Airsoft Action - May 2019

AIRSOFT ACTION

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TM MINIGUNS BATTERIES 101 BOLLE GOGGLES MECHANIX GLOVES IWA SHOW REPORT ARCTURUS TACTICAL AK SILVERBACK STEALTH RECON

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AIRSOFT ACTION

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100 PAGE 100TH ISSUE

ANNIVERSARY EDITION UMAREX PPQ SCORPION SKINZ CLASSIC ARMY AKS74 ATF QUALIFICATION SHOOT NUPROL BREACHER AIRSOFT GRENADES PLUS MUCH MORE! 05

9 772047 348032

MAY 2019

PROUDLY SUPPORTING PILGRIM BANDITS

MAY 2019 - £4.50

>

TM MINIGUNS BATTERIES 101 BOLLE GOGGLES MECHANIX GLOVES IWA SHOW REPORT ARCTURUS TACTICAL AK SILVERBACK STEALTH RECON

ARMOURY: ARMOURY: ARCTURUS AT-AK04 NUPROL BREACHER

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Editor: Nigel Streeter Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Havoc Design Publisher: Nigel Streeter UK 13-issue subscription rate: £46.50 UK 6-issue subscription rate: £24.00 For overseas prices email: subs@airsoft-action.co.uk

EVENT: IWA 2019

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Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6PL Tel: +44 (0) 1684 878 003 Web: www.airsoft-action.online ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2019 All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to print.

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SITE: SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT

REEL STEEL: COMMANDO

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KIT & GEAR: BOLLE X800I

LAST POST: WTF!!

LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION? 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.

CONTENTS 6

ED’S COMMENT

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ARCTURUS AT-AK04

Our resident “AK Guy”, Bill, continues his look at new models on the market with the very latest “tacti-cool” offering from emergent brand, Arcturus.

Contents MAY 2019

MAY 2019

from Issue 1 to 100 - well, 99 actually (as this is Issue 100)!

We hope you like our choice - maybe you might see yourself amongst them!

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REEL STEEL: COMMANDO

60

FEATURE: LOOKING BACK

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FEATURE: MAS-G BACKSTORY

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KIT & GEAR: BOLLE X800i

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AIRSOFT 101: AEG BATTERIES

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ARMOURY: UMAREX PPQ

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QUALIFICATION SHOOTS: ATF

A few issues back Phil Bucknall reviewed the Mechanix 0.5mm High Dexterity gloves, as a replacement for his sadly departed Hatch Operators, which had given good service for well over eight years. So how are they doing now?

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FEATURE: AK47 RELOADED

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83

KIT & GEAR: SCORPION SKINZ

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ARMOURY: CLASSIC ARMY AKS74

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ARMOURY: NUPROL PIONEER BREACHER

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EVENT: IWA 2019

Having previously enjoyed the NUPROL Delta Pioneer, Phil Bucknall was keen to see if this budget range AEG was as capable as its big brother.

Airsoft Action hits the biggest gun trade show in Europe and what we found at IWA in Nuremberg this year was an airsoft industry that is maturing and growing! Bill takes us on his journey through the show halls in Part 1 of our annual report, starting with all that’s new and improved in relation to RIFs and accessories.

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SITE: ALLSORTS AIRSOFT

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FEATURE: GRENADES

Airsoft Action’s roving reporter, Lez Lee, heads into the wilds of West Sussex to bring us a report from an airsoft site that is rapidly growing in popularity.

When a room needs to be cleared there is nothing more efficient at doing so than the (not so) humble airsoft grenade. Angelo DV compares three such devices to see which one he prefers.

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SHOP: ALL AGES AIRSOFT

Driven in part by manufacturers and distributors, it seems the days of the “Player Retailer” may be drawing to a close… or are they? Bill takes a look at the importance of “the local shop” and what that means to fellow players in his neck of the woods.

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KIT & GEAR: WAS UNI HOLSTER

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KIT & GEAR: MECHANIX UPDATE

Can a universal holster really suit all sidearms? Steve Takle finds out…

SURVIVAL: OVERNIGHT KIT

On occasions there may be a need to stay out in the field overnight. Being on the ground for extended periods of time is going to mean carrying more equipment and getting used to living outside. Paul Yelland gives us a few tips on what equipment to take and how to stay comfortable.

With the rise of the “Buddy Movie” in Hollywood it may have been easy to draw the conclusion that the days of the “Lone Wolf” were numbered but, on probably his finest form, Arnie put this idea to bed when the 1985 movie “Commando” was released. Featuring more interesting movie firearms than most of the others put together, this set a whole new tone! Bill tells us more…

Following last issue’s article, Frenchie was wondering what topic to cover this time round and cast his mind back to an old favourite.

You may not recognize the name but you will certainly know the product, advertised as “the worlds most advanced airsoft grenade”. Phil Bucknall went behind the scenes to find out what how the MAS-G came about and what the future holds.

Big sweaty beard, Steve Takle, finds fog-free nirvana at last.

The most common type of airsoft RIF is the AEG, however, these can be powered by a bewildering array of batteries! Tom “Anvil” Hibberd cuts through the confusion of what it all means.

Want to stand out from all the Glocks and 1911s on game day?

Steve Takle finds out if the Umarex PPQ shoots as well as it looks.

Continuing his look at the qualification shoots from various civil and military organisations, Andy Nightingale turns to The ATF for this month’s issue.

Tom “Anvil” Hibberd looks at some of the many variations based upon Mikhail Kalashnikov’s original design and the airsoft equivalents.

Want to give your rif a distinctive appearance without shelling out on a custom paint job? Steve Takle gives this sticker kit a go...

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Steve Takle finds out if Marui’s mini guns are a useful tool or entertaining toy?

ARMOURY: TM MINI GUNS

Whilst Tom has looked at how “improvements” have been made to the classic AK this month, as a big fan of “AK” airsoft replicas Bill gets back to basics with a well-priced, steel-bodied version by Hong Kong based airsoft giant Classic Army.

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ARMOURY: SILVERBACK SRS

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LAST POST: WTF!

Nearly two and a half years ago, Airsoft Action took a look at the Silverback SRS “Covert” model and now, coming bang up to date, Bill was able to check out the very latest “Gen III” version thanks to Fire Support.

Following recent comments on (anti)social media and in national news, Frenchie questions why anyone would want to shoot at targets depicting images of real people.

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GALLERY: FROM 1 TO 100

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Looking for a skirmish site, or your local Action Air Club?

Then we may have the answer, with pages of sites and clubs throughout the UK.

SITE DIRECTORY & PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUBS

As this is a bit of a special issue, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the thousands of images we have collected,

T N E M M O C S ’ ED

AIRSOFT ACTION REACHES 100 ISSUES!!

“Hey Nige”, the voice at the other end of the phone said, “I’ve just had a guy called Wes Stanton phone me up and ask if I knew anyone who could be the Editor of a new magazine he wants to publish, so I told him to call you!”

That was just over eight years ago, the voice on the phone was my good mate, Ratty, from BadgerTac and the new magazine he was talking about was called “Airsoft Action”!

From the day I was given the job, I set out to produce a magazine that would be as inclusive as possible. Airsoft has so many different facets, varieties, genres and styles of play, the easy route would have been to just “pick one” and create a magazine based on that alone, while simply ignoring other players – but that has never been my style!

Fast-forward to today and Airsoft Action has gone from being the ”new kid on the block” (that some said wouldn’t last more than six months), to the Number One magazine for airsofters and has been voted “Best Airsoft Magazine” by you, the players, for the last three years in a row.

In that time we have reviewed over 500 different airsoft weapons… pistols, rifles, carbines, shotguns, cannons, mortars and even flintlocks! If it fires a 6mm BB we’ve probably reviewed it at some point. We have visited and reported from hundreds of sites, games and events…

MilSim, FilmSim, Zombie, Post-Appocalyptic, Napoleon, WW1, WW11, ‘Nam, Afghanistan, weekend skirmish, Action Air, you name it… to us they are all equally important and deserve coverage. Looking beyond our shores, we regularly attend Trade Shows such as SHOT in Las Vegas and IWA in Nuremberg, plus others in the Far

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East and report from events around the world. We don’t just pretend to be “international”, we actively promote airsoft globally. …and that has lead us here, to Issue 100 of Airsoft Action and I want to put on record my thanks and appreciation to everyone who has read, bought, subscribed, advertised in, offered feedback and (sometimes) criticism and helped to make our magazine what it has become.

There is, however, a group of people that (quite literally) without whom Airsoft Action would not exist, our Contributors… “The AA Team”! Week in, week out, they look for the stories and articles they know airsofters like you want to read and every article is written by someone who is personally involved in the subject matter, be that a product review, event or site report, team or shop profile, or anything else. They are the backbone of the magazine and to them I also say a huge thank you!

Following this and on Page 8, you will find some of these have been brave (crazy) enough to let me publish theIr picture and a little info about them. You may well recognise some of them, so please be gentle next time you spot them playing (they will probably shoot me for saying that)!

These last 100 issues have been one hell of a ride and I cannot wait to see what the next 100 will bring – but you can be certain of one thing… Airsoft Action will continue to bring you the best airsoft magazine on the planet!

See you out there!

Nige.

DUST MONKEY

GEORAGA

I love writing for AA because i get to be part of an amazing team who are all passionate as funk for the hobby and it gives me a platform to share the spotlight on unique events that may otherwise not get it and pass on some tips and tricks so people can make their gear look used and abused.

Like many of our team, after years and years of playing airsoft, tinkering with guns, making YouTube videos and just generally enjoying the hobby, I like that writing is just another way to engage in it.

Writing for Airsoft Action? Well, in my opinion the rest of the team come from such varying backgrounds that I love reading their articles as much as writing my own, not to mention the discussions we have in the planning group. It’s a really good bunch of folk to write with.

THE

TEAM

CONT’D...

CRAIG

IGGY

I started off just providing pictures to Airsoft Action with no intention of writing. That was until I was asked by Nigel to do an article on a local site... and it snowballed from there.

I’ve now done multiple sites, competitions and advice articles (most recently about drones) for the magazine and have lots more planned. A highlight last year was being the official photographer on behalf of Airsoft Action at the National Airsoft Event. The support I’ve had from the team and the readers has been amazing and it’s exciting to be part of such well-respected magazine. Looking forward to what promises to be an amazing year for me here at WA03 Media and as part of Airsoft Action.

I started airsoft before the days of GBBs and AEGs or rules of the game as we know today and fondly remember the amazement as Tokyo Marui changed the skirmish field with semi and fully automatic! I’ve enjoyed a variety of guns from AR platforms, shotguns, pistols grenade launchers, SMGs and support guns all in a selection of GBB and AEG format. As a part of Airsoft Action my passion for the sport is strong and I wish to promote it for all the good aspects it brings such as fitness through to the friendships formed. It is a game at the end of the day but it’s one hell of an experience every time.

BILL This year marks the 25th Anniversary of me buying my first AEG (and yes, it was a TM FAMAS not an AK!)! I’ve been with Airsoft Action for the past four and a half years, and work with a truly gifted group of fellow enthusiasts; every day sees something new and exciting in our world, be it a RIF, a piece of gear, or a new game scenario. I’m lucky enough to do what I do full-time and as airsoft moves forward, as it always does, I hope to see more friendliness, more inclusion, more recognition by the shooting sports community in general for what we do, and of course a continuation of the honour shown from player to player.

I may be in the “veterans league” these days, but I’m still “good to go”!

PHIL B So here’s me! Mid game loving the hobby I got into over 25 years ago. Like many people my love of it has ebbed and flowed but it’s always been a part of my life one way or another.

I joined the Airsoft Action family about a year ago and it really is like a family.

We discuss ideas and potential articles together; we banter, have a laugh and give advice or critical appraisal and help where it’s needed. So, what do I love about writing for an award winning magazine like Airsoft Action? That’s easy! being a part of a team that love, live and breathe Airsoft is a rare honour and one I am always grateful for. Having the opportunity to review new products and share those reviews with the readers still excites me and I love looking for new and innovative things that I think people will want to read about mixed in with the odd snippet of knowledge picked up over the years. As long as people want to read it I’ll continue to love what I do and keep doing it.

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LEZ Lez has been a contributor for Airsoft Action for a little over 6 years. Airsoft sees him having gone full circle from when he got his first “Johnny 7” gun aged 7 years and thus far, his interest in shooting has taken him all over the world where he developed his special passion for pistols in the indoor ranges of the USA. Like many of us, he has enjoyed paintball, air rifle, rimfire, Section One, shotgun and now finds airsoft his No.1 hobby. Having a career spanning nearly two decades as an Officer in Her Majesty’s Prison Service, Lez’s vocation came to an abrupt end after sustaining an injury in the line of duty, and now finds himself specialising in the complex world of Mental Health. A keen Western horse rider and guitarist, his interests have taken him to many far and distant places as he seeks out new and exciting challenges come what may!

KELLY My name is Kelly and I have been writing for Airsoft Action since 2015. I started playing in August of 2014 and quickly became involved in airsoft media after I created one of the worldwide leading airsoft blogs, Femme Fatale Airsoft in November 2014. I am an airsoft and tactical kit enthusiast, although obsessive is probably more accurate! I am 27 years old and make my living as a full-time blogger, influencer & writer travelling the world visiting airsoft sites and events. I have been actively playing airsoft for 5 years! I am a CQB girl at heart who loves to dabble in MilSim. I love writing for Airsoft Action as I have been fortunate enough to travel internationally to cover events for the mag - from woodland skirmishes in France, to 40 hour MilSims in Greece, Germany for IWA and even Taiwan for the G&G CQB Cup. I have travelled extensively and met so many awesome people, I am really grateful for the opportunities the mag has afforded me.

armoury ARCTURUS AK CARBINE AT-AK04

ARCTURUS KALASHNI-KOOL AIRSOFT ACTION HAS ALWAYS FOLLOWED CURRENT TRENDS WITHIN THE INDUSTRY CLOSELY AND WE ARE LUCKY TO HAVE CONTRIBUTORS THAT ARE ABSOLUTE EXPERTS IN THEIR CHOSEN FIELD. THIS MONTH OUR RESIDENT “AK GUY”, BILL, CONTINUES HIS LOOK AT NEW MODELS ON THE MARKET WITH THE VERY LATEST “TACTICOOL” OFFERING FROM EMERGENT BRAND, ARCTURUS. FOR MANY YEARS AIRSOFT HAS been dominated by the “AR” platform, especially when it comes to “tactical” but things they are a changin’ - and the change is happening fast! If you’ve ever thought of owning an airsoft “AK” then there is no better time than now to be thinking about turning that thought into the reality of ownership, as currently there are more cool AKs on the market than ever before!

In years gone by, if you wanted to own a really good “tactical AK” then it was a case of buying a decent donor and then buying all the parts you wanted to fit onto it. For a long time these would have been “real steel” parts that, in the main, required a fair amount of not just fettling but out and out re-machining to get things nice and tidy. Of course, these days you can pick up airsoft-specific parts that will fit your AK straight from the box or packet and I’ll be looking at some of those in an article next month.

For now though, I’m going to concentrate on the AEG in hand, and that is the Arcturus AT-AK04.

Probably like you, I am constantly scouring the interwebz for new and interesting models and Arcturus is a brand that has been quietly but steadily gaining ground. I first saw the odd “AT” model appearing on the Taiwangun website a little while ago but then they started appearing with other retailers based in the UK. Whilst I was wrapped up in other new AK models hitting the market I kept my airsoft-eye on Arcturus and again, slowly but surely, I noticed more AK variants and even some tasty looking ARs appearing from them. If you check out www.taiwangun.com you’ll find (at the

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time of writing) seven different AK variants, seven ARs and the “Centaur B”, which is a classy-looking hybrid!

Add to that some very tidy upgrade parts and you could say that Arcturus most definitely has my attention!

Luckily I have a great working relationship with Taiwangun so I reached out to them to see if there might be a test/review model available for Airsoft Action. Such is our standing now, not just in the UK market but also globally via our digital platforms, Taiwangun not only offered to send me over the very latest model but they did so as an exclusive for us and therefore, for you.

MOS WHO?

I like to do a little digging to find out the background to any emergent brand and in all honesty, in this case it required my very best detective work! Whilst there is a lot of information on the “AT” models on the Taiwangun website about externals and internals, it wasn’t until I saw the sentence “for years, MOS has been gaining experience, producing items for firearms as well as for the largest companies from the airsoft industry” that things really fell into place and a big smile formed on my face!

For those of you that haven’t come across them before, MOS Manufacture in China are best known for their E&L Airsoft and Meister Arms brands and now they have added another great line of airsoft replicas under the new brand Arcturus. MOS specialise in airsoft and have been providing high-quality products for years, delivering the most exclusive AEGs, parts

armoury ARCTURUS AK CARBINE AT-AK04

“THE MOVE TO OPFOR AND THE RISE OF RUSSIAN-THEMED TEAMS HAS CERTAINLY HELPED BUT I WOULD GO FURTHER AND SAY THAT THE ADOPTION OF THE AK PLATFORM BY MANY MORE SEASONED PLAYERS HAS FILTERED DOWN VIA GAMES AND SITES TO THE NEWER PLAYER.” and accessories. They also manage the shipping and warehousing for their partners and years’ experience have allowed them to build up an efficient logistics network to ensure their products reach the retailer and, ultimately, the end user in a timely fashion.

In their own words: “With hard work and total team dedication has continued to grow, from humble beginning, we know our success will be built on competitive quality airsoft brands, service delivery, and satisfied customers. Arcturus focuses on high quality and unique designs for a fair price!”

Speaking of quality, throughout their range they use solid materials like Full Steel or CNC Anodized parts; some are steel stamped and QPQ processed (is this become more standard in the airsoft industry I wonder?)

With 8mm bearings, 19000RPM motors, Micro Switches, Spring Tension Release systems and LiPOready, MOS ensures quality inside as well as out.

THE RIGHT AK AT THE RIGHT TIME

The Arcturus AT-AK04, in my opinion, has hit the global airsoft market at precisely the right time. When speaking to friends in the international airsoft community I am seeing ARs being replaced by AKs at almost every turn and most certainly amongst those that I would refer to as “the old and bold”!

Whilst trends are driven in the main by manufacturers pushing forward with new models, the whole “AK Thing” seems to have grown more organically and to my mind has been driven by the players themselves.

The move to OPFOR and the rise of Russian-themed teams has certainly helped but I would go further and say that the adoption of the AK platform by many more

seasoned players has filtered down via games and sites to the newer player.

Once upon a time, the majority of players on any site would have been fielding some form of “AR/M4” so it was perfectly natural for new players to look around and come to the conclusion that this style of RIF would be their first purchase. I will openly admit that you would always see other styles of RIFs at any site but I believe you’d have to be blind not to agree that up until now the “AR” has been king.

I’ll bring this down to a thoroughly local, grass-roots level. My local shop sells many, many “AR” AEGs and in truth that is their “bread and butter”. However, there are a bunch of us that play together and hang out at the shop socially that use AKs and in recent times the shop has seen a rise in the sales of AK models. I would have to draw the conclusion that these two things are connected.

Although there are a few of us that love the classic 47/AKM/74 wood and metal models, the newer players in the main seem to look for something far more funky, far more “modern”, with all the bells and whistles as standard. The release by manufacturers, therefore, of thoroughly up-to-the-minute “tacticool AKs” with buffer tubes and fancy stocks, upgraded controls and all flavours of rail system has grabbed the attention of many new players - and the prices are now keen enough to please all of our wallets!

The newest AT- AK04 Carbine from MOS/Arcturus is an absolutely classic example of this, as it provides a modern, clean look with precision performance. If you look at this particular AEG from end to end the only giveaway that it’s an AK is the central section,

www.airsoft-action.online

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armoury ARCTURUS AK CARBINE AT-AK04

combining the lower receiver with the top cover. In this area you’ll find the traditional AK selector but even this is upgraded with a “tacticool” thumb lever! Going to the rear of the 04 you’ll find a rock-solid buffer tube with singlepoint sling plate, along with a super “MOE L” style sliding stock.

Go forward from the receiver group and you’ll see a lovely slimline M-LOK rail made from high-quality alloy that looks great a feels just right in the support hand; it also has an “MOE AK” style pistol grip to round things out nicely. To me the only thing that jars slightly is the chunky “super-74” style flash-hider but this is on a standard 14mm CCW thread so is easily replaced with an after-market part. I quite fancy one of the new muzzle-blast devices for it which would make it “thoroughly modern” in my eyes. In addition to some first-rate flip-up front and rear sights, the 04 is also equipped with a unique magazine funnel which helps to make mag changes easier and faster.

Teflon provides durability and, most importantly, has very good flow properties so no lubrication is required.

This works with a metal hop-up chamber in which a hardened 6.01mm precision steel barrel is mounted.

The gearbox has been equipped with a spring tension release that has been placed next to the trigger; the spring-loaded lever basically pushes the anti-reversal latch to release the spring tension, keeping the gearbox in top shape over time.

Huge thought and attention to detail has gone into the AT- AK04 and this shows on the range!

I had wondered about the power level of the 04 (in Poland the legal level for AEGs there is actually a whopping 17 Joules before a RIF is classified as a firearm, although players don’t get anywhere near that of course) and when the 04 arrived it was indeed up at 1.59 Joule/415fps on a RZR .20g! After a swift and easy spring change it was soon down to a UK legal and friendly 109 Joule/344fps on the same BBs. I am certain that UK-purchased models will be at the correct power legally but as a word of advice, if you buy from outside the UK chrono as soon as you receive it and have a spring on hand to reduce power immediately if you find you’re heading into a “grey area”!

Once I was happy with the power level I upped to .25g RZRs. The shot distance was great, sending BBs right to the extent of the 30m range with a dead-flat trajectory. After running a couple of full mags through the 04 I was able to achieve a nice tight group and switching to full-auto delivered a line of BBs straight to target. The 04 comes with two magazines as standard, a 550 BB hi-cap and a 120/30 BB model; this can be easily changed out by removing the magazine “cassette” and simply flipping a clearly marked switch. Both magazines feed perfectly and are black “74” style; between the two you get a lot of game options, so bloody well done Arcturus!

SUMMARY

Each 04 has a unique serial number and most of the external elements are made of metal. It should be noted here that (as in the real thing) the receiver, top cover, the safety selector and the trigger guard together with the latch of the magazine have been cold pressed from steel sheet.

All these metal elements have been protected against corrosion using a “real steel” industrial process.

Knowing the other brands that MOS bring to the party the gearbox is first rate. There is a quick-change spring system and the spring guide, as well as the piston head, has bearings. The polymer piston is equipped with steel teeth that work with high-quality gears. Gears are mounted on slide bearings to be able to cope with the highest loads; only the motor rack is mounted on ball bearings to ensure that it is free to spin at high speeds.

The 04 benefits from an electric trigger “Micro Switch” that is connected to low-resistance wiring, so essentially it is 100% Li-Po ready (the use of an electric trigger eliminates the problem of burned out contacts and improves the response to the trigger too).

The gearbox is finished with a Teflon sealed nozzle.

