WE Desert Warrior 4.3

[chas]

Hi there! As a few people have shown interest I decided to write a short review on this gun; its gonna be short for two reasons: a) I’m a lazy *fruitcage* and this gun uses the traditional WE internals, so there are a ton of reviews on similar performing guns out there.

First Im gonna show some general pictures of the gun (please visit this link to appreciate the actual colour: http://www.airsoftglobal.com/product_info....ducts_id=11319) and Ill post more to go with the text.

Please leave comments, feedback, correct my grammar, etc. Thanks.

 

 

For those of you who are scratching your head while wondering who makes the “real” version of this gun, allow me to explain:

First of all, this particular gun is a clone of the Marui 4.3 Desert Warrior (review here: http://www.arniesairsoft.co.uk/forums/inde...=0&start=0).

So is the Marui gun a replica of a real gun? Not really: the name is that of a real Kimber 1911 and uses some of the features of that gun, mainly the typical Kimber grips, the dark tan finish and a few more.

But my guess is that Marui just felt like making a gun with some stuff that they already had lying around and take the Kimber DW as inspiration and selling point: the frame is that of their A1 1911 with just a stupid 2-part bottom rail and the slide is a Ops tactical 4.3 Hi-Capa one. They probably chose that one because of the wide serrations, similar to those found on Kimber guns.

 

Packing and content

 

This was kinda disappointing: used to the cool presentations chinese guns have us used to, I was expecting more than a plain brown box.

In the box you’ll find the gun, ONE magazine and a manual, wich is of the WE 1911 but works just as fine, as they all use this hybrid Marui Hi-Capa internals and the disassembly is pretty much the same on an old 1911, a MEU, the Warrior or a 2011.

No cleaning rod or BBs included.

 

Externals

 

The externals are obviously THE feature on this gun and the second reason (after the price tag) for me to buy this instead of the Marui: full metal goodness! I never used to care for metal bodies on either AEGs or pistols but once I got my first full-metal gun

(a WE 1911 Tactical) I havent bought any more plastic guns, except for some sweet deals on both a Marui and a KSC P226.

 

The weight is just right: 1 kilo with the mag inserted and the gun is well balanced (wich means nice handling). Even with the front rail attached, the point of balance (the axis that would keep the gun horizontal) lyis just between the slide catch and the edge of the grip.

 

I already told you that the rail can be removed, so lets get to that directly. One of the main differences between this one and Marui’s gun is that you dont have the ugly screws on the side and the rail isnt split. Big advantage over the Marui gun and here’s why:

First of all, you dont have the ugly screws. Secondly, the rail is made of one piece but is not part of or permanently attached to the frame via two screws that go through the bottom of the frame and directly into the rail, but cannot be seen from the outside. The screws are very small but they hold the rail firmly, youl have no issues with that.

Now the second cool thing about this is that the holes for the screws are on the bottom and can hardly be seen, wich allows you to remove the rail and go for a less tactical look, wich I actually prefer.The 4.3 Desert 1911 configuration looks just so cool!

Just compare it with the Marui without the rail.

 

 

Feel and finish: really amazing really, both to the eye and the hand. The colour is just right and seems pretty durable, really smooth. The black paint on the moving externals like the slide catch or the hammer are a bit more flimsy, they’ll show wear pretty soon, but that’s a good thing for most people as it gives it a more realistic look in the end.

 

The grips: these are a bit of a let down, IF you have owned real ones, as they are made of plastic, hollow inside and the holes are smaller than the real ones. But, as I said, youll only care about this if your are really obsessed about Kimber grips.

Also, WE still uses flat head scres instead of hex screws, wich look a lot better, IMO, and are the screws found on most modern RS 1911’s. Again, no biggy.

 

The trigger: another little let down, its silver and looks a bit of. Black would have been better. The good thing is you can buy a black one made by 5KU that’ll cost you 7-9$ and is sold on Rsov, Global, EBB and many other stores. Its the same trigger for Marui Hi-Capas and MEU. I ordered one but got a silver one.

http://rsov.com/index.php?target=products&...product_id=3824

 

BTW, as usual on WE guns, there's a little play between the slide and the frame, so itll rattle a bit.

Edited February 10, 2010 by chas

[chas]

Barrel: From what I can tell, its made of metal but has something almost unique, that I cant for the life of me understand why not all guns have: its threaded internally and allows you to screw in a 12$ silencer adapter!

http://www.airsoftpanda.com/product_info.p...roducts_id/1191

 

So far, so good. I ordered a cheapo short silencer, put it on, cocked the gu... I couldnt cock the gun. Turns out the barrel slides back behind the recoil spring rod, wich interferes with the silencer. This can be solved by cutting down the rod, but it still sucks.

BTW, the integrated chamber sports the classic “.45 ACP” engraving found on all WE 1911’s.

 

 

Markings: on the left side of the slide youll find the Marui Ops Tactical markings. ON the right side we have the Desert Warrior marking on the slide, the .45 ACP on the chamber and some stupid WE custom, Made in Taiwan markings on the frame. The latter arent that annoying anyway.

As on the Marui version, the markings arent as deep as they could be, so that they are hard to see when light doesnt shine directly onto them, but they are beautiful.

To make them a bit more visible you can use an old figure painting technique called “ink wash” (google it). What you do is you buy some WATER BASED paint in a darker shade of the part you want to paint, mix it with a lot of water, dip in the pencil and paint over the markings, not worrying that you also get paint on the outside. Let it dry and the solid paint will accumulate in the bottom of the engraving. Repeat 2 or 3 times until you are satisfied. Then, take a smooth piece of cloth, dip it into water and wipe off the paint that you left outside the markings, on the outside of the markings, on the slide or whatever. Heres how it looked on my 1911 Tactical:

 

Sights: good and bad news. The rear sight is the typical low profile model, but it has two white dots that will make aiming a lot easier and quicker. The front sight is the same colur as the slide, wich could be solved by taking it off and spray painting it, if it werent actually part of the slide. Painting it by hand will be a hassle. At least it has a protuding dot that you can paint easily.

