KSC M945
Review (Taiwan version).
By Wege
Purchased from Guns N
Guys (HK) with an extra magazine.
Contents in box
1x M945
1x magazine
100 KSC .25 bbs
1x Manual (in Japanese of course)
1x Hopup adjustment tool.
Also ordered 1x extra M945 magazine – arrived: M945c magazine.
History
and Observations:
The M945 is a Single Action semi-automatic pistol from from Smith and
Wesson. The finish is of a stainless steel finish, in either a polished
black, or a glass beaded steel-look. Also has a variety of grip
colors, but not as many as the M1911 series. It follows on from
the models 645 and 745, with its other 'brother' being the 3rd
generation M4506. (http://world.guns.ru/handguns/hg01-e.htm).
There seems to be conflicting evidence as to whether the M945 is a 2nd
or 3rd generation S&W auto-pistol. I wanted to find out more
information
after reading this page,
http://www.m1911.org/mod_sw.htm. Whilst
reading, I
was rather curious to know what was meant by this comment:
"The
gun looked very much like a single-stack,
stainless steel M-1911, but in reality it wasn't."
Bugger. Now why is that then?
Well here seems to be a couple of rather good comparisons. The
first image is of the SW1911 then the M945.
Real M745 field
stripped.
KSC M945 field stripped.
Similar slide catch, barrel, recoil guide etc, but different in
style of hammer, trigger guard, safety, and presence of a grip-safety
Notice the notches on the slide of the SW1911 that are not
present on the x45s. I suspect that the main reason for the M945
not being a 1911 clone, is due to the (apparent) part similarities
between the x45
series - such as the safety location, which even though not on
the slide on the M945, still has the markings/ indicators present that
it could have been. However, that last is merely conjecture, as I
am not an expert (let alone amateur) with either of the guns to be able
to say anything
about them in certainty. I suspect that Smith and Wesson
created the 945 as a 'proof-of-concept'; to get some experience
manufacturing and designing 1911 style parts and systems (Trigger bar,
safety mechanisms etc), before creating their first 'official' 1911
clone - the SW1911.
Physical
properties:
KSC M945
Smith and
Wesson M945
Weight: 890 with magazine
Weight
1195 empty
Length: 220mm
Overall Length 222mm
Barrel Length(inner): 107mm
Barrel length 127mm (5in)
Width: 40mm
Width: 40.6mm
Capacity: 15+1
Capacity 8+1
I got this gun for 3 reasons:
For
target shooting on a course, to get
my first 1911-style (now shown to be mistaken) pistol and for the
‘chrome’ look because every
other gun I have is black or dark! Upon opening the box, and I
was impressed. It met my visual expectations at first glance, but
on closer inspection, some small things appeared, but more on that
later. When picked up, it exceeded my expectations – it was
slimmer than I expected! Picked up the slim magazine (which is heavier
than a real magazine, by-the-way) and tried to insert it into the
magazine well. Tried and failed. Something was obstructing the
path. I then shook the gun, and something heavy (inside the grip)
chunked into place. I looked in, and the only things ‘heavy’
inside are the grip-weights, attached to a cutaway in the grips.
I tried to put the magazine in again and this time succeeded.
Ejected the mag, shook the pistol itself, and caused it to
rattle. Looking inside you can see the left-side panel weight had
fallen off of it’s (bottom) plastic ‘rivet’. This is apparently
quite a common occurance, and the question I ask people reading this
who have had this happen to them: Is the plate that is loose the one
that is in the left side grip? I reckon that the answer is
“Yes”, as this is the side (when traveling) that would probably have
gravity affect the most. My fix for this was to use an allen key
on what appears to be torque screws (oops), and then to
super glue over the old (failed) adhesive on the grip-weight faces.
Problem solved. From KSC’s end, though, the problem solved would
have been to either use stronger glue, make sure the riveting was
better, or make a slot in the polystyrene foam surrounding the pistol,
to accept magazine IN pistol, rather than pistol and magazine.
