Issue 13 - Sep 2012 by Airsoft Action

ACTION

THE Airsoft Magazine

HUGE

CAMO COMPETI T COMING T ION CLOSE – E O A NTER NOW!

TAG AIRSOFT AIRSOFILOSOPHY UMAREX WITH ARCLIGHT HK417

LAND WARRIOR SKIRMISHING

Redwolf mogul Arclight on what airsoft really means

Airsoft Action ﬁnally visits Land Warrior's skirmish site

Inside: full review of the hotly-anticipated HK417

International airsoft ❱ filmsim: namsoft ❱ interview: alex ko ❱ inside tlsfx

SEPTEMBER 2012 - £4.25

HELI INSERTION

September 2012

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CONTENTS AIRSOFT ACTION - SEPTEMBER 2012

Editor: Nigel Streeter Assistant editor: Anthony Platt Graphic Design: Steve Dawson, Lynne Stephens Art director: Chris Sweeney Ad design: Anna Makwana Advertising: Toni Cole Operations director: James Folkard Assistant publisher: Ruth Burgess Publisher: Wesley Stanton

Full UK 12-issue subscription rate: £59.40 For overseas prices visit: www.airsoftactionmagazine.com

READERS’ GALLERY YOUR CHANCE TO GET YOUR FACE IN THE MAGAZINE

AIRSOFT NEWS UK AIRSOFT SHOW, ICS M1 GARAND AND MORE

RIFLE REVIEW: HK417 THE UMAREX HK417 HAS ARRIVED! SCOTT ALLAN HAS THE DETAILS

COMPETITION YOUR CHANCE TO ENTER OUR HUGE CAMO COMP

TAG AIRSOFT NIGE STREETER HAS HIS HEAD IN THE CLOUDS AT TAG WOODS

SKLLS ROOM BILLY BASICS EXPLAINS WHAT BEING ‘SWITCHED ON’ MEANS

ARCLIGHT REDWOLF VETERAN ARCLIGHT JOINS THE AA PANEL AND ASKS: WHAT IS IT WE DO?

Blaze Publishing, Lawrence House, Morrell Street Leamington Spa.Warwickshire. CV32 5SZ Tel: 01926 339808 Fax: 01926 470400 E: info@blazepublishing.co.uk W: www.blazepublishing.co.uk © Blaze Publishing Limited, 2012 Distribution: Distributed to the newstrade by Comag Magazine Marketing, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE T: 01895 433 800 Copyright © Blaze Publishing Limited 2012. 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 publishers in writing. The opinions of the writers do not necessarily reﬂect those of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to print.

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW SCOTT ALLAN TALKS TO ALEX KO, THE FACE OF MAGPUL PTS

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YOUNG GUNS JEZZ B TALKS TACTICS FILMSIM: VIETNAM UNSURE ABOUT ‘NAMSOFT’? MARTIN SOLE EXPLAINS

LAND WARRIOR SKIRMISHING NIGE HEADS NORTH TO VISIT THE LANDWARRIOR SKIRMISH SITE (AND BATTLE MIDGES)

BIG BOYZ TOYZ WITH RATTY AT WAR AND PEACE, THIS MONTH SIMON C TALKS MACHINES

REVIEW: M15A4 CARBINE MATTY P’S FOUND HIS IDEAL FIRST WEAPON IN ASG’S NEW M15A4 (SIX MONTHS TOO LATE)

COLD WAR WARRIORS GADGE RECREATES A 1980’S MUJAHIDEEN WARRIOR

PRO-TACT ANDY N ON HOW TRAINING CAN IMPROVE GAMEPLAY

THE REAL .50CAL DAN MILLS RETURNS – AND THIS TIME HE MEANS BUSINESS!

EVENT: BLACK GOLD GADGE DONS HIS RUSKIE KIT AND EVIL MOUSTACHE IN GUNMAN’S FILMSIM EPIC

AIRSOFT ABROAD CHARLES DUVAL TELLS US WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW TO PLAY AIRSOFT IN BELGIUM

MEDIA REVIEW ALEX WHARTON’S FEELING NOSTALGIC AS HE GETS STUCK INTO MAX PAYNE 3

SKLLS ROOM ANDY NIGHTINGALE’S BEEN BUSY THIS MONTH!

INSIDE AIRSOFT AIRSOFT ACTION VISITS TLSFX, WHERE EXPLOSIONS ARE EVERYDAY – LITERALLY

BOOK REVIEW: SNIPER ONE YOU’VE READ HIS ARTICLES – NOW READ DAN MILLS’ BOOK!

BOOK SHOP CURL UP ON THE SOFA WITH YOUR AK AND A GOOD BOOK!

SITE DIRECTORY FIND SOMEWHERE TO BE NEXT WEEKEND…

guess we were asking for trouble! The British Grand Prix at Silverstone… Tennis at Wimbledon… The ‘big sporting event’ going on in a city that we’re not allowed to name in case we get sued for breach of copyright (no, I can’t work that one out either!)… The weather was bound to be rubbish and, in that respect, it hasn’t disappointed! Hopefully by the time you read this, summer will have actually started and 2012’s events won’t be a complete washout. One event you might like to put in your diary for next year though, takes place over the weekend of 9-10 February 2013, at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire – The British Airsoft Show. Check out the news story on page 9 of this month’s edition for more information about the show. Sufﬁce to say there will be a hell of a lot going on, and as we understand several airsoft companies have expressed their interest in appearing. Airsoft Action was the only airsoft publication in the airsoft area at the last British Shooting Show, and we are delighted to be the media partner for the British Airsoft Show 2013. Another huge show is happening as I write – War and Peace. It is the annual gathering of the world’s largest display of military vehicles and takes place at The Hop Farm, in Paddock Wood, Kent. Unfortunately there isn’t enough time before we go to print but I am sure Ratty will have much to say about it in the next issue which, by the way, will be our ﬁrst birthday! Until then; play safe, play well, play fair! See you out there. Nige.

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Letter, idea or question? Got something to say? A question for our experts? Or an article, or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the assistant editor (anthonyp@blazepublishing. co.uk), send us a letter at the Blaze Publishing address on the previous page – or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

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READERS’ GALLERY Send your pics into anthonyp@blazepublishing.co.uk and see yourself in the mag – the more the merrier!

Richard Green sent in this picture of him at MAW – looking mean!

g hio team at MAW Another from Richard Green, showin

Airsoft team MISFITS sent in this picture of the team (and friends!) taken at Upper Heyford, July 2012

Gavin and Ben, look ing knackered after a day at Lincolnshire Airsof t Club

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September 2012

AIRSOFT | NEWS

AIRSOFT NEWS BRITISH AIRSOFT SHOW 2013 Next year will see the inaugural British Airsoft Show, held at Stoneleigh Park Exhibition Centre, Warwickshire, 9-10 February 2013. Running alongside the British Shooting Show, the Airsoft Show will be an event in its own right. Some 20,000-25,000 sq/ft of indoor space will be allocated to airsoft manufacturers, retailers, associations, clubs and demonstrations. The show will be heavily supported by Edgar Brothers and Stirling Airsoft. The Airsoft Show is expected to include: manufacturers and distributors trade stands; airsoft retailers for arms and accessories; airsoft clubs and gaming opportunities; organising bodies and associations with advice and information; gaming and tactical demonstrations in themed indoor/outdoor layouts; airsoft practical pistol demonstrations; opportunities for visitors to try gaming accompanied by experienced players; testing range, an opportunity for the public to try a range of arms on a dedicated multi-lane shooting range; screening of videos showing typical gaming scenarios from a selection of UK gaming locations; how to start airsofting – a speciﬁc information point with practical uncomplicated advice on simplest route to participation for newcomers. Last year’s British Shooting Show attracted 25,000 visitors, many of whom had not encountered airsoft previously. While this did lead to some confusion over sales of RIFs, it does mean airsoft as a sport reaches a wider audience. We will bring you more news as it’s announced. Anyone wishing to enquire about booking a stand should contact the show organisers on: 01472 241439. Visit the British Shooting Show website: www.theshootingshow.co.uk.

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ICS M1 GARAND: EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW Airsoft Action has been lucky enough to get hold of these photos of the forthcoming ICS M1 Garand. We can also announce that the replica will be available in both 6mm and 8mm versions, with the 6mm hitting the market first. While our source at ICS could not confirm an exact release date, we have been informed it is “in the assembly line. Quality control on the wooden stock is pretty extreme, though, and our research department is working on double-stake magazines, which I must stress are not yet confirmed.” One of the most hotly-anticipated weapons, ICS has been under pressure to release the replica this year. Rest assured we will bring you a review of what’s shaping up to be an exquisite rifle at the earliest opportunity. For more details, keep up to date with ICS on Facebook – www.facebook.com/ICSAirsoftGun – or visit the website at: www.icsbb.com.

BOOT FULL SUMMER Viper has launched its new Spec Ops Boots in Multicam pattern. These are the cheapest available in Multicam pattern, with a suggested retail price of £80. Watch out for a full review in our next issue – but we were so impressed we thought we’d introduce you now! Extremely lightweight – weighing in around 1,200g total – the boots feature Multicam nylon sides with double zips for ease of use. Given the skies have cleared over the last few days, we might be needing a pair of good lightweight boots – and hopefully waterprooﬁng won’t be such an issue!

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For those of a more traditional bent, Jack Pyke sent over details of the new Fieldman boot. Full-grain leather boots with a Vibram ‘trekker’ sole, these are built to withstand the rigours of the great outdoors. Waterproof, breathable and stylish – now to cam up that bright yellow Vibram logo… Available in brown only, they are set to retail at £110. Viper and Thatchreed both sell to trade only. Visit the websites – www.viperkit. co.uk or www.thatchreed.co.uk – or call them on 01234 740327 to ﬁnd your nearest stockist. Trade enquiries are also welcome.

SOCOM TACTICAL AIRSOFT OPENS OUTLET Online retailer Socom Tactical Airsoft will open its ﬁrst retail premises on 1 September 2012. The new 1,100 sq/ft airsoft shop is situated in Fleet, Hampshire GU52 7SD. Expect some fantastic ﬁrst-day bargains from doors-open at 9am. To celebrate the opening the shop will host a barbecue from about 3pm, after the morning rush no doubt! Keep an eye on the Socom Tactical website and Facebook page – www.socomtactical.net and www. facebook.com/SocomTacticalAirsoft – for more details, and be sure to drop by if you’re nearby. Shop address: Reading South Rd, Fleet, Hants GU52 7SE.

AIRSOFT | NEWS

TRADE NEWS Armex has appointed a new UK sales manager. Ian Armitage – better known to readers of Airsoft Action as Ratty – will take on the role in addition to running BadgerTac airsoft shop. Ratty will be growing the Armex brand and promoting Umarex products in the UK, which are exclusively distributed in the UK by Armex. He is also the prime contact for new business and airsoft retailers wishing to discuss Armex products (and their new pricing structure). Alan Phelps, managing director at Armex, said: “We are delighted to have Ratty on board, to act as liaison with the airsoft community and provide the level of service and support that Armex is well-known for in other areas of its

VFC GAINS KAC LICENCE Taiwanese airsoft manufacturer Vega Force Company (VFC) has announced it now holds the official license to produce replicas of Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) rifles. The announcement coincided with some juicy teaser images, showing the snazzy branded box and manual for a VFC-made, KAC-licensed KAC PDW. For many airsofters it will be extremely welcome news. It also marks a significant step for Vega Force Company, distancing itself from ‘clone’ manufacturers who show little regard for official licensing. We’ve reprinted the images here for you lot – and we’ll bring you a full review as soon as possible. For more information, visit VFC’s website: www.gb-tech.com.tw

business. “As one of the early pioneers of airsoft in the UK, Ratty is well-known and respected throughout the industry and his depth of knowledge and experience will be a major asset to the business and Armex airsoft.” To contact Ratty regarding stocking or discussing Armex products, he can be reached on: 07976 640185.

SPEC OPS WEEKENDER: BAD LANDS Spec Ops Airsoft’s weekend event – Bad Lands: The Rock – takes place 24-26 August 2012. All players attending will get a goodie bag from Reddwolf Airsoft, sponsors of the event. There’s still time to book your place on the event. The game scenario, set in a post-apocalyptic future, pits the remnants of an imperialist regime against rebels and bandits, and there will be a PA system playing suitably post-apocalyptic music throughout the event. Redwolf staff will be on site for the duration of the event. Along with a full display and plenty of toys for sale, players will be able to talk with Redwolf staff and ask questions. For more information and to book your place, visit: www.specopsairsoft.co.uk

UKAPU NEWS This month UKAPU’s student representative and newsletter editor, Chris Salter, has had to step down due to other commitments. Many thanks to Chris for the superb work he’s done in developing and writing the newsletter and the progress he’s made with student union airsoft. As such, we are looking for replacements for both roles. Helping university airsoft develop is an admirable and rewarding goal, and one that we think can be achieved effectively through the UK Airsoft Players Union. Our newsletter is also very important to us, so get in touch with the Chairman via our website if you are interested in writing it. Furthermore, we are looking to start devolved ‘regions’ for the association and are looking for promising candidates for regional representatives. Again, if you think you could further our ideals in your area and arrange games and trips for local members, drop us a line. It has recently been brought to our attention that Parcel Force does not ship RIFs. It would seem that the large number of airsoft replicas which have been posted through Parcel Force in recent years has been due to lack of awareness of policy on the part of both Parcel Force staff and airsoft players. Obviously, shipping RIFs wasn’t much of an issue if they have gone virtually unnoticed! We are compiling a list of couriers who are happy to transport RIFs – and also which airlines will carry them in checked in baggage. We will be checking the validity of the policy with Ofcom, who ruled in 2005 that Parcel Force was obliged to carry RIFs and ﬁrearms. If you have already joined UKAPU then we thank you If you would like to join then annual membership costs just £5 and is available from our website www.ukapu.org.uk. Matt Furey-King – UKAPU Chairman

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All 7.62mm riﬂes move along please, there’s a new big boy in town. Scott Allan explains

UMAREX/ VFC HK417 T

he big brother of the Heckler & Koch 416 has ﬁnally arrived. Collectors and players alike have been waiting diligently for this particular replica. It’s been built from scratch to suit the 7.62mm design by Vega Force Company in Taiwan, under licence for Umarex. VFC is known for making great airsoft replicas with top-end designs, both internally and externally. This is always reﬂected in the price too, but it is very much a case of paying for what you get – and with VFC you always get uncompromising quality. The HK417 is effectively the evolution of the HK416, which is a 5.56mm assault

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rifle. The 417, meanwhile, is chambered in 7.62mm NATO. With full-metal construction, realistic markings and nearperfect finish it really does shape up to be something special. In the real world the HK417 is more of a designated marksman rifle than an assault rifle. I could go into explicit detail about the key differences between the HK system and the standard M4 system, but the gist is this: the HK system is supposedly superior due to the different gas system. Now I cannot say for sure that it is better overall as I do not use either on a day to day basis. Rather than give some broad-stroked regurgitated sales pitch, we will leave it at that.

Umarex/VFC HK417

Externally the finish on this rifle is brilliant, virtually identical to the realsteel version (and I had the joy of seeing both at the 2012 Shot Show in Vegas). The stock is fully-adjustable, as you would expect; the buttpad twists to reveal a Bat-Cave-sized buffer tube with a mini-tamyia fitted. The pistol grip is accurate to the real version. It is a strange feel at first but I’m sure I won’t think twice about it after a while. The receiver is obviously full-aluminium construction, with correct markings and a black satin finish. The cocking handle locks the mock bolt back when pulled, allowing for easy hop

THE ARMOURY THE ARMOURY | UMAREX/VFC | KA THOMPSON HK417 adjustment. This is then released by the bolt release catch which is always a nice touch. The front rail is a monolithic chunk of CNC aluminium. It is also quick release – well, after two screws are removed it is, at any rate. Removing the rail shows the realistic 12in outer barrel, which I would happily beat a tank to death with. The sights are the standard HK type, effective in use and easy to remove if you wish to attach optics to the ludicrous

barrel. The bushings are 8mm steel which support sprung shimmed gears and a bearing spring guide provides a very stable velocity (it only varied around 4-5fps between shots during testing). The hop-up is a unique design, resembling a Madbull adjustable (G36/ Aug-style dial) rather than the standard M4-type. Internally the gun boasts a unique gearbox, Version 2-ish in design. The trigger unit is outside of the gearbox and each gearbox has a Umarex security tab for all you tinker monkeys (so beware of voiding your warranty before you go unnecessarily pulling them apart). In all honesty they do not need anything done to them internally – just enjoy it for the beautiful work of art that it is.

In the field amount of 20mm rails available. To top off all of this, each rifle has its own unique serial number too. Out of the box performance is not to be sniffed at, in fact quite the opposite. Each rifle we tested ran out at 360fps with Blaster 0.20g BBs and provides great grouping thanks to that 6.04mm inner

Using 7.4v LiPo batteries I was expecting good things from this gun. The only thing I noticed when I picked it up is that it’s damn front-heavy! I quickly grabbed the ﬁrst vertical grip I could get my hands on (and as it happens, a G&P black stubby grip works nicely). I was limited to a single 100-round magazine as the spares were not released at the time of writing this

“The length is awesome and intimidating – strapped up with a red dot and a ﬂash light it is a thing of serious beauty”

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THE ARMOURY | UMAREX/VFC HK417

article, so I wasn’t planning on going mental in games. Sticking to single shot, running Blaster 0.25g BBs, I was quickly amazed by the inherent performance and accuracy of the rifle. The heavy front makes it a little slower for pulling into the aim compared to my standard M4-platforms – but on the flipside the sheer length is awesome and intimidating. Strapped up with a red-dot and a flashlight it truly is a thing of serious beauty. The few bursts of fullauto I unleashed at targets flew straight and true – I don’t think I saw a single shot veer off target.

