Western Arms SCW V12 Review Shane
Lin (all photographs by author, unless otherwise noted) Outline Specific Unit History Parts / Features Design
esthetics & functional ergonomics Maintenance
/ Reliability Concerns Appendix
II: WA V12 and Microtech Vector Appendix III: Future plans for my V12
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 But alas, the trademarks are indeed a
small pistol to pay for one of the nicest tactical 1911s on the market,
and an excellent platform for further customization and modification.
My
specific V12 was purchased in November 2003 from UNCompany,
immediately after they became first available from 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. 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.
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.
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).
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.
Staying with the
Upon receiving the gun, I was pleased
with the grips, as they are rather high quality. The
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
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.
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. 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. 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. Conclusion / Reviewer’s Perspective
Appendix II:
WA V12 and Microtech Vector
Appendix III: Future plans for my V12
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
