Wilson Combat FBI Trial Pistol - ArniesAirsoft

Author

-Drake-

-dn ʎɐʍ sıɥʇ-

Registered: March 2005
Location: Belfast face down in a ditch.
Posts: 1,991

Review Date: 8/6/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �179.00 | Rating: 7

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Amazinging accurate - Very solid - looks awsome.
Cons:	average power on 134a

A short review of the Western Arms Wilson Combat FBI Trial Pistol

A few basic facts about this model:

Length: 216mm
Weight: 1017g
Clip Size: 24+1
Misc: 6.03mm Accuracy barrel, R-type magazine, HQ slide and frame, fluorocarbon resin coating

First Impressions
Taking this out of the box the first thing that hit me was the weight, at first glance I could swear it was full metal although on closer inspection it seems its not but instead a high quality plastic. Another thing I noticed was how well balanced it was, not too barrel heavy and not too back heavy. The overall look of the pistol is very realistic.

Cosmedic/external
The finish is excellent its clean smooth with no mold lines, shody edges or poorly machined parts, its all high quality made parts While the frame and slide are plastic it features many metal parts. The slide also features three dot Novak sights and not the Wilson Pyramid ones. This models grips have a nice wood-like finish though supprisingly they are metal and include the trademark Gold Eagle in the centre panel. Full Trademarks are also present with 1996 A2.45 AUTO on one side and Wilson Combat Berryville. AR. U.S.A. on the other along with the usual WA ASGK logo.
It also features a rear grip safety that must be pushed before the gun can be fired if I remember correctly most of WA's colts feature this and like the other colts it has an ambidextrous safety catch.
The gun can also be realisticly field stripped although this can be rather fiddily and maybe not as easy as it could have been it is reassuring to know it wont fall apart in your hands.

Shooting/Performance
As with all WA pistol internals they are of high quality, however, Western arms recommend that only 134a gas is used to prevent excessive wear on the internals. With using 134, performance seems pretty average although accuracy is high. The Recoil is also pretty normal on 134a, although crisp and clean it isnt most substantial kick but personally I've been using abby ultra which is a step up from 134a but not quite green although its not reccommened I've yet to encounter any problems. This in my opinion turns an average performing pistol into something much more special with added Power and considerably increased recoil its defenitly something to fear. While some may view the increase in recoil as a drawback but I sure dont, it feels much more substantial and much more powerful making it more fun to use.
As stated above the accurcy is excellent and with the novak dot sites, tracking and aiming is easy and quick also with the added advantage of the pistols above par balance gives the user outstanding control, and with the added boost of the abby ultra gas can give you that added bit of range that you always wanted.

Compatibility
As well as being fully compatable with most of WA's colt lineup Western Arms have quite a few after market parts/upgrades available, there are also alot of third part companies making addons ranging from metal slides/body, iron sites, barrels and grips.
Real steel grips can also be added with little modification although they are not widely available outside the US its still worth looking into.

Rating

Accuracy: 5/5

Compatibility: 4/5

Quality: 5/5

Power: 3/5 (on 134a)

Value for money: 3/5 (at �175+ it isnt cheap but then WA's never are)

Overall rating 4/5

A solid high quaility pistol from WA and while it lacks power on 134a it more than makes up for it with accurcy and a realistic feel.

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garry

I'll be back!

Registered: January 2005
Location: Hindhead, Surrey
Posts: 852

Review Date: 21/6/06

Would you recommend the product? Yes | Price you paid?: �180.00 | Rating: 9

Positive aspects of the product (pros):	Build quality, weight, finish
Cons:	No nozzle extension supplied

Western Arms FBI Trial Review

To begin

I�ve always loved Wilson 1911�s and believe that they are amongst the best looking of all the many 1911 derivatives and this one is no exception.

The box / packaging will be familiar to anyone who owns one of the current SCW guns, being the black cardboard sporting the large SCW logo.

The gun fits snugly inside the polystyrene interior and is supplied with the usual bushing tool, a couple of hex keys and a small bag of bb�s.

