips added.

          The SCW “Vreaker” V12 will likely be the last Shibuya Custom Works pistol to be released without the new improved blowback system. However, the old WA 1911 design, though aging, is still quite venerable and impressive. And indeed, the V12 combines some of the most desirable tactical features of previous Western Arms custom 1911 models with compensation porting on the slide and barrel and a removable tactical light mount that does not extend the dust cover (unlike the previous WA Striker series). With these features, there is certainly no mistaking this for anything but a modern, tactical 1911.
          While browsing through the Airsoft Retreat forums, there were many people who indicated that although they liked the looks and features of the V12, they were hesitant about the lower magazine and gas capacities of the single-stack frame. I tend to disagree with this outlook. For me, the single stack frame exemplifies an elegance and refinement discarded in the powerful bulk of the SV Infinity series. The Para Ordinance hi capacity frames are quite a bit better, but still do not quite approach the sleekness of the single stack.
          The V12 1911 itself was shown prominently in the John Woo movie Face/Off, with John Travolta (*shudder*) and Nicholas Cage (*slightly lessened shudder because of his redeeming role in Adaptation), as the customized golden pistols used by the arch-villain and all-around über-bad guy Castor Troy. In fact, the first V12 model released by Western Arms was completely gold in color and not quite a subtle tribute to the film.
          The only detractor from the appeal of this formidable array of features is the fact that the gun doesn’t actually exist. Not in the form Western Arms has created it, at least. The V12 porting system is actually offered by Springfield Armory as an option for their high end 1911 models whereas the WA “Vreaker” has full Wilson Combat trademarks on both slide and frame, much to my bemusement. Clearly, this is Western Arms taking advantage of their licensing deal with Wilson in lieu of a similar arrangement with Springfield, but it still irks me to no small degree. A similar thing was done with the aforementioned WA Strikers, which bear an impossible to dismiss resemblance to the Springfield Operator models.
          But alas, the trademarks are indeed a small price to pay for one of the nicest tactical 1911s on the market, and an excellent platform for further customization and modification.

Specifications

Specific Unit History and Information

            My specific V12 was purchased in November 2003 from UNCompany, immediately after they became first available from Hong Kong retailers. My friend and I ordered one each, so the total cost shipped via TNT was $516.90 US, or $258.45 each. Had we been able to anticipate the rapid release of additional new-type SCW models, we might have reconsidered, but certainly I do not regret the purchase. UNCompany had applied a more resilient orange paint than they had in my past dealings with them, though thankfully only on the barrel. A bit of Testor’s paint thinner wiped it out without any indication that it had ever been there, especially after I scrubbed inside the front port holes. UNC also thankfully applied their old soft trademark putty instead of the hard stuff I got with my Marui Mk23 a few months back, which made removal of that a simple matter as well.
            At the time of publication, I’ve owned the gun for 5 months now, which I feel is sufficient enough to write a review on it. The gun is still essentially stock except for the aftermarket grip panels. I have yet to skirmish with the gun, and will not do so for the indeterminate future since I am extremely hesitant both to risk fatigue of the stock plastic slide and to put the gun in a situation where I could unknowingly drop it into bushy ditch and never find it again.
          Eventually, I plan on installing a series of upgrades including a metal slide and frame. Since my hopes of PGC, Shooter’s Design, or Prime releasing a realistic and proper Springfield Custom slide and frame for the gun are so extremely slim, I think I’d probably have to eventually settle for a re-issue or re-design of PGC’s Kimber LAPD SWAT slide and frame along with GM style barrel and bushing, and forego the barrel and slide porting altogether.

Design / Appearance

The WA V12 comes in a matte black cardboard box with the letters “SCW” imprinted on the top in white. It’s all very classy. There’s a red sticker on the side with further SCW and WA markings, and “VREAKER12 - Limited Edition” in white. Inside is the standard multi-function Styrofoam cutout (as far as I can tell, the same one used for other models in WA’s .45 lineup), along with a manual, hex wrench, bag of BBs, warning tag, and the V12 itself. The manual is not specific to the V12, but rather is a generic 1911A1 Government Model manual, which differs in many respects, most notably in the barrel assembly. The V12 has a corn/cone type barrel and so does not have a barrel bushing. Subsequently, the gun does not include a bushing wrench.

