Posts Tagged ‘bb gun’

The Barra 400e. It’s A BB Gun Jim, But Not As We Know It!

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Whoa! AoA is selling BB guns now? And they cost over 400 Bucks?

Yes it’s true. But this is no ordinary BB gun !

The Barra 400e is – by far – the most accurate BB gun I’ve ever tested. It’s the only one that’s needed a scope to fulfill its accuracy potential and it shoots out to 25 Yards with better accuracy than some pellet rifles.

Plus, its selective-fire action also has a “fun switch” so that you can shoot it on full auto! Yip, go on: you know you just have to read about it…

You see, the Barra 400e is a revolutionary product. There’s been a step-change in the power output available using AEG technology. The result is that – for the first time – steel BBs can be shot at usable muzzle velocities in the 380 – 410 FPS range from an AEG.

That means more than 1,000 shots per charge of the required LiPo (Lithium Polymer) battery that’s stored in the buttstock. It means no issues with falling FPS due to CO2 exhaustion or rapid fire. There’s no re-loading with CO2 after every 150 – 200 shots. So the more you shoot, the more you save on CO2 costs!

The 50-round magazine has a greater capacity than that of most comparable BB guns, too. That’s another way the Barra 400e delivers more shooting between those pesky breaks for reloading.

The Barra 400e is an excellent representation of a typical AR15/M4 firearm. With the stock fully extended the overall length is 35.5 Inches, giving a length of pull of 15.25 Inches. Collapsing the stock reduces these measurements to 32.5 and 12.25 Inches.

In “as tested” condition, with accessories fitted, the all-up weight was 8 Lbs 10 Oz. (The bare weight is 7 Lb 8 Oz). So this is a substantial airgun that certainly has the looks and feel of the centerfire original.

There’s a non-functional, “faux” silencer incorporated into the product. Like the receiver, the handguard is a solid metal CNC-machined part that gives a definite feeling of solidity, weight and quality to the muzzle end of the gun.

I found a UTG Bugbuster scope an appropriate match for the 400e. And – with a Leapers UTG Picatinny Super Slim 0.5-Inch Riser below it – was finally able to explore the inherent accuracy of the Barra 400e.

At 25 Yards, the 400e grouped 10 shots inside a soda can-sized target. That’s FAR better than any other BB gun I have ever tested. More than that, 9 out of 10 shots grouped into 1.5 Inches Center-to-Center.

That’s better than some pellet rifles I have tested!

But you do need to be a little selective with the BBs you feed the 400e. I found excellent grouping with Umarex Steel BBs. However Crosman Copperhead BBs have a smaller diameter. That makes them definitely less accurate.

Consistency is another “Wow!” for the Barra 400e. The average consistency across my standard BBs had a Standard Deviation of just 2.06 FPS. That is definitely in Daystate country for consistency. And this is just a BB gun!!!

Put another way, 50 test shots gave an Extreme Spread of just 12 FPS. The low was 375 FPS and the high 387 FPS. And that was with five different types of BBs. You can’t get much better than that, even with a Daystate…

The trigger of the Barra 400e I tested provided an average pull weight of 2 Lbs 15 Ozs. There was a fair “two stage” feel to it and the release was also predictable and consistent.

The trigger also proved to be extremely consistent, varying only a couple of Ounces either side of its average pull weight.

Ah the sound…

That’s the real difference here. Unlike CO2-powered BB-firing replicas, the 400e does not provide a clear “bang, bang” when the gun is fired.

Instead you hear a grinding, whirring noise.

For anyone used to AEG airsoft guns, this is the normal sort of sound that’s inherent in AEG operation. But – if you’re not – it’s definitely unusual, unexpected and abnormal.

This grinding is accompanied by a small amount of recoil. It’s not exactly blowback, but it means that the gun does not feel entirely “dead” when you fire it.

Finally – as an AEG – the Barra 400e cannot be field-stripped in the realistic manner that’s possible with many CO2-powered replicas.

Instead of CO2 cartridges, you’ll need the correct LiPo battery, together with a balanced charger. Fortunately Airguns of Arizona makes it easy by offering all these items in a kit when you buy the gun.

