KSC system 7

 

Manufacturer	KSC
Model	System 7
Capacity	22 (S7) vs 26 (old version)
Weight	-
Power	290 (S7) vs 255 (old version)
Power Source	Top Gas
Blowback	Yes
Hop-up	Yes
Shooting Mode	Semi
Construction	ABS

The new System 7 is more up to date in materials and mechanics but both perform well out of the box. The SigPro is a look that many people will like and is a very ergonomic and well designed pistol that both guns faithfully recreate.

KSC has been producing guns with the new 'System 7' label on them for a while now and have re-released quite a few of their models under this system. In this article we will compare two, externally very similar guns, KSC's Sig Pro SP2009, and KSC's Sig Pro SP2022.

The Sig Pro Was a gun designed by both Sig Arms and Sauer & Sohn (Commonly known as Sig Sauer, representing both companies). It was an advancement over the previous P220 and P226 in that it had a polymer frame and detachable grip segments to allow the user to customize the grip shape and profile. The Real Steel has no safety but instead has a hammer de-cocking mechanism that makes the trigger pull longer and slightly harder for the next shot due to the double action trigger.

At a glance, both guns look the same

Beautiful lines and ergonomic design

The frame and slide are made from high quality polymers.

Externally both guns are beauties to behold, with sharp crisp lines that draw your eyes to the front of the slide and carry the look to a stylish, modern grip. The guns' grips conform to the hand exceptionally to both the traditional right handed and the southpaw user. Although the slide release and de-cocking lever are located on the left side of the frame it can still be operated with the left index finger with relative ease.

The SP2022 has the more widely used weaver 

rail while the SP2009 can only take specific accessories.

The older SP2009's trigger guard is rounded.

The SP2022's trigger guard is squared and slightly larger.

 The major external difference between the two guns is the rail on the SP2022 which is flat and has grooves compared to the tapered slotted rail on the SP2009. Other differences include the trigger guard which is more rounded on the SP2009, and the rear sights which has two white dots on the SP2022, compared to a single, centered white stripe on the SP2009. The markings on both models are quite accurate to the real steel with the exception of 'made in germany' which has been replaced to avoid legalities. Externally there is no way to tell which is the system 7.

I found the SP2022's sights easier to use but the SP2009's sights also make a good sight picture.

On the SP2009 you need a thin screwdriver or pointy tool to remove the slide catch.

There is a recession on the frame around the SP2022's slide catch to make disassembly easier.

 Disassembly on the SP2022 is slightly easier than on the SP2009 since there is a recession in the frame around the disassembly pin making it easier to remove, while on the SP2009 a small pointy object can help to push out the slide stop/disassembley lever.

Differences become immediately apparent after disassembly.

Although the SP2009's spring is longer, it feels the same strength

The hop adjustment dial has a section removed in the newer SP2022.

Immediately after removing the slide, differences begin to become apparent. The outer barrel chamber housing on the older system is once piece while the new system is a more complex two piece system where the outer barrel and chamber move along a slot. Moving on to remove the recoil springs and spring guides the System 7 spring guide has a flat end and a slightly shorter spring compared to the older system which has a retractable spike protruding from the end to keep it in position.

Once the spring guides are out we can examine the outer barrels and hop-up units. As can be seen from the picture the hop up adjustment dial on the newer System 7 is not a full circle, leaving a gap at the bottom. This is to remove any obstacle presented by it when a bb is being pushed up the ramp into the chamber and make jamming less likely to occur. Also when in battery, (slide forward, barrel locked, ready to fire) the spring guide pushes the chamber back along the slot, out and down to make a better, tighter fit against the nozzle, providing a better seal.

When in battery, the System 7 chamber protrudes to provide a better seal.

There is a clear difference in the design on the blowback chambers

Many parts in the SP2022 are cast or machined instead of stamped.

In the back of the slides themselves is the loading nozzles and blowback chambers. In the System 7 the Loading nozzle and the blowback chamber are one piece, made of plastic and has a flat gas receptacle.The older system the loading nozzle and blowback chamber are separate with a metal nozzle and plastic chamber that wraps around it, and a curved gas receptacle. The one piece system is what's found in almost all newer blowback pistols and instigates the blowback by pushing against the chamber when firing, the older blowback chamber uses it's curved receptacle shape to push against the magazine in order to cycle the slide.

In the hammer mechanism the older one has many more stamped pieces compared to the System 7 where many of the stamped parts have been replaced with machined or cast parts. This change in manufacturing techniques improves consistency of quality in the mechanism.

So what does all these changes lead to? There are claims that the newer system is more powerful, kicks harder, is more efficient with gas and has less of a cool-down factor. In order to verify/disprove these claims i have set up a short test to compare power, firing capacity, cool-down factor after 5 quick shots, and after 20 shots in rapid succession

First Each magazine was filled to full on both guns, holding the gas can for 3 seconds after gas was spilling out of the refill valve. then the magazines were loaded with 20 rounds each and fired in 5 second intervals between shots before reloading BBs but not gas.






Here are the results:

Rounds fired from 1 fill avg
System 7	51	61	56
Old System	72	63	67.5

The older system managed to squeeze off about ten more BBs from one fill of gas than the System 7. However firing the system 7 had a very pronounced kick to it, a nice, crisp 'kraak' that was pleasant to hear and feel.

Next, both guns were chronoed five times with 0.20s and a good long 30 seconds in between to make up for any cool-down. The results are as follows:

SP2022 (S7)	SP2009(older)
291fps	262fps
294fps	260fps
294fps	259fps
291fps	255fps
284fps	255fps
avg. 290.8fps	avg. 258.2fps

As you can see from the results, the System7 SP2022 scores higher with about 30 more FPS than the older SP2009.

The next test evaluates the cool-down factor after five quick shots. The initial chrono is taken, five seconds given for the first shot's cool-down to recover, the fivequick shots followed by an immediate chrono. The results are as follows:

SP2022(S7)	SP2009(older)
284fps >>> 282fps (-2) (-0.7%)	261fps >>> 249fps (-12) (-4.6%)
294fps >>> 283fps (-11) (-3.7%)	255fps >>> 249fps (-6) (-2.4%)
292fps >>> 282fps (-10) (-3.4%)	261fps >>> 249fps (-12) (-4.6%)
avg % decrease -2.6%	avg % decrease -3.7%

While the statistics gathered from this test show that the cool-down factor on the System 7 is less than on the older system, the actual percentages are small and may be skewed due to individual gun quality. It is hard to draw a conclusion from these numbers alone as the difference is small to say the least.

Finally, We look at the effect of a 20 round burst of shooting on the muzzle velocity of the BB:

SP2022(S7)	SP2009(older)
288fps >>> 271fps (-17) (-5.9%)	256fps >>> 231fps (-25) (-9.8%)

Looking at the results from the final test it is easier to conclude that the System 7 really does improve the gas efficiency of the blowback pistol, making the system 7 series of pistols a must have for frequent and competitive pistol users.