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Overall the Arcturus AK CARBINE AT-AK04 is one hell of a package. It’s beautifully put together and finished, the parts are completely bombproof and it shoots really, REALLY well. And the best bit? It costs under 240 quid!

Yup, you heard that right! A top-of-the-line “tacticool” AK with everything you need to get in the game for £237.56 at the time of writing!

If you’re not an “AK Guy” already, then this AEG could well change your mind! AA

My sincere thanks go to www.taiwangun.com for providing the test sample and please do be sure to visit their website to check out the other models from Arcturus and much, much more!

armoury NUPROL BREACHER

NUPROL DELTA PIONEER

BREACHER HAVING PREVIOUSLY ENJOYED THE NUPROL DELTA PIONEER, PHIL BUCKNALL WAS KEEN TO SEE IF THIS BUDGET RANGE AEG WAS AS CAPABLE AS ITS SIBLINGS. I’VE BEEN PLAYING AIRSOFT for quite a while now and when I started there wasn’t the choice of budget, midrange and high-end guns. Nope, there were guns and… erm… that was it - and most were around the £400 mark. It wasn’t a cheap hobby to get into at all and choice was exceedingly limited too.

Skip forward a few years and there has been a lot of changes; some good - some not so good! But where change has happened that is most definitely good, is in the choice of guns and not just high-end ones, but across the whole spectrum from very affordable, to ultra-expensive.

all for a stupidly low price. Whilst the accessories these come with aren’t worth even plugging in, the price is more than justifiable for anyone just getting into the hobby but unwilling to sink large sums into kit before they’ve played a few games.

A lot of companies produce cheaper offerings under the name of “Sportline”, or similar monickers and they differ from their higher end brothers in materials used, so typically they will be polymer or plastic receivers instead of metal ones. The components inside will be of a lesser quality and, as such, they don’t have the longevity of higher-end parts and overall the finish isn’t

“MY SON HAS USED THIS NOW IN SEVERAL GAMES AND EACH TIME HE HAS ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. THE ONLY ADDITION HAS BEEN A CLONE EOTECH TO TAKE CARE OF AIMING DUTIES. OTHER THAN THAT, IT IS EXACTLY AS IT ARRIVED. IT HAS NEVER MISSED A BEAT OR HAD A MISFIRE.” I’ve dabbled with very cheap guns before, when “Chinasoft” was a thing and it was ridiculous the prices you could get a gun for in those heady days. My best deal was a JG M733 I think it was, which cost me £35 for the gun and £30 for shipping. Yes, when it arrived it was somewhere north of 490fps but with a spring change it was fine and to the best of my knowledge, it is still going strong today. It wasn’t all good though and some cheap guns were absolutely awful. Luckily it is very, very rare to actually get a RIF these days that is so bad it is completely unusable (it does happen but not so often and most manufacturers listen to feedback now and make changes if required).

If we skip forward a few more years, entry level packages seem to be everywhere and oftentimes include things like batteries, safety glasses and chargers - and 14

MAY 2019

quite as polished. Saying that though, even with the obvious compromises, they are generally good to go straight out of the box and if treated well there is no reason they couldn’t go on to give years of service.

For a long time, companies like G&G and Classic Army dominated this segment and the G&G “Combat Machine” (to take one example) was literally everywhere. Having done a lot of teching over the years, I have my own rather negative view on these and other G&G offerings and sadly nothing I’ve seen has done anything to change that …but I digress! The choice at this lower end of the market is now almost as large as further up the food chain and one example of a company bringing in good products at a good price is NUPROL. Having been around for a good while now, NUPROL

armoury NUPROL BREACHER

is not new to airsoft and, in fact, their accessories, BBs and (especially) gun cases are very well-represented at most skirmishes - and for good reason: they offer good products at good prices. In addition, they have a pretty substantial range of AEGs and I know my fellow contributor, Bill Pryce Thomas, has a particular soft spot for their new AK range and I myself included their Delta Pioneer in my round up of my top six M4s back in the Xmas issue. When an opportunity came to review the Breacher AEG from the same budget range I was all for it, as was my son (who loves his Delta Pioneer).

DELTA PIONEER BREACHER

The gun arrived in the now familiar black and red styled box adorned with images of the gun and some instructions, including battery recommendations, on the rear. Inside the gun is held firmly in place in a neat foam cut out and the package includes the gun, a Hicap PMAG-styled magazine, an instruction manual, a cleaning rod and some polymer Magpul-style back up sights. As I’ve already mentioned, the vast majority of the gun is made from a tough-looking plastic and this includes the rail, receivers, pistol grip, magazine, sights and stock. The buffer tube is metal, as is the outer barrel and sound hog loudener, which is a nice touch, along with the metal sling plate (I’ve had guns costing considerably more than this that didn’t include a sling plate).

The stock tube will easily accommodate a 1300Mah battery, although I found the battery compartments in the crane stock to be quite narrow, so be aware of this if that is your preferred battery placement. The connector is the standard “mini-Tamiya” and it works fine getting power to the motor and making it all go as it should. The motor is more than adequate for the job and the gearbox is more than up to the task. There’s nothing earth-shattering about the guts of the gun but the word “capable” keeps springing to mind whenever I think of it. The same can be said for the tightbore aluminium barrel; it isn’t amazing but it is absolutely fine for chucking BBs down range and not just a short distance either; easily and consistently reaching out past 50m using ASG blaster 0.25g BBs. Rate of fire was a little slow compared to some guns but not so sluggish it was detrimental to game play and the FPS was a very site friendly 310 using 0.2g BBs, over the site chrono at Stormforce Airsoft.

IN GAME USE

My son has used this now in several games and each time he has absolutely loved it. The only addition has been a clone Eotech to take care of aiming duties. Other than that, it is exactly as it arrived. It has never missed a beat or had a misfire. It has fed from the three different types of magazines - all Hi-caps - without any issues. The big plusses for him (and I guess many players who will buy this) is the light weight. Compared to my full-metal PTS C4-10, it is easily less than half the weight so for junior players, or those that don’t want to (or can’t for whatever reason) be lumping a 3-4kg AEG around, it makes perfect sense.

SUMMARY

Would I recommend this to a more seasoned player?

Probably not but I got this review sample with the expressed intention of looking at it from a novice player’s point of view and to see if it would meet the criteria that they might set for a purchase. As a player of long-standing I wouldn’t buy this gun for myself but that isn’t because it does what it does badly, that is most definitely NOT the case. No, I wouldn’t buy it because it doesn’t fit with what I want from an AEG. For a novice though, it ticks so many boxes it would be a huge mistake to not consider it! The price is low enough that it doesn’t evoke a sharp intake of breath – sub-£150 from most retailers is very reasonable I think, nor is it a massive investment if, after a few games, you find that airsoft isn’t really for you.

As I already mentioned, the weight makes it particularly suitable for younger players and I’ve seen quite a few who, half-way through a day, are dreading going out after lunch as their arms are aching from the morning and carrying a full-metal AEG around. This won’t give you that problem.

Long term I would say that upgrade potential is there but only if you swapped out most of the existing plastic furniture, including the receivers so it may well be cost-prohibitive to do so but I also think that, at that point the player may well have bought another gun already and this will possibly be sold to another new airsoft player with a limited budget or kept as a reminder, perhaps to be used occasionally or as a loaner for friends. Either way I can see them being around for many years and used by many people and that is no bad thing. AA

www.airsoft-action.online

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event report IWA OUTDOORCLASSICS 2019

IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, THE TIME WHEN AIRSOFT ACTION HITS THE BIGGEST GUN TRADE SHOW IN EUROPE AND WHAT WE FOUND AT IWA IN NUREMBERG THIS YEAR WAS AN AIRSOFT INDUSTRY THAT IS MATURING AND GROWING! BILL TAKES US ON HIS JOURNEY THROUGH THE SHOW HALLS IN PART 1 OF OUR ANNUAL REPORT, STARTING WITH ALL THAT’S NEW AND IMPROVED IN RELATION TO RIFS AND ACCESSORIES. IWA IS MOST DEFINITELY MY VERY FAVOURITE show of the year when it comes to airsoft. All too often airsoft is an “also ran” alongside the mass of the shooting sports industry as a whole and all too often we airsofters are looked down upon by that mass. 2019 for me though, marked a HUGE change for numerous reasons that will become apparent throughout my report.

Each and every year IWA gets bigger and better, of that there is no doubt. It’s a huge show; the Nuremberg MESSE covers 12 halls in total, some of them as big as a football stadium and the show now covers eleven of them. To put that in perspective, when I first attended IWA only six of the halls were in use - but the show just keeps on growing!

IWA OutdoorClassics, held from 8th to 11th March, enjoyed further growth this year with 1,622 exhibitors (2018: 1,562) from around the world spread through eleven halls at the Exhibition Centre Nuremberg. The leading international exhibition for hunting and shooting sports, outdoor equipment and equipment for civilian and official security requirements, IWA OutdoorClassics

to the magazine we have a pretty good overview of what has worked and where problems exist.

I all too often see the comment that “Brand X” has “not responded to my messages or emails” but not all the manufacturers speak English, so sometimes it’s hard for them to appreciate what is an honest plea for help and let’s face it, online etiquette, or the lack of it doesn’t help either! Standing face to face with them, however, at a show where they will have a translator on hand if needed, means that we can speak to them directly about any concerns that need to be raised and I’m pleased to report there are a couple of companies that we will be working with directly to try and help overcome those “issues”.

I know that many of you have a good laugh at us when the topic of IWA comes up but let me assure you… it’s bloody hard work! Yes, we do get first look at all the new “shiny things” but the schedule is brutally punishing! 03:00 get ups to catch planes and trains to and from the show are the norm. Seventeen-plus hour days are the norm from start to finish, as just as much

“03:00 GET UPS TO CATCH PLANES AND TRAINS TO AND FROM THE SHOW ARE THE NORM. SEVENTEEN-PLUS HOUR DAYS ARE THE NORM FROM START TO FINISH, AS JUST AS MUCH WORK GETS DONE AFTER THE SHOW AS IN IT. SOMEONE THIS YEAR ACTUALLY TRACKED THEIR FOOTFALL AND IT CAME IN AT OVER NINE MILES A DAY AND THAT’S JUST INSIDE THE SHOW ITSELF!” has been the meeting point for manufacturers, importers, wholesalers, retailers and mail order firms, authorities and the trade press from the relevant sectors for 46 years. Once again this year, the event drew over 46,000 trade visitors to Nuremberg.

Basically, for the week of IWA (and the allied Mil/ LE EnforceTac show) Nuremberg plays host to everyone who is anyone in the European shooting sports family - and to many that come from far further afield! IWA is where tactical and airsoft writers like me can stand toe to toe with manufacturers from around the globe, discuss their plans, check out all their latest products and provide feedback to them from the community.

Whilst nobody at Airsoft Action would deem themself a “voice of the community”, we are involved with many groups and make note of any genuine problems we see.

We also see and test a large number of RIFs and a huge pile of gear every year, so amongst the 30+ contributors 18

may 2019

work gets done after the show as in it. Someone this year actually tracked their footfall and it came in at over nine miles a day - and that’s just inside the show itself!

When you see a picture of your favourite blogger or vlogger cracking a cold brewski at the end of the day, believe me, they have bloody earned that and so has everyone that’s been on their stands all day long!

Suffice to say that we pack in as much as possible to the days we are at the show because this is our chance to be with all the manufacturers and distributors of airsoft goodies in person, and the opportunity must be embraced in full so we can continue to bring you the stories you want to read all year round.

BANGING ON!

So, enough of my musings and onto what you really want to hear!

event report IWA OUTDOORCLASSICS 2019

NUPROL Our first meeting of the show as usual was with a NUPROL and although they took a bit of flak from the internet trolls (who weren’t even at the show!) their airsoft stage extravaganza featuring professional dancers was truly a wonderful thing to behold and the crowds that gathered simply loved it! With an even bigger stand than last year, the entire team was on hand to meet, greet and show the world the professional face of airsoft business in the UK! Following the launch of the new RAVEN pistol range at the back end of 2017, the guys were once again rocking in Germany with the existing models and a whole heap of new “concept pistols” and I believe we can expect great things from this range in 2019! Alongside their new ROMEO AK models, they were showing a number from the E&L range they now distribute, along with choice models from their new distribution deal with A&K. I’ve said this year on year but in our current economic climate it is just stunning to see a British company doing so very well on the worldwide market.

G&G G&G also always have something fresh and this year was absolutely no exception - in fact they blew many, me included, away with the depth of their new models!

They are focusing on the pistol market this year and have a worldwide patent pending for their innovative whirl cylinder valve. In short, the whirl cylinder valve helps reduce frost built-up. You can expect a lot of pistols from them this year… 25 to be exact. They will be releasing different colour schemes and will have upgrade/replacement parts easily accessible for all new models. In addition, they will have a fully licensed rifle from Seekins Precision and Knights Armament, some new PRK “9mm” models and even a couple of righteous-looking open-bolt gas ARs. To put the icing on the cake they also had TWO bolt-action Lee Enfield rifles on show, one of which is the sniper variant but, sadly, we were advised that these would be for a 2020 release, which was disappointing. That said it certainly

looks like it’ll be another exciting year for them and their computerised “gun turret” looks like they’ll make it an exciting one for us too!

ICS My old friends from ICS had their usual fine stand this year and, like other manufacturers, continue to tweak and refine their already super AEGS. As well as an extension to their new “BLE” handgun line, including a “Makarov”, they were showing off a really nice looking “light tan” finish and some excellent new rails, plus the HERA ARMS collaboration with ASG.

CLASSIC ARMY Classic Army were just across the way and once again seem to have upped their game in terms of quality and appearance; they also had more stand-alone accessories and rails than ever before with both KeyMod and M-Lok in evidence and some lovely looking “9mm AR” variants. This seemed to be a growing theme within many companies, no doubt mirroring the current trend in the “real steel” world.

ASG ASG had moved stand location this year as the show continues to grow but as always they were “loud and proud” and rightly so! Big news included getting “hands on” the new “Shadow 2” pistol which is simply stunning both internally and externally. They also dropped a bit of a bomb by unveiling the first look at their new B&T Universal Service Weapon (fully

www.airsoft-action.online

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EVENT REPORT IWA OUTDOORCLASSICS 2019

licensed) and, of course, their “CZ EVO and BREN” train continues to steam onwards with some exciting new accessories.

AND ON WE GO!

Those miles covered really clock up and many were feeling it after Day 1, in some cases due to a bit of a late “business meeting” in the ever-popular Finnegans!

LCT The start of the second day though took our steps to the stand of LCT and whilst their display at the show was of largely existing products, they did have some great new rails and accessories to drool over, as well as their new BBs and much of the talk was still of their new EBB “recoil system”. Tom already has one installed in his personal AK and will be looking at this in detail soon, so we had LOTS of feedback to pass their way. They also showed us a new folding AK buffer tube to line up with their EBB system which is exciting but their BIG news for IWA 2019 was the brand-new, not seen before AK12!

Suffice to say that it is a thing of utter beauty if you’re an “AK man” like me, especially when the build-quality of the sample was (as I expect from them) superlative!

We look forward to getting one in as soon as they are released and taking it straight the the range!

BOLT Talking of “recoil AKs”, a trip to meet with BOLT revealed their own take on this and what a take it is!

Now in full production form, their “AKSU” looks and performs brilliantly as some of you will have seen in our review and oh, what a nice kick it gives in the shoulder.

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MAY 2019

VFC Tech just keeps on rolling forward and another superb model that caught my eye was the full-travel open-bolt SR25 ECC from VFC. Whilst perhaps not an out and out skirmish gun this is still an absolutely stunning piece of engineering and gives you a full travel bolt group and some absolutely stunning furniture from none other than Knights Armament! The operation seems to be mega-efficientand along with their super-looking “Samurai Edge” these these guys are really “one to keep watching” and I’m speaking to them in terms of review models right now.

REDWOLF I said earlier, airsoft continues to expand at IWA and as usual Redwolf were all over this, leading from the front as always. With some stunning new “Airsoft Surgeon” replicas to drool over, including Clarence’s rather wonderful competition creations and their continued collaboration with Agency Arms means that there are a more absolutely righteous-looking pistols on the way soon! Their stand, as always, was absolutely chock-a-block with airsoft goodness and innovation but one thing that particularly caught my eye was the new range of TITAN Lithium Ion batteries, which are superbly cutting edge and I look forward to having a closer look at these in due course. However, the real “showstopper” for many of us was their own stunning custom models and even those were surpassed by their “Nighthawk” pistols, while their continued collaborations with Agency

EVENT REPORT IWA OUTDOORCLASSICS 2019

Arms, Battle Arms Development and Fortis means that there are again a few more absolutely righteous looking RIFs on the way soon!

GUNFIRE/SPECNA ARMS Gunfire really came to the fore this year and their “customs” were just as jaw-dropping as usual! Their range of product continues to grow and grow and seeing pictures of their new, state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution centre showed me that these guys REALLY mean business. I recently placed an order with them myself, and to say their service was excellent is a total understatement! With RIFs from most major manufacturers, along with their own “Primal Gear” and “Armoured Claw” glove lines, these guys are simply forging ahead but it was the SPECNA ARMS EDGE series of AEGs that really lit my fire. SPECNA ARMS has been getting bigger and better since I first saw them, and with the top-end EDGE AEG I truly believe they’ll cause a stir. I’m looking forward on getting my hands on one of these as soon as possible for testing and will report back as soon as I’ve had it “downrange”. I was also very excited to see their “Snaiperskaya Vintovka” SV-98 sniper rifle which will be a “must have” for any selfrespecting OPFOR sharpshooter!!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS Before I wrap up, as usual I have to make a couple of “honourable mentions” of things that I saw that I thought to be first rate. King Arms continue to build their range of pistols and once again were showing a very, very respectable looking “RONI” kit licensed by CAA. Umarex, it has to be said, pulled a bit of a blinder with their new licensed GLOCK models and although Scott tells me they ain’t going to be cheap, I’m going to bet there’s a few out there that will find the cash for these little crackers! Valken, after a bit of time in the doldrums, are back in full swing and, again, we’ll be working with them going forward.

AWARDS AND CELEBRATIONS

This years’ Airsoft Meetup, arranged by Ronald from NLA, along with Vic and Owen from Popular Airsoft (and their worthy, hard-working teams!) was bigger as well.

In addition to the Awards Ceremony I was honoured to be part of the Airsoft Discussion Panel again, along with my great friend and fellow AA contributor, Kelly.

This year the players discussion panel was followed by a manufacturers one, with Nuprol, G&G, LayLax, Tippman, Redwolf and Gunfire all ably represented.

The Meetup also hosted the Popular Airsoft Players Choice Awards and the Airsoft Action team were honoured with the award for “Best Airsoft Magazine” for the third year running. It was humbling when my friend Nige stepped up to collect the “shiny thing” that acknowledged the hard work that he and the entire team have put in over the past few years. Our congratulations go to all the award recipients and we look forward to working with you all in the future!

Airsoft companies continue to innovate and grow and, as I said at the start of this report, there appears to be a new dynamism and professionalism apparent wherever you may look. Sadly, this also means that the business is becoming a bit harder-edged and I did hear of one particular incident that should have no place in any business, let alone airsoft. It’s saddening to hear of this happening and I truly hope that the friendship, fellowship and honour will not be lost to the mighty dollar… only time will tell.

On a brighter note (and I said this last year) but to conclude I will use simply one word again…

“MEALSIM!”… bigger, bolder, better, and MUCH louder than ever before! Together we feasted!

Next month I’ll head into the gear halls for our usual clothing, footwear and gear review but for now I’ll just say that IWA 2019 was a tremendous show again both for me personally and for Airsoft Action and I hope to see just as many folk from the UK airsoft community in Nuremberg next year. The show has already been fixed for Friday 6th to Monday 9th March 2020, so get it in your diary and the Airsoft Action crew look forward to seeing you in Germany next year! AA www.airsoft-action.online

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SITE REPORT ALLSORTS AIRSOFT SOUTHDOWN

ALLSORTS...

AIN’T JUST LIQUORICE!

AIRSOFT ACTION’S ROVING REPORTER, LEZ LEE, HEADS INTO THE WILDS OF WEST SUSSEX TO BRING US A REPORT FROM AN AIRSOFT SITE THAT IS RAPIDLY GROWING IN POPULARITY. SET DEEP BESIDE ONE OF THE LUSH country back roads of West Sussex, a copse of unparalleled wilderness lies secreted in densely forested woodland.

Over 100 acres of firs and flora obscure the skyline and screen the perimeter of a place where deer run wild and free.

But this ain’t about nature’s finest and I’m not the legendary Sir David Attenborough! This is about a band of brothers and sisters that have infiltrated one of the most naturally created and challenging airsoft arenas in the South and if you think you’re tough enough to run ‘n’ gun a strategically placed and heavily defended encampment up on a 45° hillside, then I dare you to try! Oh.. and did I mention the deep trenches surrounding this FOB? ...thought not!

The ALLSORTS AIRSOFT family chose to rejuvenate this exceptional but neglected prime skirmish area with all the bells and whistles and is now what I believe to be an exceptional airsoft arena, with all the good stuff thrown in that we have come to expect in the 21st century pastime of airsoft.

So let’s start this report at the beginning…

You will need a sat nav - trust me - because this area known as Graffham (yeah, I’d never heard of it either)

lies off the main roads in between Petworth and Midhurst, which favourably places it way beyond the frowning faces of passers-by. Fortunately, the postcode of GU28 0LR will lead you right to the front door (if it had one) but just in case, there is a sign at the end of the lane. Ample parking is just a few metres from the covered safe zone so no need to lug your kit bags half way across the woods.

A walk on price of £25.00 will get you a day’s skirmishing under the watchful eyes of experienced and highly visible Marshals that not only oversee fair and honest play but drive the teams towards their objective with enthused directives. Also, this includes hot lunch, hot drinks, two of the cleanest portaloos I’ve ever seen, a well-stocked site shop, a well-managed chrono station, an onsite gun tech legendary master of the soldering iron, Ian Dinsmore, who has more Tamiya to Dean’s conversions under his belt than claims on an MP’s expense account.

And then we have the magnificent 90 metre shooting range and oh my! What a bloody good range it is too! Not only are the targets uniform to the distance but they are each boldly numbered for accurate range assessment. This is a simple but incredibly useful facility because it will allow you to not only zero your scopes and tune your hops, but

“THE BRIEFING COMMENCED WITH HEAD MARSHALL, JAMES UNDERWOOD, WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED IN AIRSOFT SINCE STONEHENGE WAS BUILT. HIS WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE WAS NOT ONLY TO OVERSEE THE BATTLES BUT TO DESIGN SOME WELL THOUGHT OUT AND CHALLENGING GAMES THROUGHOUT THE DAY.”

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SITE REPORT ALLSORTS AIRSOFT SOUTHDOWN

challenge each other to shooting competitions and more, all within a fully enclosed and safe area adjacent to the safe zone.

