ARMOURY: CYMA 132S

ELECTRIC

PISTOL BOOGALOO

AFTER ASKING THE AA TEAM WHY AEPS ARE SEEN AS THE POOR RELATION OF THE FAMILY, STEVE T GETS HIS BLUFF CALLED WITH A CHALLENGE TO REVIEW ONE...

Iset the cat amongst the pigeons at AA Towers recently, when I suggested that Automatic Electric Pistols (AEP) are the poor relation to their Gas BlowBack (GBB) counterparts. I’d never had an inclination to own one, based on universal comments from other players about their disappointing performance.

But others on the team quickly set me straight, with reports that many airsofters have seen good results from ever-so-slightly modding their AEPs to run LiPo batteries, with a decent boost to performance. After a couple of disappointing outings with GBB pistols in the depths of winter this year, I was interested to find out more. Then TaiwanGun gave me the chance to review CYMA’s new AEP, the CM.132S MOSFET Edition that comes ready to run with LiPos from the factory.

LOVEHUNTER I don’t know about you but the first thing I do when I get a new pistol - after checking it’s clear of ammo - is rack the slide. Of course, you can’t do that here, so the next best thing would be to cock the hammer. It’s clearly not moulded into either the slide or frame and easily moves under your thumb, so why not?

Yeah - don’t do that! Now it just flaps and clacks about. There’s no instruction manual to warn you in advance and a flappy hammer is a bit embarrassing in anyone’s book. There’s a small spring at the base of the hammer that you can use something like a jeweler’s screwdriver to poke back under the frame so it doesn’t happen again - just be sure to tell anyone not to move it before you hand the 132S to them and be prepared in advance to take the jokes on the chin.

Even though this moving part makes is easier to seat the non-functional slide, it would have been smarter to lock the hammer in place - or even mould it as part of the frame - to avoid the problem entirely.

SLIDE IT IN CYMA’s 132S comes in a cardboard box and a foam insert with cutouts for the pistol itself, a speedloader and charger as well as two - yes, TWO - LiPos that are included. That means that right out of the box, you can have one on charge while the other keeps you in the game.

Did we say LiPos? As standard on an AEP? Why, yes we did - and that’s one of the main selling points for this M9A3-inspired model.

Despite the tight space for batteries, fitting them is a straightforward affair. Simply depress the “slide release” to remove the whole thing slightly forwards and mostly up to reveal the concealed wiring within. Insert one of the

“FOR ITS RELATIVELY BUDGET PRICE, THE MOSTLY PLASTIC 132S IS ACTUALLY QUITE SOLIDLY BUILT, WITH LESS CREAKING THAN YOU MIGHT EXPECT. THE RAIL UNDER THE BARREL WILL HAPPILY TAKE STANDARD LIGHTS AND LASERS, ALBEIT WITH A TOUCH MORE SIDE-TO-SIDE MOVEMENT THAN WE’D LIKE.”

supplied batteries into the cavity below the barrel, connect the cables via mini Deans, tuck them out of the way and refit the slide. It takes just seconds.

I normally eschew bundled chargers and prefer to use my trusty Imax, but in this instance, I had no choice. Without instructions, it seems that the battery is charging when the light in the USB end of the cable flashes, turning solid green when fully charged.

Those little LiPos lose charge faster in storage than batteries with more cells, so you might need a maintenance regime to avoid them going flat and rendering them obsolete between games. CYMA recommends topping them up every three weeks, but they go flat so fast I almost feel like I need to put them on life support.

The battery might be really easy to fit, but access to the hop wheel is also under the slide and while it’s similarly easy to adjust, it’s also easy to knock out of position whenever you refit the slide – i.e. at least once every game day when you connect the battery.

SAINTS AND SINNERS For its relatively budget price, the mostly plastic 132S is actually quite solidly built, with less creaking than you might expect. The rail under the barrel will happily take standard lights and lasers, albeit with a touch more sideto-side movement than we’d like. But we do mean just a touch.

This is not a pistol for Southpaws though. As you might expect from an M9, the mag release is only to be found on the left, but at least it looks like you might be able to swap the button and the blanking plate from side to side.

Less conventional is the fact that the traditionally ambidextrous safety at the rear of the slide is not all it first appears - the operational safety is actually a slider above the right of the trigger guard that physically restricts the trigger’s movement. Dare I say that it’s actually easier to use than the real thing? At least it falls within easy reach of a right-handed index finger.

The conventional safety lever to either side of the slide at the rear is now just a moulded extrusion on the right, but there are hidden surprises on the left too. All is as you might expect in its upper “live” position but rotating the lever down to obscure the usual red dot in the traditional safe position has another effect entirely… Full auto, baby!

Not gonna lie; I had so much fun using this pistol in full auto. Of course, there are other full auto pistols such as the Glock 18C or the Beretta M93R, but with none of the usual cool-down issues associated with gas systems, the batterydriven 132S was quite happy to dump entire magazines flatout without skipping a beat.

