ARMOURY: RAVEN HI-CAPA 3.8 PRO

RAVEN HAVE REALLY MOTORED ALONG RECENTLY WITH NEW MODELS DROPPING INTO THEIR EVER-EXPANDING RANGE ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS, HOWEVER, BILL HAS BEEN EAGERLY ANTICIPATING THE VERY LATEST TO DROP …A VARIANT OF THEIR EXCELLENT HI CAPA THAT TICKS ALL HIS “COMPACT” NEEDS. “SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND, THE RAVEN HI-CAPA 3.8 PRO!”

RAVEN have impressed me with their no-frills Hi Capa range that really delivers performance in a seemingly simple and pared-back package that actually hides some exceptionally clever internal engineering! With their Hi Capas they’ve kept thing completely streamlined without any fuss or fusswork to any of the major parts or components. These are pistols fundamentally designed to be shot and skirmished with, to be used and not just gazed at fondly… although their uncluttered and brutally elegant lines sing to me of function over aesthetics!

They’ve beefed up areas that they felt needed it to give them longevity and durability, only adding features where necessary like the threaded outer barrels and the accessory rail on the frame; they have also upgraded the slide spring to cope both with the minimal increase in weight (the slides are chunky and solid right enough!), and to give them a really positive recoil impulse!

When the Hi Capas were launched, the guys told me that they wanted to really make a firm statement of intent when it came to what they were able to achieve, and the net result of that was the new iteration of RAVENs, the Hi Capas 4.3 and 5.1. Both these models moved on from the originals, with a modern, strong, almost “blocky” look that is right on the button for current combat pistol design.

I’ve been using both the existing models since they first hit the market (in fact slightly before they hit the market!) and they have proved to be solid, durable, and dependable pistols, which is exactly what you want from a “fighting secondary”. RAVEN has really come on as a brand since I first saw those initial models, and although, like any manufacturer they’ve had their “ups and downs” it’s been pretty much all “ups” as the range has matured and grown.

When it comes to regular carry for skirmishing I’ve found that the RAVEN Hi Capa 4.3 is my

preferred option, although for practical “ringing the steels” use the 5.1 is ideal. Even though the design is obviously at variance with the lines of a “classic 1911” in terms of both the frame, slide and magazine capacity, the grip angle and operation is both familiar and comfortable; it’s as if they’ve taken that classic “1911 rake” and feature set and incorporated it into a new, modern design that works well and looks great, but that keeps an overall simplicity that John Browning would have approved of without doubt!

And now comes the model that I knew would get into the lineup eventually, and one that I’ve badgered the guys at RAVEN about constantly… the 3.8 PRO! As much as I love the existing Hi Capas and truly believe that they are amongst the best “airsoft combat handguns” out there, I do have a very profound love for “compact” handguns and I felt strongly that this was missing from the RAVEN line. Thankfully the RAVEN design team obviously felt the same, and in December I finally got my hands on both the standard and RDS models of the new pistol!

But why do I get so excited about “compacts”? Well, this in itself is a question that I’ll try to answer now!

SIZE MATTERS!

Pistols are “handguns” so by their very nature that would seem to indicate that they are small, but we all know that this isn’t always the case when it comes to real firearms like the Desert Eagle, or even airsoft-specific models like RAVENs own Dragon 7! So what do I mean when I use the word “compact”? If you have a look at any decent firearms resource, or discuss handgun sizes with any decent trainer then they’ll all tell you that “compact” pistols will generally be physically smaller than their full-frame siblings, and will have a barrel length of 3.5-4.5 inches. Also the pistol grip on a “compact” will generally fit inside the hand, although it may protrude slightly when a magazine is loaded; essentially “compacts” are meant to be exactly that, small and more easily concealed. For ease of concealment, “compact” pistols usually have a smaller, shorter frame than their full size counterparts so that they can be carried covertly for concealed carry, or overtly when required.

