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AIRSOFT ACTION
M15A4 AN ASG WORTH E CARBIN
£150
GROUND ZERO 2013 WE REPORT FROM THE FRONTLINE
AIRSOFT SENTRY GUN
NOVEMBER 2013
Witness sci-fi become airsoft reality
BADLANDS II: THE RAID
Spec Ops’ themed weekender reviewed
KRYPTEK CAMOUFLAGE
The multi-pattern, mil-spec camo explored
AIRSOFT NIGHT VISION ❱ INSIDE: REDWOLF ❱ DEBATE: FORUMS ❱ BERETTA HISTORY
NOVEMBER 2013 - £4.35
IS THIS AEG REALLY WORTH £500?
WE GET O KWA EL UR HANDS ON THE ECTRIC RECO – THE R M4 PTS IL GUN S COUT
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GAS-POWERED SNIPER RIFLE
9 772047 348025
KJW M700 TOKYO MARUI SCAR L
EXCLUSIVE 11
ON TEST:
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CONTENTS AIRSOFT ACTION – NOVEMBER 2013
6 8 10 Editor: Nigel Streeter Assistant editor: Mike Hine Graphic design: Steve Dawson Art director: Chris Sweeney Ad design: Anna Makwana, Matt Smith, Katherine McArdle Advertising: Hannah Benson 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 Cover Photograph: H Photography (Please note: The cover photo was taken under controlled conditions. Always ensure you wear the correct eye protection when playing airsoft.)
Blaze Publishing, Lawrence House, Morrell Street Leamington Spa,Warwickshire, CV32 5SZ Tel: 01926 339808 Fax: 01926 470400
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W: www.blazepublishing.co.uk © Blaze Publishing Limited, 2013 Distribution: Distributed to the newstrade by Comag Magazine Marketing, West Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE T: 01895 433 800 Copyright © Blaze Publishing Limited 2013. 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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Letter, idea or question? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article, or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the assistant editor (michaelh@blazepublishing.co.uk), send us a letter at the Blaze Publishing address above – or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.
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AIRSOFT NEWS The hottest airsoft headlines
READERS’ WRITE Our pick of your regular correspondence
COMPETITION Win an ASG M15A4 Carbine worth £150
RIFLE: KJW M700 The gas-powered sniper under the microscope
CAMO: KRYPTEK We check out the innovative Kryptek range of camo
RIFLE: TOKYO MARUI SCAR L Is this AEG worth £500? Find out our verdict…
EVENT: BADLANDS II We report from the sequel to Spec Ops Airsoft’s titanic Badlands weekend
INSIDE AIRSOFT: REDWOLF UK The editor pays a visit to this retail giant’s UK branch
KIT BAG The coolest and newest gear to catch our eye
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DEBATE: FORUMS We ask, are online airsoft forums worthwhile or a complete waste of time?
SUBSCRIBE Get AA every four weeks
BOOK SHOP Reader deals on top books
FEATURE: THE BOONIE HAT We take a look at the oftignored garment
UPGRADE: SHOEI MP38 KIT A cool bit of kit for transforming your MP40 into an MP38
FEATURE: BERETTA M9 The history of this sharpshooting pistol
FEATURE: NIGHT VISION We visit wholesaler Thomas Jacks to take a look at the leading modern night vision
SKILLS ROOM: LONG GUNS AND FLASHLIGHTS
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EVENT: FALLOUT, SLAVE TRADES
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EXCLUSIVE: SENTRY GUN We bring you a preview of one of the most exciting innovations in airsoft history
The lowdown on this year’s Ground Zero weekender
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RIFLE EXCLUSIVE: LWA RM4 PTS SCOUT We get a first glimpse at KWA’s long-awaited electric recoil gun (ERG)
EVENT: NAE 2013
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How to operate a flashlight while carrying a rifle
We check out Gunman Northwest’s blend of LARPing and airsoft
COLD WAR WARRIOR Featuring the loadout of the British Para, circa Suez Crisis 1956
READERS GALLERY Your snapshots from airsoft games up and down the land
SITE DIRECTORY FInd somewhere to be this weekend
November 2013
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RON MAHONEY
Ron has been involved in fieldcraft, shooting and outdoor pursuits for over 30 years. His real passion is the ‘sneaky-beaky’ style of airsoft game
IOAN ‘IGGY’ ROBERTS
Iggy spent eight years in the Royal Navy as a photographer, and still travels to various front lines. He’s been an airsofter for 15 years and loves the sport
BILLY BASICS
Billy spent 25 years in uniform, and has served in all the usual salubrious ‘hoiday destinations’ around the world. He has always been a writer and doodler by habit
ANDY NIGHTINGALE
Andy has seen active service around the world – and now runs Pro-Tact, a not-for-profit group providing tactical training for the airsoft community and private security forces
GARETH ‘GADGE’ HARVEY
Gadge is our resident history buff and FilmSim fanatic. He has a passion for WWII, Nam-soft and Cold War gaming – but still finds time to fit in an open-day skirmish
OSCAR PLUMMER
Oscar believes three things about airsoft: drinking tea makes you win; ‘Tally ho!’ is the best battle cry; and RIS should be banned
SCOTT ALLAN
Scott has worked in airsoft retail for many years – and played airsoft long before that. He likes big, heavy guns, loud explosions and MilSim games in particular
JAY SLATER
Jay fell in love with airsoft not so long ago and has too many guns. An active member of the South London airsoft scene, Jay is also a publisher of military and history books
RICHARD BELL
Richard sees airsoft as his calling in life, and likes to rise to the challenges it presents. He is active as a student and trainer, and leads from the front
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braham Lincoln said, “The best thing about the future is that it comes one day at a time”. Regular readers will know how often I have suggested that airsoft seems to be bucking the recession, with growth in just about all areas and an ever-increasing number of players eager to get their hands on the latest bit of kit or RIF. However, one particular area has shown a remarkable level of growth, an area that, when you think about it, is actually the ‘public face’ of our game – airsoft sites. For the majority of players, their first experience of airsoft would probably have been on a public site. Yes, I know there will be exceptions, but for most this would have been their introduction to the game and where they would have formed their first impressions – and we all know (here comes another quote), “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”. If a first-time player leaves the site with a good one they are likely to return and, if not, they might try a different site but it is more likely they’ll just not bother. Going back to Abe and his “one day at a time”, it got me to thinking about airsoft sites – about how they have continued to grow over the last couple of years, and whether the ‘health’ of airsoft sites could be a barometer to the future health of airsoft as a whole? A very good friend of mine runs an airsoft site in the south east of the country and two years ago he would have been happy to see between 20 and 30 players on an open day. Over the past 24 months he has seen numbers steadily increase and now caters for upwards of 100 players a day! Obviously this hasn’t just ‘happened’; he has worked hard to give players what they want in terms of facilities, playing areas, games and customer service. There are at least two other sites in close proximity and they too are seeing an upsurge in player numbers. So I just wanted to say a big thanks to all the site operators out there, for helping to make the airsoft barometer rise, one (open) day at a time! You are doing a great job and I think this should be recognised. Nige
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AIRSOFT NEWS ENFORCEMENT OF EU ROHS LEGISLATION COMMENCES Following news published in the September issue of Airsoft Action, we have received a number of enquiries about RoHS2 and CE marking – so for clarity we’ve investigated further. The Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive applies to AEGs, as they contain electrical components that could include substances that are illegal to import into the EU, such as lead. This means that, before any electrical item can be imported, it has to be tested, approved and marked with a CE mark by the manufacturer. The responsibility for ensuring this has been done then passes along the distribution chain. RoHS2 requirements must be met (signified by a CE mark) before a product is placed on the market in the EU. Placing a non-compliant product on the market is an offence. “Placing on the market”, as defined by the directive, “happens when a product that has completed its manufacturing stage is made available for distribution and sale for the first time in the EU”. So who in the distribution chain is responsible for what? That depends on where in the chain you sit – whether you are a manufacturer, authorised representative, importer or distributor (the directive considers a distributor and retailer to be the same) and you may well be more than one (or, indeed, even all) of these. For a summary of the legal obligations of each member of the distribution chain, see the table on page 20 of the document found here: www.bis.gov.uk/assets/nmo/docs/rohs/support-literature/nmo_ technicalbrochure_acc4.pdf When they visit retail premises, National Measurement Office officials want to see that relevant products have been CE marked, and that there is a clear audit trail back to the manufacturer that validates the authenticity of the compliance. It’s all about due diligence. The NMO does not expect retailers to have every single gun on sale re-tested to ensure compliance. They will, however, expect retailers to demonstrate that they took all reasonable steps and measures to ensure compliance. Retailers are legally obligated to make sure a product is RoHS compliant, and shouldn’t just assume it is because it has a CE mark on it. For retailers, there are three primary obligations to meet. Firstly, do not sell any electrical product imported after 2 January 2013 that is not CE marked. Secondly, ensure that any electrical product imported after 2 January 2013 has been CE marked by the manufacturer. Thirdly, make sure you have (or can access) a copy of the applicable technical documentation and have both this and the Certificate of Conformity for the product available on request. Though the CE mark must be indelibly attached to the actual product (not necessarily visible; it could be placed in the mag-well, for
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example) the rest of the technical documentation can be on printed sheets within the box, or a label fixed to the outside. The Certificate of Conformity will apply to all items made in the same batch and so copies could be placed in boxes. In a nutshell, it is not the retailer’s responsibility to get a product CE marked, but it is a retailer’s responsibility to provide evidence that it has been, and the product is fully compliant. For more information, contact the NMO on 020 8943 7272. The officer responsible for airsoft is Jaye Libeccio, who is contactable on 020 8943 7276.
Airsoft Action hopes to receive further information over the next couple of weeks and will present it in a future article. For more information on the RoHS2 Directive, visit the NMO website: www.bis.gov.uk/nmo/enforcement/rohs-home.
The CE mark signifies that an AEG conforms to the necessary standards of health and safety
AIRSOFT | NEWS EDGAR BROTHERS PARTS COMPANY WITH BOTH PTS AND TLSFx Following the recent announcement that Magpul has withdrawn its licence from PTS Management Group and the subsequent confusion surrounding the fate of PTS products and distribution in the UK, Airsoft Action contacted the UK Magpul PTS distributor, Edgar Brothers, for clarification. We also wanted to clear up the messages coming out of rumour central, concerning Edgar Brothers’ relationship with well-known pyrotechnic manufacturer, TLSFx. This is the official response from Edgar Brothers’ Dan Eastes: “Until recently, Edgar Brothers were the importers of Magpul PTS and distributors of TLSFx. As the PTS Management Group no longer holds the licence for the production of Magpul Industries products, and TLSFx have resumed in-house distribution, Edgar Brothers are no longer able to offer those brands. Despite this, Edgar Brothers still has a strong presence in the airsoft market, as the importers of popular brands such as Arc’Teryx, Black
Hawk, Blue Force, Smith Optics, Surefire and Vertx.” At the time of writing, we have been unable to gain comment from Magpul or PTS but it is probably safe to assume that the intel is genuine, and that PTS will no longer be manufacturing Magpul products under licence. PTS has now been renamed ‘Professional Training Syndicate’. Speaking to Tony Lewis at TLSFx, he explained Edgar Brothers were no longer distributing their products as the marketing strategies of the two companies was not compatible and that anyone interested in stocking TLSFx products should now contact them directly. Visit www.tlsfx.co.uk.
NEW MG42 REPLICA Japanese airsoft manufacturer Shoei has announced an update to its highly realistic MG42 gas blowback rifle, which is based on the WWII German machine gun. An improved highgrade engine unit has been fitted to the gun, which is available in both wooden- and plasticstocked versions. Available in a very limited run only, the Shoei MG42 is priced from £1,174. Visit www.shoeiseisakusho.co.jp for more info.
NEWS Recently I’ve been wondering about the direction of airsoft – not so much the equipment but how the hobby might develop. I asked the question on Facebook and I’ll repeat it here. What do you think about airsoft as a sport? The response was, as I expected, quite vocal and very polarised! It would seem that the vast majority were worried that it would suddenly cause an increase in cheating. I’m not sure I agree wholeheartedly with that as long as it is managed correctly. It could signal a new direction, and a validation that airsoft isn’t just an underground pastime, but one that should be taken seriously. I wouldn’t want to see the good old skirmish disappear, and I think the vast majority of players would feel that way, too, but the introduction of recognised leagues doesn’t mean they would. I for one have noticed the increase in small-scale tournaments over the last few years and I think they can be good. I’d personally love to see a three-gun style competition at some point, as I think that would be a great way to introduce a competitive element to the hobby without any worries of cheating, as it’s pretty black and white when shooting targets. Why not let me know what your thoughts are on this? Would you want to be in a competitive team or would you not want to take part in competitive airsoft at all? As UKAPU is here for the players, it would be really useful to us to know your thoughts. Phil Bucknall UKAPU Chairman chair@ukapu.org.uk
WE HAVE A WINNER
Congratulations to Jeff Smith, winner of our September issue’s competition, a G&G G980 worth £360. This month, we give you to chance to bag an ASG M15A4 Carbine. Turn to page 10 for your chance to win.
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LETTERS | READERS WRITE
READERS WRITE Send your letters to: Letters, Airsoft Action, Morrell Street, Leamington Spa, Warks., CV32 5SZ, or email michaelh@blazepublishing.co.uk
AIRSOFT CENSUS
LOOSE RULES
I am interested in starting to play airsoft, although I am curious as to how many people are estimated to actually play in the UK. I want to make sure it won’t be a short-lived hobby. Do you have any estimates of how many airsofters there are in the UK? Sara Kennedy, via email
Here’s some intel from the NAE: the main retailer had suspended the usual UKARA recommended regulations for selling RIFs to players attending the weekender. Instead, any player with a wristband could purchase a RIF. I’m not suggesting that any law was broken, but selling to players who could be on their first game contravenes UKARA’s ‘minimum three games over two months’ rule. Does this spell the end for UKARA, where retailers all start to go their own way? I’m aware that many sites have ‘loose rules’ when it comes to selling to regulars or
When I last spoke to a UKARA (United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association) representative, they indicated that there were approximately 18,000 to 20,000 players registered with them. However this figure will not include the many thousands who do not play on a regular basis and/or do not wish to purchase their own airsoft weaponry. It will also not include players who do not want to join the UKARA scheme. The general consensus seems to be that there could be two or three times this number but there is no way to be precise. What I do know is that sites more used to seeing player numbers of around 30-50 are currently experiencing a rapid increase, with some now catering for 100+ players per day. Whatever the number, I can assure you that airsoft is not and will not be a short-lived hobby! – Nige
ARMOUR ARGUMENT I’d just like to have a little moan about players covering themselves in mag pouches, backpacks, webbing, and so on, to get the ‘real army look’, and carry everything they need while playing. When kitted up like this, you cannot feel a BB hit, meaning you will piss off a lot of people and get labelled a cheat. I say ditch the armour, feel the game! Stan Kitchener, London
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BLIND RAGE Reading Michael Jones’s review of the Free Fire Zone site (In The Zone, October issue), I was appalled to discover that they appear to actively encourage the absolute taboo of blind firing! I couldn’t believe what I was
members, but from a large retailer, whose own web forums are famously ruled with an iron fist (see the ‘Forum Fury’ letter from last issue), I find this incredible and hypocritical. It seems the times they are a-changin’. Phil Hughes, Lancashire
reading. This sets an extremely dangerous precedent. If this outrageous behaviour continues and becomes de rigeur in airsoft then I fear the sport really will become too dangerous. Steve Randall, via email
JACKET REQUIRED I’ve been after a decent soft shell jacket in MultiCam for a while, but the only ones I can find have zipped bicep pockets rather than the foldover type required by work. Could you tell me what jacket the guy in the black Arc’teryx hat is wearing on the front cover of your September issue? Joe Wallis, via email He is wearing an older version of the Helikon Tex Level 5 Softshell. We’ll have a full review of a more recent Helikon-Tex jacket, the Level 7, on test next issue, so watch this space! – Nige
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WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN...WIN... AN ASG M15A4 CARBINE F
or this issue’s competition prize, we have an ASG M15A4 Carbine AEG to give away. Included in this great-value pack, which is ideal for starters, or as a second rifle, are two 85-round magazines, a charger, battery, cleaning rod, and speedloader. The rifle itself comes with a metal accessory rail and sixposition LMT Sopmod stock – and as an officially licensed replica, you’ll see authentic ArmaLite markings on the left-hand side of the receiver. Not bad, we reckon, especially as we’re offering it up to one lucky reader absolutely free. There’s not even any entry fee. Simply let us know the five differences between the below images via post or email for your chance to win.
WORTH
£150
CLICK HERE TO ENTER
Name _____________________________________ Address____________________________________ __________________________________________
Postcode ___________________________________ Telephone __________________________________ Email _____________________________________
Post your entry to: ASG M15 A4 competition, Airsoft Action, Blaze Publishing, Lawrence House, Morrell Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV32 5SZ. Or, email your entries to competition@blazepublishing.co.uk, quoting ‘ASG M15 A4 competition’ in the headline. Entries received after November 12 will not be valid. One entry per household. The winner will be the first name 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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KJW M700 SNIPER RIFLE
Most airsoft snipers use spring-powered rifles, but Ron Mahoney has been trialling a gaspowered model from KJW that offers impressive consistency and velocity straight out of the box. Here are his findings…
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nternet forums that allow the sale of second-hand kit are always filled with sniper rifles. Many of these up-for-sale rifles have comments attached, such as ‘tried it, wasn’t for me’, and lots of them have had a fair chunk of cash spent on upgrades to get their rifle from an out-of-the-box, hit-and-miss affair to a system that is relatively accurate. So if you are considering a sniper rifle and you don’t want something that will break the bank, is there anything out there that will give a decent fps and accuracy out of the box?