Conclusion I hate this part normally, having to weigh up everything from performance to cost. The HK417 is front heavy, a bit long and perhaps a little unwieldy for the average skirmisher. Magazines are expensive and not available just yet. So would I buy one? Deﬁnitely yes! It has real markings, full-metal construction, is a true replica of the original and just feels brilliant.

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Most importantly – and this is what I judge all riﬂes by these days – it works very well and it will last. I have no time for expensive airsoft replicas that deliver a below-par performance. The HK 417 will not disappoint you (only your wallet, and maybe your wife).

UMAREX/VFC HK417 CONSTRUCTION: Full-metal LENGTH: 800mm (stock retracted) 890mm (stock extended) WEIGHT: 3,800g BATTERY: 7.4v LiPo (~800rpm) 11.1v LiPo (~1,000rpm) VELOCITY: 350-370fps PRICE: £425 Umarex has conﬁrmed production of both mid-cap (~£30) and hi-cap (~£40) mags for the HK417 Available from Umarex retailers. Exclusively distributed in the UK by ARMEX: www.armexltd.co.uk

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WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN... MAMMOTH CAMO COMPETITION Since our ﬁrst issue we’ve been printing a camouﬂage pattern in each issue. We’ve also been collecting a massive pile of goodies that will all go to one extremely lucky bugger – everything will be unveiled next issue but rest assured we’re talking over £2,000-worth of airsoft kit. Now, though, we think it’s only fair to give you one

GET YOUR ENTRI ES IN!

last chance to track down those patterns and work out what they are. All you need to do is ﬁll out the entry box at the bottom and mail your answers – plus name, address and the usual – or email your entries to us to competition@blazepublishing.co.uk.

QUESTION: What are the names of the camouﬂage patterns above? 1 ___________________

2 ___________________

3 ___________________

4 ___________________

5 ___________________

6 ___________________

7 ___________________

8 ___________________

9 ___________________

10 __________________

11 __________________

12 __________________

Post your entry to: Camo Competition, Airsoft Action, Blaze Publishing, Lawrence House, Morrell Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 5SZ. Or, email your entries to competition@blazepublishing.co.uk, quoting ‘Camo Competition’ in the headline. Entries received after 30 August will not be valid. One entry per household. Winner will be ﬁrst correct entry pulled from the editor's hat. Blaze Publishing would like to keep you informed of other offers and publications. Please tick here if you would NOT like to be contacted by post or email

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AIR ASSAULT Skirmish not intense enough? MilSim becoming tedious? Why not try a helicopter insertion? Players at TAG Airsoft did just that – and Nige was there to catch the action

he approach to the Landing Zone was fast – very fast – and the soldier could feel the wind tearing past his leg, threatening to rip his boot from the skid as the craft slewed into yet another high-speed banking turn. Glancing round he could see the other team members – concentrated, focussed and as prepared as they could be for what lay ahead. Their mission was straightforward. A chopper had gone down and reports that the pilot had survived meant it was their job to go in and get him out – but it would not be easy. They knew the enemy had a heavy presence in the area and doubted they would miss the plume of smoke rising from the crash site.

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The grip on his riﬂe tightened involuntarily as the pilot took yet more evasive action, before darting between some trees and descending rapidly towards the LZ. A lastminute adjustment brought the tail of the craft skidding high and round, pointing the nose towards where the enemy was expected to be. The skids barely touched the ground before four sets of boots hammered onto the hard earth and sprinted away towards a defensive perimeter. As the last man cleared the rotor-arc the chopper leapt back into the air, kicking up clouds of grass and stones that swirled around the soldier’s head and pounded his back. No time to think about that now. Time to move. As he ran towards the nearby treeline

he thought again about the ﬁrst words of yesterday’s brieﬁng… “Welcome to TAG Airsoft. My name’s Dave Manning and this is what we’ve got lined up for you this weekend.” Some of you might be thinking ‘Dave Manning? That name sounds familiar’ – and you’d be right. Dave can often be found manning (if you’ll pardon the pun) his retail stand at various airsoft events around the country, including the Airsoft Arms Fair and War and Peace. He is also very much involved with Stirling Airsoft, where both his military vehicles and expertise are much sought-after (he told me to write that bit!). Sharp-eyed readers might even have spotted him at the controls of a RIB in the photos that accompanied my coverage of Stirling’s Operation: Sea Angel (July 2012 issue). His company used to be called Airsoft Skirmish, but to save confusion with a paintball company with a similar name he decided to rebrand using the name of his woodland site – TAG Wood. TAG Wood is situated on a farm in the Worcestershire countryside and consists of two areas of woodland surrounded by a huge

GAME REVIEW | HELI INSERTION area of fields, ditches, roads and pathways. The entire area is used for play, although the vast majority of the action this weekend took place in the woods or pretty close to them. Dave has a collection of military vehicles and often incorporates them into his games, and it is not unusual to see a Snatch Land Rover pulling to a sudden halt and a bunch of heavilyarmed guys bailing out. This weekend he had added another level of realism and arranged for a helicopter to be flown in and used as part of the scenario, but more about that later. Dave describes his games as ‘laid-back MilSim’. All the usual elements are there, such as briefings and mission objectives, Task Forces and terrorists (sorry, I mean freedom fighters), capture and interrogation, but they are almost secondary to just having a damn good time! There had been a fair bit of rain leading up to the weekend but by Saturday it had stopped and although some of the tracks were a bit boggy, it was nothing that his Landies couldn’t cope with. As players arrived they were ferried with their kit from the car park to the admin area. If players were staying overnight they

could either pitch their own tents or stay in one of the large green units provided. By late-morning most players had arrived and were itching to get some action, so after a thorough (what Dave described as his longestever) safety briefing, two teams headed off to their individual Command Posts. One CP was almost at the farthest end of the wooded area, while the second was alongside a rather meanlooking Rapier Missile System at the corner of a field. What I didn’t appreciate at the time was just how cleverly-sited the Rapier CP was. At first glance it seemed to be stuck out on a corner and vulnerable to attack from all sides. For now, though, the mission was for one team to run a communication wire from a control point in the wood, all the way to the Rapier and set up a telephone Fire Control System. The opposing team were to prevent this from happening by gathering intelligence and, if possible, acquiring the components for themselves. Tag Wood is not a massive forest but it didn’t take too long after Game On to realise just how well this site plays. The two woodland areas (one roughly triangular, the other sort

of plough-shaped) meet at opposite points, separated only by the junction of two tracks (one of which crosses a bridge over a small stream). With tracks running along the edge of both areas this was set to become a fiercelycontested piece of ground – and so it was! If you could control this point you controlled the crossing point between the two. Of course, you could always take the long way round, or try to move along the field edges (though these were full of fully-grown rapeseed plants and any movement soon became blatantly obvious!). As the afternoon wore on, first one team and then the other would gain possession of this strategically important point and push on into the trees below, only to be pushed back again. Medic and regen rules kept the game flowing and, even as an observer it was really enjoyable to watch. Remember I said Dave called his games laid-back MilSim? Late in the afternoon a pause in the game was called and players made their way back to the admin area for dinner – chilli and cheese jacket potatoes, washed down with as much free tea or coffee as you wanted.

“They either believed I was dead or had bugged out completely (or had never heard of ‘shoot and scoot’), as they stood up together in exactly the same position as the bloke I’d previously shot. Happy days! Two double-taps later and they were both on their way”

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HELI INSERTION HISTORY The ﬁrst ever combat helicopter insertion was performed by the Royal Marines’ 45 Commando unit on 5 November 1956 as part of Operation Musketeer (Suez, Egypt). The insertion took place during an amphibious landing, which had been identiﬁed as possibly severe risk should atomic weapons be deployed. The troops were transported in Westland Whirlwind Mk2s (of 845 Naval Air Squadron) from the deck of the HMS Theseus. Also employed were Whirlwinds and Bristol Sycamore HC12s and HC14s thewww.amazon.co.uk Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit of the RAF) from the deck of HMS Ocean. format (of from

How civilised! It was really nice to sit out in the late-afternoon sunshine, eating excellent nosh, chatting to the guys from Patrol Base and Recon Six and re-living some of the day’s moments. As the sun slowly dipped below yonder horizon, though, it was time to gear-up and head out for the night game. As a player of many night games I know that that the last thing I’d want is some bloody photographer firing off a flashgun in my face, so I normally put my camera away and spend the time just watching the action unfold. Tonight wasn’t going to be any different – until the guys from Recon Six persuaded me to join them (actually, they hadn’t finished asking before I was heading off to get my kit, which by sheer coincidence (honest!) I’d happened to have brought with me). I’d lent my Celcius to a player whose gun went down early on and thought I was going to have to pry it from his cold, dead fingers to get it back. I guess he saw the look in my eye and handed it over – he’d even refilled all my mags – cheers Josh! Some 20 minutes later I was crawling along the edge of a field, trying to make as little noise as possible as the five of us slowly edged our way towards the opposition’s CP. One of the R6 guys crossed a ditch and moved down the opposite side of a hedgerow that bordered it. Unfortunately he was spotted and taken out. Slowly we continued, using the sound of both a distant train and a slow-moving light aircraft to mask the sound of our approach. The enemy seemed to know we were there but could not pinpoint our position, and no amount of speculative fire was going to make us give it away. Suddenly the guy on point was spotted and fire started to rake down the path towards us. I rolled to the left, deeper into the rapeseed and brought myself up into a crouch, ready to return fire (or get the hell out of there if needed!). Something moved in the periphery of my vision and I watched as two enemy fighters popped up even deeper in the field and started taking out the R6 guys in front of me. I too popped up and immediately took out the guy nearest but the other one ducked

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back down before I could get a bead on him. I dropped back down and as I scurried away from my previous position I could hear the first guy call for a medic, and the sounds of the second guy moving towards him. Silence for a few minutes then muffled voices in the field to my left told me the medic had been completed and they were plotting their next move – which was their undoing. They either believed I was dead or had bugged out completely (or they had never heard of ‘shoot and scoot’), as they stood up together in exactly the same position as the bloke I’d previously shot. Happy days! Two double-taps later and they were both on their way. I’ve got to say that I was taken out myself shortly afterwards but it would’ve taken radical surgery to get the grin off my face that night! End-ex was called just before midnight and a tired but very happy bunch of airsofters sat under the stars, sharing music, stories, beer and tequila – but not too much as tomorrow was going to be something special. After a bit of a drink and a good night’s sleep in fresh air, nothing tempts me out of bed like the smell of sizzling bacon. After a hot bacon roll and copious amounts of coffee I was ready for anything, which was pretty useful as less than an hour later I found myself in the front of a Bell Jet Ranger helicopter, flying from Gloucester Airport back to the site and day two of Dave’s scenario. As we came into land (right alongside the admin area) the sea of upturned faces told me everyone had come to watch. I climbed out and walked away from the chopper under the still-turning rotor, trying to act really cool and thinking ‘There’s no need to crouch, it’s nowhere near you’ while every bit of sense I had was screaming: ‘Duck you idiot! It’s going to take your head off!’ Thankfully it didn’t, and I joined the players at the day’s briefing. The ground crew busied themselves with taking the doors off and making sure nothing inside the craft was loose or could fly out and damage the tail rotor – very, very bad for a helicopter! The scenario was based around the rescue

GAME REVIEW | HELI INSERTION

and extraction by land of the aforementioned ‘downed pilot’. The 28 players who had opted for the helicopter part of the game would load up in teams of four at the admin area before being taken on an eight-minute flight away from the site and returning to do a combat helicopter insertion. I am not going to go through a flight-by-flight account; suffice to say that every player really got into the spirit of things, with feet out on skids and weapons at the ready – truly cocked, locked and ready to rock! Even the pilot, Captain James, seemed to be enjoying himself as his approaches and landings became ever more Hollywood-esque. With all players deployed it was doors back on and I climbed aboard for the flight back to Gloucester. The only downside was that I didn’t get to see much of the play and, by the time I got back to the site the game was all but finished. I never did find out if the mission had been completed but I can tell you one thing: everyone, whether they rode in the chopper or not, said what a brilliant weekend it had been. The helicopter was just the icing on the cake for those that did it.

For me, it was what I believe airsoft at this level should be all about: a bunch of individuals who come together as a group to play an adrenalin-ﬁlled game with integrity and honour – and have a bloody good time to boot! Dave Manning has got a great team of people around him that knows airsoft and understands what airsofters want from their games. Yes, I have been to bigger sites and yes, I have been to bigger games, but this one deﬁnitely ranks right up there at the top of the ‘Enjoyment Factor Scale’! I want to say thanks to Dave and all at TAG Airsoft for making me so welcome, and also to the guys in Recon 6 for letting me join them for the night game. Cheers guys – it was a pleasure and a privilege! ■

TAG AIRSOFT TAG runs skirmish games all year round at its woodland site. For up to date information contact: CONTACT: 07764 587410, www.tagairsoft.co.uk

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SKILLS ROOM | BE PREPARED

MENTALITY MATTERS Are you switched on? Billy Basics poses the question and tells us how we can remain alert

ow, before you start thinking to yourself, “Oh good, this’ll be a hoot! Billy’s articles are always a giggle,” take a second to think. The world we live in can be a dangerous place and the unwary will come a cropper if they don’t pay attention. The following trot through my ideas can apply to your hobby but it can also help you if you’re travelling overseas on business and you’re feeling a little uneasy. So be alert: your country needs ‘lerts’ (groan)!

So are you switched on? Well there’s a question for you eh? Sometimes we are and sometimes we’re most deﬁnitely not. Anyone who relies on parking sensors when reversing their wife’s car, and then the following day, feeling like Jason Bourne (come on boys, admit it – it goes through your head twice a day minimum), jumps in their own car and backs into the gate is not switched on, I’m afraid.

gazillion times – and it’s rarely delivered as a compliment (“Gosh! Well done, you’re really switched on today!” (And yes, they still said “Gosh” when I ﬁrst joined up.)) it will most likely be delivered as a rebuke, or if you’re caught cutting corners. But what does it mean?

Anybody that has had anything to do with the army will have heard this term a

Switching on refers to an attitude, an outlook or standard of behaviour – painstakingly adhering to unit SOPs even when the going gets tough and you feel inclined to take the easy option ‘cos nobody’s looking. It occurs more often when you’re knackered; after all, sticking to the right path is easy when it’s all going your way and you’re feeling fresh. It’s your level of alertness too, which of course takes a dip when you’re cold, wet, tired and generally done in. Switching on ain’t always easy; Mother Nature is not a benevolent entity who you should underestimate – she is a right bitch if you let your guard down and she will punish you for taking the easy way, forgetting items and for ignoring her warnings. Her warnings might come in the form of a gut feeling that you’ve overlooked something. My mantra is: ‘The hard way is the right way, 99 per cent of the time’. Some people believe techniques can be taught, but qualities are inborn – and that’s that, no chance to change or reshufﬂe the hand you’ve been dealt. I’ll admit that when I was young and ill-informed I subscribed to that theory for a while, until I heard someone running down a colleague who was really trying to change by retaking a course. He told him, ‘Leopards can’t change their spots, they

The hard way

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can only cam them up for a while.’ I thought: ‘Bollocks! Give him a break.’ I think people can change and be more switched on – and it’d help to know what it entails in the ﬁrst place.

In principle I was visiting an Infantry unit recently and saw a training poster on the wall which I think hit the nail on the head. I was so impressed I took out my phone and typed it out; here’s what it said: I am prepared I will not be surprised I am not a soft target I am tired but still thinking I am tuned in to my surroundings It was the first time in my 25 years of wearing green that I had ever read any explanation or principles of what being switched on is. Naturally I felt obliged to share them with you because they are important little gems that you can use, not just when you’re playing but whatever you find yourself doing. Whether it’s arriving in a foreign country on business after a long exhausting flight, or walking back to your

“Mother Nature is not a benevolent entity who you should underestimate – she is a right bitch if you let your guard down”

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SKILLS ROOM | BE PREPARED

It can be harder to remain switched on when you’re cold and tired

hotel in a strange city, they are principles which relate to almost any stressful situation. But for now we’ll stick to the reason we’re reading this ﬁne, exquisitely-crafted, beautifully edited publication (any chance of a pay rise Ed?) – airsofting, why it pays to be switched on and how we can achieve it for ourselves. It’s dead straightforward and you need only make a few changes (assuming you don’t do it already). In a nutshell, here’s what you need to do: make the effort, get involved, take part, pay attention and help people out – you’ll soon ﬁnd yourself taking an interest. Always think to yourself ‘What else can I do to make things better/easier/slicker?’ Check, test, check… then test again. I remember being on an exercise years ago. We assembled all the Platoons in one location, all of them arriving at different times and re-bombing before they got their heads down. Most of the guys ignored the incoming Platoons and rolled over in their doss bags, but there was one lad who would always get up and help the incoming lads with their admin. One of the keenest, most involved individuals I ever met.

