Issue 57 - January 2016

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HUGE 108pg EDI

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G&G 2015 CQB IONSHIP! WORLD CHAMP

ARMOURRG Y PTS FORTIS E PNO SR3M 7 UMAREX H&K M2 WE SCAR H GBB

EVENTSLEDGEHAMMER OPERATION S 3-GUN NATION LEASE DAY KRYTAC LMG RE FT FAIR MIDLANDS AIRSO

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HUGE 108pg EDITIO

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ARMOURY PTS FORTIS ERG PNO SR3M UMAREX H&K M27 WE SCAR H GBB

EVENTS GEHAMMER OPERATION SLED 3-GUN NATION ASE DAY KRYTAC LMG RELE FAIR MIDLANDS AIRSOFT

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Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the editor (nige@ airsoft-action.co.uk), write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

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december 2014

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SITE: BATTLE LAKES

EVENT: OPERATION SLEDGEHAMMER

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INTERNATIONAL: SPANISH ZOMBIES

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BOOBY TRAP AWARENESS

CONTENTS JANUARY MARCH 2016 2014

CONTENTS

JANUARY 2016 6 NEWS What’s happening in the World of Airsoft

8 ROGUE’S GALLERY Cool photos taken by Airsoft Action readers.

11 THE ADVENTURES OF MAG Mag continues his adventures in Airsoft Action’s exclusive cartoon.

12 ARMOURY: PTS FORTIS ERG The PTS Syndicate ERG system is now tried and tested, so what better a way to improve it than with a stunning Fortis rail package, as Scott Allan explains.

16 ARMOURY: PNO SR3M If you are looking for an AEG that is different from the crowd, then maybe Frenchie has just the thing – and what a “Thing” it is!

20 AIRSOFT ACTION EXCLUSIVE: G&G 2015 CQB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP In this Airsoft Action Exclusive, Les Lee travels thousands of miles to report from one of the most prestigious events on the Airsoft Calendar.

26 KIT: NUPROL PMC GEAR PACKS Last month Jerry Noone provided an overview of the new NUPROL PMC line of tactical gear and now he gives us his insights into two new pack models from the same range.

30 EVENT: OPERATION SLEDGEHAMMER Kelly “Femme Fatale” Hardwick joins the Serbian Armed Forces as they battle for a foothold in Kosovo.

34 ARMOURY: UMAREX H&K M27 IAR Jerry Noone takes a look at the “big brother” of the HK416 family and finds the new M27 GBBR IAR from Umarex a great tool for several jobs!

38 FEATURE: COMMS – PART TWO: ACCESSORIES In the second of his series about communications, Frenchie gives us some tips on what to look for when buying comms.

42 PRACTICAL SHOOTING: 3-GUN NATION As the growth of Airsoft Practical Shooting continues, Nige reports from the UK’s first “official” 3-gun event.

46 EVENT: SHIELD OPEN RANGE DAY “Femme Fatale”, Kelly Hardwick, headed “down south” to attend Shield Airsoft’s launch of the much-anticipated new Krytac LMG. 49 EVENT: MIDLANDS AIRSOFT FAIR On Saturday the 10th October 2015 the Midlands Airsoft Fair returned to the The Gaol in Rutland to offer Airsofters an event like no other on the calendar.

50 SITE: BATTLE LAKES Airsoft Action’s globe-trotting reporter, Les Lee, is a little closer to home as he takes part in a Halloween Special somewhere in deepest, darkest Kent…

54 COLD WAR WARRIORS THE SOVIET UNION In the last issue, Gareth “Gadge” Harvey wrote about Great Britain. This time he turns his attention eastwards and heads behind the Iron Curtain.

58 LOADED OR UNLOADED: METRO 2033 – FACTION FURY Returning to his post-apocalyptic theme inspired by the novel “Metro 2033”, Jerry Noone looks at the importance of “factions” within this game world and how they can transform a good scenario into a great one!

62 ARMOURY: WE SCAR H GBB The WE SCAR H Gas Blow Back promises 7.62 recoil but is it the experience we’ve all been waiting for or are their claims a bag of hot air? Scott Allan investigates…

66 INTERNATIONAL AIRSOFT: SPANISH ZOMBIES Roberto “Tenchu” Lopez joins the Sick Monkey Assault Squad, fighting to rescue survivors as they battle hordes of marauding zombies.

68 SITE: AMBUSH ADVENTURES – THE BILLET Our very own “Femme Fatale”, Kelly Hardwick, travelled to the South of England to meet up with some friends and play at The Billet, a CQB site in Aldershot run by Ambush Adventures.

72 TEAM FORMATION: SNIPER SCOUT As Gadge continues his look at Team formation, he focusses on one of the most alluring roles in any team, the Sniper.

76 GITAG: CUSTOM L119A1 CQB If you’re planning on creating a “UKSF” style loadout then there really is only one logical choice of carbine and that’s the L119A1. This month in Part 1 Jerry Noone “geeks up” and looks at gathering the correct parts and the work necessary to create a gas blowback version.

80 AIRSOFT ACTION DEBATE: GOOD TASTE Never one to shy away from a seemingly controversial subject, in this issue Gadge tackles the sensitive subject of “taste” and asks is everything “fair game” or are somethings just “bad taste”?

84 TRAINING: METHOD OF ENTRY In this first part of a new series, Andy Nightingale offers some practical advice on how to get into a building or room – without getting shot.

88 A SQUADRON: BOOBY TRAP AWARENESS Paul Yelland reports from an A Squadron course that many airsofters might take great benefit from attending – how to deal with booby traps.

90 BILLY BASICS: FAMOUS RAIDS – OPERATION CARAVAN As Billy continues his look at famous raids that could make a good airsoft scenario, he turns his attention to one of the most famous groups of British desert fighters, the LRDG. 94 FEATURE: COMBAT AIRSOFT GROUP Jerry Noone spoke to “Smudge”, one of the guys behind the Combat Airsoft Group (CAG) to find out what they’re all about.

96 BOOK REVIEW: MY TARGET WAS LENNINGRAD Not many people have, quite literally, had the fate of tens of thousands of people in their hands. Matt Limb OBE writes about a book from just such a man.

100 SITE DIRECTORY & PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUBS With the ever-growing popularity of Practical Shooting, we thought it was about time we started listing where you can go and take part - as well as over four pages of awesome airsoft venues!

106 DEALER LISTING: AIRSOFT ACTION’S ADVERTISER INDEX Find who you are looking for in our listing of all the adverts that appear in this issue. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

05

AIRSOFT NEWS

NEW AIRSOFT ACTION WEBSITE LAUNCHED! WE ARE REALY CHUFFED to announce that the new Airsoft Action website has been launched.

The old website has served us really well but it was getting a bit “long in the tooth”, so we decided to do a complete rebuild to bring it bang up to date.

It also gave us the opportunity to add some new features that we think you will love, such as a COMPLETELY FREE Classified Adverts Section, where you can buy/sell/swap all those odd bits of kit and gear that you have been meaning to get rid of for ages.

We have also added a really cool “Weather Forecast”, so you can check out the weather where you will be playing and make sure you are prepared for whatever Mother Nature has in store for you.

As the number of international and non-English language readers has risen substantially, we felt that it was only right to make the website more “internationally friendly” and so we have added the ability to display the whole website in different languages. Simply clicking the “Translate” button and selecting a different language will change all the text on the website to the chosen language – pretty neat eh?

There’s loads of other stuff but one we are particularly pleased about are the maps. There are three of them: UK Airsoft Sites, UK Airsoft Retailers and Practical Pistol Clubs, so now you can easily find somewhere to play, somewhere to spend your hard-earned dosh and somewhere to improve your pistol skills at the click of a mouse.

We have tried to include as many sites, shops and clubs as we can but if we have missed you out, please let us know and we will add you asap – and no, there is no charge either!

The website is also designed to work on just about every digital device and will adapt itself depending on what you are using to look at it, sauch as PC, iPad, iPhone, Android phone or tablet, Windows 8/10 etc. and we’ve even brought the domain name bang up to date to reflect this.

You can find the new Airsoft Action website at: www.airsoft-action.online – we hope you like it!

PS. The old web address, www.airsoft-action. co.uk still works, it will just bring you to the new site instead.

Alpha-Tec Hex Grenade Custom Engraving THE ALPHA-TEC HEX GRENADE has been around a while in a range of 10 colours and it is now available complete with Custom Laser Engraving.

The Alpha-Tec Hex Grenade features a double-sided, multicalibre chamber which holds either six 9mm blanks or six .209 primers, which negates the need to reload after every throw. You simply click it round to the next position and you’re ready to go (again)!

Now you can have

your name, callsign, logo or pretty much anything else engraved, so long as it doesn’t exceed certain criteria.

The Alpha-Tec Hex Grenade costs just £85, including text engraving, to add a logo costs just £5 and you can even have your logo engraved on the head (if you ask very nicely!).

For more information visit www. alphaoneairsoft.com or search for “Alpha-Tec Airsoft” on Facebook.

AIRSOFT ACTION APPOINTED AS EXCLUSIVE UK MEDIA PARTNER We are absolutely delighted to announce that AIRSOFT ACTION has been appointed the SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE UK MEDIA PARTNER for the INAUGURAL IPSC 2017 ACTION AIR WORLD SHOOT, to be held in Budapest, Hungary.

The (real steel) Handgun World Shoot takes place in France and that will be followed later in the year by the Action Air event, which will be held in Hungary and for which, “Team GB” will be created to represent the United Kingdom.

Details are still being worked out and the newly-appointed National Squad Director, Justin Cooper, along with the UKPSA’s Vanessa Duffy, will be keeping us up to date via a regular column in Airsoft Action.

We spoke to Justin, who outlined the basic requirements needed to be considered foir Team GB and they are: 1. Complete a UKPSA Safety course and obtain a competition licence.

2. Be a member of the UKPSA 3. Attend as many graded and club-level matches as possible.

If you are interested in Practical Pistol and would like to try for the squad and for details of how you might get the chance to represent your Country in the first ever fully sanctioned, fully recognised, Action Air World Shoot (and find out if you truly are a World Champion!), head over to the UKPSA’s website (http://www.ukpsa.co.uk) or contact Justin by email at: actionairnd@gmail.com

6

January 2016

AA GALLERY READERS’ PHOTOS

SPONSORED BY

ROGUE’S GALLERY From Andrius Petrucenia www.andriuXphoto.com

8

January 2016

From Sam England

Redhills Airsoft, Co Kildare.

From James Ervin

10

January 2016

ROGUE’S GALLERY

Suzi Hudson at R.I.F.T Com3

Information Fancy seeing yourself in Airsoft Action?

Send in your photos via email (nige@airsoft-action.co.uk) or share on our Facebook page (/AirsoftAction), plus a few words describing what’s going on in the image.

THE ADVENTURES OF MAG

CARTOON

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

11

THE PTS SYNDICATE ERG SYSTEM IS NOW TRIED AND TESTED, SO WHAT BETTER A WAY TO IMPROVE IT THAN WITH A STUNNING FORTIS RAIL PACKAGE, AS SCOTT ALLAN EXPLAINS

PTS FORTIS ERG THIS, MY FRIENDS, IS the PTS Syndicate PTS RM4 Scout ERG Deluxe 2 Tone – and not the plasma green kind of two tone either!

The Electric Recoil Gun (ERG) is built in conjunction with KWA manufactured in Taiwan, which means you’ve got a tried and tested system that will deliver a solid performance time and time again.

WHO ARE KWA?

KWA are one of the big hitters these days, generally thought to produce the best gas blow-back pistols and rifles today.

Unfortunately for everyone in the UK, distribution has been difficult in the last year. The fall out between Kriss Arms and KWA was a bit of a blow for everyone who owned the Vector

and with no end in sight, no parts or magazines look to be available any time soon. This means that players are left out of the loop unfortunately and new releases are likely going to be difficult to get. Thankfully this rifle has been built under license for PTS so it will come through their distribution channels instead.

SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH PTS?

PTS Syndicate used to be known as Magpul PTS by most players but with the loss of the Magpul license recently and the other licenses that they have acquired, they go now solely by the name PTS. PTS have commissioned these RM4 rifles with their own designs, licenses and specifications. With the two organisations working together you can be confident that this rifle is going to be excellent and reliable.

At the time of writing the PTS ERG has been on UK market for some time and has proven itself to be a reliable package all round. So what is special about these rifles I hear you ask? Well apart from a sea of other acronyms, the rifle sports the KFS system. No, not “knife, fork and spoon” but Kinetic Feedback System and this recoil system is excellent! I have seen and used just about every blowback system there is available today and this is quite simply the best. The only system that is a competitor for it is the Tokyo Marui system which is also very good (but more on that later).

REAL STEEL

The M4 platform is an unsurpassed legendary weapon, dozens of companies manufacture the platform and even more countries purchase them for use. As a 5.56mm rifle it uses

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January 2016

Armoury PTS FORTIS ERG

“IMAGINE EVERYTHING YOU LIKE ABOUT A GAS BLOW BACK FUNCTION BUT WITH THE RELIABILITY OF AN ELECTRIC SYSTEM… THAT IS WHAT YOU HAVE HERE; A SNAP IN THE TRIGGER, A THUD OF RECOIL AND THEN SILENCE UNTIL YOU PULL THE TRIGGER AGAIN.”

the standard NATO ammunition in a gas operated, magazine fed, selective fire weapon. Few weapons have ever been so adaptable with many replacement stocks, barrels, grips and aiming devices. This versatility is undoubtedly the key to the success of the platform and why that more and more Airsoft versions appear every year.

THE FORTIS ERG

Externally, KWA rifles have always looked fairly decent for my personal tastes but not exceptional. Normally marked up with KWA markings, they never really rocked my world. The likes of G&P were definitely superior in overall finish and markings. Do not think, though, that this reflects the build quality, only the look of the platform from a personal aesthetics point of view.

Regardless of my previous thoughts, this is the Professional Training and Simulation (PTS) version and it really, really looks good. In fact it looks like one of the best M4 replicas I have ever seen. The Magpul PTS parts are likely to be only available for a short time, a crying shame but a reality. The blue/grey receiver finish, embossed logos and weight all feel superb. The weight of the rifle is higher than average due to the physical weight used to generate the recoil. I would say it is not too heavy but there is certainly a general hefty, quality feel. The Fortis rail is not only aesthetically pleasing but is a perfect finish and complements the rest of the rifle too.

Performance is everything these days and no one will tolerate a £450 paperweight. So what does the RM4 do for you as a player?

The KWA hop units are very good, they use an H-style hop rubber, known as the “2G High Performance Bucking”, which gives a very consistent hop. The hop unit is plastic which puts

off some people but personally I have no issue with this. The unit adjuster is perpendicular, much like the ICS M4 or a G36 style, which is generally better for staying in place. The magazines that come with the rifle are proprietary and they can be quickly changed to hold either 30 or 60 rounds. This magazine interacts with the rifle so when you fire the last shot the rifle stops firing, known as a “Stop On Empty” system.

This system comes in some other rifles, the Systema PTW most famously as well as the more modern Tokyo Marui.

The ERG magazine has a fixed “follower” in the magazine that feeds every last round into the rifle and are fairly cheap at around £40 for a box of 3. As a bonus you can use your standard TM compatible M4 magazines (mid-caps or high caps) you just lose the Stop On Empty feature. I really do love the last shot stop, new magazine in, hit the bolt release and carry on shooting – definitely a must for your modern Airsoft operator.

SUMMARY OF FEATURES

So on paper this all looks excellent and it certainly does reflect the price tag of £450. PTS and KWA products are largely accepted as the benchmark of quality in the Airsoft industry and this is a fine example of a good, high-end product but is it a direct contender for the Systema PTW? I’d have to say “yes”… and “no”. I’ve had several Systemas over the years www.airsoft-action.co.uk

13

Armoury PTS FORTIS ERG

and they are far from perfect, in fact I think they are too fiddly and temperamental for their own good. I love an ASCU or Systema style trigger response but nothing beats mechanical for reliability over the course of a long game, and that is what the ERG provides. Nor do I believe Systemas are still the pinnacle in accuracy but they are indeed extremely consistent.

Considering all of this I firmly believe the ERG is a better “all round” package – it is a third of the price for a start. It will be just as tough, shoot pretty much the same, still has stop on empty and it is more compatible with readily available parts.

Same goes with the Tokyo Marui version, TM makes a fantastic rifle but again it is more expensive, less powerful, less available, it cannot use 11.1v Lipos and like the Systema PTW it uses its own magazines. But all of this is just preference, fact crunching and my personal experience.

SUMMARY OF PERFORMANCE

The recoil system is merely a small weight that clunks back and forward every time you pull the trigger, it is not a series of moving parts that doesn’t really do anything like the G&G version. The recoil is all you feel and all you hear. Imagine everything you like about a gas blow back function but with the reliability of an electric system… That is what you have here; a snap in the trigger, a thud of recoil and then silence until you pull the trigger again. Mild disappointments are present, the ejection port does not move at all during operation (that might bother some people) and often the rifle dry fires the first round, like the TM but unlike the Systema. If the ejection port cover moved and it fired the first BB this would be the only rifle you would ever need to buy again but that said, these are small points if I had to pick at faults, which I do. I think some players would like the Stop On Empty feature on a higher capacity magazine, perhaps a 100 or 120 round magazine but

features ENHANCED AEG GEARBOX WITH KINETIC FEEDBACK SYSTEM

PTS RM4 PMAG WITH ADJUSTABLE 30 OR 60 ROUND CAPACITY

PROPRIETARY RECOIL SYSTEM

FLIP-UP PTS MBUS SIGHTS

MECHANICAL / ELECTRICAL AUTO CUT-OFF WITH LAST ROUND FIRED

PTS® FORTIS FLOAT RAIL SYSTEM 12” INCH DARK EARTH

FUNCTIONAL BOLT RELEASE FOR FIRING SYSTEM REACTIVATION

PTS MOE PISTOL GRIP

ALL METAL BILLET-STYLE AR-15 RECEIVER

WEIGHT 3.2KG

14” BARREL

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January 2016

PTS MOE STOCK POWER 350 FPS EXPECT TO PAY AROUND: £450

this is something that we might see in the future.

Internally the recoil is generated by a weight in the stock tube – like the TM version, this means the rifle is front-wired.

Where does the battery go I hear you ask? Well PTS invented a new vertical grip that takes a battery inside. Isn’t that a nifty idea? I think so. Okay you might want to change grip but you are always going to have to compromise somewhere. The main spring needs to be short and matched to the buffer spring for a consistent shot and crisp recoil and if they do not match you lose recoil, so this could be an issue for inexperienced technicians working on the rifle. The piston and piston head are standard types, with a bespoke air nozzle and tappet plate.

The gears are steel (unlike the TM alloy types) and mean you can enjoy a high number of skirmishes without worrying about them stripping. The motor is the KWA high torque, coupled with the gear ratios and the 11.1v LiPo, that is all responsible for the realistic snap and recoil. It really is like firing the real thing, okay there isn’t a massive boom and your shot won’t go 400 metres but you get the idea.

USE IN THE GAME FIELD

I do like a longer M4, it just feels more point-able for me than the short CQB types. The weight still surprises me and I opted for a MS3 sling on the supplied sling point. I had the magazine set for 60 rounds and in all honesty, I doubt I would ever go for 30 rounds unless it was for something very specific or I wanted to make things more difficult for myself. I would estimate that the ERG system generates more than the recoil of the TM SCAR L that I’ve tried a few times and that is pretty impressive as the TM is not exactly timid. The range and consistency is really good as the FPS only varies mildly on each shot.

CONCLUSION

From form to function this is a damned fine rifle. I would say quite simply if I had to recommend to someone looking for a realistic functioning M4 it would be the ERG. The Marui is more expensive as is the Systema, both of which use their own proprietary magazines. The KWA parts will be easier to come by and more readily available for the future. The recoil is the strongest by far of any electric rifle, you can choose how realistic you want your magazines with selectable 30 or 60 rounds and you can have 3 of the ERG magazines for the price of a single Systema magazine or two Marui magazines! A couple of niggles with no visible movement from the bolt inside and occasionally the lack of feeding on the first round is a pain.

At £450 it is noticeably cheaper than the Tokyo Marui version and £800 cheaper than the Systema.

Rarely have I ever decided that I would buy an Airsoft rifle straight away, there are many I would like but don’t often take the plunge but this ERG… this might actually just sway me back into the recoil market.

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Из России с любовью

(FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE) IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN AEG THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM THE CROWD, THEN MAYBE FRENCHIE HAS JUST THE THING – AND WHAT A “THING” IT IS! ONE OF MY BIGGEST GRUMBLES with regards to airsoft is a direct result of having been involved for many, many years; it’s really rare that you see something genuinely new. The subject of this review sort of falls into that category, although the component parts aren’t exactly unheard of.

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the PNO-AEG SR3M. I’m going to be a little cheeky here and grab a handful of info from Wiki – all credit to them: “The SR-3 Vikhr (СР-3 Вихрь, Russian for “whirlwind”) is a Russian compact fully automatic assault rifle chambered for the9×39mm subsonic round. It was developed by TsNIITochMash (Central Institute for Precision Machine Building) in the early 1990s. It is based on the AS Val silenced assault rifle but lacks an integral suppressor and has a newly-designed folding stock and cocking handle for ease of concealed carry.

After the adoption of SR-3, the FSB established new operational requirements with a goal to combine the qualities of the SR-3, AS Val and VSS Vintorez, resulting in a new variant designated SR-3M (СР-3М). It features a quick detachable suppressor and a redesigned handguard with a collapsible foregrip. The iron

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January 2016

sights have also been relocated to the upper front handguard as opposed to being located on the suppressor, apparently for when the gun is used without the suppressor attached. For this weapon a larger 30-round magazine was developed, which can be used also by the AS Val and the VSS Vintorez.”

That VSS heritage is readily apparent but if anything, the SR3M manages to be uglier, both in real life and in airsoft. I have a huge soft spot for Soviet/Russian weapons for reasons I’ll come to later but by God this thing fell through the ugly tree and hit every branch! It doesn’t get any better when you attach the supplied suppressor which is a massive chunk of knurled steel, with its bizarre design which sees the muzzle considerably wider than the main body. I honestly have no idea why...

The review sample came from AEG Baltia in Latvia and cost, I am told, in the region of 700 Euros. That’s around £500 depending on the exchange rate. Now that isn’t Systema money but it is a serious amount of money for what is essentially a toy gun; the question for me is does it justify that fairly hefty price tag? Read on and find out...

The SR3M didn’t come to me to be reviewed, rather it was

Armoury PNOAEG SR3M

to be downgraded and have a hop-mod fitted by Alan over at Landwarrior Airsoft. My initial impressions were mixed to say the least. The SR3M is undeniably solid, I mean donkeystunningly solid. It was immediately obvious that there were very few rattles and nothing moved that shouldn’t. The finish was interesting as were the plastics and I’ll come back to those shortly. The suppressor was damned heavy and contains a further section of barrel rather than foam and fresh air. This was part of the reason it came to me – fitting the suppressor to the SR3M ups the muzzle velocity by around 60 feet per second and this had to be accommodated. I ran the stock gun over my chrono with Blaster 0.2 ammo – circa 430 fps and it sounded vicious! Fitting that suppressor would have it up to 500 feet per second, that’s serious muzzle energy.

My brief was to reduce the velocity and to lock the gun to semi-auto at the customer’s request. Being utterly unknown to me I viewed this with a slight amount of trepidation but I needn’t have worried. The guts of this gun are entirely standard and disassembly is an absolute breeze, once you work it out, requiring the removal of only three screws. One final bit of information that is utterly germane – this is built in Russia, not the Far East. Pretty much everything that follows is influenced by this one fact.

The SR3M is built almost entirely from steel and there are welds aplenty. The plastics look to me to be 3D printed.

They’re pretty nasty compared with the injection moulded loveliness from the aforementioned Far East but bear “IT’S STILL BUTT-UGLY AND THE FINISH IS STILL GOING TO FREAK THE with me, because that’s not actually MAJORITY OF AIRSOFTERS OUT BUT THIS IS A COMPLETE TANK AND AS a criticism. The plastic is very dense, feels very strong and fits perfectly.

A RESULT IT ACHIEVES THE ULTIMATE GOAL FOR ME – IT FEELS LIKE A The amount of movement in the REAL FIREARM AND IT LOOKS LIKE ONE.” handguard required to remove it is very small and any imperfections in the manufacture would cause serious trigger and this was a Godsend, as to lock the weapon to semi problems. That there are no such problems speaks volumes – all I had to do was remove this and bag it up for the owner. nasty it may look in comparison but the plastics are absolutely The gearbox itself was a well-cast Version 3 beast. Internally spot-on in terms of fit and size. there wasn’t a brand to be found but there was a set of well The same is true for the metalwork. By and large it appears machined steel helical gears, brass cylinder, reinforced piston, to be powder-coated and this initially looks just “wrong” but a spring that would serve as suspension for a Landrover and a that statement is only true if you compare it with airsoft guns. micro-switch trigger. I’m generally not a fan of micro-switches I rapidly realised that approaching the SR3M that way was in Version 3 boxes as they can be an utter pain to reassemble, to spectacularly miss the point of this gun. Anyone with a having a tendency to explode with vigour but no such issues passing knowledge of Soviet era weaponry would recognise here – nothing popped out of place and it was the work of this as being pretty spot on, judge it against real guns, not minutes to install a lighter spring and reassemble. Quick test to replicas. Do that and it all starts to fall into place. I have seen confirm function and we were away to the races. and handled real SVDs which have worse finishes than this but I had to rebuild the rifle to test the velocity – now running which, like the SR3M would shrug off pretty much anything at 300/355 with/without the suppressor, perfect for what the you or life could throw at it. Real Sword are well regarded customer wanted. After this the SR3M visited LWA to get the for their build and finish, as are LCT and this pi**es all over hop work done, the ease of stripping really helped out here. them – from a considerable height! It’s still butt-ugly and the With all the work done I could sit back and fully test the finish is still going to freak the majority of airsofters out but gun and by this point it was casting quite a spell and I began to this is a complete tank and as a result it achieves the ultimate appreciate its strengths – and it has many, trust me. goal for me – it feels like a real firearm and it looks like one.

It’s built like a tank, seriously. If you break this in normal Not a beautiful Purdey or a classic Colt but a weapon designed use your idea of “normal” involves dropping it out of planes or to work and for which aesthetics are a very distant secondary driving over it with armoured vehicles. The design work is solid consideration.

Tearing down the SR3M was a doddle: Remove the pistol grip, loosen the large screw underneath the outer barrel which holds that in place and the solitary screw above the safety and the whole thing can be torn down into its component parts.

The first thing that struck me was the motor cage; it’s made of two pieces of stamped steel with a blued finish and is attached to the gearbox with a couple of bolts which rather than screw into the alloy are kept in place by nuts on the other side. Workmanlike but hugely effective as the cage has two extrusions that lie flat against the gearbox sides preventing any twisting or torqueing – and torque there will be because that motor has some seriously big magnets in it. I don’t recall any branding on the motor but maybe I was being inattentive, sorry!

Removing the gearbox also revealed the mode change mechanism, a hinged lever activated by the selector behind the

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17

Armoury PNOAEG SR3M

“IF YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT THE LATEST SHINY KIT, IF PRECISE CASTINGS MAKE YOU ALL WARM AND FUZZY, AVOID THIS LIKE THE PLAGUE, IT’S NOT FOR YOU. IF ON THE OTHER HAND YOU LOVE SOVIET OR RUSSIAN WEAPONRY (AS I DO) YOU ARE GOING TO CRY MAN-TEARS OVER THIS.” as a solid thing. There is an almost complete absence of silly or pointless features which do nothing but annoy the owner or anyone working on it. Everything that is there has been thought through properly and works exactly as it should. I had many moments of studying the gun and going “Ah! That’s sensible…” This doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should in airsoft.