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Although there are a several good spring sniper rifles about, I’m going to suggest something from the gas world that will certainly have the fps – and with a little tinkering can provide pretty good consistency from shot to shot. Indeed, although the KJW M700 Gas Sniper Rifle has been around for a while, and may not have all the bells and whistles of modular sniper rifles, it certainly does do justice to the pedigree of the real steel platform.
Real Steel The Model 700 has been around since
1962 when it was first launched in the US by Remington Arms, who designed a simple and effective centrefire bolt action that would be the basis of a series of rifles that could be marketed to the military, law enforcement and civilian shooting markets. The law enforcement version (what KJW based its airsoft version on) is known as the M700P and has two main models: the standard 700P with a 26” heavy barrel and the 700P Light Tactical Rifle (LTR) which has a 20” fluted heavy barrel and is chambered in a number of calibres from .223 to the long range .338
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THE ARMOURY | KJW M700
“Once a working silencer is screwed on, this rifle is quieter than a teenager trying to sneak into the house at two in the morning” Lapua Magnum. The simple construction of the 700 bolt and the availability of parts has led to this being one of the most widely used centrefire platforms. Thousands of models of the M700 rifle have been sold to civilians, even in the UK. If you have a spare slot on your firearms certificate then a basic M700P can be yours for around the £1,200 mark. However, if you fancy the Tactical Weapons System (TWS) – on which this airsoft version is based – complete with Leupold VX-3 3.5-10x40mm scope and a Harris bipod then you won’t get much change out of five grand.
The Replica The first thing that you notice on picking up the KJW is how solidly built it feels. The polymer stock doesn’t have the hollow tapping noise of many of the spring M700 variants out there. A quick tap, greeted with a dull thud, tells you that it has been well designed against noise reverberating through the stock – though when we come to the ‘crack’ from shooting that bonus gets negated. The upper receiver, barrel, bolt assembly, scope rail, safety catch and sights are all fully metal, as is the hop adjustment and hop unit. The magazine
is a chunky little affair that holds 10 BBs and charges with about four seconds’ worth of gas. It can only be inserted by pulling the bolt to the rear. To release it again pull back the bolt and push forward on a button at the front of the trigger guard. Now you may be wondering what use 10 BBs is before having to reload. To that I’d simply point out that it is a sniper rifle, not an AEG, and two magazines get me through plenty of gameplay – and certainly to lunch at an average skirmish. I don’t bother taking a third canister of gas into the field, as I have found that I can get 50
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useable shots from a magazine during the summer months – though I’d expect that to drop to nearer 20-25 during the winter. Two magazines will grant me 100 shots, and I’d be lucky to get one third of that number of sniping opportunities on a skirmish. Accuracy-wise, it comes with a standard AEG inner barrel, so upgrading to a tight-bore barrel is pretty much essential and will increase range and accuracy instantly. Velocity-wise I have been getting between 390-420fps with Abbey Predator gas and 440-465fps on Brute Sniper gas. The great thing about a gas-powered rifle is that, even at higher fps, the cocking effort on the bolt is little more than a finger and thumb affair. There is no resistance against the cocking
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stroke and, consequently, welding your cheek to the stock and maintaining an accurate sight picture is simple – just like the real steel version. Also, if you are in the prone position, you won’t have a struggle trying to pull back against a 150+ spring, which might cost you valuable time in reacquiring your target or give your position away with the extra movement. The bolt rotates forward as it moves back towards the breech where it picks up a BB from the magazine and loads it into the hop chamber. Underneath the bolt a spring-loaded brass ring will now be in contact with the bolt’s O-ring and this is where the transfer of gas from the magazine and through the bolt takes place. Why am I going into so much detail about this? Simple. If you
don’t keep this area clean and properly lubricated then you can kiss goodbye to any sort of consistency. The good news is that it is very simple to remove the bolt and maintain this vital transfer area after each shoot. With its length, bolt action and gas feed, technically the M700 suits the competent sniper due to its ease of cocking, reasonable length and weight. However, there is one big drawback that any airsoft sniper needs to take into account, and that is that this rifle has a bark. Well, actually I should say a ‘crack’. As the expanding gas that is driving the BB down the inner barrel leaves the muzzle it expands into the surrounding air with a notable report. In a previous game we had a threeman patrol out hunting us. I was in
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THE ARMOURY | KJW M700
a position where I could watch them approach my position at 90 degrees and then let them pass. The first man passed by, then the second man moved through. I let the third pass. Then, as he was about 40 metres away and at 45 degrees I fired a single shot – right at his backside. In cricket they have a system of ‘hot-spots’ in contentious LBW shouts. Well, if this BB missed it must have left a hotspot on his pants. However, even the first guy through had been able to identify my shooting position and I was well and truly rinsed. After that I was straight onto the interweb to buy an aftermarket silencer adapter that now fits one of my favourite sniper rifle silencers – the Swiss Arms Over Barrel. If you can find one, more power to you, as they are getting difficult
to source. Once a working silencer is screwed on, this rifle is quieter than a teenager trying to sneak into the house at two in the morning! The hop adjustment is exceptionally easy. A small adjustment wheel on top of the breech, just in front of the scope mount, is turned left and right a bit like a windage knob to make hop up adjustments easy and with minimal movement. This also makes it really simple to switch from a long, stalking, cold-hop adjustment to a ‘target rich’ environment. With such a small capacity magazine, every shot counts, and so if you have been out stalking or laying in wait and not fired a shot for half an hour then the hop-rubber is going to be at the ambient temperature. Now if you have zeroed your scope and rifle by firing repetitive shots at a target and making your adjustments then the hop rubber will have been warmed up by the first and consequent shots and so will have been set for that amount of warmth and resistance in the rubber. You can either set a ‘coldhop zero’ as you would in hunteering (where you may not see another player for hours) or, for a skirmish game, a zero based on quick, repetitive shots. With the KJW M700 it is simple to adjust from a cold zero, and then adjust for second, third, and more shots. In my case the hop is clicked 15 times positive
for a cold hop and then quickly backed off 15 clicks for more shots.
Conclusion Most sniper rifles need the obligatory accessories to complete the look: bipod, scope, silencer. The KJW M700, however, can be bought as package that is good-to-go straight from the box as it has really good adjustable iron sights. So while all the wise old sages on the forums may well tell a rookie sniper that he should be buying a springer as his first rifle, I for one would not dismiss the KJW M700 as a good, cheap, effective starting system, especially with the ease of upgrade parts. If you do feel that the bug may well bite and you’ll want something that can grow with you, then this is your gun.
INFORMATION & PRICE KJW M700
LENGTH: 116cm WEIGHT: 3.25kg SYSTEM: Gas, magazine-fed ACTION: Bolt-action GAS: Brut Sniper/Green Gas VELOCITY: Gas dependant, 400-460fps MAGAZINE: 10 rounds HOP-UP: Adjustable in single click increments PRICE: From £150 ❱ INFO: www.kjworksusa.com
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INSIDE AIRSOFT |CAMO THE BOONIE | KRYPTEK HAT
KRYPTEK IN THE UK: PART ONE
Richard Bell – aka FIREBASE-ALPHA – explains why the stunning patterns from Kryptek have become his camo of choice
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am sure you’ve seen images on the internet, read about it on various websites, watched the videos from the two founding members, Butch Whiting and Josh Cleghorn, and probably read numerous comments on social media sites. You may have even seen pictures of the sadly deceased Chris Kyle and, more recently, Travis Haley rocking Kryptek patterns. I cannot comment on those elements; all I can share is my passion for these patterns and my own personal experience having been wearing a variety of garments and tactical gear since March 2013 in both Kryptek Mandrake and Highlander. In this article I hope to explain how I came to find this pattern, my initial thoughts, and some of my observations. When I first saw the pattern in mid2012 I was rather dismissive; to me it looked like one of the varied ‘real tree’ or ‘3D nature’ patterns for the hunting market. It just did not jump out at me as being a military pattern. Then, in late
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2012, a very good friend told me to take a closer look at the pattern, treat it as a standalone, and not compare it to those currently on the market, such as MultiCam, Pencott and A-TACS. He also said, with a wink in his eye, to pay close attention to SHOT 2013. I am so pleased I took his advice as he was right; I needed to look at this objectively. One of the first things I did before the SHOT Show was start researching who was building what in these patterns as, although Kryptek has its own very successful line of garments (proven around the world with both outdoors and military – hence the tagline ‘Back Country to Battlefield’) sadly none were in my preferred UK AO, Mandrake. The guys at Kryptek explained that although they have a wide and varied selection of patterns to cover all AOs, they feel that the Highlander pattern is most appropriate, and their primary pattern for around 70 per cent of the world’s environments. Highlander is the most multi-purpose pattern in the range, and is comparable in many ways to MultiCam. Having used Highlander and compared it directly against MultiCam, in this writer’s opinion there is not much
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in it apart from the user’s own personal preference. With Kryptek being trialled, tested, and chosen to be in the final four of the US Army’s selection process in 2012 (and with SHOT 2013 in plain sight), I knew I would be lucky to tap into a few intelligence streams to see what it was all about. Sadly, not all companies that were producing in this pattern were in a position to discuss what, or why they were building (OPSEC), nor were they in a position to help a UK civilian.
I was, however, directed to ‘Vertx’, a brand I had heard about but had not used, so it was a little bit of a gamble. I will not go into all the details but the gamble has been well worth it. I did secure two pairs of Vertx trousers in Mandrake and two of their Gunfighter tops (Mandrake and Highlander), which I received in early March. Okay, that’s the first challenge, but who is manufacturing in Nylon? Ahh… the good old OPSEC line comes back out again! Regardless of these minor setbacks I was able to speak with one of the nicest
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INSIDE AIRSOFT |CAMO THE BOONIE | KRYPTEK HAT
“Highlander is the most multi-purpose pattern in the range and is comparable in many ways to MultiCam”
Here you can see the differences between Highlander (upper body) and Mandrake (boonie, pack, dump pouch and trousers). But don’t always be so sure. Whether viewing through the MK1 eyeball, looking at a photo, or out in the field, these patterns can be incredibly deceptive by blending
and most professional people I have ever met and, after some explanation on how they work, I was in luck. They were able to design and build my chest rig in Mandrake from scratch and ship in a very timely manner. It was not long after this process that a chest rig, based on the design I had seen came to market, but more on that at a later date.With some further questions I was able to source and secure my pack from initially a limited run. When complete, nothing remained but to get it into its natural habitat and start having fun.
One of the first questions I asked about this company and pattern was here did the name ‘Kryptek’ come from? Kryptek was derived from the words kryptos and technology. Kryptos is a Greek word for ‘hidden or secret’ and ‘techno-’ comes from the Greek word techne meaning ‘art, craft, or skill’. Therefore the meaning of Kryptek, as intended by the founders, is: the art of being hidden – hidden and protected from the elements of Mother Nature. The alternate meaning is ‘secret craft and skills’ – superior fieldcraft and skill
sets shared by the elite. In Part 2 of ‘Kryptek in the UK’ I will discuss in more detail the designers and manufacturers of both the tactical gear and garments shown, along with how they have performed over the past five months of use in UK terrain.
INFORMATION For more information on Kryptek, check ❱ out www.kryptek.com
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TOKYO MARUI SCAR L AEG Scott Allan gets his hands on Tokyo Marui’s version of the SCAR L – but is it worth over £500?
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he Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) is an airsoft, real life and (more recently) a gamer favourite. From Battlefield to Call of Duty, each has this modern icon included in its package, and love it or hate it, this modular FN Herstal wonder is here in a very big way. Tokyo Marui is arguably the reason for airsoft as we know it. If you like a laugh you should YouTube the Tokyo Marui Advert from 1991 showing its
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first electric series – it is laughable now, but then it was a pivotal step forward for our beloved sport. Fast forward over 20 years and the guys from Japan are still innovating and standing up against a never-ending tide of clones, copies and knock offs. Marui is still regarded as the best and, interestingly enough, is one brand that no one ever complains about the price of. I constantly hear things like, “Urgh! £300 for a full metal rifle with CNC RIS front and Magpul parts! Are you kidding?” Yet if you
show someone a £500 Marui rifle, the response is often “Ah yeah – but it is a Marui!” So the quality of the brand still shines through endlessly, even today. Yes, they are good – but really I am a performance kinda guy; I like something that is going to hit my intended target every time I want it to. So can TM still knock the socks off the competition? Let’s find out.
Real Steel FN Herstal or Fabrique Nationale d’Herstal (National Factory of Herstal) is based in Belgium. That’s right… waffles, chocolate and the capital of the European Union, all pretty dull stuff from a country that is often seen as a
THE ARMOURY THE|ARMOURY TOKYO MARUI | KJWSCAR M700L
“The whole ethos of the SCAR system is based on it being modular and flexible” boring place. Yet it produces some of the best firearms available today: the M249, P90, Five Seven pistol, Browning High Power and FNC all come from this sleepy little country filled with Frenchtalking cake eaters. I jest, of course, but it really shows how a country can have a buzzing industry that stands in stark contrast to its overall image. In short, FN makes some of the finest and most innovative firearms on the planet, and supplies them all over the world, including in the US via a dedicated manufacturing facility in South Carolina. The SCAR L, or ‘Light’, uses a 5.56mm round (the modern NATO standard round) and there is also an
H, or ‘Heavy’, variant which uses the 7.62mm NATO round. The platform began being issued to US units back in 2009. The L is also known to the US Forces as the MK16 Mod 0 and comes in three lengths: 10”, 14” and 18” barrels. Sadly the SCAR L will no longer be issued as a mainstream weapon in the US. Simply put, they do not need another 5.56mm rifle, even though the SCAR did out-perform the M4 in head-to-head tests. The whole ethos of the SCAR system is based on it being modular and flexible, much like the Masada, and it can be tailored for specific missions, which is ideal as a mission-adaptable platform for your everyday operator. One day you might
be sharpshooting from an observation point on top of a mountain, the next day you are kicking in a front door and clearing a compound.
The Replica Externally, the Tokyo Marui SCAR L has nice, high quality finish that we have started to see on all of Marui’s more recent releases. The metal upper receiver and polymer lower and stock does closely mimic the real thing. The folding stock, in my opinion, is ugly and looks somewhat like a used UGG boot. It’s of little use for airsoft games but it does function well and is true to the real version. The stock is the newer generation style, unlike the
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original Classic Army ‘square’ type and has multiple cheek heights and stock lengths to suit your size and to match optics you may wish to use. The barrel length on this version is 14”(355mm), the same as a standard M4 Carbine, and this gives you the best all round flexibility for airsoft games. The system can use any standard M4 magazine, which is great, although the Stop On Empty system will not function unless you use the specific TM 82-round magazine. The monolithic top rail, lower rail and side rails are all metal which means you can easily change up for different configurations to suit your style of play. The flip-up sights are metal and sit slightly higher than standard flipups but are good and clear. Too many rifles in the past have offered visual realism with great functionality, only for the BB to whistle off in a random direction as soon as it leaves the barrel, before crashing into the dirt 10 metres from your target. It’s not necessarily clone rifles that are guilty of this; VFC’s Barrett was a famous £1,000+ lemon of a rifle, as was the KSC dual-cocking system 33A3. Thankfully, Marui has never really
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been guilty of this, although the PSG1 pre-cocking system was a bit of an unpleasant design. I take the SCAR L and the 82-round magazines (which suit me fairly well as I am in the pro-mid-cap mindset) and head off. I load the magazines, snap one into the rifle and hit the bolt release – ready to go. The first shots I fire are setting the hop – a barrel style adjuster similar to the AUG or G36, which is a type I prefer. The recoil is very nice. With the rifle all set up I set out to put it through its paces, the noise from the blowback system is enjoyable but does destroy any real chance of staying hidden while firing. The cocking handle starts smashing back and forward and the rounds fly down range at just over 300fps. Using a 7.4V LiPo battery I got a very respectable rate of fire around 850 rounds per minute. Admittedly, I use it largely on single-shot anyway.
Features and Performance As I said earlier, TM rifles are always premium products, and while they are innovative in design and have a high build quality I would say, on paper at least, they are overpriced compared to market equivalents.