Markings
present on this model
The obvious ones :
Performance Center 945
- Located on the left side of the slide, in what appears to be a laser
etched design. Quite nice and tasty in fact, and it is not until you
get
quite close that you see that the letters are not quite the same as
each other. Have a look at the ‘e’s, and you will see what I
mean It has also been noted that this is a way to determine as to
whether or not you have a 'Taiwanese' version or a 'Japanese'
version. After looking at many pictures of the M945s I suspect
that (when looking at the image location on your M945) the differences
of lettering (as noted by DumboRat in his review) is applicable to only
the black models, and perhaps even more so, the models without the 'fish-scale' slide
Smith and Wesson Springfield. MA U.S.A – Located on the right
side of
the slide in front of the ejection port. Also ‘etched’ but a bit
more
obvious in the smaller ‘caps’ that it is not ‘quite’ right. I can
live with it though, fer shur’!
S&W Performance Center
logo - On the frame, directly above the trigger. Nice.
945-1 –
Located on
the frame directly below the slide-lever. Now this was an
interesting number. I mean, isn't this an M945? Well,
it
turns out that this is a
replica of the M945-1, which is a later model of the M945.
I will let messes Smith and Wesson do the talking here:
“Some
early model 945 Performance Center pistols
do not have a firing pin block and
will fire if
subjected to sufficient impact by
being dropped.
For this reason, early Model 945
pistols with no dash
number on the frame should not be
carried with a round in
the chamber. Models with a dash
number such as the 945-1
or the 945-40 have the internal
firing pin block.”
"Oh, so the KSC has three safeties then? Not just the two?"
Sorry,
still just the two, as the firing pin block is only on the real gun.
The not-so-obvious ones
are the KSC Corporation logo, which is cunningly located under the
take down lever, on the left side, and the itsy-bitsy JASG under the
front frame. On the outside of the chamber, there is a light pressing
of the words 45 ACP PERFORMANCE. The magazine has stamped, on
both sides, numbers 2 – 8. On its left it says 45 CAL with the
S&W logo below it. On its right side, the words Performance
Center and Caution: M945 USE ONLY. 45 ACP.
Wait a minute? What about the serial number??? The number
that is used to determine whether you have a Japanese M945 or a
Taiwanese M945? Well, I go some news for you people – there
wasn’t one. Nor was there a number on the outside end of the
box. Well, that may fox up that former exact proof, unless what
has happened, is that the Taiwanese (silver) versions no longer get a
serial number at all – IF they ever did.
Other
visual/tactile impressions.
First on the list would be the
Satin chrome-look frame and slide – nice! It appears to be a
worthy duplicate of the original's Stainless Steel Glass beading.
I was pretty sure I would like the shape of the gun as I have fired a
real Para Ordnance and that felt pretty comfy for me to hold. I
would now need an airsoft version (or have the real one again) in my
hand, to determine which has a nicer grip-shape/ feel. The grips
are made of plastic, and have a nice dark ‘wood-grain’ look to them,
and I do not see me changing them in the near future. There is
plenty of ‘grip’ to them with a ‘diamond’ shape checking pattern.
They do not rub my thumb anywhere near to the degree of the Tokyo Marui
Beretta M9 Military, thankfully, possibly owing to this being slimmer
than the M9 series. The checking is also present on the front and rear
of the handle, and differs from the grip, by being pyramid rather than
diamond shape.
The Fish-scale slide is pretty original looking, cut front
and rear on the slide, for people who prefer to rack their slide from
either end. The dark round circles on the rear of the
slide, are the 'fillers' for where, on the M645 and M745,the safety
would have gone , but the right-side
circle had a bit of a ding in it... on a new gun! Now, the
trigger. Nice shape, but it looks like it was sliced out of some
steel or something, with a ‘grain’ running along it, back toward the
the grip. It could have been buffed, or smooth. Onto the
Beavertail; up really close you notice a rough look to it, or
pitting. This is carried on to the hammer as well, with the marks
being most noticeable on the sides.
The sights: The rear is a copy of the Wilson Adjustable sight, done in
a BoMAR style, which is vertical and windage adjustable. The main
difference appears to be the mounting style.Have a look at the
differences of these three sights.