My friend Josh's twin V12, wth view of the box label. His picture.	A nice view of the compensation ports on Josh's V12. His picture.

The design of the gun is basically the same as any other old system Western Arms 1911-type gun (single stack or otherwise). It is different from a plain 1911A1 Government Model by its various peripheral components. Indeed, I bought the gun specifically because it had the exact combination of parts that I wanted. The slide is cut for a Novak low profile rear sight, which aids tangibly in fast target acquisition. The front is sloped as not to snag onto clothing or the holster when drawn. All in all, it is an attractive and quite effective unit. Because of the way the slide itself is cut and the way the blowback chamber is screwed into the slide, simple replacement of the rear sight assembly with a square notch type Government Model sight or Bo-mar adjustable target sight is not possible. The sight is screwed into the slide by a single hex screw, which extends into the blowback chamber in order to hold both in place. The front sight unit looks like to be removable, though I have not yet had a need to do so. The “wings” of the front sight that fit into the dovetail indention are cut to contour into the slide vent ports. The front sight controls the usual single large white dot, while the rear has two smaller white dots. This allows the illusion that the three dots are more of less the same size when viewed by a shooter extending the gun at an arm’s length.

Sight image of the V12. Camera focus is on the front sight.

All controls are black in color, which provides a nice homogeneousness and balance against the stainless chamber and barrel, and metal (as in all models of the Western Arms 1911 line). The hammer is the same skeleton hammer used on many of Western Arm’s current lineup of non-SV tactical .45 pistols, including the other guns in most of their other Wilson guns (actual Wilson replicas or otherwise). The trigger is the drilled three-hole “tactical looking” trigger also found on many WA tactical 1911s; the front is ridged for better tactile gripping. The fact that it’s ridged or that it’s drilled doesn’t quite make much difference, but it is a charming looking thing. The gun comes with an ambidextrous safety, which gives a more stylish look to the right side of the gun, but also makes buying aftermarket grips a bit harder (more on this below). The two halves of the ambidextrous safety are not actually physically linked, so removing the right grip panel will allow the right side lever to be pulled off. On the left side, the safety lever inserts itself into a notch in the back of the slide when engaged, as in any 1911, preventing slide movement. The grip safety is indented at the base for a surer contact with the palm and tapers to a fine beavertail to the top. The slide catch and magazine release are of the standard design, virtually the same as those on the old M1911A1 Military. All the external controls are painted in a flat black color, but are not as a matte as the plastic of the frame and slide. Overall, the paint job is good, but not quite as nice as the finish applied to later models in Western Arm’s Beretta Perfect Version line (though the problems and limitations of that series severely weaken its position relative to the WA 1911s).

I don't actually have any pictures of my gun with the stock grips, so again: Josh's V12. His picture.	A nice view of the muzzle on Josh's V12. His picture.