G&G makes a non-blowback SCAR L for around £320, running at 350fps and using high quality internals. Essentially you are paying £200 for blowback and the Stop on Empty feature... and that’s quite a lot of money really. You could justify it any way you like: both are good rifles, both are equally likely to last a long time, both are similar in construction yet people will still choose the Marui version – claiming it is simply ‘better’ when, in actual fact, it is not. Or at least not what I would call better. It does have blowback and Stop On Empty, which are brilliant features but airsoft is about taking out opponents and the G&G is just as likely to do that as the TM. Out of the box, neither the power nor rate of fire is what I would call earth shattering, but it is very usable. At least it will be very indoor-friendly from a power point of view. The range from the hop up on a Tokyo Marui is always good, although I would describe the accuracy as average, especially bearing in mind that G&G now ships Gen 2 and Gen 3 with a 6.03mm tight-bore barrel as standard. The Stop on Empty is a brilliant feature, along with the realistic magazine change. Hitting the bolt catch
THE ARMOURY THE| ARMOURY TOKYO MARUI | KJWSCAR M700L
and carrying on is not realistic, but adds to the depth and experience using the rifle. The SCAR as a rifle design does not seem to suit everyone and I must say I am not the biggest fan of it, but then I didn’t like M4s for years either. What I do like is a solid, consistent rifle that gives me some level of realism. Until I tried the SCAR in the field I was not convinced. I have used many Tokyo Marui rifles over the years: G3 SG1, M14, Sig 552, Thompson, and P90, and all have been fairly solid and enjoyable. The SCAR continues this long line of great enjoyable replicas. With five magazines locked and loaded I set out testing the range of the rifle, a series of audible clacks as each BB is chambered
and fired definitely looked and felt great. The accuracy could use a little improvement but the range was good as you would expect with a TM product.
Conclusion If you are looking for a SCAR and realism is a big priority then you don’t have any real choice but the TM version. If you are less fussed about recoil and Stop On Empty then the G&G version is a solid alternative, bearing in mind the Stop On Empty only works with the TM standard 82-round magazine. The overall performance is good, the recoil is decent and noticeable, the hop up is good, the accuracy is fair and the Stop On Empty feature is a big plus for me. It’s just a shame about the high price tag.
INFORMATION & PRICE Tokyo Marui SCAR L
WEIGHT: 3.3kg COLOURS: Black or Dark Earth POWER: 300fps with Blaster 0.20gs LENGTH: 825-900mm (635mm when folded) TYPE: Blowback rifle BATTERY: Mini Tamiya connector (8.4V NiMH or 7.4V LiPo) BARREL THREAD: 14mm counterclockwise MAGAZINE: 82 round (Stop on Empty type) FEATURES: Ambidextrous fire selector, adjustable folding stock, CNC upper receiver PRICE: From £500
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badlands II the raid Having been chased by .50cal Raiders at the last Badlands event hosted by Spec Ops Airsoft, we thought it only fair to give Oscar Plummer the chance to get revenge. But did he?
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pec Ops Airsoft chose a weekend in early August to deliver its sequel to 2012’s epic Badlands. The first weekender was a stormer – more than a hundred players battling back and forth across The Rock, Spec Ops’ awesome site on Portland, Dorset. We had a blast at the last event, so we headed down to the south coast to see what they had up their sleeves this year. The Badlands events follow a breakdown-of-society storyline, in which the UK has fractured into two main factions. The British Union Forces (BUF) are the backbone of what’s left of the national government, striving to return the rule of law to the country. Up against them are the Free People’s Army (FPA), looking to forge a new state along communist lines. Finally, there are those who spurn both sides and fight for nothing but their own gratification and the right to wear clothes made out of leather and old tyres – the Raiders. Last year saw the BUF rocked back on their heels, repulsed in their effort to secure a strategic supply route, leaving the FPA in control. Undeterred, the BUF have regrouped and are poised to strike back into the battleground. The FPA are dug in and ready to fight – and the pesky Raiders are lurking, looking for trouble.
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Badlands is a full weekender, with two days of skirmishing spread across a pretty unique environment. The Rock is a quarry, with a nice mix of open areas, ridges, jumbled mounds of gravel, and hulking blocks of stone. Dotted among them are hefty pieces of quarry equipment, so there’s a really nice atmosphere to the fighting areas. It’s fairly big, although you’re never more than a few minutes’ walk from a spawn. There are a couple of things to bear in mind though; good footwear and kneepads are a sensible precaution (seeing as it is 90 per cent stone) and it’s a site where good hydration is, to my mind, a priority. The event weekend wasn’t the hottest of the year, but it was pretty toasty at times – especially when trying to assault into the site, which has loads of excellent defensive features. Navigation-wise the site is easy to get to, with plenty of parking and a camping area right next to the skirmish areas. Once again the Spec Ops team provided excellent facilities, including catering. The campsite was available from Friday onwards and when we arrived it was full of people kitting up – nearly 150 players, and the atmosphere was brilliant from the outset. Briefing kicked off at 10.00 on the Saturday morning, and was carried out
in two parts. The site safety briefing and chronoing was carried out in the campsite, and was sorted efficiently. Spec Ops run a tight ship, with clear and straightforward rules; red smoke is expressly forbidden, given the proximity to the English Channel and the Coastguard that patrols it. Following that, each side was given a team-specific briefing, out of earshot of the opposition. One thing I really like about Badlands is that the kit rules are clear enough to make it obvious who is on each team, but loose enough to let your inner fashionista run riot! The BUF took to the field in tan/desert colours, with the FPA in greens and blacks. Added to that, the BUF were running military-style loadouts, with the FPA more of a militia style. There were no restrictions on types of weapons, other than standard fps limits. The result was that it was always easy to separate friend from foe, but it also meant that no-one had to worry about sorting themselves an absolutely specific loadout. Each team had a number of player marshals embedded, rather than solely in high-vis, which I think helped to make the scenario feel more organic and immersive.
EVENT REPORT EVENT | FALLOUT: REPORTSLAVE | BADLANDS TRADESII So, picking up from the previous event, the first order of the day was for the BUF to break into the quarry and secure a base of operations. To help them achieve this, they had secured the assistance of a pair of Snatch Land Rovers, which were quickly drafted in as an armoured spearhead. Loaded up to the gunwhales, the vehicles moved out at the head of a column of BUF infantry, and made a decisive move into FPA territory. Initially, things went well. The BUF seemed unhindered and looked poised to roll straight into the FPA’s heartland – but then the trap was sprung! Before the BUF had a chance to spread out, a massive barrage of pyrotechnic booby-traps ran along their line of march; I don’t think I’ve ever seen (or heard) so many devices triggered at one time. The bombardment swept the column along almost its entire length and the bold advance quickly disintegrated in a sea of raised hands. The FPA were quick to act, opening fire from defensive hardpoints and brassing up the surviving BUF. Fortunately for the BUF, their vehicles survived this onslaught and went into overdrive as a mobile strongpoint, carving
enough space and time for BUF casualties to respawn, regroup and rip into the FPA defenders. Showing admirable fortitude, they massed along the ridgeline at the entrance to the site, and poured vicious, plunging fire into the FPA. Before long they had established a foothold on site and began to pursue their key objective – to recover a monitoring device which had been planted somewhere on site. The device had been set to intercept FPA communications; with this in their hands, the BUF would have a complete record of the FPA’s strategy on The Rock (and elsewhere in the country) and would be able to fox their plans. The only problem was that they didn’t know its location, so they would have to fight through and around numerous objectives until it was in their hands. Each of these objectives was also acting
as a regen point – whichever side held it could use it to return casualties into play, unless it was under fire. A fierce series of skirmishes immediately kicked off, with nearly all of the objectives changing hands. Both sides fought hard, taking full advantage of The Rock’s terrain to either push forwards in brutal weight-offire assaults, or sneaking out on flanking manoeuvres. One objective, in particular, proved crucial. Once the BUF took a regen high on a perimeter elevation, with a commanding a view of the entire site, they
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were able to direct the attack with dramatic tactical effect. Furthermore, the objective was home to a bonus surprise – a field gun which they turned on the defenders, blasting whole squads back to regen, while their vehicle-borne squads were able to exploit the resulting gaps in defences. However, the FPA rolled with the punches and kept the BUF on their toes. The pressure they were put under by the BUF – especially the vehicles – was intense, but they didn’t buckle. They made sure the BUF never got too comfortable – and neither did the Badlands’ own special surprise, the Raiders. Having spent the gap between events fixing even more rivets and animal pelts to
their persons, The Rock’s team of anarchist nutjobs roared into battle in their battered technical, venting their spleens on BUF and FPA alike. With no allegiance to anyone but themselves (except perhaps anyone who could figure out how to fit even more armour plating to a VW Passat) they proceeded to rampage around the site, stopping only for a brief scrap or to fling grenades at unsuspecting troops, before vanishing off in a cloud of smoke and a chorus of slightly-unhinged giggling. However, the FPA and BUF had at their disposal a supply of fuel and barter goods – so once they managed to immobilise the Raiders, they could bribe them to fight on their side for a short while.
The day flew by, but unfortunately for the BUF, a minor disaster struck. A squad of their troops found the recording device and began to extract the data, but were bumped mid-task. In the ensuing carnage, their recording device was (and there’s no polite way of putting this) lost. As the day drew to a close, the BUF had clearly dominated the battle, but had failed at their main objective. All in all, a score-draw. Once again, Saturday evening saw a nifty zombie game taking place in a different part of the site. Armed only with gas and spring weapons, two teams fought to control a central point, while casualties on both sides rose from the dead and sought to make the living into a light snack. Once again, this was huge amounts of fun, and culminated
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EVENT REPORT EVENT | FALLOUT: REPORTSLAVE | BADLANDS TRADESII
“Having fixed even more rivets and animal pelts to their persons, The Rock’s team of anarchist nutjobs roared into battle in their battered technical” in the last two survivors frantically trying to outrun 60-odd slathering zombies – one of whom deserves special mention for rising from the dead as a zombie Pokémon. But – not to rest on their laurels – Spec Ops went one further this year. Back at the campsite, further entertainment was laid on in the form of a foam-rubber sword Fight Club (and no, we’re not allowed to say more about it), some proper impressive fire dancing, and then a cinema tent. Frankly, I’d have paid just for these events, so hats off to the team for upping the ante on midweekender socials! The next morning saw the BUF and FPA assemble again. Having been unsuccessful in gaining access to the FPA’s plans, the BUF were brought up hard with the news
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EVENT REPORT | BADLANDS II
that their whole campaign was a product of FPA misdirection, diverting resources from a devastating offensive elsewhere in the country, meaning their vehicles had been recalled. Worse, BUF command had passed down intel that there was a secret weapon somewhere on site. They were tasked to head back in and try and find it. Meanwhile, both they and the FPA had one eye on events elsewhere in the country, and set out to try to secure assets located across the site in preparation for pulling out, now that the diversion had served its purpose. Meanwhile, unfortunately for everyone, the Raiders had obviously gotten in some serious Zs and were seen to be in the middle of the site getting their mojo on. The day’s battles were heralded by another massive fusillade of pyrotechnics and the sound of the technical revving. Undeterred, the FPA and BUF set to with a vengeance, launching simultaneous pushes around the edges of the site. The BUF swiftly moved in on the Raider position, neutralised the technical and fought through to other side of the site. Meanwhile, the FPA heeded the lessons of the previous day and headed up to the ridgeline – and the field gun – in force. The BUF obviously felt the loss of the vehicles, and coupled with the FPA now holding the
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ridgeline, found themselves on the back foot. Despite wave after wave of assaults uphill towards the ridgeline, bleeding the defenders almost dry of ammunition, they were unable to make the crest. More worryingly, they were unable to neutralise the dirty bomb. After a morning of hard fighting, it blew with a massive (and I mean massive) pyrotechnic effect, engulfing the caravan in which it was secreted – and cast a veil of anarchy across the entire game. Now contaminated with an unknown agent, the Powers That Be unceremoniously wrote off both the FPA and the BUF, set up a cordon and left anyone trapped inside to their fate, triggering one final climactic battle for the scant resources left inside the exclusion zone. Cast adrift by their superiors, both sides fractured into small groups as command structures dissolved, making the final game of the weekend a few-againstmany foodfight – quite literally, as each group needed to fight their way around the site to try to find scattered cans of food! With old allegiances forgotten, gangs of ten or so players fought their neighbours, stealing stashes of grub and forming very temporary alliances in the struggle to survive.
The first Badlands was always going to be a hard act to follow, but Spec Ops pulled it off. The storyline flowed on smoothly from the previous year, with some nice twists thrown in; not least the riotous final game. I particularly liked the way it shook up the teams, giving players an opportunity to fight alongside people they’d been opposite all weekend. Once again, the event was brilliantly supplied with props (not least the Raiders) which added to the atmosphere hugely – and I really cannot ever remember so much pyro, even before the titanic charges as the dirty bomb went off! All the players really got into the groove with brilliant attitude and enthusiasm throughout; I have to give a special mention to the FPA team, who were perhaps a tad overpowered on day one but battled back gamely. Most importantly, Badlands managed to pull off the fairly difficult trick of combining a good storyline with a nice structured skirmish weekend and great evening activities as well. It’s all too easy for a weekender to be overly heavy or serious about one element over the others, but Badlands 2 succeeded in balancing all of them nicely in a lighthearted and fun package. Altogether, it was top notch; bring on the next instalment.
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REDWOLF AIRSOFT OPEN DAY This summer saw the official opening of RedWolf Airsoft’s retail shop, so Nige went along to check it out…
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nyone who has had anything to do with airsoft over the last 15 years, whether as a distributor, retailer, or player will likely have come into contact with RedWolf Airsoft. Founded in Kowloon, Hong Kong, in 1998, RedWolf was the first truly international airsoft retailer and has maintained its top position by carrying one of the largest stock lines (over 15,000 individual products) and providing excellent customer service. As airsoft grew in the UK, so did the volume of equipment RedWolf was sending here, to the point where it became viable to open a UK-based outlet – and in 2003 RedWolf Directors Chris Kong and Danny Yau upped sticks from HK to set up RedWolf Airsoft UK. Opened as a wholesale operation, the plan was to emulate the ‘mother company’ and, at some point in the future, open an integral retail shop.
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In March 2012 they converted a part of their premises to create a small retail outlet, but it became apparent very quickly that it simply could not cope with the number of eager airsofters trying to get their hands on the latest kit. Let’s just say that it often got a little too ‘cosy’ in there! Only one thing for it – build a bigger shop! I visited RedWolf at the end of last year and out in their warehouse (the airsoft equivalent of Aladdin’s Cave) I noticed a large area marked out on the floor. “What’s that for?” I asked Chris. “That’s our new shop”, he replied. “We’ll be having an open day to launch it and you’re more than welcome to come along.” RedWolf UK is on Northway Trading Estate, close to Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. Their unit is at the end of a row and on arriving it was impossible to miss – the area outside was full of people,
INSIDE AIRSOFT | REDWOLF AIRSOFT and the enticing smell of cooking burgers made me long for lunchtime. If you like getting up close and personal with airsoft guns (is there any airsofter that doesn’t?), then walking into the shop is like entering Airsoft Nirvana: it is full of them. One entire wall is dedicated to rifles and if you stand back and look from one end to the other, you can’t help but experience that ‘kid in a candy store’ feeling. However, if pistols are your thing, then turn around and wait for your chin to hit your chest… Back in Hong Kong, RedWolf Airsoft has gained an enviable reputation for creating some of the most awesome airsoft pistols, thanks to its close association with Clarence Lai, The Airsoft Surgeon. I have met Clarence a number of times and I have to say that the work he produces is quite simply stunning. Picking up one of his guns is like getting into the latest Ferrari; you just know that it’s going to deliver the goods – and look the mutz at the same time! Just like a Ferrari, an Airsoft Surgeon pistol is not cheap but, as is so often the case, you get what you pay for and, best of all, if you ask really nicely, they might even let you try one in their custom-built range. Tucked away at the end of the shop, a crowd of airsofters were happily having a go, and the sound of BBs thwacking into targets, coupled with the size of the smiles, told me the range was a big success. A couple of the guys I spoke to thought that every airsoft shop should have a range and wouldn’t buy from one that didn’t. As they put it, “airsoft guns are sometimes not the most reliable of things, and we would
A famous ‘Pink Panther’ Land Rover rolled up on the day
The walls of RedWolf’s retail premises are bedecked with awesome guns and gear
always want to test a potential purchase before leaving.” I was pleased to see that safety on the range was kept uppermost, with close attention being paid to eye protection and gun handling – no muzzle-sweep here! Back outside one of my all-time favourite Land Rovers had arrived, in the form of a Pink Panther, made famous by the exploits of the SAS in the North African deserts and painted pink, as it was said to be a highly effective desert camouflage. This particular vehicle was no dress-up though; it had been in service with the SAS, found in bits in boxes, been rescued and put back together and is now fully kitted and back on the road. I would take one of these over a Ferrari any day. Let’s face it, there’s nowhere to mount a Gimpy on a Ferrari… Before leaving I caught up with Danny and Chris and they were both very happy with how the day had gone. “We are delighted with the number of people who have turned up” said Chris, “with many faces we have not seen before. It is always good to meet players and nice to know they like what we
are doing.” Danny agreed and pointed out that even though it was a Sunday and the sun was shining, people had taken the time and trouble to come along. RedWolf has got some big plans for the UK, not least of which is the upcoming Practical Airsoft Shooting European Championship, which is being held at The Grange in October, followed immediately by the first UK-held Airsoft Surgeon Academy. Meanwhile, RedWolf continues to be one of the most progressive airsoft companies in the UK today and, from what I have seen, intend to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
INFORMATION RedWolf Airsoft UK LOCATION: Unit C1, Northway Trading Estate, Northway Lane, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, GL20 8JH OPEN: Monday to Saturday, 9:30 - 5:30 TEL: 01684 273070 EMAIL: rwuk.retail@redwolfairsoft.com
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Every issue we bring you a round-up of the coolest accessories to land on our doorstep. This time, we take a look at gloves, boots and other kit that’ll serve you well on the skirmish field WILEY X CAG-L COMBAT ASSAULT GLOVES
MCNETT CAMO FORM
These gloves are made of treated goatskin leather, and feature an injection-moulded knuckle protector, with a Kevlar weave from fingers to wrist. The material is flame and abrasion resistant and generally hard-wearing for use on the skirmish field, with reinforced high-wear areas, an adjustable cuff for fitting, and a clip-strap. They’ve also been designed specifically to match US military uniforms, meaning they’ll fit right in on a modern military-style loadout, or just as cool, grippy hand-protection for use on open day skirmishes.
