7 minute read
ARMOURY: ICS CHALLENGER HI-CAPA
FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS JIMMY HAS BEEN LABOURING BEHIND THE SCENES TO BRING US THE LOWDOWN ON NUMEROUS INNOVATIONS AND AIRSOFT ADVANCES IN HIS REGULAR “TECH” COLUMN BUT NOW WE’RE LETTING HIM OUT OF HIS SPECIAL DARK ROOM AND INTO THE LIGHT OF DAY AS HE LANDS HIS FIRST EVER REVIEW IN AA AND TALKS ABOUT A NEW HANDGUN MODEL FROM ICS THAT TICKS ALL HIS BOXES!
Ithink it’s safe to say that the Hi-Capa pistol in airsoft is to date one of, if not the most popular handgun platform out there - and it’s most certainly the most upgradable pistol on the market. For me it has become a pistol I know I can rely on and therefore it is also the most used pistol in my collection. With so many manufacturers all producing their own “take” and all claiming them to be the best, I can imagine that to create something better and to have it stand out in the crowd would be quite a challenge, plus you would need to create something none other has. It is my personal opinion that the mighty TM are the producers of the finest Hi-Capa pistols and to compete with such a name would need something special indeed.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!
ICS have now brought something very new - and very special - to the table with their new “Challenger” and it has honestly got my juices flowing! It comes in my favourite colour (black) and although I feel it’s a bit too glossy (and would look amazing in a matte finish!), that doesn’t detract from what is inside, or its superb performance. It is the first of its kind to come out of the box with an R-hopped stainless-steel barrel, making it quite the beast. The ergonomics of the pistol feel “just right” and it sits nicely in my hand. It really is a nice design but then I’m not surprised, as this is ICS we are talking about. But it isn’t ICS alone, as internally Master Mods have had their chance to work in some rather lovely components. You may remember a few issues back I had the immense pleasure of reviewing some new Master Mods internal parts and I loved them. There is almost a heavy scent of Japanese cherry blossom about this pistol, as it has been designed with TM spec and compatibility in mind.
This new pistol, as the name says, is a “Challenger” and will indeed challenge other manufacturers to be this good and I do think it could easily follow the in the giant footsteps of TM. It is a first for me to see an out-of-the-box pistol adorned with so many great features, features no other manufacturer are fitting as standard!
BOX FRESH
The pistol is presented in a simple “picture” cardboard box, which I was a little unenthused about if I’m honest. It would have been nice for such a pistol making such a statement to come in a nice hardcase but that doesn’t reflect on the pistol itself and again, is just my personal opinion. I just feel the presentation deserves “more”. At first glance it looks like a competition pistol and you know what, it feels like a competition pistol! ICS have made it so you can either run open sights or easily attach a RMR of your choice on the pre-fitted RMR plate and even with a RMR fitted the slide had no trouble cycling.
The grip is a nice size, fitting neatly in my large hand, although, sadly, there is no stippling on the grip but it does work well with or without a gloved hand and it sits at a comfortable angle. The grip also sports a large flared magwell for swift, precision changes. The mag itself is a Hi-Capa style and I can confirm it does fit and operate in both TM 4.3 and 5.1 pistols and vice versa. The magazine capacity is 30BB which you’d expect from any Hi-Capa, and where some struggle to empty a full mag this beaut empties with ease and locks back on every last BB. Gas consumption would see one and a half mags emptied before it wouldn’t cycle enough to load the next BB; it’s full metal so this is to be expected, as it takes more gas to move a heavy slide.
The trigger pull is completely adjustable, thus allowing for fine tuning and for a personal feel and at its shortest its just over 1mm before it fires, which
makes for fast follow-up shots. Inside there are some superb features which I have never seen in an out-of- the-box pistol, such as the R-hop barrel, TDC hop unit, fixed hop, stainless tight bore barrel. These features combined make for a very accurate pistol which will also out-range most standard new AEGs …and that’s no exaggeration!
Due to the Master Mods R-hop and barrel it can lift a heavy weight BB with ease and there was a nice little note on the slide telling you to use 0.30g BB. I have never seen an unmodified pistol lift anything heavier than a 0.28g BB effectively, so I was amazed when the first few BBs span off into the distance to a point I lost sight of them! Don’t panic though, as you’re not forced to use 0.30g as there is a separate hop rubber included for a lighter-weight BB should you choose to run lighter.
The Master Mods TDC hop unit is very well made and can be adjusted using the allen key provided, which allows for very finite tuning. Because ICS have made certain parts TM compatible I just had to see it for myself and the hop unit does definitely fit in the competitor and works incredibly well. I did manage to fit the outer barrel in a TM slide but it was a tad to tight for it to cycle, so I gave up with that!
Also, as previously mentioned, the mags are TM compatible, so if you own a Japanese Hi-Capa you don’t really need to buy anymore magazines. Included in the box are a suppressor/tracer adaptor which allows the use of 14mm attachments; I tested with an Excoretech XT301 and it worked fine and cycled perfectly. Also included is a little spring guide locking tool which makes life very easy for you should wish to remove the spring and guide (which I really like and have never seen before).
Let’s now look at a few specs shall we? • Overall length of the pistol is 220mm • Barrel length is 113mm • Mean muzzle velocity is 0.95 Joule/320fps on 0.20g • Gross weight is 962g • Mag capacity is 30 BBs
ICS have built most of the body using high-grade aluminium, which keeps the weight below the 1kg mark but have opted for a more robust steel for the fire control system, making it incredibly tough and much more durable than others who use cast alloy. You can rest assured it’s going to last and SUS301 stainless steel springs have also been used to give superior spring power and longevity.
Here is a list of the awesome features for this fantastic new pistol: • TDC Hop-Up Chamber (Compatible with TM
spec) • MASTER MODS R-Hop System • REVO.II High Performance Valve System • Steel fire control system components (Compatible with TM spec) • SUS301 Stainless Steel Searing Spring (Compatible with TM spec) • Adjustable Trigger • RMR & DOC Mount • 3-dot Luminous Sights • Steel CCW 14mm Barrel Adapter, Sight Cover Plate, Reverse Plug Retention Clip
Before closing I will tell you that I tested all of my holsters with the Challenger and unfortunately it would not fit any of my hard case holsters. However, I can confirm it does fit in the Warrior Universal Holster and the Viper Universal Holster. No doubt once the Challenger hits the shop shelves there will be all manner of holsters cropping up but to be clear, it does not fit in CCCP, Nuprol, or Ammomax holsters.
I really do feel ICS have hit the proverbial nail right on the sweet spot with this pistol. The only thing I could be critical over was the glossy finish, so all in all they have produced something that I believe is going to bode well with many an airsofter and I predict they will sell out very fast, faster than hot cakes! If you are looking for a high-level contender which offers superb performance, I recommend you take a look at the new ICS Challenger pistol - if you buy one, you WILL be the envy of many!
Our sincere thanks go once again to our good friends at ICS Airsoft for sending over the sample of the new Challenger for test and evaluation and you can be sure that we’ll continue to test this new pistol and report back when we do. For regular news from ICS be sure to check out their busy social media channels or go direct to www.icsbb.com AA