There are two more specific components worthy of specific note. The beveled mag well is quite difficult to find in a non-Shibuya Custom Works Western Arms gun and the light mount only exists at the time of publication connected to either this gun or the Para Ordinance ProKiller. While shopping for a 1911, I was really quite frustrated by this. I wanted a gun with the beveled mag well and essentially the entire pool of available models were Shibuya Custom models, which in addition to being far more difficult to find than the everyday plain vanilla WA, are also more expensive. Of course, this gun is no exception, but it had the great distinction of being available. Before the release of the V12, I was on the lookout either for some place with the SCW FBI SE2003 Trial pistol still in stock (a less than probable hope) or to just completely re-do a Shibuya Custom Striker with metal parts and a new blowback chamber, so that it wouldn’t look anything like a striker at all. But I digress. Suffice to say, the beveled mag well for the single stack is pretty damn rare. And alternative to the OEM WA mag well is the “Speed-chute” type steel mainspring housing with attached mag well manufactured by Sheriff at a hefty price of about $100 overseas. Additionally, mag wells designed for real 1911s would likely fit with some minimal work. Wilson Combat manufactures and sells theirs for about $30 and should be similar in design to WA’s. I wish I had known about this one earlier. The Western Arms mag well attaches to the frame via two hooks that slide across the outside of the frame under the grip panels and hook onto the lower grip screw holes on either side of the frame. This should mean that the V12 mag well should fit on virtually any other single stack gun, assuming that the grips are compatible. Which is the other issue at hand – the OEM V12 Wilson grips have a slot on the underside. This is covered by the mag well when it is attached and allows the hooks to slide under. With virtually any other set of grip panels, this would not be possible with modification. More on this later. Other than that, the beveled mag well is quite nice. It makes speed reloading with the non-tapered single stack 1911 mags quite easy and looks great with the bumper magazines.
          The light mount is quite an interesting addition. As mentioned, the only other gun to my knowledge to include this part other than the V12 is the Para Ordinance ProKiller. It’s interesting because Western Arms has a long history of mounting light rails under extended dust covers, not only on their Infinity series but also on their “exotic” Wild Cougar, Mod.92 Blademaster, and .45 Striker lines. The V12’s rail is a small waever-style rail contoured to the frame which more or less leaves the classic curves of the 1911 intact while offering a way to attach a variety of tactical illuminators and lasers. Specifically, the rail seems to follow the same standard the Glock’s railed receivers conform to. Attachments which fit flush onto the G17 and G19’s trigger guard when locked in place on the rail fit in the same way on the V12. This includes a variety of airsoft and real steel accessories, which will be covered in the appendix. Additionally, given the similar/exact dimensions to weaver rails, accessories like rail-mounted mini grenade launchers and vertical fore-grips will also be capable of being slipped onto the rail itself, though the question of if they’ll get far enough to lock onto the single rail notch before hitting the trigger guard is dependent, of course, on the specific accessory. And while the rail is screwed in very tightly through the front of the frame via two Philips-head screws, the frame is still plastic and so is vulnerable to breaking. Upgrading the frame of the gun or moving to the rail to a new frame would create difficulties since most other frames lack the two holes through which the screws attach to the rail. It would probably require less effort just to forego the screws and simply use some JB-weld to secure the rail.

The inside of the frame - the two screws securing the light rail are visible.

Staying with the Wilson trend, the grip panels are black plastic, double diamond checkered, and bearing a Wilson medallion on each side. The medallions are gold in color and show the Wilson Eagle logo and name on a dimple textured background. The grips feel rubbery to the touch, but on closer examination appear to be well-textured solid plastic. The grip panels are attached to the frame via two black hex screws each, which secure to grip screw bushings that are kept on the frame with friction. Both grip panels are hollow, with a slit cut at the bottom to allow the mag well to grip the frame. The right side panel is cut near the top to allow the ambidextrous safety to fit through. Inside the hollow grips are two metal weights, which conform to the internal shape of the grip panels as well as the openings in the frame itself. These weights collectively weight maybe about 70 grams or so, so while they are no of paramount importance to the balance and heft of the gun, their presence or absence can certainly be felt.

Josh's stock V12 grips. His picture.

Upon receiving the gun, I was pleased with the grips, as they are rather high quality. The Wilson medallion was especially attractive. However, I had set myself upon some nice wood grips beforehand, and the idea of having nearly the entire gun in black wasn’t too appealing. After looking at a few grips of Cocobolo, I decided to cheapen out and simply get plainer Rosewood double diamond checkered grips. I found a good deal, but when I received them, I realized that I had forgotten to check make sure the grips were cut for ambidextrous safeties. These were not, and furthermore would not accommodate the mag well. While filing off rather prodigious amounts of aluminum doesn’t faze me the least, wood was unknown territory for me. But this Rosewood proved easy to work with and the splintering and cracking I had feared would occur did not. Nevertheless, it did take about two and a half hours of filing by hand per grip panel to remove enough material from the base of the grips to allow them to attach flush against the frame of the gun. But even when that was past, the panels were too loose because the screw holes rested lower against the frame than the OEM grips did. Some filing of the grip screw bushings was required for a final, perfect fit. I’m fairly pleased with the result. The rosewood grip panels add a touch of traditional elegance to an ultra-modern tactical 1911. Had I had more initiative to spend money, I would likely have chosen a set of ultra-thin grips, though looking back now, those grips would have been likely far more difficult to fit to my frame. Adding the rosewood grips also required the removal of the grip weights.

