TSD Tactical M3 Spring Tri-Shot ShotgunBy Booligan
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HERETable of Contents:Real Steel History
Ordering
Basic Gun Information
First impressions
Included
Gun Specifications
Externals
Trademarks
Magazines
Performance
Internals
Modifications
Pros/Cons
Overall
Real Steel History: The Benelli M3 is an updated version of the Benelli M1 shotgun. M3 uses same inertia recoil semi-automatic system as earlier Benelli M1, but with addition of the another Benelli patented feature, which allows to the shooter to lock the semi-automatic action and switch to the manually operated pump-action mode and back in the matter of seconds. The action type switch is located at the forward end of the forearm, and is formed as an annular knurled ring. Rotation of this ring either engages the action rods of the pump system and locks the semi-automatic recoil system, or disengages the action bars, locks the forearm and allows the inertia recoil system to operate the action automatically. This greatly improves the versatility of the shotgun, allowing it to fire low-powered ammunition (mostly of special purpose, such as less-lethal rubber or tear-gas projectiles) in the manually operated pump action mode, and to fire full power combat loads with slugs or buckshot in rapid semi-automatic mode. Underbarrel tubular magazine usually holds 8 rounds for police or military versions, or less in some civilian models.
M3 Super 90 is available with various barrel lengths and stock options, with fixed butt and semi-pistol or pistol grips, or with top-folding butts and pistol grips. Sight options include shotgun-type open sights, rifle type open sights, ghost ring (diopter) sights and various mounts for red dot or low magnification telescope sights and tactical flashlights and laser pointers.
Real Benelli M3 Super 90
(Taken from
www.wikipedia.org)
Ordering: I was sent this gun by TSD in order to review it for you fine folks at Airsoft Retreat. It is one of several new shotguns in the TSD lineup, consisting of the TSD Tactical 3 shot shotguns, and the TSD Sports single shot shotguns. The Tactical model that I am reviewing now is more of a skirmish piece and has higher metal content, as well as 3 inner barrels, delivering 3 BBs per shot. The MSRP of this gun is listed at $84, but I would expect actual retail price to be lower, most likely in the mid $70 range. It is expected in stores that normally carry TSD guns in mid-July.
Basic Gun InformationThis gun is a clone of the TM M3, but with more shells and accessories included, making it a great buy. The UTG M3 was the first TM M3 clone, but it was a little lacking in the external department. It featured a short plastic barrel, unlike the TM Super 90 which has a long metal barrel. The TSD M3 has corrected this, and comes with the proper length full metal barrel, just like the TM. Basically, the TSD M3 has made the UTG obsolete overnight,
First impressions:The M3 arrived in the normal TSD Tactical style sports cardboard box, decorated with the image of the gun held within, as well as some general info about the use, performance, and warranty of the M3.
Box art
Various info
Included:TSD included a few great additions making this gun a great purchase, namely the gun, four shells, a very nice stock mounted shell holder, sling, speed loader, and the normal cheapo BBs. The shell holder is similar to the ones that you normally find on sniper rifles, with the actual part that holds the shells being attached via Velcro on the right side. If you’re a lefty, you’re out of luck with this holder. It will hold four shells, giving you 40 spare shots held close for when the action heats up. Take note, the gun only includes 4 shells total, so if one is loaded in the gun, you will only have 3 shells left over to put in the holder.
Included stuff
Shell holder, shells inserted
Shell holder, actual holder removed from base
Mounted on gun
Gun Specifications:Weight: About 6 lbs (Once again, I need a new precision scale...)
Length: 41"
Width: 2.75"
Height (Sight to grip): 7"
LOP: 14.15"
Sight Radius: 17"
Outer Barrel Length: 19.25"
Pump Travel: 2.8"
Externals:The externals of the TSD M3 are the closest to the TM M3 yet. The majority of the gun is plastic, with the main exception being the barrel and pump (magazine) tube, just like the TM. This puts the TSD yet another step above the UTG. Let’s go over the externals section by section, starting with the stock.
