ARMOURY DOUBLE EAGLE SHOTGUN OVERVIEW
TRENCH BROOMS AND BREACHERS IN THE LAST ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION FRENCHIE BROUGHT US A THOUGHT-PROVOKING REVIEW OF THE DOUBLE EAGLE M63 “SPAS 12” SHOTGUN. THIS TIME JERRY NOONE DELVES DEEPER INTO THEIR RANGE TO LOOK AT JUST WHAT IS ON OFFER WHEN IT COMES TO WELLPRICED SHOTGUNS THAT ARE NOW BEING MORE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED IN THE UK BY NUPROL.
LIKE MY OLD MATE AND COLLEAGUE, Frenchie, the “airsoft shotgun” holds a very special place in my heart! When I first started out in what was to become a long journey in the world of things that spat BBs, electric guns were still in their infancy in the UK, and everyone I knew owned a fair number of springers, especially pistols, as they were cheap and even back then reasonably accessible. When you’d got used to running around deserted buildings and damp woodlands shooting at your mates with a pistol that needed cocking for each and every shot the thought of having something “longer” with greater range and accuracy was a joy to ponder. Back then you could even buy airsoft spring “models” which you actually needed to put together like a gigantic Airfix kit - and I recall having an especially nice XM177 that I bought from my local model shop! In a day and age though where the sheer range of both electric and gas powered guns is jaw-droppingly staggering, you may well ask if the humble “springer” still has a place in 20
February 2018
our armoury, and in the case of the airsoft shotgun for me the answer would be an unequivocal “YES!” In recent years we’ve seen a move to both gas and electric-powered shotgun models, in some cases like the TM AA-12 making use of Hi-Cap magazines. Whilst these are most definitely airsoft works of art in their operation, as with all things electric-powered they can suffer from “issues” - and don’t even get me started on gas shotguns, especially the shell-ejecters! I am still the somewhat less-thanoverjoyed owner of an original Tanaka “M1897 Trench Gun”, which although being a thing of absolute beauty, has never really worked since the day I got it… then there’s the 8mm beast that is the ACM clone of the Marushin “M500” that hangs on my office wall… Okay, I LOVE airsoft shotguns, especially pump-action versions and my collection of G&P “Model 870 Wingmasters”