The modified Rosewood grips on the V12

Immediately obvious about the slide are the two slots cut into both sides near the front, through which the compensation porting of the barrel can be seen. On a real V12, gases generated by the combustion of chemical propellant inside the cartridge casing trailing the bullet as it is sent through the barrel are directed upwards through the holes. The force of these gasses escaping helps to compensate the natural upward jerk of the hand as it absorbs the recoil of the shot, lessening the perceived force of that recoil and thus displacement of the barrel vector. So, 6 holes on each side of the slide is 12 holes directing gases at about 40 degrees off center to form a V shape. Hence, V12. Of course, given airsoft GBB operation, these holes don’t actually serve any purpose other than aesthetics. The notches themselves are about 40mm long and extend from about 3mm from the front of the slide. The slide itself is made of Western Arm’s heavyweight plastic, like many of its other 1911 models. And like most of its other 1911 models, the slide looks damn good. It is of a smooth texture, but with a deep matte black color. The surface looks very convincingly like metal, though it is somewhat easy to scratch up. There are ridges starting from about 20mm in front of the back of the slide, right above the grip panels when the slide is forward, on both sides to provide a positive grip when manually cycling the gun. Similar ridges near the front of the slide, present on many other tactical 1911 models (including the Wilson CQB and Kimber Custom series), are missing here. The left side of the slide has “1996A2 .45 AUTO” marked in the middle in a borderline lettering similar to that of the “CQB” on the WA Wilson Service Grade CQB slide. The other side is inscribed with “WILSON COMBAT” a bit more towards the front because of the position of the ejection port. I haven’t been able to find anything of substance on the Wilson 1996A2 model to be able to say anything about the correctness of these markings. Current production Wilson custom pistols typically have the Wilson Combat markings on the left and the model name on the right. A good example of this is the CQB, whose trademarks WA has reproduced faithfully. The only complaint I have about the quality of the slide is a fairly minor one. At the top of the slide, particularly near the back, the curvature is not quite perfectly even. It’s probably a slight flaw in the molds used to make these slides, and I’ve experienced similar unevenness in other WA models, particularly on my WA Beretta Mod.8045 Cougar-F. It’s certainly not a big flaw and only noticeable by touch and by lines of distortion of reflected light. Under normal conditions, it would be almost impossible to see. But nevertheless it is there, more severe in the back than the front. The very fact that I point out this negligible flaw is probably an indication of the otherwise flawlessness of the gun’s exterior finish.

Ported slide and barrel clearly visible.

The barrel is made of metal and painted a silverish, textured color. When the slide is forward, the barrel is flush against the outer edges of the hole in the front of the slide and so no bushing is necessary to keep it in place. Like any other 1911 barrel, this one screws directly into the chamber with a standard clockwise-tighter, counter-clockwise looser scheme. None of that Marui backwards turning craziness. The inside lip of the barrel has fame rifling grooves, but since the inside of the barrel tapers inward after about 10mm to prevent the inner barrel from anything but a minimum of shifting, it’s kind of a moot point. The chamber is a silver-painted plastic, but shined to a high gloss. Not a mirror shine (which would have been quite a feat with plastic!), but approaching it. Looking at the chamber, it would be impossible to tell that it was not polished steel. Even touching it brings little certainty. It’s a very impressive part. It is marked along the top with “WILSON 45 ACP.” When the slide is forward, the chamber is locked in place by its forward edge. When the slide cycles, a cam in the hop chamber assembly pushes the chamber downward, disengaging the lock and preventing the chamber from getting scratched up by the underside of the slide. Under the barrel is the full length recoil guide rod and spring, also metal.
          The construction and finish of the frame is similar to that of the slide, except that due to the greater detailing and complexity of the frame, I cannot find any notable molding flaws at all. The dust cover on the left side is engraved with “Wilson Combat” in their trademark script, followed by “SERVICE GRADE” in a bit of a stuffier sans serif font. In similar writing on the right middle frame, right above (and in fact, a bit of it under) the right side grip panel, is “WILSON COMBAT BERRYVILLE. AR. U.S.A.” and the standard “WA ASGK” markings under that. No long paragraph declaring the licensing agreement here, as on the Beretta series, though I do believe Wilson and WA do have a licensing agreement. The frame is very well made, not just in its texture and finish, which are as metal appearing as the slide, but in the details. The checkering on the frame is wonderful. The front of the trigger guard is smooth, probably because of the light rail, but the bottom of it is checkered. It gives the middle finger of the gripping hand quite an assuring feel. The front of the grip and the mainspring housing are also checkered, but at a lower density than the underside of the trigger guard. The checkering is fine enough so that it is comfortable. The H&K USP, as much as I like it, has in my opinion, terrible checkering on the back of the grip. It is much too large and so bites into the hand. After 250 rounds through a 9mmP USP Compact, my hand was textured in a similar way. The V12 is much better in this respect. The mainspring housing is metal and the checkering on that is as finely done as on the front of the frame. I am very impressed. The WA 1911 heavyweight frames are easily the most impressive plastic pistol frames I’ve seen on any airsoft gun.

