Airsoft Action - January 2022

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ISSUE 133 -JANUARY 2022 ISSN 2634-9515

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CONTENTS 8 ARMOURY: VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR With his growing personal collection of entirely gas blowback guns in Taiwan, Stewbacca is making up for lost time in the UK where he could only ever afford and make use of pistols as such! It can be increasingly difficult to get excited about new guns in such a saturated and diverse market, but the new VFC/HK collaboration has certainly got him going!

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ISSUE 133 -JANUARY 2022 ISSN 2634-9515

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing

16 ARMOURY: DOUBLE BELL 812S Sometimes a new AEG just seems to come out of nowhere and wows you with its externals and overall look, and this month Jimmy takes a look at a recent addition to his personal armoury that looks suspiciously like a 416, but is actually categorised as an “812S”… Jimmy tells all!

Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6PL, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1684 878 003 Web: www.airsoftaction.net ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2021 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 publication.

22 ARMOURY: SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT We’ve spent a lot of time looking at the raft of Pistol Calibre Carbines (PCCs) that have come onto the market, and there is still a question unanswered in our minds; where is the primary that actually uses the exact same magazines as our secondary? Bill takes a look at both a Secutor pistol and the licenced Carbine Kit to go with it, and moves things forward again!

FIND US ON…

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 Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

70 RELOADED: CYMA CM.098A CYMA have been involved with airsoft for almost as long as anyone, and have rightfully moved up from their position as the “most likely to be a rental gun” to creating AEGs that anyone should be pleased to have in their armoury! After over a year of ownership Bill reflects on his “big boy” DMR, the CM.098A, and how it’s stood up to some HARD use during lockdown!

Contents JANUARY 2022

30 TECH: SPITFIRE TRACER UNIT Will a longer tracer unit work with an extended inner barrel where others have failed? Steve T makes a custom build functional after dark.

34 GEAR: HELIKON LADIES GEAR This month we’re joined by Red Cell member and fabulous player, Allyssa Mills. In the past has bemoaned the scarcity of decent ladies tactical clothing, so we set her up with Helikon-Tex to see where things would lead!

38 TOD: GET SOME SCRAN! Jon has previously talked about being prepared, from game day booking to in depth clothing and layering info.

One thing we all love but completely overlook on a game day, especially those of us who enter a 24 hour plus event is food and drink, or what we Brits fondly refer to as “scran”!

42 THE CAGE: 2021 WISHLIST The Christmas lights are going up at AA HQ, and we’ll be hanging our stockings hoping for some airsoft goodness to arrive from “Tactical Santa”! This month in THE CAGE we thought we’d have a little fun...

46 RED CELL: XMAS SPECIAL Continuing our December fun it’s time for Red Cell to look at the “Guns of Die Hard” and give their thoughts on why IT MOST DEFINITELY IS a Christmas movie!

58 GEAR: HELIKON LONG TERM Bill has been long-term testing a couple of items from their “Outback” and “Bushcraft” collections and brings you his findings.

60 KIT: RED DOT SIGHTS More and more of us are routinely carrying pistols fitted with red dot sights these days. Bill thought it would be a solid topic to dive into so that we all can get a true understanding of how they work, and how they may just give you that allimportant edge in-game!

64 KIT & GEAR: JAVELIN BIPOD Bipods were designed to give you complete support and stability in a rugged, lightweight package. Bill’s been working with a new model from Spartan Precision Equipment over the past few months so now takes an in-depth look at bipods as a whole!

74 ACTION AIR: TAIWAN LEVEL 1 Despite Taiwan being possibly the least affected little island nation among all of this mess, Stewbacca and his fellow shooters nonetheless were eventually hit by semi-strict lockdowns due to local spread of the blight. But eventually there was light, and performances to be inspired by!

80 EVENT: TSS 2021 Some restrictions having been lifted in the UK, we are finally able to get out and about to shows again, and last month on 20-21 November Boycie headed out to the UK Target Shooting Show at Stoneleigh to meet up with old friends and check out what was new and improved!

84 KIT&GEAR: SLINGS “This month’s missive is brought to you by bagels, cheese and marmalade!” Actually it’s brought to you by Frenchie who told us that he is powered by the delicacies above, focussing his mind on the many years he’s been around airsoft!

86 SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP After our look last month at bad weather gear, we’re back to usual with a quick round-up of the new loveliness that has caught our attention and as Christmas is almost with us we decided to throw in a few potential “last minute” gift ideas for your favourite airsoft friends too!

90 LAST POST When you start a piece by researching supply chain logistics, Value Added Tax and the effect of Covid worldwide, you just know you’re in for an absolute rollercoaster of a ride AS FRENCHIE DISCOVERED...

AVAILABLE NOW

6

THE GENERATION OF NEW

CARBINE ICS-309 / ICS-309S3

KOMODO JUNIOR

DMR

ICS-309 / ICS-309S3

ICS-310 / ICS-310S3

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ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

PINNACLE OF PERFECTION

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ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

WITH SUCH AN EVER INCREASING ARRAY OF CONTINUALLY IMPROVING REPLICA GUNS AND TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORTING THEM, AND WITH HIS GROWING PERSONAL COLLECTION OF ENTIRELY GAS BLOWBACK GUNS IN TAIWAN, STEWBACCA IS MAKING UP FOR LOST TIME IN THE UK WHERE HE COULD ONLY EVER AFFORD AND MAKE USE OF PISTOLS AS SUCH! IT CAN BE INCREASINGLY DIFFICULT TO GET EXCITED ABOUT NEW GUNS IN SUCH A SATURATED AND DIVERSE MARKET, BUT THE NEW VFC/HK COLLABORATION HAS CERTAINLY GOT HIM GOING!

V

egaForceCompany (VFC) have really been upping their game over the past year or two having already made deep inroads into Glock and SIG AIR market domination. Their strengthening collaborations with real steel manufacturers such as the impressive BCM AIR Clarence Lai Project Design tuned custom MCMR GBBR I got hands on with for our previous issue, and their much awaited FN FAL/ LAR GBBR (that I and no doubt many other Airsoft Action / Red Cell and UK players in general are lusting after!) have shown this fully!

VFC have already released a plethora of other Umarex licensed Heckler & Koch products, as well as their impressive Walther PPQ NPA Taiwan police issue sidearm I was using for the shoot when I grabbed all the field notes and action shots for this review! However, this article is one I have been looking forward to the opportunity to write like few others; very few firearms, be they real steel or replica evoke such an emotional or nostalgic response beside the Lee Enfield or L1A1 SLR/FAL, in comparison to my latest personal acquisition which really rounds off my Heckler & Koch GBB collection very nicely and leaves me struggling to find anything to add to my Xmas list!

I first laid eyes, and shortly thereafter, hands on the Umarex VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR almost exactly a year prior to writing this first look review, and having handled it on the MOA2020 show floor and taken some obligatory photos of it and me handling it (many of which were soon floating around other social media channels further afield due to the lack of other foreign media presence because of obvious reasons) I later had the pleasure of introducing it

alongside Ray Chang of VFC and our own “Wild Bill” during our Airsoft Action livestream among the myriad other outstanding releases announced; the PSG-1 was probably the dark horse and most surprising of the bunch!

I was immediately impressed on first look and handling of the PSG-1 back then at the show, and along with the LAR/FAL GBBR I was somewhat reluctant to hand it back to Ray after we were done showing it off to the wider world. Now I get to keep hold of one of my own, after quite the long wait, and it’s almost become an emotional journey for me as such.

So prevalent in video games, pop culture, and other media stemming from my childhood, not long after VFC’s announced release I found myself taking a trip down memory lane when I happened upon the ‘Silent Scope’ arcade game in a Taichung shopping center during a holiday trip… and once again I was a teenager yearning for a PSG-1, and I just had to have one to fill the top slot and heaviest calibre in my collection.

I managed to miss the initial release of the PSG-1 GBBR due to lockdown-related financial restrictions thanks to me having been hit in the wallet with reduced working hours this year; thankfully I managed to track one down (once again through the fine gents at KIC Airsoft which is my typical first port of call for all things airsoft gun related in Taipei) after it seems someone reserved it but never paid up the final sum to secure it, so once they realised I’d finally managed to set aside the somewhat significant stack of blue notes they contacted me to let me know as soon as it had been released back into stock. I gleefully raced there after work the next night to collect it from them, along with a second long magazine, a custom 5 round short magazine just for the purist looks, and a very nice Vortex riflescope. www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

VISUAL AND TACTILE IMPACT

The PSG-1 doesn’t really require an unboxing like many other RIFs as such, as it is supplied complete with a very sturdy and awesome looking carrying case, foam lined and quadruple clasp locked, which hides the rifle nicely, aside from the label on the lid which you might want to cover like I have to avoid all the normal people on public transport having their obvious suspicions about the contents of such a huge and heavy container being confirmed.

Once inside the case you are immediately impressed by the aesthetic impact of the undeniably epic rifle, the contrast of the dark grey-black receiver and plastic furniture with the pleasant wooden effect pistol grip which you can replace with genuine wooden custom aftermarket grips from the likes of RATech/Airsoft Taiwan if you have deep pockets and are an absolute purist and wish to round off the visual and tactile perfection of the PSG-1 experience.

The VFC offering follows on from its real steel predecessor; having first released their GBBR G3A3 battle rifle, the operating system and general appearance were then modified to create the accurised shooting rifle derivative that is the PSG-1 – or Präzisions(Scharf)SchützenGewehr in its native German parlance, with the Scharf (Sharp) being included or omitted sometimes depending on your

source and translating as the Precision (Sharp) Shooting Rifle. With development and production being expedited following the infamous events of the Munich 1972 Olympic terror incident (where Palestinian extremists kidnapped Israeli athletes).

Unfortunately due to post World War II restrictions on German military development and the continued separation of East and West Germany at the time, which limited the financial and legal support for military deployments in country or paramilitary police capabilities, this meant that the civilian police response was woefully unprepared to deal with the long range marksmanship requirements of the engagements that could have resolved the situation in a less catastrophic fashion, the aftermath leading to the immediate creation of GrenzSchutzGruppe 9 – GSG 9 – Germany’s answer to domestic situations that require paramilitary level responses, as well as of course their adoption of the PSG-1 among other platforms to ensure their capabilities and that the authorities were never left wanting for a pertinent response again.

Having only had my own personal model a matter of weeks at this point and only having chronographed it at home and fielded it for the first time this morning to test different ammunition weights and dial in the hop for a flat shooting

“VERY FEW FIREARMS, BE THEY REAL STEEL OR REPLICA EVOKE SUCH AN EMOTIONAL OR NOSTALGIC RESPONSE BESIDE THE LEE ENFIELD OR L1A1 SLR/FAL, IN COMPARISON TO MY LATEST PERSONAL ACQUISITION WHICH REALLY ROUNDS OFF MY HECKLER & KOCH GBB COLLECTION VERY NICELY AND LEAVES ME STRUGGLING TO FIND ANYTHING TO ADD TO MY XMAS LIST!” 10

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ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

trajectory which I then zeroed the Vortex 2-7 x 32mm riflescope onto nicely, I don’t have the operational time behind the gun to share my usual full thoughts. Again, like last issue’s loaned CLPD VFC BCM MCMR GBBR Armoury feature, this will be a first look, first shots review and no doubt followed by a later ‘Reloaded’ feature once I’ve thoroughly fielded it and found out any of the bugs it may (but hopefully does not!) possess. For now though, it’s looking and feeling like a very good start!

Upon initial handling of the VFC PSG-1 GBBR its general heft and build quality become immediately obvious, with little or no movement in anything besides the parts which should move. The surface finish of the realistic stamped and welded steel receiver, the barrel, and the plastic foregrip and adjustable stock are flawless and pleasing both aesthetically and in their textures and handling; I especially like the adjustable palm support ring around the base of the pistol grip along with its nicely contoured finger grooves on the front as well as the comfortable palm swell on its rear. In fact, despite weighing in at 6.5kg with the scope and the short 5 round magazine fitted, the PSG-1 is actually somewhat easier to wield than my recently sold LCT LK33 AEG that weighs about a quarter less but doesn’t have the rear weight distribution of the PSG1. I can in fact, almost comfortably single handedly support it when shouldered or if I am carrying it in a high port position, especially with the large stock being nicely tucked underarm.

The operating mechanism is extremely solid in its movements, with the folding charging handle eliciting a very visceral racking sound on retraction

and locking upward into its retention slot. In terms of loading, as with MP5 platforms, it is usually wise to lock open the action before fitting a fully loaded magazine, as the pressure of the top round and the magazine spring tend to prevent it being inserted fully on a closed bolt. The typical “HK slap” sends the heavy bolt careening forward and results in a very strong auditory and tactile response, likewise upon firing the bolt’s long travel, due to the real steel rifle’s 7.62 x 51mm chambering, coupled with the large internal cylinder volume give one of the strongest recoil impulses you are likely to encounter…so much so I managed to see around a thee mildot jump through the scope during my dry firing assessment and live fire chrono-graphing efforts at home!

Performance wise, the stock gun out of the box clocked around the 125m/s (1.48 Joule/400fps) using 0.2g BLS BBs, having clocked around 100 rounds and averaging out the performance, which was actually fairly consistent for such a large gas operated mechanism. This is again a testament to VFC’s ever improving design and manufacturing output and its quality, they really seem to be churning out a hell of a lot of top tier products in conjunction with the leading real steel names!

HANDLING THE BEAST

Of course being VFC it also includes their now fairly signature and standard integral NPAS (Null Pressure Air System) adjustable floating nozzle valve (which can be tweaked with an Allen key through the front of the firing nozzle when the bolt is removed from the receiver) which allows the spring loaded vane

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ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

of the valve and its relative openings front and back (barrel and cylinder feeds respectively) to be opened and closed to tweak the amount of gas allowed to enter the chamber and 650mm inner barrel before the BB exits the muzzle and the back pressure drops.

This then allows the floating valve to shuttle forward, blocking off the barrel and diverting the gas flow from the magazine to the main chamber and piston that operate the action and give you the somewhat impressive recoil force. As yet I haven’t even touched this or had the rifle apart at all and given the propensity for joule creep in GBBR platforms, I imagine the 0.4g BBs I found it ran effectively on at range will push the muzzle energy up a bit compared to the 0.2g – with the 0.2g and 0.3g BBs of my initial tests; I saw around 7-10 m/s variance and related Joule readings climbing towards 2J muzzle energy, very much worth bearing in mind with regards to local laws and power restrictions.

Remember that Taiwan is somewhat the Wild West, out East, compared to my UK experiences, although again, people tend to be largely responsible and more MilSim and precision oriented with lower volumes of fire and longer engagement ranges outside of truly CQB environments, where such a large and obviously dedicated DMR/Sniper rifle has questionable utility in all honesty. Many of the GBB setups in Taiwan are allowed to run into the 150m/s range with local rules to allow a range advantage to offset the limited ammunition capacity, and of course with minimum engagement ranges to be followed.

The trigger features the adjustable ‘shoe’ that can be loosened by means of a rear grub screw to allow it to be moved up or down along the trigger body’s length to provide the most comfortable position and travel for the individual shooter and their hand size in conjunction with the aforementioned adjustable height and angle palm support ring. The trigger itself has a very pleasant pull weight and feel to it, with very little slack or slop as such, just a progressive pull to a short wall where it breaks quite nicely and cleanly and resets with a similar feel. The fire selector is quite long and has a wide thumb rest surface to allow comfortable actuation by a right-handed shooter, with around a 30-degree downward throw from the white ‘0’ safe to the red ‘1’ fire marking – of course, if you were somehow unaware, this is a semi-auto only platform. Not that you really need all that much ammunition when we consider the output results and range testing and tuning, I’ve already

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undertaken and just how well it sends heavier weight BBs down range.

The polymer butt stock features a much larger profile than that of the standard G3, with a club foot lower end that allows you to wrap your support arm around and put pressure on its front face for a cradling freehand or sitting stance holding the heft of the PSG-1 steady. The cheek piece and rear rubberised buttpad can be adjusted by way of the included thumbscrew unlocking tool, the cheek piece then being free to rise atop its spring loading force and you to settle on it and get a comfortable sight picture, while the buttpad itself can be rotated on its axis and winds out on a coarse ACME thread style.

At present I have just left this closed and the length of pull is fairly comfortable even with my Kermit arms! Below the cheek piece is the fairly typical sling loop insert that also features the retention holes for the two takedown pins to be stored in during field stripping to avoid them wandering off as tends to occur with non-captives.

Heading back towards the business end of things, the magazines seat nicely into the well just ahead of the trigger guard, with a rock and lock action which is surprisingly stable and repeatable, much easier to achieve consistently when compared to my experience of AK platforms, the only minor caveat being with the short 5 BB magazine, as you have less bulk and therefore leverage you have to gingerly pull the front edge down into the shelf and rotate the rear face back up and into position against the overinsertion stops on the magazine outer wall. This took a little getting used to for me at first, and is definitely less of a problem with the longer 20 BB magazines, but, I had to have a 5 rounder for the perfect look!

The magazine release is only by way of the side button on the right face of the magazine well, perfectly accessible by way of my long index finger, but for many others it’s likely to be a man-handling task to release and remove the magazines during reloading or unloading. There is no much beloved convenient ambidextrous paddle release of the MP5 or G36 platforms, I am afraid, but one would hope that aside from range work you aren’t having to master rapid reloads under fire all that often given the ridiculous range and power advantage the PSG-1 affords you.

Personally I need to acquire some 7.62 sized magazine pouches like my 5.56mm TMC Scorpion FASTMag equivalents for more convenient belt or

ARMOURY VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR

plate carrier mounting; at least for my first shoot the two long magazines fit nicely in my 5.11 flex tactical trousers, but that’s hardly the most convenient or practical solution. In terms of operation, the magazines have a sideways swinging valve pin in the rear face of the magazine which is acted upon by the valve striker in the fire control group; once the magazine feeds the last BB into the chamber and it is fired, the follower will lift up far enough during the reloading cycle to actuate the internal mechanism this sweeps this arm off to the right, out of engagement with the striker, so that on the next trigger pull on a now empty chamber, you get a dead click. And thus, a cue to reload. This feature can be over-ridden by holding the swinging bar centrally and depressing the sliding tab on the right edge of the rear face of the magazine, and then pulling the knurled slider tab on the top face - to the side of the gas outlet port - backward to lock it in the central position and allow dry firing with gas entering the action to cycle it without BBs feeding and firing, for maintenance, training and testing purposes.

It’s also important, as with WE MP5 magazines that I have and operate, it’s important to check the position of these valve arms before loading the magazines into the IF; during testing I had a few hilarious ‘there’s nothing louder than a click that should have been a bang’ moments as the arms will rest in the disabled mode to the right even when BBs are freshly loaded; you have to manually reposition them to the central enabled position prior to loading.

Further forwards the free floated handguard can easily be removed by using a flathead screwdriver to rotate the retaining drum at the top of the front face above the barrel, this releases the retainer and allows you to slide the handguard off to the front along and off the outer barrel. This then reveals the wide hop adjustment drum at the root of the barrel where it meets the receiver; working it from a shouldered perspective and firing while adjusting, a counterclockwise movement will increase the hop-up effect.

Having seen the likes of Redwolf TV’s review video as well as watching Badabing’s review and talking to him direct about his own PSG-1 back in the UK I was aware that the gun really only works on heavy ammunition, I chronographed on 0.2g and 0.3g BLS BBs for the familiarity and science reasons, but knew these would be massively over-hopped thanks to the other guys reviews, so range testing began at 0.36g BBs and moved up to 0.4g which then seemed

to settle quite nicely once the hop unit was dialed in.Thereafter I zeroed the scope in once the trajectory was reasonably flat and consistent, as usual the hop rubber will need to bed for a few hundred rounds or so before I’m totally happy, and I’ll re-chrono using the ammunition I’ll be fielding to work out what the muzzle energy is and how appropriate it is to use for gameplay. Thus far it’s been very consistent on metal, paper and plastic at least, and it’s been many years since I used a telescopic scope so I’m getting back into the swing of actually following my rounds out instead of relying on a consistent close range red-dot zero.

The only downside I suppose is the restricted availability or even the capability if you can find them, of the original telescopic sights the real rifles were supplied with. VFC supply a picatinny rail for mounting whatever scope you can find that’s closest to the look of the original, or whatever works best for you and your needs; as it is mine rides quite high in the scope rings on top of the rail atop the original mounts, I may try and get something lower profile, machined rings that mount straight to the welded plinths the rail is bolted onto, but for now I’ll focus on tuning and fielding the gun itself and get comfortable handling and using it. A screen protector might be a further thing I have to add, and I’m contemplating 3D printing one that functions as a protector and something that ups the size of the lens to make it look closer to the original scope.

Finally there is a screw retained bipod mount under the front of the handguard which allows you to mount a variety of support options which can then be adjusted front or rearward, for now I will probably free-hand it for at least a few games to work out how best to field the PSG-1, then look into a bipod for use in more urban style sights or for more static use in woodland environments.

Despite only touching on the capabilities briefly, thus far I’m already very impressed with the operation, appearance and performance of the VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR and look forward to fielding it more in the future.Despite it being a bit of a mare to carry around to and from sites and on the field, the advantages it gives you really make up for the shortcomings to my mind, and the fact it’s such a cultural icon make it a real head turner and people were literally queuing up to let off a few rounds during my testing day due to the fact there are reportedly less than 3-500 in existence worldwide to the best of my knowledge. AA www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY DOUBLE BELL 812S

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ARMOURY DOUBLE BELL 812S

SOMETIMES A NEW AEG JUST SEEMS TO COME OUT OF NOWHERE AND WOWS YOU WITH ITS EXTERNALS AND OVERALL LOOK, AND THIS MONTH JIMMY TAKES A LOOK AT A RECENT ADDITION TO HIS PERSONAL ARMOURY THAT LOOKS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE A 416, BUT IS ACTUALLY CATEGORISED AS AN “812S”…

JIMMY TELLS ALL!

I

know you’ve looked at the picture and said to yourself “Oh no! Not another 416”! Yes you would be right, it is another 416 but a 416 from an unexpected manufacturer - and it has nothing on it externally to suggest its origins!

Go on have a guess! Okay, I’ll not keep you in suspense, this lovely little number is from a company I initially would not have even dreamed could make something this pretty, a company that has never really cropped up in conversation, and a name that quite frankly sits quite low on the list.

That name is Double Bell!

Gasp all you want, but please don’t tune out as I’d love for you to hear my thoughts. The fact is Double Bell is the new name for Dboys who have been around for a few years now, so I’d say they know a few things.