Situation awareness Situation awareness (which will come from being switched on) can be summed up as

knowing what’s going on around you. There’s no black magic, no special enlightenment or Zen-like level that you have to reach (which can only be attained if you meditate for six weeks living in a cave eating moss, grubs and tofu). It is also not necessary to spend 22 years in the Forces working your way up through the ranks before the secret is revealed to you. It’s available to us all, but it will take a bit of practice and thinking about. You just need to pay attention, engage actively in what you’re doing, look, listen and plan ahead – be proactive about it, not reactive. When you’re driving you’ll sometimes just know when the car in front of you is going to cut you up, or that the woman on the pavement with her hood up and phone clamped to her ear is going to walk out in front of you. How do you know? Because you’ve been paying attention; you might have been behind the car for a mile and your brain, without you realising it, has been making a risk assessment and told you to watch out. So whatever you ﬁnd yourself doing today (or tomorrow) pay attention, make the effort, get involved, think things through, plan ahead – go that extra mile to ensure that you’re at the very top of your game, safe as houses and a winner. “Switch on you lot!” See you next time. Billy out.

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Arclight turns philosopher and asks us to define ourselves

WHAT IS

AIRSOFT? T

his is an oft-asked question. Whether it’s simply deﬁning airsoft to someone completely unaware or veteran players musing the philosophic core of skirmishing, this question is widely bantered – but rarely resolved. So just what is airsoft? When we start to explain the basics of airsoft we always start with the game. That’s ﬁne, but does lead our none-thewiser listener to spew that much-loathed phrase: ‘So it’s like paintball?’ We sigh, roll our eyes, say ‘Yeah, it’s like paintball,’ and die a little inside. It doesn’t help that airsoft takes a lot of forms. It is at once a force-onforce team combat simulation, a role playing game, a fashion show, a collectable set of unlimited proportions; it is a sport, a hobby, a culture, a community, a friendship league.

‘So it’s like paintball?’ It’s not that airsofters hate paintball, on the whole. We don’t even dislike it; hell, some of us ﬂirt with the line separating the two, swapping back and forth. But when we give in and use the analogy of paintball to

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enlighten others about airsoft we totally miss a huge chunk of what our hobby is. Indeed, the game is not only a small part of the game – I’d go so far as to argue that the heart of airsoft is not in the game. So, explaining airsoft to the unwashed masses: let’s start with the raw fundamentals. The guns are (mostly) replicas of real firearms; they fire plastic pellets; we shoot at guys who shoot back at us; pellets leave no marks so players announce that they have been hit of their own volition. At this point the listener is inevitably somewhere between the ‘Come again?’ and ‘Say whaaaaat?’ stage of comprehension. Yes, we call our own hits. This factor is often cited as our number one weakness, our main hurdle as we try to get airsoft formalised as a sport. It is the reason airsoft is an unfriendly spectator sport, as even the best game resembles a field full of schizophrenics dodging imaginary swarms of bees. But there’s something we all overlook, something we all forget, take for granted or fail to put into words: that calling our own hits is also our greatest strength.

FEATURE | AIRSOFILOSOPHER A tale of honour Paintball, RAM and Simunitions all leave pigment marks. All of airsoft’s main competitors rely on paint to mark hits – and while that may be clear cut it’s also cold, clinical and forces competition. In airsoft our strikes are self-imposed: we have to trust our fellow gamer to call his hits. We organise, travel, apply effort and spend obscene amounts of money to play a game that is built on this invisible contract of ‘not being a complete prat’. Airsoft, first and foremost, is not about shooting; it’s about getting shot. It is not a competition, it’s a social club. This all gets complicated, though, because outside the game the very nature of airsoft is more ethereal than Boris Johnson’s haircut. Getting shot in airsoft is not an angry attack, it’s an aggressive handshake. Getting killed in airsoft is not personal and dying is not a big deal, because you’ll be back in a few minutes anyway. Many game days see teams mixing members to keep things interesting and fun – but this also makes a team win or loss completely meaningless. Just listen to an airsofter brag: he pulled his pistol like a cowboy gunfighter of the wild west; he snuck up and took out the sniper like a ghost; he ran in face-first with a pair of machine guns like a Russian rockstar. He doesn’t brag about winning – or wince about losing – as no one cares. He could have done all that and still have ‘lost’ and no one

Is the heart of airsoft in the game, or in the social downtime?

counts that against him. And there, ladies and gentlemen, is the rub: the stories. As we start playing airsoft we timidly move out of cover and play more in the sunlight – and over time we learn to play like action movie amateurs. But one thing all veterans do is spend less time actually playing the game and more time talking about it. Just think about your day skirmish; how much time did you spend playing the game? What do you remember more, the 20 minute round or the hour-long break over drinks, jokes and repairs? This is why airsoft is so hard to explain – this confusion about what it even is. And this inability to deﬁne airsoft may go someway to explaining the uphill battle to get airsoft more formally recognised. Until it becomes more mainstream, and with a more positive image, we will continue to languish in obscurity, subject to the whims of lawmakers that have no idea airsoft even exists.

The future? Big, annual events are all good and well, but how many of us actually like them? These massive-scale games are ﬁne for the gun-nuttier corner of our community which is keen to fork over the dosh to spend three days in the mud. But how many of us are keen to go to events, yet put off by the simple fact we don’t want to roll around in the mud? Some airsofters prefer movement, combat and speed over crawling around. Some

Airsoft relies on honesty – but is that our weakness or our strenght?

“Google airsoft. That is the image we present to the outside world; do we really have a right to complain, like a sullen teenager, about how misunderstood we are?” www.airsoftactionmagazine.com

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FEATURE | AIRSOFILOSOPHER

veterans have done the outdoor thing and grown bored of the painful logistics involved in such a day. Many players are former military, and having been paid to crawl around in the mud they don’t now want to spend their free time – and money – paying someone else so they can crawl in the mud some more. Then of course we get to the backlash of the PR that these things generate. If you Google airsoft, the images that our magic wonderboxes extract from the interwebs consist almost exclusively of guns and scarylooking gun-nuts going full-bore MilSim. We go on and on about how our hobby is social and

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fun, and not pro-crime (or even all that pro-gun – far more pro-cowboys-and-indians). Yet that is the image we present to the outside world; do we really have a right to complain, like a sullen teenager, about how misunderstood we are? Where are the airsoft-themed barbeque weekends? Why not get the team together and invite other round teams for… a beer? Why not get the team geared up and just go for a run? Why do we not take cameras to our weekends and ﬁlm the downtime chats rather than the games and put those on YouTube, Facebook and blogs?

This author even has a dream to create an annual airsoft event that is not merely a scaledup skirmish, but rather far more reminiscent of a renaissance fair or fairground carnival. Get all dressed up and play some games – but with the focus on spending time just talking, hanging out, socialising and munching hotdogs and candyﬂoss. You get to learn more, meet more players, have more fun, get more out of the day – and most of all, the photos, videos and written article reports coming out of the event show happy faces, young families with small children, teenagers winning stuffed toys at the grenade-toss stand, all that jazz. Airsoft is a big and wondrous world where replica ﬁrearms and simulated combat combine with social gathering, geeky discussions and friends just hanging out for the sake of it. A game that revolves around honour, respect and team cohesion. But for all that the world continues to misunderstand us. Just take a moment and consider that making all that noise means nothing if we do not actually do something about it. Screw words and speech: use publications, videos, photos and social media. We do not have to talk about guns and war; we just have to show the world that we are not nutters, but normal people having some good clean fun.

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW | ALEX KO

IN THE SCOPE

ALEX KO BIO

In the first of our Industry Interviews, Alex Ko talks to Airsoft Action about his time in airsoft and how he became involved with Magpul PTS

o Alex, it has been a big few years for Magpul PTS. What has been your highlight so far? Getting to go to the Shot Show! I had been to the show on previous years as press, reporting on the event. Actually working with PTS and Magpul Industries as part of the vendor team was very eyeopening. You are half-British, half-Hong-Konger, and you live in California – could you be a more perfect airsoft player? Being born and raised in Hong Kong did allow me to access airsoft at a very young age. Like Japan, Hong Kong had zero civilian access to real ﬁrearms and like most kids I was an action movie junkie. Getting out and playing with airsoft was a great outlet. One of my favourite airsoft guns from that era was my MGC Auto-9 (NBB) and my Maruzen Micro Uzi that ran on Flon Gas and 60-round semi-clear stick mags (which cost HK$60 each). It wasn’t accurate, wasn’t powerful, but man was it fun to shoot!

NAME: Alex Ko AGE: 36 POSITION AT MAGPUL PTS: Head of PTS Business Development, sdc Marketing Lead and USA Brand Manager OTHER HOBBIES: Real-steel competitive shooting, combative training (with and without ﬁrearms), airsoft, rock climbing, running, hiking YEARS PLAYING AIRSOFT: 28! YEARS FIRING REAL-STEEL: On and off for decades, but seriously and intensively for the last ﬁve years

I saved up for a JAC M16A2 and Steyr AUG and many years later got into AEGs. We travelled once a year to England and it was during that time I got to shoot real guns a bit (mostly shotguns). After ﬁnishing secondary school I moved to the East Coast of the USA for university. Airsoft hadn’t really taken off in the US at that time (at least not on the East Coast) so I only played during vacations in Hong Kong to see my folks and friends. I moved to California for work and around six years ago, a friend of mine told me he had a group of buddies he played airsoft with. I started playing with those guys and we’ve been slinging plastic together ever since. How exactly did you get involved with PTS? It was about three years ago. PTS was growing fast and more and more Magpul-derived airsoft products were hitting the market. Around that same time, PTS was stepping up its efforts to protect Magpul

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“I have a lot of guns and I like them all for different reasons, especially my PTS guns (MOE AEGs, PTS ACRs), but my hands down favourite is my VFC SR-15” Industries’ trade-dress, IP and copyrights, and shutdown the distribution networks for unlicensed Magpul products. As consumers, we had all been living in the grey area of legality in airsoft for so many years. What I felt set PTS apart from the other licensing airsoft manufacturers out there was that, even though its prices were higher than the unlicensed ACM counterparts, it clearly had a dedication to producing top-quality licensed airsoft replicas. I vocalised my (unpopular) opinion many times on forums (especially Arnie’s Airsoft, where I’m a long-time regular). People didn’t like what I had to say but I genuinely believed what PTS was doing was right – for Magpul, for PTS, and for the airsoft consumer community I was a part of. Somewhere along the way the crew at Magpul and PTS took note of this. We exchanged a few email conversations and the CEO of PTS invited me to come by for a chat to show me the operations. We stayed in contact and a few months later when I swung by to look at the latest prototype samples of the ACR and FPG, he asked if I wanted to get more involved. It was small things at ﬁrst, but during Shot Show a couple years back I helped PTS secure a few real-

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steel licenses, and from then on I became much more involved with the company. You mentioned Arnie’s Airsoft… [laughs] I guess this is my coming out party. Yes I’m a regular on Arnie’s. My username is ‘uscmCorps’. Uscm… not usmc? It’s funny, people think I can’t spell. The name ‘uscmCorps’ is actually from James Cameron’s Aliens. I liked it and just never bothered to change it. I don’t post as much as I used to, but I’m still on there. So what is it exactly you do with PTS nowadays? Everything from meeting real-steel companies and discussing licensing partnerships, to helping drive the direction of PTS. Whenever we have press conferences, industry shows, product demos, and magazine articles, I usually represent us. Like those YouTube videos we’ve seen you in at the last couple of Shot Shows. [cringes] Yeah those. You don’t like them? I’m not keen on two things: being in front

of a video camera and talking in front of large crowds. I tend to get a bit anxious and tongue-tied. We did a press conference at Shot Show this year, I was running on ﬁvehour energy drinks, 30 minutes of sleep and three shots of tequila. Of all the Magpul PTS products to date what do you think has been the most innovative and game changing? The Magpul PTS PMAG is the product that really put us on the map and got us going. There weren’t any decent mid-caps on the market at that time and they became the industry standard very quickly. Not the cheapest mag, but I’ve always been a ﬁrm believer in the ‘buy once, cry once’ school of thought. After testing three or four of them I was impressed enough to buy two full sets (in FDE and black) for my load-out. They were great quality, fed reliably and looked cool. I truly feel the PTS PMAG changed the hobby and the community in a way not many products have. What do you look forward to the most for the future of Magpul PTS? First and foremost, the fact that we’re changing ourselves from Magpul PTS to PTS Brand Management Group. That doesn’t mean we’re dropping Magpul – that’d be

INDUSTRY INTERVIEW | ALEX KO insane – but it does imply how the company is changing. We’re growing – growing beyond the exclusivity of Magpul-derived airsoft products. We’re working with a lot of ﬁrearms companies now to produce airsoft products under their respective licenses. Companies such as Mega Arms, Legion Firearms, RainierArms, Ergo Grips, Falcon Industries, BattleComp, Advanced Armament Corporation to name a few. The same level of quality will be applied to these other brands too.

dcbbcvhdsjlkjbsdvnvsdbnvkkdsvjbvdskn

We spoke about the PDR (Personal Defense Riﬂe) last year, and this year there was a pre-production sample at the

QUICKFIRE QUESTIONS MILSIM OR SKIRMISH GAMES? Both! Although for skirmish games I prefer private games with my team and teams we know as we trust each other to call our hits. I enjoy MilSim games for the grandeur of how many people attend (850 or more out here), the vehicles, the AOs, the scenarios, the military structure of it. What I don’t like about MilSim games is that it’s basically a crap-shoot if your opponent isn’t going to call their hits. That can get old very fast. HIGH-CAPS OR MID-CAPS? Mid-caps. Since I switched I never looked back. Besides, I like to do mag changes! I really like real-cap games (30-rounders) but those are only fun when everyone is sticking to that limit.

HIGH SPEED LOAD-OUT OR TONS OF GEAR? Both. I’ll go relatively slick (Kydex holster, a couple of mags) for some games, kinda like how I train in class, but I’ll also wear full kit for larger games and MilSim events. FAVOURITE CAMOUFLAGE? Multicam. In the California AOs, it’s hard to beat. I also like DCU and classic ERDL Woodland. But if given a choice I always take Multicam. You truly do blend in incredibly well in this terrain wearing that stuff.

FULL-FACE PROTECTION OR JUST EYE PROTECTION? I like my teeth a lot more than looking ‘authentic’. After this many years of playing airsoft I’ve seen enough broken and shattered teeth to know it isn’t worth it. I used to wear the lower-half of a Sansei-mask with my ESS Low-Profile Fan Goggles. Nowadays I wear mesh lower-face protection. I like it because it’s low profile and yet still allows good airflow. MESH OR LENS EYE PROTECTION? Mainly mesh goggles by BitterEnd Goggles here in the US. There’s a lot of unsafe mesh eye pro out there advertised as safe. Just because a store is selling it doesn’t mean it’s good to go. If you buy some, test it. Really test it. Don’t cheap out on your eyes. Unlike broken teeth, losing an eye is far more extreme – and permanent!

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR SKIN SO BABY SOFT? [laughs] Genetics. Being halfAsian and half-Caucasian, I’ve so far been blessed in that regard. Don’t think I can pull off a beard though! Thank you for your time – we look forward to seeing all the great new gear that Magpul PTS has planned for the future! No problem, it’s always a pleasure! Remember: Shot Show 2013. Next round’s on me!

Courtesy of www.tedtae.com (2011)

Shot Show. Will it definitely be here in 2012? Oh hell yes! Wait… Am I allowed to say that? The official company line is always supposed to be: “We’re not going to talk about future releases of products.” I kind of messed that up since I’ve been telling everyone and their mother ‘It’s definitely coming out this year!’ That’s burned me a few times in the past. Trouble is, there’s a lot of predictable and even more unpredictable factors that can push a release. But it kinda has to come out this year. And soon, too, if we expect to get it to the international distributors and retailers in time for the holiday shopping season. The Magpul / KWA collaboration on the Electric Recoil Gun (ERG) series looks promising. Do you think it will change the way people play and look at rifles? The company-man in me says ‘yes’, but the pragmatist in me says ‘maybe’. [Laughs] This community can be very hard to gauge. Most consumers seem to fear change. In this case I think it’ll be good for the industry. The PTS/KWA ERG collaboration is a pretty exciting development. It has a lot of the same features as competitors in the same class, but it’s expected to be cheaper than even the TM SOPMOD. It’ll have far better technical and replacement part support, the parts are more robust and designed to withstand multiple takedowns, and it allows the use of regular standard V2 nonproprietary AEG magazines without the need for an adapter (though the bolt lock feature will be non-functional when regular V2 mags are used). It ticks more boxes for consumers. I think once people get a chance to handle and try it out, the product will sell itself.