The magazine is quite a charming affair. Now, you’re probably wondering what the hell is wrong with me. It’s a magazine. A piece of vaguely rectangular metal which houses BBs and gas. But most airsoft magazines are rather large, fat things, due to the double stack nature of their real counterparts. The V12’s magazine, like other WA single stack 1911 mags, are slim. Really, really slim. It’s half the depth of a G17 magazine. There aren’t any markings on the magazine itself, just a set of 5 indentions arranged in a W shape, a bit like Cassiopeia, on each side which would be holes through which loaded rounds would be visible on the real magazine. The magazine is build along the same lines as any other Western Arms R-type valve mag, with a tab in the back which holds the valve open until the blowback of the slide resets it. Loading the mag is a simple thing, and the gun doesn’t actually come with a loading tool. Simply pull down the tab linked to the follower on the slit on the left side of the magazine and hold it in place while pouring BBs into the top. The finish of the magazine body is a nice matte silver color while the top, valve, and valve tab are black. The magazine is fairly dense and so adds a comfortable counterweight against front of the gun when inserted. At the base of the magazine is a black plastic bumper, much smaller than the rubber ones found on WA and KSC Beretta Elite models. It is marked on its two sides with “WILSON COMBAT,” upside down on the right side. With the beveled mag well, it is really a nice addition, to aesthetics as well as functionality since it extends slightly past the base of the well. All in all, a very nice little magazine. The standard 1911 GM mags without bumpers will fit without problems, though additional mags are very pricey and (in the case specifically of the bumper mags) extremely rare. There have been reports that the magazine bumper is too deep and prevents the filling of the mag by various cans of gas. In fact, it is widely reported that in many instances, only bottles of green gas had nozzles long enough to reach inside. I haven’t had any problems with my 800ml black can of “GREEN FORANE 134a” gas. The nozzle is just long enough to reach the fill nozzle. Various cans of green gas seem to work fine as well.
          The hop-up is adjustable, but it is notoriously difficult to do so. Adjustments are made using a hex wrench through a small hole at the base of the hop-chamber, which requires the slide to be removed. This means partially field stripping the gun every time a slight adjustment is to be made. If the adjustment is too little or too much, readjustment will require a repeat of the slide removal. Plus, it is impossible to judge exactly how much hop is being applied, since there is no visible dial/lever/knob as there is on KSC GBBs and Marui AEGs.
          The internals of WA 1911 slides are fairly straightforward. The gas enters the loading muzzle and then the hop chamber, propelling the BB through the barrel before being diverted back to the blowback chamber by the floating valve. The frame side of the equation is a bit more complicated. The magazine valve is tripped by the firing pin, which the hammer strikes. But before all of that, the actual triggering mechanism is a bit different from the typical. The trigger assembly consists of a three-prong sear, a lot of tiny little parts, and a spring in the mainspring housing (hence, mainspring housing, I guess) that pushes the hammer down. All very complicated, though many components seem to be at least partially based on the real 1911 design. Frame components are mounted in a metal internal frame, whose rails the slide actually fits onto. Frame internal parts are essentially all metal. The rear of the slide is dominated by the blowback chamber (also metal), which houses most of the slide components. The BB loading muzzle (part 84) is plastic, which is a significant weak spot. Aftermarket replacements made of polycarbonate materials are widely available from Guarder and PGC.
          I really like how the 1911 series fits my hands while shooting. The very thin frame combined with thicker wood grips is very compatible with my medium sized hands. The checkering is great, and the grip safety tension gives a very comforting feel. The gun is very well balanced, with or without the grip weights. With a M3 tactical light attached, it is a bit front-heavy, but not excessively so. It feels very solid. Nothing feels like cheap plastic and there is a laudable heft to the whole package. The gun points fairly naturally, though my tastes in such matters are considered a little strange. The controls are very crisp overall. The trigger breaks extremely cleanly and at a good pressure. The ambidextrous safety engaged positively, evenly toggling between on and off on both sides (something many Beretta airsoft lines have been unable to do reliably). The mag release, a small round button, is well positioned and easy to depress. Once engaged, the magazine smoothly slides out on the force of gravity alone. The slide catch is positioned a bit forward for my tastes, to where I have to shift my grip hand to disengage it. Not a terribly troubling problem, actually. With a two handed push-pull grip, the weak hand thumb can rest comfortably right on the slide catch. There are also aftermarket extended slide catch levers available. Tactical gloves are no problem and will not typically make the controls any less accessible. Reloading is a cinch, even with the thin mags, with the mag well.           