But first let’s have a little history on the 416 shall we? Heckler & Koch’s 416 has been the holy cow of the special ops community for some considerable time, an improved version of the M4 carbine with many changes, most notably a short-stroke gas piston system originally dreamed up for G36 (in truth it dated back to the AR-18 rifle designed in 1963, but hey, who’s counting amongst friends and major arms manufacturers!). It’s said that Operational Detachment–Delta collaborated directly with H&K to develop the new carbine, and allegedly Delta Force replaced its M4s with the HK416 in 2004 after tests revealed that the piston operating system significantly reduced malfunctions while increasing the life of parts. The project was originally called the HK M4, but this was changed in response to a trademark infringement suit from Colt Defense!

www.airsoftaction.net

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ARMOURY DOUBLE BELL 812S

The HK416 has subsequently been picked up by numerous law enforcement agencies and special operations units, and perhaps equally importantly was adopted as the standard service rifle of the Norwegian Armed Forces and, more recently, the French Armed Forces, replacing the aging FAMAS in 2016, so it’s no high-falutin’ onetrick pony! However, there’s one place that in my mind the 416 shines brighter than ever, and that’s in the hands of the USN SEALs. Bill tells me that I could mention “Geronimo” here, but that’s an old (yet historically important, much like Bill!) story now, but the fact is that the HK416 has become interwoven in SEAL lore due to that piece of history; that 416 was reported to be “a 10-inch barrel with a typical Special Operations loadout for this rifle including an AAC Suppressor, a Geissele trigger, Remington RAHG handguard, a Surefire Scout weapon light attached with an S&S Precision light mount, an EOTech optic with an EOTech 2x magnifier, and an Advanced Target Pointer Illuminator Aiming Laser (ATPIAL)”, but as with many things SEAL we’ll probably never know for sure.

The fact is though that the HK416 is seen in SEAL hands pretty regularly, and of course has become “de riguer” for fans of “SIX” and “SEAL Team”; therefore, for players with an “NSW bent” the 416 is a pretty obvious choice in airsoft form!

PRICED TO ENTICE!

So now we have the history out of the way let’s have a look and focus on the rifle itself. I know there’s going to be plenty of you out there reading this that will turn their noses up because it’s a Double Bell and not Marui, nor is it a VFC but the fact remains Double Bell have actually created something which is aesthetically pleasing and the quality externals have

been finished to a nice standard. Remember, Double Bell aren’t out there producing high-end RIFs, they are a manufacturer of the more budget end, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to see that it doesn’t actually look budget.

I’ve got a fair bit of testing with this and I haven’t been kind to it. From the point of receiving it up to date, oh I have shot around three and a half thousand BBs through it, and over half of that was just pure Full-Auto mag- dumping!

I wanted to see if I could make this thing fail and so far so good, no adverse operation, it didn’t miss a beat it didn’t drop a shot it works incredibly well!

Okay we’re not talking the most responsive of trigger pulls, and we’re not talking a devastating rate of fire as it’s a standard, budget out of the box platform with a price tag which is at the maximum range of around UK£250.

Out of the no-frills brown cardboard box you get one hi cap magazine and a small z-shaped key which at first I couldn’t fathom it’s intended use. It took me a while but then the penny dropped, the hi cap mag had no way of winding externally and the key is needed to wind it; not being a massive fan of this I just threw it in the bin, I have plenty of other mags and the rifle isn’t too fussy with what mags are used.

Getting to the aesthetics of it I’m pleased to say it looks rather nice! Double Bell have made a great job of ensuring it looks the part and the fact all the

“THE FACT IS THOUGH THAT THE HK416 IS SEEN IN SEAL HANDS PRETTY REGULARLY, AND OF COURSE HAS BECOME “DE RIGUER” FOR FANS OF “SIX” AND “SEAL TEAM”; THEREFORE, FOR PLAYERS WITH AN “NSW BENT” THE 416 IS A PRETTY OBVIOUS CHOICE IN AIRSOFT FORM!”

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ARMOURY DOUBLE BELL 812S

new 416 platforms are crafted in full metal gets the thumbs up from me and a few of the other guys and the only plastic parts being the grip, stock and (correctly) the ejection port cover. I opted for the 12” version in a lovely bronze and tan colour scheme which is becoming increasingly popular.

Starting at the front it comes with a standard birdcage-style flash hider which protrudes slightly from the handguard allowing you to fit all manner of suppressors on to the 14mm

CCW threaded outer barrel. The outer barrel is actually a two piece barrel, so should you want to fit a suppressor and wish to bring it in closer you can easily fit a 32mm or even a 35mm suppressor inside the handguard, bringing down the length and covering up the inner barrel.

The handguard for me is my favourite part, being a Geiselle SMR repro! Sadly it doesn’t sport any markings but the finish of the bronze is great and it offers a whole 12” of real estate for the adornment of accessories along with a full-length monolithic top rail. Another nice touch is the fact you get three separate metal rail sections included which are removable so you can place them wherever your heart desires, and once fitted they are a very solid fit.

The receivers are nicely finished and have no wobble between the upper and the lower which for me is something I look for in receivers; if they wobble or

move I get put off very easily. The one flaw in the receivers is the lack of markings, and I would have liked to see some H&K trademarks but I can live with that as it’s not a licenced product after all.

There are the correct ambi selectors, bolt release and mag release which all seem to work flawlessly, and when the charging handle is pulled this locks open the mock bolt giving access to the hop unit for easy adjustments. I like what has been done with the mag release button, a 3mm hex key is needed to undo it rather than the anaemic 1mm hex head which 9/10 times strips the first time you attempt to undo it. The grip is a standard AR style grip and it’s quite shiny; it would have been nicer with a grip similar to that on the VFC 416 but it’s functional and the glossy finish may dull with use. Moving onto the stock it has a tan CRANE-style model which I’m not a fan of; while it is functional it has a little wobble to it but nothing that a bit of adhesive/velcro can’t solve.

Personally I believe it would look great with a 416A5 slim stock on it.

SURPRISING INSIDE!

Moving on to the internals and I must say there are a lot of parts I was surprised to see inside; some thought put in to this and it definitely hasn’t just been thrown together. Certain parts are just unremarkable bog standard parts which you will find in a lot of airsoft platforms, even on items with a much higher price bracket like the barrel and hop rubber. The 385mm inner barrel is made from brass and DB claim it to be 6.03mm but sadly I can’t confirm this so we’ll just agree that it is. They have used a standard black hop rubber which isn’t all that exciting but it does the job (upgrades are easily fitted). The hop unit itself while it is a plastic rotary style the adjustment isn’t all that great and you do need to adjust it quite a bit before anything happens which caused it to struggle lifting a 0.28g.

My diagnosis is that the nub is way too soft for the degree of hardness on the hop rubber.

Moving on to the gearbox it is a standard cast V2 box which has been stamped with the word BELL

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19

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UK-BASED KYDEX HOLSTERS AND EQUIPMENT Manufacturer of products for police, military and airsofters around the world!

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ARMOURY DOUBLE BELL 812S

and sports a quick change spring guide with a thrust bearing (two thumbs up from me!) and 7mm caged bearings. The first thing that caught my attention was the fact it has an anodized red nozzle clearly marked 21mm and seems to be pretty good quality.

Once inside the gearbox I discovered it does in fact have an o-ring in place helping with the airseal.

It would have been nice tosee some radius to the gearbox but due to the fact this came out of the box at around 295fps I don’t really see a problem with stress.

Going further into the belly of the beast and this is where I have to say I am impressed with certain components. Upon opening the box I found it to be greased but not heavily, and the grease used wasn’t the typical thick honey-like grease; it was a nice clean, and what appeared to be silicone grease. The gears are the typical cast/pressed affairs which meshed flawlessly. When spinning the gears freely they were silent and were actually shimmed incredibly well using very few shims which is either by coincidence or they manufactured the shell with precision.

A standard contact and shuttle system had been fitted while it served its purpose for me this technology needs to be binned; I’m not a fan of

a mechanical trigger and cutoff. The compression parts impressed me, as these are parts I usually swap out but this time round I don’t feel these would need to be changed. The piston is a 14t lightweight piston housing a full metal rack; the piston head is a nice anodized red 8 vent double o-ring type with lazer etching stating (high performance piston) and marked BELL. There is also a thrust bearing, steel ¾ cylinder, and double o-ring polymer cylinder head.

All these parts combined give an amazing airseal so I was confused as to why the velocity was low, but it turns out DB have fitted a short soft spring. That said over the chrono it was superbly consistent firing between 0.8 Joule/295-297fps. After reassembling the complete rifle I decided to fit a stronger spring, using a Gearparts M100 and I predicted it would be hitting around the 330fps mark; to my utter amazement it went way past that and hit 398fps going to prove the air seal on this thing is VERY good. I opted for an M95 spring which saw the velocity drop to 1.23 Joule/365fps so I shall need to adjust that spring a coil or two further.

On the range it worked but it is lacking some response; I can operate faster than the mechanics and the ROF is relatively low. I tested it with an 11.1v li-ion but it didn’t like it on semi-auto as it was seriously overspinning and giving a two BB burst; it did see an increase on full-auto but nothing to write home about. Ranging at approximately 45m you’re going to need to get fairly close to your target, but if you are wanting to reach out and create a bit of distance it’s nothing some choice upgrades won’t fix.

My conclusion is that Double Bell have produced something rather good which doesn’t cost an awful lot; it’s available as a longer model (the one I have) or a shorter CQB-length variant; both look great and you certainly will stand out if you’re carrying one, and it’s perfect for a beginner, especially the price! This would also be a great base to throw some money at and make it something special both inside and out, and as this is my own personal rifle now there will be a plethora of upgrades being installed internally soon!

My thanks go to the Marcus at All Ages Airsoft and the guys at iWholesales; do check in with them to see the latest models from Double Bell and much, much more! AA

“THIS WOULD ALSO BE A GREAT BASE TO THROW SOME MONEY AT AND MAKE IT SOMETHING SPECIAL BOTH INSIDE AND OUT, AND AS THIS IS MY OWN PERSONAL RIFLE NOW THERE WILL BE A PLETHORA OF UPGRADES BEING INSTALLED INTERNALLY SOON!” www.airsoftaction.net

21

ARMOURY SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT

TRIARIUS APPROVED! 22

JANUARY 2022

ARMOURY SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT

OVER THE PAST YEAR WE’VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME LOOKING AT THE RAFT OF PISTOL CALIBRE CARBINES (PCCS) THAT HAVE COME ONTO THE MARKET, AND ALTHOUGH WE LOVE MOST OF THEM THERE IS STILL A QUESTION UNANSWERED IN OUR MINDS; WHERE IS THE PRIMARY THAT ACTUALLY USES THE EXACT SAME MAGAZINES AS OUR SECONDARY? BILL TAKES A LOOK AT BOTH A SECUTOR PISTOL AND THE LICENCED CARBINE KIT TO GO WITH IT, AND MOVES THINGS FORWARD AGAIN!

A

s I predicted round about this time last year, 2021 has indeed been the “Year of the PCC” and this shows no sign of letting up any time soon! I’ve had my hands on some wonderful little carbines during the course of the last year, and all of them are skirmish-worthy, but there’s still a MAJOR niggle scratching and itching at the back of my mind, and it’s the fact that virtually all of them use proprietary magazines.

You may ask why this bothers me SO much, and it’s as simple as this; I own a number of 1911, Hi Capa, and G-Series pistols, and have a grab-bag of magazines for all of them, so a PCC that used those exact same magazines would be 100% my ideal tool… no need to buy a whole other set of mags, I could just use the same ones for both pistol and

carbine! I also think that given complementary mags, any airsofter considering moving to “full gas” in their loadout that already owned a GBB handgun would find this a cheaper option too. Although the superb new lowers for the PCCs are indeed “airsoft art”, the fact is that proprietary magazines are still needed is, I feel strongly, a real loss for both existing gas players and potential “gas carbine” skirmishers.

I do hope that that some of the manufacturers will go back to their design teams with the gas PCC variants and make them completely compatible with pistol magazines, as a short PCC really is quite an excellent and useful addition to anyone’s CQB armoury. Would I own one right now? Yes I would, but it’s not what you might think!

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23

ARMOURY

IMAGE SOURCE: PUBLIC DOMAIN - ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED

SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT

A couple of months back I had the pleasure of visiting our friends up at iWholesales who deal, amongst many brands, with Secutor Arms. Although I know and love Secutor for their VELITES shotguns and RAPAX AR models I will admit that I’ve had limited experience with their pistols. A number of local players, and indeed a couple of members of Red Cell own the Secutor LUDUS 1911-style GBBs and they perform very nicely, no problem with any of them. I’ve also tried the original Secutor GLADIUS (their take on the “G-Series”) and liked it, but as I already own quite a few excellent “G-Series” handguns it didn’t wow me enough to make we want one. However, when you add the Gladius to the RECOVER TACTICAL Carbine Kit, then all bets are off!

Now pistol carbine “kits” are nothing new, and I simply need to point you at the CAA RONI family and the KPOS to illustrate this; in direct airsoft terms I can also point you towards one of my favourite G&G setups in the form of the SMC-9 that in terms of operation is based largely on their super little “Piranha” pistol and is fully compatible with the gas magazines for that.

However, both of these models are pretty much SMG-length RIFs, and if you’re looking for something to act as a backup for a DMR or bolt-action rifle then it means you’re going to be lugging around an SMG as a “secondary secondary”, and especially for the snipers out there, the last thing you want is more weight and more bulk to lug around and get caught in the undergrowth!

This is where a minimalist carbine kit like the RECOVER 20/20 (known under licence to Secutor as the CORVUS) married up to a reliable GBB pistol comes into its own.

A NAME TO RESPECT

First up though, let’s have a closer look at the pistol that Secutor recommend as a partner to the RECOVER 20/20 kit, and that’s the Gladius Magna, and in fact you can now buy the pistol and the carbine kit as one item!

Why Gladius? As some of you may know, and some may not, “gladius” literally translated means

“sword”, but given Secutor’s love for all things Romanesque in their naming protocols I believe we can safely say that in this case it refers to the “Gladius Hispaniensis” as this was the standard short sword of Roman legionaries. It was much respected due to its relatively short and double-edged blade which made it ideal for cutting and thrusting in the confined space of hand to hand combat. Legionaries were trained both to cut and stab, and in fact were very specifically trained to stab while protecting themselves with their shield rather than expose their torso and arm, and of course we all know how historically important this was!

As Eddie Izzard once said ““I’ve done a bit of Latin in my time… but I can control it”; his sketch on the efficacy of what he called “the Roman Pokey Pokey Sword” still ranks up there for me as one of the funniest sketches out there that actually teaches you something about military history, but I digress… what he intimated in the sketch is that while wild barbarians had huge blades that they would flail about with, the Romans, highly trained and effective, would simply engage from behind their shields, and from that protective stance… then, “pokey pokey”, I’m sure you get the picture!

Magna? Again, literally translated from Latin, magna means simply “great”, so what you have then is a “great little sword”… doesn’t sound quite so flash as “Gladius Magna”, now does it?

But

from what I can see, in the Gladius Magna series Secutor have created a family of “G-Series” pistols that fulfil the role of a short effective fighting tool for the trained user.

As a standalone I had the Gladius Magna VI TIER 2 to have a close look at, and I have to admit I really liked it!

“‘GLADIUS’ LITERALLY TRANSLATED MEANS “SWORD”, BUT GIVEN SECUTOR’S LOVE FOR ALL THINGS ROMANESQUE IN THEIR NAMING PROTOCOLS I BELIEVE WE CAN SAFELY SAY THAT IN THIS CASE IT REFERS TO THE ‘GLADIUS HISPANIENSIS.’”

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JANUARY 2022

ARMOURY SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT

The polymer lower frame is undoubtedly “G”, and it uses “G-Series” mags, but that’s pretty much where “standard” stops!

The alloy slide, a rather nice FDE on the test model, is fully on-trend with the current crop of cutaway and lightened styles out there, and I actually love the fact it has a deeply etched “SPQR” symbol on the top, giving it a distinct character. I also love that behind this symbol are the fixings for attaching a red dot sight should you wish to, but unlike some this is neatly done without losing the aesthetic “line” of the slide.

As it is, the pistol comes with some distinctly “G” open sights, which of course means you can fit Hi Vis fibres if you wish. At the sharp end is a really chunky, easily removable compensator that adds to the overall visual appeal of the pistol as a whole, as does the extended bumper on the 23BB C02 magazine and the aggressive stippling on the pistol grip. It’s a very striking design without doubt, and everything is very tidily finished!

On the range the Magna is a real blast as given the CO2 mag, it has a hard-kick, fast-cycling action, and knowing that you’re not going to run out of gas during your first mag means that you can really put some BBs downrange at a rate of knots! Power is sensible, with a mean reading through the chrono of 0.93 Joule/317fps using a .20g BB. Accuracy at 10m is very good indeed, with nice tight groupings possible if you put your mind to it. The trigger guard is standard “G” which means that the Magna is still fine if you’re using gloves with reinforced/protected fingers, and for me the extended-bumper magazine made the pistol very comfortable indeed to shoot.

Although the Magna is by no means a “replica” I can tell you that it is largely compatible with existing “G” holsters.

STABILTY IS KING

As I may have mentioned in my article on bipods in

this issue, when it comes to longer-range accuracy then stability is king! How does this transfer to a pistol then, and the answer is via the RECOVER TACTICAL (RT) 20/20 carbine kit!

If you’ve not come across them before, RT products are designed by the world-renowned Israeli weapons engineer and industrial designer Tamir Porat. Tamir has a long history of designing innovative weapons systems including the Tavor rifle used by the Israeli Defense Forces as well as other militaries and the growing civilian markets around the world. Tamir has many years of experience in the defence industry, specializing within a wide range of areas such as small arms, vehicles, and riot control.

The values that guide his work are reliability and functionality, and RT “are committed to the highest standards of performance”.

What sings to me about the 20/20 kit is its absolute simplicity! Although it does offer a folding stock so that you can use your pistol from the shoulder effectively and more accurately, when this minimalist stock is locked to the right hand side the entire frame only extends 105mm behind the pistol, and you can still access the trigger easily when the stock is folded. I did however find the slide release difficult to activate when wearing gloves, but as with all things this got better with practice and repetition.

Obviously the 20/20 is aimed, in the real world, at Glock pistol users, and although it follows the Roni and KPOS kits’ distinctly Israeli tradition, it is a far neater and less bulky design. The 20/20 wraps around the pistol in a clamshell fashion, and locks itself to the front rail; fitting requires a single allen bolt (provided) and it’s super-quick and easy, as it simply requires you to align the 20/20 with the rail, and the kit has a recess to secure the rear of the pistol firmly in place, locking it down and adding to the overall stability. The kit comes with a choice of two oversized “charging handles” to provide ease of cocking, a straightforward two piece affair, and a large “ghost ring” style; these charging handles allow you to more easily manipulate the slide when the pistol is mounted in the 20/20, but I found that the “ghost ring” version was hard to fit to the Magna given the “swell” in the slide where the red dot mounting point is.

The RT 20/20 is completely and utterly modular, and if you pay a visit to their website you’ll find a host of different attachments and upgrades available which include an optic mount, additional rails, and

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25

ARMOURY

IMAGE SOURCE: PUBLIC DOMAIN - ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED

SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA PCC KIT

a magazine holder for the front rail. There’s even a bespoke holster option; the paddle-style holster fits around the body of the kit and covers the trigger for safe carry. Just FYI, if you buy the “Magna/RT” kit as one item you’ll be getting the Magna III rather than the TIER 2, but the only major difference is that the III has a knurled outer barrel protector rather than the compensator.

As much as the Magna /RT setup is a brilliant lightweight design that transforms your pistol into a proper shoulder-aimed platform, if anything it shoots even better than it looks! The Magna/RT combo for me steps into that 10 to 30m ground where I have to lay down my DMR and draw my pistol, and as I’d hoped given that it’s C02 -driven, at those distances it absolutely rocks! Once you’ve set up to your chosen weight of BBs (0.25g worked well for me), at 10m it’s deadly accurate which makes it an absolutely ideal CQB tool, but where my pistol would start to fade a little beyond 15-20m (down to the user, not the platform!), the combo is still bang on the button. On the 30m range prone and using the standard iron sights I was still happily hitting sandbags at the furthest extent, and this is with a standard G-series-length inner barrel; my thoughts are that with a bit of fettling the power is certainly there to reach further, and the added stability given by the 20/20 means that you’ll actually be hitting what you aim at!

So does the Magna/RT setup begin to answer my question as to a proper “PCC System”? Oh yes, it does! Although I would personally class this setup as a “carbine” when it’s all mated together, it is so much more than that. The RT 20/20 is a platform that turns a pistol (and it does fit most G-Series” models out there) into a more effective and more stable shoulder-fireable “carbine”, and I CAN use my existing pistol magazine in it, including extended models!

Okay, whilst the 20/20 is a “carbine” or “brace” kit that works with the Magna and not what I would call a TRUE PCC, in my mind the door is still very much wide open for someone to step through and fill this void. I STILL believe that the first company to come to market with a viable gas carbine in AR configuration that is completely compatible with gas pistol magazines will be onto a real winner, but until someone develops a PCC that uses the same magazines as my chosen secondary I’d say that the RT 20/20 and the Gladius have a distinct edge!

My thanks go to www.iwholesales.co.uk for providing me with the test model of the Gladius

Magna, along with the Gladius/RT combo; they have most of the Secutor line available so for this and other models do check them out! AA

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27

TOKYO MARUI

L119A2 CUSTOM BUILD

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KIT & GEAR SPITFIREUNITS TRACER TRACER UNIT

A TALE OF TWO TRACERS WILL A LONGER TRACER UNIT WORK WITH AN EXTENDED INNER BARREL WHERE OTHERS HAVE FAILED? STEVE T MAKES A CUSTOM BUILD FUNCTIONAL AFTER DARK.

I

’ve been very happy using Acetech’s BT Lighter S minimalist tracer unit in a range of applications for a while now, but it turns out that one of the things I love about it may also be its undoing. The Lighter S is small enough that the additional weight doesn’t stress pistol barrels and also doesn’t dominate longer builds, but its compact nature comes with an unexpected problem.

My modified ‘Tactical Tuna’ F2000 by G&G - as covered in a previous issue - now has a slightly longer inner barrel; not by much, but just enough to ensure that it extends past the Lighter S’ activation lights, blocking them from charging tracer BBs on the way out. As a result, that tracer no bueno in this particular build.

What I needed was a full-sized unit with those all-important lights further away from the end of

the barrel to make the futuristic F2K shoot suitably appropriate lasers.

SHOOT HERE!

If we’re upgrading and adding a new tracer anyway, then why not try out something that also adds some drama with added muzzle flare? I’ve seen a couple of different tracer units lately that claim to add a lifelike flash at the end of the barrel with every round and I think it looks fun. Milsimmers everywhere will recoil in horror - as will anyone that plays airsoft as a competitive sport - simply because that artificial muzzle flare will give away your position quicker than a big pointy finger over your head saying ‘Shoot here!’ But if you play to have fun - or your usual arena is indoors CQB - then this might just be for you.