Performance was spot on too – the gearbox sounded great, was properly shimmed and lubricated and both range

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and consistency were good before the hop work was done.

Afterwards they were exceptional, despite the low velocity.

The supplied magazine, a mid-cap fitted and fed... ok. Like many “Mids” it took a while before it settled down but it was performing well by the time I had to give the gun back.

Final thoughts: The SR3M is an exceptional airsoft gun, both in terms of its origins and its qualities. If you are passionate about the latest shiny kit, if precise castings make you all warm and fuzzy, avoid this like the plague, it’s not for you. If on the other hand you love Soviet or Russian weaponry (as I do) you are going to cry man-tears over this. It takes a little while to fully reveal its charms but charms it has. The build quality is exceptional, unique perhaps, but exceptional nonetheless. I would have almost complete confidence in the longevity of this gun, externally and internally – there is nothing in the guts that is new and exciting but what is in there is rock-solid and well put together.

Despite appearances the gun handles very well, the forward grip aids this no end. It’s a whole different kettle of fish with the suppressor fitted, very noticeably front heavy but I think you would expect that. The folding stock locks tightly in place with no flex or rattles. The gun shoulders well, points well and shoots well. I still think it looks ugly...

700 Euros is a lot of money, no two ways about it but that buys you a pretty unique bit of kit of which I doubt there will be huge numbers made. If I could justify the cost to myself (and my better half) I would order one on a heart-beat. For all that seems to be against it, the SR3M is a fantastic replica which looks and feels just like a proper gun should and doesn’t stumble when it comes to delivering from the business end.

If Russian airsoft is your thing, or you just appreciate something rather different, you owe it to yourself to check this out. Don’t let appearances fool you, this has the heart of a lion.

The review gun was kindly supplied by Ian Stokes, who sourced it from AEGBalta.lv (https://www.facebook.com/ AEGBalta.lv)

G&G 2015 CQB WORLD C IN AN AIRSOFT ACTION EXCLUSIVE, LES LEE TRAVELS THOUSANDS OF MILES TO REPORT FROM ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS ON THE AIRSOFT CALENDAR

WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would travel to the other side of the world to bring you exclusive news about an Airsoft World Championship?

Well...... Me! Guay & Guay (G&G) Armament, an industry leader in all things Airsoft played host once again to the 2015 World CQB Championship, along with an outdoor shooting competition and military supplies show in Taipei, capital of Taiwan. Airsoft Action was invited to attend… and attend I did and by doing so, I had one of the most exciting and memorable weekends of my life. Just when you think you’ve seen it all in Airsoft, you never know what’s around the corner, even though this corner was over 6,000 miles long!

My mission, which I chose to accept was to go recce Taipei Expo Park arena over the weekend of 14th-15th November 2015, to bring our readers the latest news on just what is happening out there in the big wide world. Because our sport/hobby/pastime is developing at such a rapid pace, we Brits need to keep an eye on what is going on outside our comfort zone and keep up with our worldwide brothers and sisters in arms. What better way than following one of Airsoft’s finest and most respected

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manufacturers, G&G, in their home land in the Far East.

Yes, Mohamed had to go to the mountain but wow was it worth it, as I had no idea just what an incredible adventure I was about to embark on.

Firstly, a brief history of the event.

The CEO of G&G, Mr. Liao, decided that Airsoft needed something new and so he developed the 2013 IWA show where G&G’s M.E.T. system could be used to promote more fun. The M.E.T. (Multifunctional Electronic Target) system is a spherical rubber pneumatic target with a height of 80mm x 62.5mm in diameter which lights up and creates a sound when hit by a projectile (BB). This could only be set on top of a pole and only be programmed from a button located at the base.

Later in the same year, Mr Liao decided to improve the design of the first version of the M.E.T. and released Version 2 M.E.T. later that year. This version is designed with a larger spherical rubber dome, with a height of 95mm and 125mm in diameter and it can be set on either a flat surface or on top of a pole but in brief, when a target lights up you shoot at it.

It is possible to link up to 25 of these targets from one control unit, dependant on what scenario you are creating.

As things progressed and proved to be both popular and successful, the M.E.T. CQB arena was made available to other countries and so enthusiasts from neighbouring Asian countries, such as Hong Kong and Japan were invited to compete annually in Taiwan. The CQB course itself is effectively a relatively easy-to-assemble, portable gaming area which can be flat-packed and transported to different venues. G&G also sold some of these CQB sites to other countries, including Italy, Spain, Paraguay, Chile, USA and France. These countries held their own CQB events which in turn, enabled them to choose the best two teams to attend the 2015 World Cup Shooting

Airsoft Action Exclusive G&G 2015 CQB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TAIWAN

D CHAMPIONSHIP TAIWAN Competition. To give more players from different countries the opportunity to compete on an international level, G&G allow one team from other countries – providing a dealer, Airsoft entrepreneur or enthusiast

alongside each other and had a laugh, just proving that language is just one way of communicating but there are many others, including our shared passion for Airsoft which became an unspoken language in its own right. My Spanish is limited to “yes”, “no”, “thank you” and “I don’t understand” but that was all I needed.

We had 19 teams from 12 purchased a 5 x 5 grid M.E.T system. countries sharing one common Planning for 2016 is already underway and at this moment interest and the atmosphere was in time it looks like Zero One will once again be holding the buzzing, so it was a bit of a relief National qualifiers at the NAE next summer and of course, when I met Matt Johnson and Jack Airsoft Action will keep you informed right up until the event, Gracie in the hotel lobby who were as I will be in regular contact with our friends at G&G. Anyone sporting their “uniform” shirts, that would like further specific information can get up-to-thedisplaying the Zero One trademarks, minute news either via our Facebook page, or direct from me their sponsors. on les@airsoft-action.co.uk Matt, 25 from Basildon Essex, a Wildcat helicopter pilot Anyway, back to Taiwan. From the moment I exited the of five years airmanship and Captain in our Royal Navy has arrival hall at Taipei International airport, been playing Airsoft since he was 12 years old, qualified at I was met by my/our chaperone (and the 2015 National Airsoft Event hosted by all-important translator) Totto, who Zero One in the dedicated became one of our party of many CQB arena not dissimilar to as, two by two, the competitors the Championship (indoor) disembarked into Totto’s care. We killing fields at the Expo Park were escorted to a waiting bus and in Taipei. Along with Matt, his transported to one super plush 25fellow Naval Officer and team Star hotel, The Riviera Hotel, also mate Max Sloper was destined known as the “G&G Airsoft Village” to join him but, due to a last as we had quite literally taken over. minute military deployment, was Can you imagine the challenge substituted by Jack Gracie, 26 Final n from Glasgow who is also a team itio pet Com the organize of around 30+ guys all passionate g otin Sho e r： 2015 World Cup Extrem 怪怪貿易 member. Jack, a student in Naval and super-excited about Airsoft 有限公司 architecture engineering has been the co-organ and the forthcoming championship izer： 中華民國 pew-pewing for 3 years and was 玩 具 槍 協and all trying to understand each 會 / 中國 文化大學 able to fill the void at short notice exhibitor： other’s native language? Not 026後勤倉 and so “Team UK” was complete at all but our passion is not 庫 / H Oeasy B B Y J A PA N / MJ MAG AZINE / P reliant and ready to go.

E A C E C on speech alone, it was all POSEID O M B AT ON / QR / F / ROK S w o r d Ta S Ncamaraderie, IPER / After a huge, lavish breakfast about excitement ctical Su pply / ウピウピ 隊 / 台灣二戰 on Friday, we made our way and smiles by the bucket load. 重演推 防空動 / 行 會 / 富勝紡織 / 業成 / 彰化縣旅 via a ten minute walk to the I kinda buddied-up with the 遊協會 / 戰鬥王 / 如有拾獲，請 交還大會本部 Taipei Expo Dome, a huge indoor Spanish reporter. Neither of stadium, for the Press conference us could speak a word of the and preliminaries. It was a little other’s language but we worked

PROGRAM

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Airsoft Action Exclusive G&G 2015 CQB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TAIWAN

disorienting as the majority of the event instructions were spoken in the native language of Mandarin but we got the gist of things and settled into the environment comfortably - after all, it was mostly a case of “here is a gun and go shoot things that light up... and do it as fast as you can” so fair to say language was not a barrier or disadvantage to anyone.

The weekend kicked off with a fun competition for media only on the 5 x 5 M.E.T. grid targets, using a G&G Raider.

“How difficult can that be?”, I said to myself and was relatively happy when, after two gun malfunctions, I secured a time of 37 seconds but as I was the first shooter up I had chance to see that a few other guys were shooting sub-30 second rounds. It was time to blame the gun and the fact that it was blue was a significant disadvantage as I had never shot a blue M4 before… that’s my excuse anyway!

Saturday’s Semi-Finals were upon us and the stadium was now “smoking” with excitement and lavish niceties; Trade stands selling goodies (Oooh…), beautiful floral arrays, traditional cultural hospitality including gymnastic displays and live bands and so many other welcoming features. Every team

G&G’s CEO, Mr. Liao, makes friends with Les Lee as he gives his seal of approval to Airsoft Action, for being the only UK magazine to attend his event

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January 2016

had its own base camp (contestants lounge) where they could relax and use as their private safe zone. The amount of money and effort that had been invested into the event was just mindblowing. It was a rare moment indeed if I remained emptyhanded for too long, as we were showered in gifts, whether it be a bottle of water (it was baking out there) or a morale patch, some type of souvenir, even a quality carrier bag (that didn’t cost 5 pence) or somethinganything, such was the host’s generosity.

The games commenced with a Search and Destroy themed mission and this timed event was as the title indicates.

The teams were individually sent into this carefully structured arena to achieve an objective but during the course there were a number of sub-objectives which had to be taken care of, namely strategically placed M.E.T.s which needed to be cleared (shot) before they could move on through the rooms. The M.E.T.s were everywhere, many hidden and a fair amount of contortionistic manoeuvres were needed and I would say this is where agility and fitness were critical and, having said that, fitness of the mind was of equal importance.

Matt and Jack finished in a respectable fifth position, which didn’t disappoint. One technical problem arose with many of the team’s magazines not feeding properly, causing a great deal of re-starts. However, this was overcome and the technicians worked tirelessly throughout the night to rectify the problem. It is my understanding that these were new magazines and this proved to be teething problems only and didn’t affect day two.

After Semis on day one, a huge banquet was laid on courtesy of G&G and a never-ending supply of food and drink was enjoyed by all. The social side of this magnificent weekend was equally engaged by all, as is the norm on any regular Sunday’s day of Airsofting. We all know just how much and how important the social side of Airsoft makes deep impressions. Many friendships are made and sustained through this amazing sport/hobby/pastime and this championship was no different.

Mr Laio, the highly respected CEO of Guay and Guay Armament, is one of the nicest men that I have met. His status aside, Mr Laio was sharing the day-to-day workload and hospitality with his staff by interacting with everyone and anyone and I lost count of how many times he came up to me and asked if there was anything, anything at all that I needed.

Indeed, every single member of his team were completely focused on their guest’s comfort and fulfilling their needs. I have never seen so many smiley happy people working so hard,

ensuring that everyone had the most memorable experience.

Day two, the Finals and the battleground was now set up as an intense CQB course, against the clock once again. This was a specific route over, under and around obstacles shooting the targets one by one.

Speed and agility were paramount to success and it was a clear case of “blink and you miss”, so if ever a contestant needed to concentrate like never before, this was the time to do it! Unfortunately the Brits didn’t do too well on this and placed 17th but this seemed to be an area where some of the other competitors operated at their finest and completed the course with lightning speed. I have never seen such agility (not even at Crufts) and it was clear to see the home teams were nailing it.

I would like to say a brief “Hello and special thanks” to Ryan Doucett and Brian Zahra from Toronto, Canada who joined us in the lower rankings but more importantly, as friends, great friends which was valued as they too had been last minute selections and of course, were also unfamiliar with this type of CQB Airsoft scenario. They shared the same experience as everyone else, which was that they were proud at having done their best to represent

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their country under the circumstances, plus they were fine ambassadors for Canada - and they had a great time doing so.

It was a pleasure and privilege to meet you guys!

As the event drew to a close, so the celebrations began.

This was the culmination of one incredible weekend of action, adventure, challenges, friendships being formed and all around bonding of individuals, teams, trades and spectators from across the world. An event drawing dozens of competitors, hundreds of visitors, scores of Airsoft and military-related trades together, with goodwill and hospitality like nothing I had ever seen before. Cosplay was a very popular feature of the show and there were so many uniforms that if the Police had had cause to attend, then I’m not sure if anyone would have taken them seriously.

The Expo Park was taken over by enthusiasts that had a rare chance to emulate their heroes, so as you might imagine, many, many visitors were at the very least packing open-carry Airsoft pistols (well I think they were Airsoft pistols) and I honestly don’t think that I could begin to describe the atmosphere over the three days.

As the award ceremony was underway, the pride held by each and every competitor was written all over their faces - but not as much as Team Japan, who secured second place and took away $5,000 USD with Team Taiwan winning the Championship title, $10,000 USD prize money but above all, the status of being the best in the World!

It was very humbling to be at such an event amongst the best of the best from all over the world. This international event brought many countries and cultures together, all who shared the same passion, the same level of desire to be the best, the challenge against other teams from different continents all with the same goal but, at the end of the day, what really mattered was everyone that was a part of this event in whatever capacity (yes, even reporters) had one of the most exciting weekends of their lives and although most didn’t leave with a trophy or prize money, they left the event with pride, having represented their respective countries as being the best and having done their best.

Nobody lost really, the invitation was in its own right a prize. G&G Armament picked up the bill for everything, yes EVERYTHING and it was all of the highest possible standard as no expense was spared! That in itself is a prize to be treasured. The opportunity to meet and spend time with their new friends in Taiwan, the chance to explore this magnificent City in all its natural splendour and experience the warmth from the wonderful, generous people of the host city was the biggest prize on offer and embraced by all.

I left the Expo with bags of goodies, both bought and gifted, over a thousand photographs, all which needed sorting (the good from the bad from the ugly), many aching joints and tired feet and memories which will stay with me for a very long time. My time spent with Mr James Liao, the perfect host, was one of great value, as were the many new friends and contacts that I had made.

Airsoft Action will be keeping you apprised of each and every development leading up to the 2016 championships and I will say now, that as I hear about anything then you will hear about it too.

When I asked Mr Liao if he had a personal message to the readers of Airsoft Action, he said:

Airsoft Action Exclusive G&G 2015 CQB WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TAIWAN

CQB-Rules

“The first World Cup shooting 5TH STAGE: competition was very successful T H E FI N AL MILE because we have many supports Th e 5 TH s tag e is th e f in al s tag e . from the Airsofters and medias.

Sin ce th e h e lico pte r h as f aile d 4TH STAGE: to e x tract th e play e r f rom th e There was never an international lan din g z on e , th e playe r n e e ds HELICOPTER LA Airsoft shooting competition like to b re ak th roug h th e e n e m y’ s NDING ZONE lin e on h is /h e r own . this in the past, but now we have one to challenge ourselves with FINISH our friends or families on the side.

W.C.S.C is not only about accuracy 5 or shooting skills, but also about HQ is sending a strategies and coordination. Of helicopter to pick up the player; however, the ene my has set an am bush at the landing zone. course this competition requires START In this stage, targ ets are hidden a lot of physical strength from at every pos sibl e corner of all 1ST STAGE : 5 stages. While the challengers because they each target ligh ts up, it will also make a sound.

ENEMY’S ARSEN The player need to run, jump, squat and has to find eac 3 AL h target At th e v e ry b e climb. This is a challenge to both position by usin g in n in g , th e play 1 g e r will h av e to s n e ak the sound. in to th e e n e m y’ mental and physical state, how 4 s f acility. W h ile s n e ak in g in th e you perform under pressure and playe r h as b e e n s potte d b y th e how you make your decisions s e arch lig h t. Th e playe r th e n m us t q uick ly tak with your teammates. We have e down 2 th e two targ e ts b e s ide seen many Airsofters did so th e s e arch lig h t an d well in practices, but not as th e n e lim in ate th e 2ND STAGE : 3RD STAGE: re s t of th e good in competition. W.C.S.C. RETRIEVE MISSIO Th e W ate r Dun targ e ts in th e g e on s tag e is div is not a versus game, the only N O B JE ide d in to 2 parts CT n orm al s e arch TUNNEL & . Th e f ron t part ars e n al. an d de s troy ch is a alle n g e . Howe v 2ND s tag e is a enemy is yourself and trust e r, th e re ar par “ Tim e Bom b ” ch wh ich con tain s t of th e th e alle n g e .

Th e tim e b om b IN TELLIGENCE ROO ch alle n g e re q uire s th between your teammates. clas s if ie d docum e playe r to e lim with in 1 . 5 s e con e n t.

M in ate e ach targ ds ; oth e rwis e , While passing thr e t th e playe r will f Startin g f rom h to g o an y f urth ough the tunnel This competition is designed ail th e m is s ion e re e r to com ple te , th e playe r an d n ot b e ab le , the player th e re s t of th e will find severa s tag e s .

Af te r s toppin g n e e ds to carry l sho th e tim e b om b , th e cas e with h otin 1 3 g to be very challenge, but not windows and th e playe r will f im / in d th e m is s ion h e r wh ile com ple each window inc ob j e ct – a cas e tin g th e re s t of ludes at least th e unbreakable. I (Mr. Liao) am s tag e s . one target. very thrilled how well we have done this year and very thankful for 1 4 all those supported us around the this unique competition, there are bound to be World. A special a lot of questions that you would like answered and we are thanks to Airsoft happy to do this via our website or Facebook page but to see Action sending the games in action in the very best way, check out the G&G a very nice and YouTube channel as I would think that by the time you read professional reporter, this, the hours of footage will have been collated and I think Mr Les Lee to do a that will actually show you what it’s all about. If not, then take cover story of this a look at last year’s event (2014 G&G CQB Championship competition and Taiwan) and it will give you a great perspective.

Zero One to hold the Have you got what it takes to be a National Champion? qualification game Can you hold your own against the best in the world? Can in UK. Airsoft can you bring the trophy home after proving that you are the be very different in best in the world? any way depending There is a simple way to find out..... Just do it! on how you play, Now where are my trainers? but one thing will Les OUT! never change, having fun. Nothing is more rewarding to us (G&G) than seeing the smiles on participants. Next year we will continue to bring Airsofters more excitements and challenges to look forward to. We will see you again in World Cup Shooting Competition in 2016.”

Before I conclude this news article, I urge you to consider applying to take part in this prestigious event in 2016. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. One of you reading this could be part of Team Great Britain. If you are passionate about Airsoft (which you are otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this), plus you have a particular liking for CQB and would grasp the opportunity to represent your country as ambassadors of our sport/hobby/pastime (and to visit Taiwan at no cost to you, other than your time), then follow our news features or checkout the dedicated website www.G-CQB.com and perhaps “like” G&G on their Facebook page at www. facebook.com/ggarmament and get regular updates.

Even though I have done my very best to describe

CQB-Rules

OPEN

OPEN

STAFF EXIT

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

25

NUPROL PMC GEAR PACKS LAST MONTH JERRY NOONE PROVIDED AN OVERVIEW OF THE NEW NUPROL PMC LINE OF TACTICAL GEAR AND NOW HE GIVES US HIS INSIGHTS INTO TWO NEW PACK MODELS FROM THE SAME RANGE

FOR MANY YEARS I WORKED WITH one of the biggest backpack manufacturers in the World, so you might say that I know a little about what goes into making and good one and making it work. Packs are an integral piece of our airsofting “gear locker”, whether they are for hauling our gear to the game site or for using in a longer MilSim setting, where you need to carry all you need with you.

Packs are fairly “mission specific” and as your time in airsoft grows you’ll undoubtedly end up owning a few different models; you’ll also appreciate that different sizes and designs are perfect for certain jobs and buy accordingly. For me one

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January 2016

of the most important packs of all is one that you can carry attached to your plate carrier or in conjunction with a chest rig, one that will let you easily transport all those little essentials like food, water, extra ammunition, pyro and possibly a lightweight windproof in the spring and summer.

The PMC Hydration Pack fits the bill perfectly in this respect. It’s a superbly handy bit of kit that can be attached to any plate carrier with MOLLE webbing on the back as it comes with attachment straps that let you secure it solidly.

Alternatively you can use it with the detachable shoulder straps in place as a standalone pack which makes it highly versatile.

KIT NUPROL PMC

Internally you have a large main compartment with an elasticated sleeve for a hydration bladder; the sleeve is fitted with a retention strap for keeping the bladder sitting perfectly with a port for the drinking tube situated centrally on the top. On the lower front of the pack is a separate zipped admin compartment with pocketing to keep everything neatly squared-away. Externally you get extra lines of MOLLE webbing to secure further pouches should you wish to and there are two compression straps to keep everything stable if the pack is not fully loaded.

At just £24.99 this is a lot of pack for the money and one that you will certainly end up using a lot!

Coming in at £44.99 the PMC Day Pack ratchets things up a notch for when you need to be carrying more gear; with a very usable capacity, the PMC Day Pack has been designed to provide superior storage capacity and organisation all in one very, very neat package. The roomy main compartment offers two interior mesh organiser pockets to keep small accessories tidied away and a large “stuff it” pocket with drawstring closure. There’s also a padded bladder pocket with dual hose exit points to keep you hydrated on the move and a fleece-lined sunglasses pocket keeps your eyewear within easy reach. Contoured compression straps combined with a well-padded harness with sternum strap ensure a stable, comfortable carry. The wraparound web platform is MOLLE compatible, allowing you to customise your storage options as you see fit. This is a superb tactical pack offering choices for a wide range of setups; the PMC Day Pack combines a great carry with lots of storage and will get the job done wherever and whenever you need it.

Both packs are put together using heavy duty NP1000D fabric which is good and tough and feature high quality zips, clips and clasps; they are made to be comfortable, durable and hard wearing. Both models are available in available in Green (OD), Black, Tan and NP Camo so they’ll work with pretty much any loadout you can think of.

Ross Tucker at NUPROL told me: “We have spent the last year working hard to develop a new option for Airsoft players to have the kit and styles they want but without having to spend a fortune on real-world military kit.”

“THIS IS GEAR MANUFACTURED FOR AIRSOFTERS

BY AIRSOFTERS AND BOY DOES THIS SHINE THROUGH.”

This is gear manufactured for airsofters by airsofters and boy does this shine through. When you’ve got to find money for guns and consumables and to pay your site fees then any monetary saving is quite literally worth its weight in gold; if you want more “bang for your buck” when it comes to buying a pack then I’d say you really should check the models from NUPROL out!

For more information and stockist details please visit www.weairsofteurope.com

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

27

ICS PAR Mk3 ICS in partnership with ProArms have produced a high quality range of assault rifles, Very tough metal receivers and RIS systems fitted with ICS’s next generation blowback engine gearbox with high quality reliable internals.

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ICS HOG Aggressive geometric surfaces, Strong and powerful lines, Quick-Detach Keymod system Handguard, EBB(Electric Blow Back) System, Spring release function, T-Window magazine, Rear Wired Ver. Front Wired Ver.

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OPERATION SLEDGEHAMMER:

THE FIGHT FOR PLEZRIN KELLY “FEMME FATALE” HARDWICK JOINS THE SERBIAN ARMED FORCES AS THEY BATTLE FOR A FOOTHOLD IN KOSOVO. Photos: John Wright THE YEAR IS 1999. The Cold War has ended and Yugoslavia is a mere shadow of what it once was. The Government in power are unable to control their constituent provinces, making the puzzle that is the Balkans even more complicated.

Slobodan Milosevic, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’s new President is a known Serbian-nationalist and is regarded by many as the most dangerous leader in Europe. He has roused the Yugoslavian people to act against the Albanians who live in Serbia and Kosovo, leading to nearly 1 million refugees and appalling war crimes committed on both sides. Not satisfied with cleaning house in Serbia, he now turns his gaze on Kosovo. After months of conflict with help from outside influences such as the Kosovo Task Force (KFOR), bloody battles have taken place in Leshtaz, resulting in the deaths of civilians and troops. After being brought to a checkmate by the combined presence of KLA and KFOR in Leshtaz, the SAF (Serbian Armed Forces) have set their sight on a smaller village to the South West, Plezrin, in order to secure a foothold of territory and to plan future operations.

The KLA are emboldened by their success at Leshtaz and have been forewarned about the attack. They know that the SAF are not far from their current location. They are confident that their success can be repeated in Plezrin, they have dug in

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January 2016

and will sacrifice their lives for their cause. However, this time there is no KFOR armour or support. They must fight alone.

The SAF will not let the failure at Leshtaz stand. They are determined to smash the KLA and totally annihilate any opposition in the area as a warning that they are not to be trifled with. Anything that isn’t SAF is a target and they are ready to send a message to the World as to how to deal with rebels…

On the last weekend of October I was invited by the team at Warzone Battle Simulation to attend the second Operation in their MilSim series – Operation Sledgehammer: The Fight for Plezrin, which was held at Sennybridge FIBUA Village.

Sennybridge FIBUA Village is a Ministry of Defence Training Area close to the village of Sennybridge in Powys, Wales; it’s the 3rd largest M.O.D Training Area in the UK and covers around 12 miles. Before the Op, Warzone painstakingly put together a 12 page document for all participants to read before attending the event which included directions and game rules etc. This Op was by far the longest drive I’ve undertaken to a site – it was only 150 miles but took me around 3.5 hours from my home in the East Midlands due to the route through Brecon. I know a few participants had issues finding the site when speaking to them after the event but I entered the longitude and latitude

Event WARZONE BATTLE SIMULATION

coordinates Warzone had supplied in the SOP into my Satnav and it took me straight to the site – I took the roads through the Brecon mountains but it is easily accessible via the A40. The team at Warzone did mark the path to Sennybridge camp with some markers and signs, however, as most people were arriving after sunset, it wasn’t the easiest to locate.

Warzone Battle Simulation is headed by 3 avid MilSimmers: David Pullen, Kevin Field and Mark Owen who also doubled up as the force leaders over the weekend. I personally feel like the staff at the event really played a part in how much I enjoyed the weekend; they were friendly, helpful and encouraging of their troops but delivered tough love and harsh reality when we needed it. Although I didn’t get to spend a lot of time with Dave, the KLA force leader, our SAF ICs Mark and Kev made me feel like a valued member of the squad, were easy to chat to and have a laugh with. They ran a tight ship and kept us focused during the Op. The site itself is pretty impressive, I was told before I arrived to imagine that someone had given me a budget to build a 1940’s soviet village but only gave you enough to buy bricks and concrete and that was Sennybridge. It is a camp that comprises 26 buildings and a Church (which is out of bounds to everyone) with a network of roads and surrounded by a wooded area and plenty of fields. The village even has buildings that are connected by subterranean tunnels – which were pretty cool.

Having arrived at “Senny”, I took a stroll to meet and greet and get stuck in helping the team set up whilst we discussed the upcoming weekend. HQ was set up in the large building overlooking the Town Square and it contained the base for the team’s operations, an out of game top floor (for those who drove to the site to get a good night’s kip) and the store. The store had everything you could need for the weekend – beebs, RIFS, pyro including flares and various kit bits and bobs! One thing I was impressed with regarding the weekend was the booking in and admin system the team had in place: Booking was made online via the Warzone website and a deposit of £35 was paid with the remainder to be paid on the day. The total price for the weekend was £85, which I feel for a two day event was extremely reasonable. On arrival at the site, you entered HQ, were made to watch a safety brief video and only when that was completed could you sign yourself in - upon signing in you received a site map and a tourniquet.

My Squad - Wolf 1 of the Serbian Armed Forces - set up camp around 8pm in the top floor of Building 20, with our

battle brothers, Delta Renegades, taking up residence in the floor below and the rest of our side spread out within a couple of surrounding buildings. Briefing for the start of the weekend took place at 02:00 hours in the barn. Our mission was simple; we had 34 hours to drive the KLA out of Plezrin and if possible, capture their High Value Targets. With the briefing out of the way we were loaded into our “Helo drop” vans and transported to our location.