In fact, you’re probably looking at close to 1,200 shots from a new, fully-charged battery. Maybe more. That’s a huge difference compared to the 150 – 200 shots that can be expected from a BB-firing replica using two 12 Gram CO2 cartridges.

It’s also why the total cost of the 400e becomes more reasonable compared to a conventional CO2-powered gun, the more you shoot it…

One potential downside is that the magazine MUST be loaded with BBs using a speedloader. You can’t load it by hand.

Yes, one is supplied with the gun. However BB speedloaders are somewhat unpredictable devices – at least in my experience – so it would be a sensible move to buy a spare or two. They’re cheap and this would be great insurance against problems with what is undoubtedly the weakest link in the chain.

We all need a little fun in our lives. You’re going to be shooting A TON of BBs with your new Barra 400e from Airguns of Arizona!

SAFETY FIRST. As with all BB-firing airguns, it’s necessary to wear shooting glasses when firing this airgun. Also do not shoot at hard surfaces or water. BBs tend to bounce off these surfaces and may hit you, or something other than what you intended.

Tags: ,
Posted in Airguns | No Comments »

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

Friday, February 22, 2019
And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

Airguns of Arizona really specializes in high end air rifles from the likes of Brocock and Daystate. But they also sell a wide variety of other airguns – even BB pistols!

And let’s face it, we all like a little fun shooting occasionally! So today we’re looking at a new addition to the range of firearms-replica BB pistols: the Glock 19.

This BB gun has an unique benefit in the eyes of many shooters. It’s a Glock! It’s the first of the long-awaited range of Glock BB-firing replicas. That means a lot of Glock fans will want it. And so long as they accept it as a non-blowback action, they won’t be disappointed.

Non-blowback replica pistols are often regarded as inferior to blowback models. However they usually give an increased shot count and higher muzzle velocity than their blowback cousins. There’s also some evidence that they can be more accurate than replica BB pistols with extreme blowback.

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

The Glock 19 BB gun offers great realism, high FPS, strong shot count, very good accuracy and a low price. It’s an an outstanding replica of the iconic firearm. And it’s just $70. How can you go wrong?

The look and feel of the Glock 19 are extremely good. This is an extremely close representation of the Glock 19 Generation 3 centerfire pistol – the compact version of the Glock 17.

Size and shape are all but identical to that of the Glock 19 firearm. Weight is very close, too.

The appearance and finish of the Glock 19 CO2 BB gun are outstanding! At any range beyond about three feet, it’s impossible to tell the difference between centerfire and BB gun versions.

Due to the realistic appearance of this product, handle it as you would a firearm. Do not display it in public or in any place where it could be mistaken for a cartridge firearm!

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

As a non-blowback version, the magazine release operates correctly, as does the trigger safety. But don’t expect the slide, slide release, slide lock, extractor etc to work. They’re fixed moldings.

The back strap of the Glock 19 BB gun is removable for loading 12 Gram CO2 cartridges. However, this deviation in design from the centerfire version is so well executed that it’s not objectionable in any way.

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

This removable back strap also holds a folding hex key which is used to tighten the CO2 cartridge retaining screw. That screw is completely invisible in normal use as it’s covered by the base of the magazine.

Here we have another example of very careful and clever design being incorporated into the Glock 19 BB gun.

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

Accuracy is very good by BB pistol standards. As remarked earlier, strong accuracy is more common in non-blowback replica BB pistols and the Glock 19 CO2 BB gun conforms to that pattern. You’ll have no problem hitting those soda cans every time at 6 yards. And most of the time at 10 yards, too!

The Muzzle Velocity claim is 410 FPS. We saw a peak 10-shot string average of 412 FPS at 70 degrees F with Crosman Copperhead BBs. The fastest individual shots recorded 420 FPS. This is very impressive performance for a BB pistol.

We know that all CO2-powered airguns shoot faster in warmer temperatures by about 2 FPS per degree F. This means that – taking that 412 FPS average – the expected FPS for the Glock 19 BB gun would be as high as 442 FPS at 85 degrees.

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

The Glock 19 gave us an excellent 96 shots before the Muzzle Velocity dropped down to 200 FPS. Again, very strong performance!

Accuracy and Point Of Impact were also both pretty consistent across the range of test BBs, although the Crosman Copperheads just nudged ahead in our testing.