We’ve tried out plenty of camo tapes on our RIFs, and often they leave a sticky residue which is a little messy. However, Camo Form fabric from McNett offers the same protection and camouflaging as tape without the hassle. It is easy to use and re-use, and it clings to itself, rather than your equipment. It will conform to any shape or type of gear and stays securely in place, even in wet weather. Each roll is 5.1cm and 366cm long, and Camo Form is available in a range of patterns (see below), including some digital designs that suit modern airsoft loadouts down to the ground.
FROM: MILITARY 1ST COLOURS: Foliage Green, Coyote, Black PRICE: £53.99 www.military1st.co.uk
ENOLA GAYE ANTI-FOG LENS CLEANER There are few things more annoying than your goggles persistently fogging up in the middle of an awesome game, especially when you’ve taken the time to get the rest of your kit spot on. This Anti-Fog Lens Cleaner from Enola Gaye provides the answer in the simple form of a paste that you smear thinly onto your lens, once you’ve cleared it of dust and debris, and then buff with a lint-free cloth. It’s simple, effective, lasts longer than normal anti-fog solutions – and one tub will give you hundreds of applications. Not bad, we reckon, and it certainly beats having to lift your goggles up every five seconds.
FROM: WOLF ARMOURIES PRICE: £8.99 www.wolfarmouries.co.uk
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FROM: WOLF ARMOURIES PATTERNS: Desert, Woodland, Digital Desert, Digital Woodland, Snow PRICE: £17.99 www. wolfarmouries. co.uk
KIT BAG | ACCESSORIES NITE WATCHES HAWK-300T Keeping track of time can be an important part of airsoft, particularly on longer MilSim-type games where you might have objectives to meet by certain times. But when you’re going full-tactical and throwing yourself into the great outdoors, you need something ruggedly constructed and hardwearing that looks the part as well. The Hawk range from Nite Watches has recently come to our attention, and we reckon the 300-T model is perfectly suited to both outdoor and indoor games. It has a military styling, with a black polycarbonate build and black polymer strap, with water resistance up to a depth of 200m. The battery life, meanwhile, offers an impressive 45 months continuous usage, while its glow-in-the-dark face makes it ideal for both dark CQB environments and night assaults during MilSim encounters.
FROM: NITE WATCHES PRICE: £274.95 www.nitewatches.com
UNDER ARMOUR COLDGEAR O MOCK
HWI COMBAT GLOVE
This moisture-wicking top goes on under your main shirt and keeps you dry and warm, with its double-sided smooth fabric and moisture-management technology. It also has Flatlock seam technology integrated for comfort, meaning the shirt won’t rub. The rolled sleeve construction ensures minimum restriction to your freedom of movement, and the anti-bacterial fabric odour control system means the shirt stays fresh for longer. This is one you won’t want to be without on the coldest winter skirmishes.
500 MULTICAM These gloves are made from synthetic leather, providing great dexterity and high abrasion resistance. Their ergonomic, contour-cut design offers premium flexibility, while foam padding makes weapon-handling comfortable and assured. Their MultiCam pattern will fit right in on the airsoft battleground.
FROM: LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT PRICE: £42.50 www.landwarriorairsoft.com
FROM: LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT PRICE: £40 www.landwarriorairsoft.com
UNDER ARMOUR VALSETZ TACTICAL BOOT This lightweight boot has a water-resistant air mesh upper section, while the high-strength nylon upper lace locks are stitched in to allow quick lacing. The lower lacing eyelets have welded reinforcement for increased durability, while a moulded toe guard protects against bumps over rough terrain. The high abrasion rubber outsole has built in ‘flex’ grooves for high traction, while an antimicrobial inner keeps the interior fresh for longer.
FROM: LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT PRICE: £90 www.landwarriorairsoft.com
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THE ARMOURY | KWA RM4 PTS SCOUT
FUTURE OF AIRSOFT In an Airsoft Action exclusive, Scott Allan gets his hands on the long-awaited KWA ERG rifle, the RM4 PTS Scout
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want to start with a bold statement. The Electric Recoil Gun (ERG) is set to change the entire airsoft market as we know it, and is quite possibly the single most exciting release this year. But before I continue, let’s have a look at the ERG’s manufacturer. KWA is one of the big hitters these days, generally thought to produce the best GBB pistols and rifles around. Unfortunately, they have had huge distribution issues in the last year. The fall out between KRISS Arms and KWA is still on-going, meaning there is no official European distribution for the products at the moment. This means that players are left out of the loop and new releases are
likely going to be difficult to acquire. Thankfully, this rifle has been built under license for PTS so it will come through that company’s distribution channels instead. PTS used to be known as Magpul PTS by most players until the recent loss of the Magpul license. PTS commissioned these RM4 rifles with its own designs and specifications, so with the two organisations working together you can be confident that this rifle is going to be good. At the time of writing, the PTS Scout is about to hit the UK market and is just waiting on CE certification for EU distribution – but we got an exclusive
sample in for testing. So what is special about this rifle? Well, it sports the excellent KFS, or Kinetic Feedback System, for recoil. I have seen and used every blowback platform available today, and this is quite simply the best. The only competitor is the Tokyo Marui system, which is also very good, but more on that later.
Real Steel The M4 platform is a worldwide hit; dozens of companies manufacture the platform and even more countries purchase them for use. As a 5.56mm rifle it uses the standard NATO ammunition
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“Imagine everything you like about a gas blowback function but with the reliability of an electric system. That is what you have here” in a gas-operated, magazine-fed, selective-fire weapon. Few weapons have ever been so adaptable with replacement stocks, barrels, grips and aiming devices. This versatility is undoubtedly the key to the success of the platform and why more airsoft versions appear every year. The Scout is modelled more on the civilian market than the military M4. This is shown with the host of PTS Magpul parts, including the mid-length hand guard, which looks and feels great.
The Replica Externally, KWA rifles have always looked okay to fair. Normally marked up with KWA markings, they never really rocked my world. This does not reflect on the build quality, though, only the aesthetics of the platform. Regardless of previous thoughts, this is the Professional Training Syndicate (PTS)
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version, and it looks seriously good. In fact, it’s one of the best-looking M4 replicas I have ever seen. The Magpul PTS parts are only likely to be available for a short time – a crying shame but a reality. The blue/grey receiver finish, embossed logos and weight all feel superb. The weight of the rifle is higher than average due to the physical bulk used to generate the recoil. It is not too heavy, but there is certainly a general hefty, quality feel. The KWA hop units are high quality; they use an H-style hop rubber, known as the 2G High Performance Bucking, which gives a very consistent hop. The hop unit is plastic which puts off some people but personally I have no issue with this. The unit adjuster is perpendicular, much like the ICS M4 or a G36 style, which is generally better for staying in place. The magazines that come with the rifle are proprietary
and can be quickly changed to hold either 30 or 60 rounds. This magazine interacts with the rifle, so that it stops firing when the magazine runs out – known appropriately as a ‘Stop On Empty’ system. The Scout magazine has a fixed ‘follower’ in the magazine, which feeds every last round into the rifle and is fairly cheap at around $40 (USD) for a box of three. As a bonus you can use your standard TM-compatible M4 magazines, although you will lose the Stop On Empty feature.
Features and Performance On paper the features of this rifle look excellent and certainly reflect the price tag of £400. PTS and KWA products are largely accepted as the benchmark of quality and this is a clear example of good innovation and listening to your customers about the things they want out of a high-end product. But is this a direct competitor for the Systema PTW? I’d have to say no – and you can boo and hiss all you like. I’ve had several Systemas and I do not think they are perfect, in fact I think they are too fiddly and temperamental for their own good. Nor do I believe they are the pinnacle in accuracy, but they are extremely consistent. However, that said, I firmly believe the Scout is better all round. It is a third of the price for a start, it will be
THE ARMOURY | KWA RM4 PTS SCOUT
just as tough, shoot pretty much the same, still has Stop On Empty and it is more compatible with readily available parts. Same with the Tokyo Marui version; TM makes a fantastic rifle, but again it is more expensive, less powerful, less available, it cannot use 11.1V LiPos and like the Systema PTW it uses its own magazines. The recoil is just not a weight that dunks back and forward every time you pull the trigger, nor is it a series of moving parts that don’t really do anything like on the G&G version. The recoil is all you feel and all you hear. Imagine everything you like about a GBB function but with the reliability of an electric system. That is what you have here – a snap in the trigger, a thud of recoil and then silence until you pull the trigger again. Mild irritations and disappointments are present: the ejection port does not move at all during operation which might bother some people, and often the rifle dry fires the first round, like the TM but unlike the Systema. If the ejection port cover moved and it fired the first BB this would be the only rifle you would ever need to buy again. But these are small points only found if you have to pick faults, which I do. I think some players would like the Stop On Empty feature on a higher capacity magazine, perhaps a 100- or 120-round.
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THE ARMOURY | KWA RM4 PTS SCOUT
Internally the recoil is generated by a weight in the stock tube (much like the TM version), which means the rifle is front wired. The main spring needs to be short and matched to the buffer spring for a consistent shot and crisp recoil. If they do not match you lose recoil, so this could be an issue for inexperienced technicians working on the rifle. The piston and piston head are standard types with a bespoke air nozzle and tappet plate. The gears are steel (unlike the TM alloy type) and mean you can enjoy endless skirmishes without worrying about them stripping. The motor is a KWA high torque, coupled with gear ratios and an 11.1V LiPo, which is all responsible for the realistic snap and recoil. Okay, there isn’t a massive boom and your shot won’t go 400 metres, but you get the idea.
In Use I do like a M4 Carbine; 14.5” just feels more pointable for me than the short CQB types. The weight still surprises me and I opted for a MS3 sling on the supplied sling point. The only downside
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during testing was the lack of magazines; thankfully I had a few PTS EMAGs but these would not stop on empty. I had the magazine set for 60 rounds and in all honesty I doubt I would ever go for 30 rounds unless it was for something very specific. My first rounds fired really did raise a massive grin. I tested the Tokyo Marui SCAR L at the same time, which also sports recoil shock and while its cocking handle moves on firing, the recoil really does pale in comparison – and not only a little. I would estimate that the ERG system generates more than double the recoil of the TM SCAR L, which is pretty impressive as the TM is not exactly timid. The range and consistency is really good, as the fps only varies slightly on each shot. This version was a little hot for your average UK site, which is a shame as downgrades don’t look to be quite as straightforward as usual.
Conclusion I am pretty much in love with this rifle. I would say, quite simply, that if I had to recommend the best M4 with realistic
functions, this is the rifle for most players. The Marui is more expensive, as is the Systema, both of which use their own specific magazines. The KWA parts will be easier to come by and more readily available for the future. The recoil is the strongest by far of any electric rifle, you can choose how realistic you want your magazines, with a selectable 30 or 60 rounds, and you can have three of the ERG magazines for the price of a single Systema magazine. A couple of niggles with no visible movement from the bolt inside and occasionally the lack of feeding on the first round is a pain. At £400 it is over £100 cheaper than the Tokyo Marui version and £900 cheaper than the Systema. Not since the KRISS Vector have I wanted a new release this much. If you want a realistic M4, go try the KWA ERG as soon as it becomes available.
INFORMATION & PRICE KWA RM4 PTS Scout
OVERALL LENGTH: 787mm-870mm WEIGHT: 3.4kg BARREL LENGTH: 368mm INNER BARREL DIAMETER: 6.05mm VELOCITY: 390fps (on test) ROUNDS PER MINUTE: 850 GEARBOX: Kinetic Feedback 3GX BATTERY: 11.1V LiPo PRICE: £400 Many thanks to RedWolf Airsoft for supplying the PTS Scout for review purposes only.
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REMOTE KILLING MACHINE Nige travels down to Poole to get the first exclusive preview of an awesome piece of airsoft hardware – and watches science fiction become airsoft fact
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s I walked out of the glare of daylight into the blacked-out room it took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the darkness but, when they did, I (quite literally) took a step backwards. There, staring back at me from the depths of the room, sat something I thought only existed in science fiction films. As I moved, the malevolent glare from its single red eye seemed to track me across the room. I heard the gentle noise of a motor powering up as the muzzle of a wicked-looking gun swung upwards and turned to point straight at me. I moved sideways – the muzzle followed me. I ducked down – it followed me again. I am sure if I had climbed the wall it would have
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followed me there as well – as it was, a quiet laugh from behind me and the click of a switch broke the moment as the lights came on and I could see what the room contained. Earlier this year, at The British Airsoft Show, a guy called Grant came onto the Airsoft Action stand, whipped out his iPad and showed me a video of “something [he’d] been playing with at work” – and what he showed me simply blew me away! On screen I saw what could only be described as an arachnoidal, three-legged, killing machine, spitting out stream after stream of BBs as it tracked and engaged its targets. Like something born out of a marriage between Starship Troopers
and Terminator, I was looking at a fullyfunctioning airsoft sentry gun – and if you don’t know what one of those is, read on… A sentry gun is an unmanned weapon capable of autonomously acquiring and firing upon enemy targets that are detected by sensors. If you have played CoD you may well have picked one up as a Killstreak reward. A good real-life example is the Phalanx ship-borne system used to blow incoming missiles out of the sky, and they have been used in literature from as far back as 1949. Over the past couple of years, Grant and a team of (what I can only describe as) mad scientists have been quietly working away (in a locked room?) at his company
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AIRSOFT ACTION EXCLUSIVE | SENTRY GUN cradle, which can be moved in the vertical plane, meaning the gun can move in both horizontal and vertical directions, giving it an awesome arc of fire capability. Built into the body of the cradle is a custom-made FCU (Fire Control Unit) which integrates with the AEG’s wiring system, using a supplementary connection in the gun’s power supply wiring. With the weapon’s system locked into the fully automatic firing mode, the FCU now does what it says on the label. Power to the FCU comes from batteries in the base of the beast, which also power the infra-red lighting, camera and targeting system mounted on the top of the cradle and the motors that make the thing work. The unit I saw is a pre-production model and was controlled by a handheld, wireless remote control that features a built-in video
screen, complete with crosshairs and rotation indicator. It is envisaged that later models will be fully autonomous, with the ability to track and fire on targets without operator-intervention. Okay, so you have got a BB-spitting killing machine that can be used remotely to track and engage targets out to (at least) 60 metres – how the hell do you stop it? Well, you could always just wait for it to run out – or you could shoot it! Built into the front of the unit base, surrounded by yellow and black stripes is a rectangular, metal plate with an impact sensor right behind it. Hit that and the unit powers down for 30 seconds. Grant demonstrated it to me and it was almost sad to see it ‘die’ in mid-flow; the gun stopped firing and slumped downwards, as though someone had just pulled the plug,
premises, just outside Poole in Dorset, and this was the fruit of their labour. Recently, I was exclusively invited down to see it in operation for myself, and that’s when I came face to face with the red-eyed monster that it has morphed into. The body and legs are made entirely of custom-made recycled material designed to resemble concrete, with every piece individually cut to ensure it fits perfectly. The result is a strong, stable and yet relatively lightweight platform on which sits a rotating cradle. Inside the cradle pretty much any airsoft AEG can be mounted, via a custom-made adaptor that mounts onto the sight-rail. Once locked into place the gun moves with the
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AIRSOFT ACTION EXCLUSIVE | SENTRY GUN
INFORMATION EMAIL: enquiries@sentrygun.co.uk
❱ WEB: www.sentrygun.co.uk and facebook. com/www.sentrygun.co.uk
which I guess was exactly what had just happened. Thirty seconds later it ‘woke up’ again and resumed its scan of the surrounding area. Those of you that know me know that I am not easily impressed, but to say I was merely impressed by what Grant and his team have built would be like saying the Grand Canyon is just a scratch. At the time of my visit prices had not yet been finalised, but I very much doubt that the Sentry Gun is going to be bought by individual players; it will simply be too
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expensive. Rather, I think it is aimed at site and game operators and would make an awesome addition to just about any form of game, or situation. The construction is such that it could be supplied to match the surroundings in which it is going to be used, so any form of desert, urban, jungle, woodland or grassland colour scheme could be applied (even black). Imagine one of these wee beasties hanging from the ceiling as you make your way through the tunnels at Drakelow, for example. For MilSim, the
legs can be removed and the unit mounted on the top of any vehicle – how about a Snatch Land Rover with one (or even two) fitted to the roof, remotely controlled by operators safely hidden inside the vehicle. All in all, I think this is one of the most innovative things I have seen in airsoft for a long time. As I said, it won’t be for everybody and it is certainly not a massmarket, mass-produced product but for those that do have a use for it, I think it will make a superb addition – and one hell of a challenge for those that have to face it.
