hwagan Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 The WE Beretta M9 As the topic suggests, this is my review of the WE M9. Overview, History, that kinda stuff... So, as we all know, the M9 is the militarised version of the Beretta M92F 9mm Semi-Automatic Double Action Pistol. Accepted as the standard US service pistol some time in the 80's, the weapon is a 9mm pistol. 15 9mm rounds in the magazine, double or single action, and usually seen in the hands of good ol' Bruce Willis. It's used by many many people worldwide, be it police forces, military or civilian. It's a hollywood favourite, and has spawned many a clone and copy. The real deal, from what i know, is widely regarded as an excellent and reliable pistol. Don't quote me on any of that, because i'm not an expert on the real stuff. Anyhoo, a picture is in order. The major details.... Price: £89.99, from Land Warrior Airsoft. Full metal: Yep. Quoted FPS: Around 320ish. Mag: 26 rounds - But load it with 23, more on this later. Safety/Single/Double action Field strippable: Yep. Like the real steel, AFAIK. Initial Impressions.... The box for the gun is actually quite nice. It's got 'M-92' all over it, it's very colourful, and has pictures of the various different models available, as well as the main image of the M9. A nice black cloth wrapped around the styrofoam is a nice touch, and it's definitely presented quite well. Don't buy the other models though - They look rubbish, and buying one will give you herpes. They're horrible long-slided awfully trademarked things. Unfortunately i neglected to take a picture of the box, but it's the usual fare. Manual, gun, magazine. No paper targets or small bag of BB's, but that's no biggy. Mine arrived with gas in the mag, so +1 for LWA for presumably testing it and keeping the seals good. As you can tell by now, there are no real trademarks to speak of. There's a WE logo on both sides of the grip, which isn't really beretta styled. However, it's not noticeable unless you're using the thing. The slide is completely blank, and so is the lower frame - Except for a rather amusing trademark, picture below. The picture isn't quite clear enough, but just under the slide is the wording 'Read Meanal Before Use'. This, i found hilarious. So hilarious in fact, i sent an e-mail to WE asking how i'd go about reading their anal. I'm still awaiting a reply. Anyhoo, as i said - no real trademarks. However, the gun does have a couple of nice touches - The safety has a clear, bright and well painted red dot to indicate the gun is ready to fire. There's also an equally clear white dot on the front sight, but nothing on the rear. On closer inspection... Well, WE have done a pretty damn good job on the externals. The quality of the paintwork is surprising - It's very nicely finished indeed. The matte black is completely flat without imperfections on both the slide, frame, and outer barrel. As mentioned, the coloured dots are also clear and well done. It looks very much how it should do. The grips are rubberised, and the gun fits my hand very nicely. It feels extremely solid, and much better than i was expecting. A very nice heft to the piece, and a weight of around 1 kilo when it's loaded with a magazine. It's a very well designed pistol, and i can reach the slide and mag release with my thumb without changing my firing grip. Same story with the safety, although not quite as easy to reach as the slide/mag release. All of the controls have a very tactile feel to them - The safety clicks very positively into place, the slide release has just the right amount of tension to press down, and the magazine clicks in very solidly. The gun has that 'sit there for half an hour and click things' feel. The sound of the slide slamming forward sounds exceptionally real, and the metal on metal sounds are awesome. The trigger has a very smooth action, both in double and single. The breaking point of the trigger is easily felt in single action. The extractor rod isn't a separate piece, but WE have done an excellent job of making it look like one. I'd like to once again remind you all, if you buy one of the silly long slided wooden grip ones, Bruce Willis will crash a car into your face. Loading and firing and whathaveyou... So, onto the fun part. Loading the pistol isn't the easiest, but definitely not difficult. A speedloader will help drastically, but it's easily possible to thumb all 26 rounds into the mag, with only the last 3 or 4 rounds getting difficult. However, i will mention at this point - Don't load it with 26. This review is about a month into the pistol's life, and the magazine springs have lost a little tension. I've managed to stretch them out again, but i chose to load the pistol with 23 rounds to save it happening again. If you load it with 26, you'll more than likely