The trigger of the Glock 19 CO2 BB gun is very close in pull weight to that of the firearm original. Glock gives a specification of 6 Lbs 5 Oz for the firearm. The Glock we tested recorded an average of 6 Lbs 4 Oz. It’s tough to get any better than that with any firearms replica!

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

The trigger features Glock’s iconic trigger blade safety. That works well in the Glock 19 BB gun.

BB and CO2 loading has been very well thought-out in this product. The CO2-tightening hex key is cleverly located in the removable backstrap and swivels for use.

There’s an easy-to-use BB follower catch and a well-proportioned BB loading port. Why can’t all BB guns be as easy to load as this?

And Now For Some BB Gun Fun! The Glock 19.

Go on! Treat yourself to a little BB gun fun with the Glock 19. You’ll be pleased you did!

Tags: , ,
Posted in Airguns | No Comments »

The return of an old dear friend

Monday, February 15, 2010


As I explained some time ago, my very first airgun was not the legendary Daisy Red Ryder or a Crosman or a Sheridan. Instead, it was the Daisy Model 25, the pump-action BB that many of us older airgunners owned. It predates the Red Ryder by a good many years.

The Model 25 was first produced in 1914. Some fifty-three thousand were produced in that first year, and the Model 25 remained in continuous production until 1978, when it was discontinued. It was brought back briefly in 1986 as a Centennial Model, and then it disappeared again.

The first time that I spoke with Joe Murfin, vice president of marketing for Daisy, I waxed eloquently about how I loved my old Model 25. I remember him says, “Yeah, that’s the one rifle I really wish we had back in our lineup again, but the tooling was destroyed.” He and I commiserated for a while and then got on to other things.

Still, whenever I think of an airgun or mull over airgunning in general, almost everything gets measured against the yardstick of how much fun it was to shoot the Model 25.

So imagine my glee, my absolute joy when I found out that the Model 25 was going back into production. Even worse, I couldn’t tell anyone about it! No kidding. I found out in September, 2009, while preparing the airgun roundup for the SHOT Show Daily newspaper, but I had to keep it secret until the SHOT Show.


Now, of course, the reintroduction of the Model 25 is public. Joe Murfin from Daisy was kind enough to send one to me. It stretches 37 inches long and weighs just 3.1 pounds. Starting at the back end of the Model 25, there is a plain wooden stock that attaches to the metal receiver with several screws. On either side of the receiver is engraving depicting a hunting scene. On the left side of the receiver is a bolt (and a nut on the right side) which can be removed to break the Model 25 into two pieces. Beneath the aft end of the receiver is the metal trigger guard which houses a plastic trigger and push-button safety mechanism.


Forward of that are the various parts of the pump mechanism, which terminates in a wooden pump handle. Moving forward again, you’ll find the barrel. The muzzle has a knurled edge which is helpful in unscrewing the shot tube to remove it. On top of the barrel is the front sight. At the extreme aft end on top of the receiver is the rear sight, adjustable for elevation and windage, which can be flipped from iron sight to peep sight.


To load the Model 25, you unscrew the shot tube from the muzzle, push a slide down and lock it, and then pour BBs into the loading port until the shot tube is full. All that remains is to screw the shot tube back into the muzzle, and you’re good to go.

Pump the action once, flick off the safety, and squeeze the trigger, and the Model 25 launches BBs at around 325 fps.

I always thought that the Model 25 was better than the Red Ryder. It’s just plain easier to maintain a bead on the target while working a pump action than it is while working a lever action. Red Ryder enthusiasts point out, however, that the Red Ryder is shorter and lighter than the Model 25, and it holds more BBs. But for me, the Model 25 will always define what a BB gun should be.

I loaded mine up and strolled outside to take a few shots in the back yard. I brought the Model 25 to my shoulder and the years just fell away. Suddenly I was awash with memories of the grand times my buddy and I had roaming the fields and woods of northeastern Vermont with my trusty Model 25. It was, as Jean Shepherd put it: “The best Christmas present I ever got.”

This new Model 25 will enjoy a place of honor in my gun cabinet.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

– Jock Elliott

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Airguns | 4 Comments »