Comparison Gletcher APS Blowback vs Umarex Beretta M 84 FS

Model of the combat pistol/revolver from which the product was copied.

Replicas of military weapons are very popular among air pistols; here you can find, in particular, models imitating Beretta M84, Colt M1911, IWI Mini Uzi, Jericho 941, various models of weapons from Smith & Wesson, as well as Makarov (PM), Tokarev (TT) and Stechkin (APS) pistols. Devices chambered for a blank cartridge (see “Type”) are also often copied from firearms, but in Flaubert’s revolvers the situation is different - most of them have a certain “average revolver” shape and design that is not related to a specific model of military weapon.

Copying such weapons from real firearms/revolvers has both aesthetic and very practical meaning. On the one hand, such models are popular among gun fans who, due to legal restrictions, cannot acquire a full-fledged short-barreled firearm. On the other hand, a pneumatic or starting copy often reproduces all the controls of the original, which allows them to be used effectively when training shooters. In addition, when designing “real” pistols, a lot of attention is paid to ergonomics and user friendliness. As a result, it also happens tha...t a copy of a real-life model also turns out to be preferable from the point of view of general convenience.

Regarding starting pistols, it is also worth noting that their caliber does not always correspond to the caliber of the combat prototype. A typical example is the Desert Eagle: the original pistols come in calibers ranging from .357 Magnum to .50 AE, while replicas of this pistol typically use the traditional 9mm blank cartridge. In this case, this is more of an advantage than a disadvantage: 9 mm flash-noise cartridges are ubiquitous, while similar ammunition in larger calibers is not easy to find.

The capacity of the magazine provided with the pistol, or the drum installed in the revolver (see "Form factor"). For obvious reasons, it is indicated only for multiply charged models (see "Charging capacity").

Repeatingly charged air pistols / revolvers are conditionally divided into models with magazines up to 15 charges and more than 15 charges. The largest capacity here is airsoft AEGs (see "Type"), copying submachine guns — they are not uncommon in stores for 50 balls or more, and as additional accessories for many models, so-called "bunkers" are produced, where the number there are already hundreds of charges. As for traditional pneumatics, it is worth noting that if the pistol is designed for bullets and balls at the same time (see "Type of ammunition"), then the capacity when using different types of charge may vary — usually, it is higher for balls in such cases, and this figure and indicated in the characteristics as the main one.

As for the weapon chambered for Flaubert, in it the “classic of the genre” is a revolver with a drum for 9, less often for 8 rounds. A greater number of charges is not found — for this the drum would have to be made too bulky; a smaller number — about 5 – 6 rounds — can be found in individual revolvers, as well as models in the form factor of a pistol, where the dimensions of the case do not allow you to install a larger drum. In turn, pistols chamb...ered for blank cartridges usually more or less correspond in terms of magazine capacity to the firearm models from which they are copied; here you can find models that can hold from 5 to 30 charges.

The number of shots on one gas station that an air pistol or revolver is capable of producing. Specified for gas models and PCP (see "Type"); in the first case, the data is usually given for a standard 12-gram cartridge with carbon dioxide, in the second case, for a full filling of the built-in reservoir.

Note that this parameter is quite approximate, since the actual number of shots at a gas station may differ slightly from the claimed one. Nevertheless, according to the claimed number of shots at a gas station, it is quite possible to evaluate different models of pneumatics and compare them with each other. However it must also be taken into account that the last portions of gas / air pressure is noticeably reduced — and this reduces the initial velocity of the bullet and the firing range, and can also lead to problems in the operation of blow-back systems (see below). So if the number of shots from one gas station is important for you, you should proceed from the fact that the number of “effective” shots (with full bullet speed) will be somewhere 10-15% less than the maximum claimed.

The type of sighting device provided in the design of the pistol / revolver.

The vast majority of short-barreled pneumatics, "floberts" and starting pistols are equipped with the simplest mechanical sights in the form of a front sight and a rear sight. In pneumatic weapons, models with adjustable and non-adjustable sights are approximately equal; in Flaubert's revolvers, the possibility of adjustment is somewhat less common than non-adjustable front and rear sights ; and in models for a blank cartridge, in principle, it makes no sense to provide adjustment. There are pistols / revolvers without sights at all.

Here are the general features of different types of scope:

— Unregulated. Front sight and rear sight, fixed motionless and without any additional settings. The advantages of this design are simplicity, low cost and reliability; in addition, such a sight is almost impossible to shoot down due to an accidental impact of the front sight or rear sight on a foreign object. The main disadvantage is the actual impossibility of adjustment, which does not allow adjusting the sights for a change in distance, side wind or deviations due to production errors. On the other hand, for recreational shooting at short distances, these moments are not decisive, and serious factory defects are extremely rare in fact. So i...f maximum accuracy is not critical for you, a non-adjustable sight may be enough.

— Adjustable. Sights with the ability to adjust; however, the specific possibilities of such adjustment may be different. One of the most popular options is to adjust the rear sight in height, for zeroing weapons at a specific distance. For this, a micrometer screw is usually used. Another option is a rear sight with the ability to move horizontally, it is mainly designed to compensate for errors in the design of the weapon itself, which give a lateral displacement of the point of impact. The most advanced models — mostly high-precision sports pistols — allow you to adjust the rear sight on both axes. Anyway, an adjustable sight is more complicated and more expensive than an unregulated one, it may require additional adjustment by the user himself, but with such devices you can achieve maximum shooting accuracy.
Also note that on the market you can find pneumatics equipped with optical or collimator sights; they are also adjustable.

— Is absent. The absence of their own sights is an extremely rare option, found in two varieties of pneumatic and similar weapons. The first is some spring-piston and PCP pistols (see "Type") with long barrels and high muzzle velocity, designed for high-precision shooting. They have sight mounts (see below) or slots for such mounts, allowing the shooter to choose the sights to their taste. The second variety is revolvers (mainly chambered for Flaubert) of miniature size, originally not designed for aimed shooting in the classical sense of these words.

The overall length of the weapon is usually from the muzzle to the part protruding farthest back (usually the bottom of the handle). This parameter not only allows you to evaluate the overall compactness of the pistol, but can also be useful for selecting accessories for it — for example, a holster, case or carrying bag.

The total weight of the weapon. As a rule, the "empty" weight is indicated in the characteristics, without consumables (bullets / cartridges, cartridges).

This parameter has two meanings. On the one hand, a heavy pistol / revolver is tedious to hold on weight for a long time; in addition, the increase in weight is often associated with an increase in the length of the barrel, due to which the center of gravity shifts forward - and this further increases the inconvenience. On the other hand, massiveness gives an additional resemblance to military weapons and an overall impression of solidity, and in models with blow-back (see above) it also reduces the perceived recoil. Therefore, many consider significant weight to be an advantage rather than a disadvantage.

Note that in models chambered for Flaubert and a blank cartridge, the weight more or less corresponds to military weapons of a similar model or size. In pneumatics, the dispersion can be quite large, especially since not every such pistol is copied from a combat one. It is worth noting here that PCP models are the most massive (see "Type"): due to the built-in tank, the weight of such pistols is usually 1 kg or more. Multi-compression pneumatics are a little lighter - here you can find weapons weighing up to 900 g and even up to 800 g. The maximum figure for AEGs is 900 - 1000 g..., and in the lightest models, the weight does not exceed 700 g. And among the spring-piston and gas-balloon models, almost any weight is found - from small ( less than 600 g) to significant (more than 1 kg).