HFC M712 'Box Cannon' Options

[Coldgunner]

Quick review of the HFC M712 'Box Cannon'


This was listed on Airsoft Armourys for £49.99 with a free bottle of green gas, I could not resist. It finally turned up on Monday. I finally got the chance to have a plink out back with it and I am impressed. Can't say much about the range, as my back garden has a distinct lack of it. The gun is all metal and is a NBB model. Should it really bother you, the gun has no trades whatsoever.



The gun comes with one long magazine (28rd), manual and allen key to adjust the hop. The hop unit is adjusted via a grub screw in the top where the barrel and receiver meet. The safety catch is the large switch next to the hammer, its pretty solid and doesn't feel like it'll break any time soon. The grips are false wood, but do not detract too much from the appearance of the gun, real steel grips can be fitted with minor modification.



I fired this on green gas and it felt better to shoot than my Mk23. I got roughly 2 magazines worth out of the gas, taking into account the current weather conditions it felt very nice to fire. There was also minimal cooldown on the magazine. Not been able to chrono it yet but various reports state around 280fps on 134a and anything up to 400fps on green gas, will have to chrono it next game.



I really enjoy this gun, compared to the USP's, 1911's and M92's out there it certainly stands out. With a 295mm hammer to tip length and the magazine in front of the trigger its very different to look at. If that ain't quite for you there is the carbine version out there, as well as the addon stock for this model. There are also short magazines available and a few DL-44 kits floating about.

Pros

Powerful - Although I've been unable to chrono it, various other reviews state <400fps on a good day.
Strong - The gun is entirely made of metal and certainly feels like it could be dropped without falling to pieces
Cheap - £49.99 for this pistol was a real bargain.
Customisable - You can change mag type (short and long), change the grips and even add a stock. Better yet, you can have a carbine or modify one to be a DL-44!


Cons

Heavy trigger pull - As with most NBB pistols, the trigger also cocks the mechanism which adds to the trigger pull. This is heavier than my Mk23.
Odd shape - May need a new holster if adjustable holsters cannot adjust far enough for the strange layout.
Heavy - with the long magazine in it is quite weighty, and you'll probably not hang onto it for long.
NBB - Lacks the sound and feel of the traditional blowback available on other pistols.
Magazine - Nearly forgot about this one. I cannot use a speedloader to load the magazine. Rather than having a lip it has a complete arch over the top, not only preventing a speedloader being used, but also making loading by hand somewhat tricky. With a bit of practice it will be fine.


Conclusion?

If you're not bothered by a pistol that is a NBB and lacks trades, you can do far worse than this.

[gisburn20]

word of advise with this one , make sure you keep the mag follower down firmly whilst filling with bb's because if you let go with no bb's in it the follower can break the top edge of the mag off.

Also the mags are prone to emptying all the bb's inside your pocket/pouch because they only have a hoop at the top of the mag not feed lips.

Other than that a lovely replica.
Real wood grips available from ebay.com!

Jim

[Coldgunner]

Yeah I soon discovered that, thinking of getting some short mags so I can holster it with a magazine in the gun.