Yep, airsoft enthusiasts/hobbyists typically pride themselves on realism.
Also, remember, we Americans see airsoft with a bit of "cultural displacement." For shooting enthusiasts where firearms are highly regulated or even unavailable to the everyday citizenry, airsoft is, in many cases, their sporting/hobby outlet. Look at much of the far-eastern countries: and Google-up who won the 2004 Steel Challenge while you're at it, too.
In terms of weight, Tokyo Marui lists their 4.5-inch sized XDm40 replica at 760 grams. WE lists theirs, with a "metal slide," at 836 grams. How much is that difference, to us Americans? Just over 2 and 1/2 ounces. :lol: But in all honesty, I believe that this is weight that most shooters will be able to feel, at full-extension, even with both hands supporting the gun.
Put in-perspective, Springfield Armory lists the 4.5-inch XDms coming in at 32 ounces, with an empty magazine. This means that it's about 907 grams. Again, that difference doesn't seem like much, but again, it's a difference that most shooters will notice. This is especially true as most aisoft replicas's weight bias will be heavily centered on the grip where the magazine - serving as the pressurized gas-propellent vessel - resides...versus the distinctly forward-biased weight that's found in most real firearms, with an unloaded magazine, where their barrel is typically the among the heavier of components.
Airsoft FOF Training - What Equipment? - Glock Talk
^ Beginning with my reply to
Gpruitt54's 8th post in the above GlockTalk thread, you can see what these implications will translate to, when the replicas are in your hands.
That said, I have not yet handled either the WE or the Tokyo Marui airsoft replicas of the XDm, so this is all very academic, and solely based on my airsoft experiences otherwise.
