Ah those were the days....

I used to own a 1911 A1 .45ACP and a 9mm Browning Hi Power in the 80s. I shot practical pistol at Bisley, Delta Firearms near Ipswich and Shoreham in Kent. Sold all my guns after after Hungerford - my kids had recently been born and I didn't want guns in the house.

There is absolutely NO comparison with the CO2 clones. I have bought several (including the 1911 A1) trying to recapture that experience doing Iron Plate and have been bitterly disappointed on every occasion. They bear no relation to the firearms other than by appearance.

Worse still are the Airsoft 'blowback' pistols which are made from plastic or pot metal and are no more than a toy.