Tools of an American Warrior – The 1911
March 29, 2012
I have always preferred the 1911 over other handgun platforms. As a real firearm owner, I look for 2 things in my handguns; safety and accuracy. The 1911 is one of the best handgun designs in the word, and it has been proven for more than a hundred years. They are the most accurate handgun chambered in 45 ACP, to have entered into the battlefield. The 1911 also continues to dominate the competition community, due to its superb accuracy and smooth operation.
WE Tech are famous in the airsoft community for producing some of the best airsoft gas blowback pistol on the market. Their 1911s prove their reputation. Despite the lack of trademarks, there is more to the WE 1911 series gas blowback pistols than just a piece of gun shaped metal.
Initial Impressions <<< Click for wallpaper!
The 1911 M.E.U. (Marine Expedition Unit) from WE Tech is quite heavy and feels extremely solid, which is not a surprise given it has a full metal construction. Compared to my real Kimber 1911, the WE 1911 M.E.U. is back heavy, which is not a big deal. The rubberized grips and rubberized front checkering on the front strap feels extremely comfortable after prolong used. The rubberized furniture also helps the operator to acquire a positive grip, even with sweat and dirt.
After verifying the pistol is indeed unloaded, I pointed the pistol in a safe direction and practiced dry firing on to an imaginary target while focusing on the trigger. The trigger pull is smooth and crisp; it feels exactly like my real 1911. The trigger on the WE 1911 M.E.U. is serrated, which comes in handy when firing rapidly. It only weighs in at 1 pound and 2 ounces.
Detailed Inspection
The WE 1911 M.E.U. functions like a standard 1911, which has a 5 inch barrel and a standard (short, not exposed) recoil spring guide and spring assembly. The operator can cycle the pistol even with one hand. The WE 1911 M.E.U. also comes with the lanyard loop on the lower frame. Within the WE 1911 MEU are some excellent features which are not included on other standard 1911s, including an extended and enlarged beaver tail safety, ambidextrous serrated safety lever, a skeleton hammer, and front and rear cocking serrations to ensure a smooth operation. For years, WE Tech has provided the airsoft market with a decent quality line of 1911 gas blowback pistols. The WE 1911 M.E.U. comes in non rail or rail versions, and it comes in black or tan.
As I have mentioned before, the build and craftsmanship on the WE 1911 M.E.U. feels solid. However, there are some areas of the gun WE Tech technicians can definitely improve on. The slide and frame fitment can be improved, since there is a little bit of “play”. The trigger also can be improved by eliminating the up and down wiggle. The slide release on the WE 1911 M.E.U. definitely can be improved since the operator cannot release the locked slide by pulling the slide back on a loaded magazine or unloaded gun, unlike the real 1911 counterpart.
Other than that, the controls function exactly just like my real Kimber 1911. The WE 1911 M.E.U. ambidextrous safety clicks on and off, interrupting the hammer from hitting release valve on the gas magazine by blocking the movement of the sears. The enlarged grip safety on the WE 1911 M.E.U. sits comfortably in my hand, with minimal effort to engage and disengage it.
Testing at the Range
I took the WE 1911 M.E.U. to the Airsoft GI testing range with Airsoft GI G4 0.20 grams bbs. Starting from 10 yards, I started shooting the pistol and checked to see how gas efficient it is. Needless to say, the gas efficiency on the WE 1911 M.E.U. is another area which WE Tech can improve on.
Given the quality and accuracy of the WE 1911 M.E.U., at 10 yards distance was not a concern. When I was doing the range test, I fired 3 rounds at the 10 (30 feet) yards line. The bbs formed a 2 ½ inch group, which exceeded my expectations. At 15 yards (45 feet), the grouping starts to enlarge; it formed a 3 ½ inch group. The pistol’s accuracy suffered greatly as I moved back. At 20 yards (60 feet), I shot a grouping of 4 ½ inches. The grouping at 20 yards (60 feet) is actually what I expected.
Moving up to the seven yard line, I performed some drills to see what the limit of the WE 1911 M.E.U. was. I started the drill by drawing from my G-Code XST holster, presenting the gun to the target, shooting the target twice, and holstering the gun. The pistol performed flawlessly. The Novak style rear sights and the thin front sight help me when I need to make a long range shot. I really like the sight picture with the sights; however I dislike the Novak style sight on a fighting gun. The angled top portion of the sight makes 1 handed manipulation of the pistol more difficult. Although it does not matter in airsoft, I would still prefer something with an angle so it is easier to perform the one handed manipulation.
Conclusion
The WE 1911 M.E.U. offers a great value to airsofters who would like a decent 1911. The WE 1911 M.E.U. feels very solid and well built. The dimensions of the WE 1911 M.E.U. are exactly like the real 1911. It fits into my G-Code holster perfectly, with no modifications. On the testing range, it proved that it could be a very accurate airsoft gun.
While I do believe the WE 1911 M.E.U. is a good gun, it does have certain improvements which the technicians at WE Tech can make. The fitment on the slide and frame could be tighter, as well as the trigger. The slide release should definitely be one of the improvements, as well as the gas efficiency. Overall, The WE 1911 M.E.U. still offers a great value to anyone who would like a 1911. For more information, please visit Airsoft GI at www.airsoftgi.com. I am Andrew, stay safe, and get out and play airsoft.
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I had a Socom Gear M1911 MEU cause I’m a jarhead and of course a big fan of m1911 the thing is the SG feels mostly exact my issue but still has few problem such as
1. The recoil spring should be drilled a whole at the end to keep it always one the same place with a hop-up unit all the time.
2. They should work harder on hop-up unit and barrel assembly
3. Gas system should be improved
4. Slide lock sometime doesn’t work at all
5. Paint material is cheap quality so easy to be chipped and faded (especially thumb safety)