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Presents under the tree are fine and dandy, but the stocking is where the really cool stuff goes. Add these items to your stockings to keep the airgunners in your family happy all year.

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.

ARNSBERG, GERMANY (September 22, 2017) – UMAREX GmbH & Co. KG (UMAREX) headquartered in Germany receives the first worldwide license from the well-known Austrian weapons manufacturer, GLOCK, for the reproduction of its internationally recognized pistols.

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.

Instead of jumping in like I normally would in a gun review, I’d like to begin this piece with the establishment of a basic premise. If you carry a 1911, you need to train with a 1911. This thought scares some away from the battle-tested single-action, but it doesn’t have to. Practice doesn’t have to be dangerous.  

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.

BBs bounce off hard surfaces such as wood, rocks, and concrete. This is why it is so important to wear safety glasses and to have a proper backstop. Safety should always be the number one priority.

Many different targets can be for BB guns. Some are simple and common, while others are a lot of fun. I am going to list a few examples of targets that I have seen and some I have used.