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Description:
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KWA 1911 MK IV PTP review by XavierMace
Discuss this review here.
Real Steel History
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. It was designed by John M. Browning, and was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985, and is still carried by some U.S. forces. It was widely used in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Its formal designation as of 1940 was Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911 for the original Model of 1911 or Automatic Pistol, Caliber .45, M1911A1 for the M1911A1, adopted in 1924. The designation changed to Pistol, Caliber .45, Automatic, M1911A1 in the Vietnam era.[1] In total, the United States procured around 2.7 million M1911 and M1911A1 pistols in military contracts during its service life.
Basic Information
The KWA 1911 MK IV is one of the members of KWA's newest training pistols. The package includes the gun, 1x single stack magazine, 1 bag of BB's, 1 bottle of lube, hopup adjustment tool, and the manual/paperwork. The gun is available from a variety of online retailers for about $170. This particular model has a railed olive drab (OD) frame. The MK IV is also available with a black frame.
Product Description/First Impressions:
The gun comes in what appears to be KWA's new standard packaging which is a nice looking box featuring a large KWA logo on the front with the rest of the box colored to match. Inside the gun is packaged in hard foam with separate little baggies for the tools, BB's, and lube.
Externals
Externally, the new KWA Mark series is available in several models. The one we have here is the Mark IV with the Olive Drab frame. I've always been a fan of two tone guns and I was needing a gun for my OD rig. This model also has the integrated rail on the front to mount a laser or flashlight of your choosing.
The barrel, as with all of KWA's NS2 guns is plastic to allow for smoother cycling and to prevent damage to the chamber. The hopup is adjusted through the ejection port using their included tool which is the same as on the KWA Mac11 NS2 I reviewed previously. While having a plastic barrel may be disappointing to some, I'm all about function over form whenever possible. I haven't found any issue yet with the gun having a plastic barrel.
As shown in the above picture, please be aware the magazine must be removed to adjust the hopup as it blocks access to the chamber. While you can adjust the hopup by hand if your fingers fit, I would recommend just using the included tool and save yourself the effort.
The frame includes a unique serial number as well as "Made in Taiwan" on the left hand side of the frame. The metal frame itself is quite nice and when holding it gives it enough weight that you forget about the plastic barrel.
Internals
As with all gas pistols, there's not too much you can say about the internals. The recoil rod on the gun is held in place on the chamber side by a pin sticking out of the chamber. I personally think this is rather nice as it prevents the rod from moving out of place like it does on my KWA Glock 18C. If you do have the need to take down your gun you simply pull back the slide until notch on the slide (not the slide catch notch) lines up with the slide lock. You then push the slide lock out and the slide will slide forward. This process is also detailed in KWA's excellent manual.
Power/Magazines
The gun uses green gas powered, single stack, full metal magazines that are specific to the new Mark series of KWA 1911 pistols. The magazines hold 14 rounds and you usually get about 2 magazines worth of BB's out of one fill. The magazines are very nice and 100% solid.
As with KWA's other gas pistols, the magazine features a follower lock which is a much appreciated features. Rather than having to try to hold down the BB follower while loading the magazine, you simply pull it all of the way to the bottom where it locks into place. This allows you to much more easily fill the magazine, even by hand. Once you have the magazine loaded, you simply press down on the lock which releases the follower. Please note, you don't want to release the follower in that manner when there's little or no BB's in the magazine.
Performance Characteristics:
The gun was chrono'd at room temperature using a new can of green gas. The gun chrono'd at 330fps-355fps using the included .20g BB's and green gas. KWA does not recommend using propane as propane does not have any lubricant in it. However in my testing the gun does handle it without issue. The hopup seemed to be preset from the factory for the included .20g BB's as it seemed to be adjusted nearly perfectly right out of the box.
The gun scored 10/10 hits from 75' using Echo1 .25g BB's. As shown in the picture the gun was getting 4" groupings, however my feeling is, I probably accounted for 1" of variance. I would say the gun is really 3" capable from that range.
Accessories/Modifications
Since this model has a railed frame, you can attach a variety of lasers and/or lights to the front. In addition, while I haven't personally tested it, I've been advised you can install grips designed for real steel 1911's very easily.
Upgrades:
At this time, there are no upgrades available for the gun.
Skirmish Results
So far the gun has performed flawlessly as many have come to expect from KWA. The gun cycles very crisply and I haven't had any misfeeds or jams. I just wish I had more mags for it.
Conclusion:
This is another solid release from KWA and a very good contender in the 1911 market. While you may be able to find better looking 1911's, they don't come close to matching the reliability and performance of a KWA pistol. Despite not being a big 1911 fan, I find myself considering replacing my existing sidearm with this because of it's performance.
End Notes:
Many thanks to KWA and their continued support for providing this gun.
Written by XavierMace, 7/1/2010
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I do like pie
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Posts: 6,415
Registered: January 2007
Location: Mesa, AZ
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;)
