KWA M9 PTP Tactical – A Data Driven Review at 4,000+ Rounds
Among airsoft M9’s on the market, the KWA M9 PTP is easily one of the best by a decent margin. Let us explain why.
The M9 is one of the most popular pistols in the airsoft world being featured in countless TV shows, movies, video games, and has seen service in the United States Armed Forces since the mid 1980’s.
One of our writers has played well over 500 airsoft games and has tried out many different types of M9’s, from the Tokyo Marui original plastic to the KJW and WE-Tech full metal line. It wasn’t until he got to try out the KWA M9 variant, however, that he was fully satisfied with the performance and quality of build.
In this review – we’ll use data driven evidence to show how effective the KWA M9 PTP (Professional Training Pistol) Tactical is. We’ll be doing this reviewing by inspecting the following qualities:
- General Accuracy
- FPS Consistency
- Gas Consumption Efficiency
The History of the KWA M9 Professional Training Pistol
Know that this particular line was designed to be as accurate as an airsoft pistol can be to allow for real firearms training.
To understand this particular airsoft pistol we should check out the history of KWA. Based in Tawain, this airsoft manufacturer is famous for their high quality gas blow back pistols and AEG’s. Featuring full metal bodies (typically) and re-engineered internals their products came with a price tag that reflected an increase in quality.
Their biggest mark on the airsoft world was the NS2 gas system, which allows their airsoft rifles and pistols to have an marked increase in gas efficiency. Following that, they pioneered the 2GX Gearbox, which had some substantial upgrades when compared to standard version 2 gearbox.
They aimed at marketing to the Law Enforcement demograph by marketing their airsoft products as “6mm professional training tools.”
Entering the marketing in the late 1980’s, they originally started off as a general OEM manufacturer for airsoft companies like KSC.
KSC was famous for being a research & development for Japan’s airsoft trade. Sometime in the 2010’s KWA took over the R&D duties of KSC.
For quite a bit of time, KWA was synonymous with quality products. This reputation has gone through some minor ups and downs (we recall a time where their gears were seeing a high-than-usual failure rate). However, they’re still overall as very solid airsoft manufacturer with a state-of-the-art facility and US based headquarters.
For their PTP line, they’ve made airsoft pistol designs that replicate 1911’s, USP’s, MK23’s, and the M9. Of their PTP line, we do think that the M9 is their magnum opus.
Features & Benefits
The KWA M9 PTP has loads of features that make it (arguable) the best M9 GBB pistol available. Together with a high quality of build and great out-of-the-box performance, there’s very few pistols that can match this.
Material & Construction
This airsoft pistol has a full metal frame & slide. One thing we’ve seen newer players say when they first pick up this particular airsoft pistol is just how SOLID it feels. It is a difficult feeling to describe other than that you can tell that KWA did not skim on the quality of material used to create this airsoft pistol.
Personally, the KWA M9 that we use has easily gone through 3,000+ rounds and has been to loads of casual and MILSIM operations. During that time there have been only a handful of stoppages, most of which were solved with a field cleaning and oiling.
External
One thing to know is that this pistol feature full functioning double action and single action. Additionally, the safety is completely ambidextrous and has a functioning decocker (for those that don’t know, keep continue pulling the safety “down” in order to activate the decocker).
Note: The standard M9 PTP airsoft pistol does not feature a 20mm front accessory rail. If you want that, you’ll need to look at the M9 PTP Tactical version instead.
The slide has almost no jiggle to it and sits very solidly on the frame. Additionally, the magazine release can be reversed so it can better accommodate left handed shooters.
Field stripping the KWA M9 PTP is exactly the same as the real Beretta 92FS, utilizing the disassembly button & lever that can be used when the slide has been pushed to the rear a small amount.
As expected, the 3-dot front and rear sight system works great.
The front accessory rail is compatible with any tactical components that use the standard picatinny rail system.
Internal
Know from the start that the KWA M9 PTP will not be compatible with any TM or WE-Tech style M9’s. The tolerance levels and the gas system, while looking quite similar at initial glance, aren’t designed to be compatible with each other.
This isn’t so bad, in our opinion. Of all the TM style pistols available, we honestly find that their M9 series leaves a lot to be desired.
Know that the hop up unit and the bucket are KWA proprietary, which means that there are no aftermarket parts. If you need to have these replaced you’ll have to get a genuine KWA part.
Adjusting the hop up on a KWA M9 means utilizing the included hop up tool to ratchet the hop up unit from the open slide. Clockwise will decrease the hop, and going counter-clockwise will increase the hop.