Although ALLSORTS AIRSOFT (Southdown) is not a brand new site, the land owner/operator simply didn’t have the time to enhance this area of great potential and things just ticked over with a few regular players until its demise, which was a shame given the location and topography. However, with Liz and Ray’s interest in airsoft developing at a rapid pace, they took things to the next level and went from a local site shop to opening Allsorts Airsoft retail shop, in 2018, on the main through road in Littlehampton. Such was their passion for airsoft, they decided to take yet another step forward and found that the former Southdown Airsoft site needed re-opening with an injection of upgrades to not only bring it in line with modern day expectations, but to surpass many existing sites in the South. So the deal was done and their first day was a huge success, with around 100 people on site.

walk-on games are being held on the last Sunday of every month but there are some odd days that go against this rule, so please check us out on Facebook.

Search for our group “Allsorts Airsoft – Southdown Site”.

The intention of our first open day was to utilise as much of the site as we could to give the players an idea of the scale and also to experience the varied ground we have to offer.

The briefing commenced with Head Marshall, James Underwood, who has been involved in airsoft since Stonehenge was built. His wealth of knowledge and experience was not only to oversee the battles but to design some well thought out and challenging games throughout the day, starting with a “basic” hill game (he-he). This is best explained by the man himself, so over to you James.....

rejuvenate the facility into a functioning CP, complete with vehicle barriers and defensive firing points.

• Jungle – Closely managed coppiced hazel makes for an extremely dense woodland environment, ideal for flanking and ambushes.

• Ammo Dump – Mixed medium density woodland with severely undulating ground and craters throughout. The area houses dozens of oil barrels.

• Drop Zone – Long grasses and ferns sit at the crest of yet another steep hill, with a small stream at the base. It’s an excellent firing position to engage attackers making their way down the adjacent hill. Set back from the crest are barricades and foxholes making this a very defendable position.

THE GROUND

The Allsorts Airsoft – Southdown site is 100+ acres of prime Southdown woodland, dispersed with steep hills and valleys, dense ferns and rhododendron bushes as well as bunkers and bases dotted throughout. Currently,

• The OP (Observation Post) – An area of dense ferns and loosely spread spruce trees. The area is commanded by a set of bunkers and barricades with interlocking trench systems that are well concealed with camouflage netting.

• Hill 360 – The peak of a hill with extraordinarily steep sides with spruce trees clinging to the edge. The top of the hill is adorned with bunkers and firing positions.

• Check Point – Currently a rundown shack sitting on the corner of two tracks but plans are in place to

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SITE REPORT ALLSORTS AIRSOFT SOUTHDOWN

• The Slums – A CQB maze made from thick material which absorb shots and vastly reduces ricochets.

Designed with plenty of tight corners and choke points There are many other areas on the site which we have neglected to mention at this time. Mainly because the site is newly opened and these areas need developing before we will announce them.

one of the best and most physically challenging airsoft theatres in the South. There is something about family run airsoft sites that gives them a warm and welcoming appeal and ALLSORTS AIRSOFT ticks all the boxes in my book. I feel that a good example of this is that during one of their preparation days leading up to the first game day, both Ray and Liz were not discouraged when

THE OPENING DAY

a big old full size fir tree (which was rotten to the core) decided to end its days ...by crashing down on both of them and causing some very nasty injuries. Ray was particularly hit badly, with a leg broken in five places, spinal trauma and a bunch of other nastiness which put him in hospital for some time and even though this happened just a couple of weeks before the opening day, both Liz and Ray were not deterred and were both in attendance, although I think Ray might have benefited from an all-terrain wheelchair. Nevertheless, it was decided that “the show must go on”!

We kicked off our opening day with a simple “King of the Hill” game, with the emphasis firmly on the word “HILL”. Afterwards we did an extended rolling assault which covered an estimated 1.4KM before breaking for lunch, which consisted of hotdogs, fizzy drinks and crisps. “Lovely hotdog, enough to fuel us but didn’t leave me feeling sluggish or bloated” was one players review.

To celebrate our inauguration over lunch, a raffle ticket was included in the walk on fee with prizes valued in excess of £1,000 including what seemed like a never ending supply of bottles of Bulldog BBs along with around 16 other prizes, including some top quality RIF’s.

After lunch we headed straight to the slums for some high intensity CQB action, with teams activating and deactivating a bomb by entering a code that they struggled to commit to memory.

We had a fantastic opening day, we could not have wished for any better. The Allsorts team owe great thanks to those that volunteered to muck in and help us get ready.

To conclude, this site is not just another woodland site, it is “different” in so many positive ways. For starters it has everything that you will need for a great day out but additionally there are some very well designed enhancements, thanks both to the Allsorts friends and family and, indeed, good old mother nature.

Lez OUT!

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

The Allsorts team want to make this site as inclusive and friendly as possible. We are welcoming to the new players and grizzled old warriors alike and hope that you will find enjoyment in our games, whether you are a pure skirmish junkie or a hardcore MilSim addict.

Going forward we hope to add vehicles to our list of props and objectives, we already have three 4WD vehicles on site but they are in need of some TLC before they can be considered “airsofter-proof”.

Additionally in the pipe line, not only do we have our walk on skirmish days once a month but we will also have Weekender Events, WW2 Weekender and a Halloween Zombie Experience. It’s an exciting time for all of us at ALLSORTS AIRSOFT and we hope that you come and try us out soon.

Thank you James. In my opinion, Liz and Ray and the highly motivated team have got what it takes in terms of experience, enthusiasm and determination, to make this

CONTACT DETAILS Allsorts Airsoft 9 Arundel Road Littlehampton BN17 7BY Phone: 01903 714688 E mail: allsortsairsoft@gmail.com

www.airsoft-action.online

27

FEATURE AIRSOFT GRENADES

BOOM! BOOM! CLEAR THE ROOM!

WHEN A ROOM NEEDS TO BE CLEARED THERE IS NOTHING MORE EFFICIENT AT DOING SO THAN THE (NOT SO) HUMBLE AIRSOFT GRENADE. ANGELO DV GIVES US THE LOWDOWN ON THREE DIIFFERENT DEVICES. IN THE MANY YEARS I HAVE BEEN testing and reviewing various airsoft guns, products and sites up and down the country, I have seen countless pistols, shotguns and rifles in use so I decided that I would look at something different but no less important than a primary weapon.

Yes, I am of course talking about airsoft grenades.

Now there are many different types of grenade on the market, that serve various purposes but for this review I am concentrating on room clearing. I know we have all tried those dreadful “pea grenades” that pop and fire a few dried peas or similar out but they rely on a dry striker on the top which is not always the case, especially when it is raining hard. The three grenades I am testing are “impact” grenades that are gas-powered not percussion capped. So you basically fill them with gas, load as many BBs in as you can, then toss them into a room and bingo, you’re in!

The three grenades I have chosen for this report are all very similar, with two of them made from very tough polymer and one from hard aluminium but all use the same principal.

1. The Storm 360 grenade from ASG (Big Boy) 2. The E-Raz which is marketed both from BO Dynamics and NUPROL (The Rascal) 3. The Strataim Nova grenade which I believe is available from most airsoft retailers. (The Heavyweight) To make this fair I have judged the grenades on three different categories, marking them out of 5.

• Ease of use • Effectiveness • Reliability/Durability Remember though, this is just my opinion and yours might be completely different so, as always, see if one of your mates can let you try theirs, or ask your local shop if it they have a range to try them out before you hand over your cash.

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THE BASICS

OK, so the basic principal of these devices is that you fill them with gas via the valve on the top and then there is a hole near the top of the grenade in which you load your BBs. Each of these grenades will take between 100-150 BBs so a speed loader is a must. One thing to point out at this stage, is with each grenade when filling with BBs if it feels full, shake the grenade and you’ll find they move down the internal spiral and you can fit more in. Prior to filling with gas, each product comes with a pin that you insert through two holes on the side of the flange where the plunger lives. Make sure the pin is located correctly then fill it with gas. You will actually hear the plunger pop up slightly against the pin. Then we get to the the fun part… Pull the pin out, toss it into the room where the enemy are and wait while hell is unleashed …I LOVE EM!!

ASG STORM 360

I met up with Paul from ASG some time ago and he handed me the Storm 360 and asked if I would review it and also what I thought of it. So, with eager anticipation, when I got home I tried it.

After a brief look at the instructions and safety guide I put the pin in (which I might add is extremely sturdy), filled it with green WE gas and Draft Club 0.25g BBs. I then popped out to the back garden, pulled the pin and threw it on the patio.

Now all I can say is, when someone throws this into a

FEATURE AIRSOFT GRENADES

room be somewhere else!

The 360 jumped up spinning and the BBs went everywhere, I was even hit by quite a few of the BBs myself and they sting. I challenge anyone who is in a room and not behind hard cover not to be hit by a least one BB. It was like watching a tornado that spat BBs at you and wanted to rip your head off, it’s absolutely nuts!! So I thought I would have another go and another and so on.

I must say at this point the grenade started to leak gas and needed to be fully stripped to see what the problem was and found a dodgy main seal was rolled over. I contacted Paul and Ben at ASG to inform them of this and I had a new seal kit within 3 days, which is great customer support. I guess some cynics will say it shouldn’t have started leaking at all but let me tell you something… all the grenades in the test did.

These things are under high pressure and being thrown around, something has to give eventually.

These are my scores for the Storm 360: • Ease of use 4/5 • Effectiveness 5/5 • Reliability/Durability 2/5

BO DYNAMICS/NUPROL E-RAZ

After a good chat with Danny from Nuprol and my fellow writer Bill Pryce Thomas, I managed to lay my hands of one of the BO Dynamics E-Raz grenade, which I had seen quite a bit of on different Facebook pages.

I will admit when I took this out of the box it felt a bit… well… “cheap” if I’m honest.

It is very light and a fair bit smaller than the Storm but, as we all know, looks can be deceiving.

What I did like was the size though, it will easily fit into most utility pouches with no effort and when I said looks can be deceiving, I was right on the money.

The E-Raz loads up pretty much the same as the Storm but there is an O ring near the hole where you put the BBs in which made it a little bit fiddlier. So down with the plunger and in with pin, gassed and full of BBs I tossed it onto the patio and boom! BBs everywhere in a similar spread to the Storm but with slightly less BBs and impact. The E-Raz also started to leak after a few throws but that was easily solved with a couple of drops of decent silicone oil down the side of the plunger.

These are my scores for the E-Raz: • Ease of use 3/5 • Effectiveness 4/5 • Reliability/Durability 3/5

STRATAIM NOVA

So down to the final participant in this shootout and have I saved the best until last?

Unlike the other two grenades, I had seen quite a bit of marketing and videos of this grenade so I wasn’t totally in the dark about it. During a visit to The Skunkworks, Matt mentioned to me that he had one of these grenades and would I like to add it in to the shootout which, of course, I accepted. However, this grenade is quite a bit different to the other two. First of all it is made from very solid aluminium billet and has two holes to load the BBs in, not just one like the others.

Another different design feature is that the plunger and the gas fill valve are one and the same, whereas the others are separate. This caused a bit of a problem when having to hold the plunger down with a pin and fill it with gas. This isn’t helped by the fact that the pin is a really flimsy-looking split pin. OK, it’s tied to a piece of string with a clip on the other end you could attach to your rig but this looks like a really well engineered bit of kit, so why skimp on the safety part of the device.

Really irked me that.

Filling it with BBs isn’t that easy either. The O ring you have to move to get the BBs in is really tight so it’s even fiddlier than the E-Raz. Anyway, plunger down, fiddle with the safety pin and load up with gas and BBs and off to the patio for a third time. I pulled the pin, tossed it and nothing happened… (strokes chin). So I threw it again and it went off, causing as much (if not a little more) chaos than the other two. This also leaked after a few throws but again a bit of silicone oil down the side of the plunger and it sealed up nicely and, as this is made of aluminium it should last for many moons to come.

These are my scores for the Nova: • Ease of use 2/5 • Effectiveness 4/5 • Reliability/Durability 4/5 So there you have it. If you want to clear a room then get one of these, they are immense fun and get the job done and I personally think they are awesome. My thanks go to Paul & Ben from ASG, Bill Pryce Thomas and the guys at NUPROL and Matt at The Skunkworks for supplying the test grenades.

BOOM! BOOM! Go get some folks! AA

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CK! O T S W IN O VISIT US N NS Mon - Fri Open 9am - 5.30pm U G Saturday - Open 10am - 5pm ICS G N Sunday - Closed I AMAZ

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24/03/2019 11:32

COMMUNITY ALL AGES AIRSOFT - DOVER

ALL AGES AIRSOFT

THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL SHOPS FOR AIRSOFT COMMUNITIES THE AIRSOFT INDUSTRY IS BECOMING MORE BUSINESS-LIKE DAY BY DAY. DRIVEN IN PART BY MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS, IT SEEMS THE DAYS OF THE “PLAYER RETAILER” MAY BE DRAWING TO A CLOSE… OR ARE THEY? BILL TAKES A LOOK AT THE IMPORTANCE OF “THE LOCAL SHOP” AND WHAT THAT MEANS TO FELLOW PLAYERS IN HIS NECK OF THE WOODS. NOT SO LONG AGO, TO REACH my “local” airsoft shop entailed a two hour round trip, money for petrol and parking and invariably ended up with me getting home and swearing loudly and volubly because I’d forgotten something or other! And so it was with great joy then that I heard the news mid-last year that my home town was at last getting a shop of its own and that the shop would be run by someone that, like me, had been around in the UK airsoft community for some considerable time.

Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m always wary when I hear of someone claiming to have been there “back in the day” and also telling folk about their prowess as a “tech” but I was lucky enough to meet Marcus, the shop owner, before the doors of “All Ages Airsoft” opened to the public. After some back and forth, some mutual connections and a good chat about the mysterious inner working of AEGs, I was more than satisfied that he knew what he was on about and was, indeed, the “real deal”.

Marcus has been involved in airsoft possibly even longer

I’m the first one to admit that I’ve made some howling mistakes in my life and as far as I’m concerned, admitting this makes you a better person in my eyes.

Sadly though, in the days of “shout first, establish facts second” that we seem to live in, there were those that seemed hell-bent on raking up “old news” about Marcus which saddened me deeply and before the shop even opened, the potential for a new (and much needed) local community hub hung in the balance…

And this is where I’ll start to talk about the huge importance of having a healthy and robust local community. As soon as unpleasant rumours and hearsay started, a number of seasoned local players, myself included, stood by our new friend and simply said “no, not on our watch”. When a man admits to his shortcomings, of his “failures past” honestly and openly, that in my book shows both simple honesty and integrity and what has followed has proved his character beyond doubt! “Chairborne Warriors”, head back to the dark place you inhabit and leave decent folk alone, would you?

“PASSERS-BY OFTEN JUST DROP IN TO FIND OUT WHAT’S GOING ON; YOUNGSTERS WITH A “COD-DRIVEN” INTEREST, AND MUMS AND DADS WITH THE KIDS… ALL ARE WELCOME AND TREATED WITH OPENNESS AND RESPECT.” than I have, back in the early days of Greenham and Electrowerkz and worked for some considerable time as tech at the original Wolf Armouries. Conversation led to some fine reminiscing about sites and players and we even worked out that we’d probably played at Fort Amherst on the same days! Like many of us though, myself included, for a while life ganged up and, by his own admission, he “made some poor choices” which led to him taking a break from the game - and the industry itself.

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For our little “community” the new shop, modest as it is, has become a thriving hub of activity and airsoft joy.

It’s a place where we can just drop in and be assured of a warm welcome whether we buy anything or not, a venue where we can meet friends in an inviting setting, sit on the sofa, drink coffee and talk about guns and games.

Marcus has purposely made the shop welcoming to all and it’s not uncommon to see more seasoned players chatting to total beginners about their first two-tone

COMMUNITY ALL AGES AIRSOFT - DOVER

AEG! It’s on the main street so passers-by often just drop in to find out what’s going on; youngsters with a “CODdriven” interest, and Mums and Dads with the kids… all are welcome and treated with openness and respect. It’s essentially a very friendly and inclusive place… with the added bonus of RIFs and gear!

Although Marcus has run a couple of “open house” evening events on a smaller scale, earlier this year, on Saturday March 2nd, he got together with “Red Van Man” Trent, to host a NUPROL day at the shop and I was very happy to go along and see what was going on.

Although free tea and coffee was on tap, I took along some genuine “Twinkies” that had been a gift from my good mate John T at J-Tac Custom and this set the tone for much jollity about “Zombieland” and “Die Hard”… a visit to the shop will undoubtedly devolve into a debate on the latest tactical/war-y/zombie movie or TV show and what firearms are used to best effect!

As we all know, the sheer depth of the range offered these days by NUPROL through their own excellent brands is comprehensive but when you add E&L, S&T, Double Eagle et al to the mix, Trent’s display becomes more than impressive! As with any small shop, Marcus can’t possibly stock every single model, so to have everything on hand was a real treat for most who came along and come along they surely did!

When I arrived at the shop at 10:30 it was absolutely heaving! Players were mooching around the displays “oohing and ahhing”, whilst from the basement the sound of pistols cracking away indicated that some were seriously “trying before buying”. Marcus, his “little helper” Aidan (sorry mate, couldn’t resist!), Trent and a number of regulars were all speaking to those visiting; giving advice, and telling the usual, and highly entertaining tales of derring-do. Even I got in on the act at one point, speaking at length to a couple of guys about the new ROMEO AK models which I reviewed when they launched!

Once again, the atmosphere was full of warmth and genuine passion and I have to admit standing back and just enjoying the moment as, to me, this was everything that a good local airsoft shop should be. Gradually the numbers began to thin and even then the sense of “belonging” continued, as a run was made to the chippy and everyone proceeded to tuck in together. As is usual in this situation, everything went quiet for a while and companionable silence reigned.

NUPROL do a fabulous job of supporting sites, games, and “grass-roots” events like this one, and of course this does result in good business being done; many of the local players that frequent the shop run with Breachers,

Defenders and RAVEN pistols, although the ROMEOs are strangely popular in my neck of the woods...

The new shop for our little airsoft community has proved to be a real home from home and a haven too; if you head in under a cloud, I guarantee you will leave to sunny skies! This clearly illustrates the importance of a shop to any airsoft community as it’s not just about the game is it? It’s about those guys next to you, the ones you can trust to “have your six” - both on the field and off.

I’m pleased to report that the shop, thanks to sheer hard work by Marcus and the guys, along with support from the likes of NUPROL, iWholeslaes and ASG, is doing well. As I write, the stairs to the basement range have just been rebuilt with the input of the players themselves; both labour and some materials have been provided by the community so as to make “our shop” even better. New shooting lanes are planned and the workshop (which Marcus lets me use for my own arcane airsoft projects!) has also been improved and upgraded.

We’ve managed to secure an outdoor range for the summer, so no doubt there will be shooting and BBQs aplenty in the good weather months ahead and Marcus has even been welcomed into our local, loose-knit team.

The shop has already become the hub for our community and that particular group is now thriving more than ever before! At “All Ages Airsoft” the door is always open, the kettle on, and the sofa (which I donated by the way!) is ready for you to relax on. If you’re passing through Dover, perhaps on your way to the ferry, then feel free to drop in as you’ll undoubtedly find someone from “our community” ready to welcome you. See you there soon I hope!

“All Ages Airsoft” is situated at 32 London Rd, Dover, Kent and you can find out more about the shop by visiting www.facebook.com/pg/allagesairsoftdover AA

www.airsoft-action.online

33

KIT & GEAR WAS UNIVERSAL HOLSTER

WARRIOR ASSAULT SYSTEMS

UNVERSAL HOLSTER

CAN A UNIVERSAL HOLSTER REALLY SUIT ALL SIDEARMS? STEVE TAKLE FINDS OUT… HOW GOOD CAN A UNIVERSAL HOLSTER really be?

Especially one that’s the equivalent of a cummerbund compared to a full body suit. As it turns out, pretty good...

If you only use one sidearm, then a polymer retention holster makes perfect sense. But at £20 and more a pop, that can get expensive for those of us that like to switch it up between games. I’ve used a “full” fabric universal for a long time, but there are certain guns that just won’t work with it.

One of those is the perennially popular CZ P-09, which has the unfortunate habit of ejecting its mags under pressure because of the way its release stands proud. There are no such problems with this ingenious solution from Warrior Assault Systems. We’ve tested it with the P-09, but also Glocks, Hi Capas, M9s, and even a P99, all without issue.

We’ve wangled, finangled, pressed, prodded and

reach for it and as you grasp the grip, apply pressure to the thumb-activated lever; it feels very natural in action and with practice adds little to your draw time.

It’s certainly quicker than releasing either a press stud or velcro fastening.

The outer is a fabric and velcro system that wraps around your sidearm with a series of flaps, from side to side and top to bottom. It might sound precarious but, cinched in, it holds just about any gun we’ve tried nice and tight to the release mechanism. The fact that each velcro flap also has a fabric release tab only speaks to the overall quality of the product.

Our only criticism would be that the straps attaching the holster to a belt lack press studs or even velcro for security, relying on an “under-tuck” instead. We’ve used it for a few games without it detaching but we’d still prefer to see a firmer physical method to secure it to a duty belt or MOLLE panel, just for peace of mind.

“IT FEELS VERY NATURAL IN ACTION AND WITH PRACTICE ADDS LITTLE TO YOUR DRAW TIME.” pushed every which way but have yet to lose a mag out of it. We know that other players have had problems, but you can see where the frame comes close to the release mechanism; take a minute or two to set the holster for the gun and we have yet to experience an unwitting ejection.

HOLD FAST

As for the gun itself, they’ve all been held fast by this holster. It may look like a minimal offering but at its core is a polymer frame that engages the sidearm with a push-to-release mechanism. The gun is secured until you 34

MAY 2019

UNIVERSALLY SPEAKING

If you’re the kind of player that uses more than one sidearm and you don’t have an unlimited budget for a series of dedicated systems, then a universal holster is essential. Where the more conventional full solutions can eject costly magazines, the Warrior Assault Systems holster offers a viable alternative as long as you’re willing to retrain your thumb to release instead of your trigger finger.

We can’t say that it will work for every sidearm, but at less than £40, we think it’s a worthwhile investment to try with your loadout. AA

KIT & GEAR MECHANIX GLOVES UPDATE

A FEW ISSUES BACK PHIL BUCKNALL REVIEWED THE MECHANIX 0.5MM HIGH DEXTERITY GLOVES, AS A REPLACEMENT FOR HIS SADLY DEPARTED HATCH OPERATORS, WHICH HAD GIVEN GOOD SERVICE FOR WELL OVER EIGHT YEARS. SO HOW ARE THEY DOING NOW?

I KNEW WHEN I GOT THESE that there was no way on Earth they would last even half the Hatch Operators did as the palm material was so thin – just 0.5mm! That’s super thin for a pair of gloves expected to be used by Law Enforcement, military and airsoft players. The fabric on the back of the gloves is also quite a thin spandex type stretch fabric.

The first time I used these they were great; exactly what I wanted from a pair of gloves! The feel through the thin fabric the palms was spot on and I thought I had sussed the problem I had always endured with all of the other gloves I had used before. I could really feel through these and mag changes, as well as more dexterous, functions were easier to accomplish. They were also very comfy and the elasticated back made them give where and when needed. They were neither too hot to wear, nor too cold when the temperature started to head south. Overall I was really happy and this continued for about 4-5 games.

