Airsoft Basics: What is a Hi-capa?
What is a Hi-capa?
The real world Hi-capa pistol descends from the venerable 1911 pistol which saw the US Military through two world wars and the Vietnam conflict. Being a bit of a boomer pistol, the 1911 needed an update for the 21st century to cut it amongst the Glocks and Sigs, and that update came in the form of the STI 2011 pistol, a 1911 platform with a modular grip assembly which accepts double stacked magazines, increasing the capacity of the 1911 platform considerably.
The first Airsoft Hi-capa was made by Airsoft legends, Tokyo Marui, who introduced their Hi-capa 5.1 GBB pistol in response to the increasing popularity of AIPSC in Japan, which is essentially competitive shooting with Airsoft pistols against the clock. Skirmishers rapidly got on board the Hi-capa train when it became evident the large gas reservoir of the Hi-capa gave it a true edge when it comes to rapid firing, and now the Hi-capa is a skirmish staple!
Fast forwards a couple of decades and Airsofters now have a multitude of Hi-capa pistols at their disposal, ranging from full metal Hi-capas from WE and Army Armament to Tokyo Marui's more recent Hi-capa revamp, the Hi-capa 5.1 Gold Match GBB pistol. If you want to see some cool Hi-capas available right now in a ton of unique flavours, check out our Hi-capa Catagories video below!
Hi-capa Types
Hi-capas come in a plethora of different shapes and sizes, with split slides or full slides, and to decide which Hi-capa suits you most you may want some intel on each type and what they do best. Hi-capas are usually named for the barrel length, with the numerical part of the name denoting the length in inches. Click each header below for more info on each Hi-capa type!
Hi-capa 5.1
The Hi-capa 5.1 was the original Hi-capa pistol, and is a full size pistol, matching the frame, slide and barrel length of the original 1911 pistol on which the design was based. The Hi-capa 5.1 is by far the most popular Hi-capa and forms the basis for many custom built Hi-capas, including our own Bolster Armouries QUARTZ 2.0 Precision GBB Pistol.
Hi-capa 5.1 pistols generally have more access to aftermarket parts than the shorter versions, with a extremely wide range of frames, slides, grips and other bits and bobs offering the opportunity to make your Hi-capa truly one of a kind. The Hi-capa 5.1 is also the chosen pistol of most competitive shooters thanks to its great ergonomics, superb accuracy and the various speedy upgrades available for the 5.1.
Hi-capa 4.3
The Hi-capa 4.3 is slightly shorter in overall length than the original Hi-capa 5.1, being close in size to the 1911 Commander models. This makes the 4.3 slightly quicker to draw and slightly more efficient with gas use than its bigger brother, with the balancing factor that the accuracy potential will be lower due to the shorter barrel and less access to parts on the aftermarket.
With the advent of more recent releases, the Hi-capa 4.3 is now available in many new styles, with the most notable examples being VORSKs ultra-modern angular styled 4.3s with a built in red dot sight, and the WE Europe WET Force Allosaurus. The 4.3 is also offered by our very own Bolster Armouries in the form of the MOONSTONE [Special Edition] made from the best upgrade parts money can buy by our highly experienced in house techs. Upgrades for the 4.3 are becoming more and more common, and this more compact Hi-capa is hot on the heels of the 5.1 variant!
Hi-capa 3.8
The Hi-capa 3.8 is affectionately known as the "baby Hi-capa" and it really is! This Hi-capa is equivalent to the 1911 Detonics, the pocket-sized 1911 designed for concealed carry. For obvious reasons, concealed carry is not a thing in Airsoft, but as a last ditch backup, you couldn't ask for more firepower in such a compact package.
The 3.8 variant is a fine choice for those who already carry a primary and a sidearm, and want something extra for frantic situations where both weapons have run dry and the enemy keeps on coming! Equally, a Hi-capa 3.8 would be a good choice for those with smaller hands and less space for their sidearm within their loadout, such as Support Gunners. While the Hi-capa 3.8 does not have as much access to upgrade parts as the bigger variants, the 3.8 still has the same frightening Hi-capa performance as the big boys and is compatible with the same magazines.
Full Slide Hi-capas
Full slide Hi-capas are the standard Hi-capa configuration with a single-piece slide which cycles with each shot, providing jarring recoil and an immersive and realistic firing experience for the shooter. Full slide Hi-capas are a fine choice for those who require a realistic looking pistol with solid performance, and those who like the conventional looks of the 1911 but require a bigger gas reservoir for better rapid fire and cold weather performance.
The advantage of a full slide Hi-capa is that it is more realistic and has a better chance of resisting dirt and debris ingress, meaning less frequent maintenance and less chance of an accidental mud bath rendering the pistol useless. Full slides can often also have ports in the design which serve to reduce weight so if you want something realistic but speed is also a priority there are options in between a split slide and a full slide out there.
Full Slide Hi-capas
Split slide Hi-capas are designed to go fast, and they do. With the split slide configuration, only the rear of the slide moves back and forth with each shot which improves gas efficiency and increases the pistol’s cyclic rate thanks to the reduced weight of the slide. This has the balancing factor that the pistol is more vulnerable to dirt and debris making its way into the action during a skirmish, so you have to be on top of your maintenance to keep a split slide Hi-capa running at its best.
Split slide Hi-capas are obviously less realistic than the full slide options as the real 2011 pistol requires that the slide be a certain weight to allow the pressure in the system to drop to a safe level before the slide moves back and extracts and ejects the spent shell, but is great for Airsoft performance, especially when it comes to rapid fire, making the split slide configuration perfect for speed soft playstyles where the realism comes second to performance.
Hi-capa Automatic Electric Pistols (AEP)
Hi-capa AEPs are a recent innovation by CYMA in the form of the CM.128 and CM.128S and are based on the Tokyo Marui Automatic Electric Pistol system, with a tiny metal gearbox inside just like the bigger AEG platforms on the market. AEPs are generally more affordable than their GBB counterparts to run, needing no gas and comparatively little maintenance, though they are a bit boring to shoot if you are used to GBBs as the slide stays fixed in place.
It's not all yawns though, Hi-capa AEPs have a hidden full auto fire mode so you can hose the enemy down with a torrent of BBs when needed and are well known to perform far better than GBB pistols in cold weather. At temperatures approaching freezing, GBBs are very inefficient due to reduced gas pressure, but AEPs continue doing their job as they always have done. Many snipers choose AEPs as a sidearm due to the combination of having full auto, ultra-compact magazines and a far less dramatic and noisy muzzle report than a GBB, but you won't find an AEP in the hands of a Speedsofter as they simply aren't fast enough!
Whilst the surface of the Airsoft Hi-capa world has barely been scratched here, the sheer number of options available to the Hi-capa user means if I detailed every single one in this article it would be dictionary length! Speed-soft obsessed? There's a racy bright coloured swiss-cheesed Hi-capa for you.
Milsim player who detests garish guns? We have gentlemanly Hi-capas available also, with no-frills functionality and classic aesthetics. The vast range of Hi-capa pistols provides for both ends of the Airsoft spectrum and everyone in between. If you have decided the Hi-capa platform is the one for you, take a look at our Hi-capa selection by clicking the button below, or check out our Top 5 Full Metal Hi-capa GBBs here!
Airsoft Hi-Capa Pistols
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