Performance

Quite a few different reports of stock muzzle velocity have been reported. On the low end, 230ft/s, and up to 300 on the high. I’ve found that with reasonably warm mags, I can get between 260 and 275 ft/s with 134a gas. I’ve yet to try it with green gas. I haven’t had a chance to test it on a chronograph yet, but not only do those numbers seem to be in accordance with the results of my coke can test (own scale, not RedWolf’s), but they’re in-tune with recorded results from other WA 5 in. single stack 1911s. There’s not much that I can say then, since the components that matter towards performance in the V12 are all identical to a long line of other guns. Expected muzzle velocity with green gas would be pushing 300 ft/s. I’ve no reason to doubt it.
          Accuracy of this gun would be similar, again, to other 5 in. WA 1911 type guns. Other than that, I’m not going to try to judge it in any remotely objective manner. As I’ve mentioned in my Glock 19 review, accuracy in airsoft guns is practically impossible to realistically quantify in a meaningful way. I’ll say here what I’ve said there. It’s sufficiently accurate within its operating range. Not exceptionally so, but also not noticeably bad. Simply, it is as expected of any airsoft gas pistol.
          Recoil is quite good, especially for 134a gas. The WA 1911s can put out as crisp a blowback as many other guns do on green. It is enough to throw off the sights a bit. I look forward to trying the gun with green gas after I have installed a metal slide. And even with the long slide, the gun manages a pretty good cycle speed. Not as good as a KSC G26 on 134a gas perhaps, but certainly good enough to keep up with any other full size pistol.
          Magazine capacity is 15 BBs in a single stack configuration. It seems a little paltry compared to the capacity of even smaller double-stack guns like the KSC Beretta M9, but given the minimal nature of any GBB’s magazine capacity compared to that of an AEG it is certainly not despondently low. For a comparison such as this, it’s probably more apt consider that the M9 only holds 10 rounds more, rather than that its magazine capacity is greater by 2/3.  

Maintenance

Field stripping of 1911 series guns is pretty easy and fast, though not as integrated as for Berettas or Glocks. The left side of the slide has two notches: the one in front for the slide catch to catch the slide and one in back for removing the slide catch from the frame of the gun. The rear one is a small semi-circular hole which, when aligned properly with the end of the slide catch, allows it to be pulled out of the left side of the slide. With the magazine ejected, the slide can then be simply pulled forward and off. Once the slide is off, the outer barrel must be unscrewed from the chamber before the chamber, hop chamber, inner barrel, and recoil guide rod and spring can be removed. Removal of the blowback chamber requires unscrewing and removing the rear sight assembly. I've included a video in the media appendix at the very bottom of the review showing partial disassembly. There’s really only one major concern for me about the continued reliability of the gun, aside from universal concerns about airsoft gas blowback guns in general. That is, Western Arms ported slides (such as the various cut-up SV Infinities which came before) have been known to break very easily, even if they are made of heavyweight material. This is not surprising, especially as the porting leaves only a piece of plastic 4mm across in front of the ports to keep the front of the slide intact. Which is why I’m only shooting the gun very sporadically and never with green gas.