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INDUSTRY INTERVIEW | ALEX KO

What do you think of the obsession in airsoft with high rates of fire? Is that the obsession nowadays? For most people I know it’s getting your fps as close to the limit as possible. So long as my rate of fire (ROF) isn’t slower than its real-steel counterpart I’m fine with it. I just want my gun to shoot as far and accurately as possible. Whenever I think of high ROF I think about the internals wearing out faster. I’ve just never been too concerned with it. In the US you guys run a higher fps. Do you think this is better, or is the UK’s 350 better – and why? I don’t see a huge difference between the two limits. Keep in mind I grew up in HK where it was common to upgrade your gun past 600fps and you played until you couldn’t take the pain anymore. That was ridiculous to the point of idiocy. So long as you’re wearing properly-rated eye protection I don’t see the US limit is much more dangerous. That’s 100 per cent personal opinion of course. At PTS we always ship guns to our international distributors at velocities that do not exceed their local limits. What is your personal favourite airsoft rifle at the moment and why? My hands down favourite is my VFC SR-15. What’s that? Not a PTS gun? [laughs]

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I have a lot of guns and I like them all for different reasons, especially my PTS guns (MOE AEGs, PTS ACRs), but I love my VFC SR-15 as I have it setup identically to my real-steel KAC SR-15, and as such I use it as a training tool. My other favourite gun is my PTS/KWA GBBR. That gun is a straight-up tack driver – and for a GBBR it’s shockingly good to go right out of the box. It’s as close as it gets to a real firearm: the gun is solid and it shoots great. I also have a strong preference for the PTS PDR. Granted it’s not the most conventional looking gun, but holy smokes is it fun to shoot and use. If you could own any airsoft rifle real or not, what would it be? I would love a licensed LaRue Tactical 5.56mm PredatAR 16in. I have a couple real-steel PredatARs which I use regularly in classes and I’d love an airsoft AEG or GBBR. That is my present Holy Grail. Check back with me in a year and I might have something different in mind! Do you find your airsoft events help you with your real-steel shooting? When I step onto the airsoft playing field I go in with the mindset that I’m using it to work on and refine marksmanship fundamentals, weapons manipulation and tactics. I treat it as less of a game, more of a learning

experience. Doesn’t mean I don’t get my ass kicked occasionally, but every time I get a kill or I get killed playing airsoft is another life lesson I take away from it in the possible event that someday, it might go down for real. You are friends with ex-Magpul president Chris ‘The Beard’ Costa – do you think he would ever do airsoft training for players? I know Travis has used airsoft as part of his real-steel instructional technique. I don’t think Chris is against using airsoft, but it may not be for him. I don’t think he speciﬁes who he will and will not teach. But he teaches ﬁrearm usage, and it’s a full-time job teaching and travelling from class to class. In some classes Travis will have students switch from real-steel guns (shooting paper and steel) to airsoft (force-on-force training) and back to real-steel over the course of the day. Have you touched his beard, is it soft or hard? It’s like steel wool. I think the beard alone has killed people. Do you think you could get me a lock of his beard? [Laughs] Did I mention the part where the beard is a lethal weapon? I don’t want to be a statistic!

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Breach easy Jezz Blume turns tactician in a new series on CQB-specific skills

ne of the most challenging operational environments for a soldier, police officer – or airsoft player – is found within manmade structures. This guide aims to help you, as an airsofter, perform better in these environments. CQB is generally seen by the military as close to the scalpel edge of operations, while it is generally the highest level in which local law enforcement units such as SWAT teams operate in. Close-quarters combat (CQC) is a specialised subset of CQB which primarily involves hand-to-hand combat with fists, feet, improvised weapons or specific fighting tools (knives, tasers, pepper spray, restraints). As airsoft players, for participant safety, CQC will generally either be simulated by event planners and staff or simply banned outright. So, for our purposes, this series of articles will focus on CQB tactics.

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The phases For airsoft purposes, any CQB engagement can be broken down into four phases: breach, movement, engagement and resolution. Some or all of these phases will repeat until the conclusion of your scenario. We will go into more detail on these later. The breach phase occurs any time that you move through a doorway or other constrained entry area. Law enforcement groups have referred to these confined entry points as ‘vertical coffins’. The human eye is naturally drawan to ‘framing’, meaning your attention is caught by any area with a defined border. In CQB terms this means windows, doorways, or skylights. In the real world it includes TV sets, computer monitors and picture frames – areas which experience tells you things happen in. Generally, these are areas your opponents will focus on. So how do we get through the vertical coffin safely?

YOUNG GUNS | TACTICS There are several schools of thought on proper breach procedures. The military, and in certain situations SWAT teams, prefer to avoid the whole framing issue entirely when possible. Breaching charges and the like are used to cut new entryways in exterior walls and roofs. Explosive breaching gives the entry team the advantage of attacking from an unexpected direction, and the beneﬁt of using the explosive as a concussive distraction device. This is not always possible, and obviously doesn’t apply when playing airsoft – explosives require a good bit of paperwork, permits, experience and expense. When creating a new breach point is not an option, the professionals go back to the tried and true methods outlined below.

Breaching The three main types of breaching are: explosive, ballistic and mechanical. Mechanical breaching was the ﬁrst method devised and is the application of force to a portal in order to gain entry. This can be as simple as kicking a door open or breaking a window with a club, or involve the use of specialised tools such as crowbars, sledgehammers, or Halligan (or ‘hooligan’) tools. Ballistic breaches involve using thrown, launched or ﬁred objects such

as special shotgun rounds to force entry. This would also cover driving an SUV through a gate or barricade, or firing a tear-gas canister through a glass window. The newest breaching method involves the use of explosives or cutting charges to force a door or window. While explosive breaching should be simulated or avoided in airsoft, ballistic or mechanical breaching can add a new dimension to play. Remember, lobbing a pyro through the doorway would constitute ballistic breaching. Regardless of how you manage the breach, even if it is as simple as crossing a line painted on the floor at a whistle, breaching is the first event that occurs once the scenario begins. Let’s talk about some of the advantages that a fast and clean breach provides, for both recreation and simulation airsoft players.

the stack shoves the door open and everyone moves off. If the door opens toward the players, however, one individual should be designated as the breacher. This person will stand on the hinge side of the door and grasp the handle. Everyone else lines up on the opposite side of the doorway. When the whistle blows, the breacher will yank the door open so that the stack can enter. The breacher will then be the last person through the door. The same methods work for simulation airsoft players. The advantage of working as part of a team is that you can train together. Basic breaching methods such as this can be worked into your entry procedures.

Getting it right In recreational airsoft, a fast breach means that you will get shooters further into the field before encountering the other team. If you can cover a great area without resistance, you can buttonhole the other team further away from their objectives. This puts your team in an advantageous position and can help you accomplish your own mission, be it capturing a flag, taking a hostage or simply pinning down and eliminating enemy players. You will have the advantage of choosing the engagement area rather than having to fight through a position of relative weakness. So, how do we improve our breaching? The short answer is practice. However, recreational airsoft players often show up and play without preformed teams. The key then becomes those few moments before the game starts: everyone should figure out what direction they are going to go on the whistle and line up in a single file line outside their start point. On the whistle, everyone charges in through the doorway and goes on with the game. In arenas where the start point is defined as a doorway, things get slightly more complex. If the door opens away from the players, the first person in

The best answer is repetition. Practise entering on a whistle as a stack. Download a recording of a gunshot onto a laptop and practise breaching on a gunshot. Practise entry on hand signals, and with whatever method of silent communication you use as a team. Practise over and over again, until everyone knows their timing and where they will end up in the room on the other side of the door. Start slowly – it can help to start off with everyone walking through the doorway. Speed things up as your element gets better. Don’t try to rush; do it right, slowly, and then pick it up as you go. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast, and fast is deadly. There are tools and tricks that help when you are doing an opposed breach in simulation airsoft, such as distraction devices. We will cover more on these in a later article.

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VIETNAM

AIRSOFT Martin Sole introduces us to Vietnam airsoft in the UK, recapping Gunman Airsoft’s Battle for La Drang event and rounding up useful resources and load-out ideas

ince even the first Vietnam-themed airsoft events the problem has always been the same: everybody wants to be American and nobody wants to be Viet Cong. This has led to old-skool airsoft companies like First and Only pretty much giving up on Vietnam airsoft, while other organisers are thinking up ways to breathe new life into this niche. I recently went along to Gunman Airsoft’s Eversley site for the Battle for La Drang weekender, the first part of an extended ‘Nam campaign that will run over the next couple of years. For those who are used to open day events with 100-plus players, arriving at

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an event to find 19 Yanks, four Aussies, six from the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) and only four Viet Cong might make you wonder if it’s even worth getting the guns out of the car. Fortunately, Gunman’s head-honcho Josh is well used to running smaller gigs and explained how it would all work out.

Rules of engagement To begin with, these are not traditional airsoft games, but themed events where players use airsoft guns – big difference. FilmSim events are designed to make you feel as if you are inside your own action movie. Players wear historically accurate

FilmSim puts much more emphasis on accurate, period-speciﬁc load-outs

FILMSIM | ‘NAMSOFT LOAD-OUTS FOR THE ‘NAM Fancy a spot of ‘Namsoft? Here’s a basic list of some useful impressions. How much you want to spend and how accurate you want to be is up to you. USMC, ARVN, Green Berets and Australian / New Zealand Army are other options if none of these take your fancy!

US Army HEADWEAR: M1 steel helmet with Mitchell leaf pattern helmet cover and helmet band or OD boonie hat UNIFORM: Olive drab green t-shirt, or white for early war; Jungle fatigues with embroidered shoulder and chest insignia FIELD GEAR: M-56 or M-67 equipment harness consisting of pistol belt, suspenders, two ammo pouches, butt pack, water canteen and cover, E-tool and cover and US Army pistol holster FOOTWEAR: Repro jungle boots may be authentic by aren’t terribly practical

North Vietnamese Army HEADWEAR: Vietnamese pith helmet or ‘beach ball’ jungle hat UNIFORM: Cotton NVA uniform in green or tan with collar insignia FIELD GEAR: The NVA used a wide range of issue, captured and civilian equipment. A typical set would consist of: Equipment belt with star buckle, AK or SKS chest rig, grenade pouch, pistol holster, water bottle with strap; Gas and BBs can be carried in a ‘civilian’ satchel of some kind or else inside the chest rig

Viet Cong HEADWEAR: Straw hat, black or green jungle hat or bamboo helmet with cloth and netting cover UNIFORM: Black pyjama suit, black and white check scarf (or rarer red and white) FIELD GEAR: Very minimal. Chicom

uniforms, tote the correct weapons and generally act the part. Although there is a degree of leeway for stuff that isn’t 100 per cent period (and Josh has loaner gear for players that don’t have full load-outs), modern gadgets like laser sights and personal comms sets are definitely not allowed. Players are expected to stick to their squads, follow orders and scream like a stuck pig when a BB hits them. The great thing about FilmSim is that there are so many more game objectives beyond simply racking up kills. At the

for airsofting in the UK, unless you don’t care about getting wet feet. Corcoran jump boots are an expensive alternative. Most go for modern high-leg army or cadet boots WEAPONS: Although the M16A1 is the iconic US weapon of the Vietnam war, the list of acceptable airsoft weapons includes the M14, M3 Grease Gun, Thompson M1A1, MAC-10 and Remington shotguns. For a sidearm, the US Army used the Colt M1911

FOOTWEAR: Again, canvas tennis shoes or Ho Chi Minh sandals are impractical. We advise wearing ‘captured’ highleg boots. WEAPONS: AK47, PPSh and even MP40s would be suitable, as well as any captured weapons. Handguns would be soviet Tokarev or Makarov

chest rig, water bottle and rice tube slung over shoulder FOOTWEAR: Same as NVA WEAPONS: Same as NVA

La Drang event, the Viet Cong unit were tasked with setting tripwire traps, digging punji pits and placing anti-personnel mines for the unwitting GIs. The Yanks and Aussies had to keep one eye out for these traps and another for the enemy as they patrolled their designated areas. The NVA stalked the imperialist aggressors through the jungle, setting ambushes and looking for a chance to deploy their awesome pyro-firing field mortars. Josh has addressed the problem of having few enemy players by applying

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“The great thing about FilmSim is that there are so many more game objectives beyond simply racking up kills. At the La Drang event, the Viet Cong unit were tasked with setting tripwire traps, digging punji pits and placing anti-personnel mines for the unwitting GIs” NEVER GET OUT OF THE BOAT! There’s nothing like a Hollywood movie to get you in the mood before you grab your M16 and head for the bush. Here is our very own list of must-see films about the Vietnam War. TIGERLAND (2000) “Just ‘cause you wear those sergeant’s stripes don’t mean you ain’t gonna die.” Although he’s already been drafted into the army, Colin Farrell does his level best to avoid being sent to Vietnam RAMBO (1985) “What you choose to call hell, he calls home.” Muscle-bound mumbler Sylvester Stallone is John Rambo, released from prison and sent back to Vietnam to look for missing POWs. From the moment he arrives in the jungle it all starts to kick off WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002) “We who have seen war will never stop seeing it, in the silence of the night we will always hear the screams. So this is our story...” Mel Gibson and 400 grunts accidentally find themselves in the middle of 2,000 North Vietnamese nutters who resent their arrival HAMBURGER HILL (1987) “People, I am tired of filling body bags with your dumb fucking mistakes” A horrific film about a squad of US soldiers as they try again and again to take a fortified hill from the NVA. Raw, gory and depressing BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) “While we fight for rights over there, we ain’t got no rights at home. Vietnam is a white man’s war, a rich man’s war.” Tom Cruise plays Ron Kovik, a two-tour veteran who is paralysed by wounds sustained in combat and soon becomes disillusioned with his country’s attitude to war. If you think that a couple of guys in wheelchairs can’t have a good ol’ punch-up, think again

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THE DEER HUNTER (1978) “This is this. It ain’t somethin’ else. This is this. From now on, you’re on your own.” A group of friends from a small steel town end up in a Viet Cong POW camp where the sadistic guards force them to play Russian roulette. Yucky

Broken Arrow, part two of the battle for La Drang, will run 20-21 October. Gunman also runs ‘deployment weekends’, where both sides can practice mission tactics before the major battles and develop comradeship within squads. These events include an evening social with beer, BBQ, movies and Vietnam-era tunes. For more details, check out the Gunman forum: www.gunmanforum.com

FULL METAL JACKET (1987) “Anyone who runs is a VC. Anyone who stands still, is a well-disciplined VC!” Matthew Modine and chums survive brutal boot camp only to wind up fighting in the even more brutal street battles of Hue during the Tet Offensive PLATOON (1986) “What happened today is just the beginning. We’re gonna lose this war.” Charlie Sheen is a young recruit whose platoon faces all sorts of problems, both from the enemy and from some of the soldiers in his own squad DEAR AMERICA: LETTERS HOME FROM VIETNAM (1987) “I don’t want no more Vietnam” Documentary made exclusively from actual footage of the war, with a soundtrack that includes soldiers’ letters read by a host of A-list actors including Robert De Niro, Sean Penn and Robert Downey Jnr. Anyone who hasn’t shed a tear by the end has a heart made of stone APOCALYPSE NOW (1979) “I love the smell of napalm in the morning” The daddy of all ‘Nam movies. A special forces operative and his reluctant companions travel by boat deep into the Cambodian jungle to neutralise a US Army colonel who has gone rogue

some very clever rule sets. For example, certain key areas of the site have a load of fake trapdoors set into the ground which represent the entrances to a tunnel system. Unless destroyed by a grenade, these can be used as regen points for VC and NVA. Being able to regen at a much faster rate than the Americans allows the Vietnamese contingent to play in a suicidally-aggressive manner, emulating the ‘swarm’ tactics favoured by the NVA commanders. It works well, and gives the impression that there’s way more VC than there really is, which is of course the whole point.