Wilson Adjustable
STI branded BoMAR
sight
Sight on KSC M945
(As an aside, check out the STI marking on the BoMAR – another
one of KSC’s lineup! (Btw, can anyone who has both a KSC
STI
2011
variant and a M945 please post images of how they compare?) I
suspect that a part of the muddle of the rear-sights is due to some of
the M945s being advertised (online) with BoMARs and some with
Wilsons.
My own theory on what the main difference is the 'clicking' holes
position. Around the base of my rear sight, are the notches that are
exhibited showing on the TOP of the STI BoMAR sight. It also
could mean that it is far easier to re-assemble a BoMAR than mine, as
there is a little annoying spring that MUST be in hole, forward of the
screw, to press into the 'slots' in a ratchet-type action. Hence,
the clicking sound upon adjusting. The front sight is a Dovetail
Black Post. It wasn’t inserted into
the middle of it’s slot however, but a little carefully applied tapping
can nudge it into the required position. I will end up at the
least, putting some dots on mine, as I am not comfortable sighting with
the black-on-black setup, particularly at close range. It is like
the Glock series from KSC - I like the "|_|" rear sight of the Glock
17,18c,19,and 26, but
I really like the Novak style which is installed on the slide of the
G23f.
The chamber top has a hole toward the back of it, and I was curious to
know what it was for. It turns out that on the real M945, this is
the "Chamber Loaded" indicator. The chamber itself, though, is
only lightly stamped with the words "45ACP", and they do not look real,
owing to the shallow depth and the lack of clarity of the
stamping.
This part also had a small ‘dent’ too (damaged before I had received
it!), underscoring the plastic nature
of it.
The slide and body have a cool-ish touch, but in no way do they have
the ‘cool-feel’ that real firearms have. The front dustcover,
though, somehow has a false or plasticy look somehow. It just
seems, erm, ‘not genuine’. For people who like to hunt for seam
or mold lines, there are some along the the base of the front, but are
so very faint, that you have to be looking for them. They could
almost look more like milling lines than mold marks, and there were
none that were noticeable on the grip.
The Magazine Release, for me, is wonderfull. Some people have
said that you are not able to skirmish, as such, owing to the boldness
of the button, and the ease of which you are able to press the magazine
release in, and have the magazine just drop straight down. If you
want to skirmish with it, then do so. I mean, look at KSC's Glock
series, and the awful trouble of people loosing magazines in the field
just because the holster, that is holding the Glock, presses on the
magazine release and, HEY PRESTO! - missing magazine. If you have
a chance to compare the M945 button (even images!) with that of a
combat pistol, you will notice 2 things: how far out it protrudes
(M945's) and how large the surface area is. Its for target
shooting for goodness sake, not a battle situation! Anyways, a
simple fix (cover) for this - get a proper holster that FITS. (For
example, the Glock goes well into a FOBUS holster, even with an
extended magazine release, and 100% NON-failure.) Easy, but probably a
bit more expensive than getting a 'standard' thigh holster.. But
I didn't get the M945 to skirmish. I go it for target shooting. I can still
use a holster, but for some timed draw-and-shoot, I am looking at
spending $$$ on Safariland gear. Another option to that, would be
to probably get an old 1911 canvas holster and modify that. Guess
which I will try first. :D
Pulling it
apart, and putting it back together again. Can I just say
that, unless you know how to pull apart a 1911-style handgun, that the
manual is nearly useless. It took me a few attempts and nearly 20
minutes of trying to rack my mind and push the take down pin through
the
frame, and even then I had to put it down and walk away from it a few
times, before finally stripping it apart. (Aided in
small part from the www.justpistols.co.uk
review of the M945). Here is
an aid for you, when you come to
disassemble and reassemble the M945. (In case you
are curious, the DPM is Royal New Zealand Army issue)
Make sure you hold the spring down
here with thumb,
There is a little notch, partly circular shaped,
that
when you re-attach the slide to the
frame.
corresponds to this end of the guide-rod, where it rests.
What was also frustrating
was putting it back together again (first time), as the recoil-guide
rod and recoil
spring combination is a menace, just waiting to launch the rod out of
your unsuspecting grasp. I didn’t like the
length of time that it took me though, so after much time spent
ineffectively searching the
web, I
decided to try the Smith and Wesson official website. What a fool I
was. Let me just say that a few seconds after reading (and then
saving) their M945 Manual .pdf file, I was able
to put the slide back on (correctly) in mere seconds! You just
have to rotate the take down lever a bit whilst
pushing it into the frame, as the level has to ease past the spring-rod
at the
tip of the recoil guide rod, inside the frame.