“MILSIMMERS EVERYWHERE WILL RECOIL IN HORROR - AS WILL ANYONE THAT PLAYS AIRSOFT AS A COMPETITIVE SPORT - SIMPLY BECAUSE THAT ARTIFICIAL MUZZLE FLARE WILL GIVE AWAY YOUR POSITION QUICKER THAN A BIG POINTY FINGER OVER YOUR HEAD SAYING ‘SHOOT HERE!’ ” 30

JANUARY 2022

IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED

KIT & GEAR SPITFIRETRACER TRACERUNITS UNIT

This isn’t intended as a head-to-head comparison, but I purchased two options to fix my problem and I thought our readers might be interested in a combined review of both. We’re looking at the Blaster from established brand Acetech, as well as something from a less well-known name, the Ghost Spitfire.

UNCHAINED, NOT OFF THE HOOK

Let’s start with the UK£52.99 Ghost Spitfire, for no other reason than it arrived first in the post. Just look at the outside of this thing. It has the word ‘TRACER’ written in big, white capital letters. I wonder what it might do? Subtlety might not be a strong point - and a camo paint job beckons - but it works like an absolute champ, shooting strong, bright green beams, even on full auto.

With its simplistic cylindrical design, the Spitfire won’t win any cool awards, but it’s innocuous enough and won’t overpower any build in terms of looks. The metal outer casing unscrews to reveal innards that seem just a little less factory than you might hope, but at least everything seems well grouped. That’s where you can plug in the charging cable, with an LED that flashes red until it turns green to show fully charged, taking a couple of hours from empty to full.

And when you do? Yeah, it’s a cliche to say it, but the Spitfire paints tracer BBs like laser beams.

Obviously, there’s no effect on accuracy or range, but they carve super crisp and sharp lines across night fights - or in darkened rooms - easily the match of any tracer unit I’ve ever used.

IMPRESSIVE BUILD

The Acetech Blaster costs around £20 more, but it’s not a case of just paying for a brand name - the build quality is more impressive and it’s a winner in the looks department, too. Not only does the machining seem better finished, but it also features more stylised crenellations for added intimidation. The markings are also less toylike.

Where the Spitfire’s guts are on display when you need to charge - complete with a film wrap that a heavy-handed operator could easily put a thumb through - the Blaster is a more tightly constructed unit that exposes less of its innards to potential damage. The Blaster takes it on construction then, but there’s very little between the two when it comes to actual performance after dark. They both make every skirmish a Star Wars fan’s dream. If you have yet to experience laying down a neon hail of fire, then rest assured that you won’t be disappointed with either option. www.airsoftaction.net

31

COMING IN EARLY 2022!

KIT & GEAR SPITFIRETRACER TRACERUNITS UNIT

FLASH IN THE PAN

That supposed muzzle flash though? Well, erm, not so convincing on either front, as it happens. I guess I’d hoped for a bit more drama, but both units are more of an orange glow than spitting fire. They both kinda work - and I shouldn’t be surprised - but I’ll admit to being slightly disappointed. At least with an AEG... Both units look far more impressive when used with a Gas BlowBack Rifle (GBBR), where the vented gas from the muzzle gives the light output a more dramatic backdrop to work with.

In that scenario, the lightshow gains some depth and perceived heft that elevates performance to something that’s actually kinda cool. But gas runners are a minority breed and my preference with a GBBR is still for a sound amplifier that scares the bejesus out of the opposition.

Either way, if you want a tracer anyway and think you might enjoy the added bonus of some kind of flare, then both units are up to the task.

Back to the reason for purchase in my specific use case - looking for a tracer that would work with an extended inner barrel - and only one of these units matches my requirements. And that is the Ghost Spitfire.

I prefer Acetech’s unit overall, but only the Spitfire does what I need in this application. So it’s a keeper, right? Maybe not. While it’s perfectly effective and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, I just don’t feel it’s worthy of a fully sorted custom rifle like my beloved Tuna. So while I’m more than pleased that I now have a working solution for shooting after hours, I’m going to keep looking for something that ticks all my boxes and I’ll bring you my findings soon... AA

“... MY PREFERENCE WITH A GBBR IS STILL FOR A SOUND AMPLIFIER THAT SCARES THE BEJESUS OUT OF THE OPPOSITION. EITHER WAY, IF YOU WANT A TRACER ANYWAY AND THINK YOU MIGHT ENJOY THE ADDED BONUS OF SOME KIND OF FLARE, THEN BOTH UNITS ARE UP TO THE TASK.” IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED www.airsoftaction.net

33

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LADIES CLOTHING CL0THING

HELIKON AND ON AND ON!

THIS MONTH WE’RE VERY PLEASED TO BE JOINED BY ONE OF THE QUIETER MEMBERS (UNLESS YOU KNOW HER WELL!) OF RED CELL - AND THAT’S ALLYSSA MILLS. “LYSS” IS A FABULOUS PLAYER, AND ONE THAT WE WOULD HAVE ON OUR SIX EACH AND EVERY TIME! HOWEVER, IN THE PAST SHE HAS BEMOANED THE SCARCITY OF DECENT LADIES TACTICAL CLOTHING, SO WE SET HER UP WITH HELIKON-TEX TO SEE WHERE THINGS WOULD LEAD!

34

JANUARY 2022

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LADIES CLOTHING

W

eyhey! I’ve finally done it. The impossible!

Wait... No, the improbable!! Thanks to Helikon-Tex, I’ve finally got a BDU that fits the female form and I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am about this!

I, like many of my female counterparts, have struggled endlessly with finding something that is nearly a female cut. Sure, I’ve got and had full BDU systems but none of them fit well around the lower half of my body. The problem for us ladies is we have curves. Fabulous, glorious curves. Curves that should be celebrated and men’s gear, or more accurately, unisex gear doesn’t fit that profile. While many might be rolling their eyes at that comment, hear me out.

Guys tend to be of a boxier, rectangular shape, especially from the waist down. You need freedom of movement, given the extras you have down there, and that’s fine. You also move in a different way to us, it’s just evolutionary biomechanics. The problem with that is, we end up with excess material that snags on the environment around us and tends to move about or makes us look like wannabe gangsters with a crotch line by our knees. Some of you guys and girls rock that look but for me it’s just plain frustrating.

I understand why the industry caters predominantly for males, they make up the bulk of the military and the tailoring is suited to their needs. It makes sense but with more women moving into roles within the armed forces and the frankly awesome uptake of airsoft by my female comrades, manufacturers are going to be forced into catering for us more. I’m what you would call petite, I’m 5’4” and a size 6 (that’s 26-28” waist for the fellas) so finding something in my size is hard.

After months of hunting around (and I do mean months), Jon noticed something that resembled a female cut range of clothing when skipping through websites for gear to review for the magazine. As he’s the magazine’s apprentice gear guru (under tuition from The Oracle) I trusted his advice and then Bill contacted our friends at Helikon-Tex...

CPU OR UTP?

Today was the day, the postie arrived with a pair of

“I, LIKE MANY OF MY FEMALE COUNTERPARTS, HAVE STRUGGLED ENDLESSLY WITH FINDING SOMETHING THAT IS NEARLY A FEMALE CUT. SURE, I’VE GOT AND HAD FULL BDU SYSTEMS BUT NONE OF THEM FIT WELL AROUND THE LOWER HALF OF MY BODY. ”

www.airsoftaction.net

35

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LADIES CL0THING

Helikon-Tex CPU (Combat Patrol Uniform) and UTP (Urban Tactical Pants) pants amongst some other Heli goodies. As you would expect from Helikon-Tex, they’re built very well. The stitching is uniform, neat and tidy and the finishing is great. I couldn’t find a loose end anywhere. Even Jon was impressed (and that’s saying something).The waist band is not only adjustable with the two pull toggles on the rear of the pants but also angles down at the navel which gives a comfortable fit.

The belt loops are 2.25” on the CPU and 2” on the UTP which means you will comfortably get a rigger belt or hook and loop insert in there. I run a shooters belt so for me, it’s ideal. The loops also have little loops at the bottom for Karabiner or D-Rings which is handy too, it’s somewhere to clip my Type R keys safely. The seat and crotch are reinforced so they won’t wear through. The rear, as you’d expect has two ample size pockets that are double button closures and can comfortably fit a STANAG mag or two in each. Down the front there are two open mouth, angle entry deep pockets, you’d fit a mag and change in each. The fly is a button front, which I find difficult to operate and would have preferred a zipper but it’s a minor point of note.

There are also two EDC pockets that would fit a knife in on the upper thigh, just in front of the main pocket. This has a re-enforced lip to slow the wear through of a clip. The mid-thigh pocket is large, with the flap angling from the rear to the front.

This is fixed with both hook and loop panels and a button and loop. These are big enough for two midcap mags. Another nice feature of the pocket is the adjustment toggle and elasticated cord that closes the pocket. The knees also have inverted pockets with hook and loop closures for protective inserts. Down on the calf of both legs is a pocket big enough to fit my Huawei P30 Pro Mobile Phone and this has a flap which is closed with a hook and loop strip. The pockets are made of the same sturdy and durable material as the rest of the pants, which is a 60/40 Cotton/Polyester Rip Stop material. They finish up at the cuff with traditional draw string closure for securing around the boots.

These, unsurprisingly, are solid, well-built trousers that will stand the test of time. As I mentioned earlier, Jon looked over these and he was impressed too. I’m so happy that I’ve got a pair of pants that are comfortable and fit a woman well. I’ve worn these as daily drivers for well over a month now and I’ve got to say, I’m super happy with them.

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FIT FOR PURPOSE!

Helikon were also kind enough to send me over some other items. Another favourite item is the Wolfhound Hoodie Jacket in Taiga Green. The last few weeks has seen the temperature drop on the South Coast and this jacket has been an absolute Godsend. The Womens Wolfhound Jacket is a reengineered version of the Men’s Wolfhound Jacket, and it features the same DWR water resistance technology (it will hold up fine in light rain) and the excellent Climashield Apex insulation that has kept me toasty warm for the previously mentioned cold spell. The jacket itself is (as you’d expect) is another extremely well-constructed item, no loose ends, snags or frays anywhere on it.

Starting at the top with the hood; it’s tailored with a draw string and toggle to tighten down in stormy conditions and features a small, reinforced peak. A microfibre piping chases the hood front to reduce any rubbing that may occur when the hood is deployed. There is a large single action YKK zipper down the front which zips all the way up to my chin completely protecting my neck

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LADIES CLOTHING

from the elements and has an internal gusset behind it to stop any cool air entering the jacket. On the front left breast is a 6” YKK zippered, fleece lined pocket which fits my Bolle glasses in comfortably.

The two main pockets are both 6” YKK zipper pockets that are big enough to fit my Huawei P30 Pro mobile phone and my keys in. Internally there is a 6” pocket on the right that fit’s my phone or purse and keys in. The armpits have a single skin, tight weave polyester mesh to allow for ventilation and temperature control. The right sleeve features a 3”x 4” loop panel for deploying morale patches, like the Helikon-Tex one featured in the pictures. The waist and wrist cuff are finished with the same microfiber piping to keep things comfy and warm.

The really impressive bit in my eyes, is the design and fit. It’s a perfectly cut jacket that suits my shape well, it cinches nicely at the waist and flared at the hip and bust allowing me to move freely and proactively. There is no “dead air” either due to the cut of the jacket, so it provides full coverage warmth. It works well under my Warrior Assault Systems Recon Carrier and works well over my Viper Buckle Up chest rig. The major upshot for me is that I can wear it at a game day and to pop to the shops without worrying about wearing a camo pattern. It also packs down into a provided waterproof stuff sack that results in it measures in at a compact 9”x 5” so it won’t take up too much room in your kit bag. Multi-Purpose gear FTW!

There is a larger 7”x 10” compartment with two internal pockets. You’d easily fit a bag of BBs and a speed loader in here or if you’re using it as an EDC item, it is ideal for power banks, leads, wallets/ purses/keys etc. Behind that is an even larger pocket which is designed with the Helikon-Tex VIS (Versatile Insert System) in mind. You can comfortably conceal carry a full-size pistol or revolver (obviously where this is legal) but I did think it’d be super useful at a MilSim where you could wander around and have a platform on your person but out of sight. I tested it with Jon’s Army Armament R17 and my ASG MK23 (without suppressor) and it fit perfectly. There is a detachable, adjustable waist strap and it has a single quick release (by buckle) padded shoulder strap.

I love it so much that it’s completely replaced my “traditional” handbag and will see many years of use.

I also received a Helikon-Tex womens T-shirt that is super comfy and to compliment it, I added my Helikon-Tex Truckers cap as it closely resembles the one my character wears in Fallout 76. I must say kudos to Helikon for stepping up to the plate with the redesign of their female cut range of clothing. It’s comfy, it fits better than I expected, and I just hope they continue to evolve their female cut range.

Thank you Helikon-Tex. AA

EVERYDAY CARRY

Finally, I received the EDC Sidebag in Adaptive Green.

This is a cool, compact little shoulder bag that is packed with features and will be super durable as its constructed with 500D Cordura. On the face are some laser cut molle/pals compatible cut outs for additional pouches. There is a small YKK zippered pocket out front, that will hold a “mans” wallet, small bottle of BBs, power bank, etc.

Behind that is a larger pocket that is 6”x 7”, has internal organisation and 50% top mouth opening, fastened with another 2 YKK zippers. Above that sits a 6”x 3” loop panel for morale or ID patches.

On the left side of the bag is a large water bottle/ jacket holder which is really useful as you don’t have to use the internal storage for such a bulky item.

My water bottle is approximately 800ml/25oz and it sits securely in place thanks to the elasticated draw strings and toggles. On the right is a small pouch that is closed with 2 YKK zippers and you could fit a basic first aid kit with a dressing and some gauze in.

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OUTDOOR TOD - TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

GET SOME SCRAN! IN PREVIOUS INSTALMENTS JON HAS TALKED ABOUT BEING PREPARED, FROM GAME DAY BOOKING TO IN DEPTH CLOTHING AND LAYERING INFO. ONE THING WE ALL LOVE BUT COMPLETELY OVERLOOK ON A GAME DAY, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO ENTER A 24 HOUR PLUS EVENT, IS FOOD AND DRINK - OR WHAT WE BRITS FONDLY REFER TO AS “SCRAN”!

IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN SOURCE

I

t’s important here that I state I am not a Nutritionist and the content of this article is not to be taken as medical advice, nor should you deviate from any advice a professional has given you, but IT IS based on good old common sense and a bit of research!

Most of us are aware that your average active adult male requires approximately 2500 calories and a female requires 2000 calories per day to maintain their current body weight. Studies have shown, active military personnel that are on patrol or the front line often require double that to maintain their body weight. That’s 5000 calories or 4000 calories per day.

It stands to reason doesn’t it? If you are constantly moving, firing, carrying heavy kit, under serious pressure and stressors and so on, you will burn more than normal to fuel your body.

Next onto hydration; studies show us that the average person should be taking on a minimum of 2 litres of water a day. That includes the liquid in our foods. The US Military recommends 4 US Gallons of water a day for consumption, that’s 15.2 litres of water a day, SEVEN times more than a civilian!

Granted that is for personnel operating in hot climates, but it’s quite an eye opener, especially when

you compare it to what a “normal” civilian requires.

I’ve played in 30 degree Celsius (86 degree Fahrenheit) temps and drank nothing like that. I should have though, I felt bloody awful for the latter part of the event and well into the next day.

The problem with not eating or (more importantly) drinking enough is that there is a huge impact on the body and its ability to function and concentrate on the task at hand. Studies have shown that just 2% loss of your body’s water can have a significant impact on your cognitive functions. This happens after as little as two hours. TWO HOURS! One of the tests that I found interesting was subjects had to repeatedly press a button when instructed by a visual cue to do so for varying periods of time. This is where dehydrated individuals fared the worst.

Sound familiar? See something, press a button (or at least, pull a trigger).

Armed with that information what options are available to us to ensure that we stay hydrated and well fed? Food is a complex one, personal tastes and preferences really dictate what we choose. There’s another concern here and that’s storage. Food can

“STUDIES SHOW US THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON SHOULD BE TAKING ON A MINIMUM OF 2 LITRES OF WATER A DAY. THAT INCLUDES THE LIQUID IN OUR FOODS. THE US MILITARY RECOMMENDS 4 US GALLONS OF WATER A DAY FOR CONSUMPTION, THAT’S 15.2 LITRES OF WATER A DAY, SEVEN TIMES MORE THAN A CIVILIAN!”

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OUTDOOR TOD - TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

take up a lot of room in the gear bag that may be put to better use with other kit. You could always take a pack up but if you’re in the field for 24+ hours, are a few sarnies and some crisps and chocolate gonna do you? Wouldn’t a hot meal just before or during the night really warm the cockles? What about a brew, I’m British after all…?

•

•

“RATS” FOR A REASON

We all know that the military provides ration packs and that they come in a variety of menus. These ration packs are often found in a complete 24 hour solution which is ideal for an individual in this setting.

They are ideal as they provide a caloric intake of 4000 calories per pack, plus they come with electrolyte based drinks that will provide you with the essential salts that your body secretes throughout the day via urination and perspiration. The packs come with three meals (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with a desert of some kind), high energy snacks (often bars and biscuits), paper towels, reusable cutlery in the shape of a spork, salt, pepper, (sometimes Tabasco), teabags, coffee, creamer, sugar, hot chocolate and my personal favourite, a few boiled sweets (yup, British again!).

The menus and pack contents differ depending on the country of origin.

Below are a few examples of British Army Menus.

• Menu 1: Muesli with milk, Bean and pasta salad, Chickpea curry, long grain rice, ginger pudding & ginger sauce, hot pepper sauce, apple/peach puree, oatmeal block, cookie & cream bar, smooth peanut butter, roasted and salted peanuts,

•

•

cheese spread, 5 x drink powders.

Menu 2: All day breakfast, chicken and mushroom pasta, tomato & pasta salad, sticky toffee pudding, hot pepper sauce, mango fruit/apple/banana puree, cheese out biscuits, sesame seed bar, just nuts mix, 5 x drink powders.

Menu 3: All day breakfast, steak veg & dumplings, thai style chicken soup, sticky toffee pudding, Hot pepper sauce, tropical fruit and nut mix, biscuit browns, sesame seed bar spread, smooth peanut butter, 5 x drink powder.

Menu 4: Vegetarian all day breakfast, tomato pasta salad, Indonesian style spicy rice with pork, ginger pudding with ginger sauce, hot pepper sauce, cherry flavoured boiled sweets, just nuts, strawberry jam, oat digestive biscuits, cranberry cereal bar, smooth peanut butter, 5 x drink powder.

Menu 5: Maple syrup bun, meat sticks & rice, thai style chicken soup, ginger pudding & ginger sauce, hot pepper sauce, just nuts, fruit puree, smooth peanut butter, biscuits brown, cookie and cream cereal bar, 5 x drink powder.

There are also Vegetarian and Vegan options available.

The meals are all pre-cooked so they can simply be opened and eaten. Another advantage of the “Rat Pack” is the really long shelf life. The dates are usually marked for 3 years but in reality, they’re good for up to 10 years if stored correctly. A lot of people don’t like the army rations because they aren’t the most tasty of options (although I have no issue with them) so what is an alternative?

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OUTDOOR TOD - TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

Wayfarer offers pre-made, long lasting meals for the more discerning palette and comes in a variety of options. The only downside is that you are buying individual meals and not a predetermined set. That’s okay, but be aware of the cost implications. An Army “Rat Pack” will usually set you back about

game site doesn’t supply a water source, you may want to consider a water purification bottle or straw.

These filter out any nasty impurities as you fill or drink from a source respectively.

A bottle can be had from as little as UK£30 and straws can be found for around UK£15.

COOKING UP A STORM!

UK£20 for a complete set, a single Wayfarer meal is around UK£5 each (you also don’t get the drinks and accompaniments that you get with a “Rat Pack”.

It’s always worth keeping a bag of morale makers (Haribo) and a bag of trail mix on your person at all times for something to nibble at.

The next area is water. There are a myriad of solutions available to us such as, canteens and water bladders for personal carrying and bottles that can be left at a FOB (if available). You’ll want to consider the amount of water that you’ll need too. MRE’s are prehydrated so there’s no concern there but if you want them warm you’re going to need a couple hundred milliliters per meal, the upside of this is you can use this water for a brew. You may also want a helmet wash and to clean your teeth so you’ll need more. In reality, in the UK you’ll be wanting approximately 5 litres for 24 hours, 3 litres for drinking and 2 litres for general use.

If you are going out for longer periods and the

That brings us to the cooking apparatus. What could or should you use to heat your scran?

The cheapest and easiest option is a Hexi Block Stove, fuel blocks and mess tin. All in all that should be around £10-15. These are lightweight, take up minimal room in your pack and are easy to use, just remember to bring matches or a lighter. The downside to these systems is that they are slow to heat water, require time to cool when you’ve finished using and the open flame can be easily seen at night, not ideal if you’re trying to stay hidden.

If you ask Bill he swears by an MSR “Pocket Rocket” which takes up minimal space and only weighs 73g, but then of course I need to factor in fuel as well… and mess tins… it’s a great little cooker for sure, but an “allrounder” is my solution. A more expensive but better performing all-rounder is something like the JetBoil System. These are a gas burning system that includes a self-contained cup and burner so you don’t have to worry about other tins. You simply

“IF YOU ARE GOING OUT FOR LONGER PERIODS AND THE GAME SITE DOESN’T SUPPLY A WATER SOURCE, YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER A WATER PURIFICATION BOTTLE OR STRAW. THESE FILTER OUT ANY NASTY IMPURITIES AS YOU FILL OR DRINK FROM A SOURCE RESPECTIVELY. ”

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screw a small tank of fuel on the bottom and press a button, hey presto, you’re heating water. Jetboil claim that their system will bring water to a rolling boil in under two minutes and operate effectively down past -6 degrees Celcius (20 degrees Fahrenheit). A Jetboil

Micromo will cost you around £130 but it’s a versatile system that can be used in other pursuits.

So that’s it, ample food and drink will help keep you more alert, happier and in the game so that you don’t just survive… YOU THRIVE! AA

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THE CAGE 2021 WISHLIST

THE CAGE: 2021 WISHLIST

AS WE HEAD ON TOWARDS THE SEASON OF FESTIVE CHEER THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS ARE GOING UP AT AA HQ, AND WE’LL BE HANGING OUR STOCKINGS HOPING FOR SOME AIRSOFT GOODNESS TO ARRIVE FROM “TACTICAL SANTA”! THIS MONTH IN THE CAGE WE THOUGHT WE’D HAVE A LITTLE FUN, SO BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE LEGION AS USUAL TO ASK THEM WHAT WAS ON THEIR LETTER TO THE NORTH POLE!

2

021 has been another strange old year right enough, hasn’t it?

Although games are most well and truly back as a fixture on all our calendars, the fact is that for many of us the sense and reality of isolation has been a fact in our daily lives, and for some, like me, more than others.

After several years of facing up to “The Big C” (and thankfully

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coming out the other side!), I find that recent events have been somewhat lesser for me, as I’ve already had to spend a lot of “downtime” on my own.

After major surgeries my 2017 and 2018 basically disappeared during my recovery, followed pretty swiftly by a worldwide pandemic lockdown, but there was one thing that kept me going at full speed, and that was the love and support given unconditionally by my family, friends, the Airsoft Action Legion, and you guys in the global airsoft community!

