Learn more about WE EU17 & EU18 GBB Pistols
The best beginner sidearm series for those who love realism and recoil, the WE EU GBB Pistol is available in the EU17 model, ideal for police and military-style loadouts, and the EU18 with its super-fun full-auto fire mode and weight-reduced slide.
Join us as we take a look at the externals of these affordable GBB pistols and show you how everything works!
Starting at the front, we have a matt black alloy outer barrel with an 11mm CW female thread at the tip, allowing tracer units, suppressors and other muzzle devices to be added easily using an 11mm to 14mm CCW thread adapter (not included).
If you want to mount a suppressor or tracer, we recommend looking for as short and lightweight a suppressor as you can find to keep the cyclic rate high and gas efficiency optimal. We recommend the EShooter Flare-M (adapter included) for tracer users and the CYMA M099A Silencer for the sneaky skirmisher!
At the top of the slide, we can find our front and rear sights, which are standard EU-style white dot and white "U" sights. These sights are simple combat pistol sights, but their design is notable as the use of a dot and "U" configuration prevents the shooter from mixing up their sight dots under pressure, allowing an EU pistol with these sights to be used quickly and intuitively, straight from the draw.
The EU18C model also features a weight-reducing port on the top, through which the compensated outer barrel is visible. The compensated barrel was added to the real thing to help control its ferocious full-auto recoil, but in Airsoft terms, it exists simply to complete the realistic external build, meaning it's all on you to keep that muzzle down when pumping out full-auto bursts!
The rear of the slide features deep linear serrations on either side, providing plenty of purchase when racking the pistol, but remaining comfortable so you don't tear your hands up if you don't wear gloves. On the right side of the slide, we can see the mock ejection port, through which we get a glimpse of the outer barrel, offering some black-on-blue contrast and adding visual interest.
To the rear of the ejection port, we can find a mock extractor, which is a separate piece for added realism. This part does nothing in an Airsoft GBB pistol, as there are no spent shells to extract, but it is always nice to see it moulded as a separate piece to more faithfully replicate the real steel.
The EU18 model features a fire selector switch on the rear left side of the slide, allowing you to choose between semi-automatic or the frightfully fast fully automatic modes. While the full-auto mode is lots of fun and great for suppressive fire outdoors, we recommend sticking to semi-auto for engaging targets, as you'll find accuracy is far better, and your magazine will last much longer!
Moving to the frame, we can find a 20mm Picatinny pistol rail on the dust cover, allowing pistol lights, lasers and other 20mm Picatinny accessories to be mounted. On the rail itself, we can see the serial number plate, which is finished in silver, just like the real thing. This plate doubles as a trigger lock safety, intended primarily for transportation and storage. To lock the trigger, push the serial number plate backwards and to release it, push the plate forward.
To the rear of the frame rail, we find the trigger guard, which, in classic EU series style, is shaped to aid the use of a "European grip" shooting style, complete with checkering on the front for added grip. Within the trigger guard, we find the two-stage Glock-style safety trigger.
This trigger works similarly to the real pistol, and cannot be pressed if the separate centre section is not also pressed. This reduces the chances of an accidental discharge and means that unless your finger is on the trigger, the pistol will not fire.
Above the trigger, we can see a small catch, which is mirrored on either side of the pistol. This is the disassembly catch and can be used to field strip the pistol for maintenance. To remove the slide of the pistol, simply remove the magazine, cock the slide, pull down the disassembly catches on either side and push the slide forward to remove it from the frame.
With the slide removed, you can now access the adjustable HOP-up unit, which can be used to apply backspin to your BBs, extending their range. The internal HOP-up bucking and inner barrel are both TM GBB/VSR style examples, meaning aftermarket upgrades are plentiful for those who love to upgrade their builds.
The HOP-up dial on the bottom of the outer barrel can be turned to apply additional HOP-up effect, allowing you to tune for different ammo weights, seeking the flattest possible trajectory. We recommend using 0.25g BBs in WE EU-series pistols, the perfect weight for both indoor and outdoor skirmishing.
To the rear of the disassembly catch, we come to the slide lock/release catch, made from steel to ensure this high-wear component can go the distance. This locks the slide back when the magazine is empty, a helpful hint that it is reload time. Once you've swapped magazines, you can either push the slide lock down or rack the slide to release it, then get back to taking names in-game! The Gen.5 version features an ambidextrous slide lock/release, mirrored on either side to provide more intuitive operation for left-handed shooters.
WE EU Series pistols are available with either the "Gen.3", "Gen.4" or "Gen.5" frame style, each of which has its own advantages. The Gen.3 frame features finger ridges on the front to encourage a consistent grip, textured panels on all sides for traction and a low-profile magazine release to minimise accidental magazine drops. The Gen.3 frame is often used as the basis for aftermarket carbine kits and is the one to choose if you love the iconic look of the original pistol in its most common form.
The Gen.4 frame also features finger ridges on the front, but replaces the textured panels with open-plan dot texturing, which wraps around the entire grip, promoting positive gripping qualities in all weather, with or without gloves. The Gen.4 magazine release is a wide-profile example, easier to find under pressure, with the slight added risk of accidentally hitting it when you don't mean to. The biggest difference between the two is the Gen.4's inclusion of "interchangeable back straps", allowing you to alter the size and shape of the grip to suit your hands perfectly.
The Gen.5 frame omits the finger ridges on the front, providing a smooth frontal profile which some shooters prefer. The base of the grip also features a cutout at the front of the magazine well, designed to allow a stuck or fouled magazine to be easily removed and retained. The Gen.5 slide also differs from previous generations, designed for an ambidextrous slide lock/release catch and bevelled at the front to assist reholstering under pressure.
Both frame styles feature what is known as a "lanyard loop" on the rear, at the bottom. This is designed to allow you to tether your pistol to your belt so it never falls from your holster and gets lost, using a pistol retention lanyard. We recommend lanyard use for new skirmishers, particularly if you're using a "level 1 retention" or fabric holster, as nothing ruins a game day quite like losing your investment in the leaf litter!
Now you know more about WE's hard-recoiling EU series! A solid sidearm which has served Airsofters reliably for years, expect a good time on the field with a WE GBB pistol at your side. Click the button below to check out the full range!