After-market parts

The list of aftermarket accessories for Western Arms 1911s is far too vast to write out here with any detail. I’ll try to cover the basics, with regard to specific applicability to the V12. First, metal slides and frames. Shooter’s Design produces a metal slide specifically design for the black Vreaker 12. It sells for a bit more than $100, and essentially copies all the details. Wilson trademarks, V12 porting, and is cut for Novak sights. I’d pick up this slide, but the Wilson trademarks still give me pause. I wish someone would just make a proper Springfield Custom V12 slide. And while I’m so idealistically hoping, why not a metal frame too? And a non-custom non-Sheriff Springfield chamber? Bah. Essentially any metal slide for WA 1911 models will fit the V12, provided the slide is cut for the same sights and blowback chamber as the V12. A slide made for Bo-mar sights, requiring the two-screw blowback chamber, will not fit simply because the sights fit into the slide differently. Several manufacturers make single stack metal frames. The ones produced by Sheriff are the oldest ones around, but are expensive and difficult to find. Shooter’s Design, PGC, and Prime have all produced single stack frames as well in recent months in a variety of styles in black and stainless finishes. Some filing is generally required for installation, since it is regarded that an excess of metal can be sanded down for the perfect fit, but there is not much that could be done for too little.
          Available external components are legion. Virtually any part which sees the light of day on the WA 1911s has numerous reinforced counterparts. And while technically not aftermarket, Western Arms 1911 OEM parts from other guns are fairly available, especially compared to many other guns. Good luck finding a Beretta Elite rear sight or a replacement blowback chamber spring for a Glock 19 – but if you’re in the market for a WA OEM silver 1911 GM barrel bushing or a black grip screw, it’s pretty straightforward. Let’s get started. Sheriff and Guarder both make various models of replacement steel outer barrels in both GM and Corn/Cone styles, in case the slide is replaced with a non-ported one or a traditional straight barrel is desired. These are pretty heavy replacements compared even to the V12’s metal outer barrel and add a great amount of heft to the gun overall. Both companies make replacement steel chambers with various markings on them (Barsto, Wilson, Infinity, etc), and Sheriff offers a line of custom made chambers with a bit more complex engraving, including the (for lack of a more objective term) super-cool Springfield Armory “WARNING: EXHAUST PORTS / READ MANUAL” chamber. There are also a variety of triggers and hammers available, essentially duplicating in steel the entire array of Western Arms OEM parts.
          Various companies also produce an extended firing pin, which serves to push the magazine valve further inward and thus release more gas. A reinforced part 84 is available from Guarder and PGC and considered a good part to pick up. Guarder makes a replacement magazine top rubber piece which forms a better seal with the slide internals. Sheriff makes an upgraded mainspring with mainspring housing in standard and Speed-chute configurations. Sheriff has a Long Range Barrel that supposedly adds a ton of range. KM has various TN barrels available. And on and on and on. Upgrading a WA 1911 would likely require a separate guide and I am certainly not nearly an authority on the matter. Consult your friendly neighborhood Western Arms aficionado for more information!  