Don’t even get me started on the “black humour” though, or the “Kidney Cake” that arrived after my “Big Op”, that’s a story for another day!

THE CAGE 2021 WISHLIST

Sadly being in and out of hospital more than I have to this point admitted meant that before and during the pandemic I missed my airsoft fix very badly, and I had to spend time on my own… a lot of time. As I’ve said many times before though I am lucky in that I have some private woodland where I test new AEGs and GBBs each and every month, and it’s there that I can sling BBs to my heart’s content.

This has also kept me at least a little sane, and having now been able to get back out to a couple of games I’m beginning to see light on my personal airsoft horizon again, and with a whole new year beckoning I’m beginning again to pick ticks against games and events, and smiling as I do so!

Everyone has been massively supportive, and I hope that the work we’ve done in 2021 has proved that Airsoft Action is raring to head into 2022! There are new RIFs to be evaluated, old ones to reflect back on, gear to be tested, events to attend, and games to be played, and we’re very much looking forward to reporting on all of it. There are also plans in house to further extend our regular online coverage, but again, that’s a story for another day…

But let’s get to it, shall we? What do the members of the AA Legion really, really want for Christmas?

I know there’s a couple of bits I would love to see wrapped under the tree, but after many moons playing and building my armoury my needs are modest! For me the best pressie has already arrived in the shape of a new RAVEN PRO 3.8 Hi Capa which I already adore, but it would be to have a nice wood kit to really finish off my A&K PKM, a DB K55A grenade launcher for my Specna AK-74, some more VFC gas V-MAGs for my SR16 and MCMR, mags again in the form of some Ares 120BB short midcaps for

my PAMG AR AEG, and some more VORSK gas… lots of gas, and especially the V12!

Okay, perhaps not so “modest” after all!

FESTIVE TEAM TALK!

Of course, that’s just me, so as usual I got together with the members of the AA Legion and asked them “What would you like to find Santa has left you for airsoft underneath your Christmas Tree??? Is it a new AEG or GBB, some gucci tacticool gear, or simply and bag of BBs? Or are we all just wishing for World Peace like Gracie?” and this is what they told me!

Chris: “I’ve got a scout scope on my wish list, and a spare USP mag.

I would love Santa to bring me some Gucci camo though, like Phantomleaf!”

Miguel: “I would love to see a full VIPER Tactical M81 Uniform (combat and ACU cut) and a M16A3 EDGE 2.0 from Specna Arms.”

Jimmy: “All I want for Christmas is you! Seasonal lovin’ aside, I would love a complete authentic CTSFO loadout, the full works, the complete G&G 2021 catalogue, a Marui 416 Delta, I would love a Clarence Lai fully custom oneoff competition pistol, some GPNVG18, a lifetime supply of quality BBs, bring back the Chuckle Brothers, a big jar of pickled eggs and a partridge in a gun tree… See, not so much!”

Boycie: “In all honesty I

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CLICK/TAP IMAGES FOR MORE INFORMATION

THE CAGE 2021 WISHLIST

would love to see an end to snobbery within airsoft. One part of the sport (yes I call it a sport) thinking they are better than another part. How many times do we see an uber l337 operator shot by a new player/ rental with a knackered old AEG? That said I would love a SIG AIR MPX and and Umarex Glock just for me, and I’d really like some M17 mags.”

Stewbacca: “Aside from the VFC FAL/SLR/LAR GBBR, the P90 GBBR, CZ USWA1 and perhaps some things the AW boys are cooking up... I think I have everything. The PSG-1 was a righteous find that rounds off my massive #BagOfKochs nicely!”

Bill W-R: “Oh where do I start! Bariatric surgery.

New teeth. Some new knees. To go back to when I was 16 knowing what I know now! Realistically though, a Chiappa Rhino, Custom Clarence Lai 416, a good, reliable Breacher, some NVG, a decentlysized Chest Rig… and a van to carry all my gear in…. possibly a Challenger 2 MBT…” Robbie: “Tickets to the UK to visit my mates and game there.”

Stu: “A WA 1911 single stacker - either PGC or SD kit!”

Dan: “In no particular order... For LCT to make me an MP5K with the Navy style grip and Choate folder, a proper steel FAL AEG, a SIG AIR MPX, and a consistent supply of inventory would be nice too so I can get on with all those tech jobs in the New Year...”

Steve T: “How greedy can I be? I’ll take a GHK G17 without a second thought, thanks! And then a VFC BCM because I still haven’t found an M4/AR platform I can really love. But that said, I do fancy an ICS Hera CQR. But at the end of the day, I’ll ask for a Silverback MDR-X please and thank you, whether that’s this Xmas, 2022, or beyond!”

Jon: “There really isn’t anything that I “need” at all but if I were granted a free ride, I’d ask for a Direct Action Spitfire MK11 Plate Carrier with Plates, Direct Action Spitfire MK11 Utility Back Panel, Direct Action Spitfire MK11 Under Pouch, Direct Action Spitfire MK11 Rapid Access Cummerbund, Direct Action Spitfire MK11 Slick Carbine Mag Flap & Skeletonized Triple Flap, Direct Action Warhawk Modular Belt, Direct Action Med, Dump, Pistol and 55.6 Pouches… all in Adaptive Green! A Kydex Customs G17 Holster in Green wrap, a full UF-Pro All Season BDU System in GZ, MTP, Adaptive and Grey, that’s the full 7 Tier system. Oh, and some boots, everyone loves new boots. That’s about it airsoftwise, no biggie!”

Jonathan: “A Rhodesian painted GBBR FN FAL please!!! I’ve a set of Rhodie furniture to put on to it when I get one…”

So, that’s a wrap-up for the 2021 wish-lists, and as the big days approaches we’ll be shutting down AAHQ for a few days between Christmas and New Year (that turkey don’t eat itself you know!), but rest assured we’ll be back and firing on all cylinders for Issue 134 in January!

It’s an exciting time for many, many reasons, and from all of us at Airsoft Action we wish you a very Happy Christmas and all the very best for 2022… I look forward to seeing you out there!

AA

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RED CELL XMAS SPECIAL

RED CELL THE GUNS OF At christmas 46

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RED CELL XMAS SPECIAL

BRUCE WILLIS DECLARED THAT “DIE HARD IS NOT A CHRISTMAS MOVIE,” BUT AT THIS PARTICULAR TIME OF THE YEAR MANY AIRSOFTERS, US INCLUDED, WILL BE SETTLING DOWN TO GIVE THE 1988 MOVIE ITS ANNUAL VIEWING, AND IN FACT FOR US “CHRISTMAS DOESN’T BEGIN UNTIL HANS FALLS OFF NAKATOMI TOWER!” CONTINUING OUR DECEMBER FUN IT’S TIME FOR RED CELL TO LOOK AT THE “GUNS OF DIE HARD” AND GIVE THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHY IT MOST DEFINITELY IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE! “Oh, the weather outside is frightful, But the fire is so delightful, And since we’ve no place to go Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!” o sings Vaughn Monroe in the soundtrack; “Die Hard” has all the features that make a good Christmas movie, and as I sit typing the first snowflakes of the winter are fluttering behind me; okay, it’s more sleet than snow, but a man can dream!

Let’s look at the evidence shall we?

So, “Die Hard” is set at Christmas; New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) is visiting his estranged wife HOLLY (Bonnie Bedelia) so that he can be with his two daughters for Christmas. McClane heads, on Christmas Eve I may add, to join her at a Christmas party in the headquarters of the Japanese-owned Nakatomi Corporation where she works, high in the imposing Nakatomi Plaza. When he rides up the elevator to the offices he emerges into a scene that features a Christmas tree, and a Christmas party in full swing.

Okay, not so “Christmassy” is the fact that Hans Gruber (a totally on-form in every possible way Alan Rickman), and his heavily armed team of militarygrade villains seize the tower and secure those inside as hostages except for McClane, who manages to get away in the confusion. And so begins a story that is close to the heart of so many of us, that of the “Lone Wolf” who against all odds manages to take on the guys and emerge victorious!

I mean, come on! Isn’t this a scenario that we all dream of when playing an airsoft game? If you’re anything like me then undoubtedly you will have “that memory” of the game where everything, and I mean down to the finest detail, went perfectly.

That game where you found yourself out on your own, where your kit felt like a second skin, your AEG performed perfectly, and every shot you took resulted in an opposing player taking a walk, and that seemed to go on and on until you successfully achieved your objective? I know that I have one of these tucked

S

away to smile at from time to time, and I’m certain you do too!

John McClane epitomises everything we love about the “Lone Wolf”. His ability to adapt and overcome, to improvise, take the punches and just keep on going, and of course his innate ability to come up with a cracking one-liner even when in the midst of a firefight make him the perfect airsoft hero. Of course he’s not perfect as he admits when asked why he didn’t leave New York with his wife; “‘Cause I’m a New York cop. I got a six-month backlog on New York scumbags I’m still trying to put behind bars. I can’t just pick up and go that easy.”

In that comment, as far as I can see, John makes it clear that he’s a man of duty and honour, but I believe that he is also a little bit scared of change. Being a detective is the life he knows and has worked hard at, and as with many of us, the thought of just giving all that up is anathema to him. In the end though it’s the realisation that his loved ones, friends (even new ones like Al and Argyle), and his own moral code are the most important things in life that makes him somewhat of an “everyman”.

As much as Bruce may not believe that “Die Hard” is a Christmas movie the screenwriter appears to disagree! It’s reported that Steven E. de Souza weighed into the debate on Twitter, giving his definitive answer to the question. Responding to a fan who had listed all the festive components in the film he asked “...how could it not be a Christmas movie? Plus a woman about to give birth features prominently.” I’m with de Souza!

If I’m pushed I have to say that my favourite of the “Die Hard” movies is McClane’s second outing, “Die Harder” that sees some of the old crew reconvene; released in 1990, the second instalment takes place on Christmas Eve! McClane is waiting for his wife to land at Washington Dulles International Airport when “bad people” (that turn out to be USSF lead by former U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel Stuart

“AS MUCH AS BRUCE MAY NOT BELIEVE THAT “DIE HARD” IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE THE SCREENWRITER APPEARS TO DISAGREE! IT’S REPORTED THAT STEVEN E. DE SOUZA WEIGHED INTO THE DEBATE ON TWITTER, GIVING HIS DEFINITIVE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION. ” www.airsoftaction.net

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RED CELL XMAS SPECIAL

BERETTA 92F (M9) - WE M9 FULL METAL GEN.2 GBB Price: iro UK£130.00 Length: 216 mm Weight: 1254g Magazine Capacity: 24+1 Chrono: 1.09Joule/344fps Available from: All WE stockists

HECKLER & KOCH P7M13 - MGC P7M13 GBB Price: A LOT NOW! Length: 174mm Weight: 849g Magazine Capacity: 15 + 1 Chrono: 0.37 Joule/200fps Available from: Collectors item!

WALTHER PPK - MARUZEN WALTHER PPK GBB Price: iro UK£100.00 Length 159 mm Weight 314 g Magazine Capacity: 11+1 Chrono: 0.8 Joule/295fps Available from: We hope your “Google-fu” is strong!

SMITH & WESSON MODEL 15/19 - TANAKA S&W M10 MILITARY & POLICE 4” V3 Price: iro UK225.00 (also see Tanaka S&W M66 4 inch iro UK£180.00) Length: 238mm Weight: 650g Magazine Capacity: 12+1 Chrono: 0.72 Joule/280 fps Available from: Originally came from wolfarmouries.co.uk

GLOCK 17 - UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN3 GBB Price: iro UK£160.00 Length 204mm Weight 649g Magazine Capacity: 23+1 Chrono: 1.0 Joule/330 fps Available from: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

M1911A1 - WE-E001A-ORIGINAL 1911 A GBB Price: iro UK£100.00 Length: 218mm Weight: 945grams Magazine Capacity: 15+1 Chrono: 0.72 Joule/280fps Available from: All WE stockists

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HECKLER & KOCH MP5 – ICS CES A5 AEG Price: iro UK£330.00 Weight: 1980g Length: 500 - 640 mm Magazine Capacity: 230 (Mid/HiCaps available) Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps Available from: www.gunfire.com

HECKLER & KOCH MP5K – CYMA CM.041K BLUE EDITION AEG Price: iro UK£105.00 Weight: 2145 g Length: 300 mm Magazine capacity: 65 (Mid/HiCaps available) Muzzle velocity fps: 1.01 Joule/330fps Available from: www.taiwangun.com

M-16A1 - CYMA CM.009C MOSFET EDITION AEG Price: iro UK£125.00 Weight: 2640g Length: 998mm Magazine Capacity: 160 (will accept all STANAG/AR) Chrono: 109 Joule/344fps Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

STEYR AUG – JG STEYR AUG A1 AEG Price: iro UK£100.00 Weight: 3200g Length: 809mm Magazine Capacity: 300 (MidCap available) Chrono: 1.02 Joule/332fps Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com

STEYR SSG 69 – ASG STEYR SSG 69 P2 (SPRING) Price: iro UK£75.00 Weight: 2500g Length: 1080mm Magazine Capacity: 25 Chrono: 0.9 Joule/312fps Available from: All ASG Stockists

ITHACA 37 - KTW ITHACA M37 NEW FEATHER LIGHT (SPRING) Price: UK£170.00 Weight: 1460g Length: 920mm Magazine Capacity: 46 Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Available from: www.redwolfairsoft.com

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(William Sadler)!) take control of the air traffic control system in order to intercept a “rendition” aircraft carrying (ably played by Franco Nero) General Ramon Esperanza, a drug lord and dictator. Shirt story, once again McClane battles the bad guys (and Head of Airport Security Carmine) largely on his own before Holly’s plane and several other incoming flights that are circling the airport run out of fuel and crash!

So, #2… Christmas Eve, last flights in before the Big Day, people carrying gifts, lots of snow and Christmas decorations… ALSO A CHRISTMAS MOVIE!

Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson) of course uses his tried and trusted Smith and Wesson Model 15 .38 Special. Sadly, as we find out during the course of the movie, Al has a sad history when it comes to firearms, so having him wield something so simple actually makes sense in relation to the storyline. Now

FEW, BUT COOL!

Whilst you may remember “Die Hard” as a real gunlovers movie you might also be surprised that were only a handful of models that actually featured! Yup, if you actually count up the main firearms models used by the central characters I think you’ll be as surprised as me when you actually tally them up. In reality there were only about a dozen models, but some of them were real crackers!

Let’s start off with John himself, and his Beretta.

This at the time was a handgun that would not have been on the issue list of the NYPD, but it doesn’t shock me greatly that McClane carried this model, especially a customised version with an extended

magazine and slide release. I’m proud to know a number of serving and former LE guys in the USA and believe me when I tell you that many of them carry a handgun concealed when off-duty that is far from their issued “service pistol”. Bear in mind that McClane is going to see his family and is not at work during the film, but from the very first moment it’s glimpsed under his jacket when he’s still on the plane it establishes him as a police officer, one of the “good guys”.

Of all of the firearms used in the movie an M9 variant is probably the easiest to get hold of in airsoft form as it’s made by a whole host of manufacturers!

That said, if you want an almost exact replica of the handgun used in the movie, then you need look no further than Tokyo Marui who make a lovely M92F that’s good to go straight from the box aalthough for me the WE just edges it.

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I could easily say to you that in airsoft terms any revolver would do, but I won’t. Instead I’ll direct you to the superlative works of Marushin and Tanaka who both made some stunning “.38” wheelguns, and although Al uses a S&W I’d particularly point out a Tanaka model called rather pompously the “Colt Police Positive Special 4 inch Heavy Firing Model Gun” which is absolutely stunning! You can still find these if you search hard enough, but the recent release of a number of S&W wheelguns means you now have more to choose from!

Now we get into some tricky territory, as the “bad guy guns” are quiet unique. First off is the classic Walther PPK as used by Karl (Alexander Godunov), and to this day I find it amazing that there’s not a “stock” airsoft version; “Walther” models are out on the market in all their wondrous forms… apart from a really good classic PPK which although Umarex have a licenced one, you don’t see them that often! I have no idea why as I’m certain that many of us would buy one immediately given “007” reasons. Yes, there have been some dodgy gas versions, and some actually very nice springers, but come on manufacturers, let’s have a reliable and usable PPK GBB that we can actually buy and use effectively in-game!

What makes this all the stranger is that both the other major handguns from the first movie have in the past been available in airsoft form! The Heckler & Koch P7M13 used by Hans himself, though now a collector’s item was made by Model Gun Corporation

RED CELL XMAS SPECIAL

(MGC) in GBB from back in the 90’s, and TM even made a springer! Ditto the Walther P5 used by Heinrich (Gary Roberts) as this was made as a NBB by Marukoshi. Okay, finding either of these models today is going to be a tall order, especially the P7M13 as it was actually quite a good airsoft pistol, but find them you can if you trawl the Japanese sales groups. From #2, the other addition is the classic 1911 used by Esperanza which is in fact a blued M1911A1; as I’ve been using a WE 1911 “Government” for a number of years (since 2008 and it’s still kicking!) that’s where my money would go, but there’s others to choose from if you wish.

Sticking with film #2 we see the arrival of what has become one of the biggest names in the global handgun market for both the professional and the civilian user…GLOCK! Used by the bad guys the Glock 17is described wrongly by McClane to Chief Carmine as a “Glock 7, a porcelain gun made in Germany that doesn’t show up on your airport metal detectors and costs more than you make in a month.”

Okay, even the newest airsofter amongst us will know that this is complete and utter BS, and the guys at Glock must have been twitching in their lederhosen, but boy, did it put the Glock name on the map! Of course for airsoft purposes you can choose from amongst numerous manufacturers for an excellent “not a Glock 17 at all”, but for me the Umarex has it due to the correct, licenced trades… okay, finding a Gen 1 these days is harder, but up to a Gen 3 would be okay in my book!

NOW I HAVE A MACHINE GUN; HO HO HO!

Immortalised on t-shirts and jumpers, this McClane quip sums up the other real star of “Die Hard”, and that’s the MP5! In 1988 when the movie first aired the H&K MP5 had already been around for a while, but even for Hollywood production companies the “real deal” was still very expensive and hard to get hold of.

For the movies the “MP5A3” models used by the bad guys and ultimately by John McClane were actually chopped and converted Heckler & Koch HK94s!

I actually don’t care as they look great, and the part where McClane extends the stock hoping to use it as an anchor so he can descend down the ventilation shaft via the sling still brings me out in a cold sweat!

McClane manages to acquire another MP5 from another slain terrorist, using it until he runs out of ammunition during a gun battle with Karl. He then picks up yet another MP5 from a terrorist on the roof, firing it into the air to scare the hostages brought up before the helipad gets blown; he discards this one only when it runs out of ammunition before the final battle with Hans. I think our man John may have a thing for the MP5. When it comes to airsoft versions of the MP5, well, take your pick, but my own is an ICS that has seen action both home and abroad.

In “Die Harder” we see more of the eponymous MP5, but as well as the “standard” A3 and A5 models we also get a proper showing for the “K”! Heckler & Koch MP5K submachine guns are the main weapons used by Stuart’s men, and really make an appearance in the shootout on the Annex Skywalk, and it’s said that the MP5K used by actor Ken Baldwin “jammed repeatedly firing blanks while filming this scene, so his angry outbursts (including the instance where he curses at the gun) were unscripted and genuine expressions of frustration”! Many of “Ks” have two mags taped together ‘jungle style’ with blank and live ammo (a BIG plot device!), as do the regular MP5s.

During the Skywalk shootout, a few of the MP5Ks are actually converted Heckler & Koch SP89s. Again, in airsoft form you can take your pick of “Ks”, as there are some great ones out there but we’ve chosen to add the CM.041K to our list given the price!

Of course there’s another couple of firearms to mention before I quit, and the first of these is the now-venerable Steyr AUG which is used by “Karl” throughout the first movie. This was mostlikely chosen as the writers wanted to contrast the terrorists’ “unusual” European weapons with the more traditional American firearms used by the LAPD. The AUG is given some “full chat” by Karl during his personal mission to get revenge against McClane after he killed the first terrorist, who also happened to be Karl’s brother. In a memorable scene at the end of the www.airsoftaction.net

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100% A CHRISTMAS MOVIE!

film, a revived and bloodied Karl emerges from a body bag with his AUG in hand for one last-ditch attempt to kill McClane! Again, there’s now a multitude of AUGs to be had in 6mm form, but those from TM, ASG, and CYMA are definitely worth a look amongst the crop.

Last but by no means least is the Steyr SSG 69 sniper rifle used by Agent Johnson (no relation!) which in the helicopter scene is fitted with an AN/PVS3 Starlight scope. This leads to one of my absolute favourite verbal exchanges (of which there are many!) in the movie; www.imdb.com describes it as: Big Johnson: [flying in the chopper to the roof] Just like fxxxin’ Saigon, hey, Slick?

Little Johnson: [smiling] I was in junior high, dickhead.

Again, any bolt-action sniper rifle would stand in for the Steyr but why would you want anything other than the STEYR SSG 69 P2 that ASG sell? Make a few simple mods, chuck on a Starlight scope (good luck with that!) and you’re good to go. The other firearms used extensively in the movie are basically the M16A1 (we again picked the CYMA here, a slid representation!), the M60 and the M60E3, all of which are readily available in airsoft form.

So, that’s my take on “The Guns of Die Hard”, but let’s now see what the rest of the crew had to say!

Iggy: I admit, I watch “DIE HARD” every Christmas Eve after the kids and my wife have gone to bed.

Before that we all watch things like Elf, Arthur Christmas, The Grinch and even Home Alone; but for me it’s not Christmas until I have seen John McClane send Tony Vreski down in an elevator wearing the jumper saying “Now I have a machine gun... HO...

HO... HO!” This is where my love of the Beretta and the MP5 was conceived. I was lucky enough during one of my visits to Afhganistan to fire an M92 Beretta at the range, belonging to an American Serviceman and an MP5 belonging to the police at a “sunny” range in England. The Tokyo Marui MP5 A5 was my first ever AEG. Throughout my time airsofting I have owned and sold a few MP5’s. I have finally rested at an ICS MP5 A3. I have always liked the retractable stock version and used it both with traditional plane fore grip and the inbuilt torch version. The MP5 has been an iconic SMG that still to this day brings back the excitement I had when I first saw “Die Hard”.

I have owned two GBB Beretta’s made by WE. One was all black, which I bought as soon as I got back to the UK from Afghanistan after my introduction to the real one there, whilst the other was a chrome S.T.A.R.S Racoon Police version. If I’m honest, to me the Beretta feels the most comfortable pistol to hold; it’s not the most accurate or the most reliable in both airsoft and reality, but with it being another icon. I can’t help but have it on the list of pistols I love.

I look forward to my annual fix of “Die” Hard this Christmas Eve! Stewbacca: First of all, “Die Hard” is an Xmas movie.

Fight me!

