Your Sidearm

[T-Time]

Hey Guys,
Whats going on? So just curious what do you guys use as your sidearm? Do you have a favorite?
So I might as well say it here: Where is it possible to buy a Glock 18? I know Evike has one, but
is that the only place that sells them?

Thanks guys

[McNair]

They're generally pointless.
I've probably used mine once(and only carried it once)because there was a minimum engagement range with the MMGs we were carrying.

Don't bother with the Glock18. Its just a novelty and the full auto feature is pointless. Go with a Glock17 or 19.

[FishSlapRepublic]

It depends on your loadout, the field your playing at and of course personal choice. In open outdoor games they generally aren't needed except for snipers rifles/DMR's and maybe support guns.

Personally I have my SAA revolver on my hip most games but it's more for style points.

[Steve]

Up until about 2 months from now, sidearms for me have mostly been for style points.

Waaay back in the day I used to run a Glock 18 in a thigh rig when playing indoors. We were running 30-round realcap mags. If my primary ran dry halfway to cover, I could draw the secondary and burn a mag while advancing to cover and then reload my primary.

Then I had an epiphany. Airsoft isn't reality. It isn't even close to reality. So, running 16 realcaps while everybody else was running hicaps and drums was just pretty dumb. I mean, let's face it. I was the first guy through the door more times than I care to count in the real world. Part way through my 2 year vacation, I switched from using an M-4 to using a SPW'd SAW, because 200 chances to get it right beats 30. If I had been able to cram 500 rounds of 5.56 into a 30-round mag, I'd have done it in a cocaine heartbeat. So, I picked up a bunch of high-caps. I'd have run more drums, but they are finicky as sh*t (which is remarkably accurate, having used Beta-C mags). More rounds in the mag mean fewer reloads, which cuts down on the need for a secondary. And then I discovered the joys of tracer units. Being able to actually track the rounds in flight makes a world of difference in putting them where you want them. So, I started running tracer units and HUTUs. And since I have yet to find a good holster that will handle a sidearm with a can attached, secondaries became even less attractive. Couple this with my penchant for purchasing real-steel handguns that they don't make airsoft versions of, and secondaries become even less relevant for me personally. Sure, occasionally I will run one for funsies and all, but they are generally useless for me.

Now, having said that, I had shoulder surgery a few weeks ago. As such, I'm off the field for another couple of months. Then I'm back on for 6 to 9 months using my non-dominant hand. During this period, I'll probably be running a secondary as a primary. I'm likely to run either a KWA HK 45 or a TM HK MK 23, both with tracer units attached.

But as soon as my shoulder is back to 100%, the secondaries will go back to gathering dust. I haven't used the Glock 18 in years. It lives in a box in the garage next to a Magpul FPG, a couple of Hades ARROW mortars, and a six shot grenade launcher along with a random assortment of stuff that looked really cool but didn't end up being nearly as useful as I had hoped.

[Jewish Ninja]

Full auto pistols are indeed worthless. The high ROF and short barrel leads to a highly inaccurate spray of BBs. You'd be better off throwing a handful of BBs as you run by.

I have a few pistols, but my favorite is the KWA HK45. It's very accurate in it's stock form, and fits my hand perfectly.

[Nark]

I run a KWA 226. Definitely my favorite. If you're gonna get one, try a couple out and see how you like how they feel, reload, function in your hands. I have loved the HK USP for some time and still do but for someone with smaller hands like myself, it's a little big. The M9 I had had a bit of a fat grip, not bad just not for me.

[ClownBaby]

Jew, I thought your favorite pistol was your 5.7?
That things real accurate, right?

[Rentax]

Really Steve?
Is your eye sight getting so bad that you need a tracer unit to see where you're placing your shots?
I will agree with most of what these guys have said. Sidearms in airsoft are carried for 2 reasons Swag and SHTF scenarios.
We all know airsoft is 50% a fashion show so the look of the thing can be a contributing factor. However when wearing a sidearm, especially in a shitty holster, you are more prone to loose the sidearm or the magazine, which can be costly. The SHTF factors really boil down to snipers who have targets inside their engagement distance and are about to be discovered, or in CQB scenarios when your primary goes down and the enemy is close by and you need to get to cover. However if you aren't training for CQC then it's going to be useless weight anyway.
A minor third factor when talking about running a sidearm is weight. Sidearms means your carrying more weight, and if it just sits on your hip and you never use it, why are you carrying it?

All this being said, I usually run a TM Mk23 as my primary weapon. From time to time I have an M4 strapped to my back for SHTF scenarios. But often times it gets ditched because of it weight and lack of maneuverability.

[Steve]

[Reascr]

I don't run a sidearm as it costs money and it's near useless in most airsoft games

However if I'm to get one it's gonna either be an FNX .45 or a CZ P09

[T-Time]

[T-Time]

Great. You guys all made some fantastic points.
Thanks, really appreciate it

[ClownBaby]

T- Time, I'm assuming that you are a smallish person due to your age. You may wanna look at the KWA ATP, it is a little narrower at the top of the grip, allowing for a better pinch.
If you want a Glock, get a Glock.

I'm liking this thread also, gettin a lotta smiles and little chuckles outta me.

For when shit hits fan, got it. Wait, that's like half my day! LOL
Rentax, is one of your favorite video games Splinter Cell by chance?

Steve's right about the tracer unit, much easier to see indoors, (TAC-OPS is pretty dark) and it works better than hittin' a 13yr old in the face with 350lumens, they don't like that.

"Why train when the equipment does the work for you." LOL FOREVER and ever.
That may have been the funniest thing you've ever written. So true, lol.

Reascr, I'm gonna give you the same advice as T-Time, except in reverse. Those two pistols are great guns, I've personally been eyeballing both. (I have the FNX real steel, and been contemplating gettin the CZ) But let me ask you this, are you a taller person? Because those two guns definitely fit a larger hand better.
If you can't play with the airsoft version before you buy one, any real gun shop should have both in real steel to paw on.

And yeah, pistols and magazines go bye-bye all the time. (particularly in the woods, where you never find em) Couldn't a lot of that be solved by running chest holsters?

[Shortbu]

I run my WE XD compact quite a bit, but I usaully run DMR, or support, and my pistol is anything but stock. I usually leave it in the truck if running an M4. As said before, it's dead weight in that scenario.
If I were to use a stock pistol, I really like both the KWA HK45, and the TM MK23. But it's important that you get one that's comfortable to you, is easy to find parts for, easy to get a decent holster for, and is reliable. Most of the KWA pistols fit that bill, and there are quite a few options out there, so finding a comfortable fit is pretty easy.

[Solid]

Sneaky snipers gotta have em, otherwise its swag points.

I'm a WE P228 (F228 they call it) kinda man myself.