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The gun itself is a spot-on copy of a traditional 1911, mostly. The slide comes in a hair short of that on a real 1911 A1. The barrel has a threaded orange tip extending beyond the end of the slide. Everything else, from the magazine to the hump-and-bump sights will be familiar to those who know their mid-century single-actions.

I am a child of the 1970s. And it is a miracle that I survived the 1980s. When I was in middle school, all of my friends had pump action BB guns. I did not. My parents knew better than to trust me with one. That didn’t keep me from wanting one.

The most modern of the Umarex 1911 air guns is this version of the Colt CQBP. Some Marines are fielding the .45 ACP version, and are most pleased with the modern take on the old John Moses Browning design. This one shoots BBs. It is a faithful reproduction of the .45’s aesthetics, with some notable differences in functionality.

The Octane air rifle was a well-respected entry into the break-barrel air gun market. It brought solid performance at a price that anyone could afford. Yet some felt like some ergonomic options were sacrificed to get the price down to its $259 price point.

Umarex and Colt have collaborated on a faithful recreation of an American classic: The Colt Commander. This BB gun version is a spot-on homage to the original. But before I break it down, I want to provide a bit of context.

Most of the reviews that I write feature new products from firearms manufacturers. It is rare that I get to go back and spend quality time with the classics. Enough has been written about them that most of what I will say may seem redundant. But the Model 34 is a classic. And since this rifle is new to me, I’m going to assume it might be new to you, too.

The new 9mm Beretta APX is among the handguns that were considered as a replacement for the Beretta M9 as the U.S. Army’s standard issue sidearm. The gun finally chosen in the Modular Handgun System competition was the Sig Sauer P320 (other finalists were Glock and FN USA).

I own a variety of center-fire handguns. More than I’d care to admit (and a lot more than my wife knows about). Not one of them is modified. I will occasionally swap out factory sights, but that is the extent of the manipulations that I tend to make to my pistols. 

Umarex has shaken up the air gun world with the Gauntlet. Pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles have always worked on a sliding scale that tied price to performance. Devotees paid premiums for reliable performance. 

While I was in love with the accuracy and ease of operation, I was frustrated by how fast the gun ran dry. I’d always wanted a gun that could fire indefinitely. Forever. I knew they existed, but I didn’t have one (which may have been a parenting decision that backfired terribly—I mean, look at me now).