The Beretta M92 holds a particularly special place in my heart, it was the first ever airsoft gun I bought, a Marui M92F springer many years I’d rather not count ago, and was one of the first GBB pistols I bought before moving away to uni and getting into skirmishing! It saw plenty of use in a shoulder holster and is a model I’ve returned to time and again having sold various ones one and bought others; I must have been through about six different versions and most

“THIS LEADS TO ONE OF MY ABSOLUTE FAVOURITE VERBAL EXCHANGES (OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY!) IN THE MOVIE; WWW.IMDB.COM DESCRIBES IT AS: BIG JOHNSON: [FLYING IN THE CHOPPER TO THE ROOF] JUST LIKE FXXXIN’ SAIGON, HEY, SLICK? LITTLE JOHNSON: [SMILING] I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH, DICKHEAD.” 52

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recently got the WE version here in Taiwan. It’s the Monica Belucci of pistols to my mind, sure it isn’t the newest, but it’s been used in a lot of great media and you just can’t argue with those classic Italian lines and curvy grabby parts...

As for the MP5 we are all more than aware of my #EverybodyLovesTheKoch mentality and aside from the MP5K and MP5J and A4 AEGs back in the UK I have the WE MP5A4/A5 and MP5K PDW GBB SMGs here in Taiwan and love running them and enjoying the noisy recoiling funtimes in CQB... “Now I have a machine gun... HO... HO... HO!” The AUG was one I dabbled with in an AEG guise in the UK but is also something that landed on my desk in GBBR form from Ray at Archwick who was keen to lend me his GHK to try out for review. Another classic and a bullpup, which I’m usually a fan of in general, but the Austrians really got it right with that one.

And we all know it isn’t Xmas until Hans Gruber falls off Nakatomi Plaza; the sacred tradition of watching “Die Hard” around the holidays, barefoot and with a Beretta and/or MP5 to hand is something I imported to Taiwan along with myself, and will remain a holiday fixture for me!

It’s the perfect anti-hero down and out film about a guy that life is already giving a hard time but happens to have it turn it all the way up to 11 and come out on top against the Eurotrash!. A great mix of dark humour and cultural references as well as obvious action and gunplay appeal, punctuated with the oneliners we all love. “You oughta be on TV with that accent Hans...”

Jon: Although the others have talked about the weapons used in the movies, I, as usual, will take a different tack! It’s that time of year again and we’re being asked about whether “Die Hard” is a Christmas Movie or not. Well, I say “HELL YEAH IT IS!” “Die Hard” director John McTiernan weighed in and settled it once and for all. In an interview he drew direct comparisons to the 40’s classic, “It’s a Wonderful Life”; he said “Specifically the Pottersville sequence. Which is what happens when the evil banker gets to do what he wants in the community without George getting in the way to stop it. And it’s the clearest demonstration and criticism or runaway, unregulated cowboy capitalism that’s ever been done in an American movie. It was imagination then, but now, if you go out in most of the country, it’s the life people live.”

See where this is going? John McClane is George Bailey and Hans Gruber is Mr Potter. It’s not a hero

versus terrorists, it’s about Good versus Evil. It’s about the little guy standing up for the community against a villainous entity which threatens them. “A Christmas Carol” is another obvious comparison to be drawn.

It’s set entirely during the Christmas Holiday season, the events take place at a Christmas party, there are four Christmas Songs played during the movie, Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, Christmas in Hollis (God Bless Run DMC) and of course Jingle Bells.

“Die Hard” IS, without a shadow of doubt, a Christmas Movie and long shall it be, not because I said so but because the Director and more importantly the millions of viewers every year who watch “Die Hard” as a Christmas Movie.

Stu: “Die Hard”, so where to start.....

MP5; bloody amazing little AEG. I had to wait for a decent CA one to arrive. Loved it and stupidly sold it on. AUG? I make no secret of my love for the Steyr Bullpup, and I’ve run various makes/styles etc over the years; it’s a quirky design, but I love ‘em. I’ve not had an M9 , which for me is an oversight, as I’m a huge fan of them, and that still may be remedied!

Oh, Hans Gruber’s sidearm? I know a man who has one, kept very carefully in a nice case, comes out to be drooled over and is then put away again…. EVERY Christmas, when “Die Hard” is watched!

Boycie: When Bill asked for my comments on the Die Hard series of films the first question he asked was “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?”

The answer simply is yes, of course it is!

When else would all the executives in a big company gather in one place? Yes a Christmas Party.

The sound track is crammed with Christmas songs, most notibly “Winter Wonderland”, “Let it snow” and “Ode to Joy”. Lt McClane’s wife is called....

HOLLY. Sgt Al buys Twinkies (other snacks are available but Twinkies rule! Eh Bill ????). Tony, the first body that John sends back to Hans is wearing a Santa hat and has a very special Christmas message on his sweatshirtshirt. Agent Johnson, no not that one, the other Agent Johnson, gifts Hans with easier access to the vault when he orders cutting off the power grid.

Oh and John McC’s Beretta is loosely gift wrapped before he grabs it to finally stop Hans. Finally at the end, as it snows the music “Let it snow” plays over the credits.

“Die Hard” IS A CHRISTMAS MOVIE...QED! For me the early “Die Hard” movies remind me of the end of my teenage years and set me off on trying to find a way to shoot all of the weapons used in the film. I still watch the movie, and can pretty much www.airsoftaction.net

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recite the script as the movie runs, but this year will be quite special as I will be introducing my wife to the series for the first time. Yes she has never seen any of them, although she is aware of my love for the movie as I own several T-shirts with “It ain’t Christmas until you see Hans Gruber fall off the Nakatomi Tower”.

Several of my friends and I, a select group of firearm lovers, even have a light-hearted group based around Hans and his freefall jump off the tower!

Over my shooting career which started in 1979 (ouch I feel old!), I’ve been lucky to not only have owned a number of airsoft variants of the weapons used in “Die Hard”, but also I’ve owned the Real Steel versions of some as well. One of the first pistols I owned when I started airsofting all those years ago was my trusty TM M9 (still in a box somewhere). It served me for many years and often when running into a certain shower of BB’s from the opposing team, I’d be heard shouting “Yippee Kai Yay Maggot Farmers” as I ran in with my M9. This was also one of the Real Steel 9mm pistols I owned in the very early 1990’s.

Second to my TM G3 SG1 was my TM MP5. This was one of the go to AEG’s for a long time for a large number of players. In the film they were actually HK94’s which had shortened barrels and converted to full auto. Whilst I’ve not owned a real MP5 I have had a number of opportunities to fire the live version. Sgt Al Powell carried a Smith & Wesson Model 15. The nearest I have had to this was a Model 66 revolver which in airsoft form I can’t remember the brand of. I really enjoyed shooting my .357 Model 66 and it was the first live revolver I ever owned.

Steyr AUG; I’ve used the TM version on a number of occasions but never owned one. As a left-hander I really liked it as I could shoot from either shoulder and the ergonomics of the magazine well let to some speedy reloads during skirmishes. When in Australia and staying at the School of Military Engineering (SEME) in Liverpool, New South Wales, I had the chance to handle the real thing and also shoot on the Small Arms Trainer that was on base. A really strange thing to do was to take the barrel out of the body to prove the chamber clear. But then I recognised this in the AEG version as you can do the same to make the rifle shorter for storage or also to check the

“chamber” is clear of BBs. The M16A1 as used by the LAPD SWAT in the film, well, I have owned a couple during my airsofting days. More often in the A4 version in AEG form it was one of the early “DMR” type rifles that were carried on the skirmish field.

For me the Holy Grail of pistols used in Die Hard was the H&K M7M13. This was and still is the airsoft pistol I would REALLY LIKE TO SEE make a return to airsoft. In the late 80’s I was loaned a P7M13 to compete in IPSC “Concealed Carry” class during a practical competition. It certainly was an experience I would love to recreate again in airsoft. I’ll have to leave it there as there is so much more I could write, but I’ll leave some column inches for my fellow Red Cell friends!

Jimmy: John Mcclane and “Die Hard” will forever be ingrained as a Christmas movie. The film is set during the Christmas period John attends Takagi’s christmas party hence it’s a Christmas film. For some, Christmas means putting up the decorations, time with the family, and over-indulging on pretty much everything.

For me Christmas is all of the above but it wouldn’t be the same without the prerequisite film binge in order for Christmas to actually feel like it that time of year.

There is a set list of films which sadly don’t make that much of an appearance anymore but one that will forever be a favourite is the “Die Hard” franchise.

John McClane is a symbol of Christmas much like Rudolph, everybody knows the name, if not, what rock have you been hiding under? He’s cool frankly and the entire film was just made up of unforgettable quotes.

“Twas the night before christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, except for the four a-holes coming in the rear in standard two by two cover formation”; a classic unforgettable quote amongst many!

Something else the “Die Hard” films are famous for is the weaponry, classic iconic weapons. Now I’m not a fan of a lot of them and as a result I have very little experience with most of them. One that does stand out and is a very well recognised pistol is the Berretta M92, a pistol which has featured in all four of the “Die Hards” and has featured in many films over the years (there are too many to list!) I remember having

“OVER MY SHOOTING CAREER WHICH STARTED IN 1979 (OUCH I FEEL OLD!), I’VE BEEN LUCKY TO NOT ONLY HAVE OWNED A NUMBER OF AIRSOFT VARIANTS OF THE WEAPONS USED IN “DIE HARD”, BUT ALSO I’VE OWNED THE REAL STEEL VERSIONS OF SOME AS WELL. ” 54

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a cap-gun Berretta as a kid and I loved it. I own one Berretta which is an W01P from Tokyo Marui from the Biohazard/Resident Evil lineup, and is based on TM’s M9A1 and it is spot on. If there was a TM “Die Hard” limited edition I’m fairly certain that would be part of my and many other peoples collection.

Another very popular film pistol would be the M1911 most definitely my favourite platform; I have several 1911 pistols all sporting different features and characteristics.

Argyle: [Argyle shuts the limo door] If this is their idea of Christmas, I *gotta* be here for New Year’s.

And to sign off for 2021 the Red Cell crew and I wish you a very Happy Christmas, may all your airsoft wishes come true, and here’s to a full-on, hard charging 2022 (and this time next year, someone PLEASE run a “Die Hard” FilmSim!) Changing McClanes words to Hans Gruber just slightly…

“Welcome to the (Christmas) party pal!” AA

Bill: So, to conclude, in our minds “Die Hard” is totally a Christmas movie, as much part of the season’s festivities as mince pies and mulled wine, and a movie that I and my fellow members of “The Nakatomi Freefall Club” will watch with almost religious fervour each and every year.

For another month, and indeed another year, I’ll wish you all “Yippee ki-yay” and if you’re still in any doubt about its seasonal flavour just listen to the closing words of “Die Hard”: John McClane: Merry Christmas, Argyle.

Argyle: Merry Christmas.

Richard Thornburg: [to the camera] Did ya get that? www.airsoftaction.net

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KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LONG-TERM TEST

HELIKON-TEX WINDRUNNER WINDSHIRT AND FIRESPARK “STEEL” IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME GREAT NEW ADDITIONS TO THE HELIKON-TEX LINE IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS, AND IT’S GREAT TO SEE THOSE REALLY GETTING THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE! BILL HAS BEEN LONG-TERM TESTING A COUPLE OF ITEMS FROM THEIR “OUTBACK” AND “BUSHCRAFT” COLLECTIONS AND BRINGS YOU HIS FINDINGS.

I

really like the fact that Helikon-Tex categorise their clothing and equipment as it makes life far easier when you’re looking for a particular item.

As a keen outdoorsman as well as an airsofter I’m therefore every bit as interested in what they have in the “Outback” and “Bushcraft” categories in addition to the “Range” and “Patrol” lines as good outdoor equipment can act as the backbone for any situation as Jon’s ongoing series of “TOD” articles have clearly illustrated.

The “Outback Line” is their technical clothing and accessories line concept; everything from baselayers through all intermediate levels of insulation for both dynamic and static activities to outer layers including windshirts, softshells, hardshells and Climashield parkas is included in this category. Accessories developed for the Outback Line focus on travel, gear packing and outdoor expeditions, which makes them perfect when you’re gearing up for a multi-day game or MilSim event.

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It’s that time of year where I live when the north wind is starting to pick up, and although I’m not yet ready to transition into a fully-fledged hardshell I do want something that can be worn over a microfleece to add an additional layer against wind chill, and ideally I look for garments that are lightweight and have a minimal pack size.

The Windrunner Windshirt has been my “go to” for this, and is an ideal carry item because of its minimum weight and size when folded. At just 190g (size XL) its ultra-light, tightly-woven Nylon fabric protects you from the wind, and if the DWR coating is regularly maintained, also from light rain; the Windrunner is an ideal garment for any kind of outdoor training! Mesh ventilation slats in armpits allow increased air circulation for when you’re really working hard, and on a cooler day, worn on top of a fleece, it keeps your all-important core warmth from escaping and protects against wind chilling. A large front channel pocket easily accommodates a cap,

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX LONG-TERM TEST

gloves or a buff, and two small flat pockets inside the larger pocket help to organize small items like smartphone or ID (or a cheeky extra mag!).

Additional features are sparse and minimalistic in that there is a lightweight hood, elasticated cuffs and a drawstring hem, and that’s it. On a garment like this though you don’t need a massive amount of features as that just increases bulk and weight. My first Windrunner (the tan version) has been with me since 2017 and I have to admit that I absolutely love it and have worn it a LOT! It’s a superb piece of kit that gives you just that little extra protection when things start to get cooler, and therefore I would thoroughly commend it to you; in fact I’ll tell you right now that I’ve added additional Winfrunners in different camos and colours to work with different loadouts (Green, Grey, and RenCott) so this really does come with my complete recommendation!

Instead of the traditional carbon steel though the FIRESPARK makes use of a long Ferrocerium rod; while ferrocerium “steels” function in a similar way to natural flint and steel in fire starting, ferrocerium takes on the role that steel played in traditional methods; when small shavings of it are removed quickly enough the heat generated by friction is enough to ignite those shavings, converting the metal to the oxide, i.e., the sparks are actually tiny pieces of burning metal.

This long spark rod with durable handle make starting a fire with FIRESPARK and knife a breeze; combined with my favourite bushcraft knife created for me by Josh Curry of the Athena Knife Co. in the USA, the FIRESPARK is absolutely awesome, sending fan of sparks away with every stroke, so if your lighter runs out, or your matches get wet this can be a real lifesaver! And there’s even a hollow aluminium handle may be used to house water purification tablets, tinder or even rolled banknotes if you want to hide them away!

As I said, I really the Helikon-Tex categories as it makes it really easy to find that unique piece of kit that you may have been searching for; there are other items that I have on long-term test, so rest assured I’ll update things regularly!

For more information please visit www.helikontex.com for country stockists, and in the UK check out www.military1st.co.uk for the very latest brand updates. AA

SPARKIN’!

When you’re bivvied out for a weekender, body heat of course is all important when it comes to your well-being and being able to light your cooker to make some hot grub is absolutely essential, so another little bit of kit from Helikon-Tex that I added to my MilSim kit is their “FIRESPARK” firesteel; designed and tested by specialists in bushcraft and survival techniques, the FIRESPARK firesteel is a modern rendering of classic piece of equipment. www.airsoftaction.net

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KIT & GEAR RED DOT HANDGUN SIGHTS

JOINING THE DOTS MORE AND MORE OF US ARE ROUTINELY CARRYING PISTOLS FITTED WITH RED DOT SIGHTS THESE DAYS, AND ALTHOUGH SOME MAY KNOW THE SCIENCE BEHIND THEM, BILL THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A SOLID TOPIC TO DIVE INTO SO THAT WE ALL CAN GET A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THEY WORK, AND HOW THEY MAY JUST GIVE YOU THAT ALL-IMPORTANT EDGE IN-GAME!

IMAGE COURTESY SHIELD SIGHTS

I

f there’s one handgun that I’ve been waiting for during 2021 it’s undoubtedly the latest model in the RAVEN Hi Capa GBB family, and that’s the short-barrelled, uber-compact 3.8 version! You may ask why this is, and as I will tell all and sundry (at least those who care to listen!) I honestly believe that RAVEN have created to me what is the ultimate airsoft “fighting pistol” in their RAVEN Hi Capa, and although I already have the excellent 5.1 and 4.3 models I do love a compact sidearm, and the new 3.8 REALLY fits the bill if you’ll forgive the intentional pun!

There’s just something about the RAVEN Hi Capa that I love! Sure, during my long-term torture-testing both existing models have stood up well to massive abuse and continue to shoot reliably and accurately, but it’s the overall simplicity of the RAVEN that totally sings to me; there’s no extraneous parts, no intricate styling to catch on clothing or a holster, and it just screams “get the job done” to me. There’s a rail for a taclite sure enough, and you can easily add a suppressor with a simple adapter, but that’s all she wrote, and the pistol is better, and eminently more functional, because of this.

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I’ve dabbled a little with red-dot sights on my pistols, but that far my RAVENs have remained unadorned with such modern technology and iron sights alone have proved that I can get on target using the hi-vis fibre-optics easily enough; but have I been missing a BIG trick? I was recently involved in a conversation in the “real steel world” about the increasing adoption of red-dot sights, or RDS, on everyday carry pistols, and given the size of the new RAVEN it fits perfectly into that category (and into my Kydex Customs holster!). I’ve been using my “Green Ravens” as a part of my PAMG setup, so I sought some insight on the truth behind the RDSphenomenon.

Luckily, as I have a foot on both the airsoft and real steel worlds, I have knowledgeable friends to turn to when I have a question about the true “mechanics” of shooting, and in this case it was my colleague Jim WenzeI; Jim is a prior-service U.S. Marine veteran and a retired Law Enforcement Officer, and these days an NRA/USCCA Instructor and NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, so you could say he knows a thing or two about the mechanics of shooting!

KIT & GEAR RED DOT HANDGUN SIGHTS

Specifically with red dot sighting options in mind I asked Jim the simple question; is the pistol RDS a friend or foe, and this is what he had to tell me…

Is a pistol optic for you? I asked myself this very same question several times over the course of the past year. I’m a bit of an old school shooter, even at basic training in Parris Island, our qualifications pushed us out to 500 yards with iron sights with our issued rifles. For years when I heard “optic”, I thought long range precision shooting with a long gun.

Then as I was retiring from Law Enforcement in 2018, I saw that one of the alphabet agencies was in the process of transitioning to pistol red dots for their employees. My initial gut reaction was “Why are we going

experienced shooters that come to a class and are carrying their firearm with a red dot. It was due to this uptick and trend that I knew in order to help students that I would have to invest in a red dot, open my mindset, and get myself trained up.

FUNDAMENTAL BENEFITS

Contrary to some beliefs, there are some fantastic benefits to picking up and learning how to utilize a pistol red dot.

For one, we are reducing the

amount of focal planes being used.

Traditional iron sight, firearm

to a piece of equipment that can fail” and secondly, “I’ve seen enough yearly qualifications where people fail or barely pass a qualification due to not being able to apply the fundamentals as it is”.

I will admit that I was extremely sceptical with this change. I didn’t feel that agencies would put in enough training time or do so properly. I can recall when they came out with the new spring for Glocks that had a laser in it. It didn’t improve accuracy as the agency thought it would, nor was it essentially cost effective as the spring was much weaker than the standard Glock spring which led to the springs breaking and making the pistol inoperable. The agency went back to the standard Glock spring after that.

Now to the present, since retiring, I became a civilian firearms instructor and during that time I have come across many new shooters and some

fundamentals of shooting use three focal planes. A shooter has to look through their rear sight, identify the front sight, and then place the sight on target. This is done with an emphasis on focusing on the front sight and blurring the target in the distance. An issue with this is that we won’t be able to quickly recognize if a threat is still present.

We are putting a lot of focus into a fine motor skill which is relatively non-existent under stress.

Hence, why point shooting is taught for close range

“WITH THE DEVELOPMENT AND UNDERSTANDING THAT COMES WITH USING A SINGLE FOCAL PLANE SIGHTING SYSTEM SUCH AS THE RED DOT, ONE CAN MORE EFFECTIVELY KEEP THEIR EYES ON A THREAT DURING AN ENCOUNTER WHICH CAN MAKE A LARGE IMPACT ON THE OUTCOME OF THAT ENCOUNTER.”

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KIT & GEAR RED DOT HANDGUN SIGHTS

IMAGE CREDIT: DAVID BAHDE - PERSONAL DEFENSE WORLD

engagements, at the very least, if you point the firearm at the intended threat at close proximity, you will hit the target. In relation to your context, that of airsoft scenarios, small tight groupings from precision shooting are not required, you need to get rounds on target as safely and quickly as possible.

Now that we covered the proper use of iron sights, let’s jump over to the red dot side of things.

The pistol red dot reduces the focal planes down to two, some will say one. I leave that debate up to each individual. We acquire the red dot through the optic and place it on the target. We are able to then have a focus on the intended target while using the red dot. I’ll talk about this more later in the article.

The main drawback that is common with any tool is the risk of mechanical failure. Batteries could die, the sight could hit something and fall off, or the glass could break. Good old Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.” With this in mind it is imperative to ensure that you don’t disregard and stop training the basic fundamentals with your iron sights. In which I also add, implement training where the iron sights have broken off or aren’t operational. If you fail to prepare, you prepare

to fail.

Points to Ponder…

Searching the pistol optic that is right for you can be a difficult yet fun task, some things to consider are: • What is the purpose the optic will be used for (professional-personal, competition etc.)?

• How large is the sight? Can you conceal if necessary?

Batteries: • Where is the compartment, does a battery change mean you have to re-zero the optic?

• How long does the battery last?

• (Editors Comment: And how easy are the batteries to find, are they a common size?)

ZERO IN

Still being relatively new to implementation of the pistol red dot system into my training, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was for me to find the red dot on my chosen model, the Leupold Deltapoint Pro NV FDE. I had tried other sights before that my colleagues had, and it was difficult to pick it up at first. The Deltapoint Pro didn’t disappoint. I

“I FOUND THAT AFTER PUTTING IN MANY HOURS ON THE RED DOT, IT HAS INCREASED MY ABILITY TO PICK UP ON THE FRONT SIGHT. I NOW USE MY IRON SIGHTS AS A FAILURE DRILL EXERCISE, AND IF BOTH FAIL, MOST ENCOUNTERS HAPPEN UP CLOSE AND THIS WILL ALSO ENHANCE YOUR POINT SHOOTING ABILITIES. ”

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was able to acquire the target quickly and effectively put rounds on paper where I wanted them. I set up my zeroing targets and benchrest position. I worked from the 3,5,7,15,20, and 25 yard lines respectively utilizing five round groups to zero in the red dot.

With the zero acquired, it was time to see what the red dot hype was all about and as I mentioned earlier, will it be our friend or foe when it comes to utilizing this tool? What I found out relatively quickly is that there is a distinct difference between the traditional iron sights and the red dot system, which is that while utilizing iron sights, a person’s eyes have to perform a number of complex functions, contrasting those using a red dot in which uses one function. This is a very important mention to me, but to many of you as well, as in some stressful environments we have to make rapid decisions.

