RFI: M&P9 Air Soft Pistol Training Alternatives

[JM Campbell]

Looking for advice on air soft pistol and support gear manufacturers for blow back featured M&P9 clones.

Searching to continue training with similar gear as I currently run and since I know zero about about air soft and who to stay away from due to sub par quality. Use for FOF would be a win also.

This is to supplement live/dry fire.

Thanks for your advice and experience with manufacturers/brands and any retailers that you recommend.


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[Zincwarrior]

This is an alternative to airsoft if you are using this for dryfire. It goes in your existing M&P.
https://coolfiretrainer.com/

[RJ]

Paging ranger

[Spartan1980]

I'll second the coolfire trainer. It's good kit.

I just bought a Umarex G17.4 co2 gun to train with for GSSF. Working on scaling targets to simulate actual stage distances and spacing now. Seems that it'll work considering the ammo situation, I hate to use even my hand loads because of primer availability and prefer to utilize them for matches. I did have to pay $1 apiece to find 12 gram co2 cartridges and that blows. The panic has even hit airsoft evidently. :mad:

[diananike]

I bought a umarex Gen 4 Glock BB 4.5mm as soon as they came available in 2019. It was a real disappointment. The gun shot 4” low at 5yds and was no good for any practical shooting even at close range. The adjustment for hop up did nothing. I have heard similar complaints from other users. I traded it for one of those weird armscor .22 AR imitations and was happy with the trade.

I hope the 6mm airsoft version works better for you and I’m interested in your feedback.

[JM Campbell]

I'll second the coolfire trainer. It's good kit.

I just bought a Umarex G17.4 co2 gun to train with for GSSF. Working on scaling targets to simulate actual stage distances and spacing now. Seems that it'll work considering the ammo situation, I hate to use even my hand loads because of primer availability and prefer to utilize them for matches. I did have to pay $1 apiece to find 12 gram co2 cartridges and that blows. The panic has even hit airsoft evidently. :mad:

Dry fire targets

https://www.green-ops.com/green-ops-dry-fire-targets


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[MD7305]

S&W has some options on their website. I'm considering the blowback airsoft pistol but from the description it uses CO2 cartridges and I would prefer a set up that uses propane adapters or green gas. I just don't want to deal with CO2 cartridges, in my previous experience green gas was cheaper and more convenient to use.
https://store.smith-wesson.com/recreation/

The .43 caliber paintball gun looks pretty cool and has FoF potential.

Here's the Umarex green gas M&P but it's out of stock.
https://www.umarexusa.com/sw-mp-9-gbb-6mm-black
And same gun through Elite Force, also out of stock
https://www.eliteforceairsoft.com/smith-wesson

I think the Umarex, Elite Force, and S&W listed gas blowback guns are all the same and made by the same manufacturer. I may get the 6mm gas blowback from S&W and try some green gas mags from Umarex or Elite because I "think" it's the same gun?

[Spartan1980]

I bought a umarex Gen 4 Glock BB 4.5mm as soon as they came available in 2019. It was a real disappointment. The gun shot 4” low at 5yds and was no good for any practical shooting even at close range. The adjustment for hop up did nothing. I have heard similar complaints from other users. I traded it for one of those weird armscor .22 AR imitations and was happy with the trade.

I hope the 6mm airsoft version works better for you and I’m interested in your feedback.

I bought the co2 version because they are a fair bit more powerful and give more recoil than the green gas guns which is what I was really wanting since they have a Gen 5 G17 offering.

I did have to turn down my hop up a fair bit as it was hitting very high, but overall I found that decent accuracy is measured in feet, not yards. At 15' it wasn't really usable as it was all over a 8.5" x 11" piece of copy paper. This is a full mag at 10'ish feet after messing with it a bit. I hope to be able to improve it to increase the range as it certainly has the power.

66486

[diananike]

I don’t have any crazy accuracy standards but I have not been impressed with the 4.5mm BB version either. If I could hit a coke can at 5yds 100% of the time with POA=POI I’d be happy.

It’s too bad as I have some BB guns that are quite accurate. A non blowback G19 and a blowback Beretta 84 that I have are quite good and feel far more realistic then the Gen 4 G17.
They also cost a heck of a lot less.

I pretty much gave up on the BB trainer idea and now run laser cartridges.

[mtnbkr]

I bought a umarex Gen 4 Glock BB 4.5mm as soon as they came available in 2019. It was a real disappointment. The gun shot 4” low at 5yds and was no good for any practical shooting even at close range. The adjustment for hop up did nothing. I have heard similar complaints from other users. I traded it for one of those weird armscor .22 AR imitations and was happy with the trade.

I hope the 6mm airsoft version works better for you and I’m interested in your feedback.

The 6mm version has a "hop up" kit installed that will allow you to adjust POI. I've never needed to mess with it, but it's there. Mine will hold an inch at 5yds if I do my part. It's minute-of-squirrel at 10yds (little effers won't stop digging up my landscaping). Maybe the 4.5mm version has that as well?

Chris

[diananike]

The 6mm version has a "hop up" kit installed that will allow you to adjust POI. I've never needed to mess with it, but it's there. Mine will hold an inch at 5yds if I do my part. It's minute-of-squirrel at 10yds (little effers won't stop digging up my landscaping). Maybe the 4.5mm version has that as well?

Chris

Yes the 4.5mm one has a hop up adjustment but it had no effect even when maxed out.
From what I hear from other users the hop up is an ineffective feature with steel BBs.
I’m tempted to try the 6mm one based on your results.

[mtnbkr]

Yes the 4.5mm one has a hop up adjustment but it had no effect even when maxed out.
From what I hear from other users the hop up is an ineffective feature with steel BBs.
I’m tempted to try the 6mm one based on your results.

Ahh, I didn't realize it was steel BBs. They're probably too heavy. When I hear airsoft, I think plastic BBs.

Chris

[Sal Picante]

The steel BB pistols are pretty cool - They're fun to shoot, actually...
The airsoft (with soft BBs) are great for FOF. I've got a KWA 92 that I leave around the house (unloaded) and work on dry fire with it. It isn't accurate (sights can't be adjusted), but I've used it for FOF class with RedBeard Combatives.

Neat tool, may be worth the $200+- change you spend on it...

[diananike]

66605

I’ve been really happy with my Umarex Beretta 84
The trigger is a little weird but i can take out cans at 10yds no problem and it shoots to point of aim.
Good blowback and quite realistic apart from the CO2 screw on the bottom. It’s also fairly inexpensive.
It’s also realistically the closest I will get to owning a Beretta 84. I have a lot of other guns I would prioritize purchasing.




The steel BB pistols are pretty cool - They're fun to shoot, actually...
The airsoft (with soft BBs) are great for FOF. I've got a KWA 92 that I leave around the house (unloaded) and work on dry fire with it. It isn't accurate (sights can't be adjusted), but I've used it for FOF class with RedBeard Combatives.

Neat tool, may be worth the $200+- change you spend on it...