Quote Originally Posted by Barison82 View Post
IPSC/IPAS is the only discipline that really interests me, and I'm a huge fan of the 1911 in all it's incarnations, so I would get more much more enjoyment out of having a 1911 airgun replica as a sidearm for competition shooting, rather than a 'true' air pistol for 10m Olympic target discipline with .177 pellet. Still on the fence about the 1911 pellet variant. The Umarex/KWC 1911s are great because of the availability of parts and they are interchangeable. As you mention, there seems to be little application for 4.5mm BB, which relegates this medium largely to back garden plinking etc. But it's interesting to hear you mention their accuaracy if used on the range, as I've read other comments where it's said BBs are not accurate. I'd love to shoot indoor IPSC/IPAS at 10m with 4.5mm BB as well, which means I can use a GBB pistol and I feel that in this environment, tight groupings could be achieved. But it doesn't seem like it's an accepted standard generally.
Sadly while the Umarex 1911 (pellet) looks much like a 1911 in pictures, it doesn't really shoot like one. It feels quite 'fat' in the hand and the trigger is an odd two-part affair. So I'd try before you buy if possible. It's probably the least accurate of their replicas.

Yes 4.5mm BB is a bit useless if you want to take it places. Nothing wrong with their accuracy at IPAS and IPSC ranges however.
TBH you're much better served in the airsoft world though - massive variety of models that have been around for years, lots of people shooting them under rough conditions so plenty of feedback if it doesn't stand up. A Tanfoglio Witness 1911 despite being a very faithful replica doesn't bear any comparison to a TM 1911 for reliability or aftermarket support - try getting 7 or 8 mags for a Witness!

It's a shame that IPAS and IPSC ended up being somewhat segregated when it came to guns. As niche sports I felt they could both have benefited with a wider variety of pistols in use. There were times in IPAS when a true semi-auto would have been blisteringly fast, and times in IPSC when the accuracy of a pellet shooter wold have made all the difference.