Pistols of this size are, in the real world, great for EDC and concealed carry, so that makes the 6mm BB models great to own for scenario-driven airsoft games and MilSims. They’re also a great choice for people with smaller hands, as the lighter frame makes them easier to aim and makes them quicker to handle and manipulate. The downside in the real world of course is that most “compacts” have a smaller magazine capacity than their full-frame brothers and sisters (not really a problem with airsoft models!), and they usually have considerably more recoil than a full-sized version; when shooting overseas I usually use a 9x19mm G17 that I find easy to control, but the G26X is a different wee beast although it’s the same calibre… that however is still far easier to control than a Detonics Combat Master in .45ACP which remains to this day one of the most “exciting” handguns I’ve ever had the opportunity to shoot!

Another downside of the “compact” is that if you do have larger hands, they can be quite tough to manipulate comfortably, although magazine extensions can help with this. This isn’t really important when it comes to airsoft models, but can have a profound effect on aim and recoil management… that Detonics… “exciting”! The bottom line is that we are all physically different, and what works best for one person may not work for another. I LOVE compact handguns and they work for me, but as always I’d advise you to do your homework, decide what you need, head to your local site or range and try out some different pistols

and see which one works best for you. Don’t let price or “Gucci brand” be the deciding factor, and when you’ve bought your own pistol don’t just stick it in a holster on gamedays but shoot it regularly (I am for iro 1000 BBs a week through my pistols MINIMUM) and keep it well maintained!

PRO FOR THE WIN!

So, in those famous words from Joey, “that’s what I’m talkin’ about!” Compacts in airsoft though are great for not just a scenario-game, but because they hold a significant amount of BBs they can also be used as a regular secondary for game days, benefitting you thanks to their smaller size and lighter weight; as I’ve always said, why drag around more weight than necessary if what you are carrying is effective?

And the 3.8 PRO IS effective; it uses the same magazines as the larger models (brilliant!) and comes in two versions to marry up with the rest of the existing RAVEN Hi Capa range, standard and prefitted RDS. Although I love the standard version that comes with hi-vis fibre-optic fixed sights (this will be the pistol I skirmish with) the new RAVEN pistols with the RDS are great; the pistol slides have been designed specifically to accommodate the RDS. As well as the slide modification both front and rear “iron sights” have also been given a facelift, both to work efficiently with the RDS, and to again add fibre-optics to the mix. The RDS is easily controlled from two push buttons on either side of the frame, and comes with a handy tool to make adjustments to windage and elevation (Up/Down, Left/Right), so that you can have your pistol shooting exactly where you want it to.

All the RAVEN pistols are powered by Green Gas from the box and chrono iro 0.78 Joule/290FPS on a .20g RZR BB. Both models have a really punchy recoil impulse, even more so when you use the included CO2 conversion parts to run this pistol on a CO2 bulb, although you will need to buy the CO2 magazine separately as an accessory. In practical terms you will need to look at your holster for the new model with the RDS, but I found my usual Kydex Customs models work just fine with both variants.

On my daily sessions on the short range at home I’ve been using both 3.8 PROs a lot over the holidays, so I’ve now been able to get a great feel for both of them. They’ve been out with me in all weather conditions, in good weather and in bad, and now we’ve actually had some cold mornings (don’t you just love scraping frost!) I’ve been able to give them some proper abuse in adverse conditions! I already have magazines from my 4.3 and 5.1 RAVEN Hi Capas so I have mags aplenty which is great for running drills, and the redesign on the lower-frame rail works perfectly with my pistol taclites! Accuracy is very good given the inner barrel length of just 96mm, but it is a 6.03 as standard. At my regular pistol-testing range of 10m I’m now down to some pretty tight groupings as things have bedded in, and at 5-10m it’s a breeze hitting targets on the move!

So, bottom line from me is this; with the new RAVEN Hi Capa 3.8 PRO models the guys have taken some already thoroughly tried and tested designs which sell at a really sensible price, and added even more choice to our pick of individualistic pistol platforms. They’ve also given us more to choose from in how we want our personal pistol to look, feel, and perform and that to me is a yet another massively positive step forward when it comes to owning, and loving, a pistol that will last with us through our airsoft life if we maintain it and look after it.

I know that there are further plans for even more to happen with all the pistol ranges offered by RAVEN, and as always I’ll say “watch this space” as I’ll be covering them off as soon as I know about them!

For more information and to keep fully up to date with new releases please do check out www. rvnairsoft.com and keep a close eye on www. facebook.com/ravengbb. AA