Our SAF force leader organised our squads and we walked in formation, cloaked in darkness, along the road in the cold morning air. We made our way to the village of Plezrin to initiate our attack, the KLA had set themselves up in buildings around the village and it was our job to push them out. As we

“AS WE APPROACHED WE COULD HEAR FOLK MUSIC BEING PLAYED AND DRUMS, WHICH EMBOLDENED US. OUR TROOPS FLOODED THE WEST SIDE OF THE VILLAGE AND STARTED OUR ASSAULT ON THE BUILDINGS.”

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approached we could hear Folk music being played and drums, which emboldened us. Our troops flooded the west side of the village and started our assault on the buildings. We took ground quickly with our small fireteams storming buildings and our LMG support laying down suppressing fire as we took their ground from underneath them. We were met with fierce resistance from the KLA forces and the fight continued during the early hours and through first light. There was the sound of sporadic gunfire throughout the night and we managed to hold the ground that we had taken from the KLA. My squad returned to our camp around 7am to refuel, get some kip and mag up ready for round two.

One thing I’ve never truly experienced is living without creature comforts, so the living aspect of MilSim was tough

“I WAS DRAGGED INTO A WET, COLD BASEMENT, HAD A BLACK CLOTH PLACED OVER MY HEAD AND FORCED INTO A STRESS POSITION WHILST THEIR FOOTMEN ATTEMPTED TO INTIMIDATE ME BY EXECUTING SOME OF MY TEAM MATES AROUND ME.”

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but I enjoyed the challenge. No running water, no heating and sleeping in a sleeping bag on a roll mat on concrete was definitely an experience for me. Eating rat packs and sleeping rough does nothing for the morale and in the cold October weather, any sleeping bag less than a 3 season would have left you feeling chilly and at risk. In hindsight, I think a camp bed (and maybe a jet boiler) would have done wonders for my level of comfort! The Warzone SOP was really detailed and gave all participants advice on how to make the living aspect a little more comfortable which I heeded and more, so I was (thankfully) a little over prepared! I’m not particularly outdoorsy and camping isn’t my forte so their information definitely helped me last the event.

After a few hours kip and some food, all Wolf sections were ordered to retake as many buildings in the town that we could - and that we did! SAF flooded into the town with a new found drive and cleared a path into the heart of KLA territory.

Whilst our SAF brothers continued the fight in the town, Wolf 1 decided to attack them from the west and for this we had to covertly move through the tree line into their territory and assault a strong hold in the centre of their territory – Building 8.

Our team made it to the building practically undetected and attacked it fiercely, being met with strong resistance from the

Event WARZONE BATTLE SIMULATION

KLA. During the assault I was unable to pull myself in through a window, which left me vulnerable to crossfire and I was slotted by their designated machine gunner, which led to my capture. I’d had a few narrow escapes with players attempting to capture me throughout the Op but this time they had well and truly caught me! I was dragged into a wet, cold basement, had a black cloth placed over my head and forced into a stress position whilst their footmen attempted to intimidate me by executing some of my team mates around me. I was searched and all my weapons were taken from me. After what seemed like hours, I was lead to a room upstairs, placed against a wall and had my feet kicked apart with my fingertips on the wall – the cloth was removed from my head and I was confronted by the leader of the KLA. I was interrogated and searched, with them confirming my identity by the tattoo on my forearm.

Upon their search they discovered the intel I was carrying. After the KLA had taken all they needed from me I was executed with a single shot to the head. Getting captured/interrogated was a completely new experience for me which was equally terrifying but exciting at the same time!

The rest of Saturday passed in a blur of gunfire, smoke, pyro and mortar rounds. Missions to steal warheads and RPGs from their grasp and assaults on enemy territory. We fought through the day until 7pm when exhaustion claimed us and we hit the hay whilst taking it in turn to stag, the night was cold and quiet with only the sound of gunfire sounding through the valley sporadically. After a decent night’s sleep and a good breakfast,

villagers walking the streets and going about their daily lives in the Pub and barn. There are very few criticisms that I have of Operation Sledgehammer and they are as follows: Although we had overall objectives I would have liked more “missions” and orders during the Op. We were left to our own devices a lot and it did have a “skirmish” feel at times, vehicles would have been a nice touch and would’ve added an extra element to game play. There were a couple of issues that cropped up that weren’t the Warzone teams fault but did affect the event: Due to an issue with the M.O.D, the top floors of the buildings were for sleeping in and were not in play, so buildings could never really be “taken” and some participants (despite advice from the organisers) failed to look after themselves during the event and tempers flared which led to some leaving during the weekend and causing a ceasefire on Saturday afternoon. For those of us who did take care of ourselves, the ceasefire was an annoyance. The praises however far outweigh the criticisms.

I felt the event was good value for money and a character-building For more information aboutr experience – I know I personally upcoming events, contact took a lot from it. I had a lot of new Warzone Battle Simulation via their experiences such as using flares, website (http://war-zone.co.uk), being interrogated and the whole or Facebook page (https://www. living aspect of MilSim. facebook.com/Warzone-BattleFor anyone looking to get into Simulation-1382321898760873).

MilSim, Warzone Battle Simulation events are definitely where to start!

our morale was boosted significantly and we were renewed in our mission, so on Sunday morning we decided to give them hell!

All the Wolf sections were assembled in the lower floor of Building 20 and given our orders; to assault their territory from the west and push them out through the eastern road. A 05:30 hours we made our way along the road adjacent to the village ready to make our push into Plezrin and with only 6 hours left to complete our objective, we lay down our covering smoke and started to assault the KLA stronghold that was their medic building. We steamrolled through the village, taking building after building with ease. Within 4 hours we had pushed behind the Church, we fought backwards and forwards with the KLA until endex at 11am.

The battle was drawn and the war is still raging…

Overall, I had an amazing experience at Operation Sledgehammer, from the gameplay to the living aspect of the event, I really enjoyed every second of it and would have been happy to continue past endex buzzing on my MilSim high.

The story the Warzone team had created was fully immersive and even included role-players with props acting as

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H&K M27 IAR I’VE LONG BEEN A FAN of the HK416 family of replica firearms, having owned my own since they very first hit the market. Mine is a rock solid, dependable electric model that has done me very good service for over eight years now and, with a couple of professional overhauls carried out by my good friends at FireSupport, it’s every bit as good now as when it first arrived.

Umarex have really grabbed “the tiger by the tail” when it comes to licenced replicas and as they hold the worldwide exclusive for branded models from Heckler & Koch GMBH, what they bring to market is as close to the real things as you’re going to get. All the Umarex “H&Ks”, whether they be gas or battery powered, are beautifully put together and feel

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January 2016

JERRY NOONE TAKES A LOOK AT THE “BIG BROTHER” OF THE HK416 FAMILY AND FINDS THE NEW M27 GBBR IAR FROM UMAREX A GREAT TOOL FOR SEVERAL JOBS!

incredibly solid in the hand. There are no creaks or groans, no flexing parts and out of the box they perform incredibly well.

It was therefore a great pleasure when UK distributor ARMEX asked me if I’d like to take a look at the latest model in the “416 Series” and, with the longest barrel of the lot (more on this later!), the M27 had me excited from the word go.

Arriving in a stunning hard case the rifle promised to be every bit as good as it sounded to be and I was interested to see how the gas version stacked up against the battery powered model.

This, however, took me down a certain path for two reasons. First and foremost the M27 in the real world has been designated as an “Infantry Automatic Rifle” and has been adopted by the US Marine Corps not as a replacement for the M4, but to supersede the aging stock of M249 Squad Automatic Weapons; in effect the USMC have stepped back in time to the days of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) where a heavy barrelled, magazine-fed weapon was issued at squad level, using the same calibre as the issued infantry rifle.

This principle is one that has come in and out of favour over the years; in WWII the Americans had the BAR and we Brits had the Lewis and the BREN. After WWII there was a heavy barrelled version of the FN-FAL that served as a squad support weapon and the Russians of course had their RPK. The Stoner system rose to legendary status in the hands of the USN SEALs during the Vietnam War, although most in fairness were the belt-fed variant. You can carry on with models such as the Steyr AUG H-BAR and of course our very own ill-fated L86 LSW but, generally speaking, a belt-fed weapon was felt to be the right thing to lay down suppressive fire at squad or section level when it really counted. Amongst NATO countries this was usually the M249 SAW. However, many M249s have been in service for some considerable time and everything has a service life. The Infantry Automatic Rifle program began in 2005, when the USMC first started speaking to manufacturers. It may initially seem strange that it would be the Corps that really took this program on board but then you have to look at their history and how they

Armoury UMAREX H&K M27 IAR

view the “average marine” - the Corps view is that EVERY marine is first and foremost a rifleman, qualified to a very high standard. Over the course of their illustrious history they have proved this time and time again.

There’s also a distinct feel of “what goes round” here as well, as during the late 1920’s in Central America the Corps fielded the Thompson in a very similar role to that intended for the M27, that of a fast firing “support weapon” at squad level.

So it’s quite understandable that they had very strict criteria for a new weapon. It needed to be light weight and easily portable and given their changing role on the modern field of battle, it needed to not be so obviously visible to insurgents as a support weapon. It did, however, need to be able to maintain a sustained, high rate of fire for suppressive purposes when required. An initial requirement for a 100-round capacity magazine was dropped in favour of the 30-round STANAG magazine because at the start of testing, the 100 round magazines put forward proved unreliable. It had to use the same 5.56mm ammunition as that used by the Marine rifleman, so that magazines could be easily shared amongst the squad when the “gunner needed to pour it on”.

Having undergone extensive testing the M27 was officially adopted in 2010 and in 2011 the procurement process really swung into action. It was intended for up to 6,500 M27s to be taken into service by the Corps, although speaking to a good friend who is still a serving Marine, I was told that the although the M27 is most definitely in service, many non-line squads are still making do with their old M249s.

“ANOTHER FEATURE I TRULY LOVE IS THAT AN EXTENDED COCKING HANDLE COMES AS STANDARD AND THIS IS A SUPERB BIT OF ATTENTION TO DETAIL THAT I HAVE COME TO EXPECT ON UMAREX REPLICAS.” magazines, so as to carry the same number of rounds as the old M249. As I’ve often commented before, gas magazines are NOT cheap and loading up with 22 of them is going to cost you a pretty penny, as what comes with the replica is a single 30 round gas magazine!

Now there is no doubt in my mind that if you play in a serious MilSim team portraying the USMC that you might want to follow this route and I’d give you full credit for doing this.

Spread amongst a team of players both buying and carrying an additional 21 magazines might be feasible but if you’re a bit of a “lone wolf”, then this is going to be a BIG ask. This

A BIT CONFUSED

And so it was that I approached testing the Umarex gas blowback replica of the M27 with great enthusiasm - but also with a little bemusement!

Here is, in real life, a firearm that has been designed to fulfil the role of a fast-firing support weapon; the marine behind an M27 has at his disposal an issued load of 22, 30 round

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Armoury UMAREX H&K M27 IAR

got me looking even further at the M27 and one comment got me to thinking; in one account from the USMC it was stated that the “gunners” actually liked the rifle a lot, as they could lay down accurate suppressive fire in semi automatic mode out to an effective 800m given the longer, heavier barrel.

My confusion was dispelled; the M27 replica would actually make a superb “marksman” rifle combined with some form of bipod and a decent optic. So it was I went straight to my spares box and hoiked out a Grip-Pod to attach to the front end; this would not only give me a great foregrip but additional stability when it came to the prone marksman role. I then went back to ARMEX to request an optic and very quickly one of their excellent Walther PRS 1-6x24 Precision Riflescopes turned up in my office.

Once I had everything together it was off to the range for some serious testing. Although the M27 resembles the HK416 a lot, sharing commonality in relation to the ergonomic four position sliding stock and the distinctive pistol grip, it’s a much heftier beast than its carbine brother. The picatinny rail still remains flush with the upper receiver but is longer. The barrel is longer too, 460mm as opposed to the 415mm of the 416 and is indeed made to look “heavier”, with a distinctive gas block configuration.

Controls on the M27 are also identical with the carbine being the usual, easily identifiable red and white H&K “bullet” pictograms to represent “safe, semi, and full”. The magazine release is in the same place as the carbine as well, so if you’ve used any form of “M4” you’ll feel at home with it from the get go. The M27 comes ready fitted with some first rate, low profile flip-up iron sights which are adjustable for both windage and elevation. Another feature I truly love is that an extended cocking handle comes as standard and this is a superb bit of attention to detail that I have come to expect on Umarex replicas.

ROUNDS DOWN!

In operation the M27 replicates its real-life counterpart well.

With 30 rounds loaded into the gas charged magazine it’s simply a case of snap it into the magwell and away you go.

Once the cocking handle has been pulled to the rear and released the heavyweight bolt snaps forward with a solid “thud” and it’s at this point that you can turn the selector to “safe”; please don’t try to do this if the rifle is not cocked as it

“OVERALL I AM VERY, VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE H&K M27 GBBR AND I CAN SEE THAT THIS WOULD BE A SUPERB SKIRMISH RIFLE USED IN THE “MARKSMAN” ROLE; IN FACT IT’S A PROPER “TACK DRIVER” AND WOULD BE DEVASTATING IN THE RIGHT HANDS!”

can lead to damage!

Flipping the ambidextrous selector to “semi”, you’re ready to send “rounds down range” and I have to say that the M27 does this with great alacrity. Although, as always, I tested the M27 with high grade .20g BBs, which incidentally gave me a respectable average 348fps (slightly higher than the 100m/s or 328fps that’s quoted on the paperwork), as I intended it be used more as a “distance” gun I switched out to heavier .28g BBs. These were soon zipping to target, giving me hits to a “Figure 11” type out to a good 75/80m. The sight picture of the fully adjustable Walther PRS sight is simply incredible and I have to say on a good, wind free day I believe you’d be hitting targets “way out there” with this rifle/optic combination.

Once the 30 rounds were away the bolt clicked back into its rearmost position; inserting a fresh, loaded magazine you need to carry out “real” drills by palming the bolt release on the left hand side of the receiver to let the bolt forward again.

Changing the selector to “full auto” is when any gas rifle really sings and the M27 didn’t disappoint; the heavy bolt slamming back and forth in rapid succession is both audibly and physically impressive, giving some small feeling of felt recoil.

Overall I am very, very impressed with the H&K M27 GBBR and I can see that this would be a superb skirmish rifle used in the “marksman” role; in fact it’s a proper “tack driver” and would be devastating in the right hands! I would also love to see this used in its real world role by a good “USMC” MilSim team with the correct Trijicon “Sight Unit, SU-258/PVQ Squad Day Optic” fitted, as the sound it makes when it’s on full auto has to be heard to be appreciated.

For the player that wants the true firepower of the M27 as a support gun though, I believe that most will still opt for an electric version with a self winding high capacity magazine.

Sadly this lead me onto another question; the M27 looks like a long barrelled HK416 carbine and many site operators call for a support gun to be of a “dedicated” variety such as an M249 or M60. I asked around a number of seasoned players and Site Operators whose opinion I respect and got a number of different replies.

Some felt that the M27 was too similar to the carbine to be recognised as a true support gun but luckily most felt that it fitted into exactly the same slot as an L86 or RPK; if, in the “real world” the M27 was designated as a support gun, then they would allow it in that role for gaming purposes. That said, I would check with your local site to get their view on this before turning up with an M27 AEG with a “C-Clip”!

Now it must be said that I’m not normally a “long rifle” kind of guy but I was honestly disappointed when the time came to send the M27 back. It’s well built, functions reliably, and with the right sight setup is one heck of a skirmish rifle!

H&K replicas never come cheap and I’ve seen this GBBR already on sale for as much as £450; the AEG version does come in cheaper but with the GBBR at the end of the day you’re getting a superb bit of kit for your money with some extra realism thrown in.

What more could you want?

My thanks go to ARMEX for the loan of the review rifle and the equally superb Walther PRS sight; for more information please visit www.armex-airsoft.co.uk

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

37

RADIO GAGA IN THE SECOND OF HIS SERIES ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS, FRENCHIE GIVES US SOME TIPS ON WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING COMMS

SOME PLAYERS ARE HAPPY TO use their radios as they come out of the box, clipped onto their webbing or stashed in a pocket or pouch but let’s be honest, that’s not terribly tactical is it? No, what you need are miles of wiring, cool headsets and awesome throat mikes because all of that will make you extraoperator! Correct?

Well, maybe not! Ultimately your radio is just another tool and while you can dress it up a bit, you would probably be better off making sure that it all works for you, rather than pouring money into the look of the thing. First things first and a major bugbear of mine: “Vox”. Vox is shorthand for “voice operated”, in other words you speak and your radio automatically opens squelch and broadcasts leaving your hands free for other more important tasks. That must be a great idea, mustn’t it?! Only if you want your team mates to beat you to a pulp, trust me. Most vox is so sensitive that it will open and broadcast as you breathe, as your gear rattles, as your clothes rustle when you push through undergrowth. Your team mates, who cannot get through to you or anyone else as a result, will find you and if you are very lucky, ban you from using anything more modern than two cans and a bit of string. Vox is a very bad idea indeed...

It follows that you are going to need some kind of remote mike and an earpiece. Many PMR radios come with these but they do tend to be of the light and skinny variety. It’s not that they don’t work well enough, they generally do but they are not designed to be particularly hard-wearing and unless you take care to secure all those wires, there is a very good chance that they’ll get snagged by bushes and damaged. If that’s all you have, fine, bash on and use it but I would suggest a little extra outlay will reward you with a more robust and functional setup.

If you decide to use a lighter-weight setup I find the “ear hanger” style more comfortable over longer periods of use as opposed to an “in-ear” style. With the hanger you can allow the ear piece to rest outside your ear canal and still hear, which reduces pressure on your lugs. Most radio earpieces aren’t as comfortable as the ear-pieces you get to listen to your music with and even those will become an irritant after 6 hours of solid wear. The other downside with this kind of setup is that the microphones, while adequate, are generally quite small and so is the press to talk (PTT) button. If it’s fiddly when you are just testing at home, it will be infinitely more so when you’re on the skirmish field and wearing gloves. It’s for this reason that most after-market military-style PTTs are far larger, when you hit it to talk you want to make sure that you hit it, not spend thirty seconds trying to work out which bit of your load-bearing kit it has disappeared behind!

Assuming you accept the foregoing, you will want some method of remotely triggering your radio and the most common option is the pressel – a switch unit that sits between your radio and your headset/speaker combo. Pressels come

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Feature COMMS ACCESSORIES

“YOUR TEAM MATES, WHO CANNOT GET THROUGH TO YOU OR ANYONE ELSE AS A RESULT, WILL FIND YOU AND IF YOU ARE VERY LUCKY, BAN YOU FROM USING ANYTHING MORE MODERN THAN TWO CANS AND A BIT OF STRING. VOX IS A VERY BAD IDEA INDEED...” in all shapes and sizes and are generally available with fittings for most of the major radio models. Z-Tactical are an excellent example, making models to fit Kenwood, Motorola (single and dual pins) Midland, Icom and Yaesu. Getting the correct pressel for your radio is the greater part of the battle as it should activate your radio properly, thus avoiding time wasted shouting “ARE YOU RECEIVING ME!!!” endlessly. Again using Z-Tactical as an example, once you have the correct pressel it becomes easy to decide on the headset since all of their headsets, regardless of style and spec use the same plug to connect to the pressel. Bowman or Sordin – the choice is yours. Just be aware that although it looks like a military connector the Z-Tactical version isn’t compatible with real-deal gear.

Now that we have sorted out triggering your radio, you are going to need a microphone and something to let you hear the expected reply from your team mates. Generally these come together in the form of a headset. There are several good reasons to go down this route; they are stealthy – only you can hear the messages being passed to you. They are more efficient – because they cover your ear or ears they mask external noises making it much easier to hear the content of the message. In the past I have made use of Bowman-style headsets, which cover one ear only and I can recommend them quite highly. They are cheap, roughly £25 and although not the most attractive kit out there, they do work well.

Next step up is a Comtac or Sordin copy, expect to pay something around £55-£60. These headsets cover both ears and incorporate noise-cancelling technology which can be very useful and off-putting in equal measure. The headsets are equipped with microphones which monitor external sound levels and when these exceed a pre-set level they cut off the mics, allowing the headset to function as a set of ear defenders. This is very useful in gaming environments

where sudden loud noises are likely, basically anywhere that airsofters are throwing pyro around. Since you can adjust the input from the external mics, they can also assist with hearing what is going on around you – although it can take just a little getting used to. Since there is a microphone on each side, you retain full stereo hearing. You’ll need to power these headsets, commonly an AA or AAA cell but they are pretty frugal with their power consumption. Quite apart from their noise-cancelling abilities, these are seriously tacti-cool and it’s not difficult these days to get hold of adapter kits that allow you to connect them directly to the rail on your FAST helmet and others.

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

39

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30-11-2015 13:34:04

Feature COMMS ACCESSORIES

If you fancy buying the real thing, be aware that genuine Sordins, Comtacs or anything by Peltor will set you back in the region of £350. You’re buying quality for sure but that might be a bit more than your average airsofter cares to splash on comms. You’ll also need to source a proper pressel for them as they aren’t compatible with items such as Z-Tactical.

There are other options if you don’t want to keep incoming communications reasonably private; fist mikes which combine both speaker and microphone in a compact unit are generally quite affordable and very effective, I have used them extensively both while playing and running games and regard them as a godsend. If you need complete stealth though, they aren’t the best choice, however, mounting them as near to your ear as you can does allow you to run a lower speaker volume and thereby improve privacy. A cool alternative is the H-250 style handset which looks like a land-line telephone with a Press To Talk (PTT) switch. The observations regarding fist mikes apply here, however, I always found it a little harder to hear an incoming call compared to a fist mike. In use it wins against the fist mike because you hold it against your ear like a regular phone.

Personally I have a very ambivalent view of throat mikes – I have never found them comfortable and more importantly I just don’t think the audio quality from them is particularly good compared to a separate mike or a boom mike mounted on a headset. The choice is yours but I really would attempt to try before you part with cash for one, even if it means borrowing one from a mate.

Beyond the obvious additions which make your radio more usable, there are a slew of additional options to facilitate carrying it on your kit. Most “radio” pouches are not much more that plain pouches and their sizes vary enormously. It’s worth checking that your choice of radio will actually fit in the pouch as I have seen so many that just swallow the handset leaving room for your lunch as well.

It’s a truism that you probably won’t be making many setting changes during a game but the ability to do so without having to remove the set is an advantage. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, especially if your radio has a front-mounted control panel but if it incorporates top-mounted rotary volume and channel controls, life will be a bit easier. For the love of God, however, think long and hard before mounting your radio pouch behind your shoulder a la SWAT. It does look cool but it means you cannot access your radio without removing your gear or having a team mate do it for you.

The final item I’m going to mention is predicated on you “THINK LONG AND breaking the Law (unless you are running your radios under an OfCom HARD BEFORE licence); antennae. There are lot of MOUNTING YOUR players in the UK running PRC-152 RADIO POUCH and 148 replicas and these units allow the user to swap out various BEHIND YOUR antenna. In truth I honestly think SHOULDER A LA this has more to do with accurately reproducing the look of the units they SWAT. IT DOES are basing their loadouts on, than LOOK COOL for any practical or functional reason, BUT IT MEANS however, if you recall last month’s introduction to this subject, PMR446 YOU CANNOT requires fixed antenna as changing ACCESS YOUR the antenna can dramatically affect RADIO WITHOUT power output. Before anyone far more knowledgeable than me jumps REMOVING YOUR on that statement, I will concede that GEAR OR HAVING A the science behind antenna is slightly mid-warping and that my assertion TEAM MATE DO IT is a simplification! The pictures that FOR YOU.” accompany this piece show a couple of different antenna in place simply to illustrate the point, the radios featured are not radios I use (thank you OfCom, that’ll be all…)

Accessorising your comms kit is not going to be half as much fun as tarting up your load bearing kit, or adding all manner of shiny doodahs to you weaponry. In large part that’s because if you limit yourself to PMR446 compliant kit there is a real limit to what you can do. If we leave aside the murkier areas of the subject, you are effectively looking at headsets and mics, not terribly exciting but very practical. They aren’t necessary – let’s face it many ‘upgrades’ aren’t – but they definitely enhance the functional aspects of communication and are worth checking out even if you decide they aren’t for you.

Next month, in the final part of this series, I’ll take a look at some typical radios of the type commonly seen on the skirmish field and compare their pros and cons. On test will be: Motorola TLKR T80 Extreme, Binatone 1100 Action and the Kenwood Protalk TK-3501 PMR446 Handheld Radio as these units cover various prices and features.

Until then – keep chatting!

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

41

TACTICAL PRACTICAL AS THE GROWTH OF AIRSOFT PRACTICAL SHOOTING CONTINUES, NIGE REPORTS FROM THE UK’S FIRST “OFFICIAL” 3-GUN EVENT AS A REGULAR READER of Airsoft Action, you will know that over the last four years we have been the only UK magazine to provide coverage of the rapidly-growing discipline of Airsoft Practical Shooting. In that time we have seen the emergence of a strong and very determined group of individuals who are passionate about the art of shooting a pistol with both speed and accuracy, so much so that the United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA) are creating “Team GB”, who will take part in the World’s first sanctioned Airsoft World Shoot in 2017.

However, when I speak with airsofters about the sport, the response is generally the same; “It looks great but I am not a pistol shooter. Can I use my rifle instead?” and, apart from a few exceptions, up until now the answer has been “No” – but that is all about to change!

On the 15th November I drove down to Xsite – The Outpost, sited on the former listening post at RAF Edlesborough, near Dunstable where the UK’s first “official” 3-gun event took place. I have put the word “official” in quotes purely as this was more a “getting to know you” session, than a sanctioned match but, nonetheless, it was run along the same lines and with the same safety standards.

WHAT IS 3-GUN?

For the majority of us, when we head out for a game (whatever type it might be) it is quite likely that we will be carrying a primary weapon (usually some form of rifle) and a pistol as a secondary, or backup weapon. Depending on the scenario, some of us might even have a shottie sheathed/slung/strapped across our back. However (and I am speaking very generally here), the vast majority of players hardly ever draw their pistol and shotguns are “reserved” for room-clearing purposes and yet, talk to any player who has just gone through a scenario where they have used all three weapon systems and I will guarantee two things… words like “Awesome!”, “Yeah!” and a few I cannot print, plus a huge grin!

There is something quite special about having the right tool at hand and being able to deal with changing threats and situations – and that is what 3-Gun is all about.

In Airsoft Practical Pistol matches, competitors move through a course of fire (also called a “stage”) using a pistol only, shooting at a variety of paper and metal targets and changing magazines as necessary. In 3-Gun, participants also move through a course of fire, however, as they progress they have to transition between different types of firearm, namely rifle, pistol and shotgun. At real steel events a pistol may not always be the last weapon used but in airsoft, as AEGs don’t

42

January 2016

Event 3-GUN NATION

usually make a loud enough sound for a shot timer to detect, all stages will end with a pistol as these are usually gas or CO2 powered and make enough noise for detection purposes.

3-GUN NATION

Founded by Chad Adams and Pete Brown in the USA in 2009, the National 3-Gun Association was created to promote 3-Gun competition in the form of a television programme that would bring the World’s top 3-gun shooters together, to compete for a $50,000 prize. The title of the show was “3-Gun Nation” and was backed by a name we all know: Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre (FN), via their USA subsidiary, FNH USA. 3-Gun Nation made its debut in 2010 at one of the most prestigious 3-gun events in the country, the Superstition Mountain Mystery 3-Gun and hasn’t looked back since, with Season 6 currently being shown on The Sportsman Channel in the USA. It was only natural that this new and exciting form of shooting would make the leap to airsoft and 3-Gun Nation Hong Kong held the first officially sanctioned 3-Gun Nation Airsoft Match in October this year.