Conclusion / Reviewer’s Perspective

Finally! It’s nearly done. This thing is at 11 pages at pt. 10 font single-spaced at the moment and I still haven’t put in the pictures yet. I really like this gun. I think that despite having purchased it right before when I could have picked up, say, a nice SCW Wilson CQB, it was a good buy. Is this a universal recommendation? Hardly. The V12 is more than twice as expensive in Hong Kong than the run of the mill KWA gun that’s already in the US and offers worse performance and reliability (with the ported slide). Extra magazines shipped to your door will cost you about the price of a plastic KJW M9. What’s to like about this gun? For one thing, it’s damn pretty. And quite unique. There’s not another non-custom 1911 like it on the market (excepting the other WA V12). It’s like the 1712 Davidov Stradivarius cello that Yo Yo Ma got from Jacqueline Du Pré. You play it once in a while, maybe for a Baroque recording or two. But you don’t take it with you when you go play with Karajan and the BPO. I certainly haven’t. And I haven’t taken the V12 on the field either. But that only applies to its current form. The V12 has many desirable external parts which would otherwise have to be purchased separately at fairly extravagant prices. Replacing the slide with metal, then tuning it for the best performance and filling up with a bit of green gas will make this gun the equal of virtually any other pistol on the field while retaining its drop-dead gorgeous looks. Helen of Troy and Ajax. Marlene Dietrich and Kurt Student. Xena, warrior princess and well… Xena, warrior princess. Or “Britney Spears” and whatever popular foot-ball quarterback is out of rehab at the moment for all you uncultured young’uns. If you’re looking for a good gun for the field right out of the box, look elsewhere. If you’re looking for a skirmishable WA 1911 even, look elsewhere (I would suggest perhaps, one of the new SCW guns, or a Para Ordinance perhaps). However, the Western Arms V12 is both a wonderful collector’s item or, if you’ve got $500 more laying around, a great starting point for a personal custom .45.

Appendix I: Rail Accessories

A variety of parts exist which can be fitted to the rail under the V12, both designed specifically for airsoft and for real guns. For the most part, these are either incandescent lithium powered tactical lights or targeting lasers. For the former, there is the Insight Technologies M3 series and various Surefire WeaponLights. The M3 is covered fairly comprehensively in my ITI M3 review and is, I think, the best deal of anything which can be fitted to the rail. It is brighter than the Surefire P60 lamp and quite a bit cheaper than comparable SF WeaponLights. Surefire rail-mounted lights are generally made to higher tolerances to withstand more shock from recoil than the ITI M3. However, this is a moot point in airsoft. The added expense is then wasted on a more expensive, larger, heavier, and usually dimmer light.  There are also several replicas of the M3 made in Taiwan, but these are questionable as some either use the SF P60 lamp or some proprietary bulb. There’s no point to buying one of these as the ITI light sells for a comparable price and is widely available in the US. As for lasers, G&P makes a very nice looking rail-mounted one that is fully adjustable and runs off a CR123 3V lithium battery. However, it is rather expensive, especially when considering the vast variety of lasers to be found in the states. A company called Laser Magic makes and apparently sells a rail-mounted LAM unit under the "Quickfire" brand with a laser and LED light, which would probably be appealing to some buyers. However, it runs off of three button batteries, which would probably be insufficient to drive the LED to anything approaching “bright.”

V12 with ITI M3 Tactical Illuminator

Appendix II: WA V12 and Microtech Vector

Okay, so this is a bit off-topic. But about the same time I picked up my V12, I also bought a Microtech Vector 3 inch serrated folding knife with custom winewood grip inserts. When I got the two and the Rosewood grips, I realized that I had near perfect analogs in gun and knife. Pretty cool, huh?

V12 and Vector

Appendix III:  Future plans for my V12

The original plan was to build a duplicate a Springfield Armory Bureau Model, the gun issued to FBI SWAT teams, with a few minor changes. However, this kind of fell through since no one mass produces a Springfield metal frame and I’m rather unwilling to just stick a Springfield slide on top of my Wilson frame. The current plan is to replace the slide and frame with the PGC Kimber metal set (hopefully more will be produced soon). This would work out fine, especially since I’ve taken a liking to non-adjustable tactical sights since I was first planning out my 1911 project and since I’ve got a spare PGC MkIII metal blowback chamber laying around. The task would involve replacing the V12 barrel as well with a Guarder stainless GM barrel and adding on a partial length recoil guide rod and plug and a barrel bushing. Updates will be posted in the Airsoft Retreat forums if and when all this comes to fruition. 

Appendix IV: Media

Image gallery of my V12, with Rosewood grips. A few photos from there have found their way into this review, though the ones here are probably a bit better cleaned up.

Videos (mpeg format)