Sadly, the happiness didn’t just subside but completely evaporated on my sixth outing with the High Dexterity Gloves… Within an hour there was a rip in the left thumb (and not just on the palm but the spandex backing as well) that went from the tip of my thumb to two thirds of the way down. Sad Phil.

What made it worse was the response of the retailer - who refused point blank to replace the gloves saying they had “failed through use”. I could understand this if I’d used them every day for 6 or more months but after six uses of no more than 6 hours at a time. I think that is ridiculous; remember these are being marketed as gloves for the military and LEO’s as well as airsofters and there is nary a mention of a reduced lifespan for the gloves!

Mechanix themselves (via their Customer Service email) also said “no” and I was feeling quite rambunctious by then!

Once they’d seen my post about it on Facebook - I tagged them in as I wanted them to explain how a pair of gloves that had been used for less than a week of cumulative use had started to come apart and why they and their sales agents thought it was acceptable - lo and behold, a lovely PR lady from Mechanix got in touch and suddenly, a new pair of HD gloves (as well as a pair of Fast Fit gloves) were winging their way to me!

So, in the end, it is a happy ending BUT…is that because I whinged on Facebook and called them out?

I reckon so. Does that mean I’ve completely given up on Mechanix? Nope, no way! I really like their gloves and I really liked the HD 0.5mm ones too. I bought a pair of Fast Fit ones when the HD’s died on me and I’ve had a pair of M-PACT ones for years that have survived some really crappy weather and conditions. Once it gets a bit warmer I will break out the new HD gloves and give them another go. It is quite possible that they had a manufacturing fault in the pair I had and I believe in giving companies a second chance; especially if they go to the bother of sending me a replacement pair. It’s only fair.

I would say though, that if you buy a pair of the HD 0.5mm gloves, don’t expect them to survive through months of constant abuse - or even weeks. If you are particularly tough on kit like gloves then you’re either going to have to use something else or accept that you will be replacing them every few weeks. In essence, treat them as “disposable” and you could well be pleasantly surprised if they last longer than a few weeks. AA

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SURVIVAL OVERNIGHT KIT

ON OCCASIONS THERE MAY BE A NEED TO STAY OUT IN THE FIELD OVERNIGHT. BEING ON THE GROUND FOR EXTENDED PERIODS OF TIME IS GOING TO MEAN CARRYING MORE EQUIPMENT AND GETTING USED TO LIVING OUTSIDE. PAUL YELLAND GIVES US A FEW TIPS ON WHAT EQUIPMENT TO TAKE AND HOW TO STAY COMFORTABLE. IF YOU ARE ATTENDING A WEEKEND EVENT, be it a MilSim without breaks, or one that pauses overnight, it may well mean you will have to stay out “in the wild” overnight - even if that “wild” isn’t far from civilisation - and there are a few things to consider beforehand. In particular, give attention to the equipment you will take, which can include the following: • Shelter • Sleeping equipment • Ground insulation • Cooking equipment • Extra rations and water • Spare warm clothing • Personal admin • Medical (including own prescribed medications) • Torch (with red filter) • Spare batteries • Spare ammunition I’ll take a quick look at each of these in turn.

SHELTER

Depending on the circumstances, this could be under canvas or inside a building. Not all overnight stops are going to need to be tactical, especially if it is just a group of mates out for a laugh, but if you are into MilSim then keeping things military themed could be fun.

The most basic form of shelter for use outdoors is the military basha. This is an extremely adaptable piece of kit that I have discussed in previous articles – and a personal favourite of mine. I have slept underneath one of these through all weathers and survived to tell the tale. If the basha is put up correctly and in a suitable location, then it will provide adequate protection from the elements.

If the weather is warm and dry, another option is to just use a sleeping bag placed inside a gortex type bivvy bag. Sleeping like this is quite an experience as there is no overhead shelter and will be completely exposed to any changes in the weather that could occur during the 38

MAY 2019

The versatile basha.

night. On the plus side, it really is sleeping underneath the stars if you are into that kind of thing. The other benefit is the set-up time is minimal. Another option for a shelter is to use a civilian tent which will give you excellent protection from the weather and somewhere to keep your kit dry – but this is not suitable if you need to remain tactical.

SLEEPING BAGS

There are a few things to consider when choosing a sleeping bag. Firstly, the filling is either going to be synthetic fibre or down (small feathers). Both types have advantages and disadvantages with synthetic performing well in damp / wet conditions unlike down that will not insulate when wet. In very cold and dry conditions, down provides better warmth than synthetic but when it comes to cleaning, down sleeping bags need to be carefully cleaned unlike synthetic filled bags that can usually be put into a washing machine. Down sleeping bags tend to weigh less than synthetic bags and can be compressed more to take up less room inside a bergen.

The next consideration is what season rating the bag should be. Sleeping bags are generally rated one, two,

SURVIVAL OVERNIGHT KIT

three or four seasons. One and two season rated bags will keep you comfortable in warm summer weather.

and reasonably easy to put up whilst others need assembling and are more time consuming.

FOOD AND DRINK

The Snugpak Softie 9 Hawk.

Three and four season bags will provide better insulation in colder conditions. The shape and size of the sleeping bag is important to get right because a bag that is too short and not wide enough won’t keep you warm and will be restrictive and uncomfortable. It is a good idea to choose a sleeping bag that comes with a hood because a considerable amount of warmth is lost from the body through the head. Using a bivvy bag will stop the sleeping bag getting wet from rain or condensation on the inside of a basha and a sleeping bag liner will help to keep the inside of the bag clean when you crawl inside it with muddy clothes on.

Extra food and drink will need to be brought along – and enough for the planned duration of the event.

Check beforehand to see if there is mains water on site or whether all water needs to be carried in. Some sites operate a catering facility which is great if you are not miles away from it in the middle of nowhere, otherwise all food, water and cooking equipment will have to be man packed in with you. After stopping for the day,

GROUND INSULATION

It doesn’t matter how well your sleeping bag performs, if you sleep directly on the cold and damp ground you will lose body heat downwards. That is why anyone who is sleeping outdoors needs to lay on an insulating roll mat. These are either tough foam or filled with air (self-inflating) and can be bulky to carry – but worth the space and although basic, really do make a difference.

Eat rations hot whenever you can.

getting some hot food inside you is a must. Even if you feel too exhausted, it is important to make the effort and heat up some rations and make a hot brew to replace the calories that have been lost during the day.

Military rations can be eaten cold if necessary but are better warm.

ROUTINE & PERSONAL ADMIN

Decent ground insulation is important.

Having a set routine can really help to keep both you and your equipment in good condition while out in the field. When you are feeling completely shattered, soaking wet and freezing cold, knowing what needs to be done and in what order can make a real difference to your physical state. A routine also prompts you to do the simple things such as change into dry clothes, cook food and maintain weapons.

HAMMOCKS

A different option to sleeping on the ground is a hammock. Usually suspended from the head and foot end between two trees, a hammock is a way of sleeping off the ground and is commonly used in jungle environments. There are various makes of hammock from a basic net to an all in one hammock with a canopy and mosquito net. Hammocks don’t take up much room and are reasonably comfortable and quick to put up.

CAMP BEDS

If the sleeping area is going to be inside a building and close to vehicle parking, then bulky items like camp beds could be considered. You certainly don’t want to be carrying a camp bed around with you all day, but they are worth considering if you have a building available as a base to operate from. Some camp beds are folding

A selection of items for personal care.

Keeping clean and personal hygiene is very important

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39

0.20g

0.25g

3000pcs per bottle | 6mm | Precision Airsoft BB | www.hornettactical.com www.patrolstore.com/hornettactical

SURVIVAL OVERNIGHT KIT

when living in the field as numerous medical problems can develop if you don’t look after yourself properly.

Washing sweaty areas helps to prevent bacterial infections, but if water is in short supply then wet wipes are an adequate substitute. Good hand hygiene is the key to avoiding stomach upsets and alcohol hand gel can be used in the absence of running water. Any preexisting medical conditions – especially the ones that require daily medication shouldn’t be neglected either and remember to bring the medication with you.

Once you are inside your shelter and wearing some warm dry kit, take a few minutes to clean and treat any minor wounds that you may have sustained. Also tend to any blisters that have developed, especially on your feet. It is sensible to carry a pair of dry socks and some foot powder to help keep your feet in good condition.

The challenge is to try and dry your wet clothes while you rest. Resist the temptation to stuff the wet clothes inside your sleeping bag with you as this will just Change into warm and dry clothes before settling down. make you feel

colder and dampen the inside of the bag. An obvious option is to dry the clothes near a fire if one has been lit.

The other option is to use the drying effect of the sun or wind.

In the morning, it can be a struggle to get going again after sleeping out – especially if you have not slept well and the weather is wet and cold. It does take a bit of getting used to, but once you get some hot breakfast and a brew down your neck, you will soon feel a lot better.

PACKING KIT

All extra equipment will need to be carried into the field with you, so having a suitable rucksack that is large enough and comfortable is important. Military bergens are ideal due to being well constructed and very capable of carrying heavy loads. The two main considerations are packing the bergen correctly and keeping the contents dry. When packing the equipment, do it in a way that allows items needed first to be at the top and easy to access without having to turf everything else out to get to it. Store the contents in good quality dry bags so even if the bergen gets completely soaked, the equipment inside will remain dry.

There is nothing worse than being hungry, soaked to the skin and freezing cold with painful blisters. Spending the night out in the field can be a welcome break from everyday life and made more comfortable by having the correct equipment and knowing how to look after yourself. This will mean you stay warm, dry and in good condition. AA

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41

armoury TOKYO MARUI MINI GUNS

CHIBI CHALLENGERS JAPAN IS WELL-KNOWN FOR MAKING SMALLER VERSIONS OF BIG THINGS AND HERE, STEVE TAKLE FINDS OUT IF MARUI’S “MINI GUNS” ARE A USEFUL TOOL IN AIRSOFT OR JUST ENTERTAINING PAPERWEIGHTS. HARDCORE MILSIMMERS SHOULD LOOK AWAY now - likewise, anyone looking for authenticity from airsoft.

But if you put fun first, then you might want to take a look at these deliciously diminutive offerings from Japan’s legendary Tokyo Marui.

Japanese culture sets the nation apart from the rest of the world in many ways and one of those is a long tradition of shrinking otherwise aggressive objects down to fun size - just see the legions of super deformed mechs, or chibi caricatures lapped up by otaku and gaijin alike.

We shouldn’t be surprised then, that Marui has applied this approach to firearms with a range of mini guns that are cuter than a kitten in a cradle. Versions on offer include an Uzi, MP5 and AUG Steyr but on test here are the SG550, M16 and AK47 variants, as supplied by www.airsoftworld.net.

STAND FREE

You could spend the £30 asking price on a single magazine, so getting a full auto BB gun for the same outlay doesn’t seem like a bad deal. They’re all powered by four AA batteries in the grip and require you to rotate a switch on the left side to enable the trigger. That’s the safety on the Sig and M16 but a sling mount on the AK, which is kinda cool.

Marui have spent time tailoring the BB loading mechanism to each model to disguise it well. The front sights pivot upwards on the AK, while there’s a slide built into the rear sights on the Sig and the carry handle on the M16. These might not be authentic replicas but this attention to detail shows that the company has spent time to make each version an enjoyable, smallform take on the original.

They’d make fun wall hangers or desk props in an informal office, which is probably why each of them can free stand on the grip and mag.

TOY SOLDIERS

All three guns on test feature a non-adjustable hop-up and can hit a torso sized target at a range of 20 feet …

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armoury TOKYO MARUI MINI GUNS

just! By that point though, an opponent would have plenty of time to step out of the way.

But that’s missing the point of these little things.

Could you use them in a game? Maybe. If you only wanted to use them at close quarters for building clearance and even then, you’d have to be pretty determined to use one over and above a dedicated sidearm. Sure, the full auto is fun but you’d have more success with a Glock 18C – although at four times the price, to be fair.

These mini guns are toys. That’s why the packaging has tiny cardboard targets to take out at close range.

Line up a few toy soldiers at the far end of a desk, plink away and they’re great fun - especially on full auto!

SIG FIRST

The mini gun range is recommended for use with .12

BBs as included in the box, when these three deliver between 84 and 124 FPS on average, with the Sig leading the way. Testing them on .20s as standard, that drops to an average between 57 and 85 FPS, Sig still in charge.

This could be a shortcoming unique to our review samples but both the M16 and AK regularly double-fed BBs and disappointed on range, while the SG550 was the clear leader with neither shortcoming. And it has deployable front stands, which have absolutely no effect - but are a cool extra nonetheless.

We ran the numbers just to do a proper review but we imagine that most buyers of these miniguns are not looking at them as a credible alternative for the field.

If you just want to buy a cute version of your favourite gun, use up the free BBs, then stand it on your desk to look good, then we don’t think £30 is unreasonable. AA

We have been providing excellent customer service since 2008.

Sales - Repairs - Advice - Upgrades

FREE DELIVERY ON ALL ORDERS OVER £80

buy online at www.tacticalairsoftshop.co.uk Visit us - Croydon House, Unit 3, 1 Peall Road, Croydon, CR0 3EX Call us - 020 3490 8008 Email: enquiries@tacticalairsoftshop.co.uk www.airsoft-action.online

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armoury SILVERBACK STEALTH RECON SCOUT

STEALTH RECON SCOUT...

COMPACT IS KING! NEARLY TWO AND A HALF YEARS AGO, AIRSOFT ACTION TOOK A LOOK AT THE SILVERBACK SRS “COVERT” MODEL AND NOW, COMING BANG UP TO DATE, BILL WAS ABLE TO CHECK OUT THE VERY LATEST “GEN III” VERSION THANKS TO FIRE SUPPORT. IT’S ALWAYS GREAT WHEN YOU CAN come back to an airsoft rifle that you really enjoyed the first time round, so when Frank at Fire Support asked if I would like to look at the latest iteration of a bolt-action model that had got approving nods around the team a couple of years back, you can bet your bottom dollar that I was interested!

The Silverback Stealth Recon Scout (SRS) is once again the model that was chosen, so that I could really get “like for like” against that original model, but this time I was sent the “Gen III” with a right-handed (more traditional) pull-bolt. With its bullpup design, the SRS is nearly a foot shorter than its equivalent barrel length competitors, while maintaining concealability and manoeuvrability without sacrificing accuracy, this is a rifle that I really like, and the SRS “Covert” compresses the package even smaller, at the

overall length of 26 inches it maintains the lethalness of a full sized bolt action rifle whilst being the same length as carbine.

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I love this about it as, whilst I am no sniper, I do like a bit of sneaky play and as an “OPFOR dude” I often need to conceal my carbine or rifle to get around those pesky NATO guys. Quite often with a distance or sniper rifle this will mean breaking it down for carriage but with the SRS I can keep it together and ready for immediate action if the scenario turns “loud”. Of course, there are full-length models available in the Silverback range should you desire that but for me, compact is king!

WHAT CAME BEFORE…

To recap, in the real world the SRS A1 is manufactured

by Desert Tech in the USA. Desert Tech, formerly known as Desert Tactical Arms, was founded in 2007 and the SRS made its debut appearance at SHOT Show the following

year. They have established a strong reputation of creating the most accurate and compact rifle systems in the world. Designing is an art that they take very seriously. Located in West Valley City, Utah, Desert Tech employs an amazing team of dedicated workers with strong values and ethics that strive to provide the best firearms, ammunition and training possible for military, law enforcement and

armoury SILVERBACK STEALTH RECON SCOUT

“WITH ITS BULLPUP DESIGN, THE SRS IS NEARLY A FOOT SHORTER THAN ITS EQUIVALENT BARREL LENGTH COMPETITORS” private gun owners. They are truly passionate about the products they make and are extremely committed to being at the forefront in developing tomorrow’s weapons technologies.

The Stealth Recon Scout is unusual in that it is one of the few true sniper rifles that has a bullpup boltaction layout - and that is rugged enough for combat.

Because of the bullpup layout, the magazine and bolt are behind the pistol grip and therefore the operation is slightly different from most other conventional designs.

It features an adjustable cheek-rest and a raised, contoured buttpad helps to seat it more securely into the shooter’s shoulder.

The “real deal” SRS A1 was originally designed around the .338 Lapua Magnum cartridge but is also available in many other calibres, including; .260 Remington, 6.5X47Lapua, 7WSM .308 Winchester, and .300 Winchester Magnum and even the mighty “50 Cal”. A quick-change barrel system means that the user can switch calibres in seconds, which makes the SRA amazingly adaptable to changing mission parameters.

The SRS is fed from a five round box magazine and uses a match fluted, free-float barrel. While the barrel is standard with a muzzle brake, this can be removed to allow access to a threaded muzzle for the attachment of a suppressor. The rifle is guaranteed to have a standard 0.5 MOA accuracy. The SRS Covert shares all the same features of the SRS A1 but uses shorter barrels and therefore a shorter handguard. The shortbarrelled version of the rifle has been created to give users, particularly military and law enforcement, a more compact and manoeuvrable tool for close quarter scenarios and urban environments.

had airsoft shooters worldwide drooling… a “standard” SRS A1, along with two other variants. This meant that the Silverback SRS series would come with three barrel lengths; the SRS A1 “long version” would have a 26-inch barrel and a three chamber muzzle brake, along with a full length quad rail system. The SRS A1 “standard version” would have a 20-inch barrel, 14mm CCW threaded and a single chamber muzzle brake, and a full-length quad rail system. Finally the SRS “Covert” came with a 16-inch barrel, 14mm CCW threaded barrel with no muzzle brake and a short quad rail system.

The Silverback SRS series comes with a 6.05 AEGtype precision inner barrel and equipped with an innovative two-sided hop adjustment system that utilises normal AEG type hop-bucking to enable precise adjustment. If you’re used to a regular rotary or sliding bar style hop adjustment, then at first this arrangement seems very intricate but take it from me, it is incredibly effective, allowing you not only vertical adjustment, but lateral as well to ensure your BBs go exactly where you want them too! The aluminium hop-up unit, directly attached to the quick-change barrel assembly, allows you to switch barrel groups in seconds while keeping your hop setting. The hop adjustment itself is done by using two screws on top of the rifle, through the receiver, with the provided key, without removing the barrel, the magazine or the optic.

IN AIRSOFT GUISE

In airsoft guise the SRS is every bit as impressive as the real thing - and there’s a good reason why.

Back in April 2014, Hong Kong-based Silverback Airsoft Ltd stated their intention to release a fully licenced SRS and in October 2015 they announced the product release. What appeared was something that www.airsoft-action.online

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armoury SILVERBACK STEALTH RECON SCOUT

The railed handguard is of CNC 6061 T5 aluminium and fibre-reinforced nylon that comes with additional rail sections; 3 pieces are included. The rail system itself is firmly attached to the receiver via a sturdy 38x2mm thread. The rifle stock is again made of fibre-reinforced nylon in Black, Flat Dark Earth and OD. The SRS A1 variants also benefit from a functioning Monopod which is an extremely accurate replica of the Desert Tech LLC patented version, once again CNC 6061 aluminium; even the trigger is CNC aluminium, with position and preload adjustment. In fact, there are NO injection moulded metal parts, NO zinc alloy, and even all screws are in 10.9 steel. The steel magazine, with reinforced nylon internals has a 30 BB capacity.

• •

Trigger box/safety: design of the safety has been modified, so safety controls are now encased in a safety plate.

Pull bolt buttplate extension: better fit with the spring guide, reducing vibrations.

PLAYING THE LONG GAME

The SRS Covert is put together like a tank! There are absolutely no creaks anywhere and once everything is together (yes, there is some final assembly needed, but nothing too arduous and the instruction manual is excellent) it’s as solid as a rock. Everything about this replica just oozes “top-end”, with all the materials and parts being put together with some obviously very high

“AT FIRST THIS ARRANGEMENT SEEMS VERY INTRICATE BUT TAKE IT FROM ME, IT IS INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE, ALLOWING YOU NOT ONLY VERTICAL ADJUSTMENT, BUT LATERAL AS WELL TO ENSURE YOUR BBS GO EXACTLY WHERE YOU WANT THEM TOO!” levels of quality control.

Once again, to replicate our initial testing, I fitted an NcSTAR1.1-4x26optic on a QD site mount so that everything could be “minimalised” for transport and concealment. With the magazine again filled with NUPROL 4.0 “Black” and loaded up with .20g BBs it was off to the chrono - where the SRS came in at a superbly consistent 1.44 Joule/395fps. Taking things onto the 30m range the SRS proved to be a joy and using .30g BBs it was hitting dinner-plate sized targets each and every time at the furthest point of the range once I’d had a fiddle with the hop. As I mentioned before, this is not as straightforward an adjustment as most out there but if you have patience and take things slowly the final result is worth your patience and effort!

As one used to a classic rearward-cocking bolt action I have to admit that I found the old Silverback forward-push version quite hard to get on with. Initially Silverback released a standard pull-back conversion kit so that you had an option but with the Gen III, the rifle comes pre-fitted with a left or right-handed pull bolt.

There are also other upgrades with the Gen III version which include: • Piston: heavier than the previous version (54g instead of 40g), piston end revision for smoother locking on the sear, the head is now a silent cup type.

• Hop up: new rubber, flat-type design, better seal and easier to lift heavy bb’s (also compatible with an optional fast hop-up).

• Magazine: all models now come with a more durable-finish magazine with a long flexible follower included

PROPERLY LICENCED

As you might expect with a proper licence, high-quality materials, cutting edge construction, and superb performance, the Silverback variants are never going to be cheap. The Covert Gen III comes in at £530.00, rising to £615.00 for the SRS Gen III A1 26 Inch- Barrel Pull Bolt Rifle. This might seem a little steep when you can pick up a basic TM VSR for under two hundred quid these days but let me tell you, to get the VSR up to the standard of the Silverback you’re going to spend a LOT of money and you still will not end up with something that’s properly licenced or that performs as sweetly! AA My thanks go to www.fire-support.co.uk for the loan of the test sample, and you can check out the entire range of rifles and accessories from Silverback by visiting their website.

www.airsoft-action.online

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

FROM ONE T As this is a bit of a special issue, we thought we’d take a look back at some of the thousands of images we have collected, from Issue 1 to 100 - well, 99 actually (as this is Issue 100)! We hope you like our choice - and maybe you might see yourself amongst them!

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

E TO ONE HUNDRED

back sue ike

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

www.airsoft-action.online

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

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AA GALLERY FROM ONE TO ONE HUNDRED

Information Fancy seeing yourself in Airsoft Action? Send in your photos via email to nige@airsoft-action.co.uk or share on our Facebook page facebook.com/AirsoftAction along with a few words describing what’s going on in the image.

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REEL STEEL COMMANDO

REEL STEEL..