FILMSIM | ‘NAMSOFT

HANDY RESOURCES VIETNAM AIRSOFT FORUM The place to go for UK ‘Namsoft. Lots of chat about guns and gear www.z6.invisionfree.com/vietnamairsoft/ index.php VIETNAM AIRSOFT A US based site. Good for general chit-chat but concentrating more on events within the USA www.vietnam-airsoft.com GUNMAN AIRSOFT With four sites around the UK, Gunman offers a variety of themed airsoft events. Check out their forum for dates on upcoming Vietnam games www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk COMBAT SOUTH Their woodland site is home to the annual InCountry Weekender www.combatsouth.co.uk ELITE ACTION The EA Dorking site – aka Dorkingnam – is the location for their Vietnam events. See website for details www.eliteactiongames.com format from www.amazon.co.uk

VIETNAM GEAR An online encyclopaedia of the war, with references for over 600 items of clothing, equipment and weaponry. Well-stocked with photos and articles www.vietnamgear.com MOORE MILITARIA US-based supplier of original US webbing and high quality repro uniforms. They will even make up your own name tapes for your uniform. Overseas shipping and import duty will bump up the prices www.mooremilitaria.com SOLDIER OF FORTUNE Love ‘em or hate ‘em, SoF is the only UK retailer that stocks a full selection of uniform and equipment for the Vietnam airsofter www.sofmilitary.co.uk ROLLING THUNDER A Living History group that portrays various US, NVA and VC units. Lots of good pictures and bits of advice to help you get it right. www.rolling-thunder.org.uk

To add even more realism, Josh was also using some pretty extreme ammo limits for players. Each M16 and AK mag could only be loaded with 30 rounds each, just like their real-steel counterparts. Players could take more ammunition into the field but reloading in-game had to be done by hand, one BB at a time. Speedloaders could only be used at regen points. Although there is a lot less contact in a FilmSim event than at a regular open day, when firefights do occur they are violent, intense and generally awesome. A hail of BBs hits the surrounding trees and two guys go down. A Lieutenant hollers orders before being shot in the head, leaving the rest of the squad unsure if they should continue fighting or pull back. Incoming mortar rounds burst all around as an unseen VC screams: “I kill you GI!” A wounded grunt calls for his buddies; a radio man shouts into his set requesting a Medevac chopper. Everyone’s adrenaline goes through the roof and all you can think of is that line from Full Metal Jacket: ‘This is my rifle, this is my gun. This is for fighting, this is for fun.’ ■

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SKIRMISHING Nige took a trip north of the border to visit Land Warrior Skirmishing (Airsoft Edinburgh), one of Scotland’s best-known sites

he weather forecast had promised rain – rain, and more rain! So I packed every bit of waterproof kit I own into my day bag and (rather optimistically, as it turned out) threw in my sunglasses, just in case. What I didn’t think to pack was some industrial-strength insect repellent! I’d only been to Edinburgh once before – quite a few years ago – and the memories of that particular visit are shrouded by both time and the effects of a few ‘wee drams’! To be fair, though, I’d ﬂown up the day before, and having spent a few hours being rained on as I explored the Royal Mile I had a fair inkling of what lay ahead. Land Warrior Airsoft is run by Scott Allan and his partner Nicky, who picked me up from my hotel and drove me out to the site on the outskirts of Edinburgh, just a few miles from the LWA shop. The approach to the site takes you up a fairly narrow, unmade track (or stream as it was today), so a word of caution: if you

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drive a low-slung car, take it easy or you could damage the underside on some of the rocks. No problems for us though in Scott’s L200 – nor for any of the other cars already there. The track climbs up some 800ft to the site where there are plans to lay a hardstanding agricultural equipment storage area. Until then, vehicles park alongside the track under the watchful guidance of the marshals. I met Scott in the Safe Zone and he introduced me to his team, and to a less-enjoyable feature of the site – midges! The site is predominantly plantation pine and these little winged terrorists seem to thrive here. Thankfully one of the marshals took pity on a ‘softy southerner’ and let me spray copious amounts of repellent on every square inch of exposed skin. The airsoft played at Land Warrior is of the MilSim variety. As a canny Scot, though, Scott has created a number of hybrid games where teams have objectives to achieve yet retain many ‘skirmishing’ elements. I didn’t

do a head-count but guesstimate that 50-odd players had turned up to enjoy (what turned out to be) a cracking day of airsoft – and to top it off it had stopped raining! With a very thorough safety briefing completed, players were divided into two teams. No armbands here though; players are expected to get to know their teammates and, if unsure, devise some sort of ‘challenge/ response’ system. The initial games were ‘attack and defend’ scenarios, the first of which was to rescue the pilot of a downed light aircraft and get him back to safety. There wasn’t a real pilot – but there is a real ‘downed’ light aircraft on the site and it made for some very interesting play, situated, as it is, almost at the edge of the playing area with open approaches in all directions. To keep things moving and prevent stagnation, regen and medic rules are used but defenders only have two regens while attackers have five. This might sound a bit

SITE REVIEW | LAND WARRIOR unbalanced until you consider that defenders have the advantage of pre-prepared cover, while attackers have to, well, attack. To do that they are exposed to defensive ﬁre most of the time. Scott’s medic rules are equally simple – any player can medic by getting hands on and counting to 10. Once all the defenders had been taken out and the plane secured, the attacking team made good their escape and headed off to their base in the woods – and Scott added a twist to the game. Not more than 30 seconds had elapsed when Game On was called again and the hunters soon became the hunted as the beaten defenders turned into a rapid attack force, chasing them through the trees. This turned into one of the most intensely-fought games of the day and saw wave after wave of attackers beaten off until there were just two defenders left. The two guys were positioned right at the rear of the base, outside the back wall with good protection in front and all-round vision. As

the seconds of the last minute ticked down, they took out player after player until, with just ﬁve seconds remaining, they were both hit by a burst of ﬁre from an unseen player who had managed to creep all the way round behind them. As was typical of the day both players congratulated the shooter: “Nice one mate!” Further games followed, including breaching the defence around a Rapier Missile system, to the point where a single player had to physically reach the missile in order for it to be captured. This also produced some memorable moments of play, not least of which was a defender who had secreted himself behind a fallen tree. As attackers approached he calmly picked them off with a smart doubletap. I had spotted him doing this and worked my way round behind him, intending to take a photograph along his barrel as he went about his work. He saw two more customers heading his way and as they broke into a run towards the Rapier calmly despatched the man in the lead before lining up on the second.

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SITE REVIEW | LAND WARRIOR

“As they broke into a run towards the Rapier he calmly despatched the man in the lead before lining up on the second. Taking careful aim he squeezed the trigger only to dry ﬁre… Bugger! Mag out!”

Taking careful aim he squeezed the trigger only to dry fire… Bugger! Mag out! Lunch followed with a selection of hot pies, cold drinks and chocolate available in the Safe Zone before play resumed with a ‘patrol and ambush’ scenario. Designed to get players going again after filling their bellies, the game involved five players going into the trees and, with infinite regens, ambushing the rest as they patrolled down a track through the forest. Tell you what, those five guys put up one hell of a fight and the amount of fire they put in was pretty damn intense. Needless to say numbers eventually won out, though it was a great way to get hearts pumping again! I mentioned earlier that the site is predominantly plantation pine and this makes for some really close, dense fighting and, following the rain it was dripping wet with plenty of standing water to soak the unwary. When coupled with a fairly dense canopy that considerably reduced light levels it added a

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whole new sense of realism – although it was a real pain to photograph in! The light aircraft is not the only vehicle Scott has on site: there are also a couple of old Snatch Land Rovers and a couple of FV432 APCs. These last two are fully-functional and used in-game for mechanised insertions and troop movements. Personally I think these things are brilliant and Scott said he was surprised more sites don’t invest the money to get one. According to Scott they are not too expensive to maintain, cheaper to run than a Snatch Landie and players absolutely love riding about in them – and they look dead cool when you drive them at shows and the like!

Unfortunately Easyjet waits for no man, so I had to take my leave of Land Warrior Airsoft a little earlier than I would have liked, but I left with a hugely positive feeling about both LWA and Scottish airsoft generally. The LWA site isn’t huge but it makes for great play and has diversity aplenty to keep players entertained time and again. The site is popular and played with honour and integrity throughout – I don’t recall seeing a marshal having to intervene on a single occasion – and that speaks volumes. Thanks to Scott, his marshals, all the players who made me very welcome (and for not shooting me too much!) and especially the guy with bug repellent – I’ll bring extra next time!

LAND WARRIOR SKIRMISHING Hardengreen Business Park, Dalkeith, EH22 3NX PRICES: WALK-ON: £20 RIFLE HIRE: £15 GREEN FEE PLUS FULL HIRE KIT: £45 CONTACT: 0131 654 2452 WEB: www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk

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BIG BOYZ TOYZ | MODERN MRAPS

REAL MAD MAX ARMOUR Simon Chambers reports on the futuristic armoured workhorses used today in the Middle East, designed to cope with the speciﬁc challenges facing soldiers in Iraq

hen I first joined the Parachute Regiment in the early 70s we thought nothing of driving through the bad areas in soft-skinned Land Rovers and Bedford RLs. We started to take casualties from homemade claymore mines and blast bombs. As a result, Shorts started to produce light armoured vehicles for the British Army; Macrolon armour was clipped onto existing Land Rovers; and four-tonne trucks had their canvases removed as an anti-ambush precaution and GPMGs added in the turret ring. Now our troop transports had become fighting machines. Or so we thought. Many years down the line and I found myself in Iraq, where Mad Max and his transport are normal. Explosive reactive armour was the buzzword when our troops first started fighting in the Gulf. Everyone looked at the main battle tanks as the tip of the spear and they had the latest armour added for their protection. They did a good job, and defeated the Russian armour graciously donated by the Soviet Union. They saw it as a cheap way of

battle-testing their latest tanks and putting them in a head-to-head with our latest battlewagons. Of course they got slaughtered; our uranium depleted ammunitions tore through their subpar version of our explosive reactive armour. But the locals became inventive, and with Iran’s help the discarded munitions in plentiful supply were put to a good use as improvised explosive devices. The explosive formed

penetrator was particularly effective. It could be easily produced and quickly placed in the path of an oncoming convoy or PSD team. This was a real tank killer and not easily defeated. It was clear we needed better armour – but now the humble troop-carrying vehicles had to be protected too, not just the heavy armour. As the military struggled toward a solution they began producing clip-on armour kits that

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could be attached to Humvees and other trucks. Contractors ﬁghting in a supporting role were left to fend for themselves. Many of the armour scrap heaps on the main camps were searched. Humvee armoured side windows could be welded onto gun turrets to give the gunner on a PSD vehicle better all-round vision and protection against smallarms ﬁre.

Contractors keep up At the same time, South African companies started selling their own mineproof vehicles – after 16 years’ development – to private defence companies. REVAs, Wolves, Mambas and Strikers became commonplace on the main supply routes. The Casspir proved to be such a reliable bombproof vehicle that it was purchased in large numbers by the US Army’s Bomb Disposal units. At one point I personally passed one that had been hit by a bomb. The vehicle was in bits but the main crew compartment had remained intact and the crew walked away from the wreck, if somewhat shakily. Ordinary transport trucks had had armour attached to the cabs too, but the next production vehicle came with the armoured cab as standard. Now new extra armour and weaponry crept in. The standard GS wagon now came with an armoured cab and a .50cal machine gun mounted on the turret ring as standard. Mine resistant ambush protected vehicles became the norm. Military vehicles now sported electronic countermeasures. Civilian contractors, not to be outdone, had

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BIG BOYZ TOYZ | MODERN MRAPS

“Not to be outdone, contractors had rhino horns ﬁtted to the front of vehicles, intended to set off IEDs just that fraction earlier”

rhino horns ﬁtted to the front vehicle of all convoys and PSD teams. These were intended to set off IEDs just that fraction earlier, meaning the vehicle would be hit by some of the blast but the main blast and shrapnel would miss the driver and commander. This worked pretty well and cut the number of casualties the contractors were suffering. Unfortunately, accurate ﬁgures on contractor casualties are not available as they do not appear on the military casualty lists, and as usual they are the unsung heroes of this war. I spent two years on convoys through the centre of the Sunni Triangle and was attacked nearly every day. Our two teams clocked up almost 160 contacts in one 10-month period. My main job was rear vehicle, rear gunner, and my REVA saved my life three times when hit by IEDs. The last time my luck ran out and I

was casevaced back to the UK for treatment. I soon recovered, but two of our other vehicles were hit at the same time; two of my friends were killed and another wounded. The culprit was a well-placed explosive formed penetrator which ripped through the vehicle like a knife through butter. Two of the four-man REVA crew survived. Around the same time I witnessed a Striker armoured vehicle completely destroyed by a massive anti-tank mine planted in a culvert under a road. The only good thing, if you can call it that, was that the six-man crew did not know what hit them and were killed instantly.

The future Mine resistant vehicles are being produced in their hundreds and delivered to both Iraq and Afghanistan as we go to print. There is no doubt

they are saving lives – but as usual, as we produce a safety measure somebody else is already working on a way to defeat it. The British Government is slow to catch up and copy our American allies and British soldiers are still being told to ﬁght an enemy in good ol’ reliable Snatch Land Rovers. They are a good bit of kit, but this is the wrong war and they are the wrong design. Until the MOD realises this and gives our soldiers the right kit to protect them and help them defeat a determined enemy we will continue to lose soldiers unnecessarily. Many of the locally-produced armoured vehicles used by the civilian contractors will suffer the same fate. Some new vehicles are being tested but it may be too little, too late. Many companies use cheap Iraqi companies to produce and up-armour their vehicles. Unfortunately the workmanship is poor, the metal used is sub-standard and many of the gun turrets are badly-designed. Many of the Mad Max designs look good, but they have proven to disintegrate under the pressure of an IED blast. More work is needed on the anti-mine vehicles, better armour is needed and better counter-measures need to be supplied to the troops. All this technology is available but as usual it comes down to cost. Like everyone else I don’t think you can put a price on a soldier’s life. If we want them to defeat our enemies in Iraq and Afghanistan and where ever our troops ﬁnd their next enemy we must be prepared to spend the money to protect them.

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049

AGS M15A4

CARBINE Is Matty Phillipson overwhelmed by ASG’s newest package – or is it just ‘M4-fever’?

or many of us starting out in airsoft, buying your first weapon can be a frustrating experience. I’m not even going to get into the whole ‘Do I wait two months or go two tone?’ debate as that way oversteps the bounds of this article. What I do want to mention, though, is that it can be pretty galling to spend upwards of £300 on a rifle, only to find it doesn’t come with a battery, or even a magazine. These ‘necessary extras’ can add an unexpectedly high amount to your final bill. I know, I’ve made those mistakes myself! This is why I was embarrassingly enthusiastic when I first opened the box for ASG’s new M15A4 Carbine rifle. Rifle, cleaning rod, instruction manual… and battery, charger and two magazines? This is unprecedented!

First impressions Well, my ﬁrst thought was: crikey! The package alone is enough to tempt a newbie like me. The riﬂe is metal where you’d expect it, and I thought it surprisingly heavy

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when I first took it from the box. ASG is officially licensed by ArmaLite to produce replica rifles, and as such it features accurate markings on the left hand side of the receiver, along with three-position fire selector. On the right are the usual ‘ASG’ and ‘6mm BB’ markings, which I know will put of some of those looking for hardcore realism! At the back is a six-position adjustable LMT Sopmod stock, which does have a bit of wobble but nothing extreme. Behind the carry handle is a working cocking lever, which allows access to the hop-up in the usual place. At the front is a mean-looking and chunky flash hider, which sets it off nicely.

The rear sight is well-adjusted (or mine was, at any rate) though a bit wobbly, but it is some sort of tiny pinprick arrangement. I’d deﬁnitely prefer something more open. The whole lot can be removed, of course, so you can mount your own choice of optics on the rail instead (which I would if I were to run this again). The battery is held inside the handguard, which contains a minitamiya style connector. The battery supplied is an 8.4v 1,400mAh NiMh, which held its charge well and is still turning over solidly. You’ll also ﬁnd the fuse in here – useful for rapid changing. And last but not least, the magazines. Now, the box says it contains two low-

“Half of me wants to go back in time six months and buy this as my first gun. It would’ve saved me a whole lot of hassle”

THE THEARMOURY ARMOURY| |M15A4 KA THOMPSON CARBINE

cap 85-rounders. Aside from the fact I’d call those mid-caps, I thought mine came with three (which ﬁt snugly in their slot in the cardboard packaging). The third – a clear plastic affair – was in fact the niftiest speedloader I’ve ever seen. The mags were nothing to rave about and I did have the occasional misfeed or jam, but nothing seriously wrong with them – and they were technically free!

Performance I’ve used, tested and reviewed a number of what might be called ‘entry level’ AEGs. We’re not talking budget springers, but sub-£200 guns that would likely be your ﬁrst AEG if you were beginning to get serious about the sport. Now don’t misconstrue this: this is not the very best I’ve used, but thanks to the package it’s still hard to beat. I didn’t chrono it for a few hours until I was sure it had settled (running a new battery, newly-oiled and fresh mags – I thought it only fair!). After an afternoon of attacking paper in the garden I put

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her through my V2 chrono and got an average of around 287fps (three-shot average, 0.2g ASG Blaster BBs). The instruction manual tells me it should run at about 295fps, so that’s not far off. For some larger woodland sites you might find you need to get in a bit closer, but that’s no bad thing necessarily. The length might put some people off for CQB use but in all honesty it’s perfectly fine. The adjustable stock can help there too. After getting to know the rifle a bit more I did play for a day with a few friends on private land. I passed it around and the consensus was that, overall, it’s a great rifle. The inescapable fact, and the one that should rightly remain the biggest draw to this rifle, is the package. It’s a well-built bit of kit – as you expect from ASG – and it looks and feels right. It is of course an ‘M’ style rifle, and I’ll admit they’re starting to wear on me, but it works great. It is a 1:1 replica of the real-deal, and even the stock is an official replica of the popular Lewis Machine and Tooling Co offering.

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But while I remain impartial for the purposes of the review, there was certainly something nagging at me in the back of my head. Fact is I’m not brand new to airsoft anymore, and I want something with a bit more punch, more presence, more panache. I cannot argue with the value for money – it is fantastic, and half of me wants to go back in time six months (then wait six months for it be released) and buy this as my ﬁrst gun. It would’ve saved me a whole lot of hassle. Two magazines? I pretty much had to run

one mag for months before I could justify buying a second! So while the weapon itself is essentially what you might expect for the money – with the bonus of realistic markings – it’s the overall package that makes this so appealing.

