ICS BLE XAE Pistol review!

Today we are going to be taking an in depth look at the BLE XAE, a single action, striker fired,

gas blow back pistol inspired heavily by the FNS-9 made by ICS and distributed exclusively

throughout Europe by Action Sport Games.

BLE XAE

The XAE is the second generation of the BLE series, following on the tails of the BLE Alpha which

was the first foray into the world of the gas blow back pistol for ICS.

BLE Alpha

FN FNS 9 - the inspiration for the Alpha and XAE

Given that ICS have no previous track record with gas blow back guns you would be forgiven for

having apprehensions about the BLE line. Hopefully, by the time you have reached the end of this

article, those apprehensions will have faded away. To not bury the lead, in my opinion the XAE is

one of the best gas blow back hand guns I have used.

The BLE or “Black Leopard Eye” XAE, which from what I have been told takes it’s name from the

similarity of the trigger and trigger guard to the eye of a black leopard, is a recently new addition to

the vast lineup of guns offered by ICS, and Is an improved version of the original BLE Alpha pistol.

Shooting my overview video of the XAE at IWA

I originally had the opportunity to handle and demonstrate the XAE or, “eXtreme Ambidextrous

Enhanced” pistol at IWA 2017 and recently picked one up from Paul at ASG at one of the joint ASG

and ICS open days promoting the release of the XAE and MARS rifles in the UK market.

I will be doing a full review on the previous Alpha pistol in the near future. So keep your eyes on the

blog for when that post goes live.

The BLE XAE is available in the UK from any official ICS retailer including JD airsoft and Urban

Airsoft Megastore, which is where I picked this one up from. As is tradition with ICS, It is available in

four different colourways. These are FDE, Black, or a black slide and FDE frame and vice versa

The XAE retails for around £99 with the spare magazines priced around the £25 mark this puts it

well within the “budget pistol” area and see’s it facing most competition from the likes of WE.

As you would expect from ICS the construction of this pistol is very solid. The frame, just like a lot of

modern pistols is fiber reinforced nylon and the slide, CNC machined Aluminium with an electro

deposited coating.

Other metal parts include the Outer barrel, spring guide, takedown lever, iron

sights and slide release. The trigger is plastic as is the magazine release.

The frame has a rough texture to the plastic which aids with grip, as does the stippling along the

sides of the grip, which feature an inset BLE logo. If you look closely enough you can see tiny little

ICS logo’s amongst the stippling.

The front and backstrap have raised lines to also aid with a good solid grip on the pistol. The back

strap is removable. As standard the XAE comes with a slim backstrap installed, but a much more

aesthetically pleasing larger backstrap comes in the box and can be installed very simply.

The ancillary controls on this pistol are all ambidextrous, meaning both the slide and magazine

releases can be actuated from either side of the frame.

While, as standard the real world pistol the BLE draws inspiration from does not have a manual

safety, the XAE, in a sense does. On the left hand side of the trigger is a push through safety catch

that effectively bars the trigger from being pulled when pushed through to the right side.

While I can appreciate the addition of a safety device, I don’t think this is the best way to go about it.

Having to manipulate an extra switch on the trigger is a good way to lead to Negligent Discharges in

a heated moment.

The trigger is two stage and aesthetically very similar to an M&P or FNS-9. If the trigger is not

squeezed correctly the two stage safety device will not allow the trigger to be pulled to the rear.

The break on the trigger again is very similar to the M&P with a smooth, long pull and a clean break.

The trigger resets as it is about half way returned.

The front end of the frame features a very standard looking accessory rail for the installation of flash

lights, lasers or other peripheral devices. From my experience however it does seem to be a little

thinner to that of a Glock or M&P. Which meant to install my Nextorch WL10 I had to pad the rail with

gaffer tape. While not a severe issue, it should be noted.

The slide has two cutouts on either side at the muzzle end to aid with reducing the weight and as a

result increasing the performance of the pistol. It also has rear serrations to aid with grip retention

whilst chambering a round. It should be pointed out that you can powerstroke this pistol if you so

wish.

The outer barrel unlike the Alpha version of the BLE does feature internal threads for an adapter.The

adapter required to mount muzzle devices onto the pistol is included in the box.

To access the hop up and the working parts the procedure is very similar to that of an M&P. With the

slide to the rear, rotate the locking lever on the left hand, front end of the frame 90 degrees

clockwise.

The slide can then be removed from the front end of the frame. Inside you will find the

hop up dial which you rotate rearwards for less hop and forwards for more. You will also see the XAE

comes very well lubricated from the factory.

To refit the slide, ensure the take down lever is still in the 90 degree position and carefully run the

slide along the rails on the frame all the way to the rear. Rotate the take down lever back into the

locked position and release the slide. If the chamber is clear you can then “drop the hammer”

Definitely make sure you lock that take down lever back in place before releasing the slide, I failed to

do this whilst making an initial impressions video on the XAE at IWA and ended up sending the slide

and working parts flying across the ICS booth.

The sights on the BLE are very simple and feature white highlighted dots.

As the BLE is only inspired by a real world handgun and not technically a replica of a real firearm

there are no official or replica trademarks. You will find “BLE” and a Leopards head above the words

“Black Leopard Eye” to the rear of the left hand side of the slide and 6mm calibre markings on the

front left.