COMMANDO

WITH THE RISE OF THE “BUDDY MOVIE” IN HOLLYWOOD IT MAY HAVE BEEN EASY TO DRAW THE CONCLUSION THAT THE DAYS OF THE “LONE WOLF” WERE NUMBERED BUT, ON PROBABLY HIS FINEST FORM, ARNIE PUT THIS IDEA TO BED WHEN THE 1985 MOVIE “COMMANDO” WAS RELEASED. FEATURING MORE INTERESTING MOVIE FIREARMS THAN MOST OF THE OTHERS PUT TOGETHER, THIS SET A WHOLE NEW TONE! BILL TELLS US MORE… 56

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REEL STEEL COMMANDO

OF ALL THE MID-80’S ACTION BLOCKBUSTERS the one that probably has the biggest place in my heart is the absolute cheese-fest that is “Commando”! In my mind (along with “True Lies” that followed in 1994) this is Arnie at his absolute, tongue-in-cheek, muscle-flexing best and it’s a movie I return to time and again when I need a good laugh.

Not only did it feature some of his best one-liners such as “Thank you. And please don’t wake my friend.

He’s dead tired.”, “What’d you do with Sully? I let him go.” and “Let off some steam, Bennett!” but it also had a HUGE list of movie firearms that appeared, from the mighty Desert Eagle to the diminutive Micro Uzi. if you tally them up (and that’s before you get into the likes of the shoulder-fired M202 FLASH) you’re going to find that there are actually over 30 different prop firearms in the movie and all of them are absolute beauties!

Matrix and Cindy land the plane off the coast of Arius’ island hideout.

Matrix instructs Cindy to contact General Kirby and then proceeds to Arius’ villa, killing the leader as well as his men on the way in one of the most memorable movie shootouts ever seen! Jenny escapes her confinement to the villa’s basement but is captured by Bennett. Matrix tracks them and, after a lengthy fight, finally kills Bennett by impaling him with a steam pipe hence that classic one-liner!

TOO MANY GUNS!!!

Can you ever have too many guns? Not if you’re John Matrix!

The list of firearms used in the movie looks like an “armourer’s who’s who” and I’m pleased to say that almost all of them are available in airsoft form. If you fancy yourself as a bit of an “airsoft commando” then this is most definitely the movie to emulate!

Starting with handguns, you have that absolute airsoft classic, the Beretta M9. this must really have been the 1980’s movie armourers “go to” handgun as it’s appeared in most movies that I’ve looked at so far!

Moving up a gear though, Matrix also makes good use of the “Deagle”, the Desert Eagle Mark 1 and in this instance it’s a very Gucci matte stainless model. The

The story itself is one that puts you right in the “time and place” and addresses many issues of the day. Retired United States Special Forces Colonel John Matrix is informed by his former superior Major General Franklin Kirby that all the other members of his former unit have been killed by unknown mercenaries. The mercenaries, among them Bennett, an Australian exmember of Matrix’s team fired for excessive violence, attack Matrix’s secluded mountain home and kidnap Matrix’s young daughter Jenny.

While trying to intercept them, Matrix is also overpowered and abducted by the mercenaries. He is taken before their leader, Arius, a South American former dictator who blackmails Matrix into carrying out a political assassination in his home country of Val Verde, where Arius wishes to lead a military coup. With Jenny’s life on the line, Matrix reluctantly accepts the demand.

After much skulduggery and hijinks and with the help of the less-than impressed flight attendant Cindy, Matrix tracks down where his daughter is being held captive. He breaks into a surplus store to equip himself with military weaponry but is immediately arrested by the police. Cindy helps him escape during a comedic scene with the FLASH and after commandeering a seaplane from a nearby marina controlled by Arius,

venerable 1911 features again but this time the armorer was obviously a bit of a snob, as what you also get you get is the Colt Combat Commander Series 70, Detonics ScoreMaster, along with one of my personal favourites, the Detonics CombatMaster (Tokyo Marui make an absolute corker!). Of course, the wheelgun is still very apparent at this time and the Smith & Wesson Model 15, Smith & Wesson Model 60, and Smith & Wesson Model 67 all get some good screen-time.

Some absolutely classic SMGs also come into play in “Commando” and interestingly, we see a real focus on “concealable” models given the urban setting of large parts of the film. The full-size IMI Uzi makes an

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REEL STEEL

All images obtained from public domain sources.

COMMANDO

appearance almost “as usual” during the 1980s but so does the Micro Uzi, as it’s one of bad-man Bennett’s choices (along with his slightly bizarre string vest!) The Ingram MAC-10 is also in the picture, another badguy choice and the Heckler & Koch HK94, chopped and converted yet again, turns up in lieu of the MP5.

Interestingly, an unconverted Heckler & Koch HK94A3 is seen in the hands of Arius’ men during the final battle.

Getting into serious territory during the attack on his home that results in the kidnapping of his daughter, Matrix retrieves a Heckler & Koch HK91 from the armoury in his tool shed to fend off the attackers. Since the receiver has only two fire positions (Safe and Fire) it is the semiautomatic HK91, rather than the select fire G3.

There are numerous appearances of M16, M16A1 and even an M16 with A2 handguards in the film, used

by U.S. military personnel as well as some of Arius’ men. Again, quite interestingly (at least to me), MGC M16 (Model Gun Corp of Japan) metal M16 replicas are used by every soldier/combatant carrying an M16 when they are doing stunts or pointing the muzzle directly at someone without firing! Also in the mix are the CAR-15 and the Ruger Mini-14 GB, the latter of which found true fame in the hands of “The A Team”. A Steyr AUG turns up in the hands of Arius himself and throughout the film some of Arius’ men are seen using AKMs. Coming back to my observation about one gun serving in several movies of the time, one of Arius’ men uses what appears to be a Colt AR-15 with a fake M203 grenade launcher attached. This is believed to be the exact same configuration seen in “Scarface” and would later be used by Schwarzenegger in 1987’s “Predator”!

Shotguns also feature prominently in “Commando”, in the hands of both good and bad guys and a Remington 870 shotgun is used by Matrix during the final raid on Arius’ compound. The gun has a long barrel with a specialized under-barrel laser sight that is often confused with an extended magazine tube, although at one point, when Matrix is collared by the cops, a police officer is briefly seen armed with a Remington 870 fitted with the extended magazine tube. Mossberg 500AT shotguns are carried by LA police officers who confront

Matrix during the surplus store scene and the Franchi SPAS 12 puts in a “guest appearance” as expected, this wielded by Arius’ men.

One of the iconic weapons used by Matrix during the assault on Arius’ base, the Valmet M78, is a Finnish light machine gun similar in appearance to the RPK; the main difference being a different muzzle brake, front sight assembly and other structural differences. The Valmet M78 Light Machine Gun has a standard RPK “style” buttstock but the model that appeared in the movie (and even on the poster for the film) was the later Valmet M78/83 with a synthetic thumbhole “Dragunov Style” stock. Though less of a “show stopper”, the M60E3 is put to good use by both Arius’ men, in particular by a rather wonderfully-moustached villain and ultimately by a bare-chested, good to go Matrix!

Overall, if you like your firearms then “Commando” is a sheer joy. With its tongue-firmly-in-cheek humour, over the top action and some great special effects for the day, it’s genuinely a movie that will leave a smile on your face, even if the body count is insanely high! For we airsofters, it’s actually an insight I believe, into why many of the early airsoft manufacturers (especially Tokyo Marui) made the models that they did and thankfully, these days pretty much all of the movie guns are available as airsoft replicas.

I have to admit that I’ve not come across the Valmet M78/83 as a “stock out of the box” RIF but I’m willing to bet that someone out there has built an airsoft version and if you have, please feel free to send us a picture of it for the Gallery! AA

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feature REMEMBERING GERT

REMEMBERING “GERT” FOLLOWING LAST ISSUE’S ARTICLE, FRENCHIE WAS WONDERING WHAT TOPIC TO COVER THIS TIME ROUND AND CAST HIS MIND BACK TO AN OLD FAVOURITE. LAST MONTH I WROTE RATHER FONDLY about the passing importance of the spring pistol in airsoft albeit years ago. As I was casting around this month for a suitable subject, I remembered a period early on in my airsoft adventure which involved a deal of experimentation and some cute modifications. Given the amount of work I would later do on airsoft guns of all types and for the number of years I would do it, it was clearly a foretaste of things to come - not that I knew it at the time.

As with many things in life, it was driven by necessity …primarily a lack of cash! When I started airsofting I was a father of three embarking on a divorce – and that’s two seriously expensive pastimes right there – so cash for airsoft was short. This was to be compounded

depending on the spring, it isn’t permanent. Springs, as is their nature, are designed to return to their original size and shape, so although it was possible and did deliver some results, there was always the chance that you would have to do it again and again.

Of the guns listed above, it was the G3 from Marui that saw the most work and delivered the greatest results. Warren Reynolds, who ran The Hill near Dundee, was my partner in crime, already being an enthusiastic abuser of all things airsoft gun shaped. I ended up calling the gun “Gert” – the only time I have named a gun – and I think that’s because I became so familiar with her.

She was bought online second-hand and was delivered minus the two bolts required to keep the

“WHEN I TALK ABOUT STRETCHING A SPRING, I DON’T MEAN 20%, OR 40%. NO, I MEAN NEARLY DOUBLING ITS LENGTH AND THEN CRAMMING THAT BACK INTO THE GUN. I MUST HAVE HAD THREE HANDS BACK THEN, OR TIME HAS HEALED MY MEMORIES OF THE UNDOUBTED FRUSTRATIONS.” shortly thereafter by a slow down in the IT market and redundancy – oh happy days! Bear in mind what I have said previously about the cost of AEGs at the time, so there was exactly no possibility that what money I had was going to be wasted on that, so for a year or so I played exclusively with spring guns, nearly all of which I picked up second hand via the forums.

There were a few of these; Super 9 bolt action rifle (the shell ejecting one, nice but rubbish), various shotguns, a couple of spring MP5s, a Marui G3 and finally, before I finally got the first in a long line of FAMAS rifles, a Marui Uzi. Where possible every one of them was subject to some form of upgrade and this was primarily spring stretching. As upgrades go, this is about as basic as it comes, serving to increase muzzle energy but at the potential cost of destroying the plastic internals of the gun. The other problem with spring stretching is that, 60

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stock in place. These were replaced courtesy of a local hardware shop (when such things existed) and apart from that, the G3 was a reasonable skirmishing option, assuming you had to use a springer. It had a decent 40-round magazine that was wound up a bit like a hi-cap. It had a long barrel, fixed hop up and a dirty big cocking handle which made using it easy.

The first major change was to the spring. These guns really weren’t meant to be taken apart, being made of ABS plastic and held together by many self-tapping screws. Screws are good as they let you disassemble things, screws sunk into plastic aren’t so good because if you remove and replace them often enough, they will strip and no longer work. You become adept at repairing and re-drilling screw holes quite quickly!

Marui springers are about as good as you can get – the internal components are well-sized and pretty strong but they are still plastic so increasing the force they have

feature REMEMBERING GERT

to contain is a fraught undertaking. When I talk about stretching a spring, I don’t mean 20%, or 40%. No, I mean nearly doubling its length and then cramming that back into the gun. I must have had three hands back then, or time has healed my memories of the undoubted frustrations.

That one step would take the G3 from around 180 fps with 0.2g ammo up to the high 200s. I think we got just shy of 300 fps ultimately and it definitely improved range and, in fairness to Gert, she never broke as a result of all this abuse.

The increase in power notwithstanding, it was obvious that the better (and longer-term) solution to improving the G3 was to replace the fixed hop unit with an adjustable one …fine in theory, harder in practice.

There was nothing that you could buy to do that and

useable amount of space at that point in the receiver.

From the top of this piece a short screw was fitted, creating the pressure point that would act on the hop rubber (yes it was carefully rounded). From below, a longer bolt, entering through the lower receiver and surrounded by a spring, allowed me to pull the whole assembly down onto the hop rubber.

It took a lot longer to get right than it does to describe but it worked, and it worked reasonably consistently. As was expected with a stretched spring, the fps dropped over time although it remained usefully about the stock fps but adding the adjustable hop allowed the appliance of science rather than brute force to increase the range of the gun.

The Hill is a small site and wooded, so there were few areas where range alone ruled supreme. In that environment a gun like this was perfectly useable, think of it as a twisted bolt-action rifle but with a far better magazine capacity. The Marui G3 was (and is, I think they still make them) a really nice, light handy gun despite its length, so adopting a style of play that is appropriate to your available firepower really wasn’t that much of a handicap. I was also a deal younger and more given to silly behaviour such as crawling and hiding, tactics I gradually abandoned with the passing of the years and the creaking of knees!

I’ll be quite honest – I don’t think I would want to take the Gert, if I still had her, onto a field these days.

The shifting economics of airsoft mean that I will almost always come up against players with so much more firepower than I would have, that I might as well set up a camp bed in the spawn point. But at the time,

“ULTIMATELY, AN IMPROVEMENT IN FINANCES ALLOWED ME TO JOIN THE REST OF THE 20TH CENTURY AND GO ELECTRIC BUT I STILL THINK OF THOSE MAKE-DO-AND-MEND DAYS WITH FONDNESS (REACHES FOR SLIPPERS, PIPE AND WERTHER’S ORIGINAL) AS SIMPLER, IF NOT NECESSARILY, BETTER DAYS.” even if there was, I didn’t have free cash to spend on it.

So, several evenings of sketching and pondering ensued and, sadly, if I ever had photographs of the result, they are long since lost.

Like it’s real-world inspiration, the G3 has the cocking tube above the barrel – this is a problem as the easiest way to make the hop adjustable is to fit a simple screw mechanism through the top of the receiver that presses down on the hop rubber, adjusted by a screwdriver.

No, it had to act from either the side of the gun or the bottom. The side was no use, so I came at it from below.

Ultimately, I fashioned a plate from two or three pieces of ABS plastic to get the desired thickness, though which a hole was drilled and filed that was sufficiently large to sit over the chamber and hop rubber and was able to move vertically, but not laterally.

Fortunately, the design of the G3 means there is a

she served well, matched only by the Marui shotguns and the Uzi. Marui’s spring Uzi was far harder to mess around with but featured an interesting forwardsliding pump action that allowed to cock and fire fairly quickly. What was unique, however, was the sheer racket that this arrangement made. I’m not sure it really needed ammo, if you could surprise the opposition the noise alone would cause them to take their hits and withdraw!

Ultimately, an improvement in finances allowed me to join the rest of the 20th Century and go electric but I still think of those make-do-and-mend days with fondness (reaches for slippers, pipe and Werther’s Original) as simpler, if not necessarily, better days.

They were a reminder that even in straightened circumstances a bit of ingenuity and a willingness to experiment can keep you in the fight. AA

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INTERVIEW MOLYNEUX ADVANCED SYSTEMS

YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE THE NAME BUT YOU WILL CERTAINLY KNOW THE PRODUCT, ADVERTISED AS “THE WORLDS MOST ADVANCED AIRSOFT GRENADE”, PHIL BUCKNALL WENT BEHIND THE SCENES TO FIND OUT WHAT HOW THE MAS-G CAME ABOUT AND WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS. PRIOR TO THE LAUNCH OF THE MAS-G, from Molyneux Advanced Systems, I managed to catch up with the owner and inventor behind this new reusable and “smart” airsoft pyrotechnic, to ask him about the inspiration behind it and the processes involved in taking it from the initial crowd funding just over three and a half years ago, through the various design changes that have been incorporated into the final version.

AA: Please tell us a little bit about yourself and MAS; how did you end up in this line of work and what pushed you to design a reusable airsoft grenade?

MAS: “Molyneux Advanced Systems was formed by myself, Lee, an ex-RAF Electronics Technician.

From as early as the age of 9 or 10 I remember being interested in weapons and fascinated by the intricacies of advanced weapon systems like cruise missiles and targeting systems. To think that someone had designed something that sat for years in a tube, then on command fire up and fly hundreds of miles striking a target the size of a football amazed me.

“Although completely fascinated by weapons, I’d never want anyone to be killed by something I’d made, so developing real killing weapons wasn’t an industry I’d considered getting in to. Inventing seemed to be in me and something I’d do almost every day of my teenage life with bigger and bigger bangers and such like.

“After studying Electronics in Plymouth, I joined the RAF in 1996 at the age of 20 with my first posting supporting the UK military satellite ground station at RAF Oakhanger. With 12 metre dishes and a hardened nuclear bunker, it really was like something out of a film and a place that even further fuelled my imagination.

After a year further training at RAF Cosford and a posting at RAF St. Mawgan, I felt that I needed to try and harness my creative abilities. I wanted to design and

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all the military kit was designed by outside companies, that’s where I needed to be. So after 6 years, in 2002 I left the RAF and started working with an Electronics company developing innovative conductivity probes.

A year later I became freelance and that’s when things started to get really exciting.

“After building up a portfolio with dozens of UK companies, in 2007 I got my first design job with General Dynamics. I’d designed a lot of things for a lot of companies but what I hadn’t done was design my own product. In the summer of 2013, my friend was a marshal down at an airsoft site in Cornwall, he’d asked me to come down and play.

“When I was there I noticed that they had an old ammo tin with some coiled wires and a kitchen timer, the type you’d normally see magnetised to a fridge or cooker hood. This was their bomb and one of the game objectives was to find and de-activate it, as you can imagine this invoked pressing “Stop” before it went off and then you had to pull your chicken out of the oven.

Instantly, my mind started going, I could do a lot better than this and after a long drive home to Kent, I’d come up with something that I thought would be awesome…

“What if I put it in a box with some explosive-looking tubes behind, make that a clear box and have a colour display with the countdown that changes colour… green, then orange, then red when only a few minutes were left. Give it a siren and strobe when it goes off but what about de-activation?

“You’d need to have coloured wires to pull out in a sequence, make that sequence configurable then you can put those clues in the game as objectives, you’d need to find them to get the correct order before getting to the bomb… Add a shock sensor that’s configurable and then moving the bomb can be made difficult or even impossible… and so I made the bomb

INTERVIEW MOLYNEUX ADVANCED SYSTEMS

which is still in play today!

“About a year later I started going to a local site, UCAP Sand Pit, with a friend; each time we’d hear a safety brief, each time it would talk about blank firing grenades and Pyro and once again, it got me thinking… you weren’t allowed to blind throw a grenade, pyro made a noise and the timing was, let’s just say a “little random”. I started to design a grenade in my head and visualised the MAS-G, a timed grenade you could set..

I’d designed a few products with accelerometers and thought it would be good to have one for an impact mode.

“After a few games that involved trying to retrieve objectives like ammo cans and creates, I watched some guy tape a pea grenade to one and set up a trip with a piece of string. I remember thinking, “that’s no good, someone is just going to pull that off”. What you need is a vibration sensor which sets it off when they touch it, or an invisible tripwire. That’s when the MAS-G, which at this point was purely in my head got an upgrade..

“A lot of the games involved dark corridors and doorways… could I make a PIR type sensor? I needed to make this a reality so in between being a full-time single dad and a self-employed electronic engineer working pretty much every available hour to pay the bills, I allocated a couple hours each night and at the weekend to designing the MAS-G. Over many years as a kid I had set off pyro with wire and batteries and as most people at that time were using flash- bangs at £3-£5 a pop, it seemed sensible to make a small pyro charge which the MAS-G would use, at maybe 60p a bang. After several months of work I had some PCBs made up, bought some components and made a prototype.

“I managed to find a company in China that could CNC machine parts from 3D files and I made my first MAS-G prototype. A few months of programming, testing and a lot of guesswork, I had a working unit and a something that could set off a pyro charge. I needed to see if there was a market for this so I started up a crowdfund, firstly trying Kickstarter but as it was a grenade (of sorts) it got rejected. So I tried Indiegogo and success… Not only did it get approved, the project got over 400% funded! The rest of the story is, as they say, history and the whole tale can be found on Facebook.”

AA: Thanks Lee; since the initial design how many different iterations have there been?

MAS: “There have been 5 basic board iterations, 4 head design iterations and 6 base design iterations. Board changes were down to things missed in the design, or

enhancements realised after the previous designs were tested; including the provision for Bluetooth to work with the app, meaning all functions can be run from a mobile device. Head changes were driven by suggestions and some enhancements.

“Base changes were mainly down to a change from a pyro to a primer, then developmental evolutions in perfecting the system, as it wasn’t a simple case of just switching from one to the other it actually entailed an awful lot of design changes and part redesigns. Each had to be manufactured, checked and tested to ensure that they all worked together as they should. Sadly, this is a time-consuming process and it did lead to delays.

“At times it’s been hard, especially because this project was never a money-making exercise, it was (and still is) about sharing all my skills and knowledge to bring something special to airsoft.”

AA: So now its almost ready to be unleashed on the world are you happy with it?

MAS: “I’ll be happy when it’s fully field tested and everyone who buys it is happy with it.”

AA: So are there any plans for further development to the MAS-G? MAS: “I am going to design a flashing siren base for rolling into dark rooms to stun and take out players, this can also be used as a beacon or objective. Also, a smoker base. All bases will use the same triggers that the MAS-G head can offer.”

AA: Thanks very much Lee. Finally, what will the retail price be for the MAS-G? MAS: “The RRP is £194.99 and it looks now like there is just enough of a margin to be able to get it to retailers. We are in the process of contacting all UK airsoft resellers. If you are a retailer and want to discuss stocking the MAS-G then you can contact us via email info@molyneux.systems“ AA

www.airsoft-action.online

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KIT & GEAR BOLLE X800I GOGGLES

I CAN SEE CLEARLY...

NOW THE FOG HAS GONE! BIG SWEATY BEARD, STEVE TAKLE, FINDS FOG-FREE NIRVANA AT LAST!

IS THERE ONE SINGLE BIT OF AIRSOFT kit that has completely changed your experience on game day? For me, it’s the Bollé X800i goggles.

This is not a paid-for product placement - we don’t do those here. This is simply the latest in a long line of eye pro I’ve bought over the years. They’re also the last pair I’ll need to buy for some time…

THE HUNT FOR FREE FOGTOBER

I’m what you may call a gentleman of larger stature.

Some might say fat. I’m also prone to overheating and breaking out into a sweat at the first ray of sunshine.

That makes me prone to many a softer’s nemesis fogging. Add to that a big bushy beard and the fact I either wear a boonie hat or FAST helmet and all that hot air has nowhere to go, other than right onto the lenses.

And as any Scandinavian fond of a sauna will tell you, heat plus moisture means steam.

I’ve tried everything from dish soap and wipes on glasses to pastes and scuba sprays on goggles - and even the DYE i4 masks beloved of paintballers - but not one of them has worked for me.

Every time I resort to using mesh protection to finish a game, I’m less confident pressing forwards for fear of BB chips taking out an eye. So the hunt for fog-free eye pro continued.

ULTRA VENTILATED

When I first stumbled across the X800i online, the words ‘ultra ventilated’ caught my attention. I’d been disappointed by similar claims before, but the way the single panoramic lens is mounted perhaps 2.5mm proud of the rubber frame looked promising, as did the use of a surround material that wouldn’t absorb moisture like foam that just soaks up sweat to slowly release it later.

They also feature an anti-fog coating that in the company’s own words removes, “The effect of condensation that occurs when there are large temperature differences”. Yeah, I’ve heard claims like

that before too. But Bollé is a respected brand that delivers performance products for the military and extreme sports at sensible prices, so I stumped up the £47.99.