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16/09/2013 10:39
KEYBOARD WARRIORS Do airsoft forums really reflect the skirmish field? Do the people you chat with on a thread play side by side with you, or are they mostly ‘chairborne’ warriors? Gareth ‘Gadge’ Harvey looks at both sides of the debate
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n those heady days when you’re new to airsoft and finding out all you can about it on the net, it’s easy to think that the skirmish field and the world of online forums go hand in hand. For a start, there are thousands of forums about airsoft, from the global and general, right down to the incredibly specialist, where the denizens may only be interested in replicating one unit at one particular point in history. I was once a complete forum addict, signed up to 10 or more, and spending a good proportion of my day arguing vehemently with people I’d never met before over the finer points of the game (oh, actually, arguing over anything to be honest). But having spent the last seven-orso years travelling the globe covering the most exciting events for a variety of airsoft publications, I slowly began to realise that a good proportion of players don’t even go online. It’s fair to say that forums can be a real time sink. Before I was lucky enough to land a job in the airsoft industry my entire lunch break (and any time I thought the boss wasn’t looking) was usually spent checking up on the latest posts on my favourite websites. One of the big problems
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is that, on a forum with a few thousand members, while there may be some real gems of information or some great advice to be heeded, you usually have to trawl through 10 times as much dross to find it. Compounding this are the dreaded school holiday ‘silly seasons’ where every second post seems to be some extravagant pipe dream by from an enthusiastic but unrealistic pre-teen would-be skirmisher. But on the flipside, many readers feel that forums can provide some good light entertainment and occasional sound advice when used sparingly, and when you can avoid the arguments. But how do you know whether the person giving you ‘good advice’ is a seasoned player who has actually tackled that tricky problem you’re facing with their own AEG, and not some wannabe making it up as they go along? With the printed word, such as you’re reading now, you can rest reasonably assured that the author has some idea as to what they are talking about. For a start, they are being contracted and paid to create the article you’re reading and no publisher in their right mind would just commission any old rubbish, especially without giving it a good old editorial once over anyway
(this article may actually contradict this statement). With forums, simply anyone can publish their views regardless of their knowledge or experience – and while the best forums have some form of peer ranking and review system to help you sort out the gems from the muck, many don’t, allowing the ‘keyboard warriors’ out there to spread all kinds of misinformation, occasionally with great venom. The anonymity of online forums often creates a ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ state of being in many airsofters. Guys who you know to be helpful, kind and polite sportsmen in real life become total arseholes in forum discussions, safe in the knowledge that no one can give them an online kicking for spouting the sort of abuse or vitriol that would see them asked to ‘step outside’ down the local pub. Well, perhaps that’s the case on the larger national forums. Many of our readers feel that the best forums are ones run by their local site, or the specialist forum where players are more likely to meet each other face to face eventually, and are more circumspect in how they approach their online relationships. For those of us not lucky enough to
DEBATE | FORUMS READERS’ VIEWS HEROSHARK: “I love forums, even the rubbish ones. They’re good for a giggle, and there’s really good info on some of them. I’ve also met some lovely people off the forums over my years out skirmishing.” SCOTT THWAYTES: “I found a lot of kids on the forums a while back and found the tone of conversion and sense of humour drop so only monitor a few to keep touch with news and events. Banter seems best with the team or out on the field with players.” MATT WEBB: “I used to sit on forums offering help to new players (especially WWII and Cold War) but have stopped going on them now, other than to register interest in events. It’s too easy for someone to rattle off words on a forum without thinking or worrying how it looks to others, whereas they wouldn’t dream of doing it in person.” JACOB FROESCHNER: “The problem on forums is that the people that moderate them have not been out to play in a long time, and the rules they are trying to enforce, and their ideas on what the sites offer, are completely outdated.”
have a local, easily accessible airsoft site, online forums are a great way to co-ordinate attendance at events and to find out beforehand if the game being planned is your cup of tea. It’s all well and good reading a review of a great game, but sometimes you need to know what to expect (or even where to find) the next great new thing. This is probably even more useful for those of you into particularly niche aspects of airsoft (say Wild West or WWII). Online forums can also be a great way of hooking up with likeminded individuals across the country who you may never have met before. For my own part, I remember being surprised when I helped set up a WWII airsoft forum around 2006 as to just how many other people were actually interested in WWII ‘soft. We thought it might be a few dozen, but it turned out to be hundreds. More than a few players felt that their local site’s forum was essential for keeping informed about special events at the site, chatting about forthcoming games with
their skirmish buddies, and getting the odd bargain. Knowing that somebody on their local forum was likely to be able to catch up with them in real life helped keep things polite and factual – in fact, many said that they only really used the national forums for buying and selling kit. One recurring theme in our conversations with our readers, however, was that social media sites like Facebook are slowly becoming the medium of choice for sorting out your ‘down time’ between battles. Not only do airsoft Facebook sites seem to be more friendly, but it’s also easier to see who someone really is, cutting through the anonymity used by many ‘flamers’ and ‘trolls’ who are only online to cause trouble. What is for certain, though, is that while the electronic age can be very useful to keep up to date with developments in the hobby, no end of airsofters actually prefer to read about the sport with a printed magazine in their hands. The fact you’re reading this is ample evidence, and thousands of you can’t be wrong!
DANIEL PARKER: “Any forum that is actively censored by moderators of a particular game site or retailer is simply not a forum – it’s just free advertising. If someone is confident in their business, their products and their staff then they should not need to delete criticism, they should be able to publicly answer it and be happy to do so. Deleting people’s opinions implies you have no answer to their point, and just adds credibility to it. Sadly a lot of forums in airsoft follow this trend. I read a lot on airsoft forums, mainly for kit sales, but rarely contribute in order to keep my blood pressure low. There‘s nothing more irritating than an internet argument.”
HAVE YOUR SAY Got an opinion to share on the forum debate? Got an idea for a future topic? Get in touch with Airsoft Action via the address on page 4, or email michaelh@blazepublishing.co.uk. Look out for future debate polls at our Facebook page (facebook.com/ AirsoftAction)
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ground zero It’s a major fixture on the airsoft event calendar, so Billy Basics reports back from the National Airsoft Event 2013
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ast Saturday morning saw your favourite correspondent driving to the Ground Zero Weekender, also known as the National Airsoft Event, at Ringwood, a stone’s throw from my house. The directions were clear on the website and I had chatted to the insanely busy Howard the week before. “You can’t miss it mate.” And there was the sign, so in I went. The long gravel track was eerily silent as I drove on and on into the woods, and I couldn’t escape the feeling that there were eyes in the trees watching my every move. I was just getting ready to stop and do a quick map check when out of the bushes to my right emerged a shadowy body of guys moving cautiously and purposefully along the road, so I slowed and stopped. They eyed me suspiciously and I instinctively did both windows up – I’d got 11 rounds in the face on the last event I covered posing as a journo, so I was taking no chances this time. I thought I’d let them pass and then move on and find somewhere to park, but the players just kept appearing and I reckon when I eventually drove on 600 players must have walked past. I found a spot for my old motor and power walked to the start. I explained who I was and I was very efficiently delivered to the right person, issued a wristband, and told to get a ‘wiggle on’ to see the start. I got there just in time to see Howard and two of his loyal henchmen on a crane high above the assembled crowd, who were going potty. The scene reminded me of Saruman addressing the orcs from his tower in Lord
of the Rings, but I hoped nobody was going to get their heads lopped off. Finally, there was a huge cry, much whoopin’ and a-hollerin’, Howard came gently to earth, and the deployment began. The grim-
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looking players slowly headed into the huge area to their start points. I tailed on with Howard and we chatted about the site and what the guys had in store for them. I asked about the organisation of the event and he talked warmly about his team of marshals. They’d all been working tirelessly in the run up to the event and evidence of it was everywhere, from what I could see it was running as smoothly as a cashmere codpiece. Howard basically
had a load of mini-Howards. They knew the plan, the timings, the emergency procedures, where the dead zones were. They all mucked in, from directing traffic to putting up tents and answering every kind of question you can imagine. One thing that strikes me as I sit here typing is that I didn’t hear one single gripe, and I chatted to a lot of people and earwigged on a lot of chats. There were a few dramas and a few occasions when
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EVENT REPORT EVENT | FALLOUT: REPORT SLAVE| NAE TRADES 2013 players mucked about. One group turned around and brassed up their own team before disappearing into the undergrowth. Howard was off after them and I have no doubt that he found them and gave them a flea in their ears. Ominous names jumped out of the map at me: Stag Camp, The Fort and The Facility. Howard led me up to Camp Coursey through the woods and tracks, and the excitement in the air was palpable. In the middle of each camp was a nuclear reactor and out there somewhere were uranium rods to be seized from the enemy and brought back to arm the devices. Once armed, the team could launch a strike on any of the enemy camps. If you were unfortunate enough to be in the camp when a missile was inbound you had just 10 seconds to get out, or you were fried. If you managed to get out, the base was toxic for one minute before you were allowed back in – but it didn’t end there. Every hour until you stopped them the other team could launch against you again. It was a great narrative, and lots of options abounded through the whole weekend, so it wasn’t just a run-around free for all. Most of the players were tooled up, cammed up and looking ‘the biz’, but occasionally out of the woods popped what I can only describe as variants of Bob the Builder, with a white, blue, or orange helmet and backpacks with nuclear rods:
engineering equipment. These were the specialists who could, if protected and smuggled into the enemy’s camp, wreak havoc, so around them were a phalanx of bodyguards. A couple of times I got too close to one of these VIPs, and got a couple of warning shots, just in case they didn’t buy the Airsoft Action reporter line.
There was a strong European feel to the mix and after a brew and a chat in the safe zone with blokes from Gawd-knowswhere I headed to the OP, but I hadn’t got far when a challenge rang out. “Ey you, what’s the blue shirt?” I told him it was a birthday present from my wife and we all laughed. They told me they were a French team and were having a great time. My French is pretty bad so I didn’t even go there, but we gassed for a bit and then I followed them up a steep incline to the OP where their comrades were hard at it. That’s one of the aspects of airsoft that really tickles me; unlike military exercises and battle that is agonisingly loud and hellish, with airsoft you can be standing chatting and just yards from you two teams are slugging it out, and when you’ve finished chatting you say ‘cheerio’ and it’s back into hell’s mouth. I used to be a big Judge Dredd fan (although I didn’t much care for the Stallone version) but I was not expecting to meet the man himself. Out of the bushes he came, wrapped from head to toe in leather and looking really cool. He didn’t look quite so cool by mid-afternoon after a few hours play, though. He looked absolutely pooped as I saw him stagger exhausted into the safe zone and take his helmet off.
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EVENT REPORT | NAE 2013 I would not be doing the weekend justice without mentioning the pink sniper. In the midst of all the DPM, MTP and other variants for which I have no three-letter abbreviation, there was Legally Blonde GI Jane, dressed from head to toe in glorious pinks and purples. I wish I’d asked her if she was, in fact, a lawyer. Good for you girl! Howard disappeared into the bushes on a mission, and so I headed for The Fort. It was eerily quiet when I arrived at the looming structure, but pretty soon I could tell that there was a pitched battle going on to take it. The defenders appeared briefly on the ramparts and hail of fire would burst forth onto an enemy group below. Because of the peat in the ground there was a strict rule that no hot-burning pyrotechnics could be used, but the team holding it were using every trick in the book to keep the opposition at bay. There was a steady stream past me of guys heading back to the dead zones happily chatting about their next tactic when they headed back up to continue their campaign. Young and old were at the weekend, including a few characters who looked my father’s age. Howard told me about a couple of father-and-son combos that had come along together and been playing on the site. When they had come along initially the fathers had confided that they wanted to spend more time with their boys and were having problems connecting. Within a few games the pair were as thick as thieves and going home with huge grins on their faces.
As some of you may know, utrinque paratus (‘Ready For Anything’) is the motto of the Parachute Regiment. I am sure some of us would like to believe that we’d be ready for most things, but Howard genuinely was. Now, I’m not going to embarrass him by betraying a confidence but he dealt with a number
of things while I was standing next to him chatting as he led me round the site which we both agreed was unlikely to have come up in any risk assessment – but he dealt with them in a manner that made me think of him as a kindly headmaster who really cared for the welfare of his pupils (or players) and a cunning planner and tactician who knew how to get the best out of his game. As only the second event I have covered for Airsoft Action, I can honestly say that I was very impressed with the Ground Zero Weekender 2013. It was brilliant and did exactly what it said on the tin. I had a great time and I know that the other 1,500 people did too. I challenge anyone to try and entertain that number of people over a weekend. Billy Out.
INFORMATION AND PRICES Ground Zero Weekender
❱ WEB: www.nationalairsoftevent.com PRICES FOR 2013: £85 weekend fee; £30 rental gun hire; £5 rental kit hire
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BOONIE BABY They’re worn by many airsofters on the skirmish field, and yet often ignored, so Richard Bell takes a closer look at the humble boonie hat
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hat if I was to tell you that you’ve been wearing tactical garments since long before you found a passion for military-based hobbies? That you were wearing them from earlier than you can remember, and that your parents bought them for you and were proud to take photos of their little cherubs wearing them? You would laugh, I know, but you probably still have those baby photos of you at the beach in a sun hat – aka a boonie hat. Boonie hats have been around since before most of us were born. They are a staple garment for most, if not all,
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modernised armed forces and are available in all patterns that have been put to fabric. You may well have seen them in movies, on recruitment posters, and I am sure you’ll have seen them downrange and on the skirmish field. So why are they overlooked? Why do you find them in clearance bins in most tactical gear retailers? Why do they never get the same amount of appreciation as operator or shooter caps? For me the boonie hat is an outstanding piece of gear – one that has not changed since its inception in the 1960s. A boonie is my go-to headgear regardless of the
environment I find myself in, and to date one has never failed me. First used by American troops in Vietnam, boonie hats were not an issue item, but were usually made locally. However, despite initial reservations, the US Army started issuing them in 1967 under the designation ‘Hat, Jungle, with Insect Net’ – and have been doing so pretty much ever since then. I have been wearing boonies for the past 15 years and, over that time, have experienced the entire spectrum – from okay to utterly sick. Image 1 shows hats from my personal locker. All have seen
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FEATURE | THE BOONIE HAT 1
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“First used by American troops in Vietnam, boonie hats were not an issue item, but were usually made locally” and metal. In the case of image 3 the ventilation is via integrated vents, although it is really down to the design and specification of a particular garment. The Applied Orange boonie shown in image 4 has overlapping layers which are not only for ventilation but also to provide the wearer with more protection.
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active wear, with the longest running being close to seven years. They have performed in climates from very hot and dry through to good old British winters and temperatures ranging from minus numbers up to the mid-30s. Each one has its own subtle differences, even if they are produced by the same manufacturer – although these differences are not directly noticeable until you wear them. Image 2 shows more boonie hats, also from my personal collection. In the bottom left is a hat in the Kryptek Mandrake pattern from SpecOpShop with a wide brim. Second from the left is a MultiCam example with a wide brim, made from 50 per cent polyester, 50 per cent cotton, made by Tru-Spec. Third from left is another Tru-Spec product, a wide-brimmed boonie in Woodland MARPAT made from 65 per cent polyester, 35 per cent cotton. Finally, on the right, we have the short-brim, recce-boonie from Propper in 100 per cent cotton. Although there are many variations on the theme, the basic features of a boonie hat remain the same. There are loops around the base of the hat, used to thread pieces of foliage or other natural camouflage through to break up the outline. Contrary to popular belief, these loops are not for carrying ammunition or certain other items. Ventilation is achieved either by open or mesh eyelets in both fabric
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FEATURE | THE BOONIE HAT ALTERNATIVE DESIGN: SPECOPSHOP
ALTERNATIVE DESIGN: APPLIED ORANGE
SpecOpShop is an American company that is well described by its name – and its tagline of ‘Speed, Surprise, Violence of Action.’ Their Tactical Boonie was developed in mid 2012 to give the wearer more options for adding foliage. An additional pocket inside the top, better ventilation, and loop Velcro for ID, are all part of this best-selling product. It is available in SpecOpShop’s proprietary camouflage (ABD/SERE), and also in many other sought after patterns and colours. They also accept special orders in patterns they don’t normally carry, such as the Kryptek Mandrake.
Applied Orange is a company based in the Netherlands, which manufactures a fire-resistant boonie hat. This design is an answer to the poor boonies available to soldiers in the Netherlands. The requirements were a comfortable fit without any irritation during prolonged wear, short brim and as little metal as possible. The final design is based around lightweight moisture-wicking FR and Non-FR material. This keeps the weight down and makes it easily packable when not worn.