The stock is plastic and is a traditional M3 style. There is an ambidextrous sling mount located in the stock for attaching various tactical slings to fit your style. The butt pad is rubber and makes shouldering this gun pretty comfortable. The grip portion of the stock is painted with a rubberized grayish finish making this even more comfortable to hold. The rest of the stock received a matte black finish which reflects a minimum amount of light. The stock is attached by a long screw which is accessed by removing the rubber butt pad, and the stock can be exchanged with the TM or UTG pistol grip or full stock, or the JT3A stock, which is a cheap replacement if you need it. There is a visible seam line running the length of the stock, but it’s only easily felt at the very bottom near the grip.
Stock
Rubber pad removed, removal screw shown.
Pistol grip
The receiver is plastic and received the same matte black finish as the stock. There are a few metal parts of the receiver, namely the trigger, shell release lever, and the shell door itself. There are no visible screw holes in the receiver which add to the realistic appearance of this replica. Unfortunately, the mock bolt (or lack thereof) is like the UTG, and is just a molded in portion of the receiver with some safety info embedded, just in case you forget the basic safety rules of airsoft.
Receiver
Trigger group
Painted safety, red means ready to fire
The pump area is composed of several parts, namely the plastic pump support/guide, plastic rubberized pump handle, metal pump/magazine tube, and the pump tube support piece with ambidextrous sling mount. The pump/magazine tube is, as mentioned previously, metal, which is painted in a matte black finish, with a tiny bit of a metallic effect in direct sunlight, and it serves as a sturdy base for the pump assembly. The pump handle has the same rubberized finish as the pistol grip, and there is a visible seam line, but it doesn’t detract from the overall look of the gun. There is a mild run in the rubberized coating on my gun, but it is very minor. At the front of the pump, the semi auto/pump action selector from the real Benelli M3 is replicated; it serves no purpose on this replica however. Directly in front of this assembly is the pump tube support piece which is made of plastic and houses the front sling mount. From the factory, the sling mount is set facing down but you can unscrew the knurled knob in front of it and turn the sling mount to the left or right side for a customized fit to the user.
Pump area
Pump handle pulled back
Pump handle itself
Sling mount
Sling mount turned to the side
The barrel is the proper full length and is metal like the TM. It is tapered like the real thing and really adds to the overall look of the gun. The matte black paint finish applied has some slight ripples in it, but it’s not too bad. The federally required orange tip is present in the form of an orange plastic ring glued to the muzzle. An enterprising player should be able to get it off with a minimum of fuss.
Full length barrel
The sights are attached to the barrel and contain one of the only problems that I have with my specific gun. My front sight is perfect centered and has a nice white painted line for fast target acquisition. My rear sight has the same painted finish, however it is mounted about 4-5 degrees to the right, making the rear sight kind of unusable for accurate shooting. I’m not sure if the rear is glued on or screwed on, but either way, I should be able to correct it. Currently, I just aim with the front sight, which is accurate enough at short ranges.
Rear sight
Front sight
Crooked rear sight
With a few exceptions, the TSD M3 is almost a perfect TM clone, externally at least. The externals are great for the price, with my only complaint being the misaligned rear sight. The overall look is good, as is the build quality, and the combination makes this a great option for a skirmish shotgun.
Trademarks:There are no trademarks, save for the “Made in China” and various safety info where the mock bolt should be.
Magazines:This gun doesn’t use a traditional magazine, instead being fed by a plastic shell which holds 30 BBs, dispensing 3 BBs per shot, giving you 10 shots per shell. The shells are similar in build quality to the UTG M3 shells but have a few differences in labeling. As an added bonus, TSD includes 4 of these shells, opposed to 1 with the TM, and 2 with the UTG, giving you lots of spares for skirmish use. It is also compatible with TM, UTG, and TSD Sports 30 round shells, as well as the early TSD Sports 14 rounders.
Shell
The shell is inserted into the gun using these steps:
1. Turn the gun onto either side. (I can’t explain how, but the door will not open if it is facing down. Maybe this is a fluke or maybe a thought out design to prevent shell loss by accidentally pulling the door release lever, I can‘t be sure.)
2. Pull the shell door release lever, opening the door, and ejecting the shell (if one is in there in the first place.)
3. Insert the fresh shell front end first, and then click the back onto the latch.
4. Close the shell door.
Insert shell like this
Click it onto the latch
Close door
Performance:Performance info recorded using TSD 0.20g BBs shot through a Madbull Chrono.