SNORKEL VS TACTICAL

When they arrived, first impressions were they maybe look a little more snorkel than tactical, but if they work… who cares? And work they most certainly do.

I’ve used them whilst sweating up a storm during some very cold games this winter when the temperature differential should have resulted in eyeball soup that had me shooting at shadows, but I had a clear view on target throughout.

The worst they’ve ever been - and only once - is like looking through a rain soaked windscreen between intermittent wipes. Even then, unlike a steamy bathroom window, I could still see my surroundings and easily identify targets.

The rubber frame does get a little uncomfortable at the end of a long day compared to foam, but it’s not as bad as other rigid goggles I’ve tried where I couldn’t wait to take them off in the safe zone.

THE LINE OF FIRE

In terms of play style, the X800i goes beyond just being able to see my targets, but enables me to advance into potentially heavy fire with confidence. Unlike mesh, the fear of losing an eye is no longer an issue, thanks to the ballistic lens that is rated to STANAG 2920, as approved

by NATO. Bollé claims, “Each lens and each screen suffer the impact of a steel cylinder equivalent to a 0.22 caliber... of up to more than 275m/s”.

And thanks to an anti-scratch coating that actually seems to work, they’re also still unmarked after multiple games and taking heavy fire, unlike some examples double the price.

If I broke these goggles tomorrow, I’d order another pair straight away. AA

www.airsoft-action.online

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AIRSOFT 101 AEG BATTERIES

AIRSOFT 101: AEG BATTERIES THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF AIRSOFT RIF IS THE AEG (AUTOMATIC ELECTRIC GUN), HOWEVER, THESE CAN BE POW-ERED BY A BEWILDERING ARRAY OF BATTERIES! TOM “ANVIL” HIBBERD CUTS THROUGH THE CONFUSION AND EXPLAINS WHAT IT ALL MEANS I GUESS THE BEST PLACE TO START this odyssey is with a simple question: What is a battery?

Batteries convert stored chemical energy directly to electrical energy. A battery or battery pack is a collection of individual cells or cell assemblies, with casings, connections and, in some cases, electronics for con-trol and protection. A cell is the basic unit that consists of electrodes, separator and electrolyte in a con-tainer,

5. Max Charge Rate (per cell) - 1.1A 6. C-Rate - 20C/30C - How fast the battery can safely discharge its energy; 60 mins/C20 = 3 minutes. Most batteries have two “C” ratings, burst and continuous.

7. The total battery power available 14Wh Confusing isn’t it?

“PAY ATTENTION TO THE INSTRUCTIONS THAT COME WITH YOUR AEG. MOST MANUFACTURERS ARE QUITE SPECIFIC ABOUT THE TYPE OF BATTERY THAT YOU SHOULD USE WITH YOUR GUN AND IGNORING THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY!” for instance a 7.4V LiPo battery has two cells each of a nominal 3.7V There are two types of battery: Secondary and Primary Cells. A primary battery is one that cannot be re-charged. A secondary battery is one that is rechargeable. Virtually all batteries used to power AEGs are rechargeable and these must be charged before use.

They are charged by applying electric current, which reverses the chemical reactions that occur during use.

A battery pack label - but what does it all mean?

1. Type of Battery - LiPo (Lithium Polymer) Rechargeable 2. Capacity of the battery - 1100 mAh (milliamphour) 3. The nominal Voltage of the battery - 7.4V 4. Max/Min Voltage of the cells - 4.2V/3.7V 68

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TYPE OF BATTERY

There are several different types of battery used in airsoft AEGs and we’ll go over them here. In general, our technology lags behind that used in RC vehicles and Drones. Pay attention to the instructions that come with your AEG as most manufacturers are quite specific about the type of battery that you should use with your gun and ignoring this will void your warranty!

NiCad (Nickel-Cadmium) Back in the mists in time when I started playing, the most common type was the Ni-Cad (a type of battery that dates back to 1899!). Compared to more modern batteries, Ni-Cad has relatively low energy density and can suffer from reduced capacity unless fully discharged between charges. They are also quite bulky and take up a lot of space. A NiCad battery has voltage per cell during use of around 1.2 volts which stays pretty much constant until near depletion. The most common battery packs had a voltage of 8.4V (7 Cells) and 9.6V (8 Cells).

For some of the smaller 600mAh packs that could fit into awkward spaces, you would have to change batteries every couple of hi-cap mags! Many players

AIRSOFT 101 AEG BATTERIES

used fixed stock AEGs to house the large NiCad battery packs, or even slings with built in pouches with battery wires running into the gun… Thankfully we have moved on!

discharge currents can damage the trigger contacts, so most manufacturers advise to either use a MOSFET or inspect the trigger contacts regularly.

For LiPo battery packs a specialised charger must be used to monitor the charge in the battery’s individual cells so that they are all brought to the same state of charge.

Example of a NiCad battery

NiMH (nickel metal hydride) Alongside, and eventually replacing NiCads, are NiMH batteries. These can have up to two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size NiCd. Generally it is advisable to charge NiMH cells with a “smart” bat-tery charger to avoid overcharging, which can damage cells.

They have the same nominal voltage as NiCads and are produced in the same size packs (though with more capacity).

The voltage of a NiMH battery pack drops during discharge and this manifests as a noticeable drop in rate of fire. Although more energy dense than NiCads, NiMHs are still relatively large compared to more mod-ern designs. They don’t suffer from the memory problems that occur from charging a partially full NiCad and discharge in storage at a lower rate. They are considered relatively safe (more on that later) compared to LiPo batteries so many players continue to use them.

Example of a NiMH battery

LiPo (lithium polymer) A LiPo is a form of Li-Ion (Lithium-ion) battery and is perhaps the most common battery used in airsoft today. the LiPo differs in a couple of ways from the batteries we have previously discussed. Instead of containing liquid chemicals, LiPos have a semi-solid gel inside them.

They have a high energy density and hence have a higher capacity for a given size than NiCads or NiMhs. The voltage of a LiPo cell depends on its state of charge and varies from about 2.7 (discharged) to about 4.2 V (fully charged). A fully charged LiPo battery of nominal 7.4V will actually have a voltage of around 8.4V. Unlike normal batteries which have a rigid metal case, LiPo cells have a flexible pouch. This is an advantage when weight matters, for example in radio controlled aircraft but this does mean that they are easily damaged if care is not taken, leading to catastrophic failure and fire in the worst cases. If a LiPo be-gins to swell it should be disconnected if safe to do so and taken to a safe place. Modern high quality LiP-os have features designed to mitigate this to some extent.

LiPos have a high discharge current and better energy capacity compared to traditional batteries and this leads to a very noticeable higher rate of fire. The high

Example of a LiPo battery

LiFe (lithium iron phosphate) These are a form of LiPo battery but using different materials internally for it’s chemistry. They have a nominal voltage per cell lower than LiPo of around 3.2V but, unlike LiPos, maintain this voltage for most of the discharge cycle. They are considered to have better safety than a LiPo pack.

LiOn (Lithium-ion) There are some new types of Li-Ion batteries (most notably from TITAN power) and they can have a higher energy density than LiPos and hence a higher capacity.

They use liquid chemicals and a rigid case rather than the gel and pouch used for LiPos. They have the same nominal 3.7V per cell and also need a specialist charger.

One of the downsides of using a Li-Ion is that they degrade faster with charging than most LiPos dropping to around 80% capacity after around 300 charging cycles. The reality is however that most of us won’t ever be charging a battery for playing airsoft that many times so it shouldn’t be a prob-lem unless you play every day!

Example of a LiOn battery - Credit: Titan Power

BATTERY CAPACITY

A battery’s capacity is the amount of electric charge it can deliver at the rated voltage. The greater the size of the cell the greater its capacity. Therefore, a small cell has less capacity than a larger cell with the same chemistry, although they develop the same voltage.

Capacity is measured in units such as amp-hour (Ah), although in airsoft we normally use milliamp-hour (mAh) where 1 mAh is 1,000th of a Ah. High-drain loads such as AEGs can reduce total capacity.

VOLTAGE

The electrical driving force across the terminals of a cell is known as the voltage and is measured in volts (V).

The voltage that is developed by energy release of the chemical reactions of a battery can generate different www.airsoft-action.online

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AIRSOFT 101 AEG BATTERIES

levels of driving force as we have seen above.

C-RATE

“C-rating” measures how fast a battery can discharge its energy. The higher the C rating the faster the power can leave the battery to turn your motor. It represents the number of times the battery could (theoretically) be discharged in an hour without being damaged or overheating.

For example, a 20C battery can safely discharge in 3 minutes (60min/20C = 3min).

Batteries have two C ratings, Constant and Burst.

Constant represents the discharge rate in a device such as a torch or an RC Car. Most airsoft guns are used to fire less than 30 seconds at a time so we should be looking at the C rating for Burst. It takes more power to start a motor turning than it does to keep it spinning. For an AEG or DMR with a stiff spring and a high-performance motor this can mean loads of over 100 Amps for very short periods and this places a lot of stress on the electrical system and battery. High performance airsoft guns need a high performance battery.

Conversely, a high performance battery can damage an airsoft gun that isn’t set up for it.

To calculate how many amps a battery can constantly discharge, you use the capacity of the battery (like 1500mAh) and the C rating of the battery (like 20C).

Remember that a 1500mAh battery is actually a 1.5Ah battery. If you take 1.5Ah and multiply it by its C rating (in this case 20C) you get 30A, or 30 amps. So this battery can discharge 30A for 6 minutes, until it’s totally empty, without overheating.

For example: A 1300mAh 20C LiPo can push 26 amps and has 1300mAh capacity A 2600mAh 10C LiPo can push 26 amps and has 2600mAh capacity

BATTERY POWER

Battery Power is defined, in Watts, by the equation: W = V * A (Watts = Volts times Amps) Thus, a battery pack that can deliver 1100mAh, that is 1.1Ah, while sustaining voltage of 7.4V (this hap-pens to be in my LCT AK right now), can in theory deliver up to 1.1 * 7.4 = 8.1 Wh. We don’t tend to pay much attention to this in airsoft but it is a good indication of the overall energy potential of a battery.

MAY 2019

Brick Batteries Neither long and slim nor flat, these are slabs of batteries. They used to be very common but are now mainly used in dummy PEQ boxes and inside fixed stock AEGS.

Example of a Brick battery - Credit: Titan Power

CONNECTORS

BATTERY SHAPES

Ultimately you need to connect your battery to your gun! There are a couple of connectors used to do this, the two most common are “mini-Tamiya” and “Deans”.

You may also find a small white connector on a separate set of thin wires, this is a balance connector and its purpose is to allow a charger to individually charge each cell.

Nunchuck Batteries Named after the weapon, these batteries use two or three banks of cells connected by wires. They are most commonly used in the stocks of AR type AEGs. A variant of this type is the “Butterfly” battery that uses flatter cells but the same construction to fit under the hand guards of some airsoft guns.

Mini-Tamiya A Mini-Tamiya connector, as its name suggests, is a smaller version of the Tamiya connector, which is commonly used on low end radio-controlled models.

When Tokyo Mauri created the AEG as we know it in the early 1990s, they were also making RC kits so they simply brought over the technology they were already using. It is still probably the most commonly used connector for airsoft batteries. The built-in lock makes it harder for them to come undone under vibration. They were designed for relatively low cur-rents and modern high performance batteries and guns can over-reach these specifications.

Batteries are available in a huge variety of shapes in order to fit into the tight confines of an airsoft gun.

Before LiPos became popular, the shapes were more limited due to the rigid cylindrical cells that needed to be used. With the pouch type Lipo batteries it’s become easier to find a shape that will fit your AEG.

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Stick Batteries Usually long and relatively slim, these batteries are often found under the top cover of AK AEGs. Some really thin packs can fit inside the mock gas tubes, freeing up lots of space for other components such as MOSFETS. Mini sticks are a shorter type that can be used inside the stock tube of an AR, or even inside the buffer pad on the end of a stock. They can be a godsend for people attempting to replicate a particular real-steel gun.

AIRSOFT 101 AEG BATTERIES

when batteries are being charged and in the case of Lith-ium batteries (LiPo and Li-Ion), it is also

Example of a Mini Tamiya Connector

Deans These are a newer type of that has a tighter connection and less resistance than Mini-Tamiya. This leads to a small increase in performance and can also mean less heat generated in operation. Deans connectors require a soldering (unlike Mini-Tamiya) so changing over is recommended for experienced gun-techs only.

Deans connectors can handle higher currents and loads so are recommended for high performance builds.

The major downside to Deans is that most AEGs and batteries are wired for Mini-Tamiya and if you need to swap guns or borrow a battery then you may be out of luck. One solution is to always have a con-vertor (one end Mini-Tamiya, one end Deans) in your game bag.

This will remove the advantages of Deans but may keep you playing!

There are other connectors that have been developed for RC sports, these offer advantages to Deans and especially Mini-Tamiya but are rare in airsoft so will exacerbate any difficulties in compatibility.

Example of a Deans Connector

CHARGING AND CHARGERS

Perhaps the most important aspect when talking about batteries is how to charge them. Some beginner packs come with a very basic wall “trickle” charger. These are

Battery being charged showing connections

recommended that you charge them inside a fire proof battery bag.

Most smart chargers will require you to connect both the main battery lead and the balance connector. YOU SHOULD NEVER CHARGE A LIPO, LIFE OR LI-ION BATTERY ON A TRICKLE CHARGER OR NON-SMART CHARGER.

TRANSPORTING/STORING BATTERIES

It is tempting to just throw batteries in your game bag but, as outlined above, this can lead to damage and failure. I’ve personally seen batteries catch fire inside gun cases after rough transport, so always transport batteries inside a rigid box or container that protects the pack from damage.

It is also best not to transport batteries inside of the AEG itself and not to leave them inside the gun after use. This is especially true for RIFs with MOSFETs where the (slight) drain from powering up the device can deplete the battery past it’s cut off voltage, causing damage. Whilst at home keep your batteries in a safe place, away from sunlight and sources of heat. When storing a battery for a length of time it is recommended that you use a storage charge to best preserve it life.

Good smart chargers will be able to do this for you and this is another good reason to have one!

“HIGH PERFORMANCE AIRSOFT GUNS NEED A HIGH PERFORMANCE BATTERY. CONVERSELY, A HIGH PERFORMANCE BATTERY CAN DAMAGE AN AIRSOFT GUN THAT ISN’T SET UP FOR IT.” best never used as they generally don’t shut off when the battery is full and continue to charge it. There have been numerous house fires result-ing from the use of these chargers and especially in the case of batteries without on board protection electronics, can be very dangerous.

Here at Airsoft Action we recommend that everyone use a “smart” charger that is appropriate for the battery type that they are charging. Be careful when purchasing a charger, there are lots of fakes and copies on sale especially on Auction sites such as eBay. We suggest that you get yours from a reputable retailer that offers a proper warranty.

You should also always be present and watchful

FINAL THOUGHTS

Though we have covered a lot of ground in this edition of Airsoft 101, It really boils down to a few things: • Following the manufacturer’s recommendations for which battery you use.

• Use a smart charger from a reputable supplier and always watch while charging.

• Transport and store your batteries in a rigid safe container and make sure they are in good condition.

That way you should be fine! AA

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armoury UMAREX WALTHER PPQ

WANT TO STAND OUT FROM ALL THE GLOCKS AND 1911S ON GAME DAY? STEVE TAKLE FINDS OUT IF THE UMAREX PPQ SHOOTS AS WELL AS IT LOOKS. PPQ STANDS FOR “Police Pistol Quick... Defence” - that last “D” obviously got lost somewhere along the way.

Although this semi-automatic pistol was first designed for law enforcement, Walther markets the PPQ as a special forces pistol in Germany. I might be more special needs than special forces, but I can still appreciate a good sidearm and I LOVE the way modern Walthers feel in the hand.

In the age of iPhones, Netflix and browser cookies, it seems like every aspect of our lives is becoming tailored to fit - which makes the monolithic grip of a 1911 seem as archaic as it actually is. In contrast, Walther has created an ergonomic form factor actually designed for the human hand rather than to suit the workshop.

These are - pardon the pun - hands down the most comfortable sidearms I’ve ever used.

The German company offers the PPQ in a range of calibres, from .22 to .45, but obviously we’re more interested in the 6mm variety. The firearm is the first from the company to use a fully cocked striker - familiar to Glock users - and features a glassfibre-reinforced polymer frame and steel slide assembly.

Another feature that Glock fans will recognise is the scissor trigger that acts as a safety. The theory is that the weapon won’t discharge unless the shooter’s finger pulls across the whole width of the modular trigger, but there have been reports of accidental discharges with Glocks during US army tests, earning the system some notoriety.

We’re not so concerned about this in airsoft as we might be with a lethal weapon; we’re more interested in the impact such a set-up would have on trigger feel.

We shouldn’t have worried. In practice, the PPQ’s trigger feels excellent, with a predictable break point. Is it the most tactile trigger we’ve ever used? No. But it’s also far 72

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from the worst.

P P Q

WHAT CAME BEFORE PPQ? P!

Although Walther first produced the PPQ in 2011, it draws heavily on the P99 that preceded it 11 years before and can readily use many of the same components, such as magazines and sights. As such, it only seems right in this review to compare VFC’s PPQ with the earlier P99 from WE to see how they measure up.

Hands up, I love my little P99 by WE. It may have a little slop in the slide and the mags might wobble in the well, but that doesn’t prevent it being one of my favourites for backyard plinking. Why is that? Well, it demonstrates a modern approach to ergonomics, the control interface is well thought out and despite not being a big gun, it fits my bear paws well. It’s also something a little different to the norm and I just enjoy using the thing. That said, it takes a backseat on game day behind more capable offerings such as my workhorse ASG CZ P-09.

So while I love the P99, I wouldn’t describe it as the perfect airsoft sidearm. It feels just a little too imprecise in operation and while the accuracy and range are decent, if we’re honest the P99 was never going to replace more obvious options like the Elite Force 1911 - if you get a good ‘un - as standard issue in anyone’s loadout.

But maybe that could change next time around. The PPQ from Umarex is manufactured by VFC - who have a good reputation for producing solid replicas - so it might just offer next generation improvements over the P99; like Picard over Kirk. ...But could they make it so?

armoury UMAREX WALTHER PPQ

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY

In a weird quirk of fate that nobody would have predicted in the 80s, an airsoft company actually owns the real arms manufacturer, so Umarex’s PPQ replica uses the same moulds in production, resulting in an exact facsimile. You can’t get much closer to the actual firearm than that.

And as you’d expect, that fidelity extends to the trademarks, with the Walther logo to the left of the slide and on the ejection port, as well as the PPQ branding also on the left of the slide and to the bottom of the grip on both sides. The only thing that gives this away as an airsoft gun is the subtly embossed “Cal. 6mm BB” above the trigger guard on the right side.

Depending upon your tastes, this is a good looking gun. It’s certainly more stylish than a Glock and combines human-friendly curves with a brutish-looking slide up top, all wrapped up in a package that may not be strictly speaking ‘compact’, but is nonetheless less bulky than a hand cannon.

Much like the P99 before it, the PPQ just feels “right” in the hand, which holds true for everyone we’ve canvassed, from elven hands to giant palms. Fitting such a wide range of sizes is no small achievement and a testament to Walther’s original work in this area.

Although the overall dimensions are much the same, the PPQ has gained a slightly rounded grip, with contours for your fingers and a more conventional stippling than the P99’s raised dots. Unlike the real steel though, there’s no longer the option to swap out the backstraps to fit your hand in airsoft.

Add-on fans will be pleased to hear the PPQ gains a rail under the barrel for flashlights or lasers. The serrations on the slide are now more pronounced, as well as newly present towards the business end.

Where the P99 had a 2.5cm slide release on the left side only, the PPQ is ambidextrous, with a lever twice the length. That’s great news for lefties, but we had no complaints with the P99’s layout that falls naturally under the thumb.

Another change is that the mag release is no longer integrated into the trigger guard. The M2 variant in both real steel and airsoft replaces this with a more conventional button for your right thumb, albeit nicely settled above a curved lip to avoid accidental operation.

But we think it’s a shame, because the trigger finger mag release is something we loved about the P99.

Another thing that both the real PPQ and the airsoft version unfortunately share is the lack of a cocking indicator - unlike the P99. That seems like a step backwards to us. There’s also quite the gap at the rear of the slide above the frame. It seems genuine Walther owners are similarly concerned about the fit between slide and frame, but it doesn’t affect functionality. It might not be a problem, but it just looks… bad.

AIRSOFT FIRST HERE

As you’d rightly expect from a distributor that owns the original firearms manufacturer, VFC’s version of the PPQ replicates the form, function and feel of the original, but that counts for nought with us if it can’t perform as an airsoft sidearm. For that, we need accuracy, range and reliability with 6mm BBs… Much like the real thing, the airsoft PPQ features a double-stacked magazine, but where you’re limited to

15 rounds in 9mm, it will hold 22 6mm BBs. With an average of 269FPS, the PPQ is never going to set the chronos alight. More concerning is the variance between a low of 247 and a high of 295, which is a difference of 48FPS. While that may not be unusual and never strays beyond site limits - such a difference will have an impact on aiming consistency.

The old P99 averages slightly more at 279FPS after

use (301FPS new), but power isn’t everything - we’d take accuracy first every time. Unfortunately, the Umarex falls behind in this area too, with every shot falling low and left - even as close as 10 feet. Despite being the older gun and not developed “in-house”, WE’s P99 managed tighter groupings that were closer to the point of aim every time - even after months of use.

And reliability? Well, try as we might, we couldn’t get past one-and-a-half magazines on the PPQ without venting gas out of the barrel. We tried different gas over five refills across two sessions separated by an entire day to allow for temperature normalisation and had the same result every time.

Everything’s Kool and the Gang as long as you take single, measured shots - but who does that defending a position from onrushing forces? The second you try rapid follow-up shots, a big cloud vents out of the barrel, not only giving your position away to attentive eyeballs and ears but also meaning an early reload. And inevitably, death.

That would be disappointing from a budget cheapsoft sidearm but even more so from a three-figure model from a distributor that actually owns the real steel manufacturer. Your mileage may vary depending on your unit and sure, you could spend time fettling your new pew - but why should you have to?

CONCLUSION

We SO wanted to love the little PPQ for airsoft, but it disappoints on every level other than its appearance. It lacks power, accuracy and reliability to the extent we don’t even want to shoot cans with it, let alone the other team.

Does the PPQ make a compelling case for the next generation - in airsoft at any rate? Well, no. But we always thought Captain Kirk had more fun anyway... AA www.airsoft-action.online

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SKILLS QUALIFICATION SHOOTING - ATF

CONTINUING HIS LOOK AT THE QUALIFICATION SHOOTS FROM VARIOUS CIVIL AND MILITARY ORGANISATIONS, ANDY NIGHTINGALE TURNS TO THE ATF FOR THIS MONTH’S ISSUE. ALMOST ALL MILITARY AND LAW-ENFORCEMENT agencies require their trainees to undergo a basic firearms qualification. This is something that is required for every member of the organisation to be proficient in and, in most cases, is an annual requirement to pass.