Conclusion I don’t want to sound negative, or elitist. This is a great piece of weaponry for the money it will set you back. It works well, and while you’ll be

THE ARMOURY | ASG M15A4 CARBINE

ﬁne lugging it about for a whole game day you do certainly know you’re carrying a riﬂe – it just feels so solid, and the weight is satisfying. It’s full-metal, and will tick a lot of boxes for a lot of players. It comes with everything you need to literally pick up and play (minus a bit of oil to keep it running smooth – and an adapter for the charger!) and out-the-box I had no actual issues with it. But to deny its place in the market would be like saying it’s practical to take a bus to China. It might get you there, but it’s hardly the

most effective way. This is for the player on a budget looking for quality workmanship and a brand they can trust – or for the newbie looking for a gun of their very own. I feel that more experienced players (and I’m fortunate to play with a couple myself, and their input was invaluable) will suffer a sort of ‘seen-it-before syndrome’. It will be hard for ASG to counter that, but to offer such a comprehensive set is a solid method. In the meantime, though, I’m going to take the carry handle off, mount a spare HKstyle rear sight block, and see just how close I can get…

ASG M15A4 CARBINE LENGTH: 770mm (stock retracted); 850mm (stock extended) WEIGHT: 2,750g CONSTRUCTION: Metal; nylon MAGAZINE: 85-round mid-cap (two supplied) BATTERY: 8.4v 1,400mAh supplied VELOCITY: 295fps (ofﬁcial data)

Huge thanks to ASG for supplying test riﬂe. Available from all ASG stockists – check your local retailer! ASG: www.actionsportgames.com

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COLD WAR WARRIOR | MUJAHEDIN

HOLY WAR: AFGAN TRIBAL FIGHTER 1980S This month Gadge Harvey investigates probably the cheapest Cold War impression going: the Afghan tribal warrior of the Mujahedin

ong before the current troubles in Afghanistan the hardy warriors of the Afghani hill tribes earned a reputation as guerrilla fighters without equal as they took on the might of the Soviet Union. This month we’ll look at a typical Mujahid – or ‘warrior fighting a holy war’ – from one of the many Afghani hill tribes during their war to kick the Soviet Union out of Afghanistan and defeat the Russian-controlled puppet government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghan resistance to colonisation by world superpowers is as ancient as their national identity itself. Afghanistan is a nation with few resources, little arable land and a population historically composed of mutually hostile tribes that raid fertile Pakistan for produce they cannot supply for themselves. These horse warriors rarely allied in any numbers generally, and frequently fought among themselves. They are united in two core beliefs though: Islam, and a belief that Afghanistan is their land and belongs to no other. From the 19th century, armies from Europe have attempted to ‘hold the tail of the tiger’ and capture Afghanistan. Both Britain and Russia saw it as a strategic location; for Russia, Afghanistan was the path to a warm water seaport, and for Britain it was the frontier of colonial India. The whole might of the British Empire failed to take and hold Afghanistan in a series of costly 19th and 20th century campaigns (usually centred around besieging Kabul). Some 30 years after the British gave up guarding the Khyber Pass, the world watched amazed as another world superpower attempted to make a claim on this tumultuous land. Throughout the 1970s there had been a series of military coups in Afghanistan and during one such coup Marxist officers took control of the country’s military and political affairs. The 1978 coup – known as the ‘Saur’ (April) revolution – put president Mohammed Taraki in power. Taraki had strengthened links with the USSR and signed a Soviet-Afghan friendship treaty, but in less than a year he was assassinated. President Amin took over in December 1978.

Soviet occupation Amin’s rule was to be short-lived too. On Christmas Eve, 1979, Russian Spetsnaz Special Forces assassinated President Amin and Soviet airborne troops began to descend on Kabul. The Soviets took no time in establishing the exiled Afghan communist Barbrak Karmal in government and ‘supported’ his ‘Democratic Republic of Afghanistan’ (DRA). To the rest of the world it was plain that the Russians were making the decisions in Afghanistan. While it is true that the Afghan tribes constantly war with each other, one thing they were united in was their hatred of the Soviet Union.

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“Tribesmen sent to train on SAM systems were rarely allowed to ﬁre them. That honour was reserved for the tribe’s warlord, who usually had no idea what he was doing!”

The Soviet Union was an entirely atheist state and denied all religion, an affront to their belief in Islam. It was also not the ﬁrst time the Russians had attempted to meddle in Afghanistan’s affairs or occupy their land (Russian involvement in the 19th century had been the cause of at least one British expedition).

Afghan resistance: Russia’s Vietnam Initially, resistance to the Soviet Invasion was light (partially due to the Soviet mistake of sending troops from Muslim areas of the Soviet Union to occupy Afghanistan). A rapid trade began on the black market, with Muslim Soviet soldiers exchanging weapons and equipment for Korans. Before long, however, the war started in earnest and motivated but poorly-armed hill tribesmen began to strike at Russian convoys and barracks. The Afghan people appealed to the west to aid them in their ﬁght against the Russians. Initial NATO response was cautious to say the least; while it was seen as important to sabotage Soviet expansion senior intelligence ofﬁcers feared that overtly arming the Mujahedin with modern western weapons would escalate the ‘cold war’ into a ‘shooting war’ in no time at all.

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To begin with, ancient WWII-era weapons were sent to the guerrillas to help them overcome the Russians, but as things progressed ‘Soviet’ weapons captured in other wars were sent over to give the guerrillas more punch – but without leaving a telltale stamp of western interference. Mujahedin warriors soon became more than a thorn in the side of Russian forces; deserters from the DRA army joined the ranks of the guerrillas on a daily basis – some Muslim soviets even turned coat. Hit-and-run attacks with assault rifles, RPG7s and sniper rifles put a serious dent in Russian morale and the world began to see Afghanistan as ‘Russia’s Vietnam’. Conscript soldiers feared being sent to Afghanistan and even elite airborne units began to suffer from attrition. The Soviet response was to deny the Afghanis freedom of movement, troop convoys were escorted by tanks and mines were dropped indiscriminately in contested areas. Regular flights of helicopter gunships and ground attack aircraft strafed anything that moved, leaving villages destroyed and traditional caravan routes littered with dead pack animals.

COLD WAR WARRIOR | MUJAHEDIN The main problem for the Mujahedeen, though, was Russian air superiority. This continued to be a thorn in their side until the British and Americans began to supply Blowpipe and Stinger SAM systems to the Afghan rebels. Regrettably, the effectiveness of these systems in Mujahedin hands was limited – like all high-tech equipment it was seen as a status symbol, and the tribesmen sent to Pakistan to train on them were rarely allowed to fire them. That honour was usually reserved for the tribe’s warlord or a guest he was trying to impress, and who usually had no idea what he was doing! The combat effectiveness of the various war bands would have been much greater had they ever acted as a united whole. Ancient rivalries and feuds often prevented the Mujahedin from truly realising their potential as a fighting force. However, this did mean that Russian found itself fighting, not one army, but a thousand small ones. The tribes were connected to one another purely by a belief in Islam and a desire to kill Russians, which meant that the obliteration of one tribe had no impact on the morale of another. The destruction of a tribe was often seen as ‘god’s will’ rather than a tactical failure.

Mujahedin impression Our Mujahedin warrior wears traditional Afghan clothing, not vastly dissimilar from that which his forefather would have worn to fight the British in the 19th century. A loose-fitting shirt and trousers are supplemented by a neutral shade knitted jersey and traditional pakol hat. Woolly jumpers and hats were common among Mujahidin warriors, even in the blazing heat of the Afghan summer. Captured Soviet (and, more rarely, western) combat uniforms were occasionally worn but it was much more likely that a warrior would wear traditional clothes to blend into the local population easily. Some Afghan war bands were nearly ‘uniformed’ in Soviet combat gear bought on the black market, but it was indeed rare. Webbing is the near-universal ‘chi-com’ Chinese-style chest rig for his AKSU assault carbine. Although it can carry up to nine magazines it was uncommon for Mujahidin warriors to carry more than a couple. Combined with typically poor fire discipline, this often led to defeat in prolonged firefights with Soviet forces. The weapon itself is a Soviet AKS74. These were issued to troops in Afghanistan both in the full stock version seen here and a folding stock (S) airborne version. A cut-down version of the AK74(S) assault rifle, known as the AKSU, was prized as a ‘trophy weapon’ among the tribesmen. This was partially because it was usually only issued to vehicle crew and commanders, and so to obtain one the bearer must have destroyed a tank or killed an officer. Astute readers who know their smallarms will notice that our model here is using an AK47 magazine on his rifle, something not possible with the real-steel models! Most Mujahedin, however, used the older AK47 and AKM series of rifles (and in the early days even old Lee Enfield rifles). Many of these rifles came from the black market and deserting Afghan Army soldiers. A considerable amount were also supplied by the USA and Israel using stock captured by the Israelis in their many Middle Eastern battles. Personal camouflage of a western type was virtually entirely absent, but the neutral brown, green and grey shades of the traditional Afghan dress blended in with his surroundings perfectly. Most warriors would carry a khaki, brown or grey blanket as additional camouflage. After their lightning raids there would be an inevitable Soviet response, often involving Hind Mi24 helicopter gunships which would scour the hillsides looking for the guerrilla fighters. Canny warriors would simply lie on the floor

under their blankets and become invisible to observers in the air! Our Mujahidin also wears sturdy boots; while these were not uncommon it was equally likely he would wear leather, open-toed sandals. Airsoft Action really can’t recommend you skirmish in such footwear though, and sturdy boots are the safe alternative. The last modern addition to our warrior’s kit is almost insignificant but important. He wears a western wristwatch. Small items of technology such as watches and radios were highly prized by the Afghan and worn as status symbols. And there you have it: probably the cheapest Cold War airsoft load-out you can create. Excluding the rifle it’s possible to get the items worn by our model for around £50 if you shop around. It’s also got the added advantage of being relatively timeless – as only a few years after the Mujahidin kicked the Russians out of their country another Afghan tribal force would begin to wage war on NATO: the dreaded Taliban. While the Mujahin and Taliban are not the same organisation, much of the clothing and equipment featured in this article would be fine for an ‘opposing force’ in any of the many MilSim games set in modern day Afghanistan with very little alteration.

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STEP YOUR

GAME UP Many airsofters take their sport seriously and want to learn to be the best they can. Andy Nightingale explains how Pro-Tact can help

ro-Tact was formed in 2006 by Andy Nightingale and Colin Taylor. The idea was to bring together past experience in combat and shooting and offer it to the public in a form of educational programs. We decided to focus on quality of training rather than quantity, and prefer to train small groups and individuals in order to give students the time they need. Our training programs range from precision target shooting for children to tactical firearms skills for personal defence. At first we concentrated on airguns and firearms, but soon found there was a market for airsoft. In 2010 Paul Webley and Phil Diggle joined the team to help with the workload. After careful study of many airsoft players and sites we found that the skills possessed by individuals complicated the outcome of the games. Many times we witnessed blue-on-blue encounters and poor muzzle control. We also found that many airsofters lacked the skills needed to take advantage and control of situations. We put together many training programs to address these problems. The courses we deliver are time-proved, real-world skills and drills as used by many military and law enforcement agencies from around the world such as SWAT, FBI, DEA and ATF. Pro-Tact is also continually developing new tactical skills for use in combat and defence situations.

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Basics and beyond One of the first things we like to do is make sure that all our students can find their way around a gun, be it a handgun or rifle. You would be surprised how many don’t know where the muzzle is. The next stage is safety. This is the same as you would find at any well-run gun range. Previously we have found a lack of attention to detail here, during loading, unloading and showing clear among others. How many times have you seen someone walking

around with the safety catch off and their ﬁnger on the trigger? Stance, presentation and grip are areas which demonstrate a serious lack of competence among many shooters, and we like to spend time with students showing and explaining how to grip the weapon and how to stand – and how this affects the aim and shot. Once the student has the correct skills in safety and control we offer further training in whatever they need. We have had many practical pistol/action shooters ask us to help

FEATURE | TRAINING them improve but most of the time it is the airsoft skirmisher we cater for. Due to the vast amount of skills involved in airsoft we cannot cover all of them, so we are lucky to have many professional contacts we can call upon to ensure our students get the best quality training available. In all our training we use the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stupid!). We believe that the simpler a skill is, the less there is to learn – and less to forget, too. In return there is also less that can go wrong.

Overloading with equipment and gear is another issue we address. Although it may look good to carry every bit of kit you can cram onto your webbing, most people never use a lot of the kit they own, or spend lots of hard-earned cash on the wrong kit only to sell it and buy more wrong kit. Between them, Pro-Tact instructors and staff have used most of the personal kit on the market today, and have a good understanding on what works and where. We advise on kit selection as well as weapons conﬁguration.

Many students take a course and never gain any follow up training, and some won’t remember all that they have done. This is sometimes due to the fact that too much information has been delivered in too short a time. A Pro-Tact course is designed to deliver all information at a steady pace and in phases that are easy to follow. We pride ourselves in making sure that our students get things right ﬁrst time, and go through progressive phases in a step-by-step program. In this way students can gain the most from the course without

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FEATURE | TRAINING

sacriﬁcing quality. A good way to learn new skills is to see it done by professionals, and we have instructors on hand to go through tactical drills so the students can see it done correctly before doing it themselves.

Other stuff Although we don’t have a vast knowledge on all the weapons on the market today we can advise on what type of weapon to use for certain jobs. We can also advise on the type of kit and equipment to use for certain jobs, be it for the individual or group/team. Not all our training programs are shooting-based; we also run programs in communications and assault planning. At the end of training, our students have the opportunity to test out their new skills in a lifelike scenario. Most sites split their guests up in a 50:50 ratio – but in reality this is rarely the case. The ratio in lifelike scenarios should be at least three-to-one, in favour of the good guys. Once suited up the training is put to the test against our instructors. After the scenario we analyse the outcome and discuss the pros and cons of the operation. Coaching programs are available after students have completed a program to make sure they are up to scratch with the skills learnt and also to develop new updated skills. All programs include an individual student course report that shows the student their strengths and weaknesses and a certificate of attendance. Pro-Tact is a not for profit organisation with all profits generated donated to charity.

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PRO-TACT Pro-Tact offers a number of basic course and more advanced tactical courses, ranging from ‘Basic handgun (airsoft)’ to ‘High-risk entry course’. FOR MORE INFO VISIT: www.pro-tact.co.uk CONTACT: protactshooting@gmail.com

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REAL-STEEL | SNIPING

.50CALIBRE

SNIPER

RIFLE

Best-selling author Dan Mills shares his experiences of ﬁring a .50cal beast

y ﬁrst experience with .50cal was way back in my 5 Airborne Brigade days serving in Canterbury, when I completed my .50cal instructors course. Back then the only weapons I had handled of that calibre were held in the Machine Gun Platoon, and these heavy weapons were normally mounted on cradles, mostly due to the weight and for use in anti-aircraft ﬁre. They were far too heavy to carry, let alone stalk with. Nowadays there are a multitude of

Size matters: comparing .50cal (top) and 7.62mm rounds

weapons to pick from, designed for differing conditions, uses and armed services. These latest weapons can be submerged, stalked with, folded and jumped with and carried forwards in a valise or drag bag. One of the operations that I went on was Telic, Iraq, and during my time there I was lucky to get my hands on the Accuracy International AW .50. My daily-use sniper rifle was the 7.62mm AI L96 so I was well chuffed when I got my hands on the bigger calibre! The AW .50 is an anti-materiel weapon capable of firing effectively out to 1.5km. You may know that we had been having a difficult time of it out there, with day and night attacks on our base location. Many of these enemy attacks were from small arms fire. We could deal with

those; the problem we had was defeating the never-ending supply of mortars that the Mahdi Militia had got hold of – and used to great effect every day. Enemy forces were moving mortars and ammunition around the area in anything they could get hold of that had wheels, including ambulances, so every vehicle caused suspicion, especially at night. There was a time when one mortar team in particular had been causing a nuisance. When we had identified it and tracked it down to the Yugoslav Bridge it was time to act. I got the .50cal rifle out of its bag – and damn was it heavy at 33lb or so. I would not want to sneak about with this! Dragging that thing behind you in a drag bag? No thank you. It was set up on the sandbag wall of the makeshift sangar we had built up on the roof. It was difficult just manipulating it around the top of the sandbags. I wanted to take the vehicle and any mortar ammo it held out of action. I had a bag of flash-tipped and armour-piercing rounds and filled my fiveround magazine with the mix. The sniper rifle was fitted for use at night with a Simrad nightvision sight (a very

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good piece of kit), which is ideal for a static location but rather too large for movement. The Simrad was another new piece of kit to me, another of the items issued on deployment tours only. The good thing about this sight is that it can be clipped onto the rifle’s day sight, mounting itself on top and therefore not affecting any weapon zeroing which is a real bonus – one thing a sniper does not want is to mess up his zeroed rifle! This also allows the firer to use the same eye relief, magnification, focus and sight pattern as normal; the only change he has is the extra weight on top (and any weapon sighting considerations due to the height of the weapon with Simrad fitted). To the delight of other members of the platoon the car was quickly set on fire after several rounds into the fuel tank. That lit up the night sky in Al Amarah!

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The range card for the bridge support on the far northern bank showed 850 metres. The mobile mortar vehicle was just in front of it, using the leg structures supporting the bridge as cover. The distance was lasered exactly and I set this on the elevation drum. There was no wind to speak of – I looked at any flags, the top of the river, the tree tops in the Vietnam wood, anything I could think of to help gauge the wind. I had not had much practice with this rifle so had no shooting record to go by. I decided to settle on zero wind alteration and flash-tipped rounds, so I could observe the point of impact or the fall of shot. Rounds available were the ball, tracer, flash and AP. Now I am no car expert, but I did know the fuel tank was at the back somewhere so quickly settled to engage the lower portion of car nearest the fuel cap at the rear-left. Once on target I put a mixed

magazine on the beast and had some fun finding the fuel. Bang! The rifle has some power in it and you certainly know you’re firing one! The weapon kicked back in my grasp, biting into my shoulder; bits of dust and detritus blew for a brief second and all settled back on the sandbag parapet. The vehicle was ablaze and out of action for any enemy wanting to use her again. The bullet had obviously struck the flammable petrol content and ignited rather impressively. The Accuracy International AW .50 most definitely was anti-materiel. To get a better feel for the rifle I used the concrete pillar support for a target and had a few shots at it – impressive stuff. I practiced using the bipod or the bean bags to cater for different firing platforms. One important point is not to rest the barrel on any surface – if you do this it will cause the weapon (and therefore the bullet) to jump or bounce on

REAL-STEEL | SNIPING firing, which causes inaccuracies. The bipod is the best way forward – that’s what it is designed for. Failing that, we used bean bags which are perfect for the urban environment with legs removed. During one particularly busy day of fighting down the Tigris River towards the eastern end of the city I decided to shoot the .50cal. Before firing it the area around the platform was soaked with water, which would keep the dust from blowing everywhere when firing and therefore protect the weapon and conceal the fire position somewhat. Ear defenders were also fetched and placed over the ears from the back of the head – this way they could be quickly removed if needed when firing with a helmet on. These were a must when firing the .50cal as it was so loud, I wanted to hear what was going on around me and be able to listen in to the radio traffic in my earpiece!

