Army R45 Detonics Combat Master - Review

T.C.

Hi guys,

First review and all so be gentle...

In Thursday's post I received my new Army R45, a copy of the Tokyo Marui copy of the Detonics Combat Master.

Real Steel History: The Detonics Combat Master appeared in the mid-70's as the first production-capable cut-down M1911, as most other .45 compacts before that had been custom creations. A number of significant design changes were made to the standard 1911 design, which made sense in the context of the downsized pistol. As the guide rod was now much shorter, they doubled the guide spring; the rear sight was moved forward, and a flattened area created at the rear of the slide so that the redesigned hammer could be cocked while drawing the gun; the ejection port was widened and the barrel was made with a bulge at the end so no barrel bushing would be needed. It was apparently popular with law enforcement, offering 6+1 rounds of .45 ACP in a pistol not much bigger than a Walther PPK, and gained some media attention when Don Johnson carried one in an ankle holster on Miami Vice (again apparently, as I never watched the show :P )

Airsoft: Arrived in a nice looking package, which seems to be the exact copy of the Tokyo Marui packaging.


Having looked at reviews of the Tokyo Marui model, this one follows the same level of detail. The chromed hammer and trigger are the same, as is the shiney-look barrel. It feels weighty in the hand, not like an all-metal pistol, but hefty at 600 grams. The airsoft version includes a lot of detail from the real steel - the double guide spring, the flared barrel, lack of grip safety and so on.



Disassembly is as per normal M1911 precedure, with the slide release pushed through from the right hand side of the frame.



Reassemble and load the mag with gas and BBs, and a few test-fires. My results were not conclusive however, as I need new gas, and I also need to stop in somewhere this weekend and buy some silicone lubricant. First couple of shots were fine; good power, crisp blowback, until I ran of gas. Again, not ideal conditions for the test so don't quote me yet on the performance.

Pictured alongside a WE 1911 for size comparisons.

Verdict: To me it feels good, and its a little bit unusual. As a last ditch weapon I think it'd be a reasonable choice and still useful with its 18 round capacity (funnily enough, more than my full size WE 1911) Is it perfect? Hell no; the gas thing might be a more involved problem, and the safety doesn't seem to want to stay in place terribly well (further probing with a needle file might be needed). And that seems to be the extent of it's issues, but I reckon I can afford to spend some time and money on it...



Cost: <comic-book-guy-voice> Cheapest GBB ever!</voice> This yoke arrived to me from RSOV for the grand total of €41.36 including shipping. Which makes me a happy boy...

Hope this is of interest to someone, thanks for listening.

Gustl

How is your Detonics holding up? Any new problems* Also, which gas do you use and how mutch fps does it have? Have you tried TM compatitabilty?