find the slide doesn't lock back every time. The magazine fill valve doesn't create any leaking of gas, and the mag holds enough green gas charge for 2 full magazines of crisp blowback and slide-locking on a warm day with 5 seconds between shots. After about 55 rounds the blowback becomes sluggish, and it fails to cycle all the way after about 60. Top of the mag: Blowback mech: So, with a freshly gassed magazine, and 23 rounds in the mag, it's time to shoot the thing. And unfortunately, this is where it starts to go downhill like Katie Price's popularity. Ok, so it doesn't go downhill *that* badly, but some dissapointment ensues. Racking the slide feels great - lovely noises, very solid and positive feel. However, the gun does suffer cooldown a fair bit. If you leave a second or two between shots, you'll fire a whole magazine without issue. However, firing rapidly will cause the gun to turn fully auto towards the last 3-8 shots. As fun as it is, it's not meant to happen. It's not a majorly big issue - Normal use and it'll be fine. However, bear in mind this is going to be more pronounced in the winter months. I've been using it in the winter, and it's not too bad... It vents a bit of gas for the first couple of shots, and rapid firing is a no. It does however work in fairly cold temperatures to an acceptable degree. Compared to your average GBB, the cooldown isn't that bad... The fully auto thing is annoying, but you'll only experience this if you try and fire the thing like a rabid mentalist. Annoyingly, there's more bad news to come. When a sunny day finally came, i eagerly went into the garden to viciously maim some unsuspecting leaves - Or so i thought. I can tell you now that the hopup on this pistol is awful. It's a grub screw over the inner barrel type, and the grub screw is far too loose in the thread. As you fire the pistol, the rounds start to fly wildly upwards after the first 5 shots as the hopup adjusts itself. Worse than this, even if you glue the hopup in place once it's set, it's wildly inconsistent. The BB's flight path is wavy and strange, and led me to become angry and confused. I've tried re-seating the rubbers, a bit of silicone, shouting at it and asking it nicely, and it refuses to be accurate. Hitting someone 20 yards away isn't too much of a problem, but anything past that and it's literally hit or miss. I'd say roughly 4 out of 7 rounds go where you want them to up to about 30 yards, with a maximum flight distance of 50 or so. So it's fairly good for range, but it definitely isn't winning any points for accuracy. The offensively bad hop unit is pictured below: Field Stripping the thing... It's very very easy. The slide retention pin is captive - Simply push down the rectangular/oval shaped button on the right hand side of the frame, push the lever down 90 degrees on the opposite side, and the slide comes off the rails. Removing the recoil rod requires sliding it forward a little, rotating it 180 degrees and removing it. The outer barrel can then be removed. To access the stupid, rubbish, bunny murdering hop requires pushing down on 2 tabs just in front of the loading ramp, and sliding the outer barrel sleeve forward a little to expose the grub screw. Stripped: Conclusion, and overall bit... Well, it's kind of a love/hate thing. I love the feel of it, i love the noises it makes, i love the kick. I love how sinister it looks, i love how loud it is. However, the hop unit is a total let-down. I'm really hoping someone with a Marui M9 can figure out from the pictures if the 2 are compatible - I don't know if the WE is a clone, but if you can put a Marui hop unit into the thing, this pistol is definitely a winner. Even with the massive fail of a hop unit, it's still a decent sidearm. For the usual pistol ranges you'll be fine, and as long as you don't go nuts, the cooldown won't be a problem. For the external quality and feel of the pistol, the fun factor of shooting it and the decent FPS readings, it's a nice gun to have. I haven't got any other metal M9's to compare it to, but at £90, it's not bad for the money. I'd like a decent hop unit and a bit better accuracy, but i'll figure out a fix for that eventually. So, to break it down: Externals - 8/10. Let down only by the trademarks, or lack of. Range - 8/10. Goes about AEG range. Accuracy - 5/10. It could be worse, but it's the biggest flaw. Consistency - 7/10. Pretty average, no wild variations in FPS. Value for money - 7/10. Again, the accuracy is the only major issue. Reliability - 8/10. Cooldown is a minor issue, and so far the thing has done 4,000 rounds without a hitch. Saying that, i have had the fill valve go on one of the magazines - But i'm fairly confident this was my fault. No leaks or anything from either of the other 2 magazines, and it's still firing as if it was brand new. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MODDAN Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 Interesting and informative review. However I would like to know if the WE Beretta features a decock/safety like the real Beretta, or just a Marui Style can't-drop-hammer safety, since it is not mentioned in the text. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DarkLite Posted November 5, 2009 Report Share Posted November 5, 2009 It's more or less a 100% clone of the TM/KJ/HFC M9s, btw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted November 6, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 6, 2009 Interesting and informative review. However I would like to know if the WE Beretta features a decock/safety like the real Beretta, or just a Marui Style can't-drop-hammer safety, since it is not mentioned in the text. Sorry, forgot to mention that - It doesn't have a functional de-cocker. The safety catch disengages the trigger, so when the safety is on and the trigger is pulled it'll move as normal, but with no connection to the hammer. @Darklite: You've just made my day, thanks for the info! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted November 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2009 Bit of a post-skirmish update. The hop unit seems to have worn in now, so glue the grub screw and the accuracy isn't too bad. Similar to the WE range of colts, but not quite as consistent. Perfectly adequate though. HOWEVER. This gun CAN NOT COPE with the winter. At all. Previous use in cold weather was usually straight after getting out of the car, which i should have taken into account. Today, on the other hand, i drew the M9 2 hours into the day after i ran dry in my primary. One single shot, a quick burst of 5 fully automatic shots (none of which fired BB's due to the slide not cycling far enough), and then venting gas in my face. Basically, if you want a nice, fairly decent performing M9 with a very solid feel and a satisfying kick for use exclusively in the summer, this is definitely for you. If you want an accurate M9 you can use all year round, go for the TM. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boxster Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 I bought the M92F-L when I realised its TM compatible..., this means I can use aftermarket TM M9 upgrade parts! However, I find the TM mag to fit in far better than the original mag but I haven't buy the TM mag yet, waiting for the long mag but the shops I bought from said its always recommanded with TM mags. Can't argue with that! I think mine have to add grease in because the slides sounded like grinding whenever I pull the thing back. I find no reviews of my version online anywhere except one in another forum just complaining about the engrave markings whichis stupid. Last night while rapid shooting a carton box, just before the gas depletes. I was surprised to be shooting in full auto??? Nice gun and review there! Like any other WE inspite of its flaws in materials. Have to get another! B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted November 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 I'm definitely planning on investing in a TM outer barrel/hop set - I think the biggest flaw of the gun is the accuracy. Other than that it's a perfectly good M9, although i'd say it's really more for the summer. I haven't had any problems with magazine fitting or any kind of slide grinding, mine is all very smooth - maybe something to do with the extended slide weighing down a little more on the rails? As for the full auto, that's exactly the problem i had - I'm guessing it's something to do with the metal conducting the cold better and therefore freezing the gas quicker. Damn you, british weather! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boxster Posted November 9, 2009 Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Maybe in a few months, I would like to pick up this M92 in silver finish. Tho WE have a lot of trashing but reports I read from a few forums suggested that upgrade TM parts can be used. Particularly on the hi-capa which I have used TM mags on. I have not personally done any mods on mine. I will know for sure in the coming weeks when I go to the airsoft capital of the world, HK! Ah, ok, so we got the full auto issues here! Temperature when I was shooting it last were kinda cold, came out of the aircon room. I will try again tonight to see if it happens again! I only wish its part of the feature, LOL! B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted November 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2009 Yeah, it'd be nice if it was a select fire pistol to CHOSE to go fully auto rather than the gun deciding to do so itself. I've found in room temperatures of around 20-25 