PRICE: From £25.79 ❱ FROM: www.specopshop.com
PRICE: £55 ❱ FROM: www.xperttactical.com
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Boonies also feature a hidden pocket inside the hat for holding a thin, flat object such as an ID card (see image 5) – although in humid or tropical conditions, this is likely to be quite damp, so not a good place for unprotected paper. The brim size and style varies from design to design, although there is a degree of science around sunscreen, effectiveness, and droop for operational capability. Most brim sizes sit between 5cm to 7cm, although it is possible to have custom sizes manufactured as well. Drawstrings or chinstraps can be fixed and
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open, or integrated into the crown of the hat, allowing the wearer more options for secure attachment. In the past few years the introduction of ‘shock cord’ around the base of the hat where it meets the brim has allowed both an additional and alternative way to secure the hat, giving the user more flexibility. ID and loop attachments are relatively new to boonies, although have become more standard in the last few years. The first were hand-sewn but are now becoming part of mainstream manufacture. They are generally found on the top and
rear, keeping in line with the stealth aspect of the garment. Extras and customisation are also common. The hat in image 6 is one of my Kryptek boonies showing an extra hollow 550 cord crossing the entire hat, should I need to add more foliage. So, in conclusion, when looking at head wear, don’t dismiss this good old piece of gear, it has been around for a long time and just about everyone has worn one at some point in their life. There are lots out there and the choice for an individual’s requirement can easily be met.
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UPGRADE | SHOEI MP38 KIT
CONVERSION KIT Can Shoei’s MP38 Transformation kit turn a cheap as chips MP40 into a classic of WWII machine pistols? Jay Slater grabs his screwdrivers to find out
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he ASG MP40, while cheap and cheerful with pot metal and a historically incorrect semi/full auto switch and power button, remains a Kraut favourite. The SRC version, despite being superiorly crafted, especially noteworthy in the secure stock and reeking of high quality, suffers from tricky magazines to wind in battle and an exposed battery. The ASG remains king due to its cheap as chips price and battlefield performance. Indeed, its range and performance packs a stinging .20g wallop, stunning those with more high-priced firepower. Never judge a book by its cover. Shoei Seisakusho Inc., Japan, has entered the arena fighting fit. Legendary
among collectors of model guns, the limited but high-grade performer has built an envious reputation by crafting the highestquality replica guns on the market today. Stemming from 1967, the company is family run and consists of the three Matsumotos: Tomio, Ichiro and Minoru. Their first airsoft weapon, the Fallschirmjagergewehr 42, better known as the FG42, was so well made that is became a focal point for airsofters, re-enactors and collectors and Shoei set the leading world standard, hence their extortionate high prices. Take, for example, their most recent innovation: the MP38. Shoei simply reinvented the ASG MP40 by crafting the magazine well and housing for around £250 or so to create the
earlier version of this iconic Second World War shooter – and bloody marvellous it is too! However, at such an asking price, and despite being limited to 100 units, the Shoei modification will set one back two brand new ASG MP40s. With that being said, you pay your money and you take your choice. But there is joy on the horizon. Shoei has sold over 500 of its magnificent MG42s and is doing very well with its MP44 and is looking at producing their own MP40. The airsofter Fallschirmjäger have never had it so good. The MP38, an improvement of the Erma MP36, was designed in early 1938 as a compact submachine gun for armoured vehicle crews and paratroopers. Officially
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presented as the ‘Mashinenpistole MP38’, the newer model differed with weight reduction provided by the solid steel receiver and numerous oblong grooves. Instead of the EMP36’s lower receiver being made completely out of wood, the MP38 was optimised with the lighter and stronger Bakelite. In addition, the fire selector was omitted. This was all done in an incredible seven months and official production of the MP38 began in July 1938, although slowly. When the Third Reich launched its blitzkrieg, the surprise attack on Poland in 1939, only 8,700 MP38s were listed in inventory reports. Due to the oncoming war, distribution of the new fully automatic weapon took place in a hurry with no time for special field tests, so selected units had to send experience reports back to the engineers continuously. Also, the MP38 was an expensive weapon to manufacture. In spring 1940, the company Erma simplified its design with pressed
and the stock is somewhat soft with a rattle, unlike the craftsmanship as seen in the flawed SRC version. The low-capacity magazines are also historically incorrect as they also fit the ASG Sten (but that works in its favour). However and make no mistake, this is a cut-rate Chinese blitzkrieg of airsoft machine-gun cha-cha-cha nirvana. It never goes wrong and begs for more battlefield punishment, which it gets in spades. Also, and more surprisingly, its range and performance is truly incredible for such a budget period weapon, easily outdistancing a number of higher priced firearms if one is willing to put up with the limited magazine and somewhat crude craftsmanship. Shoei has introduced its MP38 transformation kit, and what a beauty it is, too. Shoei’s MP38 kit is accompanied by clear and concise instructions for modifying the ASG MP40. All that is needed is a Phillips screwdriver and the first job is to disassemble the MP40 as if replacing the
sheet metal parts and a new receiver and grip-piece were redesigned. The result was the iconic MP40, a beautiful and effective weapon that stands proud against British and North American counterparts – the Sten and Thompson machine guns, all with their weaknesses and strengths. Despite its faults, the ASG MP40 is a period workhorse. Sure, there is an unhistorical fire-selector on the side – from single shot to full auto – and a power switch on the bottom of the hand grip. Also, some of the pot metal design is thin and flimsy,
battery. Unscrew the flash suppressor and remove the entire front – bottom trim, handlebars and guard – that complements the outer barrel. This is followed by unscrewing the cap and two screws that hold the hop-up barrel. Then, disassemble the black plastic cover in the loading bay and place it into the new frame, and assemble the kit in the opposite direction to convert the MP40 into a MP38. First impressions count. The build and design quality of the Shoei replacement is breathtaking, and this small modification
easily surpasses the overall quality of the ASG. The main bodywork of the Shoei is striped and gives the weapon a distinct look. Also, all parts of the kit are designed within the millimetre with authenticallyplaced markings, including the iconic eagle and swastika as seen on the original. The cocking lever is bent forwards and overall reeks of the highest quality production that overshadows the former build. But is it worth £250? This all depends on how
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UPGRADE | SHOEI MP38 KIT
“First impressions count. The build and design quality of the Shoei replacement is breathtaking and this small modification easily surpasses the overall quality of the ASG� one values craftsmanship, design and build quality, and to stand out of the pack. The Shoei modification kit is certainly expensive, highly obscure and makes an interesting take on an iconic wartime shooter. It is also incredibly well made, produced and very limited in number. Construction and build quality is second to none, and adds a certain flourish to an otherwise standard period piece. However, the asking price and rarity
of this feat of engineering is also compromised by its retail price, this small modification alone costs more than a midrange rifle or 250 cans of lager. Also, the brilliant engineering and materials used in the Shoei upgrade are truly stellar, but clash remarkably against the inferior build quality of the ASG model. It is as if Shoei took the bonnet of a classic Ferrari and modelled it to the chassis of a reliable but remarkably plain Vauxhall. A bad compromise, for
sure, but one that basically spells out the MP38. One for diehard military airsofters and re-enactors with cash to spend, this is a fantastic conversion kit and wonderfully built and designed piece of kit that makes a refreshing spin on an old favourite. However, for the majority, the Shoei MP38 is simply a bridge too far and out of reach. Thanks to Tactical Quartermaster for converting the AGM into the MP38: www. tacticalquartermaster.co.uk.
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DAVID WADDLETON David is owner of Etonguns in Berkshire, and started out in retail in 1980s. He became aware of airsoft in the early 1990s through his association with Cybergun products, and has enjoyed seeing airsoft expand into a wider arena of leisure shooting. Every day brings the opportunity for him to understand the engineering behind a wide range of new designs thanks to the scale of modern airsoft distribution.
ITALIAN STALLION T
he concepts behind the popular airsoft pistols, the Beretta and SIG Sauer, predate their commercial success on the replica market. Their ease of use and accuracy evolved throughout their history as real firearm pistols, created by the world’s oldest family-run corporation, Beretta, founded in 1526 in Lombardy, Italy. The advent of the First World War led to the appearance of Beretta’s first pistol designs, the M1915, which had a blowback design and used a Glisenti 9mm round, and the lighter M1915/17 that was smaller and simpler in design. After the war, further experiments took place with civilian models, but Beretta’s primary market was the Italian armed forces and colonial forces.
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The M1934 was the successor to the M1915, used during World War II, during which it became a popular souvenir for the Allied forces. I recall that my father, who was an officer in Montgomery’s desert war, was rather keen to acquire one with his first capture of an Italian officer. He used it in preference to his English service-issue revolver due to its accuracy and reliability. Production of the M1935 followed during the last two years of WWII; it held eight rounds of the smaller 7.65mm cartridge. In 1938 Beretta began work on a 9x19mm pistol, but it never went into production, and it wasn’t until after WWII that they returned to the concept. It was at this time that they developed the
M951, which incorporated a large number of new features: an exposed hammer, a curved finger rest, an open top slide, and a device that locked the slide open after the last round had been fired. Experiments with the steel content raised the weight by nearly 25 per cent to 890g, although the sights remained crude. In the 1970s, Walther developed the doubleaction trigger pull in its P38 model, with a double-column, high-capacity magazine. Smith & Wesson’s 39 had also been developed post-war, followed by the double-action trigger Smith & Wesson 59 and 459. The SIG Sauer P220 began production in 1975 and this was the starting point for an array of SIG Sauer models with us today.
FEATURE | BERETTA M9 Also emerging in 1975 was the Beretta Model 92, designed by Carlo Beretta, Giuseppe Mazzetti and Vittorio Valle during the early 70s. It retained the open slide with an integral front sight, and included a P38 locking system and a wider alloy frame. After pressure from the Italian police the safety was changed to a slide mounted safety/de-cocking lever: the M92S had arrived. The game changer came when the US House Appropriations Committee expressed concern at the poor state of handguns in US military service. One handgun for all services was recommended. Beretta was awarded the US military contract for supply to all the branches of its services – the winner of a fierce competition between the M9, three models from Colt, Smith & Wesson 459A, SIG Sauer P226, Steyr GB and Walther P88. Only the Beretta and SIG Sauer passed every stage of the rigorous testing regime. In the ensuing competition between the two companies, Beretta was awarded the contract thanks to a lower price quote on spare parts and magazines, despite the price of its pistol being greater at around $178. A host of
court cases and complaints followed, but the US army was anxious to move on with its purchasing requirements. Initially produced in Italy, Beretta moved production to the US as part of the contract requirements. Some difficulties arose in 1987, allegedly caused by the Navy SEALs undergoing some extreme weapons testing, causing the slide to fracture. This was partly due to design and metal content and partly due to the use of unsuitable ammunition. A further round of competition between models ensued, this time with the addition of Ruger and Smith & Wesson. Beretta’s Italian factory had long been equipped with superior technology – including CAD/CAM and advanced computer management – and in subjecting itself to greater US involvement had to contend with the less advanced US systems. This included a much older punch card computer system requiring access to a then-obsolete IBM computer, requiring frequent repair with salvaged parts. It was thanks to its decision to move production, however, that Beretta was awarded the revised contract.
After the Beretta M9 was adopted, a special holster, the M12, was designed by Bianchi to accompany it. The accuracy of the M9 assured its success, shooting tighter groups than any other pistol on the market, and it currently holds all of the US service records at their national matches. Its controlled recoil and handgrip have made the M9 an asset for the increasing number of female service personnel, accommodating both genders with ease. The rise of the SIG Sauer has seen the SIG P226 become the standard weapon of the US Navy SEALs. The Beretta M9 with an extended magazine was also adopted where more firepower was required. Airsofters will recall the versions that appeared in the 6mm BB range of pistols echoing this need! The airsoft model range has seen rapid development. The appearance of the orange and red two-tone colours, in competition with the clear plastic versions, as well as the CO2powered airgun standard versions, has led to a rapid development of models that reflect the popularity of both SIG Sauer and Beretta. Plenty of models have been developed which ape the advances in technology of their firearm brethren. Airsofters, too, have indicated their desire for increased firepower, accuracy and ease of disassembly. Holsters similar to those developed for the M9 are starting to appear, as airsofters demand the same ease of access, and speed of drawing as the US military services [1]. Airsofters who work as a team
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FEATURE | BERETTA M9
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may see merit in the photo above showing the US Special Reaction Team training exercise. The first, third and fourth are carrying the M9 with their holsters clearly visible, while the second carries an MP5 and the tailgunner has a shotgun. All models are readily available to airsofters. The US military service has very strict controls over its weapons. The Beretta title for pistols for the non-services market is different, as are the markings. It is thus entirely inkeeping that airsoft pistols, while retaining the many features outlined above for the firearms models, do not retain the same distinctive military markings. The WE M92 6mm BB
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CO2 airgun with a CO2 magazine for active target shooting and a cyber gas magazine for urban and outdoor skirmish games, and the WE Samurai Edge, are both very close to the Beretta look, as is the blue and black M190 Special Forces Model [2]. There are also several models in either blue or orange two-tone that include these famous features. The Beretta M9A1 [3], with its base rail for torch or laser attachments, has seen rapid adoption by the airsoft market. Note the hard moulding leg holster for the Beretta style pistols, with a spare mag retainer and silencer or pyrotechnic retainer, emulating its military counterpart [4].
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NIGHT COMBAT Ioan ‘Iggy’ Roberts heads to the HQ of major UK distributor Thomas Jacks to investigate some of the leading airsoft-suitable night vision on the market
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recently had the opportunity to pay a visit to Thomas Jacks Limited, an authorised UK distributor for night vision equipment, military-spec L3 Warrior Systems, thermal vision, scopes, lighting systems and tactical gear – from Wiley-X eye protection to gloves and load-carrying kit. Thomas Jacks’ range goes from consumer level to top-end military equipment – but its core business is night vision. When the company was set up in 1994 it dealt in the distribution of the first Russian night vision products
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available after the Iron Curtain collapsed. Having dealt in all the advancements in night vision technology since, Thomas Jacks has built up a wealth of knowledge in the products available. The company’s priority is to provide the best quality products in the industry – not the cheapest. Since starting, it has become supplier to around 800 retailers in the UK. Thomas Jacks is now supplying night vision solutions of a quality and cost that suits the airsoft market very well – so I was invited to visit their office to
check them out. I was intrigued to learn more about what these gadgets bring to the airsoft battlefield. While there, I was introduced to three particular products: the Pulsar Challenger GS 1x20, the Cobra Optics Titan, and the Yucon Photon 5x42 scope. The Pulsar Challenger uses an enhanced generation 1 tube, while Cobra Optics’ Titan uses a generation 2+ image intensifier tube. The Yucon Photon 5x42 is a digital night vision scope that uses a charge-coupled device (CCD) chip that is optimised to
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FEATURE | NIGHT VISION YUKON PHOTON 5X42 SCOPE This digital night vision scope has five times magnification. It uses a CCD that is optimised to the infrared spectrum. The rear of the site is a conventional day scope, with the night vision built into the front. When you look through the scope you will see a black and white image that is displayed on a liquid crystal display. This scope can be used in daylight against mansized targets without any damage to the night vision. Trying to hit anything particularly smaller will be a struggle by day. Come dawn, dusk and night, the scope comes into its own, providing a clear, sharp image to the user at varying levels of darkness. This is achieved manually using the brightness controller on the side of the scope to adjust to the conditions. It is possible to record what the scope sees using a built-in video-out port. Yukon also sells its own mobile player recorder (MPR), which attaches to a RIS system on the side of the scope and features a playback screen. The Yukon Photon 5x42 scope runs on two AA batteries, offering between one and a half and two hours life. An EPS 3 external battery pack is also available, providing up to 9 hours use. It comes with an extension cable allowing you either to mount it on the weapon or keep it in your pocket. The Yukon Photon also comes with a built-in, eyesafe infrared laser illuminator that goes out to 100 metres. You will need two traditional scope mounts to mount the scope to your weapon system. The scope can easily drop a target at 150 yards in the dark when accompanied by a more powerful IR illuminator. It comes with a three-year warranty on parts and labour.
PRICE: £400.
the infrared spectrum. So what’s the difference between these technologies? The human eye sees the visible spectrum, which ranges from around 390 to 700 nanometres (nm). Generation 1 night vision will allow you to see around 830nm. Generations 2 and 3 are far more sensitive and work up to 850nm. However, digital night vision will work up to 940nm. Night vision goes up to generation 3 filmless; there is no generation 4 yet! I trialled all three products and
all proved very useful in night-time skirmishes. The Pulsar Challenger gives a great advantage over the other players without night vision. Spotting targets clearly is a little difficult when there isn’t any other light around, though the infrared illuminator improves visibility a little, but gives out a very obvious red glow, threatening to give away the user’s position. I had to use it sparingly, only turning the IR illuminator on at the last minute to aid an accurate shot. The Challenger also comes at a very fair price, proving
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a huge asset to someone who will skirmish at night or in dark locations. However, I feel the Cobra Optics Titan is by far the best option for use in airsoft. You can clearly make out objects and targets even in the darkest parts of the site. I had to use the infrared illuminator once or twice but that was it. You can certainly see the difference in quality, making me understand the huge price jump. This night vision unit almost makes things too easy, giving an advantage even over the players using cheaper night vision, let alone the ones with nothing. If you have the money available then this will make you a very powerful night skirmisher. I recommend the Titan to the serious, dedicated, top-end skirmishers that enter into full-weekend events or longer. It is worth noting that the Challenger
and Titan don’t have aiming sites built in. Instead, they work best with an accompanying red dot or EOTech – preferably with a very dim or, even better, night vision setting. This is because any night vision that uses an image intensifier tube is very sensitive to light, meaning that bright light will damage the tube. If a red dot is too bright it will permanently burn
PULSAR CHALLENGER GS 1X20 This night vision scope or monocular can be mounted onto a RIS system using a Pulsar Weaver mount (£24.95), or you can opt for the Pulsar head mount (£84.95). It has a 1x magnification with a 20mm front objective, and uses an enhanced generation 1 image intensifier tube, meaning it is brighter and has far clearer edge-toedge image quality than the standard generation 1 night vision. However, it does still struggle in anything darker than clear night conditions – but you can improve on this by using an infrared illuminator (infrared torch). Pulsar sells the IR805 for £89.95. This will allow you to see in very dark conditions, but be aware – the infrared illuminator will give off a red glow from the front, possibly giving your position away. The Pulsar Challenger GS 1x20 comes with a three-year warranty.