Initial impressions

Upon unpacking the gun, the first thing that strikes you is the weight. It�s very heavy, coming in at around 1017g. Both the slide and frame are made from heavyweight material, being a mixture of abs resin and I believe Zinc. This also gives a nice cold to the touch feeling.

The second, is the finish. The gun is stated as having a fluorocarbon resin coating, which is Teflon / PTFE based - not unlike the coating you will find on non stick cookware. This finish is simply superb, absolutely flawless satin black with the most wonderful feel.

Moving on

All of the controls are pure 1911, so will be instantly familiar to anyone who has owned one. The working grip safety is very smooth in operation, leading up to the beautifully curved beavertail.

Markings are sparse on this model, I believe replicating the real item. The right of the slide has no markings at all and the left has just � 1996 A2 .45 AUTO �. The chamber is simply marked � Wilson .45 ACP �.

The grips are in fact metal on this model, obviously to add to the weight. The simulated wood finish has been executed perfectly and looks very attractive indeed.

Sights are the Novak type with inlaid white dots.

Takedown is standard 1911, so I won�t elaborate further on this.

Trigger

This is the familiar three hole unit finished in silver. The adjustable trigger stop seemed to be perfectly adjusted from the factory, travelling just a further 0.5mm after the hammer is released. I would say that the pull weight was medium.

Magazine

This is the new � R � type with a 24 round capacity and featuring replaceable feed jaws. WA�s are often used in practical pistol, where some stages require a rapid magazine change where the initial magazine is simply dropped from the pistol. Sometimes the magazine could land badly and break off the feed jaws, rendering the magazine useless. I believe this is the reason behind the introduction of the replaceable jaws. WA magazines rarely ( in my experience ) leak and this was no exception.

This model has a large plastic bumper, which I think suit�s the gun nicely. One drawback is that most gas cans do not have a nozzle long enough to reach the filling valve and requires a nozzle extension. I strongly feel that these models should be supplied with the extension from WA in the box.

Hop Up

This is now easily adjustable through the ejection port using a hex screw just forward of the feed ramp. ( A vast improvement over the older models which required slide removal ).

In use

Using 134a @ 21c, this gun gave a very crisp and satisfying blow back, cycling very quickly. This is also helped by the superb trigger. I can�t quite put my finger on it, but this gun has quite a distinctive sound and feel when fired and is very addictive.

Accuracy at 6m was very impressive, placing the 10 rounds inside a 2� circle with no � flyers �. This was partly expected, as this model is fitted with the 6.03mm accuracy barrel.

I don�t have a chronograph to enable fps readings, but the gun certainly � felt � powerful.

In conclusion

With the exception that the magazine requires an extension to enable filling, I am finding it difficult to fault this gun.

At around �180 it�s doubtful anyone would want to skirmish this, but it�s so addictive to shoot, it won�t sit around as a display piece either.

The build quality, fit and finish is simply superb. This gun oozes quality and realism more than any other gbb I�ve ever used and I cannot help but to highly recommend it.

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Guns =
KWC Mini Uzi, Sig 551 Swat, WA FBI Trial, WA scw2 Cougar, WA S&W Sigma, KWA G19, KWA 23F, KWA USPc, WA Wilson Tactical Special, Pro-killer 3.9, SV Infinity Expert 5", Fully tricked up Infinity Ltd, KSC M93r, KSC MK23 Socom, Walther CP88 Co2, Walther P99 Co2, S&Wesson 586 4" Co2, Colt 1911 A1 Co2, P226 Co2, Baikal Drozd Co2, Air Arms TX200HC air rifle.....More to follow!

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Guns =
KWC Mini Uzi, Sig 551 Swat, WA FBI Trial, WA scw2 Cougar, WA S&W Sigma, KWA G19, KWA 23F, KWA USPc, WA Wilson Tactical Special, Pro-killer 3.9, SV Infinity Expert 5", Fully tricked up Infinity Ltd, KSC M93r, KSC MK23 Socom, Walther CP88 Co2, Walther P99 Co2, S&Wesson 586 4" Co2, Colt 1911 A1 Co2, P226 Co2, Baikal Drozd Co2, Air Arms TX200HC air rifle.....More to follow!