Aim! Fire!
Reload, Fire! Safeties on!
Various comments floating around the airsoft community have suggested
that the M945's slide and internals are delicate. With photos
such as posted in DumbRat's review it is not hard to see why.
However, this gun has been out for approximately a year now, and there
have been a few versions released since then: This "Chrome" look in
Japanese and Taiwan 'versions', the black-finished "Fishtail" version,
the M945 Compact model. There is no reason to not think that KSC,
as they have done with their Glock series, have continued to make
improvements to parts and/ or reinforcing various 'weak points'.
Over the last month, I have fired my 945 almost totally on ET1000,
admittedly on temperatures lower than 18 degrees Celsius. I was
worried though, at first, and fired about 10-15 magazines worth of
HFC134a - just to be on the safe side. No problems. But sluggish.
I can live with that. Firing on ET1000 though starts to
make the M945 shine. The feel, the kick and recoil although, mind
you, not as much as new Tokyo Marui Desert Eagle.
The FPS output of the M945 is a
lowish-range for a pistol that is intended to be used as a target
pistol (IDPA/ BB-IPSC style)
HFC134a ET1000
JASG
242 300
Taiwanese
231 300
NOTE: FPS figures are
averages using .2s, and fired at 17*C
This was interesting - The JASG (supplied as an extra, see below for
more information) magazine fires with more power than the supplied
Taiwanese magazine when using HFC134a, yet fires at the same FPS when
using ET1000.
Gas use is also an often asked question The rounds fired from a
full (gas HFC134a) magazine
is approx 65. The rounds fired from a full (gas ET1000) magazine is
approx 45. I
say approximately in both instances, as the gas was getting weak, and I
fired past those approximate numbers. (to 70 and 50 respectively). The
temperature was 14-16*Celcius. If you want to take this
skirmishing, I think that 2+ magazines would be good using ET1000 and
3+
magazines using 134a. The reason why such a low 'skirmish' figure is
that I am trying to anticipate the amount of cool-down, and therefore
loss of gas efficiency when firing rapidly. The effective range
of this is out to approximately 30m (measured with laser-range finder
on a sheltered field on a slightly cool winters afternoon), although I
have been able to hit targets at 25m (indoors on a so-so lit pistol
range at proper gun targets.). By comparison, my KSC G17 had an
effective range of approx 45m, the SIG PRO SP2009 approx 35m, and the
KSC M9 (HW) out to between 35-40m.
I fired off a magazine and a bit, to loosen up, and got some good
groups with some 'flyers' too. These targets were shot at
5m (muzzle to target) inside, using .2s
I used two targets, to illustrate that I suspect that it is me that is
the inaccurate one, and not the M945. As mentioned above, I am
still not keen on the Black/black look of the front and rear sights,
and would like to have some 'dots' there to guide my visual acquisition
of the target.
The
Trigger.
This is an area that I like but have small niggles with. I like the
feel of the
system (although properly speaking, this is more the relationship
between trigger, trigger-bar, sear and hammer, but I, and others, just
call it "the trigger" :D ) After cocking and firing for the first time,
quite simply I was shocked. It was very light and extremely easy
to pull. I have fired a few KSC Glocks and a couple of Double
Action
NBBs, a WA 1911A1, and also TM's Desert Eagle, and they are all
stiff and clunky, or have a long distance to travel before hammer
release in comparison to this. You have to cock and fire
a few times to get used to how little trigger-travel and pressure is
required to fire. Delicious! Also present in the system, is
what
is known as an adjustable trigger. It is a set screw in the
trigger that (facing the trigger and rotating the screw Clockwise or
CCW)
adjusts the trigger 'travel'. You should not have to adjust it at all
from stock. And in my opinion, don't! Seriously. I
adjusted my trigger all the way back
and it was horrible. I had to really squeeze it to get it to fire, so I
adjusted it back to stock position (all the way CCW) and "Ahhh" - its
back to the smooth original feeling.