However, candidates must undergo rigorous training, other than firearms, to be able to make the grade to be a part of an organization and The ATF (Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives) organisation is not exempt.

A.T.F. Special Agents have the broadest authority within the many law enforcement agencies in the US. This includes criminal investigations, protecting the United States from terror plotting and attacks and they are also detailed to investigate firearms licensing, tobacco smuggling and have on occasions conducted investigations on narcotics independently of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). To become a special agent in the A.T.F you must have top secret clearance and, in some cases, top secret sensitive compartmented

“ALL SPECIAL AGENTS ARE ISSUED WITH EITHER A GLOCK 22 CHAMBERED IN .40 S&W OR THE COMPACT GLOCK 27, ALSO CHAMBERED IN .40 S&W. THE A.T.F. QUALIFICATION SHOOT HAS TO BE PASSED WITH ONE OF THESE WEAPONS.”

HISTORY

The modern-day A.T.F was formed in the United States on the 1st of July 1972. The A.T.F. has its headquarters based in Ariel Rios, Federal Building, Washington DC and was originally part of the Treasury Department.

In the wake of the terror attack on September 11th 2001, the A.T.F. was made a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Although it is still referred to as a A.T.F, its proper name is the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The A.T.F forms part of the United States investigative law-enforcement and conducting full time operations Its most notable events are from the Ruby Ridge incident in June 1990 and the Waco siege in Texas in February 1993.

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information clearance (TS/SCI). Currently there are around 5,000 personnel employed in the A.T.F with around 2,400 of these being special agents.

TRAINING

To become a Special Agent you must first pass an intense 2-part training program, the first part of which is the Criminal Investigation Training Program (CITP). This is held at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) and is part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in Glynco, Georgia. Part one is a 12-week course of 48 students with 50% of these candidates from the A.T.F. The second part of the training program is the Special Agent Basic Training program (SATB). This readies the

IMAGE COURTESY ATF - PUBLIC DOMAIN

QUALIFICATION SHOOTING

SKILLS QUALIFICATION SHOOTING - ATF

potential agent for work in the field, including firearms training, trafficking, reporting, interviewing techniques and investigating to name but a few. The 24 students that sit this course do so over a 15 week period.

To complement this, potential Special Agents must also undergo a 10 week course on the Industry Operations Investigation Basic Training (IOIBT) program.

This course teaches Special Agents how to inspect firearms and explosives licenses and permits and also to provide assistance to other Local/State and Federal Law Enforcement Agencies.

FIREARMS IMAGE COURTESY ATF - PUBLIC DOMAIN

All Special Agents are issued with either a Glock 22 chambered in .40 S&W or the compact Glock 27, also chambered in .40 S&W. The A.T.F. Qualification shoot has to be passed with one of these weapon platforms.

QUALIFICATION

The kit and equipment that is needed for this qualification shoot is very basic. Each month in Airsoft Action magazine I will give you a list of the kit and equipment needed but it remains pretty much the same for most of the qualification shoots.

Equipment needed: • Suitable range to shoot on • Handgun with belt and holster • 2 x magazines and a pouch • Eye protection • Gas and BBs • CSQT01 Targets • Shot Timer (I’m using the CED7000) Method To run this course of fire you will need to set up the range in the following manner: Set up the target ranges at 1m, 3m, 6m and 9m from the firing point with the targets approximately the same height as yourself.

The shooter will stand on the firing point with the handgun made ready, holstered and with your hands relaxed by your sides.

On the cue from the shot timer, the shooter will engage the targets as per stage.

Once finished the shooter should unload and show clear and return the handgun to the holster.

Please note that IPSC rules on loading and showing clear are a good idea here.

SAFETY Before you start this or any other shooting practice, it is important that you follow ALL safety rules and precautions. Only shoot if it is safe to do so.

Stage 3 Distance from the target to the firing point is 9m.

Draw and fire 6 rounds to the body within 12 seconds.

Do this twice.

Stage 4 Distance from the target to the firing point is 6m.

Stand in the Low Ready position behind cover.

Fire 2 rounds to the body within 3 seconds. Strong side.

Fire 2 rounds to the body within 4 seconds. Support side.

Fire 2 rounds to the body within 3 seconds. Strong side.

Fire 2 rounds to the body within 4 seconds. Support side.

Stage 5 Distance from the target to the firing point is 3m.

Draw and fire 2 rounds to the body and 1 round to the head within 4 seconds.

Do this twice.

Stage 6 Distance from the target to the firing point is 9m.

Draw and fire 2 rounds to the body and 1 round to the head within 3 seconds.

Do this twice.

Stage 7 Distance from the target to the firing point is 3m.

Draw and fire 2 rounds to the body strong hand only within 4 seconds.

Do this once.

Stage 8 Distance from the target to the firing point is 3m.

Stand in the Low Ready position gun in support hand.

Draw and fire 3 rounds to the body within 4 seconds.

Do this twice.

Stage 9 Distance from the target to the firing point is 1m.

Draw and fire 2 rounds within 3 seconds.

Do this twice.

The total shots required for this qualification is 52. You must score a minimum of 48 hits to pass (46 hits to the body + 2 hits to the head). Count all hits inside the score zone as 1 point. A broken line counts as a point but all shots outside of the score zones are a miss. If you fail to fire any shots within the PAR time (the time you are expected to complete the stage in) you will have failed the qualification and will have to start again from the beginning. In the next issue of AA I will take you through the Homeland Security I.C.E qualification.

To download the targets, head over to: www.airsoftaction.online/qualification-shoot-targets.

Stay safe and good luck! AA

Stage 1 Distance from the target to the firing point is 6m.

Draw and fire 3 rounds to the body within 3 seconds.

Do this 4 times.

Stage 2 Distance from the target to the firing point is 9m.

Draw and fire 3 rounds to the body within 6 seconds.

Do this twice.

www.airsoft-action.online

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feature

Alpha Group Source: Public Domain

AK47 RELOADED

TOM “ANVIL” HIBBERD LOOKS AT SOME OF THE MANY VARIATIONS BASED UPON MIKHAIL KALASHNIKOV’S ORIGINAL DESIGN AND THE AIRSOFT EQUIVALENTS. FOR SOME PEOPLE THE AK is such a sacred object that making any changes to Mikhail Kalashnikov’s original design is considered blasphemy, however, the Soviet Union (and its successor the Russian Federation) don’t feel the same way. Just like it’s western counterpart, the M16, it has been upgraded since its adoption and there have been many variants of the now venerable “Avtomat Kalashnikova”.

AK HISTORY

The original AK-47 was designed in 1945 and adopted in 1949. It took the place that sub-machine guns had previously taken, it featured a stamped steel receiver, select fire, a rotating bolt and a long stroke gas piston.

Firing the intermediate 7.62x39mm cartridge from a 30 round removable box magazine, it was a step change in infantry firepower from the previous issue firearms. The Soviet’s had recognised that firefights were taking place at distances of 300m and closer, so a full power battle rifle wasn’t needed. This was a lesson that the US and NATO would take another 20 or so years to learn. Due to initial manufacturing problems, stamped receivers proved problematic to produce and so conventional

The AKM was the first mass-produced AK variant. Credit - Wikimedia Commons.

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milling from blocks of solid steel was used instead.

The platform then went through a series of changes and new models were introduced. The first widely adopted AK variant was the AKM. This moved back to the original (cheaper to produce) stamped receiver and added a slant muzzle brake to aid recoil control.

Alongside this was the AKS-47, essentially an AKM with an under-folding stock based on the WW2 German MP38/40 submachine gun. It was intended for paratroopers and vehicle crews.

The introduction of the AK-74 was a major change to a new cartridge, the 5.45x39mm, though it retained the same operating system. This round is still in use today and is much faster and flatter-shooting than the 7.62x39mm previously in service. The furniture is mostly wood with a polymer pistol grip. The AK74 was first fielded in the Soviet Afghan conflict and quickly gained a deadly reputation. Many rifles have an integral optic mounting rail on the side of the receiver and are designated AK-74N. There was also a folding stock version. Rather than the somewhat wobbly under folding- version used previously, this variant used a triangular shaped side-folder instead. Another part of the AK-74 project was the AKS-74U. This is very small and handy with a folding stock and a very short barrel.

It was designed for vehicle crews and Spetsnaz units.

It isn’t well liked due to the large muzzle blast and inherent inaccuracy of the tiny barrel but is still in use today in various guises.

The AK-74M is the current service rifle of the Russian Federation. This is, essentially, the earlier AK-74 but features black polymer furniture and a solid side-folding stock. The commercial AK-100 series isn’t widely issued as it is mainly intended for the export market, however, Special Forces units in Russia are using the short carbine length AK-104 and AK-105 in highly modified configurations.

For the last 10 years the Russian military has been looking to replace or upgrade its AK-74M rifles and have tested many options. Currently the front runner is the AK-12 from Kalashnikov. This isn’t the AK-12 you may

feature AK47 RELOADED

have heard and seen portrayed in video games but is rather a modification and renaming of their recent AK400 prototype. The previous AK-12 was an ergonomic upgrade but had no real accuracy improvements over older rifles and reportedly has some issues with automatic fire. The new AK-12 uses a receiver very close to that of the AK-74M but has numerous small ergonomic and functional upgrades, such as a railed top cover, a folding and collapsible buttstock and free-float hand guards. LCT have recently announced that they will be reasing an airsoft version and from what was seen at IWA, it is going to be a cracker!

The AK-12 is Russia’s latest attempt to adopt a new service rifle.

In addition to this new rifle, Russia is currently looking at further modernising its huge reserves of AK-74Ms with an upgrade package that has many of the features of the AK-12/AK-400. It looks as though weapons that are reaching the end of their service life will be replaced with the AK-12 and the rest fitted with the upgrade package in the meantime.

RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES AK

There have been several units associated with tactical AKs, with perhaps the most famous being the FSB’s “Alpha Group”. They commonly use AK105/104 with the original stock replaced with an aftermarket adapter that allows the use of M4 Stock tubes and collapsible stocks. Optics are mostly from western suppliers with both Aimpoint and Eotech red dots being used, although torches and laser designators are normally of Russian origin. All these are frequently mounted on rail systems made by the Russian company Zenitco. This can lead to a heavy rifle and a fully set up AK104 used in a direct-action role can weigh upwards of 11lbs or 5kgs. On their standard AK74Ms they have been known to use polymer furniture from CAA. These are much lighter than the metal accessories from Zentico and are commonly used by those in a recce role.

This AK by Daves Custom Airsoft is a 1:1 replica of an FSB Alpha Group weapon.

US CIVILIAN AKS

The biggest driver in tactical furniture and accessories for the AK is the US civilian market and in recent years there has been a surge in popularity for the AK platform.

As part of the import restrictions a certain number of parts must be replaced with US equivalents. This immediately created a market for domestic accessories, initially these were virtually direct copies of the originals but soon unique parts became available.

The most prolific real steel manufacturer is Magpul.

Their range of accessories took the AK world by storm.

These are made from high quality injection molded fibre-reinforced polymers and are more than strong enough for airsoft uses. Being a Magpul product they are M-Lok compatible and standard rail sections can be attached if desired. The handguards are easily fitted to most airsoft replicas though some “fettling” might be required in some cases. The only real problems can lie with fitting stocks to AEGs, as the gearbox can get in the way on solid stock AKs. The original Magpul parts can be difficult to obtain in the UK but CYMA have recently introduced a new line of AKs with clone Magpul furniture, which came highly recommended from our reviewer.

Tom’s AK – Tom’s AK sporting civilian Magpul furniture.

The Russian Zenit Rails are excellent, if heavy, additions to any AK.

There are now airsoft clone versions of the Zenitco parts from TWI and Asura Dynamics though original accessories will in the most part fit on Airsoft RIFs.

There are many other companies making AK accessories and most RIF manufacturers now have multiple tactical AKs in their ranges. These often feature some form of 1913 style railed foregrip, which are normally okay but it’s rare for the rails themselves to be www.airsoft-action.online

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feature AK47 RELOADED

stable enough to hold zero on an optic. The foregrips can also move around so if you prefer a sold-feeling gun then it may be better to look elsewhere.

A very simple upgrade (if you have a side rail) is to use an optic mounting that simply slides on and off.

These are of variable quality and some side rails are widely out of spec! Generally, you get what you pay for, much like the rest of life.

A very common addition to US AKs is a railed gas tube. The original tubular steel part is replaced with a new aluminium one, complete with 1913 rail. This is clamped to the barrel to make it stable and secure for mounting optics. It’s too far forward for magnified scopes but does allow the attachment of red dots.

These gas tube rails are commonly available from airsoft retailers and are a highly recommended addition to a RIF.

of the most common complaints is that the pistol grip is too slim. Gas Blow Back (GBB) users have a wide range of replacements available as they can use real grips. AEG users have a more limited selection due to the motor but nowadays you will be able to find something more suited to your hands. I’ve used the PTS US Palm grip and the CYMA Magpul clone and both are excellent replacements.

There are a plethora of grips available to replace the originals.

Left original, middle PTS US Palm and right a CYMA clone.

NYET! RIFLE IS FINE – NO THANKS GRANDAD! Railed Gas tubes allow the attachment of red dot optics.

The forward placement of the optic allows for a wide field of vision and easy target acquisition. On a military firearm these rails can get too hot with a high rate of fire but this obviously isn’t an issue with airsoft replicas!

The ergonomics of AKs can be improved as well. One

As can be seen there are now many options for upgrade and modernising your AK replica. Far from being heresy, these are now commonly used all over the globe by operators at the highest tier. Even the Russian army’s basic version of the AK fires a different cartridge to the original, has a side optics rail and features polymer furniture. Embrace the future and take your AK to the next level. AA

www.airsoft-action.online

81

TACTICAL

get the tactical advantage PATROL GLOVE

RECON GLOVE

VENOM GLOVE

n Polyester/spandex n Micro fibre palm n Webbing finger pull

n Polyester/spandex n Padded micro fibre palm n One piece rubber knuckle guard n Rubber/Velcro wrist fastening n Thumb/finger grip

n Polyester/spandex n Micro fibre palm with reinforcing n Rubber finger impact protection n Hardshell knuckle protection n Rubber/Velcro wrist fastening n Glove puller

Colours: V-Cam, Titanium, Coyote, Black, Green Sizes: S-XXL SRP

Colours: V-Cam, Titanium, Coyote, Black, Green Sizes: S-XXL

£12.95 SRP

£22.50

Colours: V-Cam, Coyote, Black, Green Sizes: S-XXL SRP

£29.95

WEBBING FINGER PULL

UPDATES / STOCKISTS / CATALOGUE

www.vipertactical.co.uk

KIT & GEAR SCORIPION SKINZ

ATOMIC PLAYBOY

WANT TO GIVE YOUR RIF A DISTINCTIVE APPEARANCE WITHOUT SHELLING OUT ON A CUSTOM PAINT JOB? STEVE TAKLE GIVES THIS STICKER KIT A GO...

THERE IS A SCHOOL OF THOUGHT that sticker kits are for kids. And ordinarily, I’d agree. Most every time I see a picture of a RIF sporting new stickers, I just think the owner bottled it by not doing a proper camo paint job.

But then I saw the Atomic kit for ASG’s Scorpion Evo from Scorpion Skinz and I have to admit I thought it looked pretty cool; more like a triple-figure custom paint job than a £25 sticker kit. It has that WWII fighter/ bomber aesthetic with rivet lines, shark’s teeth and a tiny bit of glamour model nose art above the grip.

This is one of the company’s Custom Skinz, which also includes Deadpool and Boba Fett themed kits.

The standard camo kits include ATP, M90, Mandra and Woodland patterns, all made of quality adhesive vinyl finished with a tough matt laminate. In addition to kits for the Evo A1, plus Carbine/BET, the company also caters for G&G’s ARP9 and ARP 556, as well as the KRISS Vector.

BESPOKE, BUT NOT CUSTOM

The kit arrived within a couple of days of ordering. Upon first opening the package, we were impressed by the quality and after installation, we have no doubt that this kit will stay where it should for a good long time. Some stickers start peeling away within just days, but once in place, this skin looks like it’s here to stay - until we decide to remove it. And that’s the beauty of sticker kits over paint; it’s an easily reversible upgrade.

The company claims that its pre-cut kits take less than 10 minutes to install, but with 10 elements per side, that would mean placing one sticker every 30 seconds. Doable, maybe - but not if you want it to look spot on. We took our time to get it right and the result is a finish that you’d be hard pressed to recognise as stickers at all from five feet out - and we’d hope the enemy won’t get that close in the first place!

There’s no included instructions, so it’s a case of working out where each piece goes, but this kit is bespoke to the RIF, so there’s only one place anything can go. Sure, it takes a bit of puzzling out - and

wouldn’t it be great if each item was labelled on the backing with its location - but you’ll get there with patience.

We used a diluted solution of isopropanol to prepare the surface of the Evo, then each sticker was easy to offer up and reposition until it was in the right place.

Once smoothed with a finger - and a credit card for good measure - there were no bubbles, wrinkles or overmatter to trim back. Each sticker fitted exactly where it was supposed to go.

The end result looks not entirely unlike a custom paint job - especially from a distance - but at a fraction of the price. Until you meet the next guy with the same kit, that is...

DIFFERENT IS GOOD

Will I live with the Atomic skin forever? No, probably not. It’s a bit of fun that I like very much right now, but imagine I will tire of and return to a more authentic appearance. But I do feel that it won’t be going anywhere until I decide it should. And in the meantime, not only will it protect the finish of my Evo, but it will also make it just that bit different to all the others on game day. AA

www.airsoft-action.online

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armoury CLASSIC ARMY AKS74

CLASSIC ARMY..

CLASSIC AK

WHILST TOM HAS LOOKED AT HOW “IMPROVEMENTS” HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE CLASSIC AK THIS MONTH, AS A BIG FAN OF “AK” AIRSOFT REPLICAS BILL GETS BACK TO BASICS WITH A WELL-PRICED, STEEL-BODIED VERSION BY HONG KONG BASED AIRSOFT GIANT, CLASSIC ARMY. I BOUGHT MY VERY FIRST CLASSIC ARMY AEG over fifteen years ago now and during my “airsoft life” models from them have come and gone from my collection. They’ve all been good, solid airsoft guns that have performed well out in a skirmish and, given the fact that Classic Army were at the forefront of producing all metal AEGs even way back when, they’ve had a huge amount of experience in that field.

As most will know, Classic Army is a manufacturer of airsoft replicas based in Hong Kong. They produce automatic electric guns (AEGs) and a small number of GBB (Gas Blowback) pistols. Within the airsoft

Classic Army and although many of mine now have new homes due to changes in my own personal style of airsoft, I’ve no doubt that they are still performing solidly to this day.

One of the models that was traded many moons ago was the Classic Army “SLR105 A1 Para” (which has been renamed the “CAKA1 Para” by the manufacturer for some reason) and the new version is pretty much exactly the same as the old, so perhaps it’s just down to some internal re-branding as their offering has grown.

Whatever they call it though, what we’re looking at here is basically an AKS 74 with a side-folding steel stock.

“RUMOUR HAS IT THAT THE CIA PAID $5,000 FOR THE FIRST AK 74 CAPTURED BY THE MUJAHEDEEN DURING THE SOVIET–AFGHAN WAR, SUCH WAS THEIR EAGERNESS TO GET THEIR HANDS ON A SPECIMEN OF THE LATEST MODEL!” community, Classic Army is often abbreviated as simply “CA” and their AEGs are characterised by their highquality metal parts and realistic look and feel; most parts that are metal on the “real-steel” counterpart are also metal on the replica!

Of course, over the years they’ve had the odd “lemon” but as they offer multiple series lines, including MP5, G3, G36, AUG, various M4 and even M134 Minigun replicas, then that’s bound to happen at some time, even with the most scrupulous quality controls in place. Personally, I’ve never had a bad replica from

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MODERN SMALL CALIBRE

It was way back in 1977 when the Western world first saw the “new Kalashnikov” being carried by airborne troops in Red Square and rumour has it that the CIA paid $5,000 for the first AK 74 captured by the Mujahedeen during the Soviet–Afghan War, such was their eagerness to get their hands on a specimen of the latest model!

In truth though, the rifle had been around for some considerable time before the first sighting, as it was developed in the early 1970s by Russian designer

armoury CLASSIC ARMY AKS74

Mikhail Kalashnikov as the replacement for the earlier AKM, itself a modernised version of the AK 47. Much like their western counterparts, the Soviet military were interested in the better performance given by intermediate-calibre high velocity ammunition and the main change was that the AK 74 used a smaller 5.45×39mm cartridge, replacing the 7.62×39mm chambering of earlier Kalashnikov-pattern rifles and this enabled a number of steps forward to be taken. These improvements were primarily the result of converting the rifle to the new cartridge; compared to the preceding AKM the AK 74 had better effective range, accuracy (which was a main development goal) and reliability.

The rifle also received a new barrel with a chromelined bore, plus the front sight base and gas block were redesigned. A support bracket was cast into the gas block assembly and was used to attach a BG-15c or GP25 under-slung 40 mm grenade launcher. Like the AK 47 and AKM, the muzzle was threaded for the installation of various muzzle devices such as the standard muzzle brake or a blank-firing adaptor, while a spring-loaded

its surface, greatly reducing recoil. When first tested outside the Soviet Union, those who fired it concluded that it had a felt-recoil similar to that of a .22LR, which of course meant it could be kept neatly on target when used in full-auto mode …CCCP style!

The AK 74 was equipped with a new shape of butt, a handguard which retained the AKMtype finger rest and gas cylinder. The stock had a shoulder pad different from that on the AKM, which was made of rubber and serrated for improved grip. In addition, there were lightening cuts on each side of the butt. The butt, lower handguard and upper handguard were first manufactured from laminated wood, whilst the AKS variant replaced the rearmost wood with a skeletonised butt which folded neatly to the left-hand side of the receiver; it was down to this feature that the AKS first started being referred to as the “Para”.

LOOKS AND PERFORMANCE

detent pin held in the front sight post preventing them from unscrewing while firing. The distinctive muzzle brake of the AK 74 features a large expansion chamber, two symmetrical vertical cuts at the forward end of the brake and three non-symmetrical positioned vent holes to counteract muzzle rise and climb as well as lateral shift. A flat plate near the end of the brake produced a forward thrust when emerging exhaust gases struck

When I collected the Classic Army replica “AKS 74”, one of the very first things I noted were two distinct external changes from the model I owned some years ago. Firstly, the wood handguards were a much better colour than the original orange “Chinese wood” versions that came with mine, as this time they had a very rich brown, almost “chestnut” hue.

Secondly, the pistol grip was also a mid-brown colour rather than black, much more like what is seen on a real AK 74 where the colours can vary between almost orange to dark brown. Of course, neither of these changes affects performance one bit but it’s nice when a replica does look right!

To sum things up externally, the “CAKA1 Para” benefits from a stamped steel receiver, real wood handguards, a steel folding stock, fully adjustable front and rear sights, the correct AK 74 pistol grip and the distinctive steel AK 74 muzzle brake. The finish of the AK is superb throughout to be honest and it is absolutely solid as a rock, with not a wobble or a creak apparent anywhere.