 

Internals

 

This is gonna be the shortest part of the review: WE still uses the Hi-Capa internals and single stack magazine, wich isnt the best, but works, Read any other WE Hi-Capa or 1911 review to find out more.

WEs take green gas with no problems.

 

 

Shooting the gun

 

WE guns have a bad reputation for their lack of quality control and some recurrent flaws, but from the latest reports, I assume that the company has suffered a major overhaul and their guns have gotten a lot better.

 

The magazine: sadly, the magazine is still the old single stack version, wich means you only get 14 rounds in there. Also, they are known for heavy cool-down effect and leakiness. BUT: mine has shown no signs of any leak AND Im able to shoot two and a half loads of BBs (around 30 rounds) on one gas charge, in rapid fire. I repeat: in rapid fire. No ######.

Anyway, 14 rounds are obviously to few, youll have to get a second mag, wich will cost you around 20-25$. Sadly WE’s dont take the new Marui 1911 mags, wich means you cant get chinese 24 rds mags for cheap. Silver MEU mags look a lot better, IMO, too.

 

Blowback: the blowback is pretty nice, way better than on my old 1911 Tactical. Its obviously not as crisp as on the Marui, but you have to remember this gun has a metal slide, wich is obviously much heavier than a plastic one; thus the blowback action wil not be as snappy, but stronger. It also sounds a lot better. I think youll be pretty happy with it.

 

Accuracy, range and consistancy: WE arent known for their precision either, but I think this one is OK. I like to shoot cigarrette packs in my house (about ten meters distance) and Im fine with it.

Pistols are secondaries anyway, or maybe primaries in short to medium engagement distances and this one shoots in a straight line as far as a stock Marui MP5.

Consistency is OK, too. Cleaning the barrel and fine-tuning the hop up, as well as using quality BBs will give you the range, precicion and accuracy you want.

 

Safety and controls in general: they all work great, move smoothly and click nicely.

 

Ergonomics, comfort: as I said before, when I was telling you about the weight, this gun is very comfy and natural to to hold and aim (experts say 1911s have the perfect angle between the grip and the barrel), because its very well balanced. Its actually even a bit better when you remove the rail. The 4.3 format is just perfect for a 1911.

What about a Serpa holster for this beauty, though? Yeah, well I dont know yet. This will definitely NOT fit in a regular 1911 Serpa or 6004 holster, because of the rail. You can buy one of those holsters intended for 1911s with flashlight.

 

The chinese actually already have one for Glocks, so chances are they will come out with one for 1911s.

http://www.yzh.hk/en_ArticleShow.asp?ArticleID=3202

 

Also there’s the chance that this fits in the new chinese tan 6004 replicas, as the rail is only slightly wider than the slide. Maybe you cna just heat the holster a bit and squeeze a piece of wood in to make it 1 or 2 mm wider.

 

 

So what’s my overall opinion on this gun?

Well, its obviously this or the Marui. If you need the best performance right out of the box, get the Marui. If however you want a full metal gun that is 30% cheaper, get the WE.

Its not the best shooter out there but its more than enough for skirmishing, probably not for competition shooting. The pros are obvious: full metal, nice finish, good performance, good price, silencer adapter, etc.

 

Hope you liked the write up!

Edited February 10, 2010 by chas

[Danke]

It does look about a million times better with the rail off. Now maybe I need another 1911.

[Dsquall]

How does the rail attach? The TM leaves 2 big ol' holes in the frame right? This one doesn't appear to be the same.

[Punkypink]

How does the rail attach? The TM leaves 2 big ol' holes in the frame right? This one doesn't appear to be the same.

He mentioned, and it can be seen in some of the pics, that the holes are on the bottom of the lower frame.

 

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/c...42/P2100046.jpg

http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj235/c...42/P2100049.jpg

 

See these 2 pics.

Edited February 11, 2010 by Punkypink

[Guinness]

 

Great review and detail as usual my friend!

[P.S.I.]

Good review, thanks.

[somegirls]

Very nice review.

 

Looks really nice without the rails.

 

[Countryscrub1]

Thanks for the great review, Just ordered two and you helped make my decision to give them a try x2.

[lambolurker]

Lovely!

[KingKrispy 21]

how do you use the SERPA with the suppressor?

 

 

[chas]

Cant remember saying that I use a Serpa.

[mr.systema]

how much is it...? in uk

 

and where can i get it...?

 

thk you

[vilerk]

How are your thumb/grip safety so far?

[chas]

how much is it...? in uk

 

and where can i get it...?

Dont know bout the UK, but you can order it from many HK stores: Redwolf, Airsoftpanda, ehobby, etc.

 

How are your thumb/grip safety so far?

As I stated in the review, all the moving parts (trigger, thumb and manual safety and slide catch) work very well.

[jotohomomoto]

Does this have their new Gen3 MegaFlow internals? Is Gen3MF just hype? I have an older MEU that sucks and I ordered their KnightHawk Custom because it looks so unique and supposedly the MegaFlow3 internals.

Also have you seen the "Kimber" markings version of the WE Desert Warrior? It looks kind of nice.

 

Edited March 14, 2010 by jotohomomoto

[nateo200]

Nice review. the only one i can find too so lucky its good. Just ordered one and ill try and see how it compares with a TM. Sorta nervous about the mags but ill report in with details and try and.answer some of the weird questions you guys have if you want.