With the development and understanding that comes with using a single focal plane sighting system such as the red dot, one can more effectively keep their eyes on a threat during an encounter which can make a large impact on the outcome of that encounter. It will not only increase your reaction time due to quicker target acquisition, it allows you to have a higher degree of focus on the engagement as opposed to the traditional iron sights.

Let’s dig a bit further into this, from our understanding of human behaviours; we note that humans have a natural tendency to focus on whatever is threatening us during a fear (fight, flight, freeze) response. It becomes very difficult for someone to take their eyes off the threat and put the focus into their pistol sights, which in relative terms are tiny objects outstretched an arm’s distance from us.

With this being said, part of my evaluation of the red dot system was to increase my relative stress level (increase my heart rate) while performing several drills going between the red dot and traditional iron sights. What I found is that the red dot allowed me to make faster follow-up shots as I didn’t have to go through the process of aligning my sights after each shot was fired. I believe this will be an “AHA!” moment for those transitioning to the red dot from a new to experienced shooter, as you will see it makes it easier for someone to be able to shoot with both eyes open. Most shooters, although they try and put in the training hours, struggle with this. This occurs due to having to hyper focus on the front sight, the red dot eliminates that and allows you to acquire the target with both eyes and helps speed up your scan for additional threats as you now are no longer fighting one eye blind.

There is, however, a bit of a learning curve for those

of us that are veteran pistol iron sight shooters. Due to this fact, we will have developed for the sake of red dot shooting, the bad habit of looking at the front of the pistol to find the front sight. We have to change our mindset from being front sight focused to target focused. This is countered by training and putting in the repetitions.

This will take time and training. Contrary to many new and experienced shooters’ beliefs, adding the red dot does not instantly make you a better shooter! The red dot only simplifies two of the seven principles of marksmanship, sight alignment and sight picture. It does not fix a poor stance, bad grip, or terrible trigger control. Where the red dot is most beneficial in my opinion is that one can see what the dot is doing in relation to your target and your hits on target. For instance, you can see where the dot is on the target and if you anticipate, flinch, or jerk the trigger you can see where the red dot is in relation to the target, allowing for quicker corrections.

Finally, if you’re looking to implement a red dot into your training development, I will say that you have a friend when it comes to this tool. When applied properly with your fundamentals, you will see improvement over time. I found that after putting in many hours on the red dot, it has increased my ability to pick up on the front sight. I now use my iron sights as a failure drill exercise, and if both fail, most encounters happen up close and this will also enhance your point shooting abilities. For those of us that are aging, the red dot is a great option as it makes it easier for those to acquire targets and their sights, which are now dependent on reading glasses for example.

So, with all this information in hand it was a simple decision to add an RDS-equipped RAVEN 3.8 to my PAMG setup, and I look forward to reporting back fully on how this cracking little GBB performs at a later date! My sincere thanks go to Jim for agreeing to let me use his wise words here, and if you’ve got, or intend to get, a pistol that has a full-time red dot then the old adage is still true… training leads to perfection! AA

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KIT & GEAR JAVELIN BIPOD SYSTEM

STABILITY FOR THE WIN BIPODS WERE DESIGNED TO GIVE YOU COMPLETE SUPPORT AND STABILITY IN A RUGGED, LIGHTWEIGHT PACKAGE, AND THESE DAYS WE’RE SEEING THEM MORE AND MORE ON CARBINES AS WELL AS DMRS AND BOLTIES. BILL’S BEEN WORKING WITH A NEW MODEL FROM SPARTAN PRECISION EQUIPMENT OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS SO NOW TAKES AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT BIPODS AS A WHOLE!

IMAGE FROM PUBLIC DOMAIN ALL RIGHTS RESPECTED

W

hy should I use a bipod? I mostly use a carbine or SBR when playing, and in fact my favourite models are short, compact variants of the AK and AR so until relatively recently for me a bipod lived on either my DMR or my precision rifle. I’ve seen much photographic evidence of bipods being fitted “in the wild” to SBRs and indeed even to compact CQB-length M4s, and I have to admit that I’ve often wondered “why?”

The answer to me partly lies in the increased issue of even the most basic infantry rifle with a magnified optic; slowly but surely we’ve seen the “grunt” become equipped with some pretty spangly optics, and of course when you’re talking about “556” the ballistic performance of the round itself is actually one of the determining factors when it comes to accuracy over extended range. The performance of the accepted-issue round tends to tail-off dramatically when the range extends, so in many cases the abilities of the optic are greater than those of the round being fired!

A stable firing position is king in this situation, and for a stable shooting platform that offers greater precision and increased support a bipod is second to none. At longer ranges shooting from some positions with accuracy can be next to impossible without some form of stabilisation. As a “real” shooter you have many variables to account for such as environmental factors (wind, rain, snow, temperature, humidity, etc), and even the mechanics of the human body! A good bipod helps eliminate many of these factors before you put the first round downrange.

It’s pretty clear to me then that a bipod that’s mounted at the fore-end of a platform will aid in that quest for a stable shooting position and allow you to get the best possible from your chosen optic, and this is equally true whether it’s 5.56mm rounds or BBs that you are putting out there; in fact, given the vagaries of hop performance you could even argue that a stable shooting position is MORE important to us as airsofters! A bipod provides you

“I’VE SEEN MUCH PHOTOGRAPHIC EVIDENCE OF BIPODS BEING FITTED “IN THE WILD” TO SBRS AND INDEED EVEN TO COMPACT CQB-LENGTH M4S, AND I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I’VE OFTEN WONDERED “WHY?””

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with stability both horizontally and vertically; in game you’ll often find yourself shooting at a target from a really weird position, where stabilising your rifle or carbine fully can be next to impossible without some form of artificial support; bipods give you the option to rest and stabilise your AEG or GBBR, reducing fatigue whilst increasing accuracy.

Fundamentally the best bipod is the bipod attached to your chosen primary platform! I know that this sounds like I’m being even more of a simpleton than usual, but the fact is that having a bipod fitted gives you, especially in the prone position, unmatched stability and gives you more of a chance to place your BBs exactly where you want to!

Benefits of shooting with a bipod simply put are; • Stability; when you use a bipod, you’re able to rest your platform against any object or surface. This could be the ground, but also includes walls, vehicles, furniture, rocks, and anything else that you might encounter in the field. This means that these objects will bear the full weight of your platform instead of your “MK1” arm muscles! When fatigue is taken out of the equation, your mind, arms, and fingers can remain completely focused on aiming and firing.

• Flexibility; bipods come in many shapes and sizes, and this flexibility is augmented even further when you use the latest lightweight models. Bipods can be tilted and rotated to allow you to make contact with multiple surfaces and objects, even if they’re not directly beneath you (or completely flat).

• Accuracy; the benefits of increased stability and flexibility combine to make you a more accurate shooter, plain and simple. Bipods also allow you to aim accurately at your target before firing and use your optic to its true potential.

WHAT’S IN A WORD?

Bipod is made up of the Greek and Latin words “bi” and “pod.” Bi means “two” while “pod” refers to “the foot” or “feet.” Hence the literal definition of “two footed.” When you look at a bipod, you can see that this description is very accurate: a bipod comes with two feet that allow you to balance the weight of your rifle with more stability.

Before they were adopted by shooters bipods were used by photographers to take high quality, detailed images of a subject that would be more

difficult without stabilization. It is believed that the first use of a bipod in conjunction with a rifle dates back as far as the 1800’s, and of course we know that the “monopod or “shooting stick” predates even that. In World War II, soldiers utilized bipods that were often just sticks tied together to give them a simple platform to rest their heavy rifles, and with the introduction of weapons such as the MG38 and BAR at squad level simple metal bipods began to appear in the hands of the ordinary “grunt”; the bipods enabled them to take more accurate shots while at the same time helping avoid fatigue from the sheer weight and bulk of their weapon!

A traditional bipod is a simple two-legged stand that holds your chosen platform stable; generally speaking they utilise various and numerous methods of attachment, and the legs can be folded up for easy transportation and locked into place when required; many models of bipods offer adjustable legs that allow you to tailor them to match your shooting position in any given terrain, and rubberised feet provide greater friction and grip.

Grip-Pods, as now standard for many military-issue platforms such as the SA-80, are bipods that are deployed from a foregrip mounted at the fore-end and are regularly seen in use by infantry riflemen and support gunners who need to rapidly transition between standing and prone shooting positions.

Affixing a Grip-Pod is as simple as attaching a conventional foregrip to your platform depending on the rail system or handguard your rifle/carbine has.

Many “modern” bipods are works of art in themselves; Magpul for instance make theirs from industry-leading, high-strength polymer and Mil-Spec aluminum, providing an unmatched combination of functionality, strength, and value. They come in four different mounting configurations, meaning that there’s a shooting platform available for just about every rifle you’ll ever own. Their bipods include user-friendly features such as tool-less adjustment and spring-tensioned legs for rapid deployment, and they’re optimized for one-handed use. Most include an industry-exclusive 50° of total tilt and 40° of pan, which are controlled by a glove-friendly, knurled locking knob. The legs extend from 6.3 “ to 10.3” and they fit neatly 2.3” under the barrel when stowed.

For general use with a carbine or DMR, for convenience and durability, many bipod mounts now affix directly to a rail system or the Picatinny rail of a handguard (and of course now Keymod and M-Lok too!). Rails allow for accessories to be

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KIT & GEAR JAVELIN BIPOD SYSTEM

attached to the platform without fuss and often offer quick detachment capability, usually in the form of a retention pin or stud should the need arise to attach or remove the bipod in a hurry without sacrificing stability. Stud bipod mounts affix to the fore-end of the rifle and allow the installation of many bipod models (such as one of my faves, the Harris system), and these stud mounts even allow the bipod to swivel and pivot dependant on the model you choose. Some cheaper bipods will also attach direct to the barrel; whilst this is fine for airsoft use, and a sensibly-priced alternative for many, I’d urge you to look into how this affects barrel dynamics/harmonics, and the effect it can have particularly over longer differences.

The bottom line though is that the use of bipods is on the rise with everyone from the military to law enforcement, hunters, and recreational users, and the increased use of optics fitted as standard to most platforms, both real and airsoft, now means that stability is a key denominator. This increase in demand has given huge boost to many new companies making bipods for a variety of uses, and you’ll find great models from Harris Engineering, Magpul, NCStar/ UTG, Versa-Pod and in airsoft form from the likes of most good manufacturers (most of mine come from NUPROL).

JAVELIN!

So, bipods are great front support and add to the stability of your rifle/optics system, and after meeting the guys from Spartan Precision Equipment at the NAE I’ve been trialling one of their models, and putting it through a pretty tough testing regime! For those that don’t know Spartan, they’re a proudly British company based in the beautiful South East of the UK. Having met them in person I can tell you that they’re a close and friendly team dedicated to producing some of the finest, most innovative shooting accessories in the world.

Their patented Spartan Magnetic Attachment System is at the heart of many of their products. Light, strong and reliable, the systems use Neodymium rare earth magnets to attach to your platform in seconds, enabling you to follow targets and stay level on uneven ground, and the best bit is that you will only ever need one bipod/tripod for all your platforms!

Since launch they have partnered and worked with some of the finest brands in the shooting industry such as Blaser, Sauer and First Lite to name a few.

I’ve been testing out their Javelin Bipod; these are made from Carbon Fibre and milled 7075 aerospace Aluminium with their patented magnetic attachment system, so that one bipod model is easily 68

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changed from rifle to carbine! With interchangeable leg options, the Javelin Lite Bipod® is available in three lengths to accommodate shooters wanting a lightweight modular bipod that will serve a multitude of disciplines from shooting on the range to skirmishing in the most demanding environments. By using high-grade carbon fibre, the Javelin Lite weighs just 130 to 135 grams and does not compromise the balance of your platform, making it perfect for those on the move, especially as it can be attached and detached in an instant using the ‘Spartan Magnetic Attachment System’.

Features are impressive and include: • Locking cant facility for uneven terrain • Track targets with the traversing function or use in locked target mode • Interchangeable fixed-height legs • Quick and easy to swap to other rifles using the spartan magnetic attachment system • Secure sling attachment • Low profile adapter makes carrying a slung rifle comfortable • Range of different accessory legs available to accommodate different shooting positions and terrain • Supplied with classic rifle adapter kit to attach bipod

•

Compatible with a full range of 12mm Spartan adapters I’ve been using the Javelin on carbines, rifles, my DMR, and my bolt action and I absolutely love it! The guys from Spartan provided me with a number of different attachment options (the set comes with a number of rubber spacers and different length hex bolts that mean you can get a really positive seating) which means I can keep these firmly attached to different platforms, simply moving the legs of the bipod between them at will…. And it really is easy to do, even though once attached the legs remain solidly fixed to the rail attachment. The legs also offer a clever lateral/tilt movement thanks to a small throwlever, and once again this can be locked off to give a solid and stable platform. This means that I need only one set of legs, which given their light weight and tiny “footprint” means that I can keep them safely stowed in my Admin Pouch until I need them, knowing that they’ll pop onto whatever primary platform I may be carrying at any given moment!

So, I start the day with my DMR… the rail attachment is fixed in place so all I need to carry is the legs. Perhaps I decide in the afternoon that I’ll go and do a little light “hunting” with my bolt-action… the QD stud attachment is already fitted and I have the very same legs in my Admin Pouch so I’m good to go! Now I could carry the legs attached to the platform full-time, but common sense to me dictates that the less protruberences I have sticking out from my rifle means the less likely I am to snag a branch in the woods… and of course if I have an attachment point fitted to the rail of my MK18 I can easily pop on the Javelin if I want to make the most of my red-dot magnifier in a CQB environment, and actually use it from a stable position too.

Bottom line here folks is that if you want to get the best from your optics and your primary platform, adding a bipod to create the best, most stable shooting position is actually a bit of a no-brainer; with super-light, super-versatile bipod systems like the Javelin you can make even the shortest of airsoft SBRs real tack-drivers!

Many thanks to the guys at https://javelinbipod.com for providing me their system to test and evaluate; if you’re interested in adding a bipod to your armoury then please do take a moment to check out their super system. AA

“THE GUYS FROM SPARTAN PROVIDED ME WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ATTACHMENT OPTIONS THAT MEAN I CAN KEEP THESE FIRMLY ATTACHED TO DIFFERENT PLATFORMS, SIMPLY MOVING THE LEGS OF THE BIPOD BETWEEN THEM AT WILL”

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RELOADED CYMA CM.098A

TACTICAL TACK DRIVER

CYMA HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH AIRSOFT FOR ALMOST AS LONG AS ANYONE, AND HAVE RIGHTFULLY MOVED UP FROM THEIR POSITION AS THE “MOST LIKELY TO BE A RENTAL GUN” TO CREATING AEGS THAT ANYONE SHOULD BE PLEASED TO HAVE IN THEIR ARMOURY! AFTER OVER A YEAR OF OWNERSHIP BILL REFLECTS ON HIS “BIG BOY” DMR, THE CM.098A, AND HOW IT’S STOOD UP TO SOME HARD USE DURING LOCKDOWN!

T

his year I’ve really been working on my “distance game”, so I’ve been looking at longer range airsoft options; I wanted something with a little extra power and range, but preferably semi-auto rather than bolt-action, and there’s actually a lot to go at when it comes to this type of rifle these days to fulfil the role of “Designated Marksman” (DM)! Now this is, of course, a very different role from that of the true sniper, as the DM will usually be embedded within the usual section or fire-team order of battle for any unit, so what they will carry will not obviously look very different from the rifle of carbine carried by other members of their squad.

The main difference between a DM and a sniper is that “marksmen are usually considered an organic part of a unit and are never expected to operate independently away from the main force, whereas snipers usually work alone or in very small teams with “independent mission objectives””. In recent conflicts it was found that the infantryman with a 5.56mm carbine or rifle was often outranged by enemies still using older, large calibre battle rifles, so the DM became a solution for helping them dominate the “middle ground”, ranges deemed beyond effective for

a standard infantry platform, but well inside that of a dedicated sniper rifle. The role of the DM in airsoft has likewise matured.

There are many dedicated airsoft rifles, both AEGs and GBBs that you can buy “off the rack” to act as a DMR, and I for one love this! You can buy a decent SVD (I love my SVD GBBR for MilSim OPFOR shenanigans as I’ve said before!) or M14 EBR just about anywhere, and the sheer choice for Mod 12 SPRs and SR-25s in now somewhat mindboggling! Many of the so-called DMRs though still come as regular, full-auto AEGs so to create a “precision marksman platform” you’ll have needed in the past to do a fair bit of internal work, but of course programmeable systems are now making this far easier! There are a number of AEGs that I return to time and again to fine tune and tweak, and foremost among them has been a CYMA, namely their CM.098A “.308” AR DMR, and it’s a rifle that I have truly come to adore!

CYMA have been producing AEGs for as long as I can remember, and could be rightly classed as one

“EXTERNALLY THE 098A IS A PEACH, AND IT LOOKS DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS IMO! THE ENTIRE RIFLE IS MADE OF HIGH-GRADE ALLOY, AND FINISHED IN A SUPER SATINBLACK THROUGHOUT, AND THE FINISH HAS STOOD UP WELL TO THE RAVAGES OF BOTH SITE AND RANGE.” 70

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of the industry “veterans”. CYMA have been around it seems to me... forever! If I go back to earlier days a CYMA was probably the most common “rental” AEG that you’d find, certainly throughout the UK and even farther afield, especially their plastic AK models.

Okay, the originals were unashamed clones, they did have a habit of snapping regularly where the butt meets the body, they had some problems with the quality control, and some models arrived as new in simply laughable packaging! Although the quality of the old CYMA AEGs could not be compared to more expensive brands the fact of the matter was that they ran like trains (even without the butt!), were easy to work on and upgrade, and above all they were cheap, and I mean DIRT CHEAP! Over the past few years my personal view on CYMA has changed quite dramatically, and I’ve been hugely impressed with their AK AEGs since they released the 040 series; yes, they still make the original 028 series of AKs and they are still cheap as chips (under 80 quid for an AEG!), but for me the 040 series really put them

in a very different place.

I’ve been using on and off an externally upgraded 070 series AK for a while now, and it’s a super little AEG that often gives rise to comment as it performs beautifully.

On the strength of this I got myself an 077A AK (the Magpully one, now at a new home with Jon), and then a 040I Tactical model to use as a project base, and these too have been wonderful.

When the guys at Taiwangun (TWG) contacted me a year or so ago to say that they were working directly

with CYMA on the 0.98 AR DMR model and asked me if I would be interested in trying one I thought to myself “why the hell not” as although I hadn’t bothered at the time putting my hands on a CYMA “AR” in years, the AKs had really opened my mind to what the brand was producing so I thought it was time to get behind a CYMA AR and find out what it was truly capable of.

And oh boy, am I glad I said “yes”, or what?

NEW AND VERY MUCH IMPROVED!

I asked the guys in Poland at the time about the collaboration between TWG and CYMA, as in my mind nobody seems to talk to CYMA directly, and I was told: “The new 09 series of AEGs has been created as the result of a long cooperation and mutual trust between companies which have significant experience in this domain, CYMA and TAIWANGUN.COM. These carbines have produced to a different specification; the lower receiver, the upper receiver, the stock tube, the external barrel, the fire selector, the magazine release button, the trigger, the charging handle, and the front and rear sight are made in aluminium, which has made the replica more realistic. Each model even has on the lower receiver a unique serial number.”

The 098A I received was the then-new “E-EDITION” configuration with a stock velocity of around 410fps and the claim was that in combination with a LiPo battery you’d be getting a ROF around 25rps and a really good trigger response. After testing I have to agree with this claim, and this seems to be largely down to new gearbox parts with increased durability, such as a

reinforced V2 long gearbox frame with quick spring change system, a polycarbonate piston with steel teeth, a CNC machined steel

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gear set (ratio: 13:1), 8mm bearings, a CNC machined aluminium silent cylinder and piston head set (ball bearing piston head, double o-ring cylinder head), and a high-speed motor. There’s even a processor unit with built-in MOSFET system although I’ve largely left that alone.

Externally the 098A is a peach, and it looks dropdead gorgeous IMO! The entire rifle is made of high-grade alloy, and finished in a super satin-black throughout, and the finish has stood up well to the ravages of both site and range. The free-float outer barrel (16” external barrel, with a precision 6.03mm inner barrel) can also be unscrewed to reveal a 14mm CCW thread for suppressors and tracer units should you desire to fit one, although I replaced the AACstyle flash hider with a Madbull “Lantac Dragon”.

The 14.5” M-Lok handguard is slick and beautifully formed, and it can take M-Lok compatible accessories such as the BCMGUNFIGHTER-style lo-profile rail covers and bipod rail section I’ve fitted; it also has a QD socket for a sling. The 20mm top rail runs contiguous to the rear of the upper, and the 098A comes with some great Flip Up sights as part of the deal.

Both the upper and lower are of a modern “billet” style, with the lower being sized to accommodate “.308/7.62” mags, and the selector is fully ambidextrous. Behind the receiver set is an ambi sling plate, but the stock also has a QD sling point to be used in conjunction with the front one so that you can fit a nice two-point to distribute weight easily.

The stock is also where the battery goes, and the connection is Deans. One thi9ng I love is that the battery can be simply changed by popping down a latch which in turn releases the entire butt pad.

STOCK PERFORMANCE

In terms of performance I wasn’t sure what to expect straight from the box, but I was genuinely pleased when I first set up on the range. The model I received came in at 1.57 Joule/412fps and this has remained pretty constant so far. One thing here though… the 098A is clearly marked as “Safe/Semi” only, but I was with a little effort able to move the selector all the way onto “Full”, which was a problem as this put me into “over the limit” and “on the edge of UK Illegal” territory, so once I’d carried out my initial shoot test

it was off to the workshop where Marcus placed a pin into the lower for me, to ensure that there was physically no way that this AEG could be used in anything other than “Safe/Semi”! It’s a simple fix for any good airsoft tech to carry out, and makes it very obvious on site that the 098A is a semi-only DMR. As I’m a midcap player I was a little bemused with the “non-DMR” polymer 500BB model that came as standard, although this fed flawlessly throughout testing; a quick search though led me to some awesome 110BB Battleaxe middies that have proved ideal for the “DMR life”. Initially groupings at 30m prone were great, and over time this has improved greatly, with the 098A having had time to bed in properly; now I’m happily hitting the small steels out to 75m-plus consistently on .30g. As I prefer to shoot on semi-auto the ROF, although exactly where claimed, was of little interest to me and indeed was lost when the selector was pinned, but the trigger response is indeed crisp… SUPER crisp!