degrees celsius, the full auto issue won't occur unless you fire EXTREMELY quickly, or if there's very little gas in the mag. I've only had it happen after lots of rapid firing or in the freezing cold though, so it's not a huge issue. Definitely gonna try and get a TM hop unit in there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwell94 Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 having second thoughts about buying a WE after my WE 1911 broke. i was also looking at the KWA M9 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maxwell94 Posted November 25, 2009 Report Share Posted November 25, 2009 the slide cracked and came off of the fram for some unapparent reason Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Italy92FS Posted December 5, 2009 Report Share Posted December 5, 2009 (edited) Buyed a SOCOM Gear M9 (a WE M9 with markings and threaded barrel with rubberized grips). Parts are 101% compatible with TM and clones, I've swapped the original grips with a Beretta real deal and the standard slide release (the OEM is longer like Tactical Master). Tested it with KJW CO2 Magazines without problems. I've expected the full auto issue only in the final shots of the magazines. I've tested 2 types of gas magazines, the WE OEM and the standard KJW. When you insert the KJW magazine into the magwell, you must do it quickly because the rear output valve in the side of the magazine will hit the magwell itself pushing it forward leaking the gas upside. This is due the strict tollerance of the WE frame. With the WE, I've fired 56 rounds. With the KJW, I've fired 79. Room temperature 22°C. Only bad news, I've notice if the outer barrel will "bling" too much, this is because there aren't any retaining pin for the inner group in it. Edited December 5, 2009 by Italy92FS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
buggyr333 Posted January 2, 2010 Report Share Posted January 2, 2010 I'm definitely planning on investing in a TM outer barrel/hop set Do you have any idea where to get one of those? I have the Silver version, and i have found that the barrel/hopup is NOT compatible with marui. But it should be able to take the marui one if you switch both chamber and barrel. My nub ripped on my WE m9... So I'm trying to get any Barrel assembly I can find. I'd settle for BELL, then I can at least buy a different barrel and bucking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
enigma83 Posted January 5, 2010 Report Share Posted January 5, 2010 Buyed a SOCOM Gear M9 (a WE M9 with markings and threaded barrel with rubberized grips). Parts are 101% compatible with TM and clones, I've swapped the original grips with a Beretta real deal and the standard slide release (the OEM is longer like Tactical Master). Tested it with KJW CO2 Magazines without problems. I've expected the full auto issue only in the final shots of the magazines. I've tested 2 types of gas magazines, the WE OEM and the standard KJW. When you insert the KJW magazine into the magwell, you must do it quickly because the rear output valve in the side of the magazine will hit the magwell itself pushing it forward leaking the gas upside. This is due the strict tollerance of the WE frame. With the WE, I've fired 56 rounds. With the KJW, I've fired 79. Room temperature 22°C. Only bad news, I've notice if the outer barrel will "bling" too much, this is because there aren't any retaining pin for the inner group in it. so all magazines "marui compatible" are compatible also with this WE/socomGear, it's right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Italy92FS Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 (edited) so all magazines "marui compatible" are compatible also with this WE/socomGear, it's right? Right. Mine have a problem with the double action, the trigger depress all the hammer but the striker won't hit the magazine valve. If I cock the hammer and shot in single action no problem... Edited January 14, 2010 by Italy92FS Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike_West Posted January 14, 2010 Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 Right. Mine have a problem with the double action, the trigger depress all the hammer but the striker won't hit the magazine valve. If I cock the hammer and shot in single action no problem... I'm guessing that's a fault of springs. I have exactly same problem with my Bell 707. Anyway, do silver longslide WE Berettas exist? Because I just spotted some inexpensive faux ivory grips and... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted January 14, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2010 I know WE do a long-slided two tone with awful markings - I believe the slide is silver with black highlights, it's not that pretty in my opinion. Great info on the mags - I've since sold mine as it required far too much fiddling. I've been considering the Socom Gear M9, but if i'm totally honest i no longer trust WE parts. I've seen countless 1911's break, as well as the M9's problems. Having said that i've had good experiences with WE's hicapas, but since i went and bought a KSC USP .45 i have no intention of going back to WE. It's a shame, because some of the parts were genuinely rather nice, but the overall WE pistols have too many faults for my liking. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
