Tokyo Marui Chrome M9 Full Photo Review

By: ScoutSniper67



Table of Contents

First Impressions
Real Steel History
Appearance/Feel/Build Quality
Internals
Function
Performance
Accessories and Modifications
Pros and Cons
Ordering
The Final Word

First Impressions:

My first impressions of this pistol were: "Hooray! It made it through customs without having its trademarks butchered!" and "Wow, this is one fine lookin' pistol!"

TM really presents this pistol nicely. It comes in a nice black styrofoam box, with the usual cardboard cover. The cover has a picture of the pistol with "M92F - Chrome Stainless" printed on it, along with some other writing.

Inside was all the paperwork; targets, the manual, a TM catalouge, and an exploded view of the pistol with every part labeled. And then there's the warning sheet which tells you not to shoot yourself in the eye, or to let little kids/pets/irresponsible people play with the gun.

Under the paperwork was the pistol, magazine, and cleaning rod. My pistol and magazine were wrapped in a layer of bubble-wrap, but I think that was done by ehobbyasia, not TM. Overall very securely packaged and very well presented.

Real-Steel History: (from wikipedia)

The Beretta 92 (also Beretta 96 and Beretta 98) is a series of semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by Beretta of Italy. It is one of the most instantly recognisable firearm models in the world. The 92 was designed in 1972 and production of many variants in different calibers continues to the present day. The M9 version replaced the M1911 .45 ACP pistol as the standard sidearm of the United States armed forces in 1985.

Although only 5000 copies of the original design were manufactured from 1975 to 1976, the design is currently produced in four different configurations (FS, G, D and DS) and three calibers:

• 92 series in 9x19mm Parabellum
• 96 series in .40 S&W
• 98 series in 9x21mm IMI

Full Article Here.

Appearance/Feel/Build Quality:

When I first saw the M9 sitting there in it's black styrofoam box, I thought it was real chrome. Without the orange tip, it looked like it had just come from a gun store. It has a nice metallic chrome finish, which was just what I wanted; this will be my showpiece. The finish is almost perfect, except for a few seam lines on the front and rear sights, barrel, and on the underside of the frame. Noticeable, yes, but not enough to have a negative impact on my thoughts about this pistol.

The orange tip from ehobby popped right off without effort, leaving no trace on the muzzle. The barrel has it's seams on the side instead of the top, so they are hidden when the slide is forward. On the top it is marked "Stainless".

The slide is very well done, no seam lines except for on the front and rear sights, which are hardly noticeable. It is marked on the left side "U.S. 9mm M9 MILITARY - 29598" and on the right side "U.S. 9mm M9 TOKYO MARUI Co.,Ltd. 29598" - under that is "Made in Japan". Unfortunately my camera can not focus well on the trademarks, they are too small. This is a pic of the left side.

On the rear part of the slide is the ambidexterous safety. When it is in line with the barrel and the red dot is exposed, the safety is off. When it is angled down and the red dot is covered, then the safety is on.


Sights are standard pistol sights, the front one has a red dot neatly painted on it for better visibility. Nothing special enough to warrant a picture.

The hammer has three positions: uncocked, half-cocked, and cocked.



When cocked, the trigger is pulled almost all the way back, making the pull extremely easy and smooth. When the last shot is fired the slide locks back so you know you're out of ammo.

Unlike most pistols (M1911, SIG P226, Glock), the notch where the slide lock goes into is not visible outside the slide. The slide lock itself does not have a visible hook the goes into the notch either, which I think makes the pistol look neater. Yet the slide is just as easy to release as other pistols.

The magazine release is like all pistols, and when pushed the magazine slides out easily. The grip doesn't appear or feel quite like rubber. I think it's plastic, but still, it has a nice texture to it and the grooves for the fingers make it very comfortable to hold. The Beretta symbol is imprinted on each side of the grip. Overall it's one sick lookin' pistol.

When I first picked up the M9 I thought "Wow, it's pretty heavy for an ABS pistol." With the magazine loaded it has a nice, hefty feel to it. Not enough to make your arm tired, but enough to make it feel realistic, being made of ABS plastic. The pistol is well balanced, and the contoured black grip makes it sit firmly in my hands. Other than the M1911, it's got the best feel in my hands of any other pistol I've held.

Build quality is excellent. Being TM, I expected it to be made to the highest standards, and it met that expectation. Overall it surpasses my standards by a thousand miles. The build, finish, and feel of this pistol are absolutely stunning.

