If collectors and enthusiasts refer to the time of airguns crafted of German and British engineering with richly blued steel and top-quality hardwood stocks as the “golden age”, then what we are seeing now must surely be the “realism age”. Case-in-point is the subject of today’s blog, the “We The People” Advanced Sports Pellet CO2 clone of the 1911 style .45 caliber firearm of the same name introduced by SIG SAUER a couple of years ago.
The new SIG SAUER “We the People” CO2 repeater
Part of the Advanced Sport Pellet line, this beautifully crafted air pistol is an exact replica of that firearm made in Taiwan as part of SIG’s “next generation of air pistols” to the exact specifications of the firearm. It duplicates it in almost every detail, right down to the method of field stripping. A portion of the CO2 is used to provide blowback action.
Impressive as the detailing is, this pistol is equally impressive in the styling department. The original .45 is a tribute to America and the 2nd Amendment. This BB pistol sports a metal slide marked on the top with a circle of 13 stars representing the original colonies, on the left side with 1776 in large numbers and on the right side with WE THE PEOPLE. Each metal grip panel is decorated with 25 raised stars to represent the 50 states in the union, and overall the pistol is treated with a distressed antique finish. The firearm has a skeletonized trigger and hammer, an extended beaver tail and grip safety, as does this BB firing replica. The grip safety is functional along with an ambidextrous safety that locks the slide just like on any 1911.
As attractive as the pistol is, it is equally well done internally with an excellent fit and mechanical functioning. No malfunctions were experienced unless the CO2 dropped to a level where the slide would not fully retract and lock back on an empty magazine.
The drop-free magazine holds the 12-gram CO2 cartridge plus 17 BBs in a staggered column. A supplied hex wrench is used to turn the piercing screw in the floorplate of the magazine. Other niceties beside the already mentioned ambidextrous safety include a BB follower that locks back to facilitate loading, the face of the trigger is serrated and a clearly written owner’s manual with good black & white photos. Instructions are included on removing the slide as a start to field stripping but should have gone further to describe removal of the barrel in case of a stuck BB. SIG SAUER provides a one year warranty as well.
Other details that may be of interest: the overall weight of the pistol out of the package is 2.2 pounds. The specs indicate a trigger pull of 4 pounds but on my sample, I found it to average 5 pounds 10.5 ounces. Though the pistol still needs to go through some additional breaking in which may reduce the trigger pull weight, I wouldn’t anticipate it coming down that far. I averaged over 4 full magazines per CO2 cartridge (between 70 and 80 rounds) at a mile above sea level doing mostly slow fire. However, I have to admit, with these CO2 repeaters I have trouble restraining myself from shooting rapid fire strings. Accuracy was very good right out of the box up to 25 feet or so, making it a great plinker. It is rated for a velocity of 340 fps and at my altitude, using Hornady Black Diamond BBs, I averaged very close to that with 332 fps.
Functioning is incredibly similar to the real thing
This model is not currently listed on www.airgunsofarizona.com under their SIG page as it is so new to the market. However, the great group of folks at AofA can certainly help to order one up for you. The MSRP listed for this air pistol is $119.00 but check with AofA to discuss pricing. Additionally, depending upon the political climate where you live there may be restrictions on shipping this air pistol.