Every so often now I take the 098A down to the local shop and have at it on the indoor range on the iron sights (I have an NUPROL 1.25-5x26 optic fitted usually, along with one of their Harris-style bipods) and I hand it around to the guys to try. Probably just like you these are dedicated airsofters that play nearly every weekend somewhere or other, and they are constantly tweaking their own RIFs to get better range, more consistency, and more performance from them. These, I find, are the harshest critics of any new AEG I show them, and all of them LOVE the 098A! It must be said that many retailers are getting directly involved in producing AEGs in collaboration with an established OEM, and from what I’m seeing this is a very good thing as the player is getting exactly what they are asking the frontline retailers for. At the end of the day the 098A is a rifle that you can currently buy for well under UK£250 that looks utterly superb, feels as solid as a really solid, solid thing, and is more (way more!) than adequate in terms of performance. Without any real modification the 098A is well into DMR territory, and with a little more work I’m hoping that I can finally crack the elusive 100m mark with a tacticool AR! My thanks go to www.taiwangun.com for initially providing the CM.098A, and please do go and check out what they have available, which is A LOT! AA

“AT THE END OF THE DAY THE 098A IS A RIFLE THAT YOU CAN CURRENTLY BUY FOR WELL UNDER UK£250 THAT LOOKS UTTERLY SUPERB, FEELS AS SOLID AS A REALLY SOLID, SOLID THING, AND IS MORE (WAY MORE!) THAN ADEQUATE IN TERMS OF PERFORMANCE. ” 72

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RELOADED CYMA CM.098A

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TESTING METTLE, WINNING MEDALS!

“C19... HIT! YOU SUNK MY BATTLESHIP!! ...ALONG WITH OUR HOPES AND DREAMS”, AN EPITHET NO DOUBT EVERYONE CAN RELATE TO AS OF LATE, AND DESPITE TAIWAN BEING POSSIBLY THE LEAST AFFECTED LITTLE ISLAND NATION AMONG ALL OF THIS MESS, STEWBACCA AND HIS FELLOW SHOOTERS NONETHELESS WERE EVENTUALLY HIT BY SEMI-STRICT LOCKDOWNS DUE TO LOCAL SPREAD OF THE BLIGHT. BUT EVENTUALLY THERE WAS LIGHT, AND PERFORMANCES TO BE INSPIRED BY!

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s a result of the almost-inevitable restrictions my fellow shooters and I in Taiwan lost out on a number of competitions, and had to put training on hiatus, albeit only for a few months compared to everyone else’s no doubt longer suffering. As a result the second Shooting Centre Shooters Cup which was intended for July/ August was cancelled, as was the PengHu islands competition; thankfully I managed to salvage a getaway trip from that anyway and covered PengHu

Arms Factory while I was on the islands, right before lockdown back in mid May 2021.

With all this considered, despite getting off relatively lightly here, there were still casualties beyond the lost time; it would appear that the largest Northern IPSC team, Taipei Focus Action Shooters or TFAS that are usually based in Action Bunker have, at least for the foreseeable future, ceased training as a result of the closures and the impact upon their classes due to having greater

“AS A RESULT OF THE ALMOST-INEVITABLE RESTRICTIONS MY FELLOW SHOOTERS AND I IN TAIWAN LOST OUT ON A NUMBER OF COMPETITIONS, AND HAD TO PUT TRAINING ON HIATUS, ALBEIT ONLY FOR A FEW MONTHS COMPARED TO EVERYONE ELSE’S NO DOUBT LONGER SUFFERING.” 74

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numbers. Thankfully, at least, some of their members have broken away to form smaller individual squads in the aftermath of such a serious hit to the local shooting community.

Team Yamars emerged and began training in the shooting centre our own team SPPT calls home, on the other nights of the week when our team isn’t training there. This no doubt has been good for Chris and James and the centre itself having also been hit by closures and lost revenue and training; it’s good to see them joining us training there, as once again we keep building that longer table.

Despite a few months away from running and gunning, the cancellations of competitions seems to have at least given individual competitors and teams the time to focus on honing their skills and cut their teeth while they awaited things to take off once again. Clearly the smaller group attending this time had been sharpening their skills and some of the shooters and their capabilities observed were outstanding, with many sounding like they were running burst fire guns on some of the stages!

I am, thankfully, also glad to have had a shift in circumstances this academic year; having transferred to a Linkou branch of my cram school, which is closer to both my home on the West side of Taipei, as well as the shooting centre, thus allowing me to recommence training on Friday nights (albeit it arriving a little late and just in time for stage practise) and this really seems to have helped my skills on live

paper and popper stages rather than just drilling on steel targets which tends to be our Tuesday night remit.

Clearly this uptake in attendance and doubling of time behind a pistol every week has paid off, given the apparent improvements and results, although it has added to my workload in terms of video editing, although I now await yet another replacement GoPro and unfortunately only have third person footage of my own stages for this competition.

COMP READY

So it was, on Sunday the 21st of November the twenty competitors, half of the normal amount of attendees, which illustrates how hard we actually were hit, assembled at the Shooting Centre in Sanchong and began our preparations for a five stage level 1 TPSA IPSC competition. As per usual we had three short to mid-length stages laid out by Chris and James alongside each other, and along the length of the training room for the morning section.

Having only half the previous number of shooters at least made logistics a little easier; all of us would do Stage 1 first and get it out of the way… literally allowing us to clear the barriers and targets out from the entrance end of the room and make more space for queuing and planning the second and third short stages.

Stage 1 comprised a Condition One start, and a maximum score of 110 points; seven paper targets,

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“I WAS RUNNING AND GUNNING LIKE A MAN POSSESSED AND BARELY MISSED A BEAT, STRINGING PRETTY SEAMLESSLY ACROSS POPPER TRANSITIONS IN EACH BAY AND MANAGED TO ALMOST SHOOT IT CLEAN WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A SINGLE C HIT… IRONICALLY ON THE CLOSEST AND LEAST OBSTRUCTED TARGET!” two with no shoot obstructions, eight poppers and the ending plate, all distributed across three bays in a trident formation similar to the previous competition’s first stage, but this time it was shorter front to back, and there was just the one pull toggle activator which dropped a single blind obstructing the ending plate on the right bay, as well as partially obstructing the paper target beneath it when released.

Shooters had to plan around either engaging that target first, and then returning to the toggle to release the blind and reveal the ending plate above, or pull it from the get go and risk a lower score on the paper or have to take a knee to get eyes on the A-Zone. The vast majority of shooters elected for the latter option, given the reduced movement it required, myself included, although I had to get down and low from my usual shooting position as a result. The only takeaway was one of the ROs taking me to one side to caution me on my muzzle sweep as I got very close to the ‘180’ as I moved to the right, but managed to

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avoid a DQ thankfully, my arms are long, and the fault lines are tight for my big feet at times… I do what I can with what I have and try to remain as safe as possible, but always bear these things in mind.

I felt really good about my performance on this stage… I was running and gunning like a man possessed and barely missed a beat, stringing pretty seamlessly across popper transitions in each bay and managed to almost shoot it clean with the exception of a single C hit… ironically on the closest and least obstructed target! Nonetheless, I was very happy by my speed, movement and marksmanship, given my past trend of totally screwing the pooch on the first stage; perhaps waking up earlier than necessary and drinking that coffee helped!

17:77 seconds, 22 Alphas, 1 Charlie. A suspiciously good start!

Next up we split into two squads of ten each and alternated on Stages 2 and 3. Our squad took to Stage 2 first; for once I went through all the stages in

ACTION AIR LEVEL 1 TPSA IPSC COMPETITION

number order, and this was a short stage comprising a Condition Two start, with a max score of 50 points; only 5 paper targets and the ending plate, with no poppers or no-shoots. Sounds easy? The catch was that these five targets were distributed behind the dreaded wall of narrow windows that messed up my Stage 3 start last competition, with all the squatting and searching through windows to find targets. At least this time the targets had no further obstructions behind the wall itself, but there were prison bars at an angle and some hard cover panels in front of the wall.

I managed to shoot this stage effectively clean although with the fourth slowest time of 16.74; however my marksmanship made up for the time spent with all alphas on 11 shots, but I had to reload and do some make up shots to do this with a lot of squatting and crab shuffling, lifting and weaving to find all the target presentations through the narrow ports in the wall. For once I seemed to have managed to stick largely to my stage plan and not totally screw things up! I saw a lot of fellow competitors hitting the bars and portal frames, even missing the ending plate and not realising at first, which obviously added greatly to their times as they then had to re-engage to finish for score. Again, I was surprised at how well this went for me, albeit some of the engagements and

movements could have been less sloppy, but it seems we were all struggling with it, and damn, my knees and back and such!

On to Stage 3! Another fun first outing of the moving targets for the day; this was a fairly simple stage in theory, but lots of us struggled with the uncomfortable shooting positions at either side of the cover in front of the desk we started behind.

This was just 4 paper targets, 2 stationery no shoots, 2 poppers (one each side of the bay at the far rear down little corridors created by the cover panels), and the ending plate. The trick being that all four of the paper targets were on a single swinging bar in top and bottom staggered pairs, swinging behind the stationary no shoots, with the activator being a toggle hanging above the start table where our Condition 3 beginning comprised the empty pistol and first magazine set on the table outside two boundary lines.

Most players loaded and made ready on the start buzzer, went to the left and took out the lone popper there, then yanked the activator on the way to the right side before drilling the popper there and the four moving targets.

Thankfully it seemed like most people managed to avoid the no shoot targets, although there were many people being lambasted with ‘are you playing www.airsoftaction.net

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wargames?’ for their peppering of the targets in a panic! Personally I split the difference on this, with a relatively slow time of 14.66 (only four were slower than me) and I got 5 Alphas, 5 Charlies and 1 Delta, with some flurried shots and a bad stage plan that saw me attempting to get the left pair of swinging papers around the left side of the stage; most others just shot everything from the right and a more comfortable position. A lesson in listening to your squad leaders.

With that we broke for a long lunch and the stages were reset while we took some time to reflect, relax and refuel; once again it was a surprisingly hot day for ‘winter’ in Taiwan, and despite threats of ‘Arctic’ temperature drops it was 28 degrees outside... so we ended up feeling overly full and sluggish over lunch!

ONWARDS, EVER ONWARDS!

Back at it and for a change we had two long stages after lunch. With fewer competitors Chris and James had managed to plan a quick switch around between stages 4 and 5, recycling some of the target presentations rapidly to allow us to squeeze in an extra stage at the end. Stage 4 was a symmetrical stage with two front bays either side of a corridor with a Y shaped split at the far end that had three papers either side, the ending plate in the middle, and a single popper beneath this that was largely obstructed from the starting point midway along the corridor. It was also the activator for two of the targets at the far end; these were non-disappearing swinging papers on the outside edges of the two forks of the Y shape.

12 paper targets - 4 with no shoot obstructions in the front bays, 7 poppers and the end plate.

Luckily I have the height advantage, so from a Condition 2 start I racked a round and sent it straight to the activator popper I could just see the top of from the start point, that meant the swingers had all the time I was spending dealing with the front left and right bays to slow down and become easier targets.

Again I was making a start to the afternoon like a man on fire again, running, drilling targets, speed reloading and making good shots in a near frenzied manner. 36 seconds dead, 24 alphas, 8 charlies. Pretty happy with that, six people slower and only three players managed to beat my number of alphas, and some of those lost out with more deltas on the longer

or no-shoot obstructed targets.

With all of us finished up on this one there was a brief break as the final stage was organised. Stage 5 was a no-shoot heavy, long range, minimal movement affair, with the shooter very much ‘on rails’ and limited to lateral movement to the left and right shooting points and the central corridor. We started in Condition 2, facing the crowd and having to psyche ourselves up by yelling ‘I wanna hit ten (targets)’ in Chinese before the buzzer was pressed! Most turned and went left first, focusing on the targets there before sweeping the two no-shoot obstructed left and right targets in the small corridor and finishing up on the right. I decided to do things my own way, turning and immediately drilling the right of the two close targets, shifting my weight right and hitting the left target, then taking out the left furthest target through the corridor, and moving right to get the four targets on that side, then finishing on the left. 22.74 seconds, 16 Alphas, 5 Charlies… and two no-shoots I literally just clipped on the outer edges with both rounds not even breaking the outermost perforated Delta zone edge.

Sad times; I managed to drill out the A-hole right next to one of them, but again I shouldn’t play it so risky on such long shots! Nonetheless I was exceptionally happy with my performance, no failures to engage or neutralise this time, and a much smoother experience overall. The increased practise and longer break since our last competition seem to have helped a lot.

TEA AND MEDALS!

With all that done we broke down the stages and tidied up as the ROs processed the final scores ready for the presentation. Clarence Lai and his wife Katherine had also decided to come along and get involved with the local community once again, having just visited the grand opening of VFC’s new IDPA shooting club at their Pentagon Service Centre just down the road in Xinzhuang, a few MRT stops South.

Clarence was introducing himself and some of his latest products and efforts, as well as raffling off an array of his custom springs, feed lips, new APlus collaboration hop rubbers and even one each of his gun stands and standard division test boxes. I’d also like to thank Clarence for letting me try out some of

“CLARENCE LAI AND HIS WIFE KATHERINE HAD ALSO DECIDED TO COME ALONG AND GET INVOLVED WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY ONCE AGAIN, HAVING JUST VISITED THE GRAND OPENING OF VFC’S NEW IDPA SHOOTING CLUB AT THEIR PENTAGON SERVICE CENTRE JUST DOWN THE ROAD IN XINZHUANG, A FEW MRT STOPS SOUTH.” 78

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his products in my Shadow 2, which no doubt helped me along recently and I look forward to seeing and testing more of his components soon!

So, the results! There were presentations for the stages done on the day, as well as one for overall results from the year’s shooting centre cup; there were originally intended to be three aggregated competitions, but in the end only two could be held.

For the day’s stages, the Open Division had seven competitors, with Bear Jan (leader of team Spring Rain) taking first place, and well deserved judging by

his burn downs on some of the stages. Jacky Hou of Team Yamars took second and our own Rex Chen of SPPT took third. Standard Division had five shooters, with Cai YuQi of Team Yamars taking first place, Lai YuChen of Spring Rain taking second and our own Dan DingXuan of SPPT taking third.

And for the production division, I managed to climb two places! Out of another round of eight shooters I suddenly placed second overall, beaten to the punch

by Zhou Tingyu of Team Yamars, and followed very closely in third by Huang TianYu, also of Team Yamars.

Much to my surprise, I assure you, judging by the level of play from everyone I was a little shocked I had set myself that far ahead.

Overall for the year; Production Division third place was taken by Jack Pu of Spring Rain, I once again took 2nd place overall, and was once again beaten to first

by Zhou TingYu of Team Yamars. For the Standard Division, Dan DingXuan of SPPT once again took third, Lai YuChen of Spring Rain took second, and Cai YuQi of Team Yamars took first place, in the open division our own Rex Chen took third place, Jacky Hou of Team Yamars took second, and again Bear Jan of Spring Rain took first place.

Everyone as usual showed excellent sportsmanship and support for each other, and particularly me, always being welcoming despite the continuing language barriers at some times but we’re all working on that, and other more far reaching plans! I’d like to once again thank the RO’s for doing a sterling job, and all the competitors for turning out and really raising the bar. Now I have to fight even harder, it seems! Congratulations once again to everyone who took part and excelled! AA

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KIT & GEAR THE UK TARGET SHOOTING SHOW

THANKFULLY, WITH SOME OF THE RESTRICTIONS HAVING BEEN LIFTED IN THE UK AT THE TIME OF WRITING, WE ARE FINALLY ABLE TO GET OUT AND ABOUT TO SHOWS AGAIN, AND LAST MONTH ON 20-21 NOVEMBER BOYCIE HEADED OUT TO THE UK TARGET SHOOTING SHOW AT STONELEIGH TO MEET UP WITH OLD FRIENDS AND CHECK OUT WHAT WAS NEW AND IMPROVED!

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t feels like it’s been such a long time since I’ve been able to attend a shooting show and the Target Shooting Show was a welcome return to being able to get out and mix. This year the show was sponsored by The National Rifle Association (NRA), T2, Shield Sights and The UK Practical Shooting Association (UKPSA). As has become the way through Covid times, tickets were bought online for myself, Richard (a work colleague) and Brian, my brother from another mother who I have known for about 35 years when we both started competing in UKPSA/IPSC Practical Shooting.

I had originally gone to be able to have a look, in person, at the firearms and accessories that I’ve been restricted to doing online since the Covid pandemic struck. With an impressive 53 exhibitors, my plan was to start with a walk around the outer 24 stands then look around the remaining 29 that were in the

centre of the exhibition hall. I spent the first couple of hours walking around and spotting people who I have known for around 30 years and had competed alongside over the years. A pair of very familiar faces were staffing the National Target Shotgun Association; Vanessa and Andy Duffy are veterans of many forms of practical shooting and long-time members of the UKPSA. We were reminiscing about “the good old days” and I was just about to mention a guy who I remembered well from many competitions by the name of Andy Haines, and before I could mention his name he had appeared at my shoulder. Andy was representing his business at the show with Master Class Custom Guns.

Next to the NTSA stand was a display of steel reactive targets from Practical Targets. These ranged from small round steel “fall when hit” targets right up to the familiar “pepper poppers” which are still being

“IN THE FIRST CORNER WAS A VERY FAMILIAR SIGHT OF OUR GOOD FRIENDS WITH THE ATTACK SENSE SMART TARGETS AND RANGE FOR VISITORS TO TRY THE SYSTEM FOR THEMSELVES. AS THE QUEUE WAS ABOUT FIVE DEEP ACROSS THE FRONT OF THEIR STAND I DECIDED TO GO BACK TO SEE THEM LATER IN THE DAY” 80

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used in various competitions from shotgun to rifle.

The neighbouring stand was Calibre Innovations and they were showing a number of rifles made by them.

In the first corner was a very familiar sight of our good friends with the AttackSense Smart Targets and range for visitors to try the system for themselves. As the queue was about five deep across the front of their stand I decided to go back to see them later in the day. Next door to AttackSense was pair of Action Air stages which had been set up for visitors to try their hand at. Each time I passed their stand during the day I was seeing some really good hit factors appearing on the board. As I was only able to attend for the Saturday, I am sure some of those who attempted the stages on the Sunday would have also turned in some impressive scores.

By the doors was the large stand of iWholesales preaching the word of airsoft! While I was there, the stand was 2-3 deep in people looking at the replicas on show and James of Bespoke Airsoft was constantly operating the card machine as the sales kept on coming.

It was also great to be able to spend some time talking with the other

James about some new models just out and others which are ‘coming soon’. iWholesales are “Big Friends” of Airsoft Action, so if you’d like to know more about some of those coming soon models then keep your eye out over the coming months.

East Midlands Ranges (EMRR) was next and the chance to have a really close look at the CMMG Resolute 100, Mk4 in .22LR. Having built my own replica of a CMMG, featured in in the magazine, Issue 125 (available to read in Back Issues via the website and other platforms) it was really nice to check the build quality, fit and finish of the real thing. For the price, coming in at UK£1200 it is a real contender in its price bracket.

Next stall after EMRR to visit was the Steel Target Company, manufacturers of high quality steel targets for all aspects of shooting sports. The product that they make that was of the most interest to me was the Mini IPSC Gong, coming in at UK£28 and made from Hardox steel this could be finding its way into my kit for competitions to come. Bill and The Airsoft Action Red Cell have been using a similar aluminium

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type plate as a practice target for when we test various airsoft RIFs, supplied by my good self, and The Cell’s Jon Mills is also using the Gong as part of his practice for the upcoming Practical Airsoft Multi Gun (PAMG) development.

Moving further round the hall the impressive Vortex stand was really interesting. I’ve been a long time fan of Vortex Optics and between myself and my colleague Richard we own SPARC ARII, Venom and Strike Eagle units, and there are some interesting new products coming from Vortex, more on this soon… promise! Simpson Brothers and Aim Field Sports were next. I’m afraid to say I soon breezed past them on the first pass as the Great Britain Precision Rifle Association (GBPRA) really grabbed my interest. Being an avid watcher of Precision Rifle videos on YouTube it was great to see that it’s a sport that is really active and popular in the UK. I spent a good 20 minutes, alongside Brian, finding out all about the GBPRA. Also finding out that the pinnacle of the sport is being able to take part, if you qualify, in the Bi-Annual IPRF World Championships!

PASTY UP, GOOD TO GO!

After a much needed coffee and pasty in the site coffee shop we went back to the Exhibition Hall to carry on with our wander around the other stands.

Next was the second reason I wanted to visit the show and this was the Westlake Engineering stand and to meet the man himself behind the muzzle loading revolvers, Mr Alan Westlake. Alan brings in components of unfinished revolvers, modifies some parts and manufactures the muzzle loading cylinders.

This then makes them legal Section 1 ‘Muzzle Loading’ firearms. A really clever way to let shooters have a feel of what it was like to shoot revolvers back prior to 1997, which would now be Section 5 Firearms… of course we get to do this in 6mm form but it’s great to see “real steel” examples too.

Next stop was the huge expanse of a stand of Firing Solutions. FS supply everything from a breech flag, through a mass of target options, reloading components and ammunition all the way up to firearms, including the new Sheild KMR S 01 Long Barrelled Pistol (LBP) in .22LR, based on the brilliant CZ Shadow; although not the cheapest LBP available, the feel and handling was very similar to the Tangfoglio DVC pistol I owned back in the 1990’s. I think I’m going to find it very hard not to have one of these in my collection in the coming years, and we MAY know a man that knows a thing or two about the Shadow...

My foray into the centre of the hall started with a stop at Shellhouse Bullets as I was on the lookout for some 148gn Wad Cutters for my “real steel” work. It was great to speak with Donald and Macauley Locke who make these bullets and find out a bit about them. They also took the time to show me some really fantastic copper swaged bullets which are made by their friend at MME Custom Bullets. Sharing the same space as Shellhouse Bullets was A&A Gunsmiths. The owner of A&A is Alan Vickers who I used to compete alongside on a regular basis at Lincolnshire Shooting Centre back in the 90’s. Alan now is a specialist in Cowboy Action Shooting, supplying revolvers, shotguns and underlever rifles used in the discipline.

GETTING DOWN TO IT

Next door to A&A was The Tunnel Ranges and T2 stand. Now this was one of the primary reasons I wanted to go to the show, as they are one of the only sellers of .22 WMR Semi Auto AR style rifles.

The T2 is made in house from billet aluminium and I was given the opportunity to handle the rifle. Having an engineering background I was really impressed with the fit of the receiver; you’d need a mighty fine feeler gauge to find how much gap there is between 82

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the upper and lower! I was told that the parts are machined to a 3 thou tolerance to allow for the 1.5 thou layer of Cerakote that the rifles are finished in.

Also in the coming months T2 will be releasing their own magazine which will allow the operation of the bolt hold open function, which can be really important for those wanting the functions of centrefire AR platforms.

Behind T2 was John Mason, Managing Director of Hammer Pair Performance Ltd which had the Mantis X3 training tool mounted on a CO2 SIG replica. The Mantis was linked to both a tablet and a larger screen and allows you to practice the handling and dry firing of any platform that you can fit it to. This is all achieved by the micro accelerometers which analyse many facets of your weapon handling and display on your mobile phone or tablet. I have to say I’ve been using the Mantis now for a number of years and find it really handy both for practice, airsoft and also live fire analysis. Of course it was obligatory for Richard, Brian and myself to have a challenge to see who could get the best score. My colleague Richard was that impressed with the Mantis system that he wanted to try my unit at work the next day, and I am sure that both he and others at the range will be buying one to use in the near future.