PRICE: £289.95
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FEATURE | NIGHT VISION COBRA OPTICS TITAN This night vision monocular uses a generation 2+ image intensifier tube, making it highly sensitive and effective in low light – meaning there is a far less requirement for an IR illuminator. However, one comes attached for use in pitch black conditions. You will need a Cobra Weaver mount (£99.95) to have this monocular weapon mounted, or alternatively a Cobra head mount (£139.95). There is a far clearer, sharper image through this scope – so much so that you can make out some large writing. This night vision system gives the user a clear view of the battlefield downrange of their weapon system. The Cobra Optics Titan has a metal body and is sturdy piece of kit. Over 700 maritime security companies use it worldwide. There is a one-year warranty for this product due to the generation 2 image intensifier tube.
PRICE: £1,629.95
its aiming display into the image intensifier tube. Indeed, do not use any night vision by day or leave it exposed to bright light. All of the above issues are not covered under the companies’ warranty due to the damage being the fault of the user.
Lastly, the Yukon Photon 5x42 scope is an impressive unit, but has its limitations. It is designed more for hunting wildlife than airsofters. The minimum range that I could focus the scope to was in the upper half of the airsoft electric gun (AEG) range. Also, due to it having a narrow field of view, it gave less visibility over the battlefield than the other two, causing channelling and a reduction in overall situational awareness. I would recommend getting the additional battery pack with this scope, because the two hours offered by the standard AA batteries tend to fly by in night games. The targets that I did see and manage to focus on, however, were all easy to hit once I adjusted the scope to their distance. The Yukon is more for the player with time available
to hunt the enemy and take them out unknowingly, such as a semi-auto rifleman or sniper: a very useful bit of kit for a reasonable price. Overall I was impressed with this foray into night vision technology. I’d urge you to check out some NV units for yourself to learn what the fuss is all about. They really can transform your night and indoor games for the better.
INFORMATION Thomas Jacks is a UK distribution company, meaning they do not sell direct to an individual, but they are more than happy to give advice and answer any questions you may have on the products they specialise in.
❱ WEB: www.thomasjacks.co.uk TEL: 01789 264100 EMAIL: info@thomasjacks.co.uk
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LIGHT WORK Pro-Tact’s Andy Nightingale explains how to operate a flashlight safely and effectively while carrying a long gun
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he long gun or rifle, be it airsoft weapon or a firearm, requires two hands to operate accurately and safely. So when it comes to operating the rifle in the dark and we need to use white light to make safe target acquisition, and assuming we don’t have Night Vision Goggles (NVG), what do we do? The only solution is to use either a normal, handheld flashlight or a dedicated weapon-mounted light. The dedicated weapon-mounted light is the preferred method of choice, as this enables the shooter to maintain a secure, two-handed grip on the rifle at all times, offering not only safety but also maximum support to the weapon during firing. As the marksmanship principle states, “the position and hold must be firm enough to support the weapon.” Try firing your rifle ‘safely’ and you will see why two hands are needed. The dedicated weapon-mounted light is the easiest to operate while using a long gun. It allows us to operate the weapon safely and not restrict the manipulation of all the weapon’s functions, such as cocking leavers, fire selection leavers, bolt release buttons and safety catches. Most dedicated weapon-mounted lights are just normal tactical lights that have been secured to the weapon via a mounting kit. I’ve even seen scope rings used with great effect. Many weapons now
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SKILLS ROOM | LONG GUNS AND FLASHLIGHTS TOP TIP If you are using a handheld light it is a good idea to have a wrist-mounted lanyard attached. This will enable the shooter let go of the light during magazine changes and other weapon manipulations and still retain the light as the light is always shining in the same direction as the muzzle. If you are using a weapon with the iron sights or carry handle in place, such as the M4 type weapon platform, then the light can be physically mounted onto the top rail of the weapon in front and below the carry handle. This will illuminate the front sights, allowing quicker target acquisition. Be sure that if you are using this method that the light body does not obstruct your line of sight through any optics or the rear sights to the front sight. It is possible to fit a handgun-dedicated tactical flashlight to a rifle, such as an M3, and still operate both rifle and light easily and safely. One of the drawbacks to this is that the light
“It is possible to fit a handgun-dedicated tactical flashlight to a rifle, such as an M3, and still operate both rifle and light easily and safely” come with Picatinny rails along the forestock that will enable you to mount a whole host of additional kit to your weapon, including lights. If your particular rifle does not have a rail mounting system fitted, you can usually add your own, as spare rails are readily available at most reputable airsoft retailers. They are easy to fit and come in different lengths, so you should be able to mount one to your rifle with ease. Once the light has been mounted we then have the problem of physically reaching the light to switch it on and off. This can be overcome by the use of a remote switch that replaces the normal tailswitch on most tactical lights. The remote switch is connected to the light via a cable that has to be secured to the weapon with hook and loop straps or cable ties to stop the cable from being snagged on any kit. When using a live firearm, these cables can become damaged due to the heat of the barrel when the rifle is being fired. This is not a concern with AEGs or GBB rifles, however, but cables may be a bit of a pain if you need to access the foregrip to change a battery, for example. There are mounts on the market that enable the tactical light to be mounted in a vertical foregrip. This vertical grip is then attached to the weapon’s Picatinny rail under the barrel and can be easily operated with one hand without destroying the grip and control of the rifle. The light mounted on the weapon allows us to literally point and shoot,
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SKILLS ROOM | LONG GUNS AND FLASHLIGHTS
tends to be mounted to the rear of the forestock and to one side. Although it is easy to operate and use, it does lend a shadow to the opposite side of the rifle to which the light is mounted. This is not too much of a drama, as you will soon get used to it and the shadow is not so big that it will cause any concern. Remember that you are using the light to illuminate a specific area for a short period of time in bursts and not have it on all the time, as if you were searching a large area. Using a dedicated handgun light will also enable the shooter to use the controls of the light in the same way as they do on the handgun without any extra training. I have personally used this method for over 20 years and I have never encountered a problem during training or operations. So if we don’t have a dedicated weaponmounted light system, then just how do we use a handheld light and still work within the marksmanship principles? There are two main methods to holding a handheld light while firing a long gun. The first is the Harries method. This method requires the shooter to hold the handheld flashlight in the normal Harries fashion. Instead of the strong hand’s wrist being supported by the
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weak hand’s wrist, support the forestock of the weapon on the back of the weak wrist. This will give you the advantage of the long gun being held at the same height as the handgun method. For everyone that uses the Harries method with handguns, it should seem second nature. The disadvantage to this method is that it can be tiring on the weak arm – and also it will not allow you to manage recoil effectively. This is a tried and tested method that is used by many law enforcement agencies around the world, so it should work pretty well for airsoft due to the lack of recoil involved with AEGs and GBB weapons. The second technique is the Ayoob adapted method (so named after its inventor Massad Ayoob). With this method, hold your weapon as normal but this time hold the light by clamping it to the weapon with your weak thumb. This will only work with lights that have a conventional switch mounted on the side of the body of the light, such as the D-cell Maglites. This will enable the shooter to operate the light with the thumb on the side of the light body. This is done by applying more pressure on the switch as you squeeze the weapon and light
together. This method will allow you to hold the weapon in the conventional way so it will feel less alien to you, but it will also weaken your grip on the weapon, reducing the control of recoil. Some people may have a problem holding the light in this way depending on its size and the size of their hands. Small lights with a body of one-inch diameter are quite easy to use with this method but larger-bodied lights can be difficult to hold and control unless you have big hands. Again, due to the lack of recoil, with airsoft weapons this should not be too much of a problem. Whichever method you adopt it is always a good idea to practise using the light with a long gun. I always carry my weapon-mounted light, even in the daytime, as it serves me well when I enter a darkened building, or when the light begins to fade and the possibilities of my adversary hiding in the shadows draws ever closer. There have even been times during the day when I have received light signals from a distance by my teammates to warn me of danger ahead, so it is worth investing in white light for your long gun, but you must use it wisely and safely. Stay safe and happy shooting.
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EVENT REPORT | FALLOUT: SLAVE TRADES
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fallout After Gunman Airsoft’s successful Wastelander post-apocalyptic airsoft/liveaction roleplay hybrid adventures, the guys at Gunman Northwest decided to try a unique spin on a Fallout 3-based formula. Gareth ‘Gadge’ Harvey went along to see what all the fuss was about…
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espite this year seeing one of the hottest summers in recent memory I seem to have chosen the rare soaking-wet days to get my kit on and go shooting. I was hoping that Gunman Northwest’s Fallout: Slave Trades weekend might be a pleasant break in the pattern, but the weather forecast, and the event’s location in the Lancashire hills, meant the odds were stacked against us. So hoping for the best and accompanied by my airsofting buddy Bod, I packed the car with enough kit for a wet weekend away. I togged myself out in ‘nuclear survivalist’ kit of battered DPM and a wrecked leather jacket and set off for the Gunman Airsoft Northwest (GMANW) site. And what a site it is. By day GMANW is an off-road motorcross and 4x4 rallying site and consists of a tortuous curved tracks broken by knife-edge ridges, deep, swampy pools, breakneck jumps and half-
buried huts. The thought of driving over it was daunting enough; the thought of trekking through it on foot was making my feet blister already. Luckily, though, Slave Trades was a vehicle-based game, and while the bands of adventurers, slavers and mercenaries could trudge across the radioactive wasteland (only in the story, in real life it’s radiation free… or at least I hope it is) they could also hire four-wheeldrive transport to help them negotiate the wastes, as well as protect them from marauding bands of raiders in armed 4x4s.
When Ammo Runs Low This event was a departure from the norm in that, rather than being a roleplay game with guns, it was more of a traditional skirmish set in the Wastelander world – think Fallout 3 but in an irradiated 80s UK rather than 50s USA – but with the addition of vehicles. Most players also had foam swords, axes and shields to
batter the enemy with when ammo ran low. As players started off with only 150 BBs, until they traded more or found ammo dumps, having a ‘blade’ came in pretty handy. The aim of the game was for bands of player adventurers to try to rescue (or keep captive if they were slavers) some hostages held in the slaver stronghold and return them to the safety of ‘The Tudd’. Two rival slaver factions were fighting over their ‘property’ while a rescue party from the militaristic Tallion, mercenaries out for a good price, and the savage Viking clan, tried to rescue (or more likely enslave for their own gain) the poor captives. After a quick briefing from GMANW’s Anthony Gregory the players moved into their safe houses and quickly swarmed out to find both the slaver encampments and the neutral ‘barter town’ where they could trade and re-arm.
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EVENT REPORT | FALLOUT: SLAVE TRADES
Barter Town Before long everyone was soaked. It had tipped it down for hours and didn’t look like letting up – but the consensus seemed to be that if you’re wet through you can’t get any wetter, and everyone played on. At around this point the handto-hand combat weapons also got pretty handy (no pun intended) as visibility went down to a dozen metres or so and AEG fire was being battered down by the rain! Not only was this possibly the heaviest rain I’d seen in months, but the site is so high up we were almost
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playing in the cloud at times. You might think the above image of the event seems ‘misty’ through over exposure – but that’s just a glimpse of how bad visibility was. Sheets of rain also made this mountainous site treacherous under foot, and so with this in mind, my patrol made a slow advance towards where we thought ‘barter town’ might be. En route to the town we encountered marauders in a 4x4 with a roof-mounted heavy machine gun and had to dive into cover to avoid a band of the savage Vikings, but eventually scouted out both
barter town and the slaver camps before nightfall. It is probably worth mentioning here that this event was a ‘24 hour in character’ game running from 5pm Saturday night until 5pm Sunday night. Part of the reason for this was that the site is a lucrative motorcross venue most weekends and night bookings are easier to arrange – the other being that there is something incredibly atmospheric about night attacks and dawn raids when everyone is equipped for close combat. Eventually the relentless rain got to be too much and with targets recced the combined mercenary and Tallion faction (of which Bod and I were a part) retired to their safe houses, shored them up with scrap metal and pallets to keep out the worst of the rain, and tried to get some sleep. Dawn came but there was no let up from the rain and, realising that player endurance was beginning to wane, the GMANW crew sped up the timetable a little and play commenced on day two with an early morning assault on the slaver compound to free the prisoners. With ammo running low by this point it was down to fire axes, lead pipes and a healthy supply of house bricks (all foam based and safe) to batter down the slavers. Slave Trades was, in essence, an excellent game on an excellent site marred somewhat by atrocious weather. I can’t help but think that with a less dedicated crew it may have fallen to pieces, but the GMANW lads and their regulars were not about to let a torrential storm dampen their spirits. It’s a tough site and GMANW expect players to use a lot of common sense and carry the right kit to be safe during a gruelling night game – but if you fancy a game played by ‘big boys’ rules’ this could be the one for you.
INFORMATION ❱ Gunman Northwest WEB: www.gunmanforum.com; www.facebook.com/GunmanNorthwest LOCATION: High Barn Lane, Whitworth, Lancashire, OL12 8XG GAME TYPES: FilmSim one-day; FilmSim weekenders
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COLD WAR WARRIOR | BRITISH PARA, SUEZ CRISIS 1956
crisis management Military loadout expert Gareth ‘Gadge’ Harvey looks into the kit worn by British paras deployed in Egypt during the Suez Crisis of 1956
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ince its inception in the early 1940s, the Parachute Regiment has been at the forefront of Britain’s military power – spearheading invasions and providing a lighting-fast, aggressive response to enemy threats. The 1956 Suez Crisis was no exception, as the men of 3rd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment dropped into action against the Egyptians. Still recovering from WWII and in a period of austerity, Britain had focused its military forces towards training for counter insurgency after the recent uprisings in Malaya, and had somewhat neglected the assault training and equipment of its airborne troops. As such, it will come as no surprise that the para of the mid 1950s was equipped similarly to his WWII counterpart of the previous decade when the Suez Crisis unfolded. The Suez Canal provides a vital bridge across the tip of Africa between the Mediterranean and Indian oceans. For years the canal had been an Egyptian concern (built with French assistance) but in the late 19th century control had passed to Great Britain after a short war with Egypt. By the turn of the century this essential shipping route was considered a neutral zone but under British protection. The canal proved strategically vital in the two World Wars and forced Britain to commit immense reserves of troops to guard it and deny passage to non-Allied shipping. But it would be the post-war years that would see the canal’s value switch from strategic to economic, as a great proportion of Europe’s oil – approximately two thirds – was shipped via the Suez Canal.
Post-War Tensions In the post-war years, tensions grew between the Egyptians and the British garrison until, in the early 1950s, the Egyptians tore up the
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existing treaties with Britain and demanded the removal of British troops. Britain refused and inevitably violence ensued, with many clashes between Egyptian civilians and British troops erupting in the streets. Violent anti-Western demonstrations and riots were held in Egyptian cities and after time Britain began to back down, agreeing to a phased reduction in British troops in the region. To make matters worse, around this time Egypt began to make tentative deals for arms and training with the Soviet Union and authorise attacks against Britain’s ally Israel. Across the Atlantic the USA was worried that the Soviet Union might try to annex the Arab states and sought to create a NATOstyle power block in the region to oppose any Soviet military moves. The USA realised, however, that the people of Egypt and her neighbours were particularly hostile to the nearest NATO powers to the region (Britain and France), leaving the USA in a quandary. As Egypt played the superpowers off against each other, threatening to seek Soviet
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support if the USA didn’t sell her the arms she required, Britain tried to curry favour with the Egyptians by offering to part-fund the building of the Aswan Dam with the USA. Egypt, however, rejected this offer and also seemed to further side with communist powers by forging links with China. Britain, France and Israel formed a military alliance and decided to launch an attack on Egypt to remove president Nasser from power and regain control of the canal.
The Invasion is Launched In 1956 the tri-nation alliance launched ‘Operation Musketeer’ to seize the entrance to the canal at Port Said after a preliminary air attack. A substantial force of British, French and Israeli troops took part in the attack and many of the key targets were attacked via Royal Marine helicopter-borne air assaults (the first time that the Royal Marines had attempted this tactic in war) and traditional parachute landings by the Parachute Regiment.
Militarily the allies achieved their goals and objectives, even against strong Egyptian armoured opposition using Russian SU-100 self-propelled guns – but the ground troops were let down by political machinations. Britain had an indecisive and secretive leader in Prime Minister Anthony Eden. Eden was reluctant to let his military commanders know his true objectives (whether to remove Nasser from power or simply to seize the canal), which frustrated his generals and commanders. Secondly, the militarily weak Egyptian leader Nasser had declared the conflict to be a ‘people’s war’, arming civilian groups and ordering his armies into civilian clothing. This left allied troops in a dreadful dilemma; if the allies attacked armed formations they risked killing innocent civilians and sparking public outrage, but on the other hand if they cautiously advanced and restricted their fire they would become bogged down by an enemy that could snipe at them at will before disappearing into the safety of the crowds.