It comes with a single 500-round “AK 74 Polymer” HiCap magazine which is finished in plain black. If you fancy the commonly seen “orange Bakelite” www.airsoft-action.online

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armoury CLASSIC ARMY AKS74

magazine though then they are available from a whole host of manufacturers these days, pretty much all of which work in perfect harmony with the rifle. Both the supplied and aftermarket magazines seat solidly and feed well. If you fancy fitting an optic to your “Para” then one additional feature that comes as standard is an AK sight mount on the left hand side of the receiver; you’ll need to buy the correct sight rail to clamp to this though and please note that if you fit the rail then you can’t close the steel stock!

Internally, Classic Army AEGs have always been solid performers and the parts used are up there with the best of them. Powered by a battery hidden under the top cover inside the AK you’ll find a tried and tested Version 3 full metal, fully upgradeable gearbox along with a short type motor. This is pretty standard fare but it works well.

certainly ticks all the boxes in this respect. If you look at timeframes, the AK 74 was used way back in Afghanistan so you’re good for a “Cold War” loadout and is still being used today, so that’s “modern/OPFOR” and everything in between cracked too. If you favour the ever-popular “contractor” look then the AKS 74 works for that as well.

With great performance out of the box, reasonably cheap accessories and an asking price of around £210.00 this is an absolutely cracking bit of kit and if you’re in the market for something other than the “M4”, then I’d really suggest you take a good long look at this little corker from Classic Army! AA

On the range the Classic Army AKs have always given very respectable performance and given the 455mm inner barrel, pretty solid range and accuracy too. First, I ran the rifle through the chrono on .20g RVN BBs and recorded and consistent and site friendly 1.06Joule/338fps. Using just the iron sights, which are indeed easily adjustable, I was easily able to hit targets and group pretty tightly at the limit of the 30m range.

A 7.4V LiPo battery fits easily under the top cover but if you’re judicious, you can just squeeze in an 11.1V pack which brings up the ROF quite seriously!

Many airsofters, especially those just starting out, try to find a replica model that will work for a variety of loadouts and themes, and the “CAKA1 Para” www.airsoft-action.online

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last post WTF’S WRONG WITH A FIGURE 11?

WTF’S WRONG WITH A FIGURE 11?

FOLLOWING RECENT COMMENTS ON (ANTI)SOCIAL MEDIA AND IN NATIONAL NEWS, FRENCHIE QUESTIONS WHY ANYONE WOULD WANT TO SHOOT AT TARGETS DEPICTING IMAGES OF REAL PEOPLE. THE PAST FEW WEEKS HAVE BEEN interesting for airsoft - and not necessarily in a good way!

Firstly, Ultimate Airsoft in Wallasey hit the national news by dint of providing targets with the face of Shamima Begum, ISIS bride and cause celebre and this was followed up by a Facebook post from February this year showing satisfied punters from a day out at the Scottish Military Museum clutching their holed images of Hitler, Donald Trump and Theresa May. Now, I have bored you off and on with my views on airsoft’s legal status and why I think, at present, politicians will probably leave us alone. In making those assertions I deliberately omitted “stupid” from my calculations – clearly, I shouldn’t have.

“I HAVE BORED YOU OFF AND ON WITH MY VIEWS ON AIRSOFT’S LEGAL STATUS AND WHY I THINK, AT PRESENT, POLITICIANS WILL PROBABLY LEAVE US ALONE. IN MAKING THOSE ASSERTIONS I DELIBERATELY OMITTED “STUPID” FROM MY CALCULATIONS – CLEARLY, I SHOULDN’T HAVE.” I have two major causes for complaint here… and they may not be quite what you think they’ll be, especially since I’ll be arguing against myself in respect of one of them. However, to clear the air, or rather to shoo the elephant in the room out of the way, I carry no torch for Begum, Trump or May or frankly any figure, private or public, beyond my friends and family – this isn’t in any way political.

My two issues are these: You shouldn’t shoot at the likeness of a real person and secondly, if you make a living from airsoft you have a responsibility not to come across as an absolute dick. I appreciate views will differ on these matters, indeed they differ within the closed confines of the Airsoft Action staff.

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MAY 2019

Why do I have a problem with shooting at the likeness of real people? Surely, as has been suggested, we spend our free time pretending to “kill” other people and delight in doing so. Well… no, I don’t think that’s actually true of the vast majority of airsofters for a couple of key reasons. If you go skirmishing you are, by the very act or participating, giving your consent to being shot with airsoft guns. At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, that is fundamental to our pastime.

Secondly, no matter how seriously we take our game play, we know that it occurs within a specific context and that context is that no one dies.

That’s really important. Airsoft would be far more realistic if we ran 5.56mm, 7.62mm and 9mm parabellum but it would also be something quite

LAST POST WTF’S WRONG WITH A FIGURE 11?

different – war! Airsofters play at war, we do not go to war. I think it is a truism that every site owner will have had to deal with at least one player because they took it all a “bit too seriously”. The reason such players have to be watched and dealt with, is because they risk breaching that critical restraint, of pushing a good natured rammy over the edge and into something altogether darker.

So, in short, we consent to play a game. It’s not war and it’s not murder. But you might reasonably respond, shooting a photograph of Donald Trump is also neither war nor murder and you would be right.

The problem I have with doing this has to do with what it says about us as civilised beings and what our intent is. I am well aware that I’m staggering into the realms of moral philosophy and as a consequence you are wholly free to disagree with me. I cannot get away from the feeling that when you say “I want to shoot at a picture of Theresa May” there is an intent that goes beyond simply peppering a target. A Figure 11 would suffice – the holes will be as real, it is specifically designed to determine and aid marksmanship. No, shooting an image for me is about much more than fun with a gun and I find it concerning and dehumanising.

Put it this way… What would you think looking at a picture of a stereotypical rednecks, shotguns in hand, proudly showing off a picture of Barack Obama full of holes? I’m not sure the presence, or absence, of real guns is the issue.

I find it doubly disturbing when I learn that children as young as six might be doing this. What exactly are we teaching them? Certainly not that shooting is a rewarding pastime that can be done in safety, one that teaches skill and discipline. That is can be great fun? No, we are saying it’s ok to shoot at people you don’t like and personally I think that’s wrong.

As I discovered in Germany many years ago, it is unlawful to shoot at the likeness of human beings.

Please don’t ask me how they deal with video games, I don’t know! You cannot shoot at a representative image of a person. At the time I thought that odd, almost quaint and a bit silly. These days I wonder if they maybe haven’t got a point.

That’s my first issue, the second is that if you are going to run an airsoft-based business you have a duty

to act responsibly. Now that is maybe slightly more contentious. Ultimate Airsoft did themselves no favours by excusing the use of Begum’s image by saying that it was the “most requested” and then naming all the other famous faces they offer to be shot. I mean, I can’t abide Justin Bieber but I’m not going to shoot him!

Why?! I hear, “Stop being such a bloody snowflake!”. Snowflake I’m not. I have contended that with various legal changes and Brexit occupying the denizens of Westminster, that airsoft was probably safe from our political overlords. Until you do something that grabs the national media and which might – in the eyes of people with nothing to do with shooting or airsoft – seem a bit tasteless. Or silly. Certainly, you don’t want to have an MP commenting on the 6pm news on the BBC. By the time you read this, the story will have died I suspect but let me make this point: the exemption for skirmishing is an addendum to the VCRA 2006, it’s a statutory instrument. What is really important about that is there is no requirement for the Home Office to go back to parliament to amend or rescind it. They can just do it.

There’s no sign of that happening but it could and if you have members of parliament suggesting that your activities are foolish or tasteless or potentially damaging to young children… You see my point even of you disagree. It’s one thing to fight with the government over something that you can show is legitimate, much harder when you find the moral rug whipped out from under your feet.

I’ve said it before and I hold to it; we are entitled to our sport and we shouldn’t hide it. That’s not what I’m suggesting, does anyone else remember some of the great faux pas of airsoft? Instances of poor timing that splashed us all over the papers and never in a good way? What they mostly have in common is that with a little thought they could easily have been avoided.

A moment considering the current political (in the broadest sense) climate might have suggested that this idea was for another time, or never. For me this current melee falls into that category, it needn’t have happened it shouldn’t have happened. It infuriates me for that reason more than any other.

Tasteless? Probably. Foolish? Definitely. AA www.airsoft-action.online

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SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

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ABER AIRSOFT – THE BUNKER

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AMBUSH ADVENTURES – CHOBHAM

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94

MAY 2019

New Forest National Park, SP5 2DW

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AMBUSH ADVENTURES SOUTHAMPTON

www.ambushadventures.co.uk

Tel: 07786 192832 www.aceairsoft.co.uk

Shafton, Barnsley, S72 8RE

Tel: 07732 184957 www.awaherts.com

Northern Ireland, BT39 9PH Tel: 028 9303 7030 or 07729219341 www.borderlinecombat.com

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

CERBERUS AIRSOFT – SHEFFIELD WOODLAND

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CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL

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CERBERUS AIRSOFT – THE WORKS (URBAN)

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95

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

FINMERE AIRSOFT

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Tel: 07525 435696

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1 Jugglers Ln, Yatesbury, Calne, Wiltshire

Blackshaw Moor, Nr Leek,

SN11 8YA

FIRST & ONLY:

Tel: 0161 727 8863

CROSSFIRE WOODS – PRESTON Moss Lane East, Preston PR4 3SP

GROUND ZERO WOODLAND

0161 727 8863

Ringwood, Hampshire BH24 2DF

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www.groundzerowoodland.com

www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – TUDDENHAM Cavenham Road, Tuddenham, Bury St Edmunds IP28 6DF Tel: 07711 774461 (Doug) or 07711 774401 (Josh) www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gunmanairsoft-tuddenham/

FREE FIRE ZONE

STEALTH WOODS – OTLEY

Farcet, Peterborough, PE7 3DH

Stealth Woods, Dob Park, Norwood

Tel: 01733 247171

GUNMAN AIRSOFT – MIDLANDS

Bottom Road, Otley LS21 2NA

www.freefirezone.co.uk

The Grange, Frogmore Grange, Balsall Common, Coventry CV7 7FP

FRV AIRSOFT FIRST & ONLY:

Annacloy, Downpatrick, BT30 8JJ

THE MILL CQB – WIGAN

Tel: 07730 586926

Unit S2 Mill 1, Swan Meadow Industrial

www.frvairsoft.com

Estate, Swan Meadow Road, Wigan Tel: 0161 727 8863

FULL METAL AIRSOFT Cilyrychen Quarry, Llandybie, Ammanford,

FIRST & ONLY:

Camarthenshire, SA18 3JG

THE OUTPOST – KIDDERMINSTER

Tel: 01269 850404

Drakelow Tunnels, Kingsford Country Park,

www.fullmetalairsoft.co.uk

Near Kinver, Kidderminster DY11 5SA Tel: 0161 727 8863

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

LAGAN AIRSOFT CLUB 17G Stationview, Dunmurry, Belfast BT170AE / Tel: 07733128484

FIRST & ONLY:

Tel: 0161 727 8863

LAC AT COMBAT ZONE

Tel: 01676 532 384 info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk

LEEDS AIRSOFT: THE FOUNDRY CQB Haigh Park Road, Stourton, Leeds LS10 1RX Tel: 0113 277 7707 / 07968 258952

www.giairsoft.co.uk/Skirmish-days

LINDSEY AIRSOFT GUNMAN AIRSOFT – EVERSLEY The Welsh Drive, Fleet Road (A327), Eversley, Hants RG27 0PY Tel: 07711 774461 (Doug) or 07711 774401 (Josh) www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk/gunmanairsoft-eversley/

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

GASS AIRSOFT – PENN Penn Bottom, Bucks, HP10

FIRST & ONLY: SHELL SHOCK

Tel: 07907 788970

WOODS – BRIDGNORTH

www.gassairsoft.co.uk

HILTON PARK AIRSOFT Wolverhampton, WV10 7HU

MAW

Tel: 08000 354490/ www.paintballuk.com

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

Uplands Coppice, Off B4363, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 5LS Tel: 0161 727 8863

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

HOMELAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT/ Tel: 07971 560249

MIA

facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft

Cornwall, EX23 9JL : Tel: 01288 331748

FIRST & ONLY: STEALTH WOODS – OTLEY Stealth Woods, Dob Park, Norwood Bottom Road, Otley LS21 2NA Tel: 0161 727 8863

GRANGE FARM AIRSOFT Leicester, LE9 9FP www.gingerliberationfront.com

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

www.airsoftsouthwest.co.uk

MIDWALES AIRSOFT Abbey Cwm-hir, Midwales, LD1 6PG 01686 627594 www.facebook.com/Midwales-airsoft

96

MAY 2019

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

MILITARY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES

OBAN AIRSOFT – ILL ARGYLL

RED1AIRSOFT CQB

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT– THE ROCK

Argyll and Bute, PA37 1

Red1 CQB. Kings Langley, WD4 8RN

Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG

Wrightington, WN6 9PL

Tel: 07967 710185

Tel: 07956 522691/01727846069

Tel: 07984 656947

Tel: 01942 514724

www.argyllsurplus.com

www.red1airsoft.co.uk

www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

OP-TACTICAL UK – TEAN-OPS

RIFT AIRSOFT COM’S SITE 3

STIRLING AIRSOFT

Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT

Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ

Coventry, CV3 6NX

Tel: 07964 990831

Tel: 07751 586781

Tel: 07831 429407

www.militaryoutdooradventure.co.uk

MILSIM UK Checkley, Staffordshire, ST10 4NS

www.op-tac.co.uk

www.riftairsoft.com

Tel: 07523 916607 www.milsimuk.co.uk

NCIS AIRSOFT

www.stirlingairsoft.com

OVER THE TOP AIRSOFT CLUB

RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM)

Anglesey, LL71 8VW www.ottairsoft.

Cambridge, CB24 8RL

STORMFORCE AIRSOFT

github.io / Tel: 07895 478634

Tel: 07751 586781 / www.riftairsoft.com

Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 4LD

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

NOMAD AIRSOFT Fenwick, Ayrshire, KA3 6AY

Tel: 07515 937633

PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT MILITARY SIMULATION

SECTION 8 AIRSOFT

Former RAF Camp Sopley/Merryfield Park,

Tel: 07974 026517

www.nomadairsoft.com

NO LIMITS AIRSOFT Unit 4, King Street, Gatehead, NE8 2YP info@nolimitspaintballandlaser.co.uk

Shotts, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB www.s8airsoft.com

SUSSEX AIRSOFT Slinfold, RH12 Tel: 020 8150 9284

Hants, BH23/ Tel: 02380 899369

SG1 COMBAT GAMES

Tel: 07904 998250

www.stormforcepaintball.co.uk

www.sussexairsoft.co.uk

PHOENIX AIRSOFT

Co. Londonderry, BT45 8NA

Welbeck Airsoft, Academy, Budby Road,

Tel: 07713 273102

S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT

Notts NG20 9JX

www.sg1combatgames.co.uk

Boathouse lane, South Wirral, Cheshire,

Tel: 07956 587213 / 01623 812483

CH64 3TB

www.phoenix-airsoft.co.uk

SHROPSHIRE AIRSOFT WAR GAMES

Tel: 07703 177756

PLATOON 1HQ

Holbrook Coppice, Buidwas Bank (A4169),

TA EVENTS

Tel: 07464 482410/ 0191 441 4574

www.swatairsoft.eu

Rochester, Kent, ME1 1 HQ

Buildwas, Telford, Shropshire, TF8

Tel: 01634 829063/ www.ptt-1hq.co.uk

Tel: 07786 192832 / www.aceairsoft.co.uk

Tel: 07894 059794 /www.ta-events.co.uk

Tel: 01845 565465

PLAYERS OF WAR

TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT

www.northernallianceairsoft.co.uk

High Bonnybridge, FK1 3AD

SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY

NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ

Tel: 07767 203979/ www.playersofwar.co.uk

NORTHFLEET CQB PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES

Tel: 07968 448475

Ballynahinch, BT24 8NF

www.elitebattlezone.co.uk

Tel: 02897565651 / 07825169631 www.predatorcombat.com

Trickley Coppice, London Road, Bassetts Pole, Sutton Coldfield, B75 5SA Tel: 0121 323 1000 info@npfairsoft.com www.facebook.com/npfairsoft

RAVEN’S NEST Suffolk, IP8 4 / Tel: 01473 831563 www.ravensairsoft.co.uk

RAW WAR AIRSOFT CUMBRIA Wigton, Cumbria CA7 3SZ

NSC AIRSOFT

Tel: 01900 85645

Hetton, Sunderland, DH5 0

www.airsoftcumbria.co.uk

Tel: 07983 333521 / www.nscairsoft.co.uk

RED1AIRSOFT NTAC Durham, DL4 2ER Tel: 01642 281220 www.ntac.co.uk

Tel: 01277 657777 www.airsoft-billericay.co.uk

Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9AA

NPF AIRSOFT, NPF BASSETTS POLE

Billericay, Essex, CM11 2TX

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

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

SOUTH COAST CQB Browndown Road, Lee-On-Solent PO13 9UG Tel: 07533 434203

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

SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – BLOXWORTH Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7EU Tel: 07984 656947

Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP2 7QB

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

TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PL Tel: 0203 490 8008/07983 657093 www.tacticalwarfare.co.uk

TAZ AIRSOFT Farr, Inverness IV2 6XB Tel: 07848 448408

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

www.specopsairsoft.co.uk www.airsoft-action.online

97

SITE DIRECTORY

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

FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE THIS WEEKEND…

THE BUNKER

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – FAWKHAM

XSITE AIRSOFT OUTPOST

FPS ACTION AIR IPSC

Aberystwyth www.aberairsoft.co.uk

Dunstable, LU6 2EE Tel: 01494 881430

24 Scarrots lane

Tel: 07841 462806

Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY

www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk

Newport Isle of Wight PO30 2JD

Tel: 01268 796130 www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

THE DEPOT

THE EX SITE Mold, CH7 4 Tel: 07840 001975

ULTIMATE WARGAMES – LIMPSFIELD

Tel: 01494 881430

www.4dsportsclubs.co.uk

Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH

YORKSHIRE TACTICAL AIRSOFT - THE MANOR

EBSC

Church Lane

PP, IDPA, IPAS, IPSC, 3GUN

Sheffield

UKPSA Coaches

www.ultimatewargames.co.uk

URBAN ASSAULT Lundholm Road, Stevenston, Ayrshire, KA20 3LN

Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1 Tel: 01733 247171

VIKING AIRSOFT Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0UN

THUNDER PARK AIRSOFT Luxulyan, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL305FA

Facebook:@fpsiow

S75 3DQ 01226 414004 To Book

www.urbanassault.org.uk

www.thewargamescentre.com wargamescentre@gmail.com

www.vikingairsoft.co.uk

Tel: 01726 858613 or 07590 030887

WARMINSTER AIRSOFT

www.thunderpark.co.uk

Warminster, BA12 7RZ

Food & drinks available on site

www.warminsterairsoft.co.uk

TORRENT WARFARE

WEST MIDLANDS AIRSOFT

Co Tyrone, BT71 4DY Tel: 07922 377131

F O B (Woodland), Hollington Road, Upper

Facebook: search ‘Torrent Warfare’

Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT

included, free tea and coffee available all

Macclesfield, SK10 4SZ

day. Site memberships.

Tel: 07428 024874

Tel: Paul – 07861427553

www.trojan-airsoft.com

Email: paul@wmairsoft.co.uk

S72 8RE 01226 414004 To Book

YORKSHIRE TACTICAL AIRSOFT - THE PINES Great North Road Bawtry, Doncaster, DN10 6DG 01226 414004 To Book

PRACTICAL SHOOTING DIRECTORY

Weir Mill, Viaduct Street, Chestergate,

AIPSC WEST MIDLANDS AIRSOFT High Command (CQB),

Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7JP

Doulton Trading Estate, Doulton Road,

Tel: 07428 024874

Rowley Regis B65 8JQ

www.trojan-airsoft.com

On site parking, HPA top-ups, secure safe

UCAP AIRSOFT Portsmouth, Hants, PO17 6AR Tel: 07590 818881

www.ucap.co.uk

Tel: 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk

MAY 2019

Tel: 01676 532384 www.aipsc.co.uk Facebook: A.I.P.S.C info@suspensionofdisbelief.co.uk. Every Monday night 7pm– 9pm (except bank

included, free tea and coffee available all

shooting rig hire. UKPSA-qualified

day. Site memberships.

coaches. UKPSA-qualified Range Officers.

Tel: Paul – 07861427553 Email: paul@wmairsoft.co.uk

WORTHING AIRSOFT Arundel Road, Worthing Tel: 07877 210898 www.worthingairsoft.co.uk

98

West Midlands, CV7 7FP

holidays). £5 or £10 with pistol and

www.wmairsoft.co.uk Linch, West Sussex, GU30 7

The Grange, Frog Lane, Balsall Common,

zone, male & female toilets, hot lunch

UCAP GREEN OPS

Equipment hire available ebpracticalpistol@gmail.com

HALO MILL The Penthouse, Colne Valley Business Park,

www.wmairsoft.co.uk

TROJAN AIRSOFT – OLYMPUS CQB

UKPSA-qualified Range Officers

Engine Lane, Shafton, Barnsley

On site parking, HPA Top ups, covered safe zone, male & female toilets, hot lunch

MOD-approved gun club

www.ebsc.co.uk

YORKSHIRE TACTICAL AIRSOFT - THE PIT

Bawtry Forest

TROJAN AIRSOFT

Open five nights a week 7pm-10pm Info@islandrecon.co.uk

www.theexsitewales.co.uk

THE WARGAMES CENTRE

XSITE AIRSOFT – LANE END High Wycombe, HP14 3NP

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

07964 751047

WATFORD PRACTICAL PISTOL CLUB WatfordPPC@gmail.com

DOUBLE TAP PSC StrikeForce CQB, Morelands Trading Estate, Bristol Road, Gloucester GL1 5RZ Facebook: www.facebook.com/ Double-Tap-Practical-Shooting-Club979585958732937/?ref=hl doubletappsc@gmail.com

Manchester Road, Linthwaite, Huddersfield HD7 5QG Tel: 01484 840554 www.halomill.com

XSITE PRACTICAL SHOOTING Fryers Farm Lane, High Wycombe, Bucks HP14 3NP Tel: 01494 881430

SOUTH WEST PRACTICAL SHOOTERS (SWPS) Action Air IPSC Club Based at The Tunnel Target Sports Centre near Charmouth The Tunnel, Axminster Road, Charmouth, Dorset DT6 6BY Contact: SWPSClub@Outlook.com

WETHERSFIELD AIRSOFT TARGET SHOOTING CLUB (WAT SIC) Wethersfield Village Hall, Braintree Rd (B1053), Wethersfield, Braintree CM7 4EB. https://www.facebook.com/WATSiC/ Open Thursday & Friday evenings.

Set-up from 6:30pm.

Club shooting commences by 7:30pm.

Pack-up starts at 9:30pm if you can stay to help.

Contact via FB or 07939557029. Indoors.

Club offers Action Air plus 2 & 3 Gun training and events.

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