hardboiledcop Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 (edited) Maruzen M1100 Revision Review I had a good look round and couldn't find anything, so I thought I'd do a review on the newest and currently the only M1100 available from most HK retailers as well as retailers here in the UK. I was shocked by how cheap it was, only $160 from Airsoft Global (or thereabouts), however with the quick addition of shells, and the postage equivalent to that of a rifle ($80) the total price was then bumped up to a healthy 160GBP. I ordered her on wednesday, and she arrived on my door on friday without import fees or VAT, thanks to Airsoft Global for their great service once again. Model The Maruzen m1100 Revision is one in a long line of shell-ejecting shotguns, the M870 range were famed for their realistic operation,with the user pumping between shots to eject the empty shells, they were shunned for their lack of power and weak 'pop' noise while firing. The M1100 range also suffered from it's problems, unable to reliably take green gas, and also suffering from a slight lack of power. Upon firing an m1100 the gas is expelled to fire the bb's but also to cycle the bolt,flinging the shell out and loading the next shell as it moves forward. The Revision is the newest shell-ejecting gun from Maruzen, it fixes a whole host of problems reported in the previous generations, of which I will go into detail later in the review. First Impressions I was greeted with a rather plain brown cardboard box, obviously turned inside out to avoid any trouble with customs and prevent damage to the exterior of the box, upon opening I was surprised at the realism of the piece, pictures certainly don't do her justice, and when I lifted it out of the box I could tell why I had to pay so much postage, it was heavy, just too heavy to rid any ideas you may have about going guns akimbo with two of these beauties. Aesthetics To look at she's a beauty, though the bolt mechanism is the only exterior part that's metal, barring the trigger, sling loops and safety, even the 4 20mm rails aren't metal, which is a bit of shame. The trigger comes with a wider covering, which can be removed if you prefer a thinner trigger. Speaking of the rails, they really aren't as bad as pictures would have them seem, though why exactly I would need 4 accessories railed onto a shotgun is beyond me, the only idea I could come up with was attaching 3 lasers and lighting people up like predator. You can remove the whole rails system, however this also involves removing the foregrip itself, you cannot reattach the accompanying screws minus the rails, which is a shame. The foregrip does look plasticy, but that is quickly negated by how mean it looks. The pistol grip is not my taste, and as I don't plan to fit a folding stock, the attachment is somewhat surplus to requirements. I'm sure some of you are wanting to know about the trades on this gun.. well, not so good I'm afraid, on the left side of the reciever is written "M1100, MARUZEN JASG, ME526846" the handle bears the writing "USE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT ONLY" but on the other side is written "MARUZEN MADE IN JAPAN 170192". From here things only get worse I'm afraid, the right-hand side of the barrel has 'trades' so shallow that they are infact worn off in places, the trades that are visible read "REMINGTO ARMS CO.INC.,ILION. N.Y. MADE IN JAPAN". Feel The gun feels great in the hands, the plastic body does not bother me since the plastic is off a high caliber, and the only parts I handle often are the pistol grip and foregrip, and the bolt mechanism (which is metal). The grip has some nice checkering on it and is shaped very nicely, it feels great in the hands, accompanied by the weight of the gun, it really feels good to hold. Function I was of the opinion before owning this gun, that the mechanism would be more complicated because of the shell ejecting feature, however, the opposite is true.. the mechanism is great, big and clunkly to accomodate the big shells, and very simple actually. the shells go into the underside of the gun, one has to make sure the shells go beyond the feed lip while loading to ensure they dont get sprung back into the underside of the chamber. You can fit 3 shells into the gun, plus one in the chamber. It is amazing fun to reload this gun, and actually alot easier than carrying a load of gas filled magazine's around. Cocking the gun brings one shell back, under the chamber. Upon letting go of the charging handle, the shell slide upwards and into position, simple. The shells themselves are made of thick plastic and metal and are very sturdy, with an o-ring at each end, all you have to do is pop a few bb's in and your off. Firing Now onto the good bit, firing! Gas goes into a reservoir held in the pistol grip, which is removable but can be gassed while in the gun.. removing the reservoir with gas in it is a bad idea, you lose quite a bit of gas doing this. You can easily get over 20 shells from one 3 second fill. This gun is an absolute joy to fire, easily the most enjoyable airsoft experience I've had to date. From hearing about issues with power in the previous generations I was shocked at how much better this gun is than it's earler brethren. It is able to take green gas reliably (so far) and I have not had one problem with shell's not ejecting because of the added power. With about 3-5 .25 bb's (the only ones I have currently) the power and range is similar to my Mac-11, also on green. I'd say around 280-300 would be accurate. The accuracy leaves a little to be desired if you stray above 3 bb's, with one bb loaded you would most likely go above any skirmish site's limit, so be wary about using it as a sniper, though the addition of a tightbore and some decent sights (an rds perhaps) would make it a viable choice if you dont play with limits. The gun cycles perfectly, emitting a loud noise with each shot, and flinging the shell out, spinning and landing about a meter away. The gun can be dry fired with shells, which will eject perfectly, making this perfect for any budding film-makers.. Though I wouldnt suggest adding any more strain to the mechanism by dry firing, that applies to any gun. Accessories There are quite a few accessories available.. such as shell holding slings, belts, a shell catcher (though you'd never see me using one, I'd rather lose a few shells than lose the joy that comes from seeing them fly across the room. Also, companies such as ATI in the US, can supply a folding stock and shell holder (attaches to the stock) which require very little modding. Upgrades Not that it needs one in my opinion, but you can buy a firefly valve for this gun, which would increase power through the use of more gas. There is also a metal kit available, you can buy the m1100 metal receiver, a metal barrel (the m870 barrel fits this gun) and a magazine tube extension to allow more shells to be loaded. The most interested upgrade is the full wood furniture kit, replacing the pistol grip and entire front rail system with a far more simple, and in my opinion better looking option. It isintended for use on the Maruzen m1100 defender, but requires very little modding, only the enlarging of one hole at the barrel end of the gun. So that's it. Certainly the most fun gun I have ever owned or shot, with a loud report and sensational shell mechanism, If I got anything wrong please call me on it (being my first review). I will put up more pictures of her with the wood furniture soon ( I placed the order yesterday and seemingly got the last one in stock ) cheers, hbc. Edited September 2, 2006 by hardboiledcop Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 And finally, some beauty shots.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
