BELL GBB Pistols?

[Devel]

Hey guys,

I've been looking at some pistols in Canadian sites and these guns caught my eye. Pretty affordable, full metal, can use CO2 or green gas mags, etc. However, I haven't seen much reviews on them (at least not in-depth ones) online. Its also implied that the ones airsoftdepot.ca has are fairly new (?) models.

Check them out for yourself: http://airsoftdepot.ca/catalog/index.php?cPath=112_181

Let me know if you guys have any experience with them at all or if you find any in-depth video or written reviews, preferably ones about 1911s but any reviews about BELL GBB pistols in general would be cool.

Thanks!

[BioRage]

Wouldn't touch them, fork out the extra for the WE G17's.

You don't need a reason, if there's zero info on google about them you have your answer there, go with what everyone has had exp with.

If you want a decent 1911, get a KJW 1911.

[St. Ides]

As an owner of both G17's (Bell and WE), they both offer their own flava.

For instance the Bell is full trades, it comes vac sealed in a plastic bag with gun oil, and has a plastic carrying case (insert eye roll here). Like the WE it comes with a polymer body and metal slide, and most parts are compatible with the WE (some mods may be required). And as far as I can tell the hop up chamber unit looks like its TM. The gun shoots nice, hard, and accurate. Is able to accept WE/TM mags however the slide catch wont stop the slide on an empty WE mag (some mod is required on the mag itself-which I wasn't willing to do). It comes with a CO2 mag, and is compatible with gas and CO2. The mag is full trades as well, with a removable base plate to access the CO2 chamber, or to access gas fill valve (if you get the gas mag - it must be noted that I haven't had much luck with the gas mags and have opted for the CO2, and still tinkering). Final notes on the Bell is that it looks great shoots hard, but needs some tinkering for extended reliability i.e. new floating valve, hammer spring and recoil spring to get better gas efficiency, imo!

My WE is full metal slide with a polymer body, however the slide isn't a snug fit and thus has a wobble and noticeable noise. My WE is a Gen4, and that damn mag release is super sensitive causing the mag to fall out mid run......tactical fail..... it's not full trades but shoots nicely, and has great gas efficiency. If you can find a GEN3 I would recommend that for the money over the GEN4 (that mag release on the GEN4 is a buzz kill to say the least)

If you can get your hands on a HK3P GEN3 G17 (more expensive than a WE17 but cheaper than a TM!) then that would be ideal. Made by WE, but has full trades and metal slide. Can't speak for slide wobble, but it's something that I could live with as long as the gun shoots straight and reliably outta the box.

[Devel]

Originally Posted by St. Ides

snip

Thanks for such an in-depth comparison! The BELL you have sounds really good! After researching a bit more, I figured the reason why there aren't much BELL reviews out is due to brand unfamiliarity. The existing video reviews about them are older models using green gas mags. They seemed to be TM clones due to the low fps (270-300), which is still pretty low for green gas. They also weren't CO2 ready. (ref: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqd3Wrh9xgk) So I assume these were pre-2014.

One thing though, seems like the post-2014 ones from Hong Kong still had plastic slides. (http://www.popularairsoft.com/news/n...gasco2-version) However, they were CO2 ready, and TM and KJW mag compatible. I looked into Tiger111HK more and I did find a full metal version. They don't show the dates when the items were put out so its possible BELL made a plastic and metal version.

Have you had any crippling problems with the BELL G17? Polymer construction on Glocks are standard so that's not really a concern. When did you buy it? How much? Do you know anyone else with BELL guns?

Originally Posted by BioRage

snip

Thanks for the reply! I just wanna clarify that I'm aware they seem a bit sketchy cause of the lack of reviews on the net. I also looked into KJW and KJW 1911s, but the reason why I'm interested in these BELL ones is the possibility of them being hidden gems... I know its a longshot but I have hope. Assuming they don't sell much (because of the lack of reviews), this doesn't necessarily mean they're bad. I, for one, would write a really bad review if I had a really crap experience with them. Likewise if I had a good experience, I'd write a review. I would say the lack of reviews is due to the same mentality that many people have with unfamiliar brands.