Don’t worry, if you’ve lost the tool like we have, a fingernail can do the job
We find this hop up system to be way more user friendly than the KJW or WE-Tech style, which requires you to take ff the slide and work with an allen underneath the hop up unit. (The original TM-style M9’s didn’t even HAVE and adjustable hop up!)
Magazine Construction
The KWA M9 magazine is… not cheap. However, once you’ve gotten a hold one and take care enough not to drop it constantly on the floor, it’ll last you for quite a long time.
We own six KWA M9 magazines and have only needed to truly service one of them in the 7 years we’ve been using it. We are quite confident that we’ve put at least 500+ rounds, at minimum, each.
The issue we had with the one that needed servicing was that we DID drop it onto concrete twice and the feed lip ended up damaged resulting in the airsoft pistol not being able to feed any BB’s.
With a max capacity of 25 rounds the M9 magazine also has a generous gas reservoir. The NS2 system starts with the rubber seals of the magazine, and as you can see from our test later in the review it works exactly as intended (which is to maximize the gas efficiency).
Technical Specs
Here’s a quick breakdown of the technical specs of this airsoft pistol:
| Specs | KWA M9 Professional Training Pistol |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | KWA |
| Magazine Capacity | 25 Rounds |
| Ammo Type | 6mm BBs |
| FPS | 330 – 350 |
| Gas System | Green Gas NS2 |
| Sight System | 3 Dot |
| Firing Modes | Semi Automatic |
| Hop Up | Fully Adjustable – KWA Proprietary System |
| Dimension | 8.5 inches long / 5.6 inches tall |
| Weight | 2.35 Lbs |
| Blowback | Fully Blowback |
| Barrel: | 107mm / Brass |
Features
In terms of features – these are the top standouts with the main benefits:
- NS2 Gas System – maximizes green gas efficiency
- 3 Dot Front & Rear Sights – quick acquisition of targets
- Functional M9 Safety – trigger pulls will not discharge the gun
- Front Tactical Rail – only for the Tactical variant.
- M9 Style Takedown – easy disassembly for maintenance
- Fits in M9 Holsters – compatible with your training tools
- Fully Functional Decocker – great for practicing Condition 3 or Condition 2 training
- Adjustable Magazine Release – can be reversed for left handed shooters
Performance Testing
How about we show some actual performance data for this pistol? Here’s the parameters of our test:
- Completely stock KWA M9 bought in 2014 with ~4,000+ rounds put through it.
- Maintenance performed included cleaning of the slide, frame, inner barrel and seals with silicone oil & grease where needed.
- We adjusted the hop up as close as we could to point of aim, point of impact at 30 feet.
- 89 degrees temperature
- Outside range with very little wind
- 0.25g BBs were used (Elite Force Brand)
- Brand new green gas can used (Elite Force Fuel)
- Bench Rest used for accuracy testing – and my own hands for live testing
- Each test we fired 10 rounds
- We fired one shot every 3-5 seconds
Accuracy at Combat Distances
For this test we wanted to see the overall accuracy of the KWA M9 PTP Tactical at various distances for combat shooting. We chose 15, 40, and 75 feet for our tests. To determine the grouping we measured the furthest distance between two shots as we could. See our results below.
Click to see the Chart & Results
15 Feet Test – grouping measured in inches
| Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Rest | 0.2” | 0.5” | 0.4” | 0.37” |
| Combat Shooting | 1.0” | 1.2” | 0.9” | 1.03” |
40 Feet Test – grouping measured in inches (slight wind)
| Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Rest | 1.5” | 1.2” | 2.2” | 1.63” |
| Combat Shooting | 2.8” | 3.2” | 4.0” | 3.33” |
70 Feet Test – grouping measured in inches (slight wind)
| Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Average | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bench Rest | 3.2” | 3.5” | 4.0” | 3.57” |
| Combat Shooting | 10.8” | 12.2” | 10.0” | 11” |
We’re quite impressed with the overall accuracy of the this KWA gas blow back pistol. Toward the end of the test we were having slight wind, but the 0.25g BB’s still were able to stay within an approximate 12 inch grouping the majority of the time – even at 70 feet.
If you’re looking beyond 70 feet at a target with this pistol, we’re still confident you’ll hit a man-sized target.
FPS Consistency
Next we’re testing the consistency of the FPS. Having variance in the FPS will affect the overall range & accuracy of your BB’s since it affects the speed of the backspin. Major variance at the source means big differences by the time you get out to 50 – 100 feet.