On the right hand side rear of the slide it says “MADE IN TAIWAN” beneath the ASG logo and

“BLACK LEOPARD EYE” at the front above a unique serial number.

On top of the chamber are calibre markings in “9MM”

The 25 round magazine is almost entirely constructed of metal,

the plastic parts are the feed lips, follower and base plate.

The gas inlet valve is located in the base of the magazine and is accessible

through the base plate. These magazines are available as spares and will cost you as previously

mentioned around £25

I tested the XAE over a Fidragron Chronograph using 0.20g bb’s and green gas. It should be noted

that the chrono readings were taken in the studio during the British winter. It was reasonably cold.

The average result was around 238 fps This puts it well below the legal limit for a semi automatic

airsoft gun in the UK and safe for close quarters use.

Given the temperature at the time of the readings I would estimate the FPS would be marginally

higher during the summer months.

At this point I tested the accuracy of the XAE by firing at an a4 target positioned around 20 meters

away. The pistol was secured into a work bench in an attempt to keep the BLE stable and remove as

much human error in the test as possible. As with the chrono test we will be running green gas, but

switching the bb’s to .25g

Right here you would expect to see the photographs from the range test. But the footage from the
target end was lost.

I will update the review after I have reshot the accuracy tests and add the images here.

The results where as you would have expected a pistol to perform. Again, the temperature was very

cold. Despite this, I fired 4 groups of 5 rounds. All 20 rounds were fired on one fill of gas, with plenty

to spare afterwards. Almost all of the rounds landed within the target area, aside from a couple of

fliers which hit the paper, but outside of the target. The groupings where reasonable, basically if you

are firing at a player within 20 meters and center mass is presented, the rounds are going to be

effective on target.

As an extra test I fired the XAE unsupported off hand at the same target, at the same distance.

I fired an entire magazine at a sensible pace into the target. Again, all rounds hit the paper and

proved that it would be an effective tool in game.

As always with my reviews I like to experience the gun out in the field before I sit down and write it

up.That way I have a better understanding of the pro’s, con’s and performance of the gun in a “real

world environment”. I took the XAE out to several games, three at reasonably close quarters and

one FIBUA. I ran it with a tracer installed as a primary at Labyrinth in Bury and as a sidearm at

SWAT KYLN in Liverpool and Foundry CQB in Leeds. All three sites are very close quarters and

ideal for pistol games. This past Sunday I ran it alongside my CXP MARS as a side arm and had to

draw it a number of times when I was experiencing feeding issues with my main rifle due to a new

brand of bb’s being used. Even against aeg’s and shotguns the XAE held it’s own. You can take a

look at some of the gameplay footage with the XAE over on the youtube channel at

www.youtube.com/magaz

XAE in action at Labyrinth, Bury

SWAT KYLN, Liverpool

Transitioning to the sidearm at Camp Sparta, Kirton in Lindsey

Defending the Embassy, Camp Sparta, Kirton in Lindsey

Fellow Captain Foster with his XAE attacking the Embassy at Camp Sparta, Kirton in Lindsey

You can see from the footage the the gun performs very well, especially in a close quarters

environment where quick trigger response and reliability are paramount to keeping ahead of the

opposition.

My final views on the BLE XAE.

A scene from my "player profile" video running the XAE

Power stroking the XAE

ICS have again done a fantastic job in creating a new and unique weapon system. The BLE XAE,

despite being one of their first attempts at a Gas Blow Back pistol hits the nail right on the head. It is

ergonomically and aesthetically a 10/10 Especially with the larger Back Strap installed. The gun

functions remarkably, even considering that all of the tests were carried out in cold weather. The

slide is very snappy and the muzzle report is crisp and quite loud. Range and accuracy as you saw

in the tests are what you would expect from such a short barrel and would definitely see you hitting

a man sized target out to 30 meters without any issues. Performance wise, it has not let me down or

skipped a beat over the several games I fielded this gun for the review. My only gripes are the rail

up front being probably only millimetres smaller than other rails and the strange choice of a safety

catch. Which, as I said when I first handled the XAE at IWA, I would recommend people avoid using.

The two stage trigger does a fine job at keeping those ND’s at bay so why complicate that with

another safety device.

So now the big question… Would I recommend this gun? Without a doubt. It’s performance is on par

to the Marui and WE pistols I have tested and reviewed in the past, and if this is the baseline of

what we can expect in the future from ICS pistols, the only way is up!

If you have any questions or thoughts about the BLE pistol leave me a comment down below. Don’t

forget to check out the ASG and ICS facebook pages aswel as my own UK ICS Captain page if you

want to be kept up to date about events, releases and where you can get your hands on the XAE

and other ICS products to try for yourself.

If you haven’t already seen the CXP MARS review it’s definitely worth a read if you are in the market

for a new rifle! As with that review, i’d like to give a big thanks to Paul at ASG for helping me get hold

of this pistol to review.

Stay tuned for more reviews, blogs and other airsoft misadventures.

Thanks for reading, I’m Magaz and remember kids… TAMBS BOBAH!