TM Detonics .45 Combat Master Review
Finally my order arrived last week. A brand new spankin TM Detonics 45 Combat Master. Packaging was almost similar with the TM M1911A1. Magazine has a chrome finish however does not depict the real steel counterpart which is made of matte stainless finish. The grip panels are similar of the TM M1911A1 variant and the rear grip is parkerized.
Seams are almost non-existent same as the TM 1911A1 and I would assume for the TM 1911A1 owners, they would appreciate the finish of this gas blow back(GBB). Metal parts are the lower receiver, hammer, trigger, mag release, slide lock.
One thing you will notice instantly is the location of its rear sights is set oddly forward, reducing the sight radius to a bare 4 inches. However the the combat master was not really intended as a target pistol (real steel) so I guess being a replica, it is but logical to follow the original design.
The markings on the slide is just the plain Detonics .45 on the left and the typical “ASGK” “Tokyo Marui, Made in Japan”. Not much really.
Picking this GBB is quite surprising as it is a tad heavier than my TM 5.1 Hi-capa without the magazine. Can’t recall the exact weight of the Detonics but it really has a very nice balance.
Internals
The TM Detonics utilizes a piston cup instead of the typical rubber o-ring. This according to TM increases the “blowback” effect of this dimunitive GBB (which I proven otherwise, similar only to a TM G26 Advance which uses also a piston cup). Not sure why this was advertise but probably it was just an assumption.
The rest is pretty much similar to the TM M1911A1, hop adjustment is also located inside the slide near the recoil spring. Slide take down of this GBB is similar to any 1911 variant.
PerformanceLoaded my two mags with bb’s (18 bb’s/mag) and gas (hfc 134a). Target is laid outdoors having the following conditions (guesstimate) slight breeze, around 25 - 28 degrees. Adjusted the hop a bit because I was using .25 bb’s (ran out of .2 )
Started shooting from a distance of 20 feet (see target paper on the left). First 4 shots yielded a grouping of less than an inch apart which pretty good. The hole on the outermost area of the target was a wayward shot (was eager to do a double tap hehehe)
Moved back a bit around 25-30 feet, the result is the paper on the right. Significant difference in the groupings, about an inch to an inchd and a half apart with some obvious (out target results). Not quite bad considering the length of its barrel which is around 3.2″.
Maximum effective range I reckon is around 40-50 feet, really depending on the wind conditions. Though if you get use to the sights and grip, potentially results would be much better.
Also tested shooting around 2 magfulls off bb’s (around 38 bb’s) using only 1 charge of HFC134a gas. Seems quite adequate for a small mag capacity.
Overall, I would recommend this pistol for those 1911 variant lovers and collectors. It can also serve as a good backup weapon in a pistol fight. Backup weapon on the field, well that depends on how confidend and comfortable you are, for me it does not present any issues.
This review was written by Sputnik.