It did not take long before my first target presented itself, a typically-dressed militia fighter moving around a rooftop firing from several shooting positions with the reliable AK47 rifle. He was selected because he was visibly very active and aggressive and continuously using his weapon in and around others. I found it amazing how other combatants responded to one of their own getting shot, particularly one so dominant, and especially so when they thought they were in a safe area. Snipers are so effective at lowering enemy morale in these situations. I read any information on range to target and what have you from the range card in use for the position I was in, and relayed that info to my weapon. At this stage I had not much experience on operations with a .50cal so it was all still relatively new to me. Besides shooting at armoured vehicles in

ACCURACY INTERNATIONAL AW50 Designed to withstand constant military deployment, the AW50 long-range antimateriel riﬂe exhibits all the features necessary to ensure high accuracy and consistent cold shot performance. CALIBRE: .50BMG (12.7x99) BARREL LENGTH: 27in (690mm) MAGAZINE: Five-shot WEIGHT: 30lb (13.5kg) OVERALL LENGTH: 53.3in (1,350mm) FOLDED: 43.5in (1,105mm) NORMAL TACTICAL RANGE: 1,600yd (1,500m) SOURCE: www.accuracyinternational.com

“I slowed my breathing right down, maintained the reticle pattern on the target, controlled my breathing, ensured the target was still up to no good and my action would not impact on any innocents – and squeezed the trigger” www.airsoftactionmagazine.com

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Bosnia with a similar weapon, this tour was my introduction to shooting a .50cal weapon at enemy combatants. At the next opportunity presented to me by the actions of the gunman, with him running about the rooftop I got serious. I slowed my breathing right down, maintained the reticle pattern on the target, controlled my breathing, ensured the target was still up to no good and that my action would not impact on any innocents – and squeezed the trigger. Target down! The one good thing about working this part of Iraq was the weather conditions. Besides the random sandstorms, which came rolling by now and then, the weather conditions I witnessed were awesome for shooting. Once your eyes adjusted to the bright light it played no tricks; it’s very hard to operate in 50°C heat and the brightness is powerful, shades on or not. Generally though, I found that once ranged, unless an individual firer had anything different on his personal firing card, you could pretty much forget altering the windage drum. This proved even more so with the .50cal as the round was so powerful. I went on that week to kill at least one enemy gunman with the .50cal and it is a remarkable rifle, and certainly worth having in the armoury – though movement-wise it does have its limitations!

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EVENT REVIEW | FILMSIM

BLACK GOLD Gareth ‘Gadge’ Harvey reports from another excellent Cold War-era FilmSim adventure from Gunman Airsoft and learns how roleplay elements can add to any scenario

vents in Afghanistan have dominated the news headlines around the world for more than a decade. With all this modern interest it’s easy to forget that 30 years ago the Russians were having their own brutal war against determined guerrilla ﬁghters – the Mujahedin! Unless, that is, you’ve just read this issue’s Cold War Warriors and been reminded, in which case you cheated. Anyway, you‘ve got to hand it to Gunman Airsoft and its amazingly diverse portfolio of airsoft events. Not content with Vietnam, WWII, Sci-ﬁ and Western it has now added a new theatre to its Cold War line-up… Afghanistan! Not surprisingly, this new event was attended largely by existing Cold War fans. With a cadre of experienced players present the initial safety brief was mercifully short and mainly concerned site safety – and what a unique site it was.

UCAP Airsoft’s Sandpit (as seen in Airsoft Action June 2012) is a vast quarry with a central artificial lake. This would be our Afghanistan in an alternative 1983. The site is so large that it can take you a good couple of hours to walk around the lake, so it was just as well that Gunman had arranged to put a couple of vehicles in play to help players get into the battle area. Before the event could begin in earnest the Afghans and their SAS ‘advisors’ set off to their mountain caves and secret camp, while the US rangers were ‘parachuted’ into a remote location. The first job for the free world forces would be finding each other. Set up was a little easier for the Warsaw Pact forces as they had to garrison ‘PLANT 72’, a vital oil production facility, in order to keep the ‘black gold’ flowing. As the appointed Soviet commander I wasted no time in securing the area and making sure we dominated the surrounding high ground.

There were in fact five key locations for my forces to protect: a cliff top pressure valve (which made a great Observation Post with a fantastic field of view), an anti-aircraft gun under construction, a pumping station, facility offices and the main oil storage tanks. As the OP offered such a fantastic view of the site the East German contingent were tasked with running a field telephone wire (and phones) between the OP and the facility offices. This proved a good call, as we soon found that the vast site and hilly terrain made squad radios very unreliable

Guerrilla warfare With the Germans dominating the cliff to my right I sent the Soviet paras on a ﬁghting patrol across the left ﬂank. Tasked with securing the AA gun site, the paras were also told that anyone carrying weapons – or even wearing military kit – was to be arrested (and shot if they turned hostile).

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The gun site was soon in safe hands but we had seen no sign of any enemy forces. We were well over an hour into the event and my second in command, Evo, and I put this down to either great stealth on the NATO’s part, or that the enemy was hopelessly lost. It eventually turned out to be both, but mainly the latter! A large force of US troops were eventually spotted advancing on the complex. They had made a tactical blunder by patrolling over the crest of a hill and announcing their presence to our eagle-eyed OP, but at the same time a truckload of Afghan ‘workers’ arrived at the complex and had to be set to work. Distracted by the new arrivals I tasked the capable DDR Hauptman with chasing off the rangers while I tasked the work party.

Pushing the boundaries It’s a good idea at this point to explain exactly why this Gunman event was a real boundary pusher. Rather than a ‘stand-up battle’, this event also included a high degree of plot, character and roleplay elements. While I clearly knew these Afghans were really Mujahidin warriors, my character, Colonel

“While I clearly knew these Afghans were really Mujahidin warriors, my character, Colonel Vanya, did not. So after a short lecture on the glory of socialism I set them to work shovelling earth and cleaning up” Vanya, did not. So after giving them a short lecture on the glory of socialism and how the Soviet Union would protect them from capitalist running dogs I set them to work shovelling earth and cleaning up the site under the watchful eye of an armed guard. ‘Watchful’ was a bit optimistic, as the guards were from the native Democratic Republic of Afghanistan army (a Soviet puppet state set up after the USSR’s invasion). They appeared cheerful and dutiful but had been secretly briefed to slack off unless a Russian was watching. So under the pretext of ‘working for communism’ the Mujahidin inﬁltrators made full use of

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their access to the camp by scouting out the buildings and noting weak spots in our defences. The guards likewise did a good job of recceing the base for a future assault, under the guise of working hard! Meanwhile, the Rangers had been chased off the hillside with their tail between their legs and things had once again settled down to base routine. Other than a short skirmish between the VDV (Russian Airborne) and a war band of Mujahadin led by an SAS advisor nothing untold happened for quite some time – it was all very quiet, too quiet! This might actually sound pretty boring for some readers, but I assure you it wasn’t;

you could have cut the tension with a rusty bayonet. As the pressure built up the day got hotter and more and more sightings of troop movements in the valley were reported by our OP – we knew something must happen soon.

Quiet… too quiet… Keeping in character I dismissed the workers and told the men to stand to (paradoxically, dismissing the tribesmen from work only really strengthened the enemy forces!). The valley soon echoed with the sounds of mortar rounds being dropped on our OP! At around the same time a combined force of Rangers and SAS managed to push the VDV off the AA gun positions and secure high ground overlooking the complex. For quite some time this vicious firefight continued on the extreme flanks of the site; the OP was lost as Mujahedin stormed the cliff top but eventually reclaimed by a spirited East German counter-attack. On the right flank a ‘choke point’ occurred and the SAS and Rangers tried to cross a narrow causeway held by the VDV. After a lengthy firefight the Russians managed to beat the NATO forces back to the AA guns but couldn’t regain the ground they had lost earlier.

EVENT REVIEW | FILMSIM

But these had merely been diversionary attacks. While our forces were engaged in firefights an SAS operative disguised as a local had infiltrated the camp and stolen vital explosive supplies needed to destroy the plant. With the explosives secured it looked like everything was going to plan for the freeworld forces – but war is never that easy. By launching two massive attacks they had left themselves dangerously overextended, and in the confusion an NVA recce patrol had managed to infiltrate their lines, find their cave complex and destroy weapons an ammo caches. In true FilmSim improvisational style, this daring raid was incorporated into the story; realising their HQ had been compromised the free-world forces were forced to pull back. The organisers decreed that the recce team had pinpointed the base camp for Soviet ground attack craft and it had been destroyed, so a new base would need to be set up before offensive operations could begin again. To reflect the loss of ammo the NATO forces would d be restricted to singleshot until a new base was established. With the attackers repulsed, and knowing (in character) exactly what I was up against, I decided to withdraw the OP and use the East Germans in a more offensive role.

The VDV remained guarding the deadly bottleneck and by the late afternoon, with a strong defence set up, we dug in and waited. And waited… and waited. Nothing happened for a long time so I decided Colonel Vanya was going back to Kabul to make his report and request more men. It’s worth mentioning that ‘Colonel Vanya’ was an objective to capture (as were Josh’s tribal warlords) but to prevent us from being hidden in a room all day and to allow us to help direct the game we’d agreed that we were only the ‘target’ officer when wearing certain kit. After six hours walking around in a wool officer’s uniform in the blazing sun I decided to have a break and changed into rifleman’s kit.

And this was the point all hell broke loose… Enemy forces began to move in from all sides and the compound was quickly overrun by a well coordinated attack. The Warpac forces fought bravely, but by 20:00 hours the Soviets were withdrawing from Plant 72 and regrouping at divisional HQ. NATO was frustrated at having launched a fantastic assault just minutes too late; had they attacked only half an hour earlier they would have bagged the Colonel and completed a major objective. The sun set on day one of Black Gold, and for once at a Gunman game everyone was too exhausted to party much so I’ll cut to the chase and tell you how events unfolded on day two.

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EVENT REVIEW | FILMSIM

Things fall apart As with day one, roleplaying came to the fore. The Mujahdain and NATO dug in around the complex but the alliance was beginning to break up. The Afghans had their hearts set on blowing up the complex but NATO desperately wanted to keep the oil ﬂowing. A compromise had been struck between the factions to disable the plant without blowing it up if the NATO force surrendered the hated Colonel to the Mujahidin. With Vanya several miles away in Kabul the tribesmen were unhappy. So, with my Soviet re-enforcement aboard their transports and my 2IC in ﬁrm command I retired to a hidden OP overlooking the plant guarded by Spetsnaz troopers and ‘bravely’ directed the coming battle from my lofty perch. (In reality I’d taken a bad fall the day before and wasn’t feeling well enough to skirmish, but didn’t want to desert my side!) In order to retake the plant my 2IC Captain Evo sent in our DRA soldiers to negotiate a truce and to ask NATO to surrender. As expected NATO declined – but the Mujahidin, feeling slighted and betrayed by the west, secretly agreed to ‘disappear’ for an hour. This was our

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window of opportunity and a combined Warsaw Pact force stormed in and retook the complex. NATO launched its counterattack, successfully enough to blow two of their three objectives up and looked about to take the third when the Mujahidin returned – this time with the Brits and US in their sights. A frantic, and chaotic, threeway ﬁreﬁght engulfed the area, stabilising only when the Mujahidin warlord (a rich Saudi) was slain by US Rangers and his men withdrew. With less than an hour left to knock out the plant before battalion strength re-enforcements arrived from Kabul, NATO tried desperately to get back into the compound to blow the control room. However, as SAS troopers prepared to set charges on its doors the sound of Soviet troop helicopters could be heard from over the hills and they were forced to withdraw. It was incredibly close-run but the Soviets had just managed to hold in there and Plant 72 was still in business!

End-ex This event proved, once again, that there can be so much more to airsoft than just shooting at each other with AEGs. Black

Gold was a brave attempt to make the whole experience more real and immersive, and it paid off. At times it was utter chaos (as I’m told real wars are) but for most of the players, after an awkward and shy start, the roleplay element really paid off. It wasn’t Dungeons and Dragons, of course, but it did help keep the feel of being a character in a bigger story. I personally found it hard to maintain a ‘character’ in the lengthy periods of calm before the storms, but the effort paid off. Being Colonel Vanya and making evil (and perhaps cowardly) decisions that I myself wouldn’t make was really good fun. The only problem I have now is trying to hide yet another ‘smelly old army stuff’ uniform from my girlfriend. She thinks I’ve got far too many silly outﬁts as it is!

GUNMAN AIRSOFT Gunman Airsoft runs a range of FilmSim and other events and holds open skirmish days at its own sites in Eversley, Cambridge and Norwich CONTACT: 07854 277264, www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk

Available to download now for iPad and iPhone

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Image courtesy of: judicael moughan (ﬂickr.com)

FEATURE | OVERSEAS AIRSOFT

AIRSOFT ABROAD:

BELGIUM Ever considered playing airsoft elsewhere in the world? We talked to Charles DuVal about airsoft in Belgium – the game, the players, the law

ver heard the saying ‘it’s a small world’? It’s a rubbish saying. Usually uttered after someone bumps into someone they know, in a place they didn’t expect to. It’s a prosaic ‘Fancy meeting you here!’ And it’s rubbish – because the world’s bloody massive! Airsoft is virtually universal – but the rules and laws governing it are far from it. Even within the European Union the activity is regulated in vastly different ways. Trying to wrap your head around it can be a bit boggling, so we decided to try and make a bit of sense of it, one country at a time.

system of registered and regular game areas, games are organised by formal airsoft teams and played on private land. Airsofters from the Netherlands, France and Germany often take advantage of the open borders and more lenient restrictions to use their more powerful replicas in Belgium.

We asked Charles DuVal, our correspondent in West Europe, to explain: “There are two main types of team in Belgium. The ﬁrst is based on geographic location and usually created by a few players. One of the team will have access to some private land, maybe a bit of woodland or a disused building, to use as

The players Why Belgium? Unlike some of its nearest neighbours, Belgium has pretty relaxed laws regarding airsoft but it is very different to the situation in the UK. Besides that it is a relatively cheap destination and ideal for an airsoft trip with your mates. Skirmish sites are a fairly rare commodity in Belgium (though they do exist). Instead of our

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the skirmish area. They play regularly, and try to play with teams all around them.” The second type will be much more familiar to some of our readers: teams based on dress code. “The set-up is more important than the location,” Charles says. “People will travel from all over to find other players that like to replicate the same period, be it Vietnam, WWII, Russian or Squaddies.” While most games are arranged by private teams, organisations are free to run airsoft events so long as they do not use it to further a political or ideological agenda – Belgium was, in fact, the first European country to specifically exclude airsoft from its laws restricting private militias!

The law Legally, Belgium is divided into three counties: Wallonie, Fladre and BruxellesCapitale (the latter is small enough to be regarded as insigniﬁcant to the airsoft debate). Each county has its own status – what ﬂies in Wallonie may not be so wellreceived in Flandres, and vice-versa.

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To illustrate this, let’s point out that in Flandres airsoft is a sport, recognised by BLOSO (independent sports authority of the Flandres government). The county of Wallonie’s sports authority, however, ‘has not and/or is not willing to’ recognise the activity as a legitimate sport. Equally, Flandres has its own airsoft association – Airsoft Alliantie België (AAB). The AAB provides its members with full insurance. Wallonie has no such association. So, it’s this quagmire we step into. Fortunately, despite all that, common sense rules supreme. My French, Dutch and Flemish are all a little hazy, I’m ashamed to say, and Google translate made a right mess of the legislation, so it will have to sufﬁce that in 2005 and 2006 new laws affecting airsoft were introduced. This legislation essentially brings airsoft guns into line with airguns, with a legally deﬁned limit on velocity. Velocity must be less than 7.5 joules at 2.5m from the muzzle – or around 900fps with a 0.2g BB. Of course, this is far too high to skirmish with; the accepted skirmishable limit –

FEATURE | OVERSEAS AIRSOFT enforced by the associations – is 350fps, with a 10fps variation. Much like in the UK, whether this refers only to full-auto AEGs or is inclusive of all weapons depends on the team, location or organiser – so be sure to do your research before heading out. Besides this, players are expected to travel to skirmish locations in civvie dress, and change into BDUs on site. Shops must have a gunsmith license in order to sell airsoft replicas. This has affected the number of retail shops able to sell to the public in Belgium – currently about a dozen serve the whole country.

