Airsoft Action 02 - Nov 2011 | Page 51

T he Glock pistol has become an icon in the last couple of decades. I remember being so in awe of one while watching Die Hard I was even able to forgive John McLean for calling it a German-made pistol. He was close enough. They are popular in real life as well as in Hollywood, used by armed forces and government agencies all over the world, as well as the civilian market. With a plethora of calibres, barrel lengths and magazine sizes as well as single-shot and full-auto options, there are around 25 different models on the market today. The Glock has been truly adapted and changed for every industry possible. Despite this Glock continues to revisit its design and improve upon each generation – the latest changes include 20mm rail attachments and improved frame design. In this article we are going to be comparing three of the most popular airsoft reproductions of the Glock 17: KJ Works’, Tokyo Marui’s and KWA’s. Bear in mind that each of these companies (and, of course, several others) produces many variants of the Glock 17, although most are similar in external appearance so we will gloss over these slight differences and talk about the really essential stuff – which one is best and why. PISTOL REVIEW when it could, potentially, work even better after a few tweaks? KWA and Tokyo Marui are probably the easiest companies to get upgrades for. These upgrades range from high-flow valves (to release more gas), routers (to improve the seal between the magazine and pistol), new hop rubbers and tighter barrels. There are even entire replacement body kits available, although I have only ever seen a few that worked really well. One very simple thing you can change, which might be worth consideration, is the weight of your ammunition. I know of many players that now use heavyweight BBs in their pistols, for the benefits of improved range and accuracy. When you have made the decision to purchase a pistol it is well worth thinking about whether you intend to leave it all alone or if you are going to head down the never-en