Unfortunately, neither Paul nor Bill could stay to the end, as they both had business to attend to.

With everyone present, fed and signed in, Xsites’ head honcho, Tim Wyborn, ran through what the day would involve, along with a Safety brief and an overview of the most important rules and regs – most of which are just common sense but also included things like rifles being fitted with a “muzzle sock” and carried pointing vertically upwards when not in use.

He also gave an overview of the targets and scoring system.

To say the scoring system in Practical Shooting is “complicated”, is a bit like saying snow is “cold” and takes a computer to calculate with any form of speed. As in Practical, 3-Gun is a combination of speed and accuracy but is not “pointsbased”, instead it is the time that is all-important, with time penalties being added for missed targets or procedural errors. The shooter with the lowest time at the end of the stage wins maximum points for that stage and by dividing the maximum points by their time taken, each shooter is given a “Hit-Factor”.

The stage winner will always have the highest Hit-Factor and every other shooter’s points are determined by dividing their Hit-Factor by the winner’s and then multiplying the result by the maximum points available – I did say it was complicated!

Bottom line is that all the Stage scores are totaled and the shooter with the highest score at the end of the day wins – but what this does mean is that you have to shoot to the max on every stage because if you mess up at any point, you lose out.

3-GUN FUN

For the first part of the day, Tim had setup a couple of straightforward practice courses, so that all the shooters could get used to the new format and transitioning between weapons. It also gave everyone the chance to get their eye in on the 3-Gun Nation targets, which consist of a red “bullseye”

“THE PENALTIES MIGHT NOT SOUND TOO ONEROUS BUT WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT SOME COURSES OF FIRE MIGHT ONLY TAKE 18-20 SECONDS TO COMPLETE, THEN YOU CAN SEE JUST WHAT AN EFFECT A SINGLE MISS MIGHT HAVE!”

3-GUN NATION UK

The guys at Xsite are already very well-involved in Airsoft Practical Shooting and it came a no surprise to hear that they had teamed up with 3-Gun Nation HK and had become the first official 3-Gun Nation appointed site in the UK. It also came a no real surprise that when they announced their first training and trial event on Facebook it was immediately booked solid, with shooters being drawn from both Airsoft and Practical Shooting.

And so it was that on a particularly windy day, I turned up at The Outpost and walked into a Safe Zone full of banter, laughter and the smell of bacon sarnies!

As shooters arrived it was great to see some of the many friends I have made over the years coming to try this new form of airsoft and I truly wished I could have been shooting with more than a camera! I stood chatting with ASG’s UK Sales Manager, Paul Wignell and the Editor of PMCI, Bill Thomas, both of whom are very experienced shooters and both had signed up as soon as they had heard about the event. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

43

Event 3-GUN NATION

same manner before the final pistol stage was completed.

Penalties were awarded for not making a weapon safe or for dumping it in the wrong place/pointing in the wrong direction etc.

I have to say that the level of concentration was brilliant and, to me, it seemed that both “skirmish” and “practical” shooters found it challenging and, above all, great fun – the smiles certainly got bigger as the shoot progressed.

WRAPPING UP

surrounded by a black outer scoring area, on a white background. To score a “hit” in 3-Gun takes either a single shot in the red, or two in the black. A “total miss” attracted a time-penalty of 10 seconds, while a single hit on the black (with none in the red) gained a 5 second penalty. Small, metal “dropper” targets (which dropped when hit, hence the name) were also used and a miss on those also gained a 5 second penalty.

The penalties might not sound too onerous but when you consider that some courses of fire might only take 18-20 seconds to complete, then you can see just what an effect a single miss might have!

Following a short break for lunch (pizza and hot drinks for everyone) it was back out to the stages and into a bit of competitive shooting and that’s where the fun really started as it introduced an element that no-one had come across before – “gun rests” and “dump bins”!

Obviously, pistols could be carried in a belted holster but rifles and shotguns had to be located on a gun rest, essentially a sloping, carpeted a-frame on which the weapon was placed in a loaded/safety on condition, muzzle pointing down. The shooter would start from a position away from the rest and on the start buzzer retrieve the first weapon, engage the targets on that section of the stage before moving on, however, on the way to the next section had to place the weapon into a “dumpbin” - with the safety on and the muzzle pointing downrange.

The next weapon would be then used and “dumped” in the

The Overall Scores Rank

Percentage

Points

Category

1

100

134.9915

Overall

Jay Palmones

2

91.29

123.2375

Overall

Steve Kemton

3

87.01

Overall

James W

4

86.6

116.9043

Overall

Pete Thornton

5

82.71

111.6495

Overall

Matt Reed

6

82.12

110.854

Overall

Jon Cull

7

81.56

110.1036

Overall

James Moore

8

81.54

110.068

Overall

Darren Beate

117.4566

Name

9

73.1

98.6853

Overall

Ian Gatherum

10

58.18

78.5415

Overall

Mark Reeves

11

55.27

74.6066

Overall

Tiddles

12

51.27

69.2114

Overall

Tomas Godfrey

13

44.7

60.3462

Overall

Barry McJ

14

44.06

59.4802

Overall

Jonathon Lindsey

15

40.84

55.1334

Overall

Phil Moore

16

29.7

40.092

Overall

Paul Wignell**

17

15.61

21.0707

Overall

Bill Thomas** ** Left early

44

January 2016

I have often heard it said that “practical shooting isn’t really airsoft” and, in as much as Practical Pistol is target shooting with a pistol, I would have to agree but 3-Gun is different and more like airsoft than you might realise.

Think about it… You are in the middle of a firefight and have taken a quick look around the wall you are hiding behind.

You know that there are three targets in front of you and are pretty convinced there may be at least a couple more in the

building across the way. You don’t have any frags and you are down to your last mag, so you are going to have to deal with them using just your rifle and then switch to your pistol when it runs out. You need to be sure of what you are going to do so, in your head, you plan your moves – which target is going to be taken out first… second… third… then your move to the other building… the route you will take… when you will transition to your pistol and how you will take out any targets when you get there. All this you do in a matter of seconds. You prepare yourself, take a few deep breaths to steady your pulse and then go… …and that is 3-Gun! The difference is that you are up against only one opponent - yourself!

Personally I think this could be the perfect cross-over between airsoft and practical shooting and I am certain the disciplines learned in on will certainly enhance the other, in both directions.

Xsite are already planning more 3-Gun Nation events and as I headed home I realised that we might be seeing a lot more of that name in the not too distant future – and next time I won’t be shooting with a camera!

Contacts Xsite Tel: 01494 881430 Web: www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk 3-Gun Nation Web: www. 3gunnation.com

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“FEMME FATALE”, KELLY HARDWICK, HEADED “DOWN SOUTH” TO ATTEND SHIELD AIRSOFT’S LAUNCH OF THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED NEW KRYTAC LMG Photography: Peter Meade

KRYTAC LMG RELEA ON THE FIRST WEEKEND OF NOVEMBER I was invited by the team at Shield Airsoft to attend their Krytac LMG Release/Open Range Day, to test the new Krytac LMG and experience some real steel shooting. The event took place over the 7th and 8th of November at the Tunnel Target Sports Centre in Charmouth, Dorset.

During the weekend there was chance to take part in a range of activities such as the 6 Stage Competition for Airsoft Pistol and Rifle on the 40m range, a 3 Stage Introduction to .22 real steel on the 25m range, LMG blast in the 100m range, a chance to play against the newly formed Shield Airsoft team in the Tunnels and a blast on the scenario simulator. There was also a FAC workshop and question time with firearms officer, Bob Parkhouse.

The Open Range day was held at The Tunnel Target Sports Centre in Charmouth, Dorset which is the home to a 25m, 40m and 100 metre indoor ranges - it has one of the only indoor full

46

January 2016

bore ranges in the UK rated up to .50 Calibre. They don’t just cater to seasoned shooters though, their ranges are open to beginners as well, as full supervision is provided by NRSA and NRA qualified Range Officers.

The ranges are open to both members and non-members, with The Tunnel offering a fully supervised one hour shooting experience for non-members and beginners, for the reasonable price of £24.50 which includes range hire, rifle hire, 50 rounds of 22LR and full supervision. The Tunnel also offers a “Laser Judgemental Training Suite”, which enables realistic scenario training in G36 and Glock 19 for security training.

The site was granted Section 7(3) status in 2014. Which means legislation allows the holders of Firearms Certificates can store and shoot pistols of historic interest at S7(3) sites. As The Tunnel is so far from my home in the Midlands, I decided to stay overnight in the “Tunnel Pods”. The Tunnel Pods are hand crafted, insulted camping pods that either sleep 2 (standard pod) or up to 4 (family pods). The family pods have their own toilets and washbasins whilst the standards have access to the toilet and shower block. They all have their own decked seating areas and access to the sheltered BBQ/snug area. The pods are really cosy and provide all the amenities you could need (although bring your own bedding – that’s the only thing that caught me out!) My pod cost me £35 for one night, now I personally think this is a little pricey for what you get but it is still cheaper than any hotel in the surrounding area.

So now you know about the venue, who are Shield? Shield are a firearms and sights company that was established in 1982

by Jeremy White. They specialise in military proven red dot sights and are the UK distributors of Krytac (the new Airsoft venture of the Switzerland based firearms manufacturer, KRISS group). They sponsor a team of 6 players who wanted to take Airsoft to the next level by using real firearms techniques and tactics to reflect Shield’s end goals within the Airsoft industry.

event SHIELD OPEN RANGE DAY

Shield is a family-run business and it was a pleasure to meet them during the event, they were friendly, welcoming and easy to have a laugh with.

Let’s get down to the event itself, I started my weekend by putting some rounds through the Trident LMG herself. My first impressions of the LMG are very good. Despite being a support weapon, she is very light without compromising on the quality of the internals, is aesthetically pleasing, accurate with a great ROF and the semi auto function is a nice addition, meaning she can be used on semi-only sites. You can either run the box mag provided or M4 mags, which during ops would be extremely useful. During the “Attack Team Shield” game we played in the tunnel, we came up against the LMG and it proved to be a worthy adversary. Combined with the Shield CQS sight it’s accuracy against us was quite something! We had a blast in the tunnel attacking and defending the flag against team Shield!

The Tunnel was full of gunfire, smokes and bangs going off making the experience epic!

Although my favourite “Airsoft” part of the weekend, however, was running the 6 stage rifle competition in the 40m range. The competition stages were lovingly built and put together by the Shield team especially for the weekend and they did a fantastic job. The stages were a variety of scenarios that were to be completed in the quickest time possible and ranged from room to room breach and clear, car scenarios, stair clearance and other stages to battle it out for a chance to win a Shield CQS sight! Now although I didn’t win the sight, it was awesome to put the Krytac PDW, SPR and CRB through their paces on the course!

EASE DAY

Over the weekend I also got chance to have an introduction to real steel shooting – by giving the 3 stage introduction to .22 shooting on the 25m range a blast. We were given a safety brief by the instructors on the range as real steel is obviously a lot different to shooting an Airsoft gun. I absolutely loved every second of it – the sound and feel of the recoil of the rifle really got my adrenaline pumping and left me wanting more. I was lucky enough to get some pointer and tips on how to improve everything from my accuracy to range times which gave ne has really encouraged me to try take up .22 practical shooting!

I had an amazing weekend with at the Open Range Day and LMG release, the activities on offer were fun, engaging and exciting to take part in. The cost for the day was excellent value for money due to the unique nature of the activities - .22 rifle shooting isn’t something you get to experience every day!

The event was even better value if you prebooked! Although it was a fair way away from home, the experience was definitely worth it and I’m really looking forward to the next Shield event.

Count me in!

Contact details: Target Sports Centre LTD The Tunnel, Axminster Road, Charmouth, Dorset DT6 6BY 01297560049 www.thetunnel.co.uk info@thetunnel.co.uk Shield Firearms & Sights LTD Bridport DT6 9DW 01297678233 www.shieldpsd.com

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

47

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Event MIDLANDS AIRSOFT FAIR

THE MIDLANDS AIRSOFT FAIR ON SATURDAY THE 10th OCTOBER 2015 THE MIDLANDS AIRSOFT FAIR RETURNED TO THE THE GAOL IN RUTLAND TO OFFER AIRSOFTERS AN EVENT LIKE NO OTHER ON THE CALENDAR THIS WAS THE 4th EVENT to be held at the The Gaol, with each one being bigger than the last. For those that are unfamiliar with the venue, Airsoft Action have visited the The Gaol before and we were not disappointed. What’s not to like? A unique opportunity to play Airsoft inside an old Prison! MAF is not just another open day though, it is jointly organised by Skirmish Combat Games and The Gaol Events, both of whom have many years of experience in the Airsoft industry.

At 8am on the morning of the event, traders started arriving to set up their pitches, which didn’t take long as MAF had provided each seller with an allocated pitch area and tables included in the booking price. With the last few items being placed out for sale, the gates were finally opened at 10am for public admission. It has to be said that it was nice to see so many people arriving early and waiting outside to get a chance to see the one-off bargains. Within 20 mins of opening, over 150 people had come through the gate and it showed no sign of slowing and, even at this stage, it was already a more successful event than the previous fair.

MAF offered something for everyone. For just a £5.00 admission fee, players could look round the stalls, play pistol and shotgun games on and around “G Wing”, improve their skills and drills, or just test themselves on the pistol range course of fire. Also present were 126 Field Sqn REME (who Nige had met earlier this year at West Midlands Airsoft), giving players the chance to get to grips with real steel kit, as well as Paul Wignell from ActionSportGames, who didn’t get a break all day with excited players getting up close and personal with the latest ASG offerings and trying get some free swag too! Inside “E Wing” there were two floors crammed with stalls offering 2nd user bargains, as well as a plethora of new kit from quite a few retailers. Most of the well-known Airsoft brands could be handled and purchased from the stalls, sometimes at much less than you would expect to pay online or instore. It was nice to see kit from ASG, Nuprol, WE, ICS, SRC, G&G, Abbey, Kombat, Viper, Armex and Tippmann (to mention just a few).

Looking round the stalls helps you build up an appetite, which MAF had covered too. Included in the ticket price everyone got a Breakfast Cob and if you were hungry later, hot pork cobs with lashings of stuffing and gravy were on hand.

As the games on G Wing progressed, reports from marshals

and players were that the gameplay was both fast and furious and, in a way, that has become to be expected at the Gaol.

At just after 2pm players gathered outside for the drawing of the raffle, where prizes included free game days at West Midlands Airsoft, Skirmish Combat Games and The Gaol as well as money to spend on Airsoft goodies at Ammo Drop, as well as a pistol of choice for the top prize winner. MAF also agreed to make a donation of £150.00 to Pilgrim Bandits, who had been present throughout the day highlighting the good work done by this great charity.

As the event closed stalls began packing away and stall holders gathered to compare notes and stories from the day. All agreed that it had certainly been the busiest event yet and the next event could be even bigger and better.

MAF isn’t trying to become “The next big event”, Its aim was always to provide a low cost event where airsofters could get together, browse, buy and play and mingle without the heavy admission costs. With that in mind, those will be the principles adhered to over the coming years as the Midland Airsoft Fair continues to grow.

At the time of writing the date of the next event is still to be finalized but you can keep up to date, or find more information on their website (www.midlandsairsoftfair.co.uk) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/groups/midlandsairsoftfair).

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

49

AIRSOFT ACTION’S GLOBE-TROTTING REPORTER, LES LEE, IS A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME AS HE TAKES PART IN A HALLOWEEN SPECIAL SOMEWHERE IN DEEPEST, DARKEST KENT…

BATTLE LAKES

Pictures: Ashley Wright Photography

BEING A REPORTER COMMANDS that you take thinking outside the box to a very high level and experience has proven that the absolute key ingredient to delivering any successful sport/hobby/pastime is “passion” - and lots of it! Clearly this is not in short supply at Battle Lakes, one very unique site in Kent.

As is normal for almost all sites these days, a Sat Nav is a very useful piece of kit if you are to make the briefing in time, however, a hard top road to plenty of hard top parking at the site is always a nice find and not having to yomp your kit for miles is always a bonus.

At Battle Lakes, you will see that this is not just a typical woodland site exclusively for us crazy ‘softers but a pretty big establishment out in the sticks, predominantly set up as a personal and corporate development centre, more specifically designed for team building days. However, this just so happens to be the perfect venue for Airsoft as every conceivable facility is catered for and the whole development is maintained to the highest standard.

Upon arrival, you will be ushered into the covered safe zone where you can be sure that your kit bag is safe and will stay dry throughout the day. Free tea and coffee awaits and a selection of snacks are available if you missed brekkie, whilst ensuring that every item of battle sim is stowed and secured, because BBs and batteries are more important than breakfast, right?

Well that’s debatable but whatever you forget can be found and/or purchased on site from one of the most accommodating on-site shops that I have had the pleasure to buy from. “Not

50

January 2016

again!” I say to myself but I feel kinda rude if I fondle the goods without parting with cash - but more about RDX Tactical later.

So, with the safety briefing completed and guns chrono’d, it’s time to initiate objective number one.

Now this was a Halloween special, so no prizes for guessing that round nearly every corner was a Zombie or three. The games were based around the popular “Resident Evil” franchise and teams were divided into S.T.A.R.S and Umbrella Corp.

During the morning the teams had to take control of a rundown Umbrella Corp Genetic Engineering Facility and locate vials containing the DNA of classic resident evil characters, all worth differing points. The Umbrella Corp had to locate and extract, whilst the S.T.A.R.S had to destroy them. Midway through the initiative changed, with VIPs as Zombies and Scientists, with either team trying to protect their own VIPs whilst eradicating the OpFor’s.

Lunch was different to other sites, being homemade pasta Bolognese. Nice! Alternatives such as hot dogs and vegan options were available on request when booking but the home cooked food is very popular, with stews, casseroles and chilis being voted for via a poll on the Battle Lakes Facebook page.

There’s good chance to get in plenty of the usual banter and also some photos taken by specialist Airsoft photographer Ashleigh Wright, of Ashleigh Wright Photography. I met Ashleigh some 2 1/2 years ago when she was starting out

site BATTLE LAKES

and her passion for Airsoft has kept her (if you’ll pardon the morning affected how the afternoon played out. pun) focussed. You might notice that the quality of today’s The Umbrella Corp had developed a bomb capable of photographs are better than my usual “camera on auto and releasing the T-virus far and wide. They had to fight their way fingers crossed” offerings and all credit for these goes to through S.T.A.R.S resistance to get the bomb to the staging Ashleigh. (If you want to book her for your event, she can be area and release the Virus. Naturally, the S.T.A.R.S have an contacted at www.airsoftphotography.co.uk) anti-virus to sway the tide of battle. Keeping the game fresh, a Kieran is Head Marshall at Battle Lakes and is responsible secondary objective involving blowing up the Research Facility for organisation of Marshals, checking the guns velocities at the and more VIP protection/hits brought us to endex. chrono, and giving radio updates on the days objectives. The Any extra time left at the end of the main games is filled Team behind Battle Lakes are all players themselves and this is with short skirmish games, based in a concentrated area clear when you see how much passion goes into each game bringing the thrill of speedball into the woods. day.

So what makes Battle Lakes stand apart from the rest? Well During the lunch break I had a chance to grab and interview one of the players, completely at random, “THIS PLACE HAS LAKES AND LOTS OF THEM WHICH, WHEN INTEGRATED by the name of Ollie Pryce. Ollie is 23 WITH THE HUGE STRUCTURES ALREADY IN PLACE FOR THE TEAM years old and has been playing at Battle BUILDING CORPORATE DAYS, CREATES ONE OF THE MOST UNIQUE AND Lakes for five years. This is what he had this to say: EXHILARATING FIREFIGHT ZONES ANYONE COULD WISH FOR.” “Battle Lakes is where I started playing Airsoft, and I’ve been coming back ever since. When you’re having a break from the game apart from the superb facilities, friendly marshals and players you can always approach staff members knowing that you can (and very honourable players at that), is the battle theatre have a laugh and get some Intel on the game at hand. The itself. By now you have probably guessed that the clue is in the onsite shop, RDX Tactical, always has what I need, and what I name! Yes, this place has lakes and lots of them which, when want! integrated with the huge structures already in place for the “The firefights at Battle Lakes can be intense and games team building corporate days, creates one of the most unique are thought out and planned with precision and fairness, and exhilarating firefight zones anyone could wish for. both teams stand a good chance to win the day. If you’re It is a well-balanced area of woodland, open areas, more of a sneaky player, you can flank to your hearts content, strategically placed lakes (or that should read strategic with 200 acres to play with you find routes everywhere. The combat areas utilising the lakes) and a host of man-made regular players that attend know the site well and are friendly emplacements. With nearly all the games being dependant on, and helpful to players new to the game and site itself. Battle for example, securing a bridge so that as the mission unfolds, Lakes is without doubt the best site I have been to and I would without meticulous teamwork things just ain’t gonna work. recommend anyone to come and see for themselves!”

Thankfully, long gone are the days of capturing the flag and For the second half of the day, the objectives from the the like (we leave that to paintballers) but Battle Lakes is a

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51

Unit C1, Northway Trading Estate, Northway Lane, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 8JH. United Kingdom.

Tel +44 (0)1684 273070 Fax +44 (0)1684 273052 Email rwuk.retail@redwolfairsoft.com

u k . r e d w o l f a i r s o f t . c o m www.facebook.com/redwolfuk.retail

www.youtube.com/user/redwolfairsoft

site BATTLE LAKES

superb site for (strangely enough) team building and actually functioning as one unit. So if you’re part of a team or just want to join and work as a team member for a day then without any doubt, this is the place to go.

RDX Tactical, a relatively new kid on the block, provides the on-site shop with some very unique Airsoft gear. First and foremost, their prices are extremely competitive, for example a TM Desert Eagle hard kick for £130 had my name written all over it. Amongst the other stock items, most of which won’t be typically found at an on-site shop, is the new 30 round Moscart BB launcher that can be fitted to any rail on a rifle but for even more fun, on a pistol such is the diminutive size and with an RRP of £40, I would say that’s a whole lot of bolt-on fun, especially at any CQB game. Shower your oppo with BBs? Hell yeah – why not!

Many of the games use a tactical mil spec truck with the

obligatory M60 mounted front and centre which, of course, is mission specific and I must say that as well as the pre-erected structures for the corporate events (of which there are many and all built professionally to the highest industry standards), the dedicated Airsoft bunkers, bolt holes and barricades are of the same quality thus in keeping with the whole facility. No tatty tarps or tyres strewn without thought amongst the natural woodland or lakesides, this is one of the tidiest sites that I have had the pleasure to visit and certainly one of the friendliest.

The grub was good, the shop was great (even though I left 130 pounds lighter), the gamesmanship was first class with no bitchin’ & moaning (not that I saw anyway) and the overall consensus was that this is a site definitely worth visiting....

Often! Especially with winter upon us as the fact that these are proper buildings with electric that can only mean one thing... heating and a chance to step inside and defrost the cahoneys when things get beyond cold.

Yes, I must conclude this review by offering an opinion that Battle Lakes has it all. It is a fine example of what I believe nearly every Airsofter wants. It is easy to find, a very nice place indeed, great, friendly staff, players and sportsmanship, the imminent chance to play as part of a team, realistic objectives, good grub and a great shop. A very well run site infused with passion and professionalism.

What more could us ‘softers want?

Les OUT!

Contact Details: Zed Adventures Team Dynamics World Wide Ltd Hawkenbury Road Bells Yew Green Tunbridge Wells Kent TN3 9AP zedadventures.co.uk zedadventures@zedevents.co.uk 07904 724837

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

53

COLD WAR COMBATANT:

THE SOVIET UNION

IN THE LAST ISSUE, GARETH “GADGE” HARVEY WROTE ABOUT GREAT BRITAIN. THIS TIME HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION EASTWARDS AND HEADS BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN FOR ALMOST 70 YEARS the Russian-led Soviet Union played a major part on the world’s stage. After a WWI communist revolution and a desperate struggle to defeat the Nazi invasion during WWII, the Soviet Union or CCCP/ USSR emerged from the Second World War as a major superpower.

Referred to as the “evil empire” by US president Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, the USSR took on the status as “opposing force” with its desire to spread world communism and faced off against the rival behemoth military industrial force of the USA. While for the duration of the cold war the USSR was portrayed as an “evil” and repressive force and the enemy of freedom, it may be worth considering that Russia’s “buffer state” policy of having its eastern neighbours like East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary etc. allied to it as a natural “security measure”, after being invaded twice in the 20th century by Western states.

The Soviet Union itself was a massive conglomeration of allied, mainly Russian-speaking, states including countries like Belarus, Ukraine, Estonia and Latvia. While all members of these countries were “soviet citizens”, it was often the case that Russians had a somewhat preferential treatment both in civilian life and in the army. One interesting point in fact, is that the Soviet Army only used Russian for both everyday life and orders and recruits from outlying areas who may have spoken Estonian or Uzbek were expected to quickly learn Russian. An end result of this was a much “tribalised”

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Soviet Army in which soldiers of different nationalities formed protective groups in barracks and helped each other out. A wider representation of this “tribal” system was even part of official policy. Recruits chances of getting into certain arms of service depended largely on their place of birth, political reliability and, to a degree, their physical build. For example, short but physically fit Muscovites who had been part of a civilian glider club had a very high chance of being draughted into a combat aviation unit, whereas recruits from the central Asian farming areas with poor educations and little Russian language skills often find themselves in construction units.

Technical-minded soviet young men could easily find themselves in the tank corps (as long as they were short enough for the low profile soviet MBT), or even better still the elite “strategic rocket troops”, who creamed off the best of recruits – providing they were politically reliable young communists! For many men recruited into the soviet army, like the conscripted armies of WWII, the army provided shelter, clothing, a chance to learn a trade and (for a very small few) more food than they were used to (but for most rations were short and soviet recruits remember being almost always hungry) at the expense of a few years of their life under harsh discipline.

THE IRON CURTAIN

By western standards life in the Soviet Union and its satellite states was grim, oppressive and lacking in personal, political and religious freedom. With even the mighty USA daunted by the sheer size and power of the USSR, the “free world” founded the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to

COLD WAR WARRiors THE SOVIET UNION

protect each other with military aid should the soviet union attack any one state. In “retaliation” to this alliance and provoked by West Germany’s entry into NATO, the USSR founded the “Warsaw Pact”. In theory, an eastern equivalent of NATO but in reality an effective means for Moscow to keep its neighbour states in line and control their military activity. Thus, the dividing lines of the cold war were set up with the USA and NATO on one side and across the “iron curtain” (as Churchill called the dividing line between east and west) the Warsaw Pact. Both sides facing off against each other with a staggering amount of men, equipment and, most worryingly of all, nuclear weapons.

While the Warsaw Pact was a huge organisation it really was a “supporting role” to the juggernaut of the Soviet “Red Army”. WWII had seen the Russians gear up production for “total war” and the post war years saw no sign of them stepping down in any way. Able to field millions of men under arms in each of their armed services, it seemed at times that the Soviets had more tanks than NATO had men. In the early stages of the Cold War, NATO relied on the threat of nuclear weapons to “level the playing field” (quite literally) if the Russians marched east but, by 1949 the Russians had their own atomic weapons and a “nuclear standoff” soon ensued.

In Cold War Warriors we’ve featured many Soviet and Warsaw Pact units and many of these have come from the Army and Air Force service branches (the others being the Navy, Strategic Rocket Services and Border Guards) and this is mainly because the vanguard of the Red Army when it has deployed in the 20th century had been its paratroops and its armoured divisions.