The
Japanese vs Taiwanese KSC issue continued
I also got an extra magazine, to make the M945 a bit more viable for my
intended IDPA/IPSC style shooting. It magazine came in box with a
JASG sticker on
it. Hmm. Upon opening the box, I performed a quick visual
comparison of the two magazines and only two things stood out:
The S&W letters under the baseplate, (JP version)and retaining pin
near the base (part#909) does not fit perfectly through the body on the
TW version. Ok. Well the quality control of the Japanese appears
to be better. Sweet... or is it?
What I found was that the JASG magazine was a firmer 'click' into
place, and not the smooth click that was exhibited by the supplied
(with gun) magazine. It also requires more 'positive' pressure on
the magazine release for the magazine to drop-free. Not only
that, but when firing the gun, it often fails to push a BB forward from
the magazine to the hop-unit. I pulled out my old (and I do
mean old!) guage to check the gap of the magazine feed lips, and
promptly find that the JASG version is a fraction narrower at the
mid-point. Not only that, it appears to have not been finished
off fully - meaning that there is just a hint of an edge in the wrong
place. I will be able to correct this with a piece of fine
sandpaper and a piece of dowel, but the fact that I will have to do so,
particularly with the alleged
extra quality-control of the products
from Japan, is irritating.
This difference doesn't just extend to physical problems, but also
carries on into different, yet the same, characteristics, in the way
that HFC134a gas and ET1000 is used by the magazine. Filling with
134a in both magazines is your usual fill technique. However,
when I went to use ET1000 gas in the JASG magazine, I found that
I had to keep using short bursts/spurts to fill the magazine up.
Holding the gas nozzle in the fill valve for periods longer than 2
seconds would invariably result in liquid gas coming straight back out,
and spilling onto the surrounding plastic base area. The
Taiwanese magazine was able to be filled for longer periods, and not
spill-back as much.
The gas use was also different (power wise), as was shown above.
After
market parts.
In terms of upgradability, there is not much: KM hammers and
barrels; 'NoName' Taiwanese metal slide and barrels (featuring standard
slide grips); Carom grips, triggers and springs; Shooters Design metal
frame, slide and barrels, That is it. No parts yet for hopups, or
anything else. There is some note, however, that there is the
probability of being able to swap some of the Western Arms 1911 parts
across to the M945, but I am unable to re-find the information.
In some instances of damage to gun, I suspect that it would require the
purchase of a new gun to 'fix' the problem, and then use the old gun as
parts.
The End?
I am, on the whole, pleased with my purchase.
It has potential for target work, as exhibited by the fact that I am
not able to be as consistent as the M945 itself is. The weight
distribution is nice, and the width of the grips makes it appear
svelte. The slide is an 'Oooo' factor, with the fishscales being
quite comfortable to grasp, when pulling the slide back to chamber a
round. A modification (mild) that I will make to it soon, will be
a case of painting 3 dots on the front and rear sides, to aid in
targeting, and also to cut a slight angle from the tops of the rear
sight, to increase the peripheral view of the target image. Considering
what I payed for the M945, and what I got, I think am quite well
off. This has further convinced me to acquire a true 1911 form,
be it Para Ordnance, SVI, M1911A1 or whatever.
Other
Images.
A close up of the new hop-up unit from
KSC
Safety on, hammer
cocked
Safety on, hammer up.
Note the reversed placing of
the wording and trademarks. Proof of a
real 'fish-scaled' M945c in black stainless steel. Note Novak sight and
trigger shoe
The JustPistols 945 Reviews
The JustPistols review of the Japanese version of this gun
The JustPistols review of the black version of this gun
Thanks to:
KSC: for some rather
extraordinary
airsoft guns.
Commander
Keen: for patience and knowledge and patience.
Carbacca: for the transporting. ^^)
Snowman's site: Justpistols
Dumborat's
review on Arniesairsoft
http://www.m1911.org
Smith & Wesson
http://world.guns.ru/handguns/
Gunsamerica.com: for various images
taken without permission. :/
http://timm.hp.infoseek.co.jp/Html/K_M945a.html:
for use of the hopup unit closeup, without permission. I just wish I
had his camera!
DolphinCommand's article
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