Utty Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 (edited) Western Arms Beretta M1934 (Mil Spec version) Review. Appearance: The box is funnily small, but it dwarfs the actual gun inside it. This gun is tiny. Not Derringer-tiny, but just about the size of a S&W M36 Chief Special 2 inch. Picking it up for the first time, the weight is striking. This tiny gun weighs just around 600g. The next thing that I found striking was the ergonomics. It doesn't look it, but gripping this gun is extremely comfortable. It sits very firmly in your hand, it feels like you're gripping a solid, heavy chunk of metal molded to fit perfectly in your hand. The plastic body is very high quality. I could only find very, very faint mold lines in front and behind the rear sight on the slide, and unsurprisingly, inside the trigger guard. But as I said, they're very faint. The parkerized finish on the plastic slide and frame is flawless, looks and feels very good. The outer barrel and grip panels are metal, as are the other usual parts (hammer, trigger, safety etc) The method of field stripping is unusual, but quick and easy once you figure it out. Performance: Getting ready to test the M1934, I notice that the recoil spring is quite strong, as is the hammer spring. Also, when the hammer is decocked, it rests in the correct position, unlike the other WA pistols I've tried, where the hammer falls out a bit. First, accuracy. The M1934 has fixed Hop and a 6.03mm inner barrel. This shows in the accuracy testing. At 5 meters, this gun makes constant 5cm groupings, no strays, regardless of temperature (tested in 12C/54F and 17C/63F) and regardless of gas (Abbey 134a, Abbey Ultra, APS Winter). On to FPS. These results are all with an ambient temp of 12C/54F. Ammo is .20g Excel. With 134a, the power is a measly 110FPS. With either Abbey Ultra and APS Winter, the power goes up to a useful 180FPS. Here are the results from some of my other guns in similar temperature: Marui Hi-Capa (upgraded, green gas): 265FPS KWA G18C (upgraded, green gas): 275FPS Tanaka M36 3 inch (upgraded, green gas): did not function at this temp. Blowback? Quite mild with 134a, much snappier with Ultra and Winter, unsurprisingly. How about gas capacity? The M1934 has an extremely small gas tank. Filling with 134a takes about one second. Filling with Ultra or Winter takes a split second. With 134a, you can fire a whole mag's worth of BBs on one charge. With Ultra or Winter, the number of BBs fired on one charge is between 5 and 13 depending on how rapidly you fire. The slide does not lock back when the mag is empty, it only locks back with the safety on, for field stripping. Upgrade potential: None so far. More to come. Until then, look at pics below for size comparisons with some other guns. Edited December 14, 2004 by Utty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Vektor Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 The slide does not lock back when the mag is empty, it only locks back with the safety on, for field stripping. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Which is the case with real M1934 as well (having fired few magfulls off real gun during my military service). Great mini-review, Utty! Especially the comparative fps results, very useful data. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted December 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Update: I took the M1934 outside, along with my TM Hi-Capa and KWA G18C, for some real cold weather testing at longer ranges. The ambient temperature was 1C/34F, ammo was .20g Excel. Target was an A4 sheet of paper. M1934: APS Winter gas. It couldn't reach the target at 20 meters, but at 15 meters it was no problem. Power consistency seemed very good, no cooldown. Firm blowback. G18C: Green gas. After setting hop-up to max, the 18C could reach the target at 20 meters, but accuracy was terrible, it failed to actually hit the target. Power consistency was poor, with bad cooldown. Hi-Capa: Green gas. Suprisingly good performance in such cold weather. It had no problem reaching and hitting the target at 20 meters. Excellent power consistency. Even during rapid firing, there was no cooldown. Even the blowback kick was strong, and the report was loud. It seems the weather needs to be a lot colder before this gun starts to suffer. This test shows that the WA M1934 does indeed fare well in relatively cold weather, as expected. The surprise for me was the Hi-Capa's stunning cold weather performance - once again proof that the TM Hi-Capa really is one hell of a fine gun. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hhsohn Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 Thanks for the review! A good review's rare these post-DumboRAT days... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
destrukto Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 These post-DumboRAT reviews are kind of nice.... They're short, to the point, and don't have all these mind-numbing technical specifications There's nothing wrong with DumboRAT's reviews however... but after the first 3 pages of technical specifications... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hhsohn Posted December 14, 2004 Report Share Posted December 14, 2004 These post-DumboRAT reviews are kind of nice.... They're short, to the point, and don't have all these mind-numbing technical specifications There's nothing wrong with DumboRAT's reviews however... but after the first 3 pages of technical specifications... <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ah...but these those DumboRAT reviews don't make you want to go out and buy it as soon as done reading it. Oh wait, is that a pro or con? I do know what you mean about his style and lengths, though. But they did make for a very interesting read during slow-times at work! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Arnie Posted December 15, 2004 Report Share Posted December 15, 2004 Moved this to the right place Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted May 4, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 (edited) Update I decided to try shooting this gun with propane. Guns WA M1934, stock TM P226, stock Conditions Air temp: 22 degrees C Gas: Ultrair Power Gas (C4H10, C3H8 [propane]) Ammo: Excel .20g FPS (average of 10 shots, at least 2 seconds pause between each shot) WA M1934: 245 (237 low, 252 high) TM P226: 278 (275 low, 281 high) Notes: I also tested the M1934 on Abbey Ultra to compare the power - it averaged 240 fps, only slightly less than propane. Testing with Abbey Ultra in the TM P226 resultet in an average of 273fps - so both guns performed exactly 5 fps lower on Abbey Ultra. Interesting. Gas efficiency In the above conditions (22C, propane), the M1934 fired 11 shots full power, the 12th shot barely launching the BB from the barrel. Using Abbey Ultra gave the same result. Accuracy -was unchanged from the initial review: 5cm groupings at 5 meters, regardless of gas type. Blowback kick and durability The M1934's recoil seems only slightly (if any) stronger on propane than on Abbey Ultra, which to me indicates that it is safe to use propane in the M1934. A post-testing examination revealed no immediate damage to any parts. Final notes Once again I have only praise for the WA M1934. Very simple, very reliable, decent power, good accuracy. I have never had even a single malfunction, misfire, or misfeed of any kind with this gun. The only real downside is the relatively high price, and equally expensive spare magazines. Still zero upgrades available, but none are really needed. Edited May 4, 2005 by Utty Quote Link to post Share on other sites
garry Posted May 4, 2005 Report Share Posted May 4, 2005 Nice review Utty. Good things to say about a WA? ......I need a stiff drink!!.................. ....... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted May 5, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2005 Hehe, I give praise when it's deserved, and the M1934 certainly deserves praise. If only the full size WAs were like this: simple mech, fixed hop, perfect reliability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SWATMonkey Posted June 28, 2006 Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Hey, i just received this gun for a birthday present, GREAT GUN i may add. now, i dont understand Chinese, so i have no idea as to how to work the hop up... Utty: can you pm me as to how you adjust the Hop up? i twould be great. also, this gun without setting hop shoots far with green gas and .23's...great range with barely any hop up, all thanks to the tightbore, which comes stock. any help will be taken, i just want to know how to work the hop so i can put the tightbore to good use... :D Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted June 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2006 Great gun, yes, I still have mine, and it's still great even after all the green gas that's been through it. Hop is fixed, so you can't adjust it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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