PIONEERING PARATROOPERS

Unlike most nations whose paratroopers form part of the army, the Russians believed in “airborne assault forces”, whereupon a divisional size force could enter the battle via parachute, aircraft/glider or whichever means seemed most appropriate and so allocated the airborne fighting men to the Air Force arm as the Germans had in WWII. Soviet paratroopers were among the first to pioneer airborne techniques before WWII but a shortage of aircraft saw them largely used as elite infantry during that war. In the cold war years, however, Soviet paras formations would

be expanded to huge divisional sized units able to land fully selfsupporting battle groups behind enemy lines in minutes, with their own self-propelled guns, armoured fighting vehicles and helicopter support. Soviet airborne would see action in supressing the Czech and Hungarian uprising but would really find fame on the world stage during their near decade long involvement in Afghanistan, seizing Kabul in 1979 and remaining active participants in the war until the withdrawal in 1989. The airborne forces (and to a degree the “naval infantry” we shall see in a future issue) were considered the “elite” of Soviet military power, with a high proportion of airborne soldiers taking on Special Forces roles.

In a more conventional 3rd World War it was the might of the Soviet tank army’s that NATO feared. By the 1980s the Russians had over 50,000 tanks in active service and almost 60,000 APCs with thousands more in reserve storage! Given that even the US had a fraction of this number of armoured vehicles, it’s no surprise that NATO in the 1980s expected the infantry with anti-tank missiles and close air support jets and helicopters to help tackle the hordes of soviet armour that would pour across the German plains. While in Cold War Warriors we rarely consider the vehicles of the Cold War and we focus on the personal equipment a player can use for games of airsoft, it’s worth remembering that the most humble red army rifleman would arrive into battle in a tracked or wheeled armoured vehicle carrying its own autocannon and (or) anti-tank missiles.

While the soviet tank divisions could be rightly expected to contain the lion’s share of the T55, T62/64, T72 and T80 tanks in service through much of the cold war, many westerners

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55

COLD WAR WARRiors THE SOVIET UNION

were surprised to see the Russians mix APCs and Tanks in the same division. While a tank division would consist of mainly main battle tanks with a motor rifles regiment to support it (the soviets used the term “motor rifles” to refer to armoured infantry), a motor rifles regiment would mirror this and consist mainly of infantry squads in BMP1 or BMP2 AFVs supported by a tank element, to enable them to quickly punch through NATO armoured resistance.

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January 2016

BAD GUY CHIC

Thankfully NATO and the Warsaw Pact never came to blows and have a full on shooting war in Europe but it didn’t stop both sides testing their men and equipment in “proxy wars” overseas.

The Soviet Union exported vast amounts of armoured vehicles, helicopters, jet fighters/bombers and small arms (along with the training and technical staff required to show the end user how they worked) to fledging states with Marxist ideologies across the world. Some of these states “adopted” communism in order to gain military and economic support from the USSR but most of them had genuine revolutionary fervour and were only too happy to receive shipments of tanks and guns from Russia. Donating military equipment is one thing but overtly putting “troops on the ground” was far more likely to spark off a European war and so both sides were incredibly cautious about this. That said, however, East German and Soviet advisors were often spotted in African trouble spots and rumours abound that “white mercenaries” in many African bush wars were actually Soviet Special Forces, Spetsnaz troops keen to get combat experience and acquire NATO equipment for examination by the Kremlin.

One thing we can be sure of though, is that in most Cold War airsoft games the Soviet Union will be portrayed as the “bad guys” and recieve the same allure that the “bad guys” get in WWII games. Perhaps it’s the unusual equipment designs, the appeal of being the “threat” or just the simple coolness of classic soviet designs like the AK47. Whatever the reason you’ll find there is no shortage of players rocking up in Russian kit at themed games across the country!

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RETURNING TO HIS POST-APOCALYPTIC THEME INSPIRED

BY THE NOVEL “METRO 2033”, JERRY NOONE LOOKS AT THE IMPORTANCE OF “FACTIONS” WITHIN THIS GAME WORLD AND HOW THEY CAN TRANSFORM A GOOD SCENARIO INTO A GREAT ONE! IN THE DARK AND OPPRESSIVE WORLD of “Metro 2033” the story is driven in many ways by the different factions that inhabit the underground system. Many are driven by greed and the accumulation of power like the “Hanseatic League” but others, such as the evil and brooding “Fourth Reich”, have much darker motives. Unlike the independent stations, the bigger factions control multiple areas of the line and have the military muscle to enforce their rule.

This is often the same for many Post-Ap and horror driven storylines; what would “Resident Evil” have been without the menacing “Umbrella Corporation” and if you’ve ever watched the old TV series with Luke Perry, “Jeremiah” the elusive troops of the “Valhalla Sector” seem to turn up just as the storyline needs a punch in the right direction.

Factions, however, need not always be evil and corrupt (although in an airsoft game that’s sometimes an awful lot of fun!) but can ultimately prove to be beneficial. I’ll look here to the mighty “Judge Dredd” where the Justice Department and the Judges themselves are essentially the good guys and keep the sprawling populace of Mega City One on the straight and narrow. What I’m attempting to do here is illustrate that a well-run faction can really bring something to any game and in many instances actually provide the scenario writers with a way of pushing the gameplay forward.

Over the years I’ve been a member of factions in Post-Ap games and even commanded a couple. A good faction leader working hand in hand with the Head Marshal can ensure that the flow of the game moves where (and when) it should. If one particular group of “survivors” are dominating the game then the Marshal can simply send in the faction to totally change the dynamic of gameplay!

Much as I looked at the character of my lone wolf survivor “Feliks Tomashenko” in the first part of this, I’ll also look at the back-story of my faction. I’m going to step away from the ones featured in the book and look at how I would go about organising my group and once again start by asking some questions, in this case: • What is the faction and where have they come from?

• How have they access to military-grade equipment?

• Are they good, bad, or indifferent?

• What are their motivations?

• Have they a moral standpoint?

• Will they try and enforce their order or act to help other survivors?

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Loaded or Unloaded METRO 2033 II – FACTION FURY

BUNKER MENTALITY

For my faction I’m going to create the “Dark Templars”. Essentially based around a non-religious interpretation of the Knights Templar of old, their order was already in existence when “The Event” took place and they have survived and thrived for many years in their underground bunker living and training facility, hidden away from the eyes of the masses.

They have watched the world outside fall into anarchy and extremism and the “Council of Templars” have made the decision that it is time for them to act at last.

The bunker itself was fully stocked at the time of “The Event” and has supplies enough to last for many years to come. These supplies include food, water, medical supplies, weapons, ammunition, vehicles and fuel. Unlike the majority of the lone survivors and small scavenging bands the “Dark Templars” (as a militaristic order) are well versed in small unit tactics and the use of weapons. The individual Templar is fit, well equipped, well-motivated and able to take the fight fully to enemies of the Order.

The “Dark Templars”, so called for subdued tones of the uniforms and equipment they use and carry, are actually a force for good with a strong desire to help return peace to a world shattered by violence. That is not to say though that they will not act in the most robust and aggressive manner possible if they feel that the fragile peace they are beginning to restore is being threatened.

APOCALYPSE ARMOUR

In stark contrast to the “survivor” I would see the “Templars” as being more uniform in their appearance. I would also see them using a common firearm throughout the team. In the past for any faction I led I would suggest to potential members that we should stick to plain black loadouts. I’d often look for an unusual primary, something like the Steyr AUG for instance, to equip them with. If some of the guys didn’t have that particular RIF then I’d try and arrange “deals” for a group buy with a friendly retailer to equip the team.

In the run-up to the game I would try and bring everyone together for a “gear and build day”, often with a gun tech or two in attendance to ensure that we all knew one another and shared a common vision of what we were about. This often took place at a local site where we could test fire our guns, sort out our kit and they normally ended up involving a barbeque. Not only

were these great fun days but by the end of it I knew the capabilities of my “Faction”, so I could let the Head Marshal know how we might be utilised in game.

I appreciate that this may be too regimented for some but it is honestly a fantastic way to prepare for big game!

Things have moved on from “LE Black” though, and the options for a good “dark” loadout are many now. When I was preparing this article in my head I initially thought of the “grey” route that has been all the rage recently (and given recent events and media images is set to grow and grow), but then I happened to notice that my good mate Matt from HUEYs had begun to stock whole loadouts from OPS Tactical in Multicam Black. I gave him a quick ping online and he advised me that yes, everything I would need was in stock so we agreed on a sample package and the “Dark Templars” were ready to move into the light of day.

For the basic uniform I opted to go for The OPS Gen 2 Improved Direct Action Shirt and has an RRP of £64.99; it has a body area made from cotton jersey knit material resulting in more comfort. The under arm area features an elastic material, which again provides a better fit for the dynamic user; the shirt also has a high zip collar which is ideal for a little protection from the elements and helps minimise chafing under a plate carrier. The forearm has a low profile pocket with zip on both sides and upper arm pockets with large velcro panels for patches and IDs provide extra storage. There are shaped elbows which are reinforced with 500D CORDURA and accept moulded/removable elbow pads, which are included. £84.99 will get you a pair of OPS Advanced Fast Response Pants and very nifty they are too! These are a great low profile operator pants with removable kneepads, which are included. They are made of mil-spec 50/50 NYCO Ripstop fabric and feature a six pockets design with two front pockets, two rear pockets and a shaped cargo pocket on each leg.

The kneepad pockets are fully reinforced using 500D Cordura and there’s a durable mil-spec stretch fabric in the upper leg key area to give ease of movement. These are a nononsense combat pant with some excellent features – and nice and tough to boot!

I wanted to create two separate loadouts for my “Templar” so there were some other things that could be used in common for both. First up I chose a black NUPROL FAST Helmet replica for £54.99 and added an OPS MC Black Helmet Cover; these covers are great as essentially you can have one helmet for a number of loadouts and just change the cover to the appropriate pattern and at £26.50 they’re not going to break the bank. For additional head protection I chose a NUPROL Lower Face

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59

Mesh Mask which at just £11.99 is tremendous value for money; of course I chose the “Skull” version as it looks quite apocalyptic! I added a simple black headover that I had laying around, along with a pair of black Oakley SI Assault Gloves that originally came from Tactical Kit and cost £39.99 and topped everything off with a pair of NUPROL Pro Mesh Goggles at £12.99.

I’m always very particular about my choice of footwear and in this instance I opted for a pair of AKU Pilgrim High Legs; in its GoreTex lined version this versatile and hugely practical boot is completely waterproof with increased breathability and the outer is very quick drying; there’s just no point having a highly breathable boot lining if the outer fabric stays waterlogged as this will prevent moisture dispersion from the inside. With a 3D fully taped Gore-

everywhere; front, back and sides too, so you’re going to be able to load up “Breacher style” with ease! The cummerbund is neatly elasticated for a personalised fit and comfort and one feature I really like is that the central cummerbund closure point is split into two rather than just one big flap.

There are triple velcro shoulder adjustments, again to aid in a perfect fit and velcro panels front and rear for all your team and morale patches. The carrier is neatly rounded out with a broad webbing drag-handle to the upper rear. I added a few magazine pouches which retail at £12.99 each, along with a mid-sized radio pouch at £9.99. An admin pouch was set centre chest for £12.99 and as I wanted my “Breacher” to be equipped with a shotgun, I affixed a shotgun shell panel in the lower back; holding up to eighteen 3 x 10 shotgun the panel Tex booty lining and Air 8000 uppers the Pilgrim HL GTX is 30% more breathable than conventional Gore Tex lined boots.

EVA foam cushioning offers added impact absorption and the nine inch ankle height provides enhanced stability and support which is great if you’re carrying heavy gear or a big pack. The boots feature a locking lace hook to vary the lace tension between the lower and upper boot and three sturdy upper lace hooks to facilitate speedy lacing and quick access. AKU have used a reliable and trusted Vibram sole unit with excellent grip in the black model for increased comfort and control. They also benefit from the IMS (Internal Midsole System) which has been specifically designed to reduce injury and enhance impact absorption when load carrying over uneven ground. Featuring 3mm of EVA cushioning above the 3D midsole ensures that your foot is directly in contact with cushioning rather than a hard midsole. A 5mm EVA forefoot, and 17mm EVA heel cushioning takes care of impact forces from hard ground. These excellent boots are currently available for £155.00 from Trekitt Mountain Sports in Hereford and in my opinion they’re worth every penny!

The variation in loadout that I wanted to achieve was basically a “Line Templar” and a “Breacher” and this really all came down to the choice of gun and gear for the “Breacher”. I chose to keep the price down by making use of one of the new NUPROL plate carriers in plain black. £59.99 gets you one of these cracking armour vests and there are features aplenty to justify this keen price-tag. There is quite literally MOLLE

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January 2016

Loaded or Unloaded METRO 2033 II – FACTION FURY

provides more than enough ammo to keep you rolling!

I decided to equip my “Line Templar” with an IWI Tavor from Umarex as I’ve always thought that futuristic troops would carry a shorter primary ideal for restricted spaces and working from vehicles; the Tavor ticks all the boxes in this respect and brings everything neatly up to date.

To “feed the beast” I then chose an MC Black OPS Advanced Modular Plate Carrier which at £114.99 is made from mil-spec 500D Cordura laminated with ultra-strong breaking strength synthetic rubber. It’s a clever design as one size fits most thanks to the fully adjustable padded shoulder straps and a cummerbund that is adjustable up to 52”. It’s fully modular with a removable chest panel, which can be used as a stand-alone panel with the provided webbing and can also be used as a belt mount/MOLLE drop leg panel with extension straps. The plate carrier is also fully compatible with the OPS EASY rig and other OPS chest rigs. I decided to keep things very simple with this rig and added a Combat Admin Pouch for £28.99, a neat E&E Pouch for £20.50 and three Double 556/Single AK Pouches for £13.99 each. For both rigs I used replica plates from J-Tac to give them a really solid feel.

The last addition was an OPS EASY Pack; this is a cracking little day patrol pack made from official Multicam Black 500D Cordura fabric, milspec webbing, and has mil-spec ITW NEXUS plastic hardware throughout. There’s a central top flap tube or wire routing port, along with padded and ergonomically shaped shoulder straps and a sternum strap. There are 3 x 3 MOLLE areas on both sides for additional pouches and gear, an internal hydration slot and a mesh pocket with zipper on both components, the smaller of which on the front features admin slots and pockets. At £76.50 this an awesome little pack which you could carry all day, big enough to contain all your airsoft essentials.

Ready to face a brave new world, my “Dark Templars” were ready to roll; if you imagine a team of 15/20 players all decked out in a similar fashion I’m sure you can see what an impact this would make on a game site once they were unleashed on the scavengers and scallies!

Whichever part you choose to play in any PostApocalyptic scenario my advice is to have fun with it, get into the role and make it fully yours. Other players always welcome someone that has done their preparation fully and well and scenario writers and site operators will be pleased to see you too. As I always say, check the scenario thoroughly, do your research and spend your money wisely. Play with honour as always, as if you don’t the “Dark Templars” could well be on your trail!

GEAR LIST AND WHERE TO GET IT www.hueys.co.uk

www.tactical-kit.co.uk

www.jtac-custom.co.uk

From humble beginnings HUEYS have an ever expanding portfolio of top end brands including OPS Tactical and are fast becoming a “player” in the world of tactical gear; visit them regularly as stock tends to go very quickly!

For the full range Oakley gear please do pay a visit to Tactical Kit. Their website is crammed full of so much top-end gear you’ll need to keep your wallet firmly under lock and key!

Whatever rig you are running J-Tac are the people to go to for fantastic, highquality replica foam plates. They’re very well priced and give that final finishing touch to your loadout!

www.trekitt.co.uk

www.armex.co.uk

www.weairsofteurope.com

Trekitt Mountain Sports in Hereford are best known for their superb range of outdoor performance gear from some of the biggest and best names out there.

They also offer a fabulous range of military boots including those from AKU which are exclusive to them.

If you’re in the market for a fully licenced Umarex RIF then do pay a visit to ARMEX, the UK distributor. My thanks to them for the loan of the IWI Tavor featured in this article and I’ll be bringing you a review of that in a future issue of Airsoft Action.

The NUPROL range is going from strength to absolute strength and if you’re looking for gear and accessories then you really need to keep an eye on their line as it seems to expand on an almost daily basis!

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

61

WE SCAR H GBB

THE WE SCAR H GAS BLOW BACK PROMISES 7.62 RECOIL BUT IS IT THE EXPERIENCE WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR OR ARE THEIR CLAIMS A BAG OF HOT AIR? SCOTT ALLAN INVESTIGATES… THE GAS BLOW BACK MARKET is a fickle market; everyone wants to love them and you’ll find endless scores of people saying theirs works all year round. The sad reality is that they simply do not function as well as an electrically powered rifle over the winter months. But everything has its place and the SCAR H will undoubtedly be a huge hit with fans. Available in both Dark Earth and Black, certainly the DE will be the most popular colour by a long way.

WE? WHO ARE THEY?

WE, or Wei Tech, are based in Taiwan and have for many years been one of the most productive gas manufacturers in the market today. They have been around for as long as I can remember and their range of pistols is nothing short of silly. The quality of the pistols was never quite KWA (and neither was the

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January 2016

performance) but the price was always extremely respectable and rarely got above £100 for a pistol. Magazines were also very sensibly priced and were normally around 50% cheaper than other manufacturers. As well as electrical rifles WE have manufactured many gas blow back rifles starting with an M4 platform around 7 years ago. The electric SCAR rifles and the GBB SCAR L were all well received so I have my fingers crossed for the Heavy GBB version.

SCAR H and L may be confusing to some but it is very simple: L is the Light or 5.56mm version and H is the heavy or 7.62mm version. True to the real version, WE have constructed this in a similar fashion and it is all about the realism. You only have a 30 round magazine, which is 10 rounds more than the real version and each magazine requires gassing independently, as you would expect. Thankfully each magazine does take a lot

Armoury WE SCAR H GBB

“THERE ARE LOTS OF REALLY NICE SCAR REPLICAS THESE DAYS AND WE ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO MAKE A GBB SCAR H WHICH IS WHY YOU SHOULD BE EXCITED.” of gas, so you should not be running out mid-way through the magazine. The mix of polymer and metal construction mimics the real version faithfully, as does the quad rail system, flip up sights and adjustable stock you will find on the rifle.

THE REAL SCAR H

The SCAR (Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle) was designed and developed by FN Herstal, or Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal to give them their full name, a Belgian company. Who would have thought one of countries pumping out endless new regulations and laws through the EU to “improve” our lives are also the largest exporter of firearms in Europe. Hardly seems fair does it? The Heavy version of the SCAR is the 7.62mm NATO round-slinging variant. I had to the good fortune to try it out at the Shot Show a couple of years ago and it is a full-on, shoulder-crunching beast! Fully automatic was nothing short of insane, as the short lightweight construction offered little fight against the rate of fire and recoil. Best I could manage was 4 rounds on target at 25 metres before it entered anti-aircraft mode. The other name the SCAR H goes by is the “Mk 17 Mod 0”, which is the military designation. From the two variants the H is the only type to survive the military budget cuts on a large scale. Its Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR) potential being realised and you will see these still today. Versions such as the Sniper Support Role (SSR) Mk 20 Mod 0 are used with longer barrels and rail systems as an alternative to the SR25 type platforms.

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Armoury WE SCAR H GBB

BACK TO THE WE GBB

Externally the SCAR looks as nice as most of the other types you will see on skirmish fields around the world. From Dboys to VFC, each has made their own version of the SCAR family. To be totally honest I can hardly tell any of them apart from a couple of feet away. One thing every manufacturer has nailed bang on is a nice finish. It probably means they’re all churned out of the same factory, of course I jest but there are lots of really nice SCAR replicas these days and WE are the only one who make a GBB SCAR H which is why you should be excited. The design mimics the real version very closely with a whole host of ambidextrous controls the latest and greatest open bolt system WE have to offer and of course realistic field stripping.

While I didn’t expect much from a gas rifle in December I was quite surprised what the SCAR did on the first pull of the trigger, a whopping 365fps in a cold Scottish warehouse.

The ambient temperature was 15 degrees and I didn’t

expect to finish the magazine and yet it steadily stamped each round out of the barrel on single shot until it was empty. The recoil was around where I expected, it was made all the better by the lovely trigger pull which felt engaging and positive.

Reviewing a GBB is always a little more tricky than a usual review, I can’t talk about the quality of the gears, motor or piston. There’s no bearings or bushings and the rate of fire is in the lap of the gods, or MET Office depending on your beliefs. That said it does allow me to talk about consistency, venting and recoil so the trade-off isn’t all bad.

I tried Nuprol 2.0 throughout the testing as this is quite a common gas and is fairly similar to most other gases out there. I figured if it worked on this then Nuprol 3.0 and 4.0 should be even better, although it would most likely be too powerful for most game sites. I did notice a fair variation in the fps, sometimes a swing of 20 fps either way. Clearly the seal between the valve and the barrel and gas expansion did vary a little. I say “a little” because even the smallest amount of venting can lower the FPS hugely. Strangely enough as the FPS bounced around the accuracy remained consistent, which is a sign of a well-made hop unit. Often I find the hop ups on gas rifles a little fickle and in need of constant adjusting. Heavy weight BBs are always worth considering too but be cautious as heavier BBs actually increase the power of a GBB. I once tested an MP7 that chronographed 370fps on 0.20’s, 0.25’s and then 0.30’s. That meant the actual power was increasing as the weight increased, this is due to the additional force required to move the BB allows the gas to expand further.

While fully automatic is available on the SCAR H I think only a fool would use it often. I am yet to see a fully automatic standard GBB system that works well for more than a few rounds. You certainly aren’t going to be dumping magazine after magazine at a target. This is the whole problem with a standard gas system, it simply doesn’t stand up toe to toe with an electrical system.

Is it more fun to fire? Yes! Are the kills more rewarding?

Yes! Are they more realistic? Yes! But the magazines cost more, they are more work to reload and more expensive to keep running and you are limited to nicer weather in general, regardless of what people say. I’ve seen a chap who shall remain nameless brag endlessly about a certain GBB product with a plethora of footage showing him slaying the masses only to sell it “because it was unreliable”. Don’t get me wrong I am not knocking the product at all, I only hope to educate

“IF YOU ARE THE KIND OF AIRSOFTER WHO APPRECIATES WORKING HARDER FOR YOUR KILLS AND YOU HAVE A GENUINE APPRECIATION FOR REALISM, THEN YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WE SCAR H GBB.” you, the reader, so that you understand fully the general capabilities of ALL GBB rifles not just this fine example.

During a skirmish, the GBB is a brilliant sight to behold.

Admittedly I think they’re better indoors than open woodland and this is largely due to the lack of rounds available to punch through the foliage in a woodland site. CQB and other tighter scenarios where there is more single shot sees a much more level playing field for the GBB. The only other draw back is the magazine size. The SCAR H magazine is 7.62 obviously, this means you need the corresponding rig or pouches which is another expense you should consider.

CONCLUSION

If you are the kind of airsofter who appreciates working harder for your kills and you have a genuine appreciation for realism, then you will not be disappointed with the WE SCAR H. From the pre-game maintenance to the realistic cycling and you bury BBs into your targets, it is a smile-maker that is for sure.

If you want to spray and pray in a woodland environment, WE do make an electric SCAR H that is also worth considering. I do love this rifle but I know in my heart, like all the other GBB rifles out there, that I just wouldn’t use it personally because I’m too lazy.

features WEIGHT 3.4KG

SWITCHABLE COCKING LEVER

LENGTH 878MM

ADJUSTABLE STOCK LENGTH AND CHEEK PIECE

MAGAZINE CAPACITY 30 ROUNDS POWER 365FPS ON BLASTER 0.20G BB USING NUPROL 2.0

SIDE FOLDING STOCK

AMBIDEXTEROUS FIRE SELECTOR

REALISTIC FIELD STRIPPING

AMBIDEXTEROUS MAGAZINE RELEASE

EXPECT TO PAY AROUND: £350.00

FLIP UP SIGHTS

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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S E I B M ZO E D A V IN N I A SP

ROBERTO “TENCHU” LOPEZ JOINS THE SICK MONKEY ASSAULT SQUAD, FIGHTING TO RESCUE SURVIVORS AS THEY BATTLE HORDES OF MARAUDING ZOMBIES

I CLOSED MY EYES WHEN a young survivor, running away from a surprising brain-slurper, turns suddenly and slammed against the glass of a bus stop. Even with the impact echo in mind, the other survivors ran without care about the falling guy and initiate a rare disbandment more proper of National Geographic documentaries. Ah! Those wild and innocent gazelles racing to escape the encroaching predators...

While I reload my gun, half smiling behind the skull mask, it appears that the reptilian cannibal zombie brain seems to be more logical in their acts than the supposedly rational and advanced survivors who are fighting for their lives. In that

“WE STAY TO HELP... OURSELVES? IN HELL!!”

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exact moment one small, compassionate thought crosses my experienced contractor mind; as well as prescribing like doctors the exact prescription to the no-brain guys (not in a vicious way from our side; but only to alleviate their endless fear), is it now necessary to shepherd the living to bring them some sanity, even within this apocalyptic nightmare?

We begin to tie a pre-teen survivor to a tree (maybe it will renew him his energy with the sick mother earth one) and transfer their funds and their bewildered parents to our hunger pocket (Yeah, that bag of mercenary pre-retirement what we are always happy to increase!) and far away we notice

International SPANISH ZOMBIES

Background WRG

WRG, the Company that “hires” the services of SMAS has spent several years managing events throughout the country. The record of participation in an event is around 5,000 players ... just imagine five hours later, 4,500 have become zombies!

again the poor guy who five minutes ago slammed into the glass canopy and who, not having being bitten or infected by anyone, comes “bobbing” towards us like a zombie.

Yes, it is time to harvest. The zombies collect brains and indeterminate body parts and we collect other more material possessions with which to negotiate once this new mission will be successfully ended. We know the most valuable things are not money or jewellery; the most valuable is the time we steal for the survivors! Many of them have found in our hands just enough time to avoid being slowly devoured by crazy death pilgrims, which seem to smile while diligently applying their jaws to the closest human appendix they can.

Damn hysterical screams that haunt us now and that possibly we will remember in our dreams for days, even into our bunkers comfortably safe! But still, we are fortunate: More than two years together, sharing brotherhood and only a few casualties to lament “which the shaped charge bullet connects, has not to be separated by zombie claws”. An accurate fusillade gives everybody a momentary breach in the zombie horde where we run and cross, human and dehumanized mercenaries, taking good care not to miss anything of value down the road, of course.

And because we still remember, just when finally we are relaxed and “light” beers exceed our understanding, that once “Slipknotty” lost one of his ears (and consequently also his humanity five minutes later) when frozen in front, a good-looking young zombie approaching him, moving as a rag doll with a leer on her disfigured face. It is true that Notty never had good taste for women, it is also true that in current apocalypse times the women maybe have not the necessary time to make up - or directly they have no time to live. Damn it Slipknotty! We miss you so much and miss so much also the lot of bullets that, in a very Christian way, we had to put in your whole body... and that very bad feeling when we remember her inanimate Goddess jaws crunching you!

More shots and it seems that the situation starts to be controlled. Our very good payers, the WRG Corporation manages to occasionally create unexpected disasters in some

Combat vehicles also contributes to the unclassifiable Monkeys and other Regular military forces, zombies hordes and stunts (mostly actors, which the Monkeys always would like to shoot to decrease their egos), an army of makeup artists for participants and staff and a bombproof infrastructure which has even been able to manage the event on board a ship, during a cruise!

Facebook WRG: https://www.facebook.com/WRG-World-RealGames-167958609979530/

THE EVENTS

During the events and due to the involvement and suggestion, participants live the most unexpected situations: boyfriends abandoning their girlfriends to the zombies, tough guys hard-bargaining their lives with fake money from the organization, or even abandoning their own children tied to a lamppost. An experience to be lived on either side and roles.

SMAS TEAM ORIGIN

SMAS members are airsoft players who come from different teams.