Another reason why I'm interested is because of how much they seem to be improving their guns over time. They have put out many versions over the years: green gas only, CO2 and green gas ready, plastic slides, full metal, etc. When you think about it, if they didn't sell why would a company invest in making more? Also St. Ides' review on their Glock tell me they're on par with WE pistols, maybe even better. I would guess a little behind KJW, but the fact that they're both CO2 and green gas ready is impressive. I would agree that the fact that they have a cheaper price tag might mean that they did something with the gun to cut down on costs, and the extra nozzles and o-rings also imply that they expect these guns to have problems in the long run. On the other hand, it could also mean that these extra parts are just bonus.

I had my eyes on KJW 1911 (best choice), KWC, also the Socom Gear MEU. WE seems to be a hit and miss so I'm staying away from those. My friend and I are gonna be AV'd soon and I showed him the BELL 1911. I don't want him to get a crap gun which is why I am researching. Anyway, if he ends up buying it I'll write a review with updates! Hopefully it is a hidden gem though

[huang]

All the bell pistols we have now are CO2 version, even though you may use green gas magazine. However due to the much harder recoil spring of the CO2 version, they all don't have good gas efficiency, change the recoil spring to a normal one will help

[St. Ides]

Lack of reviews on the net cause they've been outta the game for some years, or so I'm told. I bought it on a whim from Depot in Toronto. Paid $145 for it, seems like a nice little project gun, full metal slide and polymer body with full trades. Held up to a TM and looked identical....the slide almost fit on the TM, just needs some filling down on the rear end of the slide by the blow back housing for complete compatibility. I say its a project gun as the gas efficiency is something to be desired with the stock gas mags (that's been the crippling defect with mine, the gas mags I bought don't hold enough gas for the 24rds it holds......though this just might be that floating valve/hammer replacement I spoke of to fix it - or as huang just put it in the thread above, the recoil spring is too hard and needs replacing), and compatibility with the WE mags needs some work. Though I haven't run it that hard with the CO2, it seems solid enough for some gaming. I had one incident at a game where it started to fire full auto on me, this was just recently and I haven't ripped it apart to figure out what happened......though the next mag fed and shot fine with no full auto fire issues...??,,??

[Devel]

Originally Posted by huang

All the bell pistols we have now are CO2 version, even though you may use green gas magazine. However due to the much harder recoil spring of the CO2 version, they all don't have good gas efficiency, change the recoil spring to a normal one will help

Thanks for the info! Do you guys carry these recoil springs - let's say for the 1911?

[Devel]

Originally Posted by St. Ides

snip

Still really sounds good for the price! It seems to be the perfect choice for my friend since he just wants one to shoot in his backyard but still have the ability to use green gas for games. Thanks again! Let me know if you run in any other problems.

Also, have you tried what huang said? He said it will have better gas efficiency with a normal recoil spring. The spring it has might be good for CO2, but not much for green gas.

[nickssj21]

I can personally say that my WE G18c is running extremely well so far. It's a WE so you're not getting the best out there but i'm impressed because of the bang for buck. I'd recommened it for sure, a great beginner-internediate gbb

[ccyg8774]

Originally Posted by St. Ides

My WE is a Gen4, and that damn mag release is super sensitive causing the mag to fall out mid run......tactical fail.....

I had that problem with my WE G19 Gen 4 (same magazine catch as G17 Gen4), one day I tried to take the wire spring of the mag catch out, stretched it, and put it back (this part is hard), and it works fine now. I think it is not really a problem with the Gen 4, just the spring being loose.

[kar120c]

To stretch the spring is correct as shown in the pic? is it necessary to stretch the upper end marked with the question mark? [IMG][/IMG]

Originally Posted by ccyg8774

I had that problem with my WE G19 Gen 4 (same magazine catch as G17 Gen4), one day I tried to take the wire spring of the mag catch out, stretched it, and put it back (this part is hard), and it works fine now. I think it is not really a problem with the Gen 4, just the spring being loose.

[ccyg8774]

I tried to only stretch this side and leave the other side as is.
I think I also stretch VERY small amount on the place you marked with question mark.
It may take a bit of trial and error before you get it perfect. Don't be afraid, this piece is hard to break.
(but if you really managed to break it, buy a new TM one for US$ 1.60 . It is compatible, I tried it myself.)