UMGuy Posted September 2, 2006 Report Share Posted September 2, 2006 Awesome review, makes me want one. Good job. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hustie Posted September 3, 2006 Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 Does the bolt lock back on the last round? Nice review BTW. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 3, 2006 no it doesn't.. when you run out of shells you just continue to load them into the magazine tube and cock it when needed.. or if you are in a rush you could dry fire one shot and thereby load the first shell. You can fire all four shells before the first hits the ground, so reloading is a definate thing you have to practice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dizzy Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 How much of a spread do you get with 5 bbs at around 15 ft range? Just wondering how awesome this would be at my local site (electrowerkz). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 hrmm, I would check now but ive got her in bits. I think its gets pretty good spread.. but if you really want to make it a cqb monster.. put 9 .12g bb's in each shell, the spread is awesome and the fps is still pretty good, great for cqb. hbc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pacino Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 (edited) How much of a spread do you get with 5 bbs at around 15 ft range? Just wondering how awesome this would be at my local site (electrowerkz). <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Mate, I will AVOID YOU LIKE THE PLAGUE if you turn up with that!! Or at least beg to be on your team!!! Great review BTW. Edited September 4, 2006 by pacino Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 (edited) cheers, green gas + 9 .12g bb's = boomstick number 1. btw, my wood kit should arrive at my door any minute.. shouldnt take long to assemble and as soon as it is I'll post pictures here, and all over the pictures section Edited September 4, 2006 by hardboiledcop Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jjj Posted September 4, 2006 Report Share Posted September 4, 2006 Nice review! have a +1! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dizzy Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 Mate, I will AVOID YOU LIKE THE PLAGUE if you turn up with that!! Or at least beg to be on your team!!! Great review BTW. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You coming on the 17th? Because I'll be bringing her down then! BTW with eight bbs you get the sweetest spread at electro ranges. I'm sticking with 134A for safety's sake, at electrowerkz you don't need much range. I'll give you all a report on how it fairs after the game! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
primussucks Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 got the pics with the woodkit yet? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
[PARA] Posted September 5, 2006 Report Share Posted September 5, 2006 Could you show someone holding it? I'd like to know approximate size. And which part is the pump? The whole rail get-up? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Dizzy Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Could you show someone holding it? I'd like to know approximate size. And which part is the pump? The whole rail get-up? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> There isn't a pump. The gun is semi-automatic, with the force of each shot used to eject the shell, and load the next one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 Here are some images once the wood kit was installed. Strangely the shell eject mechanism started playing up after installing the kit, but TMC asked me this morning if I'd send it to them and they'd fix it, so it's not all bad news, I'd have been hard pressed finding someone in this country with maruzen spareparts and knowhow. and for the guy who wants to know how big it is in the hands, here's the best I could do, excuse my clothes basket Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Glenn Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 That is freaking beautiful. I'm going to have a hell of a time deciding what shotgun to get next spring. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
primussucks Posted September 6, 2006 Report Share Posted September 6, 2006 that really does look awesome. I almost placed an order for one after i read your review, but i chickened out for fear of loosing a testicle or two when my woman saw it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Utty Posted September 7, 2006 Report Share Posted September 7, 2006 Strange that the eject mechanism malfuntions because of the wood kit - are you sure it's because of the kit though? You said earlier you had the gun in pieces - how so, and why? The wood kit looks the part alright (gross understatement). Was it a straight swap, or does it need some modding? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Runner Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 (edited) Where can you find a longer magazine tube ? I want to get an M1100R, a folding stock, a longer tube & barrel to make it look as close to this: as possible (with the M1100R grip instead of the pump, of course), but I can't find appropriate tube/barrel extentions... Edited September 8, 2006 by Runner Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 the tube and barrel extensions for the m870 series work fine.. try dentrinity or uncompany. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hardboiledcop Posted September 9, 2006 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 I dont believe it was the wood kit, something in the mechanism mustve broke, im in contact with AG trying to arrange repair or replacement. You have to take off the front hand guard, then the barrel (just pulls off) to replace the front handguard. To replace the grip you have to remove a metal plate inside the grip with one screw, then remove one big screw.. It really is that simple. cheers, hbc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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