Players from around the country may be also invited to live the experience of being a Sick Monkey, insane people, for sure. Despite public rumours, team members are more handsome with the mask on!

The SMAS Armoury includes an extensive catalogue of airsoft guns, dummy knives (or not) and secondary detonator weapons. They are now working on Primary detonator weapons and enlisting K-9 dogs...

Facebook Monkeys: https://es-es.facebook.com/ SickMonkeys

SMAS MASKS ORIGIN Members began to refer their skull masks to the videogame Call of Duty. In recent times they have begun to spontaneously collaborate with the Bulgarian masks artist Satana El. Facebook Satana El: https://www. facebook.com/SatanaelArt-293818840659050/

distant town and then appears as a spontaneous saviour to the community (in a very difficult pyromaniac-fireman role). But for us, business is business, nothing personal: take money with the left hand, take money with the right one... to redistribute what WRG provided to us, just professionally but with joy, with a childlike smile, totally unseen behind our death skull masks.

Sometimes the zombies themselves seem to doubt about their own perceptions when they are facing us, because the evil is shown in our faces and neither the goodness is perceived in our bodies and in our actions ... Thus we are the Monkeys!

Those who stay to help, those who stay to serve.

Sick Monkey Assault Squad. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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THE BILLET KELLY “FEMME FATALE” HARDWICK TRAVELLED TO THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND TO MEET UP WITH SOME FRIENDS AND PLAY AT THE BILLET, A CQB SITE IN ALDERSHOT RUN BY AMBUSH ADVENTURES. AMBUSH ADVENTURES: THE BILLET is a relatively new site (having been established around 18 months ago), set in an old military barracks within the heart of Aldershot. From my home in the Midlands, the site is around 151 miles so it is a fair drive for those of us in the more northern regions of the UK but is really easy to access via the M40 or M1. The site itself is easy to find as the Ambush staff have signposted the entrance as you drive through the gates you are greeted by the site’s marshals, you are checked against the list and directed to the large carpark that has plenty of space for players ready to start the day!

Booking onto the Billet is really easy and is done by completing a form on their website and, after talking to a few players on the day, it appears that this is a new bookingon process which has improved on the previous method. The walk on fee is £35 (which is a little more expensive than the average game day fee) includes a lunch of two hot dogs and

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although the site books up quickly, there are plenty of chances to play the Billet as games are run every Sunday, with around 40 players in attendance. They also hold Wednesday night games that are gaining in popularity and run from 7.30-10pm for a walk-on fee of £15 - the perfect bargain for that midweek pew-pew fix!

The safe zone at The Billet is arguably one of the best safe zones I have seen, it’s a large room full of tables ready for the day’s activities and is big enough for their maximum player count of 50. It has a kitchen that provides lunch and sells snacks and drinks throughout the day, it is heated (which is much appreciated), has electricity points so you can charge batteries etc. and it is also well-lit and clean. There are also well-equipped shops for all your Airsoft needs, in the form of Just Cause Airsoft and Sierra Alpha Supplies. Just Cause Airsoft specialise in RIFs and Sierra Alpha Supplies focus on Army surplus and tactical kit for the avid Airsofter, the store has been going for over 4 years and like Ambush, is a family-run business

by Simon and his son. The shop is has everything you could need (because let’s be honest – new kit is a need not a want!) and for those things that are a little more special, they have an order-in service. One thing I really like about the facilities is that there is a separate toilet for women, it sounds small but it makes a big difference! The site runs a strict chrono limit of 350 maximum for AEGs and pistols and because the site is extremely close CQB, it’s not suitable for snipers or DMRs, so leave those at home!

Let’s talk a little bit about the site’s staff, Ambush Adventures is a family run business, owned and operated by Christine and Charlie James. What immediately hits you about them is that they are welcoming, friendly and happy to engage in conversations with their customers. The safety brief delivered

by Charlie is animated and engaging. It is clear from how they interact with their players throughout the game day that they have built a solid relationship with their customer base. Their marshals are another strong asset to their team, especially

site report AMBUSH ADVENTURES: THE BILLET

Head Marshals Tony and Dave. One thing I can commend the staff on is their professionalism and light-hearted banter which keeps morale up during the day – even during the 3pm slump.

Whilst at the Billet I had the pleasure to meet a member of the Ambush team who has made quite a name for himself within the industry; Stretch the chicken from Super Mega Tactical Airsoft News and his sidekick, Matt. I have seen videos and photographs of the infamous Stretch floating around on social media for a while, it was great to finally meet Stretch and sling some plastic with him (I tried for a chicken kill but alas I did not possess the stealth!) He was kind enough to indulge me in a tactical selfie and gave me some super sweet patches to add to my growing collection – man love da bakewell!

The Billet is made up of 2 spider buildings with multiple linked rooms that have over 30 entry/exit points, which makes for varied and interesting gameplay. The buildings have an abundance of corridors full to the brim with lockers and other obstacles to fight through and around. The site utilises a mix of different sized rooms, some submerged in darkness that contain lockers, bunkbeds and other pieces of cover. There is a large amount of outdoor space around the main building where the cover is provided by the buildings themselves, shipping containers, lined fences and a variety of trees – the outside element to the site opens the doors to more game play options.

Due to the close quarter’s element of the site, the gameplay however is concentrated within the building complex itself and is intense (prepare for a ricochet party!). This site is the type of CQB that really gets my adrenaline running and heart pumping!

Room to room clearing, knowing that there could be an enemy round every corner or hidden away in any locker really gets the fear going! This element of fear results in an overall

better performance for me personally. My favourite aspect of the site is at the very heart of the spider buildings – the toilet blocks that connects the two halves of each building together.

It’s exactly what you would imagine; rows of toilet stalls with sinks and showers thrown in the mix. The toilet blocks have been jazzed up with smoke machines and speakers to distort the player’s field of vision and to drown out sounds in an epic guitar solo. Clearing the stalls and shower cubicles with ‘nades, pistol and knife kills is an awesome feeling and is something I look forward to in the defend and attack games!

The games are always varied and well run. They vary from Team Death Matches, Zombie games and objective games. My personal favourites are their objective games as they give you something else to aim for, other than just the kill. Ambush use a variety of tech and props to really bring their objective games to life. There are two that really stand out to me: the “Flashy Light Box” and the “Hostage Rescue” games.

The “Flashy Light Box” game is exactly how it sounds; 6 objective boxes with two switches and two different coloured lights are placed in the game zone waiting to be captured by either team. Once the box is located the player must a flip the switch that belongs to their colour to control the box. If the box is already under the opposing team’s control, two players are required as a player can only flip one switch – so one to flip the switch to disarm the other team’s light and one to arm their own. This game is fast-paced and intense, from the frantic search at the beginning to locate and arm the boxes to defending them fiercely to keep the balance of the game in favour of your team. I’ve always enjoyed this particular game mode.

The “Hostage Rescue” game is another of my Billet favourites and is where one team defends two objectives that

“THIS SITE IS THE TYPE OF CQB THAT REALLY GETS MY ADRENALINE RUNNING AND HEART PUMPING! ROOM TO ROOM CLEARING, KNOWING THAT THERE COULD BE AN ENEMY ROUND EVERY CORNER OR HIDDEN AWAY IN ANY LOCKER REALLY GETS THE FEAR GOING!”

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site report AMBUSH ADVENTURES: THE BILLET

are dispersed into the spider buildings. The objectives are usually a piece of “intel” such as a briefcase or laptop and the Ambush flight pilot mannequin, “Steve”. The attacking team must complete the 3 phases in the least amount of time possible. Phase one is to capture the intel, phase two is to rescue the hostage and phase three is to transport the objectives to the extraction point. This game really encourages players to work together to capture the objectives, which is what the sport is all about! The games are then reversed so both teams get to experience both aspects of the game.

Ambush Adventures operate a really interesting respawn rule that I’ve not seen at any other site so far: Each team has a clock at their respawn point with alternating team-coloured, 5 minute sections and, upon reaching the respawn clock, if the minute hand is on your team’s colour you can get straight back into the game. If not, you must wait until the minute hand does reach your colour – which can be an agonising wait if you were involved in a particularly intense firefight.

The other players on site are one aspect of the day that really impact how I personally feel at the end of the day and I’ve played the Billet on two separate occasions – once on a regular game day and the second time to review the site. I

made a rookie mistake the second time and announced on social media that I was covering the site which meant the game day was fully booked and attracted some “difficult” players so, in light of this, I have based this report on my experience of a regular game day as it is fairer to the site and its regular players.

I encountered no problems on the day (no cheat calling or non-hit taking), everyone was in high spirits and a pleasure to be around. There is a real community feel amongst the players at Ambush and there is also a particular team who really stand out when I recall my visits to the “THEY ALSO HOLD WEDNESDAY Billet – Scorpion. A fairly large team of NIGHT GAMES THAT ARE GAINING IN fun loving, honest POPULARITY AND RUN FROM 7.30lads from the South East of England who 10pm FOR A WALK-ON FEE OF £15 - THE I had the pleasure PERFECT BARGAIN FOR THAT MIDWEEK to run with. They PEW-PEW FIX!” were really friendly, welcoming and you could certainly have a laugh with them. Teams and players who share the same attitudes as Scorpion really make me proud to be a part of the Airsoft community.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Ambush Adventures the Billet. The site is well run by professional and friendly members of staff that take pride in their site and games they run. The games are varied and entertaining yet provide a great challenge for both beginners and seasoned airsofters.

Contact Information: Charlie & Christine James Ambush Adventures The Billet Malta Barracks Forge Lane Aldershot GU11 2RE 01252315225 07595948760

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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THE SCOUT SNIPER AS GADGE CONTINUES HIS LOOK AT TEAM FORMATION, HE FOCUSSES ON ONE OF THE MOST ALLURING ROLES IN ANY TEAM, THE SNIPER THE ALLURE OF THE “SNIPER” in airsoft is understandably powerful, it’s the classic image of a well-trained and deadly lone wolf, stalking their prey through the battle zone and relying on “one shot, one kill” to achieve their aims.

But the reality in the game of airsoft is often very different from the popular image of the sniper (or for the purpose of this article, the all-round recce specialist, the “scout sniper”); many people simply don’t have the temperament to play the waiting game that’s required and lack the skills (and technical tinkering ability) to make that first round count.

In the real world the men who make up the ranks of the close observation platoons, recce platoons and sniper cadres are quiet guys capable of spending long periods of time inactive, or quietly and invisibly infiltrating the enemy’s front line before exploding into violent action. Infiltration towards a hide, lying up point or shooting position could take hours and more likely days… and in all but the longest of MilSim events you just don’t have the luxury of taking that much time to get into position in airsoft. At best on an open day, you’re going to have thirty minutes to get into position if you actually want to be able to be useful to your team and so you’re going to have to rely on speed rather than stealth as your “security” while getting into position.

That’s not to say that a good scout sniper in airsoft doesn’t need fieldcraft in spades. You need to be able to assess a good

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route to your observation/firing point and you may even need map-reading skills to suss out a good spot if you’re new to the site. Silent but speedy movement is essential and while a ghillie suit can aid your personal concealment immensely, many airsoft scout snipers compromise with either head and shoulders/ upper body ghillie, or mesh-based 3D leaf suits to allow them to rapidly move into position without overheating or snagging their suit on undergrowth and leaving a tell-tale trail of their route into the area.

PERSONAL CAMOUFLAGE

You don’t need to have been a soldier or cadet to pick up great field craft but you do have to apply yourself to doing it well if you want to succeed in the role. Personal camouflage is a must. As well as wearing camouflage BDUs that are appropriate for the terrain (and also the aforementioned ghillie or leaf suit), remember to site yourself in a location where you have plenty of “backdrop” behind you to prevent you from presenting a silhouette or a visible outline. Local foliage can be added to help break up your outline but don’t go mental with it. A “walking bush” is not only really obvious but cramming half a tree onto your rig will make you unwieldy and noisy when infiltrating or stalking the enemy! Lastly, remember to change any fresh vegetation attached to your kit regularly. In summer it will wilt and stand out from the lush green “living”

Team Formation SNIPER SCOUT

vegetation and in larger game areas you may find that the ferns you decked yourself out in for one game field are totally inappropriate for the next zone.

While many of you will think of the role of the “sniper” as a purely offensive tool in the team’s “kitbag”, it’s worth remembering that a good sniper is also a good “spy”. You can often be far more effective to your team in the “scout” role of the “scout sniper” combination. By remaining undetected you are able to let the enemy force pass through your position and radio back to your team leaders their intent. You will be able to allow your team to interdict and ambush the enemy by giving your squad a vital “heads up” as to the direction of travel, size of force and even possible enemy intent based on the kit they are carrying; if you see the enemy escorting a high value target then it’s a fair bet they are heading to the helipad or extraction zone!

Traditionally, military recce units have operated in this manner, allowing enemy recce units to pass through them so as to be able to get a better look at the main force; in fact in the WWII battle of Stalingrad, Russian and German recce groups would purposely avoid each other even when sighted in order to achieve their own objectives and not get tied down in a pointless skirmish with the opposing scouts.

BE THE HUNTER NOT THE HUNTED

Having got to your objective and avoided enemy patrols it’s now your mission to either get as much intel on the enemy as you can (this can often be a game objective in itself!), or to take out a key player. It may even simply be to create “harassing fire” to make the enemies patrols “go tactical” far earlier than they would like to have done and tire them out.

Either way, it’s important for you the hunter (or spy) not to become the hunted. A wise scout sniper will try and do a 360 degree reconnaissance of the target area (often not possible in shorter games) and ensure that the enemy don’t have their

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Team Formation SNIPER SCOUT

own ambushes, counter snipers, or “clearing patrols” securing the FPS your local site will allow. Needless to say, it’s imperative the area. to respect and understand the “minimum engagement As with AEG-based airsoft, for the keen and inexperienced distance” for your chosen site and if you don’t know how to it’s often tempting to fire at the longest possible range and judge “20 metres” get someone to show you, rather than with as much firepower as you can put down but in this role hacking off the other side with close range 500FPS shots. For (and assuming here we’re acting as a sniper or marksman this reason it’s pretty much essential that, as a bare minimum, rather than scout) you really want to be a close as you can be you equip yourself with a backup pistol for those annoying while respecting the minimum engagement distances. There is times when you’ve got the drop on someone but you’re too a massive temptation as a sniper to engage at a range where close and also those worrying times when the “hounds have the enemy’s lower-powered AEG cannot effectively return fire found the fox” and you need to shoot your way out. While but this is often a terrible gamble. Semi-auto DMRs “KITTING YOURSELF OUT FOR THE ROLE OF SCOUT/SNIPER OPENS UP A that are perhaps only a few FPS lower than you but set WHOLE WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES AND WILL LARGELY REVOLVE AROUND up better can really ruin your WHETHER YOU ARE PLAYING 30 MINUTE GAMES AT AN OPEN DAY, OR THREE day and every shot you fire increases the chance of you DAY EPIC ADVENTURES ON AN MOD TRAINING GROUND.” giving away your position –especially if your rifle has a long draw/pull of the bolt, as even the slightest movement can most scout/sniper types choose a good quiet gas pistol, a give a shooter away. Much better by far to get closer and make growing number of players favour a compact SMG for a bit sure that the first shot fired takes the enemy Commander/VIP more firepower if compromised; the flip side of course being target/radio operator out of the game instantly! Remember that an SMG or machine pistol is more encumbrance to crawl it’s perfectly OK to “go to ground” or relocate after you’ve through the woods with. taken your shot, even if you missed. It’s better to avoid being “pinged” and wait 15 minutes then have another go, rather WEAPON OF CHOICE than keep firing from the same place.

Whatever your choice of personal weapons, spend some time As mentioned before, whether you’re shooting or getting them set up correctly. Fit some decent upgrades as observing, contact with your team leader is vital. Unlike many many experienced airsoft snipers will attest that a 500FPS rifle of your team mates who will be close enough to see and shout is less useful than a 350fps one if set up badly and shooting to each other, being seen or heard would be fatal in your poor quality or overly light BBs. In fact some favour a subchosen role. To that end choose a decent radio that is able to 350FPS rifle in order to avoid minimum range restrictions. send and receive messages quietly with no audible beeps and However you decide to play the role of scout/sniper you will squawks, it may sound obvious but I’ve seen more than enough be unique. You’ll be both within the team yet playing solo. budding “snipers” given away by a loud radio!

Utilised properly you’re a game winner, able to feedback vital Kitting yourself out for the role of scout/sniper opens up intel, take out major targets or just simply slow down enemy a whole world of possibilities and will largely revolve around deployment. While it’s true that just the cry of “sniper” on the whether you are playing 30 minute games at an open day, or skirmish field can put some players into a panic, badly trained three day epic adventures on an MOD training ground. and over-eager snipers, however, are a liability to your team, At one end of the scale the “designated marksman” as you’re just one man taken out of the team for no real is perhaps a halfway house between “scout sniper” and gains! “rifleman”. Largely equipped like the squad’s riflemen, you’ll The job of Scout/Sniper is not a role that suits have a slightly punchier, semi-only long rifle and possibly a everyone (and it doesn’t even suit most of the people small amount of upper body extra camo. Relying on speed to who love the idea of it) but for those with the redeploy when spotted or react quickly and counter-snipe for fieldcraft and patience to make it work, your team, this role often plays up to the strengths of the less it’s one of the most rewarding roles in patient player. the team!

At the other end of the spectrum the more “traditional” Next issue: The Team Medic sniper or recce specialist will want to maximise their personal camouflage with a full ghillie suit and the most accurate and quietest rifle they can afford - and run it at the upper limits of

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CUSTOM L119A1 CQB IF YOU’RE PLANNING ON CREATING A “UKSF” STYLE LOADOUT THEN THERE REALLY IS ONLY ONE LOGICAL CHOICE OF CARBINE AND THAT’S THE L119A1. THIS MONTH IN PART 1 JERRY NOONE “GEEKS UP” AND LOOKS AT GATHERING THE CORRECT PARTS AND THE WORK NECESSARY TO CREATE A GAS BLOWBACK VERSION I HAVE TO SAY THAT over the years I have seen some pretty darn fine British Infantry loadouts and there are numerous manufacturers out there that make cracking L85s for this, plus the roll-out of aftermarket parts such as the licenced Daniel Defence rails, ACOGs, Grip-Pods and LLM-01s mean that you can bring these bang up to date as they are currently issued.

If, however, you fancy going down the “UKSF” route then things get a little more tricky and involved; there’s only one manufacturer that makes a stock L119 as used by the SAS, SBS and the SFSG and sadly it’s not a truly accurate replica. If you want an L119A1 then you’re going to have to “geek up” and build it for yourself!

The original

First let’s have a look at the “real deal”, as the UK L119A1 is actually based off the C8 carbine made by Colt Canada (formerly Diemaco) and not the M4 as many people think. The C8 is popular with many special operations forces due to its short barrel and adjustable stock. The original gas impingement

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system in 5.56 mm has been battle-proven in harsh combat environments, from snow and ice to desert sands and jungles for over 25 years but was allegedly first used in anger by the SAS during Operation BARRAS in Sierra Leone.

The C8 inherited the basic appearance of its American cousin the Colt M4 Carbine but years of development in partnership with the Canadian Armed Forces have made this firearm somewhat unique. One of the most significant developments was the cold hammer forged heavy barrel, which gives the C8 a much longer service life than other AR systems and a very distinctive appearance. The C8 can also be customconfigured to meet any operational requirements and barrel lengths in 10” or 11.6” for the CQB, 14.5”for the C8A3, or 16.1” for the SFW, along with numerous accessory and sighting options create a platform that is both flexible and adaptable.

If you check on www. eliteukforces.info you’ll find a fair bit of information on the L119A1, and one particular paragraph states: “The C8 fires a 5.56x45mm round and uses standard NATO 30-round magazines. The C8 is a versatile weapon which can be fitted with a variety of scopes/aiming devices. Other attachments include an underslung 40mm grenade launcher.

UKSF are reportedly using the HK AG-C (L17A1) grenade launcher.”

Both the C8CQB with a 10” barrel and the C8SFW with a 16.1” barrel have been seen in the hands of British “operators” globally. The famous pictures of the SBS team that turned up at the Qala-i-Jangi siege in November 2001 show them using the SFW and if you search out images of the British members of “Task Force Black/Knight” who were operational in Iraq, you see the 10” CQB version used almost exclusively. In a nutshell, if you’re going to emulate UKSF then you’re going to need a “Diemaco”.

GITAG CUSTOM L119A1 CQB

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BATTERY OR GAS?

The first question I asked myself was exactly that; did I want to go down the AEG or the GBB route to build my 119? After looking around at various options for the “donor gun” I eventually decided to go the gas route with one of the excellent WE Airsoft Europe (WEAE) open bolt M4s for several reasons (Original Pics 1-4). This M4 comes with an unmarked lower receiver which means there are no “trades” to hide (more on this later), a rail that is very similar to the Knights Armament Company (KAC) one used on the real 119 and best of all, a two-piece outer barrel.

These might sound like strange reasons initially but as I detail the build things will become clearer. Having decided on a base carbine I then needed to search out all the parts I would need; I decided to go with the 10” CQB variant so I wouldn’t need to source the very specific outer barrel extension and reinforced front sight but to create a true replica there were some very specific items I needed to source.

• An older style ribbed CAR15 stock • A rubber butt pad • A Storm or Hogue pistol grip • A KAC style RIS (if you don’t have a base gun with this in place they are readily available) • Full length RIS covers • An ACOG sight • A Wing Mount to accommodate a micro red-dot on top of the ACOG • A Foregrip • A suitable flash-hider • A “Surefire” style suppressor Much of this was pretty easily achieved by a trawl of the interwebz and luckily my good friend John at J-Tac Custom had many of the parts in stock at the time. I wanted to create the 10” barrelled CQB variant so by removing the outer barrel of the M4, reducing the length of the inner barrel and setting the correct flash-hider in place that was all that was needed.

The outer barrel simply screws off to reveal the extended inner barrel (Pic 1) which can be left in place if you’re going to use

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a suppressor full time but I decided to take out the inner barrel and give it to my friend Mark to turn down and recrown on his lathe (Pic 2) and left the “birdcage” in place on the short outer (you can also use a “Surefire” style hider if you want to get really fancy!) (Pic 3).

Changing the sliding stocks was simplicity itself as it really is just a case of sliding the original off and replacing it with the new one. The rubber butt-pad was a Guarder model that came from J-Tac and again this was easily fitted; for authenticity there many images showing the pad secured to the stock using a cable tie (Pic 4 ).

Using a GBB as a base also meant that changing the pistol grip was pretty straightforward… or so I thought! Being a typical “airsoft man” of course I decided there was no reason to look at the exploded parts diagram that comes in the instruction manual so I just went about unscrewing the original grip. Mistake Number One! I also thought I could do this sitting comfortably on the sofa in my office. Mistake Number Two! As I released the original pistol grip I heard that dreaded sound of something going “ping”! Unbeknownst to me there is a safety detent on the WEAE M4 that is held in place by a small spring recessed into the pistol grip itself. As I released the grip the spring was retained but the detent, a tiny piece of metal, had disappeared into the sofa; fifteen minutes later after much swearing I managed to find it but then realised that the G&P Storm grip I’d got to replace the original had no place for the spring to go! I decided then to be a little more careful with things and placed both the spring and the detent safely aside whilst I headed to the workshop with both pistol grips and the parts diagram in hand.

This is a REALLY tricky part of the build as you not only need to drill the correct diameter but also the correct depth for the spring recess; it really is a case of measure twice, drill once as you only get one shot at this and the Storm grips are not cheap! First I found the correct diameter by placing different drill bits into the recess in the original. I then marked with tape on the bit the depth. I measured the placement of the recess not twice but several times… and then went for it. Luckily I got it right first time. Do really take your time on this as the end result is really worth the effort! (Pic 5).

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GITAG CUSTOM L119A1 CQB

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER

With the Storm Grip in place things were starting to shape up nicely. Fitting of the foregrip (I chose a Tango Down QD stubby but you can equally use a KAC style or a Grip-Pod) and the rail covers was the work of a moment and I decided for comfort’s sake to use a ladder-style rail on the base of the RIS. Equally easy to fit was the Battleaxe PEQ-15; if you’re going for an older style “Task Force Black 119” then you’ll need a PEQ-2.

The 119 appears usually to be fitted with an ACOG TA01NSN 4x32 optic but as I already had a TA31-CH model in hand (allegedly some 119s have been upgraded to this model) on a nice LaRue QD mount, I decided to use that. I also had a micro red-dot in hand but I was stumped by where to find the 6 elusive “wing mount” until a friend pointed me in the direction of Warlord Tactical on the Book of Faces; Warlord are based in the Far East and specialise in 119 parts and are super people to deal with. Just contact them, let them know what you’re after and they’ll come back with a quote including shipping. Within ten days I had my wing mount to protect the red-dot and it was simply a case of screwing it onto the top of the ACOG. Other sights, such as EoTECHs and Aimpoints, have been shown 7 in reference pictures so if you don’t want to go to the trouble of hunting down the mount then those will work too. (Pics 6-7) Two final steps were needed to round everything out. Firstly the stickers that came with the PEQ-15 were a bit shoddy but a visit to one of the online 119 groups soon had me in touch with a chap who had gone to all the trouble of having new ones made based on those fitted to the real thing. A set of two cost just a fiver and made things look SO much better; if you read this Jamie, you’re a top man!

Second was the suppressor as the CQB 119 is invariably shown fitted with a very specific stubby Surefire model. Again I searched and searched for the correct thing with little success until James at Paradigm Rifleworks suggested I speak to Stuart at Project PTW, which I did; money changed hands and the superbly finished replica suppressor duly arrived and screwed straight on with no muss or fuss. To get this to fit flush with the front sight as it should you’ll need to remove the bayonet lug which is easily achieved with the careful application of a Dremel (Pic 8); once removed you can polish the cut down and apply some Abbey “Blu Gel” to tidy everything up (Pic 9). I also removed the front sling swivel (Pic 10). During my discussions with friends about the suppressor I also discovered that Perr Mike versions are excellent too and these sometimes come up on online auction sites so keep your eyes peeled if you’re in the market for one!

For now this is where I’m leaving the project in terms of externals, although at some point I will add a sling plate and a Scout light. J-Tac also offer a service where they can get custom “Diemaco” trades etched into the lower receiver and for iro £30 plus shipping I think I may just have to get this done; for this particular bit of work though I will most definitely “Give It To A Geek!”

See you in Part 2.

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IS IT ALL IN GOOD TASTE?

NEVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM A SEEMINGLY CONTROVERSIAL SUBJECT, IN THIS ISSUE GADGE TACKLES THE SENSITIVE SUBJECT OF “TASTE” AND ASKS IS EVERYTHING “FAIR GAME” OR ARE SOME THINGS JUST “BAD TASTE”?

THIS MONTH THE HOT TOPIC in the Airsoft Action offices was that of “good and bad taste” in the hobby and whether some scenarios were a bit too near the knuckle, too recent in time or just too politically sensitive to make a good game – or was it a case of anything goes and let the paying player decide? While most people would agree a “Balkan Wars ethnic cleansing” scenario would be bang out of order… is it ever “too soon” for some scenarios and do current events strike some games off the roster completely?

As a re-enactor I personally have a “20 year limit” on historical re-enactments/impressions. I do so as not to offend anyone who might have very recent memories of a war or conflict but even so, I remember feeling that a planned “Brits versus IRA” game scheduled at a local site around 2005 was a

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bit “poor taste” to me (having been a squaddie at the end of the “troubles” time period). But with WWII, Nam, Cold War, Black Hawk Down and games of that ilk being ever-popular, it seems most airsofters just want a good back story for their battle.

But sometimes you do see players take offence at things that you yourself would not even notice. While most people are familiar with the tales told of one player or another being offended at someone wearing insignia they didn’t earn, I’ve also seen players offended by national or historical insignia.