FPS (Recorded over 10 shots of 3 BBs each)
High - 297.5 FPS
Low - 286.7 FPS
Average - 292.1 FPS
Spread - 10.8 FPS
Spread is what a true shotgun is about, accuracy is just a plus, and luckily, this shotgun delivers a little bit of both. First, the accuracy is exactly what I've come to expect from TM M3 clones to this point, giving you a high probability of a hit on a man sized target out to about 85'. Anything shorter range than that and you should have no problem hitting anything you aim at. Longer than that, it all comes down to how the BBs spread.
About the spread, it's pretty much identical to the UTG offerings once you break in the non-adjustable hop-up by firing a few hundred rounds through it. At about 40' using .20g BBs, you have a 4" group; at 80', it stretches out to about 18', still within the "torso shot" size area. At 100', the shots really start going anywhere and everywhere, and you're lucky if one BB will hit the paper.
The longest I would comfortably take a shot at someone with this is about 90' using .23g BBs, because the one of the three BBs still has a pretty good chance of landing on the target. With practice arcing shots and the use of heavier ammo (.25s, .28s) you can achieve longer shots, but it's too unpredictable for my tastes at those ranges.
With regards to heavier weight BBs, I find that .23s work best in this, and deliver the best compromise of accuracy, range, and spread. Lighter BBs give you too much spread, and the non-adjustable hop-up doesn't put enough spin on the BBs for any non-arc firing of any substantial range with anything heavier than a .25.
All things considered, a shotgun is a CQB weapon, plain and simple, and the performance of this replica makes it great for its designated use. It's not a long range BB delivery system, and it makes no allegations to that effect. It is designed to place at least one BB on a man sized target within 90', and it does that pretty well. I know I'm impressed.
Internals:The internals are all plastic, like the TM, so care must be taken while firing to prevent loading nozzle failure.
Since I can't find the time to disassemble this extremely difficult to disassemble gun, I am basing my internal information off of my sources and observations.
Don't expect any internal miracles with this gun, as it is more or less a direct clone of the TM. It features the same dual spring propulsion system, as well as the same plastic cylinders and piston assembly. The tri-nozzle is plastic, and is vulnerable to breaking if you half cock it and then fully cock it, so take great care to ensure that it is fully pumped when cocking it. If you accidentally half cock it, stop, take out the shell and try to shake out any extra BBs from the feed tube, and then complete a full pump cycle and fire out the BBs. This SHOULD (and I stress should) prevent double feeding, and should keep the tri-nozzle safe, but I can't guarantee that BBs won't get picked up by the feeding arm and loaded into the chamber.
Long story short, pump it fully every time, and you won't have this problem.
Modifications: Shotguns don’t need much in the way of modifications, but externally, you have a few options. You can custom add rails for lights, lasers, or optics, you can change stocks for comfort or looks, you can chop the barrel down for a more CQB tuned weapon, add a heat shield, or you can add shell holders for housing more ammo at the ready, along with whatever your imagination tells you to do. The power output is good, and the spread is decent as well. If you want different accuracy characteristics, you can stuff three tightbore barrels in the gun, but that would get very expensive in a hurry.
Pros:Inexpensive
True shotgun firing effect
3 barrel system, TM clone
Rubberized finish
Metal barrel
Use of shells
Included accessories, shell holder, 4 shells
Cons:Plastic receiver - Not a big deal, but metal would be an awesome touch here
Somewhat hard pump action
Internals can be fragile
On mine - Misaligned rear sight
Minor external issues - run in rubberized coating, minor seam lines
Overall:Well, it seems like only yesterday that everyone and their brother was praying for an inexpensive TM M3 clone, and now there are several options. I personally feel that the TSD is the best option on the market currently, mostly due to its included accessories, good finish, and great metal content. It is certainly better than the UTG, and I feel that it is a better buy than the TM original. For CQB use, there aren’t many better options, and for woodland, it offers a unique but rewarding challenge.
Overall, another great gun brought in by TSD.
Thanks again to Team Specialized Distribution at
www.airsoftsd.com,
www.caoc-a.com, and of course,
www.airsoftretreat.com!
