armoury
CYMA 132S
Had CYMA chosen to offer a high capacity mag to fill
out the grip with room for more BBs, the 132S could have
offered the pistol equivalent of a drum mag on an AEG. At
least the stick mag format means that spares are cheap to
buy at around £6.00 each - and you could easily carry up to
four per standard pistol mag pouch. That potentially means
up to four times the ammo for the same cost and space in
your rig as one magazine for a conventional GBB.
It’s ironic that the included speedloader is absolutely
useless for filling the mag though, because there’s no
cutout down the open slot to pop BBs in. Instead, you’ll
need a loader with a swing-out or clip-on adaptor to insert
ammo through the feed lips at the top of the mag. And
that’s if you’re lucky; we found it easier just to feed the
mag’s appetite for ammo with every BB by hand.
However you fill the mag, the capacity is about 30
rounds, which is actually more than most full-sized
magazines where the extra space is taken up by a gas
chamber or CO2 bulb. It feeds just fine time after time and
after numerous refills; we’re happy to report that it keeps
on working without problems.
COME AND GET IT
AEPs are famous for returning lower FPS measurements
than GBB pistols and the 132S is no different. We
measured an average output of 210FPS/0.41J using .20
BBs, which places it about 50 less than a modest GBB and
very shy of the UK’s typical 350FPS limit. That’s great news
if your number one objective is to be site legal at all costs
but may be disappointing if you’re looking for ultimate
performance.
The big difference is that when the temperature drops
hard and other players are forced to leave their gas-
powered pistols in the safe zone, you’ll still
have a backup to rely on. I’ve been that gas
guy too many times this year alone.
While it can’t match the best pistols
I’ve used, the CYMA costs a third of their
price and is still fairly accurate, with decent
groupings on my usual 25M range. The
hop adds about an inch of lift at just 6
metres even at its minimum setting, but
at that range, you’re either aiming centre-
mass or miss! Further out and the hop is more
useful at typical engagement distances up to 25
or even 30m, where you’ll need the hop full on.
Beyond that, it gets unpredictable.
Of course, consistency between shots is one benefit
of an electric power source over gas, which is something
we observed here. Fewer flyers going wide of target not
only means tighter groupings within range, but also that
even though it’s down on distance overall, you can more
reliably account for that deficiency using holdover on target
(aiming just a bit above where you want the shot to land).
HERE I GO AGAIN
After having been given a light-hearted pasting by some
AA contributors for mocking AEPs, has the CYMA.132S
convinced me of the platform’s potential? I have to admit
that I’ve come away pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed
using this AEP far more than I thought I would.
Am I a convert? In the depths of winter, when my GBBPs
run out of puff? Totally! Otherwise? Not really. There’s none
of the drama and excitement of using a gas pistol, while
both power and range are down too; but bear in mind that
I’m also a sucker for gas rifles. If you’re an AEG devotee,
then having an AEP as a backup might make a lot of sense.
If you’re on a budget when buying a sidearm and trying
to decide between power sources, then I’m happy to
say that I’m surprised how capable I found the 132S. For
about £70, you can buy a pistol that will perform reliably,
whatever the conditions - and while it may not have
their absolute measure, might actually make a smarter
investment in terms of reliability than many similarly priced
gas-powered sidearms.
And if you don’t want to run a GBB system for some
reason - maybe the homeowner doesn’t want compressed
gas out of their control in the household, kids - then I’m
happy to say that purely based on my experience with the
132S, an AEP is definitely a viable alternative. And at just
£69 for the pistol, two LiPos and a charger, this particular
one is an absolute steal.
It might not replace GBB pistols in my regular loadout
then, but like any RIF, this AEP should be seen as a tool
to be utilised - and under the right circumstances and in
the right conditions, the 132S definitely has
its place in the armoury of anyone that
plays year round. AA
“…LIKE ANY RIF, THIS AEP SHOULD BE SEEN AS A TOOL TO BE UTILISED - AND UNDER
THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES AND IN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, THE 132S DEFINITELY
HAS ITS PLACE IN THE ARMOURY OF ANYONE THAT PLAYS YEAR ROUND.”
14
MAY 2020