Worth a visit “In addition to the usual woodland site you ﬁnd everywhere – some re-arranged with bunkers and shelters – there are certain skirmish sites in Belgium which are quite outstanding,” Charles told Airsoft Action. “One such is the Liege’s Fortiﬁcation. Some interesting buildings are

used for airsoft (the Embourg Fort, used by the Wardogs Airsoft team, and the military fort of the monastery, until recently used by BBgame Event). These provide very intense game situations, very different from the ordinary. These sites are very popular with airsofters who will go there almost every weekend. “In addition to these places, the ﬂat country has its own set of military areas and abandoned warehouses (even a former steel mill and a corn maze), and it’s always a pleasure to add in CQB to vary the game. “Most teams require you to pay a fee of around €5. This will be covering the land rent. On larger terrain like with BBgames, you will be asked pay around €15. This will cover insurance, land leasing, a snack, objects of scenarios and bottled water. “Game mentality, or how people play, is quite similar to the French and even continental European style. You will ﬁnd that the play is quite ‘light’ – players are here to enjoy a game and fair play is the main key to a good skirmish. You might even been invited to a beer or two after the games!

“Large organisations have no scruples to ﬁlter players based on their behaviour from their site. Ultimately you start up with players who strongly believed that a good game is based on getting rid off cheaters and moaners. It is a long process of ﬁltering – even a questionable process – but in the long term it pays off.”

Useful information If visiting foreign countries with strange accents doesn’t scare you, and you have a fair amount of free time on your hands, do not hesitate to contact them. It is well worth the visit! Charles would like to thank Simon for his invaluable help. Here are some useful websites which can help you ﬁnd contacts and events in Belgium. Get your translator at the ready! BBgames Event (skirmish organisers): www.bbgames-event.forumactif.com Wardogs (Players of the Embourg Fort): www.wardog.bestdiscussion.net Generalist forum: www.airsofteur.com/ forum.

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Described as a ‘seamless, highly detailed, cinematic experience’ Alex Wharton delivers his verdict on the third in the Max Payne series

MAX PAYNE 3 I

t’s been quite a few years since the last Max Payne game, and for many it’s likely to be just a name in gaming history and not something you have actually played. I still remember playing the ﬁrst in the series. I was 16 and at the time it was one of the few new games on the market that had an 18 rating. It was also a seriously demanding game, and the machine I had to run it on didn’t like it so much! It was one of the ﬁrst games to introduce ‘bullet-time’. Being able to dive and dodge the bullets as they came your way was something special and, unlike now where half the shooters out there have slow-motion segments, nothing else was doing what Max Payne did. So now, 11 years after the original, Rockstar Games has rebooted the franchise to bring us Max Payne 3. The story follows Max in the years after dealing with the events of New York from the former games. For those who don’t know, he lost his wife and new baby to junkies, went undercover,

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lost contact with the police and ended up in the middle of a massive conspiracy. He’s now decided to follow the sun and is working as security for the rich and famous in South America. Demons of his past still haunt Max though, and he’s using much of his free time (and a fair bit of on the job time) to get tanked up on whatever he can lay his hands on. Things slowly spiral out of control as attacks on the family he is protecting occur; members are killed or kidnapped with Max desperately trying to work out what’s going on and who’s behind it all. This quest takes him through ﬁghts in the built up rich areas, the slums and even a battle through a luxury cruise ship. There is even a short hiatus where you venture back to New York to see the story of how Max ended up in the job and location he is presently in. In the old games the cut-scenes were dealt with by a comic book style set of still images, narrated by the gravelly tones of Max himself. This has been

GAME REVIEW | MAX PAYNE 3 done away with in the third instalment and replaced by regular animated cutscenes. Rockstar is very good at these and the cut-scenes could be a movie unto themselves, though it is still a shame that the ways of the old games have been lost as it set the game apart from others. Those scenes really did make it seem like you were part of a noire story. Then again, I suppose it’s difﬁcult to tell a dark and brooding story in the sunshine of Brazil! Also gone are the dark and harrowing levels set inside Max’s mind. The early games had levels where you followed trails of blood, set to soundtracks of your screaming wife and baby. While I don’t necessarily miss them, they really did set the game apart from others. It wasn’t just that there was some violence to gain it a higher rating, there was almost of a horror movie quality to some of the levels. The third game had some nice ﬁghts, but nothing I’ll still remember after 10 years. The levels are pretty linear. Corridors lead to large rooms which will usually

“Often you will run out of ammo and just grab the nearest thing to continue the slaughter – and slaughter is something Max does with ease”

involve a gunfight with a number of enemies, which then leads to another corridor. Surprisingly, however, I enjoyed this set-up and always looked forward to bursting into the next room and finding the next group of enemies. The challenges were well placed and timed, and the weapons were fun and varied. Max is able to carry two one-handed weapons like pistols or small sub-machine guns, or a single two-handed weapon such as a shotgun or rifle. You can swap between the two one-handers or run them akimbo! Doing so drops any twohandlers you have though. Running twin Uzis is awesome, and perfect for when you need to spray loads of lead indiscriminately. It’s a simple system and teaches you to not get attached to specific guns, often you will run out of ammo and just grab the nearest thing to continue the slaughter. And slaughter is something Max does with ease. There is a cover system allowing you to track your enemies and plan your move and you can use

the cover to take aimed shots before diving headlong out all guns blazing. This allows you to use Max’s slight ability to slow down time. As you dive around, you can blast and spray bullets at enemies faster than they can react. You can see their shots coming at you and narrowly miss as you move between cover. This is what the Max Payne games are all about, and there is simply nothing else like it! While most of you probably haven’t played Max Payne before, I highly recommend that you don’t put that down as the reason to not give the new one a go. Rockstar has done an amazing job and created a game that does the franchise proud. Go and get it!

MAX PAYNE 3 DEVELOPED BY: Rockstar Studios PUBLISHED BY: Rockstar Games AVAILABLE ON: PC, Xbox 360, PS3 EXPECT TO PAY: From £25-£35 depending on platform

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CARRYING A CONCEALED WEAPON Andy Nightingale explains the art of keeping your weapon hidden, until you need it

efore I start, I just want to make one thing very clear. It is illegal to carry any concealed weapon or RIF in the UK, in public - but it is perfectly OK to do so during play or training. In this article I will explain how to carry and draw a handgun from a concealed carry on the belt but before we get into the actual draw, there are a number of factors we need to consider ﬁrst.

Holsters There are two main belt or waist holsters. The ﬁrst is the Outside Waist Band (OWB) and this is the most common type of holster. The OWB sits outside the trousers with the belt passing through the loops or paddle on the back. The other type is the Inside Waist Band (IWB). The IWB sits inside the trousers but outside the underpants. The IWB is hidden by trousers, exposing only the clasp or loops on the belt. When the weapon is holstered only the grip is exposed above the belt line. The IWB holster is the more covert choice for concealed carry.

Outside waist band holster (left) and inside waist band type (right)

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Dress

garment to be worn open without exposing the weapon from the front. The best cover garment to wear is one that has buttons or a zip up front. But wearing the holster is only the ﬁrst step to concealed carry

We need to think about our wardrobe or dress. The main thing that can give away the fact that you are carrying a concealed weapon is that the weapon can be seen. This is either done by the weapon exposing itself to others, or it being visible through the cover garment, known as ‘printing’. Printing occurs when clothing is too tight. This can be avoided by wearing the cover garment one size larger than normal, or just baggy. If the weapon exposes itself to others then the cover garment is either too small or you are revealing the weapon by your movement.

Open draw 1) With the holster and weapon secured in place, when you need to draw and present the handgun, step back with your strong side foot (gaining a ﬁghting stance) while at the same time bringing both hands up to your chest.

Location The location of the holster on the belt is an important consideration. The most common place and the easiest for drawing is just behind the hip. In this location the grip of the handgun is less likely to print and it is the most comfortable location on the belt. Being set back behind the hip will allow the cover

SKILLS ROOM | SIDEARMS 2) Your strong hand should enter the garment at chest height with the ﬁngers entering inside the garment and sweeping the garment to one side. 3) As the garment is swept away the strong hand grasps the weapon as normal. 4) The weapon is brought vertically out of the holster to the pectoral muscle and then rocked forwards towards the target. 5) The weak hand follows from behind to form a two-handed grip.

Many people place heavy objects such as keys in a pocket to weigh the hem of the garment in order to aid the clearance of the garment from the weapon. This is a bad practice. If you get used to the garment being weighted the draw will become difﬁcult when you wear something without being weighted. 3

“The main thing that can give away the fact that you are carrying a concealed weapon is that the weapon can be seen”

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Closed draw This draw is used when the cover garment does not open at the front, such as a sweat shirt or t-shirt. This technique was used and made popular by Ken Hackathorn and is known as the ‘Hackathorn Rip’. 1) When the need to draw presents itself, step back with the strong-side leg and reach over to the hem of the cover garment with the weak hand.

2) Lift or ‘rip’ the garment up as high as possible to the strong-side armpit. 3) As the cover garment is lifted grasp the weapon as normal. The weapon is brought vertically out of the holster to the pectoral muscle and then rocked forwards towards the target. 4) The weak hand follows from behind to form a two-handed grip.

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SKILLS ROOM | SIDEARMS Exposing Be aware that you are carrying concealed at all times. The weapon can expose itself without you knowing or without intention. One of the most common ways to expose the weapon is when reaching up or out. When reaching up, reach up with the weak side whilst clamping the cover garment to your body. When seated the weapon should stay concealed – but if you have to remove your cover garment (such as a coat), ﬁrst sit down then shrug the coat off. Make sure that the coat is between you and the back of the seat, and that the weapon is still concealed. To put the coat back on just reverse the process.

It’s important to practise all techniques regularly to be able to conceal and perform the draw from concealed carry from the hip. When practising make sure that the weapon is dry (no ammo). Start slow and make sure that you get it right ﬁrst time every time. Don’t try to go fast – you will only make mistakes that will then become part of the drill. Tactics like these can be a real eye-opener when out on the skirmish ﬁeld – if opponents do not realise you have a pistol they are sometimes more inclined to gete up close. When they do, let ‘em have it!

Glock 17

Glock 26

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TLSFx

We visited TLSFx to get the lowdown on the explosive manufacturer – and came away with our ears ringing!

ony Lewis clearly loves his job. And to be honest, as he lays his detonator and tells us to stand back, it’s not difﬁcult to see why. “Three…two…one…” With an almighty boom the lake in front of us erupted, sending a column of water 40ft into the air. Once I’d recovered from the shock – and with a stupid grin plastered across my face – I asked Tony how much explosive had been in that charge. “That was 25g, and look at the effect. Some guys go ahead putting 40g, 50g and even more into charges, which isn’t only dangerous, it’s completely unnecessary.”

Pyrotechnic wizards Tony Lewis puts the ‘TL’ in TLSFx – literally. With a background in battle re-enactment, Tony began his career building replicas of old weapons, before he moved into building bigger set pieces such as artillery. From there it might seem a short move into making those things go bang, and he has enjoyed work on ﬁlm sets since. Today the bulk of his business comes from military

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sources. So where does airsoft come into it? TLSFx is best-known to the airsoft world for producing some of the most reliable consumer pyrotechnics available today. The company has released its innovative thirdgeneration of pyrotechnics featuring the most realistic ignition method to date. We were fortunate enough to take a tour of the facility where the airsoft products are produced (unfortunately, due to the nature of the site our photographer was restricted as to when and where he could take pictures). “Very little of what we do is made in China,” said Tony as he led us through the clinically-clean facility. “Only a bit of the plastic is produced there – all ‘live’ charges are done in house here.” In one room, three staff are busy gluing the shell halves of ball grenades together. In another, one bloke inserts the ﬁddly detonator into the almost-ready grenades, and attaches the mechanism. It’s sobering to realise that the millions of pyros lobbed about every weekend are built by hand, to extremely exact tolerances.

INSIDE AIRSOFT | TLSFX “The ball grenade is entirely our design,” Tony tells us. “In 2006 we developed the pull fuse system, which was a big step in making them more realistic to players.” Not one to sit idle, TLSFx is constantly adapting and improving on its designs too. The tolerances of its tube grenades are currently being minutely changed in order to give a better cap ﬁt. Considering everything else TLSFx does, it’s plain why the company is so well-suited to the airsoft market. As Tony says: “Anyone can make a big bang. Making a small bang reliable? That’s the real challenge.”

The future There are things Tony would like to see change though. People deeply misunderstand explosives. We spent a good hour in a ﬁeld, Tony demonstrating various pyros while our photographer tried to snap an explosion. While it’s clearly the stuff of any boy’s dreams, Tony’s approach to what he does is meticulously professional. He’s keen to show us the company’s mortar rounds – which he hopes to push to game sites and organisers – but he’s just as keen to ensure we don’t misunderstand. In laymen’s terms, there are two categories of explosive: P1, with a charge under 2g; and P2, which requires the user be

trained and insured to use such explosives. With the proper training and insurance, however, these bigger pyros and set pieces can be used to add a whole new dimension to games. In his work for ﬁlm and re-enactments Tony has created artillery barrages, RPGs, Panzerfausts… Tony feels there is a real place in airsoft for such features and believes that, with proper training. people would feel more conﬁdent about using them. “We do want to start running training courses. Whether for consumers or not – that is, P1 or P2 – we’d probably do both. A pyrotechnic awareness course, from placement to effect, would be top of the list. Grenade use and safety is another big

issue for us. It can be as simple as telling people not to store grenades in their pocket – use a dump pouch instead.” The site TLSFx sits on is unique – it’s not every day you drive by a thick sheet of pockmarked metal to be told: “That’s where they were test ﬁring RPGs.” It’s an awe-inspiring place, but Tony seems right at home among the klaxons and resonating booms – this is his world, after all. In future issues we will look more at how you can use bigger set pieces to improve your games, and next issue will see a short article on correctly using TLSFx’s Gen3 grenades, as far too many times players report pyro failures without realising that they were using it wrong.

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SNIPER ONE by Sgt Dan Mills

The blistering true story of a British Battle Group under siege

art of my role as editor of Airsoft Action is to read all the articles going into every issue of the mag. To be perfectly honest, the last thing I feel like doing at the end of the day is picking up a book and reading some more. Recently, however, I was introduced to Dan Mills, the author of Sniper

One – a book I had not read though I was aware of it. I thought I’d better remedy that situation before meeting the man himself and bought myself a copy of the book. All I can say is that I wish I had got hold of it earlier! Sniper One tells the true story of the siege of CIMIC House, in Al Amarah. The siege lasted six months from April 2004, when the 1st Battalion The Princess of Wales’ Royal Regiment arrived, right up to their eventual relief in October of that year. I guess you know the story of Rorke’s Drift, where just over 150 British troops defended their garrison against an assault by 3,000 plus Zulu warriors? Well imagine something similar – only these guys weren’t carrying bows and arrows and chucking spears, they had mortars, RPGs, sniper riﬂes and a seemingly endless supply of AK47s. Oh, and a town-full of ‘martyrs’ prepared to die for their cause. Sniper One is written from the heart and Dan Mills certainly doesn’t pull any punches with his descriptions of casualties on both sides, nor does he shy away from expressing himself in a manner that squaddies the world over will understand and appreciate. This is from their very ﬁrst contact, in which Dan’s 2IC had a grenade bounce off his chestplate, roll under the Snatch Land Rover he was next

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to and explode, peppering him with bits of grenade and shrapnel. He staggered out into the road before collapsing and coming under intense smallarms ﬁre, from where he had to be rescued…

“He was in a proper mess. The shrapnel had pepper-potted both his legs with puncture holes from the top of his thighs right down to his desert boots. There were around a dozen serious wounds in his ﬂesh. His right foot in particular had been torn up very badly and was just a mess of ripped boot and blood, bubbling and congealing through his matted and shredded white sock. “Inside the puncture holes a host of different-sized grenade fragments that had torn through his skin were still embedded, along with any other debris from the gutter that the blast had picked up on its way into him. The pain must have been excruciating. “He gave off a strong smell of gunpowder and burnt meat. His face had also lost a lot of colour. His eyes were all over the shop and he was going in and out of coherence. “’You stupid jack bastard, Daz,’ I said, in an attempt to keep his spirits up. ‘You could have collapsed in cover rather than in the middle of the fucking road, mate!’ He managed to pull a smile. For a man in that shit state, he took the criticism well.” The book is a rollercoaster, with the action rising and falling throughout, and it doesn’t take very long before you are well and truly in the minds of the men ﬁghting for their lives – and experiencing their rage and frustration as events unfold. If you are member of the political correctness movement, or a follower of

Muqtada al-Sadr, I suggest you don’t read this book – you won’t like it. Everyone else, though, should go buy Sniper One and read it from cover to cover. If you take nothing else from it, at least you’ll have an understanding of just what we ask our soldiers to do on our behalf and next time you see someone collecting for a Military charity, maybe, just maybe, you won’t hesitate before dropping something in. ■

The Siege of CIMIC House proved not only to be the longest continuous action fought by the British Army anywhere since the Korean War, but also the lengthiest defensive stand since World War II – and yes, Daz survived his wounds!

I am delighted that Dan has agreed to contribute articles to Airsoft Action. If you have any questions for him, or would like to find out more about how to become a sniper, please drop me an email (nigels@blazepublishing. co.uk) and I will pass it onto him. I can’t guarantee that you will always get a reply, as Dan is massively busy working on a number of new books and helping to turn Sniper One into a film!

SNIPER ONE PUBLISHED BY: Penguin Books ISBN: 978-0141029016 (paperback), 978-0718149949 (hardcover) PRICE: £7.99 (Paperback), £16.99 (Hardcover) Available from book shops and in Kindle format from www.amazon.co.uk

BOOK REVIEW | SNIPER ONE

“If you are member of the political correctness movement, or a follower of Muqtada al-Sadr, I suggest you don’t read this book – you won’t like it.

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