After some 6 hours of wandering, pondering and chatting to a large number of people it was time to make our way home. There was a lot to see and I felt I had run out of time to talk to everyone I had wanted to. If work had allowed I would have visited on the second day as well. I’m looking forward to next year and seeing what further innovations and products are on show.

In the days after the show closed we caught up with event organiser, Mike Darby, and asked him for his personal thoughts. This is what he told us (and thanks also to Mike for the photos): “I am very pleased that the Target Shooting Show got to go ahead in 2021 after the chaos Covid has caused events over the last 20 months in the UK. The show had an excellent turnout of exhibitors and attendees and it shows how much we want to get back to normal and start attending gun shows and events again.

Sadly the new variant may still play a part in shows and events in 2022 but hopefully the main impact is now behind us and we can continue as normal!

The Target Shooting Show partners and sponsors were the new T2 AR15 rifles from The Tunnel Target Sports Centre, The United Kingdom Practical Shooting Association, Shield Sights, a world leading UK red dot gunsight manufacturer and the National Small Bore

Rifle Association.

We had a number of companies launch new and exciting guns and products at the show. Notably the T2 AR15 UK manufactured in .22WinMag and .223, the New Reflex Mini Sight X (RmsX) from Shield Sights and numerous other new developments.

Regarding the world of Airsoft we had iWholesales the large UK airsoft distributor at the show and Bespoke Airsoft retailing their brands. Alongside that we had an Action Air practical range for punters to try their best against the UKs top dynamic shooters and AttackSense again showed off their fantastic airsoft electronic target systems for people to try out and for clubs to buy….. personally I would have spent hours over the weekend just doing these activities if I didn’t have a show to run!

In 2022 we plan to again have the Target Shooting Show at NAEC Stoneleigh, Coventry in November but also a brand new UK show at Bisley in Surrey, the home of UK shooting sports in August called the ‘National Shooting Show - Bisley’. Again this new show will encompass all shooting styles and types and airsoft will again play a big and significant part in the event with airsoft retailers and airsoft ranges for attendees to take part in and discover the exciting world of airsoft shooting - we hope to see you there!”

AA

www.airsoftaction.net

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FEATURE SLINGS

SLING YER HOOK! “THIS MONTH’S MISSIVE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY BAGELS, CHEESE AND MARMALADE!” ACTUALLY IT’S BROUGHT TO YOU BY FRENCHIE WHO TOLD US THAT HE IS POWERED BY THE DELICACIES ABOVE, FOCUSSING HIS MIND ON THE MANY YEARS HE’S BEEN AROUND AIRSOFT! THIS MONTH HE TURNS THAT FOCUS TO SOMETHING WE ALL NEED AND USE, SLINGS!

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irsoft is a great pastime for teaching you new skills; tactical skills, co-operation, camouflage and convincing yourself that you’re having fun when you are p*ss-wet through and it’s blowing a gale. I’m going to add an additional skill to this short list - sewing. Yup, good old needle and thread skills.

If you don’t have them, learn them. You don’t need anything fancy but the ability to securely fasten bits of material together is a bit of a godsend.

To understand why I think this is the case, it’ll help if I tell you I was thinking about writing about slings this month. Now whether or not I can do so for the necessary number of words remains to be seen, but what’s life without a challenge? Being willing to rip things apart and rework them to suit your RIFs and your playing style is more than just handy, it can make a real difference to how well any given RIF works for you.

When I started playing, I didn’t really care too much about slings, in truth I struggle to remember what if anything I actually used. There is also a strong argument for always having your “long” in your hands, and if you do that, who needs a sling, right? I also suspect that the variety of slings was a deal more limited than it is today and the quality leaned towards the amateur end of the scale. There were also good reasons not to sling some of the earlier airsoft guns; Marui M16s were notable for their flexibility at the barrel/receiver joint and stressing this with a sling could be a very expensive mistake. I do however have distinct memories of taking a standard three-point sling, most likely a Viper or some such, and ripping 84

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it to bits to create a sling for my very first F1 Famas.

Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the F1, it has excellent fixed sling loops at the butt, and nothing at all at the front end. Actually, that isn’t quite true.

There is a very proprietary connection on the bipod hinge to which the real sling attaches, but I don’t think anyone I played with at the time had even seen a real FAMAS sling. (As an aside, just before I left airsoft retail, I was given a genuine FAMAS sling by a friend. Foolishly, in an act of misguided kindness, I lent it to a young player with a FAMAS, and reminded them to return it. They never did, and so if you’re out there and happen to read this: Bast*rd!).

Back to the past; my solution was to unpick large chunks of the stock sling and create an attachment point which went around the front of the FAMAS’s distinctive handle. This involved a degree of sewing and the result was rock solid and served me well through a number of these guns. My own stitching skills never stretched to major alterations to clothing of tactical gear and I can’t use a sewing machine. I wish I could, I could probably have had a nice sideline in customising gear for players. As it was a lot of my needle time was directed to making slings more useful.

THE CIRCLE OF SLINGS

Just like most players over a period of airsofting I have worked my way through the various stages of sling: The awful one that came in the box; the marginally better one I bought online, my first three-point sling, a good three point sling, a single point sling, many

FEATURE SLINGS

much better single point slings and finally towards the end of my playing days, a simple two-point sling. Sort of a circle of slings I suppose.

Of those, my favourites were the single and the two-point varieties. I don’t mind three point slings but the only one I truly like, and own, is the L85 issue sling. I used that a lot on Benelli shotguns and a few other things and it works exactly as it should, but I came to feel that as a style it was awkward as you were essentially strapped inside it.

Single point slings were an eye opener as a result, simple in construction and simple to use. It was also the first time I had used a sling where I had the confidence to just let go of the gun, knowing that if I had adjusted it properly, no harm would arise. I can’t remember if I went truly minimal and used only a short strap attached to a MOLLE vest, but I might have, and I also don’t think I did the ‘round the neck’ or threaded through the vest so that it hung centrally.

Ultimately there were a couple of factors that dragged me away from single points although I still had at least one Magpul in my collection right up until the end.

Firstly, the single point sling works best with an AR15 platform. Simply swap out the end cap if necessary for one with a loop and away you go.

Which is great if you use ARs. I generally didn’t.

Putting a single point sling on an AUG or a P90 is a bit trickier. The P90 was resolved by the fabrication of an end strap which went round the butt and had an attachment loop. The AUG was never resolved to my satisfaction. Secondly, the fact is, unless the rifle is already short, it’s quite difficult to have a single point of suspension right at the butt without the danger of the muzzle dragging in the dirt. For the record, I’m not short so it isn’t simply a height thing; in order to work properly single point slings need a bit of slack or you can’t shoulder the gun.

A further minor issue was that when I released the rifle, it would generally hang by my right side.

Since releasing it generally meant I was going to my sidearm and I’m right handed, this was a bit of a nuisance.

any rifle, even if I still had to make up attachment points or tweak the design depending on the gun in use.

Once I started doing this, I didn’t go back. This basic sling would handle anything from my PKM down to an MP5 or UMP. It was simple, functional and comfortable. I think the only concession to anything was a quick-release buckle at the muzzle end which in theory made it easy to disentangle me from my gun should the need ever arise. It even had a kind of casual cool about - at least I thought so!

So, in answer to my own question - yes I can write sufficient words about slings. The only advice I would offer regarding them is quality does make a difference; a Magpul or SpecOps sling is far better made and more functional than a £10 three-point sling, and finally, if you think it can be made to work better for you, learn some basic stitching and do it, regardless of how expensive the sling was. Getting it right can make a real difference to how you play and how easily you can use your rifle, whereas fighting a sling is nothing but unnecessary grief.

(Thanks to SpecOps and Magpul Brands for a couple of the images. I used their gear a lot and still swear by it).AA

TWO POINTS OF CONTACT

The solution I finally arrived at was to use a long, two point sling. As I said I shot off my right shoulder so the sling went under my left arm and over my right. I could run it fairly slack without any danger of grounding the gun and when released it dropped across my chest or even round to the left, clearing my right hand side completely. It’s length made putting it on and taking it off easy and I just found that it worked for me. I could apply the basic principle to www.airsoftaction.net

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KIT & GEAR SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP!!

AFTER OUR LOOK LAST MONTH AT NEW AND IMPROVED BAD WEATHER GEAR, THIS MONTH WE’RE BACK TO USUAL WITH A QUICK ROUND-UP OF THE NEW LOVELINESS THAT HAS CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION THIS MONTH, AND AS CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST WITH US WE DECIDED TO THROW IN A FEW POTENTIAL “LAST MINUTE” GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR FAVOURITE AIRSOFT FRIENDS TOO!

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kay, a big one to start the ball rolling and if you haven’t already got caught up in the fanfare surrounding the latest release in the SIG AIR lineup, then batten down the hatches! You could say that the excitement level is high for certain members of the AA crew given that RedWolf have now advised that the SIG AIR MPX is now available from pre-order!

The MPX as we know it was released in 2015 and is a gas-operated SMG designed and manufactured by SIG Sauer and it’s primarily chambered in 9mm. The MPX is a modern take on the SMG platform and takes inspiration from the AR15 / M4 platform as its controls and operation is laid out similarly. Among the current crop of “PCCs” this is most definitely a model that’s going to tick all the boxes for many players, us included!

RedWolf tell us that...

“The MPX from SIG AIR has been a highly anticipated airsoft gun that many players around the world have been waiting for, ever since SIG announced that they will be entering the airsoft market. This airsoft version is 1:1 scale and features all the same controls, operations, and markings as the real steel counterpart.

“Externally the AEG has a solid build quality and it looks as if it’s a scaled-down version of the MCX. It features a 14mm CCW threaded outer barrel, foldable

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and telescoping stock, and rear picatinny rails for the mounting of other compatible stocks. Interesting note, you can interchange the stocks between the MCX and MPX as in the real steel world, that’d how they are marketed! If you are a user living in a country where you have access to real steel accessories, they will also plug and play with the MPX, exactly like they do with the MCX. “Internally the MPX features a version 2.1 gearbox, same as the one found inside the MCX. Its battery is wired to the front of the gun and its inner barrel is 168mm long.”

We can also see that the feature set is solid: • New SMG Design by SIG • M-LOK Rail • Ambidextrous Controls • Semi-Translucent 100 BB Magazine with Dummy Rounds • Foldable Telescoping Stock • Rear Picatinny Rail for Easy Stock Change • Front Battery Wiring • Uses Version 2.1 Gearbox (Same as MCX) • Outer Barrel Threaded 14mm CCW • Flared Magwell for Smoother, Faster Reloads All in all this looks to be a solid addition to the SIG

KIT & GEAR SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

AIR AEG line, and our run-up to Christmas just gets better and better as one has just landed with Boycie for test and evaluation! It certainly looks marvellous, but as is our way we’re not going to simply jump up and say “wow! This is fabulous!” but instead give it a proper hammering on the range before we comment fully; like you, we like to check out what a new AEG is really capable of before we flap our gums!

Pistols… one that we’ve also known about for some time but is now in store is the new RAVEN PRO 3.8 Hi Capa! One particular member of the AA crew has been going on and on… and ON about this latest addition to what is already a solid lineup, and now it’s with us we can understand why.

Following the release of the 4.3 & 5.1 standard HiCapa models, as well as the long barrelled, split-slide 7.0 Dragon, RAVEN have now released their compact version of the Hi-Capa range, and you can expect a snappy action and excellent gas efficiency on these shorter 3.8 models!

The reduced slide travel distance as well as the resulting weight reduction should give the RAVEN HiCapa PROs a fast cycle rate as well as rewarding kick, and the combination of the Hi-Capa’s standard, large gas reservoir with the shortened slide should help to maintain performance in colder conditions making the 3.8 a top-class performer, throughout the seasons.

The no-nonsense, clean-cut look of RAVEN HiCapas are a world away from a lot of other Airsoft brand offerings and are favoured by those looking for a more refined Hi-Capa; the smooth clean slides hide a 6.03 mm inner barrel and the finely stippled grip holds a

double stacked 23BB magazine within, with plenty of room in the gas reservoir for multiple reloads! All on all these look thoroughly righteous, and once again we’ve already got the standard and BDS models “in house” for our Christmas range day!

While we were checking out the new Double Bell AEGs that feature in Jimmy’s review this month, we also saw that they’ve pulled from the D-Boys range to include the K-55 GP-25 Grenade Launcher! This has proved a difficult beast to find in the recent

past, so we’re really pleased to see it more available, and the OPFORists amongst the team

are rejoicing with some fine sausage, black bread and a few shots of Stoli… okay, not really but they’re certainly very happy! The K-55 is fully compatible (and will look GREAT on) with most standard length AK airsoft models, and benefits from a sturdy, full metal body. There’s also a high density polymer grip, and adjustable sighting system, and it even comes readyto-rock with a VOG-25-style shell included!

Onto clothing and gear, and one jacket model that was too late to feature last month is now fully available! Made of a lightweight and breathable fabric, the Monlite Jacket from Pentagon comes with a high collar with chin guard, a three-point adjustable hood and a full front YKK zipper with a glove-friendly pull. The jacket feature two large, zipped hand pockets with mesh lining and two internal sleeve pockets for documents, keys, or other personal belongings.

TPU laminated membrane with a waterproof rating of 8000mm/24h and breathability 5000g/m²/24h make the jacket suitable for rainy, windy, and stormy weather conditions, while the underarm ventilation zippers offer optimal comfort and temperature management. Ideal for adventure expeditions and everyday outdoor use, the Pentagon Monlite Jacket provides superior protection against moisture and bad weather while remaining highly functional and www.airsoftaction.net

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comfortable. Perfect for airsoft, rangework and everyday wear this is a real all-rounder!

Features include: • High collar with chin guard • Three-point adjustable hood • Full front YKK zipper with a glove-friendly pull • Two large, zipped hand pockets with mesh lining • Two sizeable internal sleeve pockets • Hook-and-loop adjustable wrists • Bottom hem adjustable with cord locks • Underarm ventilation openings with two-way zippers • Hanging loop • Three-layer rubber taped water-sealed seams • Inner Storm Flap protection • DWR coating grade 4 We’re also pleased to see that our friends at Military1st have just received a bunch of packs from one of our favourite packs brands, WISPORT, and not only that but they have them in an unusal pattern, A-TACS GHOST! Amongst the range on offer is the SPARROW 20 II pack, which we’ve tried and tested and found to be excellent!

The main advantage of the Sparrow 20 II are ergonomically shaped shoulder straps with a quickrelease chest strap, two spacious independent chambers secured with durable Wisport branded zippers and multiple MOLLE attachments points.

Multiple quick-release buckles allow the backpack to be quickly dropped when required, and the front and side compression straps allow for the pack to be adapted to the size of carried kit and prevent it from shifting inside the bag. The front of the pack and side panels have multiple MOLLE strap attachments points, which allow for mounting of various MOLLE accessories ; thanks to this the overall capacity of the rucksack may be significantly greater than nominal

20 litres, and makes the prefect patrol pack or even overnighter if you pack minimalistically!

Okay, time for those Christmas ideas! We always like to give something small and fun to one another in the office, and let’s face it a good bag o’ BBs goes a long way; this year we’ve been impressed with the new weights from VORSK, so some of those are in the mix, and having now had hands-on some of the new BUSHIDO BBs direct from Clarence these also get our thumbs up!

A great little gift for anyone using gas platforms is Magload MAG-LUBE; we were introduced to this by Tim at iWholesales and we’ve all been using it on our gas platforms with great results! MAG-LUBE is a high

performance, premium gun oil with the lubricating properties of grease but the consistency of oil, and is designed for the demanding conditions of practical shooting with high round counts and extreme temperature conditions! It maintains extremely high levels of lubricity under all conditions, and even when frozen to the point where the consistency drops and becomes thick it retains its exceptionally low stiction and high lubrication qualities. Running a gasser in the winter months? You and your friends 100% need some of this!

Simple and cheap, a good neck gaiter (snood) is worth its weight in gold at this time of the year, and our friends at VIPER have a whole range of colours to choose from for very few bucks! Liner gloves are also a great small gift for those chilly Safe Zone moments, and our recommendation here is to search for some “Thinnys” from outdoor brand Extremities; these are absolutely amazing, super-light gloves that have saved our fingers from freezing on many a range day and are 100% recommended!

So, that’s us for 2021, and we hope that all of you have a wonderful Christmas and all the very best for 2022! We’ll be on the range over the holidays with those new models, so join us again in January for the results. AA www.airsoftaction.net

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last post AIRSOFT, BREXIT AND...

AIRSOFT, BREXIT AND THE ELUSIVE CONTAINER...

WHEN YOU START A PIECE BY RESEARCHING SUPPLY CHAIN LOGISTICS, VALUE ADDED TAX AND THE EFFECT OF COVID WORLDWIDE, YOU JUST KNOW YOU’RE IN FOR AN ABSOLUTE ROLLERCOASTER OF A RIDE AS FRENCHIE DISCOVERED...

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kay, sort of, but I had reason recently to spend some time chatting with the manager of one of the UK’s major airsoft retailers and it was something of a tale of woe. That got me thinking, and thinking got me reading and that all got me writing, so here we are.

I doubt that any of you haven’t remarked on empty supermarket shelves or rising prices. To understand why this is the case involves both Brexit and Covid, a perfect storm for the UK, and not a whole lot of fun for anyone else frankly. The upshot is, as it was told to me, anyone who is waiting for a ‘reset’, when all will be as it was before this all kicked off, is probably on a hiding to nothing. The world has changed, certainly for the foreseeable future and choices within airsoft are likely to shrink, while prices creep upwards.

According to the conversation I had, there are two causes of this; firstly the massively increased cost of shipping freight around the world, and secondly changes to customs regulations in the UK as a result of Brexit and our withdrawal from the EU. Shipping first. I doubt anyone hasn’t heard either first hand or via the media that the cost and availability of shipping has increased massively. This

increased cost has to some extent been swallowed by importers but that isn’t a state of affairs that can persist and we should expect to see it reflected in the prices we pay sooner rather than later. The worldwide pandemic has been responsible for this; as the production of goods was affected by lockdowns so was the process of shipping those goods. When shipping was possible, the goods themselves were delayed, or ships weren’t available to transport them.

Possibly they left as scheduled, but found themselves unable to dock at their intended destination because of Covid measures there, requiring rerouting, rescheduling, delays and the additional costs involved in getting them to their ultimate destination. This also

“I DOUBT ANYONE HASN’T HEARD EITHER FIRST HAND OR VIA THE MEDIA THAT THE COST AND AVAILABILITY OF SHIPPING HAS INCREASED MASSIVELY. THIS INCREASED COST HAS TO SOME EXTENT BEEN SWALLOWED BY IMPORTERS BUT THAT ISN’T A STATE OF AFFAIRS THAT CAN PERSIST AND WE SHOULD EXPECT TO SEE IT REFLECTED IN THE PRICES WE PAY SOONER RATHER THAN LATER” 90

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LAST POST AIRSOFT, BREXIT AND...

meant that ships, having finally discharged their cargo, were in the wrong port and empty, leading to further delays, rescheduling etc. It was, and is, an absolute nightmare.

If you run just-in-time supply chains I wonder how on earth you have managed to sleep for the past eighteen months; hitting yourself with a mallet would probably have been so much more fun.

The effect on airsoft retailers has been profound.

Pretty much everything they sell comes from abroad, mostly from the Far East. That means everything has to be shipped to the UK and costs have skyrocketed.

Even obtaining goods from European suppliers costs far more than it did a year or so back. I heard of one instance where a shipment that would usually be palletised was sent as a consignment of individual cases. Given that it must have cost an arm and a leg to do that, you get an idea of how difficult and costly moving pallets currently is.

To my knowledge, no UK retailers made substantial profits from exporting goods, but all those who I have dealt with over the years did steady business beyond the UK. I was told that a major shipping company was now charging a flat rate of £95.00 GBP to ship anything overseas, regardless of size or weight. That is prohibitively expensive and accordingly companies will simply stop offering the service. No one is going to pay that, and any attempt by the seller to absorb some of that cost will destroy their already slender profits on these sales.

For the same reason some have withdrawn entirely from Amazon as a sales platform as it has become impossible to meet the service standards, particularly for international sales, dictated by them. While not a place for selling airsoft guns, there was always a market for accessories and tactical kit. No longer.

Although unlikely to be a deal-breaker for established retailers, all of this reduces their potential market and makes them even more reliant upon the UK alone.

The pandemic has impacted retailers ability to both import in a timely manner and to economically export, how has Brexit affected them? In a word, Customs.

When the UK quit the EU, it became necessary to pay UK VAT on goods entering the UK. If you are a small European company the chances are that you’ll simply say the German equivalent of “****

that for a game of soldiers” and concentrate on your existing tarifffree trade with the rest of Europe.

And so it has proved. Even much bigger companies with experience of shipping their goods around the world stuttered a bit at first although I’m told that their systems soon got to grips with the new world order. For importers, the easiest way to deal with this is to use the services of a freight forwarding company who will handle the administration and send you a nice invoice for the VAT due to the exchequer. This way the supplier or importer doesn’t need to find several thousand pounds up front, but as a solution there are probably limits on just how many suppliers airsoft companies can or will support this way. If you’d like to know more about the changes affecting VAT, you can have a read here (hint-spare yourself!).

On top of that there seems to be greater attention being paid to what is crossing British borders. This should be a good thing, but that assumes that the Borders Agency staff are all up to date with what is and isn’t permissible. Sadly, they aren’t and I have heard tales of shipments which have yoyo’d back and forwards between the UK and the supplier. At best this causes delays and costs to the importer as goods are normally paid for up front so being able to sell them and recoup those costs is slightly important, at worst the goods never arrive leaving suppliers short of stock and having to work to recover the payment they made in the first place.

The cumulative effect of all this is greater costs, more bureaucracy and increased uncertainty when ordering from overseas, not something that airsoft retailers have a choice about given that there is no manufacturing based here in the UK. Players should expect prices to rise, and while there is an expectation that freight costs will probably slide back, the estimates as to when this might happen I found when researching this piece suggest it will be years rather than months.

Airsoft is hardly unique in all of this unfortunately, as mentioned above, the media has been full of “empty shelves are here to stay” stories. In a spirit of optimism I’ll posit that things will settle eventually and improve across the board, but we could be in for some years of increased costs and reduced choice. AA

“THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF ALL THIS IS GREATER COSTS, MORE BUREAUCRACY AND INCREASED UNCERTAINTY WHEN ORDERING FROM OVERSEAS, NOT SOMETHING THAT AIRSOFT RETAILERS HAVE A CHOICE ABOUT GIVEN THAT THERE IS NO MANUFACTURING BASED HERE IN THE UK.”

www.airsoftaction.net

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