At times the “culprit” isn’t even aware they are doing it. Few people buying a surplus US woodland jacket with an “UCK” patch on it from its lend lease days in the Balkans conflicts would have an idea at the history of the UCK or “Kosovan

Debate IS IT ALL IN GOOD TASTE?

Liberation Army” and realise it could be a bit “dodgy”. But here we’re not talking about the odd jacket or a guy turning up to an open day as an SS Stormtrooper… more about someone establishing a whole game around a sensitive or touchy issue.

So we asked our readers whether they would baulk at playing a game set around the recent troubles in the Ukraine, for example or is it “fair game” as a story? Is there anything they wouldn’t take part in and consider “bad taste”?

Are you a CQB/counter terrorist themed gamer now seriously reconsidering the morals of “SWAT vs Tangos” in the wake of recent tragic events. Do you perhaps even consider WWII “out of order” with 50 per cent of the player base wearing swastikas on their uniforms?

What became clearly apparent is that nearly all airsofters who got involved felt that everyone who plays is able to detach themselves from the “politics” of any real conflict and simply use the drama of the setting to enhance their game. It would also seem that conflicts far from home, even those involving British troops, have less of a negative impact than for example games based on terrorism in the UK. One thing was for sure though, in this debate most of you were certainly of the opinion that the important thing was that war itself was not being trivialised or glorified on the playing field.

Here’s what you had to say: Sean BE: “I think the problem is some of the more delicate scenarios are the most interesting historically. I think if it’s done in good taste and in a re-enactment way then why not?”

William Newman: “At Frontier Airsoft (which I run) we have a fictional alternate time line so all of our games are based in that world and interconnect but most of the real world armies are replaced with fictional forces and we never recreate historical battles. A few years ago I did a one-off Vietnam game and again, for that I just wrote in a fictional village and story for what was going on “I do this because I don’t want to offend anyone. I’m no history expert and feel I’d not do it justice trying to tell that story and also an alternative history gives you greater artistic licence when writing the story’s for the games and adding in some Bond-style bad guys and insane Generals.”

Rob Searle: “Personally, I totally agree with Sean. Some of the more interesting conflicts are the most delicate ones.

“Nothing in Airsoft is done to promote or glorify war, suffering and conflict. If anything, games based around “those” kinds of sensitive real-world events raises people’s awareness of the specific subject - that’s got to be a positive thing. A tastefully-done storyline, whatever the period of conflict, will be met with enthusiasm and criticism - you just can’t please everyone these days. At the end of the day, if you can’t come to Airsoft with an open mind and a sense of humour, perhaps it’s not the sport for you.”

Brendan Robb: “No matter how hard you try, somebody will always be offended for some reason.

“When I did re-enacting, there were always more Germans than other forces, not because they were Nazi supporters but purely because they had the cooler weapons. Most groups had a “no deaths head/SS runes” to keep it in good taste and keep the pubic happy. I’m making a modern Opfor/terrorist loadout for a game coming up, not because I support the Taliban or IS/ ISIS/Daesh but because somebody has to portray the bad guy, or else we can just play like plastic army men and have green VS brown.”

Evo Von Himmel: “I’ve played SS, Taliban, Viet Cong, Drug gangs, imaginary eastern European terrorists and all manner of “bad guys” over the years (as well as plenty of “good guys”!) and don’t have a problem with any of it, it’s really all about the context. If people are signing on to a game with set sides, *someone* has to play the bad guys and even then, it’s really all focussed on the combat aspect. We’re not actually out there playing at rounding up and pushing people into cattle trucks, for example. Having said that, it’s all about appropriate context: If you’re attending a WW2 event, you expect swastikas and deaths heads. I wouldn’t, however wear that loadout to an open day though.”

Matthew Philpott: “The idea of a bad taste event would very much be down the players involved. If I turned up to a WW2 event to discover half the German players far too excited about wearing Nazi insignia and making antiSemitic statements, then it would be bad taste and wrong but a bunch of guys playing or re-enacting the historical side of it is fair game.

Too recent again would probably feel a bit odd to me. Something in the news this year would be out of line I suspect, although Black hawk down is plenty historic now to be considered fair game but I think due to its common elements to modern day conflicts many would feel a bit out of line.”

Rob Newton: “Someone will always be offended. Some people think that the pure fact that we play airsoft is in bad taste. Soon as we pamper to the PC group, it’s time to stop playing with toy guns and shoot ‘em up computer games.

“Are Afghanistan-era games offensive? I don’t think so, nor do lads in my team who witnessed that war in multiple tours.”

Cerberus Airsoft: “As said by other people, someone, somewhere will always be offended, you can’t please everybody all of the time. Saying that, if you were to plan an event based on recent circumstances then it could be taken wrong by the

Please note that all pictures are for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect any specific opinions.

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Debate IS IT ALL IN GOOD TASTE?

“IF PEOPLE ARE SIGNING ON TO A GAME WITH SET SIDES, *SOMEONE* HAS TO PLAY THE BAD GUYS AND EVEN THEN, IT’S REALLY ALL FOCUSSED ON THE COMBAT ASPECT.”

media but to be honest, any event from anytime could be taken in the wrong light. Most of the staff at Cerberus are ex job, we have in our time run games on conflicts from the past but have always put our own twist on things to prevent them from going too sour. We don’t agree with people wearing SAS badges or Para wings, ISAF badges as people have earned the right to wear them.

“We do regular training scenarios and base them on current incidents, it gives players an idea they can relate to as it was recently in the news or well known.”

Matt Furey-King: “I met an IRA re-enactment team in Russia.

I was a bit like, errmm… that’s dodgy! But the IRA is a distant concept to them. Conversely, Russians always use imaginary countries in their scenarios, unlike us.”

Scott Allan: “I think it probably relates to how close to home it is. Last thing you want is an ex-para on your site getting extremely upset at some young lad having a laugh at a scenario he lost friends at in real life. You could always do an alternative near to true with fictional country names. Keeps it whiter than white.”

Tim Cleverly: “It’s all down the individual if you ask me. As long as a themed day is done in good taste and respectfully, I say have at it. Themed days that are the product of someone’s imagination always seem a lot more interesting to me, as someone has sat down and spent the time making up place names, armies etc. rather than looking at the news or in a book and going “I’ll do that.””

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Please note that all pictures are for illustrative purposes only and do not reflect any specific opinions.

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METHOD OF ENTRY: PART ONE IN THIS FIRST PART OF A NEW SERIES, ANDY NIGHTINGALE OFFERS SOME PRACTICAL ADVICE ON HOW TO GET INTO A BUILDING OR ROOM – WITHOUT GETTING SHOT DURING A CLOSE QUARTER BATTLE you may find yourself in a position where you have to enter a building or room of some description and if this is the case, then you will be at the mercy of the “fatal funnel”.

The “fatal funnel” is the point at which a greater risk of harm to you and your team exists. Doorways and corridors are both fatal funnels and must be approached and entered with extreme caution. Speed is of the essence here but also you must be positive in your decision to go dynamic as any hesitation on your part or any other member of the team, could end with disastrous results. Once committed you and the team must see the course of action through to the end. This dynamic

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move is known in the trade as a “High Risk Entry”.

There are a lot of ways to enter a building or room but to do it safely and with maximum effect, you must choose the right formula. Doorways differ in many ways and the width of the door is just one consideration. An average door width is around 3 foot 6 inches and will pose a problem if you intend to send two operators in simultaneously. In this case only one operator at a time can enter over the threshold and the entry must be quick but smooth.

If the doorway is large, say for instance a Warehouse entrance, then it would be possible to insert two or more operators at a time, maybe even from more than one direction.

Depending on the make-up of the room and doorway (and also the entry team) will depend on the type of entry you chose.

There are many different types of room entry and all have pros and cons. In this article I want to go through just some of the different methods of entry that you can use in an urban airsoft game.

One thing that you should remember is that you must practice with your team so that all the team knows what is going on. Guessing what is going to happen, or making up new things as you go along is not teamwork and will, inevitably, lead to disaster.

The first thing that must be done is to approach the entrance and this must be done with stealth, as there is nothing to gain in advertising your intentions to the enemy. As you approach, your weapons must be trained on the immediate area of threat. You see guys in Hollywood films approaching with muzzles in the air or pointing at the ground, the threat exists to the front (in most cases) so that is where you should train and aim your weapon. To do otherwise will only slow down your reaction to a contact and we all know action is quicker than reaction!

Once at the doorway you and your team must “stack up”.

This is the point where you are all in a line outside the doorway ready to enter the room and where the team will do a final

Calibre Shooting Skills METHOD OF ENTRY

personal check before committing to going dynamic. The last check is to indicate to the rest of the team that you are “good to go” when the order to breach is given; this is done via a physical signal that is usually a tap from the person behind you.

The message must be passed on from the last operator down to the first in order of March and saves the rest of the team looking around to see if everyone is ready, rather than keeping an eye on their personal areas of responsibility. When all is good to go the team can execute the chosen method of entry.

The process of going through the doorway is pretty much standard operating procedures (SOP). The formation inside the room is what counts to a successful entry assault (or a fail and back to the safe zone for a quick brew). Apart from the operator with a shield (we will look at shield work in the next issue) the entry is also pretty much SOP. The first into the room will enter and move along the path of least resistance and that is to go in the direction they are facing. The second operator will enter and double back to occupy the opposite side of the room and so on in turn. Once inside the room things change depending on the method of entry chosen. Here are two types of entry with doors offset and in the centre of a wall.

WALL FLOOD

“ONE THING THAT YOU SHOULD REMEMBER IS THAT YOU MUST PRACTICE The “Wall Flood” entry is the most common used in WITH YOUR TEAM SO THAT ALL THE TEAM KNOWS WHAT IS GOING ON. commercial structures. As the GUESSING WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, OR MAKING UP NEW THINGS AS YOU first operator enters the room the weapon is trained into the GO ALONG IS NOT TEAMWORK AND WILL, INEVITABLY, LEAD TO DISASTER.” centre of the room and then they sweep the room from Pros: centre to hard corner (the hard corner is the corner of the • Clearly defined areas of responsibility. room to your left or right that is at the end of the wall you are • The direction into the room is determined before entry. traveling along) and then immediately travel along the length • Each operator has defined fields of fire. of the wall before stopping at their designated position. The • The team leader has good command and control. second operator enters and doubles back (in the opposite • The team cannot be out-flanked. direction to the first) with their weapon trained to the centre of the room then sweeping the room to hard corner before taking Cons: up position along the wall in their designated position.

• This method is not as quick as some dynamic entries.

As the operators enter the room they must concentrate on • Doesn’t compromise barricades easily. their own areas of responsibility (AOR). If a target is spotted • It is usually not suitable in residential structures due to by one operator in a zone outside their area of responsibility furniture being along the walls. then they must leave it alone and trust that the teammate • No overlap responsibility to the corners. assigned to that AOR eliminates the target threat. This process is repeated until all the operators are in the room, once inside PENETRATION FLOOD any threats can be dealt with accordingly. If no rounds have The penetration flood is used mainly in residential areas been fired then the team, under the command of the team where there is more likely to be furniture or other items to be leader, can exit the room. If, however, shots have been fired found around the walls, such as chairs, desks, cupboards and then check drills must be completed before anyone can exit the appliances. In this case the wall flood would cause no end of room. The use of hand signals is a point to note as shouting problems. Residential areas tend to have spaces in the centre your intentions will only be advantageous to your enemy. of the room and that is the perfect scenario for the penetration flood. As before the team will approach as normal and stack

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Calibre Shooting Skills METHOD OF ENTRY

up. Communications will be the same but the method of entry won’t.

As the first operator enters they train their weapon into the centre of the room, then occupy a spot 3/4 of the way into the room (for a 4 person team) and then turn to face the wall to the right. Their AOR will be from the centre of the room to just past centre of the side wall. The second operator will enter

and do exactly the same as the first but turn in the opposite direction. The third and fourth operators will follow suit but will travel only 1/4 of the way into the room. The AOR for the third and fourth operators are just past centre of the side wall, back to the entry point. It is at this point that the team must have a clear gap between their backs, large enough to get another person past without disturbing the entry team. This is to allow any supporting team member to enter the room without walking in front of the entry team’s arcs of fire. Once again if shots have been fired then check drills will need to be completed and signals give.

Pros: • This method is very quick to execute.

• The direction into the room is determined before entry.

• Clears some barricades on entry.

• Clearly defined areas of responsibility.

CALIBRE Shooting runs tactical • Over lapping fire to opposite corners. training programs for the Airsoft community. If you would like to Cons: train with CALIBRE or would like • The team can be out flanked. more information on • Command and control can be difficult. their training programs contact • Shooting lanes getting hit in small them on rooms. calibreshooting@gmail.com or phone 07788 501184.

As with all things, the more you Please note that CALIBRE Shooting has no connection with Calibre Publishing practice this as a team, to closer to second Ltd., the publishers of Airsoft Action, nature it will become and you will get to a other than we supply articles and have point where you don’t have to think about a similar name. what you are doing, it will just “happen”.

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DON’T GET TRAPPED!

PAUL YELLAND REPORTS FROM AN A SQUADRON COURSE THAT MANY AIRSOFTERS MIGHT TAKE GREAT BENEFIT FROM ATTENDING – HOW TO DEAL WITH BOOBY TRAPS WHEN I FIRST SAW THE BOOBY TRAP Awareness Course advertised by A Squadron on Facebook, I think that it must have taken me no longer then five seconds to decide that I was going to attend. In Airsoft, booby traps can be used by cunning players to keep the opposition on their toes, so I felt it would be an interesting topic to brush up on. Before I go any further, I want to stress that the course topic is exactly that - an awareness course designed to teach people about the dangers of booby traps and the safety precautions to take on finding one. The course does not teach people how to make explosives and IEDs - it’s about keeping people safe. The course was going to be taught by A Squadron’s Bob Podesta at a rural location near Hereford.

The one thing that always stands out with Faith and Bob at A Squadron, is that they are so warm and welcoming to anybody who attends their courses. When I arrived, there was an informal gathering outside the building with the other course attendees. We quickly found the kettle for a morning brew and Bob cracked open the biscuits. Then we all settled down inside a lecture room for the course introduction. Now, all I will say is that from the start, the course is entertaining and informative, with the first hour or so given to Bob who delivers a very good presentation on booby traps and IED threats. The information that I took on board from that presentation made me change my attitude about the course, from initially focusing on booby traps from a fun airsoft perspective, to a shocking realisation about the true IED threat which is faced by the world’s security forces.

The main aim of the course is to educate people and

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give them an awareness about IEDs, which could mean the difference between somebody surviving and being injured or killed. I must say that Faith and Bob managed to (very effectively) make me extremely aware (and borderline paranoid) from the start of the course. Because of Bob’s experience, gained during his time in the Special Air Service, he was able to tell us all about some of his own personal encounters. I won’t spoil his stories here but the reason why he and many other people have survived the IED threat, is through being cautious and keeping their wits about them. Various conflicts were discussed and there was a varying mix of military service amongst the students, which made the presentation more interesting as people shared their own experiences and knowledge.

As the morning progressed, the emphasis of the session changed from IED awareness to becoming familiar with different types of manufactured devices, such as antipersonnel land mines. What I learned from this discussion was that there are many different designs of land mine, with varying methods of detonation, which are all indiscriminate in whom it maims and kills. By now, my thoughts are deeply set on the risks that the armed forces face when deployed into warzones from landmines and IEDs. Bob described the worry and anxiety that some troops experience through the fear of stepping on a device and the stress that this worry can have on a soldier.

After this very informative and thought-provoking morning, it was time to stop for lunch. We all decided to make the

A Squadron BOOBY TRAP AWARENESS COURSE

searching certain areas for (Simulated) IEDs. I tried to remember as much as I could from Bob’s earlier presentations as I carefully looked around for anything that could have been a booby trap. This is when it finally sunk in – anything can be an IED and if you make just one wrong movement, it could be your last. As is so often said, you have to get it right every single time - terrorists only have to get it right once!

The end of the course was soon upon us and all of the students were issued with certificates. As we all packed up and prepared to head off home, I started to feel disappointed that the course was over. I could have very easily stayed for another day and done the whole thing all over again.

Summarising the course from a personal level, I can honestly say that I have never experienced a course such as this before. The course content was unique and well delivered by both Bob and Faith. As I drove home I felt that my overall knowledge and understanding about the threat of booby traps and IEDs was now at a higher level than the average person in most of the fine autumn sunshine and to sit outside where we had a chance to chat but when Bob asked everyone if we would like to see his ferret, there was a universal gasp and quite a few raised eye brows. Thankfully Bob was referring to his recent restoration project - a Ferret armoured car! Looking around this vehicle, Bob has obviously put in a lot of care and attention to detail as it looked fantastic. A few of the other guys on the course took up Bobs offer for a quick ride around and the huge smiles on everybody’s face - including Bobs - said it all. It was soon time to park the Ferret and continue with the afternoon session of the course - which was certainly going to get everybody thinking.

The afternoon was of a more practical and hands-on theme. We all now had a good understanding of the IED and boobytrap threat and the caution that was required by the security services when considering the possible locations of such devices. What was becoming plainly obvious were the countless number of everyday items which could be turned into an IED. Again, this presentation was a scary realisation that even the most crudely constructed of IEDs could be deadly.

We were then given an exercise to carry out which involved

“THIS IS WHEN IT FINALLY SUNK IN – ANYTHING CAN BE AN IED AND IF YOU MAKE JUST ONE WRONG MOVEMENT, IT COULD BE YOUR LAST. AS IS SO OFTEN SAID, YOU HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT EVERY SINGLE TIME TERRORISTS ONLY HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT ONCE!” the street. I now feel equipped whether at home, abroad or on the skirmish field to be booby trap aware.

The Booby trap awareness course costs £110.00 but if you have attended any other A Squadron courses, you will be entitled to a £10.00 discount. I have tried not to give away any course spoilers, so to find out what the full content of the course is I can strongly recommend that you book yourself onto the course to find out. One thing is for sure - you certainly will not regret it.

A Squadron can be contacted via their website: http:// www.a-sqn.com, by email: trainingwing@a-sqn.com, or by mobile phone: 07762 507 146.

Courtesy of Faith from A Squadron.

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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OPERATION CARAVAN:

LRDG RAID ON BARCE AIRFIELD, LIBYA, SEPTEMBER 1942 AS BILLY CONTINUES HIS LOOK AT FAMOUS RAIDS THAT COULD MAKE A GOOD AIRSOFT SCENARIO, HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS GROUPS OF BRITISH DESERT FIGHTERS, THE LRDG

YOU CAN’T HAVE FAILED TO have seen the news (unless of course you’re the Editor of wildly popular Airsoft magazine and rarely leave either your computer or your telephone for more than a couple of minutes to answer the call of nature), Libya is in a bloody mess, with names like Benghazi and Tripoli being all too familiar to us, as terrorists wander around the deserts and beaches wreaking havoc. Even Egypt is now no longer seen as a safe tourist destination, with the recent downing of a Russian passenger airliner packed with holidaymakers.

It seems odd then, to think that through the years of 193942, during WW2 in Libya and Egypt, there were some other unsavoury characters lurking amid the sand dunes wreaking havoc on an unsuspecting foe. This time the unsavoury characters were Brits and Kiwis and New Zealanders of the LRDG and the foe were the Italian and German Forces of the Axis Powers stationed in the deserts of North Africa.

The LRDG, or Long Range Desert Group, were made up of hardy adventurers, navigators and explorers who, when the war broke out volunteered to assist in the war effort by putting their desert expertise in the hands of the Allies. David Stirling, the founder of the SAS, often used them in the early days of the Regiment to facilitate his raids, before acquiring his own fleet of vehicles and setting off on his own (not actually on his own obviously, he had a few colleagues with him), driving the SAS on into Europe and the history books.

But the LRDG weren’t just desert taxis, navigators and enthusiasts, they were committed warriors who took the fight to the enemy with as much cunning and nerve as their SAS brothers in arms. One such operation was the attack on Barce Airfield in September of 1942.

Operation Caravan was part of a larger Operation (Op Agreement) whose aim was to disable Axis Ports, Aerodromes

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January 2016

Billy Basics FAMOUS RAIDS

and fuel dumps along the coast around Benghazi, defended by the Germans and Italians. The aim was obviously to destroy equipment and personnel but also as a prelude to operations in Europe. The Allies wanted to tie down as many Axis troops defending desert airstrips as they could and take them out of the European theatre and off the Normandy beaches and islands in the Mediterranean. The more Germans and Italians getting a tan in the desert the better, as far as they were concerned.

The LRDG were masters of desert crossing, survival and navigation, they would need all their skills and endurance to achieve their mission. To reach Barce, Benghazi and their ultimate objective, the patrol would have to cross the Sand Sea twice, travelling over 1,500 miles over inhospitable desert, drinking and fuelling their wagons with only what they could carry on their trucks.

The going was hazardous, sometimes miles and miles of open gravel plains and then without warning straight up to your axles in deep sand. It wasn’t just the baking heat and threat from Axis aircraft that the LRDG men had to watch out for. On one occasion two soldiers had to be evacuated after their jeep flipped over crossing a razor-edged sand dune at speed. Racing up the side and over these massive breaking waves of sand in the desert was sometimes the only way to surmount these obstacles.

The journey took the LRDG patrol 11 days to complete but despite all their best efforts, they were spotted from the air by the enemy. They were unaware of this fact as they settled

into an OP to over watch their target, an aircraft had indeed spotted them and had relayed their probable intentions to the garrison ahead. What happened next was hard to predict.

Normally this kind of intelligence in the hands of the enemy would have us all reaching for our metaphorical cushions in front of the TV saying “I can’t watch this!” There should have been a rout, with the LRDG raiders taking casualties and forced to retreat into the desert to be harried all the way back to their base in Egypt by a welldrilled, prepared enemy lying in wait.

But blissfully unaware that the Italian Garrison were waiting for them, the patrol set off at dusk on the 13th of September to carry out their mission. Two Sennussi tribesmen under the control of Major Vladimir Peniakoff (who would go on to write a book about his exploits called Popski’s Private Army) travelling with them, had gone ahead to check out the lie of the land and had returned informing them that nothing was amiss.

Down from their concealed position and onto the desert road swooped the patrol in the gathering gloom. The thick grooves in the sand stopping abruptly as they hit the hard surface, probably the first hard surface they’d been on for thousands of miles. The soldiers immediately switched on their headlights and within a few miles were exchanging cordial greetings with passing Italian vehicles, who naturally assumed that any soldiers brazen enough to be cruising around at night were Axis Forces.

“THE LRDG WEREN’T JUST DESERT TAXIS, NAVIGATORS AND ENTHUSIASTS, THEY WERE COMMITTED WARRIORS WHO TOOK THE FIGHT TO THE ENEMY WITH AS MUCH CUNNING AND NERVE AS THEIR SAS BROTHERS IN ARMS.”

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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“Tutira 1” by British/ Commonwealth Military – Imperial War Museum.

Licensed under Public Domain via Commons

Nearing Barce the LRDG convoy encountered a vehicle check point, with lights blazing the convoy pulled up at the position. While one Italian nonchalantly strolled over expecting a bit of banter and cigarette, two LRDG slipped out of one of the trucks and approached the building behind him. The guard got a shock when he saw the bearded patrol and a punch in the face (which saved his life) as he was taken prisoner.

Gunfire ripped through the darkness and a grenade detonated in the building as the patrol sped off into the night and on towards Barce with a very unhappy passenger.

A few miles further down the road another Italian patrol was encountered consisting of two small armoured cars in a rather ineffective blocking pattern across the road, this time on a rise overlooking the airfield. Fearing compromise (or at least expecting it) the LRDG pulled up next to them and let rip with everything they had.

There were clear orders that there was to be no movement on the roads at night by Italian forces but despite this the raiders were not stopped or questioned. Bearing in mind that the Axis powers knew they were coming it’s astonishing that they weren’t contacted, their luck was holding out.

Leaving two armoured cars ablaze behind them in the darkness burning merrily and illuminating the desert night sky, they sped towards Barce below them. When they reached the perimeter they split in two groups in search of prey – one group were going after aircraft and the second group the fuel dumps.

The machine guns mounted on the backs of the jeeps and on the passenger’s side were fed with belts of ammunition tracer, incendiary and ball (normal) rounds, a deadly combination. As the trucks sped towards the aircraft and

bowsers laden with aviation fuel they opened up giving them a broadside, one Italian plane after another burst into flames lighting up the sky. The OC had given each patrol 1 hour to wreak as much devastation as possible and still hardly a shot had been fired from the enemy.

The rear jeep was driven by two soldiers who carried a cargo of bombs and as they followed the other jeeps spitting leaden death at the planes, if one didn’t go up they would pull up alongside it and attach a couple of bombs to the fuel-laden wings and drive off. A minute or so later a satisfying bang would follow as another of Mussolini’s planes went up in smoke.

Elsewhere along the coast the airfield going up was the signal for raids to commence on several other facilities but none were as successful as Operation Caravan, even their more

flamboyant brothers in the SAS could not match the tally of some 20 planes and countless gallons of precious fuel they destroyed.

As it turned out, the Italians had indeed been anticipating their attack but they had been expecting a much larger force complete with fighter aircraft to do the damage and had relied on their anti-aircraft defences too much (almost entirely) which they hadn’t been able to level at the raiders. Because of the speed at which the LRDG jeeps zipped in and out of the planes and fuel dumps the Italians never really knew where they were or what to fire at and, as the old saying goes, “If you can’t see anything to shoot at, don’t pull the trigger, you’re only wasting ammunition”.

The LRDG had proved themselves to be not only masters of resilience, stamina and patience by providing tireless eyes in the deserts and roads of North Africa plotting movements and dispositions of Axis forces but also when called upon they could give the enemy a bloody nose too.

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January 2016

COMBAT AIRSOFT G AT AIRSOFT ACTION WE’RE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN LOOKING AT TRAINING COURSES AND PROGRAMS THAT WILL HELP AIRSOFTERS LEARN AND IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS. JERRY NOONE SPOKE TO “SMUDGE”, ONE OF THE GUYS BEHIND THE COMBAT AIRSOFT GROUP (CAG) TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY’RE ALL ABOUT. AA: What led you to set up CAG? CAG: Combat Airsoft Group started in the back end of 2014, around October. Initially set up as a MilSim training company, it has quickly developed in to something larger. After leaving the private security sector back in March 2014 I found it difficult to concentrate and adjust into civilian life and Combat Airsoft Group kept me from wanting to go back to working in hostile environments, keeping itchy feet at bay.

AA: Who are the key members of the CAG Team?

CAG: Combat Airsoft Group is mainly made up of veterans who served within 4/73 Special Op Battery. Just recently we have had a couple of the guys from my time on the circuit join us, adding a wider range of specialist subjects and experience to bring to the community.

AA: Do you train just MilSim enthusiasts or general airsoft players too?

CAG: We provide training to all MilSim teams and general airsoft players wanting to up their game and knowledge. We do not run training with a military mentality, it is all laid back and you get out of it what you put in.

AA: What exactly do you specialise in?

CAG: Our courses started out very low profile and provided low level tactics. The guys from Northern Alliance Airsoft put faith in me and allowed me to use their site. Later the word got around on social media and we started to get the bigger northern teams, such as Gun Ho and Tribe MilSim training with us.

CAG: Right now, due to the staff we have on board, we offer a huge range of specialist training. We are now trying to specialise in large scale, scenario-based simulated combat operations for both MilSim and role play teams and individuals.

CAG: Our main target audience would be hardcore MilSim players, or military role players, although our events are open to the wider community, including skirmish players wanting to up their game.

AA: I know that you have

January 2016

CAG: At this moment in time we have access to most of the MOD sites throughout the UK and we have several pieces of private property to add some variety to our events. We are currently in discussions with undisclosed police firearms training facilities, which should be confirmed before 2016. This will produce some high level CQB training in the near future.