Internals:

I know almost nothing about the internals of any airsoft gun, but they do look to be put together nicely and are well-oiled. Takedown is relatively easy: with the magazine removed, push the oval button on the left side of the pistol, turn the switch on the opposite side so the handle is pointing down, and pull off the slide. To put it back together slide the slide back on the frame and turn the little handle back to the was it was. Then put the mag back in and it will be ready to fire.

Function:

I am almost out of gas, but I did have enough to blank fire it a few times before I ran out. The blowback action is very crisp, and there is a nice 'pop' to each shot. The slide locks back every time the magazine is emptied, unless there is not enough gas left in the magazine to power it. If the gas gets too low it will "burp" out the last bit when the slide is half-back and will need to be refilled.

Performance:

I will update this section when I get my propane adapter and some propane.

Accessories and Modifications:

Due to being a pistol, the ability to modify the externals is lacking, due to the size of the weapon. The M9 does not come with a threaded barrel, nor does it come with a forward tactical rail. That means no suppressor or light/laser unless you get a threaded barrel or railed frame, neither of which I have found yet. The only plans I have for modifying it are some nice wood grips, or a black threaded barrel and suppressor. (Yes, G&G makes a threaded M9 barrel - I found it!)

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

- ABS construction
- heavy weight
- solid feel
- quality build
- comfortable to hold
- chrome finish (for those bonus bling points)

Cons:

- ABS construction
- seam lines
- lack of modifications

I put ABS construction for both pro and con. The pro side is, the slide is lighter and therefore will make the gun more gas-efficient. It will also have a sharper recoil. The con side is reliability with green gas and propane. It will only take so much use before it needs to be replaced.

Ordering:

My dad ordered this from ehobbyasia's ebay store for Christmas. It came through customs without having the box or the gun's trademarks butchered. Also, at $150 with free shipping, it was a great deal. I highly recommend ehobbyasia, especially their ebay store because they have low prices and a wide variety of guns, mags, accesories, and other stuff.

The Final Word:

Overall, I give this a 9-9.5/10. Not a 10 because of the seamlines, and there is no "perfect gun" out there. But overall, if you don't mind a few minor seamlines, this pistol is a great buy. It will definately be my sidearm of choice for a long time to come, and my show-off piece. Highly recommended for any M9 enthusiast.

Good review. Cover most things a buyer would like to know. A little bit more text would not hurt, but overall its a good review.

Moved and approved.

Thanks CMP!

If anyone who reads this review has any questions about the TM M9, I'll be glad to help answer them, just shoot me a PM.

hehe;)
so, you recommend this, I wont be disappointed when I buy this?
stupid question but, do I have to reload(don't know what its called, not meaning to fill up the mag) this every time I shoot?
and whats the almost distance when u shoot with no wind?
I see its 82 ms or something...

This post has been edited by Tricky: May 31 2009, 09:45 AM

If you're a fan of M9s, you won't be disappointed. I have also heard good things about the KWA M9 PTP series though, and they're full metal and just a tad more expensive.

No, it's a gas blowback, so it recocks itself every time you pull the trigger. You can shoot about one and one half mags through it on one fill of gas. Distance with out hopup on is about 50 feet. I haven't been able to mess with the hopup to get better range, though. I still need to buy a propane adapter.

Distance with out hopup on is about 50 feet. ? hopup, whats that? ^^ hehe! I have a sofgun, had it for like 3 years, but(not gas or electric), the other type :),
and I was testing, with 0.20 pellets, it went over 50 meters(164 feet), and gas don't even get up to 50 feet? hmm....

Is so, how do I change the range ^^,) im so newbie on this :)

Hopup puts a back spin on the BB, which makes it fly farther. I haven't had the time to mess with it, so I couldn't increase the hopup for more range. I'm sure you could get shots at least 100 feet with a properly tuned hopup.

AAh, so how can I make that modification ? I have no idea to do such things...^^,) if ya wanna tho...

I don't know, it should say in the manual.

Do you know where to find extra slides for the gun? and who sells the threaded barrel?

guys,
I am new in this forum and hopefully I am posting at the right spt. I am choosing in between KJW's and WE TECH's M4 airsoft full metal blowback. which is one is more relistic in respect of field strip and function? what are the pros and cons of the M4 with those two manufactures? Is there any other manufacture you would recommend for the a M4 airsoft with full metal blowback? Thanks in advance for your help.

dav

Dav, post that in the New Member's section, and we'll be glad to help you.