enigma83 Posted January 17, 2010 Report Share Posted January 17, 2010 Right. Mine have a problem with the double action, the trigger depress all the hammer but the striker won't hit the magazine valve. If I cock the hammer and shot in single action no problem... Thanks a lot for reply! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Italy92FS Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 I'm guessing that's a fault of springs. I have exactly same problem with my Bell 707. Fault of what spring? The main spring? In SA there aren't any problem... No one have my same problem? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike_West Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Yes, that's the deal: somehow cocking the gun first makes the striker hit harder. Surely it's not the hammer spring, as even with an aftermarket spring the problem wasn't fixed. I'll try getting a KA spring set, dismantling the whole gun and replacing the springs when I have some money and time, maybe that'll help. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
buggyr333 Posted January 18, 2010 Report Share Posted January 18, 2010 Fault of what spring? The main spring? In SA there aren't any problem... No one have my same problem? I'm relatively certain that is just how the design of all TM clone m9's is, since every one I see does this. It works from half cock though if im not mistaken. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Italy92FS Posted January 19, 2010 Report Share Posted January 19, 2010 Yes, that's the deal: somehow cocking the gun first makes the striker hit harder. Surely it's not the hammer spring, as even with an aftermarket spring the problem wasn't fixed. I'll try getting a KA spring set, dismantling the whole gun and replacing the springs when I have some money and time, maybe that'll help. I've noticed disassembling the slide that if I press the trigger in DA the striker won't retract all their ride, so the strike is weak on the output valve. I haved some pistols in my life, a KJW M9A1 and a HFC M190 and that won't have the problem. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mike_West Posted January 25, 2010 Report Share Posted January 25, 2010 I've noticed disassembling the slide that if I press the trigger in DA the striker won't retract all their ride, so the strike is weak on the output valve. I haved some pistols in my life, a KJW M9A1 and a HFC M190 and that won't have the problem. Ha! Exactly the same problem I have with the Bell. I took the slides off both Berettas and noticed that on Bell, the striker doesn't retract all the way - I don't know, maybe it's the fault of burrs, flashing or some other material defect? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ward8124 Posted April 14, 2010 Report Share Posted April 14, 2010 I've got the the long "two tone" version of this and to be honest I absolutlely love it although it does make me laugh having "Military spec cal 6mm" on the slide for god knows what reason and even funnier is whats engraved on the right side just below the slide it says "Read Meanal before use" LOL! I think someone shudda checked their spelling before they put it into production maybe! HOWEVER! This pistol has a metal goodness about it and gives a really good clink when you cock it and fire it. I use CO2 mags which are by far the meanest badboys you can get especially in CQB as the noise it gives off when it fires is just amazing and generally makes people cower in fear! Unfortunately I do have to echo the comment that hopup is a tad suspect and poorly designed as the accuracy is a tad pants but at close quarters acceptable. For all its faults though, this is my favourite pistol and one I will keep till it dies! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwagan Posted April 15, 2010 Author Report Share Posted April 15, 2010 I guess i'm a bit of a perfectionist really; The externals and firing the thing on a warm day were awesome, ignoring the hop-up - But anything short of 20 degrees outdoors and the thing had a habit of going fully auto and suffering epic cooldown. Mine had the 'Read Meanal before use' markings on the frame - Cracked me up when i bought it Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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