AA: When and where did you start running your courses?

AA: Who do you see as your target customer for your courses?

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access to excellent training facilities in the North East of the UK; can you tell me more about them and what you do there?

AA: Do you offer training in specialised equipment?

CAG: Yes, we do offer training on: • • • • • •

Observational Aids ( NVG’s & TI Optics) Mechanical Breaching Tools Weapon Systems Specialist Assaulting Equipment Abseiling & Rope Access Amphibious and Tactical Vehicle Operations

And more……..

AA: Is all the equipment available as part of your courses?

Feature

T GROUP

COMBAT AIRSOFT GROUP

CAG: We have access to all training aids we require to host an event. We are finding the more successful we are becoming the more we have access to. If we do not have it to hand we usually post it as an equipment necessity on our website or Facebook.

AA: You’ve just run your first full MilSim event, “Operation Snakebite” and got great feedback from those who attended.

Can you tell us about this in more detail?

CAG: “Operation Snakebite” was a 30 hour rural MilSim event based on the MOD training facility within Otterburn, Northumbria – one of the most testing environments for the British Army.

The scenario was based on terrorists conducting training within remote areas of the UK, in preparation for large profile attacks on key targets. TF Nomad, a notional UKSF unit was tasked to conduct Find, Fix & Strike operations on key target locations.

Over the event, participants conducted covert drop-offs and pick-ups, self-navigated during day and night for over 15 km carrying full equipment, conducted first and last light raids on EF positions, conducted mission planning and, with the use of military communications equipment, provided real time intelligence and coordinated assets, such as UAVs, Mortars and Artillery.

“OUR MAIN TARGET AUDIENCE WOULD BE HARDCORE MILSIM PLAYERS, OR MILITARY ROLE PLAYERS, ALTHOUGH OUR EVENTS ARE OPEN TO THE WIDER COMMUNITY, INCLUDING SKIRMISH PLAYERS WANTING TO UP THEIR GAME.”

AA: If someone reading this likes the sound of what you offer, what should their next step be?

CAG: For anyone wanting to attend a CAG training or MilSim event we would advise them to follow us on Facebook and monitor our website at www.combatairsoftgroup.com.

AA: Thanks Smudge. I’m looking forwards to getting along to one of your events and maybe covering it for Airsoft Action.

CAG: You’re always welcome!

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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MY TARGET WAS

LENINGRAD V FORCE: PRESERVING OUR DEMOCRACY BY PHILIP GOODALL

Background Vulcan image: Aleem Yousaf, Wikimedia Commons

NOT MANY PEOPLE HAVE, QUITE LITERALLY, HAD THE FATE OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE IN THEIR HANDS. MATT LIMB OBE WRITES ABOUT A BOOK FROM JUST SUCH A MAN FOLLOWING THE END OF THE Second World War the entire world changed. Seated not at peace but on the edge of another war; The Cold War. A war set with of a back drop of a nuclear threat as the great super powers of America and Russia poised with fingers on buttons, waiting for the day when the code-word came to fire a nuclear salvo. Not surprisingly the United Kingdom was a late player in the nuclear game, as it was not until 1947 that the government made the decision to develop the atomic bomb. At the same time a new aircraft, a medium-range jet powered bomber, was needed to deliver the weapon. This aircraft development gave birth to the V Bombers – Valiant, Vulcan and Victor. So it came that the Cold War would dominate the next five decades and in doing so give the Royal Air Force a distinctive role and the responsibility of carrying the nuclear deterrent on behalf of the nation.

My Target was Leningrad – V Force: Preserving Our Democracy, covers a unique period of time in the life of the author, Philip Goodall. Starting with him a young boy watching German aircraft being intercepted by RAF fighters at the height of The Battle of Britain, it soon becomes clear that this had a great influence on him when in 1949 he is called for National Service. Naturally he joins the RAF, enrolling as a pilot, it is a career that will last most of his adult life, culminating in commanding a squadron of Vulcan Bombers carrying nuclear weapons.

RAF, he lists his postings and the many colleagues he meets as he bridges the cleft from the end of World War Two through The Cold War. He rubs shoulders with great names like “Bomber” Harris and Barnes Wallace and gives a unique insight to air-power and service life in an unstable era of our history, much of which would at the time have been graded “Secret”, if not higher. He also recalls a number of incidents that highlight a busy and fascinating career.

‘ …. Posted to No. 90 Squadron, we were part of the UK’s nuclear deterrent. At that time all V-bombers were painted white as we were ready for a high-level penetration of the Russian air space. All crews were required to do a monthly evaluation of their operational sorties. There were two plans; the NATO plan and the UK plan, in the unlikely event that the UK might enter a nuclear war alone.’

‘The plans were that we should approach the target at high level and then descend at anything from 350 to 550 miles [from the target] … to low level. Depending on the weather, we should fly as low as 50 feet or up to 1,000 feet in poor visibility … My crew’s target was the Pulkovo Airport at Leningrad … launching our Blue Steel about 50 miles from the city. We did not have enough fuel to return to the UK so would turn port and fly up to ... Fortunately it was a mission that we never undertook.’

Philip Goodall documents in fine detail his career in the

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January 2016

‘… I was the duty officer and asked to go to Air Traffic Control immediately. The captain of an RAF freighter was returning from Germany with a cargo of nuclear warheads ………. He was above RAF Scampton but could not get his undercarriage down …’

But the pinnacle of the book for me was his time commanding No. 27 Squadron, flying the Vulcan Mk 2 from Lincolnshire. With a squadron of eight aircraft, fitted with the Blue Steel missiles, plus eleven air crews, the squadron had an aircraft on alert and armed at all times. The aircraft had even been modified to allow all four engines to be started simultaneously and could be airborne in less than four minutes.

Book Review MY TARGET WAS LENINGRAD

“AT A TIME WHEN THAT LAST FLYING VULCAN BOMBER IS ABOUT TO PUT INTO MOTHBALLS AS A MUSEUM PIECE, AFTER TAKING ITS LAST EVER FLIGHT, IT HAS ATTRACTED MASSIVE PUBLIC INTEREST UP AND DOWN THE COUNTRY.”

Despite sitting on the very edge of nuclear conflict Philip Goodall always brings the human element into his writing; the day-to-day routine on an active military airfield at the height of the cold war and the never-ending rounds of flying training, often at low-level, which took him to most parts of the world.

Including the revealing fact that his senior officer had a regular Friday afternoon secret meeting, which turned out to be a poker school! But his style of writing does at times ask questions of policy, the government and his senior officers.

‘When I think about the first four-engine jet bomber to enter RAF service, an aircraft of fascination design and the only RAF aircraft to drop nuclear weapons, I question why there is only one aircraft in existence’ At a time when that last flying Vulcan Bomber is about to put into mothballs as a museum piece, after taking its last ever flight, it has attracted massive public interest up and down the country, My Target was Leningrad – V Force: Preserving Our Democracy makes a rewarding read.

It is not a book about aircraft but a book about the people who fly aircraft, written by someone who was there, with the greatest detail and filled with human interest, plus a massive assortment of previously un-published photographs, from the author’s own collection. But if you are an aircraft spotter you will revel in the technical and historical fact of the aircraft, including Russian, plus a chronological analysis of the RAF Nuclear Capability and the RAF Squadrons involved.

If you have an interest in The Cold War, the history of the Royal Air Force or that era from the first use of a nuclear weapon at the end of World War Two to a point just short of the Berlin Wall coming down you will enjoy reading My Target was Leningrad – V Force: Preserving Our Democracy as it digs into the life and training of a Cold War Vulcan bomber pilot. www.airsoft-action.co.uk

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ATROOP AIRSOFT Clocaenog Forest, LL16 4SP Tel: 07967 394976 www.atroop.co.uk

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January 2016

UKARA MEMBER

SHOP ONSITE

WOODLAND

PYROS ALLOWED

URBAN

BATTERY CHARGING

DESERT

REPAIR SERVICE

AIRSOFT SKIRMISH

Stoulton, WR7 4QW Tel: 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk

AIRSOFT SKIRMISH CQB Studley, B80 7LY Tel: 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk

AMBUSH ADVENTURES – CHOBHAM Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8SL Tel: 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk

AMBUSH ADVENTURES SOUTHAMPTON

New Forest National Park, SP5 2DW Tel: 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk

ALL ARMS AIRSOFT Near Trawden, BB8 8SN Tel: 07909 683464 www.allarmsairsoft.co.uk

APOCALYPSE AIRSOFT Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7QP Tel: 07872 348 576 www.apocalypseairsoft.com

ALPHA 55

Halkyn Wood, North Wales CH8 8DF Tel: 0845 257 6937 www.alpha55.co.uk

ARENA AIRSOFT

ALPHA ELITE GAMING

AWA HERTS

Grimsby, DN31 3JD Tel: 07752 404060 www.arenaairsoft.com

AIRSOFT KGB

Porkellis Moor near Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0 Chef1322@hotmail.com www.kgbairsoft.com

AIRSOFT PLANTATION

Goatsmoore Lane, Billericay, CM4 9RS Tel: 07534 636289 / 07771 556395 www.theofficialairsoftplantation.co.uk theofficialairsoftplantation@gmail.com

Le Mont de Rozel, Jersey, JE3 5 Tel: 01534 733697 www.aegairsoft.je

AMAZON EVENTS

Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4HL Tel: 0844 2570433 www.amazonoutdoorevents.co.uk

Sawbridgeworth, Herts, CM23 4BJ Tel: 07732 184957 www.awaherts.com

BADLANDS AIRSOFT

Rowlands Castle, Hamps PO9 6DP Tel: 07534 465589 www.badlandsairsoft.co.uk

SITE DIRECTORY

Email nige@airsoft-action.co.uk to add or change a site listing

FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

BARNSLEY AIRSOFT

Shafton, Barnsley, S72 8RE Tel: 07779 236166 www.barnsleypaintball.co.uk

BATTLETEC AIRSOFT

La Couture, Guernsey, GY1 2 Tel: 07781 104068 www.battletec.co.uk

C3 TACTICAL

COMBAT AIRSOFT

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE COMPLEX

COMBAT SOUTH URBAN

Longhope, Gloucestershire, GL17 0PH Tel: 07597 938011 www.c3tactical.co.uk

Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4RP Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

Just off the A11 outside Thetford Norfolk follow signs for Combat Paintball Tel: 07703 045849 www.combatairsoftgames.co.uk

BLACKDAGGER AIRSOFT

Grasscroft Wood, Barlow Lees Lane, Dronfield, S18 7UR www.blackdagger-airsoft.co.uk

BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT

Westcott Venture Park, Westcott, Aylesbury, HP18 0XB Tel: 01296 658600 www.bluestreak-airsoft.co.uk

BORDERLINE AIRSOFT

51 Green Road, Ballyclare, Co. Antrim Northern Ireland, BT39 9PH Tel: 028 9303 7030 or 07729219341 www.borderlinecombat.com

BRAVO 2-2 AIRSOFT Leisure Lakes, Mere Brow, Southport. PR46JX Tel: 07790 715059 www.bravo22airsoft.com

BRISTOL AIRSOFT Bristol, BS1 2HQ Tel: 07776 288826 www.bristolairsoft.com

Portsmouth, PO6 3LS Tel: 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

Sheffield, S2 5TR Tel: 07795 631331 www.brittacairsoft.com

Houston, Renfrewshire, PA6 7BP Tel: 07853 195290 www.dow-airsoft.co.uk

DRAGON’S LAIR CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE OUTPOST (WOODLAND) HPC, York Road, Flaxby, Harrogate, North Yorkshire HG5 0XJ Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE SANDPIT (DESERT)

Bolton Wood Quarry, Bolton Hall Road Bradford, West Yorkshire BD2 1BQ Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

COMBAT SOUTH WOODLAND

Fareham, PO17 5ND Tel: 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk

CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM14 5 Tel: 01438 368177 www.thefightschool.demon.co.uk

COOL UNDER FIRE CERBERUS AIRSOFT – RIVOCK EDGE Keighley, BD20 0LS Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – SHEFFIELD WOODLAND Sheffield, S6 6JE Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

Doddington, Kent, ME9 0JS Tel: 07960 532613 www.coolunderfire.co.uk

CORNWALLS ELITE AIRSOFT

Truro, Cornwall, TR2 Tel: 07863 240153 www.cornwallseliteairsoft.co.uk

COTSWOLD AIRSOFT CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE WORKS (URBAN)

Off Badger Lane, Hipperholme, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 8PL Tel: 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk

CHESTERFIELD IMPERIAL AIRSOFT

Brimington, Chesterfield, S43 1DQ www.cia-airsoft.co.uk

Brentwood, Essex, CM15 0LA Tel: 07703 530189 www.dragonslairairsoft.co.uk

DRAGON VALLEY AIRSOFT

Caerwent Training Area, South Wales, NP26 5XL Tel: 07921 336360 www.dragonvalley.co.uk

DOG TAG AIRSOFT

Bourton Woods On the B4479, Blockley Near Bourton-on-the-hill www.cotswoldairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07724629140

CUMBRIA AIRSOFT BRIT-TAC AIRSOFT

Skelmersdale, Lancs WN8 8UT Tel: 07986 053076 www.deltateam3.co.uk

DOGS OF WAR

BETTER BATTLES

Ravenshead, Notts, NG15 9DH Tel: 07967 940043 www.better-battles.com

DELTA TEAM 3

Dumfries, DG12 cumbria.airsoft@virgin.net www.cumbria-airsoft.com

Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 4SE TEL 01293 852 314 www.holmbushpaintball.co.uk/airsoft

ELITE ACTION GAMES – WORTHING Worthing, BN13 Tel: 01784 433023 www.eliteactiongames.com

ELITE BATTLEZONE

Bexley, Greater London, DA5 1NX Tel: 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk

EXPERIENCE AIRSOFT Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 0AN Tel: 01380 728982 www.experienceairsoft.co.uk

FIREFIGHT COMBAT SIMULATIONS Lewisham, SE13 5SU Tel: 07973 240177 www.firefight.co.uk

DANGER CLOSE AIRSOFT BUNKER 51

CLOSE ACTION AIRSOFT

BUSH VALLEY AIRSOFT

COMBAT ACTION GAMES

Charlton, SE7 8NJ Tel: 0870 7549653 www.wolfarmouries.co.uk

Runham Woods, Lenham ME17 1NQ Tel: 07786 448608 Email: bushvalairsoft@gmail.com

Corby, NN17 3BB Tel: 07740 165787 www.close-action.co.uk

Maryland, Norfolk, NR10 4 Tel: 07748 023832 www.facebook.com/combatactiongames

Ellough Lark Raceway, Benacre Road, Ellough, Norfolk Tel: 07455 906132

FIFE WARGAMES

DARKWATER AIRSOFT

FINMERE AIRSOFT

Hythe, Kent CT21 5SL Tel: 07947 558433 www.darkwaterairsoft.co.uk

St Andrews, KY10 3XL info@fifewargames.co.uk www.fifewargames.com

Buckingham, MK18 4JT Tel: 07976 184897 www.finmereairsoft.com

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SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

FIREBALL SQUADRON Sutton Coldfield, B75 5SA Tel: 07582 684533 www.fireballsquadron.com

FIRST & ONLY: ANZIO CAMP Leek, ST13 8 Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FIRST & ONLY: BUNKER WOOD Kidderminster, Worcs, DY11 5SA Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FREE FIRE ZONE Farcet, Peterborough, PE7 3DH Tel: 01733 247171 www.freefirezone.co.uk

FRV AIRSOFT Annacloy, Downpatrick, BT30 8JJ Tel: 07730 586926 www.frvairsoft.com

FULL METAL AIRSOFT Cilyrychen Quarry, Llandybie, Ammanford, Camarthenshire, SA18 3JG Tel: 01269 850404 www.fullmetalairsoft.co.uk

FIRST & ONLY: KHE SANH WOODS

Otley, West Yorkshire LS21 2NA Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FIRST & ONLY: MANCHESTER WOODLAND Bolton, BL7 9TS Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com

FIRST & ONLY: THE ARMOURY

GASS AIRSOFT – PENN Penn Bottom, Bucks, HP10 Tel: 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk

GASS AIRSOFT – PIDDINGTON Piddington, Oxfordshire, OX25 1 Tel: 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk

Leicester, LE9 9FP www.gingerliberationfront.com

GREENZONE COMBAT Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 6QF Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ASYLUM Kidderminster, DY10 3PT Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE OUTPOST Kidderminster, DY11 5SA Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: SLEEPY HOLLOW

Bridgnorth, Shropshire, WV16 5LS Tel: 0161 727 8863

GROUND ZERO WOODLAND Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2DF www.groundzerowoodland.com

HILTON PARK AIRSOFT Wolverhampton, WV10 7HU Tel: 08000 354490 www.paintballuk.com

HOMELAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT Tel: 07971 560249 facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft

HUMBER AIRSOFT North Lincolnshire, DN21 www.humberairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07792 680297

ISLAND RECON AIRSOFT COMBAT Near Shorwell, Isle of Wight, PO30 Tel: 07964 751047 www.islandrecon.co.uk

GRANGE FARM AIRSOFT

Wrexham, Denbighshire, LL13 9RG Tel: 0161 727 8863

FIRST & ONLY: THE ACADEMY

Norwich, Norfolk, NR10 Tel: 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

LINDSEY AIRSOFT

Manby, Lincolnshire, LN11 8HE Tel: 07955 487983 www.lindsey-airsoft.co.uk

MATLOCK COMBAT GAMES

Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FW Tel: 07974 507166 www.matlockcombatgames.com

MAW

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 Tel: 07793 404346 1midaw@gmail.com

MIA

FIRST & ONLY: THE HIVE

Middleton, Manchester, M24 1AZ Tel: 0161 727 8863

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – NORWICH

LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT Gorebridge, Midlothian, EH23 4LG Tel: 0131 654 2452 www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk

Co. Armagh, BT60 1NE Tel: 07772 919974 www.greenzonecombat.com

LAC SITE 1

GUN HO AIRSOFT

Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

Guisborough, TS7 0PG Tel: 07525 435696 www.gunhoairsoft.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – CAMBRIDGE Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 Tel: 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – MIDLANDS RAF Honiley/The Grange Frogmore Grange, Frog Lane, Balsall Common, West Mids CV7 7FP Tel: 01676 532 384 info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk www.shop. suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk

LAC SITE 2 Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

LAC SITE 3 Saxillby, LN1 2JW Tel: 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

LAC SITE 5 Kirton Rd, North Lincs, DN16 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk

Cornwall, EX23 9JL Tel: 01288 331748 www.airsoftsouthwest.co.uk

MIDWALES AIRSOFT

Abbey Cwm-hir, Midwales, LD1 6PG Tel: 07497 480243 www.facebook.com/Midwales-airsoft

MILITARY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

Wrightington, WN6 9PL Tel: 01942 514724 www.militaryoutdooradventure.co.uk

MILSIM UK

Checkley, Staffordshire, ST10 4NS Tel: 07523 916607 www.milsimuk.co.uk

NCIS AIRSOFT

Edinburgh, EH14 4 nick@ncis-airsoft.co.uk www.ncis-airsoft.co.uk

NOMAD AIRSOFT

Fenwick, Ayrshire, KA3 6AY Tel: 07904 998250 www.nomadairsoft.com

NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT

Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ Tel: 01845 565465 www.northernallianceairsoft.co.uk

NORTHFLEET CQB

Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9AA Tel: 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

103

NSC AIRSOFT

RAVEN’S NEST

Hetton, Sunderland, DH5 0 Tel: 07983 333521 www.nscairsoft.co.uk

Suffolk, IP8 4 Tel: 01473 831563 www.ravensairsoft.co.uk

NTAC Durham, DL4 2ER Tel: 01642 281220 www.ntac.co.uk

RAW WAR AIRSOFT CUMBRIA Wigton, Cumbria CA7 3SZ Tel: 01900 85645 www.airsoftcumbria.co.uk

OBAN AIRSOFT – HILL ARGYLL Argyll and Bute, PA37 1 Tel: 07967 710185 www.argyllsurplus.com

RED1AIRSOFT Chislehurst, Bromley BR7 6SD Tel: 07956 522691/01727846069 www.red1airsoft.co.uk

OP-TACTICAL UK – TEAN-OPS Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT Tel: 07964 990831 www.op-tac.co.uk

OVER THE TOP AIRSOFT CLUB Anglesey, LL71 www.ottairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07731 744471

PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT MILITARY SIMULATION Former RAF Camp Sopley/Merryfield Park, Hants, BH23 Tel: 02380 899369

PHOENIX AIRSOFT Welbeck Airsoft, Academy, Budby Road, Notts NG20 9JX Tel: 07956 587213/01623 812483 www.phoenix-airsoft.co.uk

PLATOON 1HQ Rochester, Kent, ME1 1 HQ Tel: 01634 829063 www.ptt-1hq.co.uk

RED1AIRSOFT CQB Red1 CQB. Kings Langley, WD4 8RN Tel: 07956 522691/01727846069 www.red1airsoft.co.uk

RIFT AIRSOFT COM’S SITE 3 Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ Tel: 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM) Cambridge, CB24 8RL Tel: 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com

SECTION 8 AIRSOFT Shotts, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB Tel: 07974 026517 www.s8airsoft.com

SG1 COMBAT GAMES PLAYERS OF WAR High Bonnybridge, FK1 3AD Tel: 07767 203979 www.playersofwar.co.uk

PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES Ballynahinch, BT24 8NF Tel: 02897565651 / 07825169631 www.predatorcombat.com

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January 2016

Co. Londonderry, BT45 8NA Tel: 07713 273102 www.sg1combatgames.co.uk

SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY Billericay, Essex, CM11 2TX Tel: 01277 657777 www.airsoft-billericay.co.uk

SKIRMISH EXETER Exeter, Devon, EX4 5 Tel: 01548 580025 www.airsoftexeter.co.uk

SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT

Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0LR Tel: 07766 770830 www.southdownairsoft.com

TECH BRIGADE Newgate Street, Hertfordshire.

SG13 8NH Tel: 07841 713356 www.techbrigade.org

TASK FORCE SKIRMISH Cowbridge, S Glamorgan, CF71 Tel: 02920 593900 www.taskforcepaintball.co.uk

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – BLOXWORTH

THE BUNKER

Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7EU Tel: 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

Aberystwyth www.aberairsoft.co.uk Tel: 07841 462806

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT– THE ROCK

THE DEPOT

Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG Tel: 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

STIRLING AIRSOFT

Coventry, CV3 6NX Tel: 07831 429407 www.stirlingairsoft.com

Glasgow, G45 9SB Tel: 0161 727 8863 www.thedepotglasgow.com

THE DESERTERS AIRSOFT Redford, DD11 Tel: 07751 878175 www.thedeserters.co.uk

STORMFORCE AIRSOFT

Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 4LD Tel: 07515 937633 www.stormforcepaintball.co.uk

THE EX SITE Mold, CH7 4 Tel:07840 001975 www.theexsitewales.co.uk

SUSSEX AIRSOFT

Slinfold, RH12 Tel: 020 8150 9284 www.sussexairsoft.co.uk

S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT

Boathouse lane, South Wirral, Cheshire, CH64 3TB www.swatairsoft.eu Tel: 07703 177756

TA EVENTS

Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP2 7QB Tel: 07894 059794 www.ta-events.co.uk

TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT Reynoldston, Swansea SA3 1AS Tel: 01792 473336 www.tacticalwales.co.uk

THE WARGAMES CENTRE Lundholm Road, Stevenston, Ayrshire, KA20 3LN www.thewargamescentre.com wargamescentre@gmail.com

TORRENT WARFARE Co Tyrone, BT71 4DY Tel: 07922 377131 Facebook: search ‘Torrent Warfare’

TROJAN AIRSOFT Macclesfield, SK10 4SZ Tel: 07428 024874 www.trojan-airsoft.com

TROJAN AIRSOFT – OLYMPUS CQB TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PL Tel: 020 8665 1299 www.tacticalwarfare.co.uk

Weir Mill, Viaduct Street, Chestergate, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7JP Tel: 07428 024874 www.trojan-airsoft.com

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

UCAP AIRSOFT Portsmouth, Hants, PO17 6AR Tel: 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

UCAP GREEN OPS Linch, West Sussex, GU30 7 Tel: 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

UCAP SANDPIT Bean, Kent, DA2 8 Tel: 07590 818881 / www.ucap.co.uk

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – FAWKHAM Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY Tel: 01268 796130 www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – LIMPSFIELD Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

URBAN6AIRSOFT – ZONE 13 Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0QN Tel: 07432 291729 www.urban6airsoft.com

URBAN6AIRSOFT – THE BLOCK Wood Street, Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 3AB www.urban6airsoft.com

URBAN ASSAULT

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1 Tel: 01733 247171 www.urbanassault.org.uk

VIKING AIRSOFT

Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0UN www.vikingairsoft.co.uk

WARMINSTER AIRSOFT Warminster, BA12 7RZ www.warminsterairsoft.co.uk

XSITE AIRSOFT OUTPOST Dunstable, LU6 2EE Tel: 01494 881430 www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk

XSITE AIRSOFT – LANE END High Wycombe, HP14 3NP Tel: 01494 881430

PRACTICAL PISTOL DIRECTORY AIPSC

The Grange, Frog Lane, Balsall Common, West Midlands, CV7 7FP Tel: 01676 532384 / www.aipsc.co.uk Facebook: A.I.P.S.C info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk Every Monday night 7pm– 9pm (except bank holidays). £5 or £10 with pistol and shooting rig hire. UKPSAqualified coaches. UKPSA-qualified Range Officers.

EBSC PRACTICAL SHOOTING MOD approved indoor shooting club PP, IDPA, IPAS, IPSC, 2GUN www.ebsc.co.uk ebpracticalpistol@gmail.com 07752 713 970

HALO MILL

NORTHERN PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUB (NPPC)

Tanner Street, Burnley, Lancashire BB11 1NA Tel: 07816 992417 www.northernpracticalpistol.co.uk 4 Indoor ranges

WATFORD PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUB WatfordPPC@gmail.com

The Penthouse Colne Valley Business Park Manchester Road Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5QG Tel: 01484 840554 www.halomill.co

www.airsoft-action.co.uk

105

DEALER LISTINGS

ADVERTISERS INDEX

Land Warrior Airsoft Land Warrior Airsoft RedWolf Airsoft RedWolf Airsoft

Inside Front Cover 2

3 +19 52++ 48 79 3+ Airsoft Zone 7 Cover + 37 Airsoft Zone 7 + Inside Back JD Airsoft 9 + 33 + 75 JD Airsoft 9 + 23 + 102 WE Airsoft Europe 15 WE Airsoft Europe 15 Airsoft World 23 A2 Supplies 19 FireSupport 28 + 29 BadgerTac FireSupport 28 + 41 29 Silvermans 44 BadgerTac 36 Crawley Surplus Supplies 44 ActionSportGames 40 VIPER Tactical 46 + 47 VIPER Tactical 45 + 57 Pro Airsoft Supplies 52 Helikon-Tex 49 Helikon-Tex 57 eHobby Asia 60 Pro Airsoft Supplies 64 ActionSportGames 66 Gunman Airsoft 70 Airsoft Surgeon Euro Championship 79 NoVAT 83 Gunman Airsoft 87 Dragon Valley 83 Airsoft Action Subscriptions 90 Military Outdoor 83 Sly Photography 91 BombUpAirsoft 91 Tactical Airsoft Shop 83 NoVAT 91 Airsoft Action Subscriptions 86 Dragon Valley 91 Silvermans 93 Military Outdoor 91 Crawley 93 ActionSurplus Air UKSupplies 95 Airsoft Action Digital Subscriptions 98 Airsoft Action Digital Subscriptions 98 Percy Publishing 100 Hueys 99 Advertisers Index 106 Elite Shooting Centre 105 Military 1st 107 Military Outside Back Cover Airsoft1st World 108

106

OD8J 2014