We also enjoyed the fact that just unscrewing the barrel’s thread protector means that you can easily fit a suppressor or a tracer unit, such as Acetech’s Lighter S, without an adaptor. It sounds silly, but just adding the Lighter S also added a lot to the experience of handling Cyma’s AEP.

And with the fact that the 132S is also AEG quiet, it could be a great choice for an unconventional sniper sidearm.

SLIP OF THE TONGUE It’s just a shame that instead of using a full-sized magazine for maximum ammo count, the 132S uses a stick mag. The fake magwell makes it comfortable for larger hands, but the shorter stick mag means that you’ll need to use a thumb or finger to ensure the mag is properly inserted within its recess, instead of the usual palm-bump. It’s a small detail, but it detracts from the overall experience.

“ALL IS AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT IN ITS UPPER “LIVE” POSITION BUT ROTATING THE LEVER DOWN TO OBSCURE THE USUAL RED DOT IN THE TRADITIONAL SAFE POSITION HAS ANOTHER EFFECT ENTIRELY… FULL AUTO, BABY!”

Had CYMA chosen to offer a high capacity mag to fill out the grip with room for more BBs, the 132S could have offered the pistol equivalent of a drum mag on an AEG. At least the stick mag format means that spares are cheap to buy at around £6.00 each - and you could easily carry up to four per standard pistol mag pouch. That potentially means up to four times the ammo for the same cost and space in your rig as one magazine for a conventional GBB.

It’s ironic that the included speedloader is absolutely useless for filling the mag though, because there’s no cutout down the open slot to pop BBs in. Instead, you’ll need a loader with a swing-out or clip-on adaptor to insert ammo through the feed lips at the top of the mag. And that’s if you’re lucky; we found it easier just to feed the mag’s appetite for ammo with every BB by hand.

However you fill the mag, the capacity is about 30 rounds, which is actually more than most full-sized magazines where the extra space is taken up by a gas chamber or CO2 bulb. It feeds just fine time after time and after numerous refills; we’re happy to report that it keeps on working without problems.

COME AND GET IT AEPs are famous for returning lower FPS measurements than GBB pistols and the 132S is no different. We measured an average output of 210FPS/0.41J using .20 BBs, which places it about 50 less than a modest GBB and very shy of the UK’s typical 350FPS limit. That’s great news if your number one objective is to be site legal at all costs but may be disappointing if you’re looking for ultimate performance.

The big difference is that when the temperature drops hard and other players are forced to leave their gaspowered pistols in the safe zone, you’ll still have a backup to rely on. I’ve been that gas guy too many times this year alone.

While it can’t match the best pistols I’ve used, the CYMA costs a third of their price and is still fairly accurate, with decent groupings on my usual 25M range. The hop adds about an inch of lift at just 6 metres even at its minimum setting, but at that range, you’re either aiming centremass or miss! Further out and the hop is more useful at typical engagement distances up to 25 or even 30m, where you’ll need the hop full on. Beyond that, it gets unpredictable.

Of course, consistency between shots is one benefit of an electric power source over gas, which is something we observed here. Fewer flyers going wide of target not only means tighter groupings within range, but also that even though it’s down on distance overall, you can more reliably account for that deficiency using holdover on target (aiming just a bit above where you want the shot to land).

HERE I GO AGAIN After having been given a light-hearted pasting by some AA contributors for mocking AEPs, has the CYMA.132S convinced me of the platform’s potential? I have to admit that I’ve come away pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed using this AEP far more than I thought I would.

Am I a convert? In the depths of winter, when my GBBPs run out of puff? Totally! Otherwise? Not really. There’s none of the drama and excitement of using a gas pistol, while both power and range are down too; but bear in mind that I’m also a sucker for gas rifles. If you’re an AEG devotee, then having an AEP as a backup might make a lot of sense.

If you’re on a budget when buying a sidearm and trying to decide between power sources, then I’m happy to say that I’m surprised how capable I found the 132S. For about £70, you can buy a pistol that will perform reliably, whatever the conditions - and while it may not have their absolute measure, might actually make a smarter investment in terms of reliability than many similarly priced gas-powered sidearms.

And if you don’t want to run a GBB system for some reason - maybe the homeowner doesn’t want compressed gas out of their control in the household, kids - then I’m happy to say that purely based on my experience with the 132S, an AEP is definitely a viable alternative. And at just £69 for the pistol, two LiPos and a charger, this particular one is an absolute steal.

It might not replace GBB pistols in my regular loadout then, but like any RIF, this AEP should be seen as a tool to be utilised - and under the right circumstances and in the right conditions, the 132S definitely has its place in the armoury of anyone that plays year round. AA

“…LIKE ANY RIF, THIS AEP SHOULD BE SEEN AS A TOOL TO BE UTILISED - AND UNDER THE RIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES AND IN THE RIGHT CONDITIONS, THE 132S DEFINITELY HAS ITS PLACE IN THE ARMOURY OF ANYONE THAT PLAYS YEAR ROUND.”