There has been some confusion with regards to airsoft revolver as there's an existing one also made by Tanaka Works. The version of Marushin comes from the Maxi8 series and you can have a selection between ABS or the Heavyweight (HW) versions. So you may ask...why the hell am I reviewing an airsoft revolver which may not exactly go head to head against the modern gas blowback pistols with more ammo capacity in their magazines? Well, I had to ask that question to myself when I thought of doing an airsoft revolver review. For one, only a handful of players use or even have them and probably only collectors will actually like them. But then I said, why not try it? First of all, I've never had or even held one before let alone fire one. So this is all new to me, so let's see if it can make any good impression.

THE HAND CANNON

The real life Super Redhawk was released by Ruger in the late 70's and at that time, it came out with a few excellent features like a crane lock and an easily replaceable front sight. It is known as a gun built like a tank as it can withstand an indefinite amount of .44 magnum ammunitions. Check out the real steel videos in Youtube and see first hand how powerful this gun is.

Marushin's airsoft version of the Super Redhawk is likely impressive. My first impession? It's big and this is only the 7.5" version (Marushin also released a 9.5" version). The gun came in a rather very colourful box with pictures of both silver and black variants on the cover. Basically, the box tells you quite a lot of stuff about the gun, like it's made by Marushin, it's size and variant, that it's gas powered, and most importantly...that it fires 8mm bbs. Yup! Like a true full blooded Marushin revolver, this gun does not fire 6mm bbs but those massive 8mm monsters.

Inside the box, you will be treated by "The Beast" (as called by one real steal owner) in all it's glory. With the package, you will get a user's manual, which you will need a translator to read for you as it's in Japanese, one paper target, a Marushin catalogue partly in English, a small plastic bag of 8mm bbs, the tool needed to push the bbs into the cartridges, and 6 bronze .44 magnum cartridges.

The gun is very well balanced. It is not made of metal but heavy weight ABS, which actually gives it a nice gun black matte metal-like finish. The long barrel bears all markings including the "Super Redhawk" on the righthand side and the Marushin company name on the opposite side, etched underneath a warning to read the manual first before using the gun.

The front sight appears detachable although the gun did not come with any other replacement sight. The main part of the front sight has a red tip which makes it easy for the user to align it with the rear sight. The inner barrel is visible from the inside of the outer barrel and what I like is that Marushin spent time in making internal barrel groves on the bits that the inner barrel does not extend to.

The main body or receiver is also ABS. It has the trademark "RUGER" on both sides and ".44 MAGNUM CAL." underneath this on the righthand side. Just above the trigger on the right side of the receiver is a serial number, I'm not sure if this is unique in every unit. The revolver cylinder or the part where the cartridges are placed appears to be made of the same material as the rest of the gun. It has a release button or latch on the lefthand side and swings out towards the left. I don't think this will be comfortable to use for left handed people as reloading can be quite a labourous thing.

The trigger and hammer are made of metal and works well. I have read some people say that the trigger is heavy on the double action mode but I found it just right. I do like a bit of pull on my triggers as I don't like accidental misfires. But then again, my 12 year-old son has no trouble pulling the trigger. The handle, which I think is my least favourite part holds the gas. The loading nuzzle is on the base of the handle. The grip itself in nice and comfortable. I like the rubber-like material that they used as it does not slip from your grip. The grip plates are ugly...these are made of shiny plastic which look cheap. And since the gas is held within the handle, I don't think the plates can be replaced with real ones. Also the handle or grip makes a plasticky-creaking sound every time you squeeze it. One safety feature that Marushin added to this gun is a safety lock switch on the right hand side of the handle. This locks the trigger in place when engaged. The gun also has a hop-up system and can be adjusted via a slider located underneath the top part of the receiver and only visible when the revolver cylinder is open.

READY...AIM...FIRE!

The gun comes with 6 “.44 Magnum” cartridges where the bbs are inserted. Unlike other airsoft revolvers, the cartridges can be removed from the gun just like the real one and the cartridges are very realistic looking, so don't be carrying these in you pocket and accidentally dropping them in the bus. Loading the bbs is easy but a bit long-winded. First, drop one 8mm bb into each cartridge and use the pusher to push the bb until you feel or hear it lock in place. Then simply load each cartridge into each revolver.

The gun has two firing modes, single action and double action. In single action mode, simply pull or "cock" the hammer down and shoot and repeating this with every other shot. The advantage of this is the when you pull the hammer down, the trigger also moves into a firing position and only needs a soft touch the release it. The downside - accidental firing is possible for happy trigger finger people. In double action mode, simply pull the trigger until the gun fires. The gun will fire as fast as your finger can pull the trigger. The downside with this is that the trigger is a bit heavy in double action mode.

Performance is surprisingly good and I'm actually starting to like it. The bbs are huge so you can clearly see them gliding through the air. I test fired the gun indoors in a freezing -2 Celsius ousted temperature using blue gas and amazingly, there was no evidence of any gas leak and the bbs are actually firing out with quite a punch. Range is very good, easily reaching 35 to 40 feet with an upward trajectory.

So now the big question... Can it be used in skirmish? In my opinion? Yes. But, you will need a good number of extra cartridges and a speed loader for revolvers if you can get you hands on one or two. I'm sure it will instill fear in in you opponents' minds knowing that a massive 8mm plastic ball will hit them at any time.

Big thanks to Greg and Sean of Rules of Engagement for providing me with this gun. Please check out their online shop by following the link in our website.