For this test we used the following parameters:
- Stock KWA M9 Tactical with the same setup as the accuracy test
- 0.20g BB’s were used (Elite Force Brand) <- Variance will show up better on lighter BBs
- Same Green Gas can used in the previous test (Elite Force Fuel)
- Matrix X3400 Chrono
- 90 degrees temperature
- 1 shot every 3-5 seconds in test 1
- 5 shot bursts with a 10 second pause in test 2
- 20 shots in total for each test
Click to see the Chart & Results
| Shot | FPS – Test 1 | FPS – Test 2 (5 shot bursts) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 341.8 | .40.6 |
| 2 | 341.4 | 338.2 |
| 3 | 346.2 | 334.6 |
| 4 | 337.4 | 334.0 |
| 5 | 333.4 | 328.8 |
| 6 | 345.4 | 339.6 |
| 7 | 346.0 | 338.4 |
| 8 | 348.6 | 328.4 |
| 9 | 340.2 | 327.0 |
| 10 | 338.0 | 325.8 |
| 11 | 332.6 | 344.0 |
| 12 | 340.4 | 341.2 |
| 13 | 337.8 | 340.8 |
| 14 | 331.0 | 334.8 |
| 15 | 334.6 | 330.0 |
| 16 | 333.2 | 331.0 |
| 17 | 340.2 | 324.2 |
| 18 | 330.4 | 322.6 |
| 19 | 339.2 | 320.8 |
| 20 | 340.0 | 316.4 |
| Highest FPS | 348.6 | 344 |
| Lowest FPS | 328.4 | 316.4 |
| Average FPS | 338.9 | 332.06 |
| Max Difference | 18.2 | 27.6 |
In general – we’d place the consistency of FPS a little bit behind another KWA pistol: the ATP. Despite performing a little below that particular airsoft gun, the KWA M9 PTP still clearly performs well with FPS variance not being too high.
Review the data it seems that there are a couple of outliers in the burst fire FPS test (this is most evident in the last burst). It is possible that we may have been running a bit out of gas, or our timing was a little off.
All in all – these are impressive numbers.
Gas Consumption & Efficiency
The final test we have here is the gas consumption rate. Utilizing the NS2 gas system, we do expect the KWA M9 to perform well here.
The parameters here are:
- Stock KWA M9 Tactical with the same setup as the accuracy test
- 0.20g BB’s were used (Elite Force Brand)
- Fresh Green Gas can used (Elite Force Fuel)
- We used a separate magazine for each test.
- 91 degrees temperature
- 1 shot every 3-5 seconds
The goal here is to drain the magazines of Green Gas. We had 5 different mags to work with so we rotated them evenly during the test. Once the magazines were empty of BB’s we refilled it and repeated until the magazine gas reservoir went empty.
Each time the magazine was drained of BB’s we also took note if the pistol’s slide locked back. This is an important function as it increases realism along with allowing the shooter to know that the magazine is empty of ammunition.
The last thing we wanted to review was the overall number of shots fired – this helps give us an idea of how long each fill might last.
Click to see the Chart & Results
| Magazine Fill | Total Number of Shots Fired | Did the slide lock back every time? |
| 1 | 83 | No |
| 2 | 89 | Yes |
| 3 | 92 | Yes |
| 4 | 87 | No |
| 5 | 85 | Yes |
| Average | 87 | Yes on Average |
We’re averaging around 87 BB’s per full magazine gas fill. That is approximately 3.5 magazines worth of BB’s (the magazine capacity is 25 rounds).
To give you a little perspective – we usually expect around 2 magazines worth of BB’s.
The NS2 gas system is VERY good at ensuring your green gas is going a long way.
By the numbers: Pros & Cons
Should you buy this pistol?
We’ve described this airsoft pistol as KWA’s magnum opus in the world of green gas pistols – and we stand by that. We’ve had a lot of fun firing their other gas blow back pistol lines, such as the USP, HK45, Mark 23, M1911 MKIV, and M226. However, their gas blow back M9 inches away at being better thanks to it’s solid construction and rugged reliability.
Coming in at around $150 (at the time of writing) for the non-railed version and $160 for the railed version, it certainly isn’t cheap.
However, in the world of airsoft, you often pay for what you get.
If you find that this price point is a bit too much, but you want to still have high performance, consider KWA’s Adaptive Training Pistol. See our comprehensive KWA ATP review here.
We hope that this review has been useful to you. If you want to pick up your own KWA M9 Professional Training Pistol, check out the links below.
If you’re interested in looking at best airsoft pistol currently on the market, check out list in the link provided.
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