Why I'm giving up on blowback BB pistols.

[PaulR]

I have the following blowback BB pistols and they all have one thing in common - none of them work anymore.

2 x Tanfoglio Witnesses - They jam. Lucky to get one shot off. Yes they have been stripped and cleaned - no bbs stuck in the usual places and I have bought new magazines.

2 x Mini Uzis - They Jam. Lucky to get one shot off - all the action taken as above.

1 x KWC PO8. It jams. Lucky to get one shot off. It did have a bb stuck in that damaged the plastic on removal so a new bit needed - impossible to obtain.

1 x KWC Broomhandle Mauser - the firing pin worked loose and comes right back after each shot so you have to manually push it back - I assume a retaining clip has broken.

1 x KWC Beretta 92A1. Went fully auto (and stayed so) for no reason that I can see. Great fun for the one magazine full it happened and the next to test but as it is illegal now partially stripped to avoid any comebacks.

All have been treated with the greatest mechanical respect and not subject to any abuse. None of them lasted more than 6 months and maybe a thousand bbs through each. I now have well over £1k worth of static models. The only bb blowbacks that still function are the P38 and PPKs - although that now needs resealing after 4 months.

I give up. I think the idea is great but the materials used are just not up to the job unless you fire maybe 10 shots a month!

Against this I have two old Crosman blowbacks - 600 and 451 which are still working after 40/50 years! I rest my case.

[MikeHW45]

Sadly its a sign of the times. Its not just airguns that are suffering in quality, its everything. My boy is six years old and some of the toys people have bought for him are lucky to last a matter of weeks. We are stupid as a society accepting such crap but what can we do???

[PaulR]

Oh and I forgot to mention the SIG 226 where the end of the slide broke off when firing so it blew back off the frame and bruised my cheek. Grrrrr.

[gingernut]

Were they bought new?

[PaulR]

Were they bought new?

All bar the SIG.

The Witnesses were repaired twice and then replaced under warranty. Six months later (15 months after the original purchase) the problems began again.

One of the Uzis was also replaced under warranty.

The P08 has been repaired - now useless again.

The others were all out of warranty when the problems began.

[Benelli B76]

Funny, I have no problems with my Witness or Uzi which I have had for years, the Witness was one of the first batch into the U.K. Perhaps it is that they have been used less than yours. I think it is a good idea not to buy blow back type as a lot of power and gas is used in just operating the slide mechanisms.

Baz