The Mk.23 SOCOM pistol has been popularised by games such as Metal Gear Solid and movies such as Tears of the Sun.

It is a very large pistol, on a par with the Desert Eagle in terms of size. The real steel version fires the Colt .45 ACP round.

The airsoft replica seen here is a non-blowback replica manufactured by Tokyo Marui. It comes in a "full set" with a working silencer and a "Laser Aiming Module" (LAM). The LAM as standard is nothing more than eye candy, the taclight in it is woefully underpowered and the "laser" is actually just a red LED.

I had my LAM upgraded for me by a member of Arnie's Airsoft Forums, and it now has a Maglite bulb in it, an infra-red illuminator and a working laser.

The silencer is scarily effective, rendering the gun effectively silent if the target is more than a few feet away! If it was a bit smaller (and therefore easy to holster!) it would make an excellent sniper weapon in airsoft skirmishes.

In fact, many people use this gun as their primary weapon rather than a sidearm!

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