COLD WAR COLD WARRIOR WAR WARRIOR | BRITISH| FRENCH PARA, SUEZ FOREIGN CRISISLEGION 1956
The greatest political problem, however, was the involvement of the United Nations and the USA. From the moment the invasion was launched it attracted intense, hostile criticism from the world’s media and governments. Many saw the attack on the Port Said and the Suez crisis as blatant French and British imperialism and put pressure on the allies to withdraw, while back at home anti-war protests in Britain threatened to bring down Eden’s government. In the United Nations the USA, fearing for the stability of the region, instigated a UN resolution to force the allies to withdraw from Suez. Nasser appealed to the USA as well to support him in regaining control of his country and the UN resolution was easily passed resulting in a humiliating withdrawal from the region by Britain and France, with Israel taking a little longer to withdraw it’s troops. The Suez Crisis had shown the once mighty European powers to be less potent in a post-WWII world and demonstrated that the USA and Russia were now calling the shots.
The Suez Para At first glance our para from the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment seems hardly different from his predecessor who would have dropped into Normandy or Arnhem and in fact much of his kit is indeed of WWII vintage. This would, in fact, be the last time this ‘classic’ look of the paras would be seen in combat. Suez reforms in weaponry, webbing and uniform would significantly change the look of the airborne soldier. Here, however, the classic ‘red beret’ of the Parachute Regiment remains a prominent aspect of the uniform and a real morale boost and symbol of esprit de corps – although in combat the men wore a WWII pattern steel paratrooper helmet. Our warrior’s basic uniform is a WWII vintage ‘khaki drill’ made of sand-coloured lightweight cotton for the trousers and an open-weave ‘aertex’ shirt for the top. The khaki drill uniform has served the British army well since before the Second World War and would be seen, in modified forms, until the adoption of desert DPM uniforms in the late 80s.
As a tough, protective camouflage jacket our para wears the distinctive ‘Denison smock’ beloved of British and Commonwealth airborne forces. Unlike the WWII model with its pullover half zip front, this 1946 pattern smock has a much more convenient full-front zip. Astute readers will note that the smock is devoid of insignia, but a trained paratrooper would wear his qualification wings and any rank on his right sleeve (or on the epaulettes in the case of officer’s rank). Footwear is the venerable WWII-era ammo boot and anklet. As early as 1942 the Parachute Regiment had realised that the issue infantry boot and anklet provided ample support for para drops and it would not be until the 1980s that a higher leg boot would be issued. Combat equipment and ammunition is carried in the long serving ’44 pattern’ tropical webbing. While designed in 1944, it was produced too late for the Second World War and was initially issued to airborne forces sent to garrison the Far East. By the 1950s it had become the standard webbing for troops operating in tropical or jungle conditions, and would continue to serve alongside its successor, the 1958 pattern webbing, way into the 1990s as the standard ‘tropical webbing’ of the British army. The 44 pattern set provided decent carrying capacity and had a betterdesigned water bottle and mug system than the WWII 37 pattern set, and was well-liked by the troops, so much so that soldiers in the late 1980s could often be seen utilising elements of the 44 pattern set in their webbing. Arming our soldier is the late WWII Lee Enfield rifle, the No4. By this point the time of the bolt-action rifle was nearly over in all but the hands of trained snipers and the No4 was certainly showing its age. Only a year later the British Army would introduce its replacement, the semi-automatic L1A1 self-loading rifle in 1957. But at the time of the Suez Crisis the men of the Parachute Regiment fought with Bren guns, Sten guns and .303 No4 Lee Enfields as their fathers had done in Europe in the previous decade. This issue’s Cold War Warrior is part of a series of slightly obscure but interesting ‘early Cold War’ impressions. While you’re unlikely to find a Suez Crisis game near you, it’s a nice twist on the popular WWII airborne impression commonly seen on sites, which will set you aside from the pack. So if you’ve got a WWII airborne impression, but fancy dropping the antiquated webbing for something a little more ‘modern’, why not give it a try?
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Airsoft Action readers send in their personal snapshots from skirmishes across the UK and further afield…
(left), in Scotland held at SAC e m ga ck at Fife A fall ba ear a room tering to cl en on ht ig Euan Reid and Eddie W th sent in by bo ), ht ig (r Wargames
Matt Reed sent in these pics, taken at RIFT Airsoft’s Coms Site 3 – from the first RiftSim
Emma wearing an old-school British para loadout at RIFT Airsoft, sent in by Sean
Mark Gilchrist, ta ken at Skirmish Airsoft Billericay
event at Chipping Warden
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These snaps were taken at a Exrecent WWII game held at the y Site, sent in by Chris Wra
LCT AK105 Mark sent in this pic of his looking used and abused
tor in shell ejec zen M870 ford The Maru es l John Ber om Danie action, fr
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October November 2013 2013
ck and Awe Airsoft, Kris West, co-owner of Sho at Stirling’s using a gun case as a bed l Operation: Javelin at Copehil
The legen dary Paul O, taken b y his wife, Dian e, at this year’s NA E
Parachute Airsoft in Spain, courtesy of Regiment Airsoft
nce, Rogues taking on a room defe Fox h Keit sent in by
s Davin Bradley at EAG Badland s Hain Sam by Skirmish, sent in
e
ir h McGu by Hug in t n e S
Sent in by Mark Sutherland
ving a one-on-one Andrew Willison, ha M firefight with the GL
ran – James First timer and seasoned vete wick, sent in Porter and Mark Lane at Gat by Andrew Lane
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SITE DIRECTORY Find somewhere to be this weekend… SYMBOL KEY
Is it woodland or urban? Check the key! UKARA
UKARA MEMBER UKASGB MEMBER WOODLAND
£
SHOP ONSITE BATTERY CHARGING URBAN PYROS ALLOWED REPAIR SERVICE DESERT
ATROOP AIRSOFT
Clocaenog Forest, LL16 4SP 07967 394976 www.atroop.co.uk
AIRSOFT ASYLUM
North Lanarksire, ML7 5 www.airsoftasylum.webs.com
ALPHA ELITE GAMING
ARENA AIRSOFT
AMAZON EVENTS
AWA HERTS
AMBUSH ADVENTURES – CHOBHAM
BARNSLEY AIRSOFT
Le Mont de Rozel, Jersey, JE3 5 01534 733697 www.aegairsoft.je
Grimsby, DN31 3JD 07752 404060 www.arenaairsoft.com
AIRSOFT COMMANDOS ABSOLUTE AIRSOFT
Maidenhead, SL6 3SS 07871 314951 www.absolute-airsoft.co.uk
Sutton, near Ferrybridge 07723 061386 andyace@ntlworld.com
Hellingly, East Sussex, BN27 4HL 0844 2570433 www.amazonoutdoorevents.co.uk
Sawbridgeworth, Herts, CM23 4BJ 07732 184957 www.awaherts.com
AIRSOFT KGB ACE AIRSOFT WAR GAMES
Holbrook Coppice, Buidwas Bank (A4169), Buildwas, Telford, Shropshire, TF8 07786 192832 www.aceairsoft.co.uk
ACE COMBAT
Kent, TN12 7DG 01303 814803 www.acecombat.co.uk
AIRBORNE 101 AIRSOFT CLUB Downpatrick, Co. Down, BT30 07718 032541 robinsonm24@btinternet.com
Porkellis Moor near Helston, Cornwall, TR13 0 Chef1322@hotmail.com www.kgbairsoft.com
AIRSOFT SKIRMISH
Stoulton, WR7 4QW 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk
AIRSOFT SKIRMISH CQB
Studley, B80 7LY 07764 587410 www.airsoftskirmish.co.uk
ALL ARMS AIRSOFT
Near Trawden, BB8 8SN 07909 683464 www.allarmsairsoft.co.uk
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Chobham, Surrey, GU24 8SL 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk
AMBUSH ADVENTURES – SOUTHAMPTON
New Forest National Park, SP5 2DW 01252 315225 www.ambushadventures.co.uk
APOCALYPSE AIRSOFT
Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7QP 07872 348 576 www.apocalypseairsoft.com
Shafton, Barnsley, S72 8RE 07779 236166 www.barnsleypaintball.co.uk
BATTLETEC AIRSOFT
La Couture, Guernsey, GY1 2 07781 104068 www.battletec.co.uk
BETTER BATTLES
Ravenshead, Notts, NG15 9DH 07967 940043 www.better-battles.com
AIRSOFT SITES | DIRECTORY Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data BLACKDAGGER AIRSOFT
Grasscroft Wood, Barlow Lees Lane, Dronfield, S18 7UR www.blackdagger-airsoft.co.uk
BLUESTREAK AIRSOFT
Westcott Venture Park, Westcott, Aylesbury, HP18 0XB 01926 658600 www.bluestreak-airsoft.co.uk
BRAVO 2-2 AIRSOFT
Leisure Lakes, Mere Brow, Southport. PR46JX 07790 715059 www.bravo22airsoft.com
BRISTOL AIRSOFT
Bristol, BS1 2HQ 07776 288826 www.bristolairsoft.com
BRIT-TAC AIRSOFT
Sheffield, S2 5TR 07795 631331 www.brittacairsoft.com
BUNKER 51
Charlton, SE7 8NJ 0870 7549653 www.wolfarmouries.co.uk
C3 TACTICAL
CERBERUS AIRSOFT SHEFFIELD WOODLAND
Sheffield, S6 6JE 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk
CHESTERFIELD IMPERIAL AIRSOFT Brimington Chesterfield S43 1DQ www.cia-airsoft.co.uk
CLOSE ACTION AIRSOFT Corby, NN17 3BB 07740 165787 www.close-action.co.uk
COMBAT ACTION GAMES
Maryland, Norfolk, NR10 4 01328 711867 www.combatactiongames.co.uk
COMBAT SOUTH URBAN Portsmouth, PO6 3LS 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk
COMBAT SOUTH WOODLAND Fareham, PO17 5ND 02392 655636 www.combatsouth.co.uk
Longhope, Gloucestershire, GL17 0PH 07597 938011 www.c3tactical.co.uk
CONTACT! FIGHT SCHOOL
CERBERUS AIRSOFT - THE COMPLEX
COOL UNDER FIRE
Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4RP 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk
CERBERUS AIRSOFT - THE SANDPIT
Bradford, BD2 1BQ 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk
CERBERUS AIRSOFT - RIVOCK EDGE
Keighley, BD20 0LS 07891 469492 www.cerberusairsoft.co.uk
Kelvedon Hatch, Essex, CM14 5 01438 368177 www.thefightschool.demon.co.uk
Doddington, Kent, ME9 0JS 07960 532613 www.coolunderfire.co.uk
CORNWALL AIRSOFT ASSAULT
Truro, Cornwall, TR2 07837 475012 www.cornwallairsoftassault.co.uk
CUMBRIA AIRSOFT
Dumfries, DG12 cumbria.airsoft@virgin.net www.cumbria-airsoft.com
DELTA TEAM 3
Skelmersdale, Lancs WN8 8UT 07986 053076 www.deltateam3.co.uk
DOGS OF WAR
FIREBALL SQUADRON
DRAGON’S LAIR
FIRST AND ONLY – ANZIO CAMP
Houston, Renfrewshire, PA6 7BP 07853 195290 www.dow-airsoft.co.uk
Brentwood, Essex, CM15 0LA 07703 530189 www.dragonslairairsoft.co.uk
Sutton Coldfield, B75 5SA 07582 684533 www.fireballsquadron.com
Leek, ST13 8 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
DRAGON VALLEY AIRSOFT
Caerwent Training Area, South Wales, NP26 5XL 07921 336360 www.dragonvalley.co.uk
ELITE ACTION GAMES – DORKING
Dorking, Surrey, RH5 5AB 01784 433023 www.eliteactiongames.com
ELITE ACTION GAMES – EPSOM
Epsom, Surrey, KT18 01784 433023 www.eliteactiongames.com
ELITE ACTION GAMES – WORTHING
Worthing, BN13 01784 433023 www.eliteactiongames.com
FIRST AND ONLY – BATTLE LAKES
Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN3 9AP 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
FIRST AND ONLY – BUNKER WOOD
Kidderminster, Worcs, DY11 5SA 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
FIRST AND ONLY – KHE SANH WOODS
Otley, West Yorkshire LS21 2NA 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
FIRST AND ONLY – MANCHESTER WOODLAND Bolton, BL7 9TS 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
ELITE BATTLEZONE
Bexley, Greater London, DA5 1NX 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk
FIRST AND ONLY – ASYLUM Kidderminster, DY10 3PT 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
EXPERIENCE AIRSOFT
Swindon, Wiltshire, SN5 0AN 01380 728982 www.experienceairsoft.co.uk
FIREFIGHT COMBAT SIMULATIONS
Lewisham, SE13 5SU 07973 240177 www.firefight.co.uk
FIRST AND ONLY – THE EMBASSY
Leicester, LE2 6EA 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
FIRST AND ONLY – THE MALL Reading, RG1 1NR 07862 288359 www.firstandonlyairsoft.com
FIFE WARGAMES
St Andrews, KY10 3XL info@fifewargames.co.uk www.fifewargames.com
GROUND ZERO WOODLAND
FINMERE AIRSOFT
FREE FIRE ZONE
Buckingham, MK18 4JT 07976 184897 www.finmereairsoft.com
Ringwood, Hampshire, BH24 2DF www.groundzerowoodland.com
Farcet, Peterborough, PE7 3DH 01733 247171 www.freefirezone.co.uk
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SITE DIRECTORY Find somewhere to be this weekend… LAC SITE 5
Kirton Rd, North Lincs, DN16 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk
LINDSEY AIRSOFT
Manby, Lincolnshire, LN11 8HE 07955 487983 www.lindsey-airsoft.co.uk
MATLOCK COMBAT GAMES
Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 5FW 07974 507166 www.matlockcombatgames.com
FRV AIRSOFT
Annacloy, Downpatrick, BT30 8JJ 07730 586926 www.frvairsoft.com
GASS AIRSOFT – PENN
Penn Bottom, Bucks, HP10 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk
GASS AIRSOFT – PIDDINGTON
Piddington, Oxfordshire, OX25 1 07907 788970 www.gassairsoft.co.uk
GRANGE FARM AIRSOFT
Leicester, LE9 9FP www.gingerliberationfront.com
GREENZONE COMBAT
Co. Armagh, BT60 1NE 07772 919974 www.greenzonecombat.com
GUN HO AIRSOFT
Guisborough, TS7 0PG 07525 435696 www.gunhoairsoft.co.uk
GUNMAN AIRSOFT – CAMBRIDGE
Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk
GUNMAN AIRSOFT – NORWICH Norwich, Norfolk, NR10 07854 277264 www.gunmanairsoft.co.uk
HIGHLAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT IV25 3PY 07702 846090 www.highlandtacticalairsoft.co.uk
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HILTON PARK AIRSOFT
Wolverhampton, WV10 7HU 08000 354490 www.paintballuk.com
HOMELAND TACTICAL AIRSOFT
Spanby, Lincs, NG34 0AT 07971 560249 facebook.com/HomelandTacticalAirsoft
INVICTA AIRSOFT – RAINDEN WOODS
Folkestone, Kent, CT18 7AY 01227 763335 www.invictaairsoft.co.uz
ISLAND RECON AIRSOFT COMBAT
Near Shorwell, Isle of Wight, PO30 07964 751047 www.islandrecon.co.uk
MAW
LAC SITE 2
Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk
Durham, DL4 2ER 01642 281220 www.ntac.co.uk
OBAN AIRSOFT – HILL ARGYLL Argyll and Bute, PA37 1 07967 710185 www.argyllsurplus.com
MIA
PATHFINDER GROUP AIRSOFT MILITARY SIMULATION
Cornwall, EX23 9JL 01288 331748 www.airsoftsouthwest.co.uk
MILITARY OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
Wrightington, WN6 9PL 01942 514724 www.militaryoutdooradventure. co.uk
MILSIM UK
Checkley, Staffordshire, ST10 4NS 07523 916607 www.milsimuk.co.uk
NCIS AIRSOFT
Edinburgh, EH14 4 nick@ncis-airsoft.co.uk www.ncis-airsoft.co.uk
NOMAD AIRSOFT
Fenwick, Ayrshire, KA3 6AY 07904 998250 www.nomadairsoft.com
NORTHERN ALLIANCE AIRSOFT
Thirsk, North Yorkshire, YO7 3LQ 01845 565465 www.northernallianceairsoft. co.uk
LAC SITE 3
Saxillby, LN1 2JW 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk
NTAC
OP-TACTICAL UK – TEAN-OPS
LAC SITE 1
Gainsborough, North Lincs, DN21 4JH 07775 877057 www.lincolnshireairsoftclub.co.uk
Hetton, Sunderland, DH5 0 07983 333521 www.nscairsoft.co.uk
Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, LE14 07562 479966 maw.airsoft@hotmail.com
LAND WARRIOR AIRSOFT
Gorebridge, Midlothian, EH23 4LG 0131 654 2452 www.airsoftedinburgh.co.uk
NSC AIRSOFT
NORTHFLEET CQB
Northfleet, Kent, DA11 9AA 07968 448475 www.elitebattlezone.co.uk
Tean, Staffordshire, ST10 4JT 07964 990831 www.op-tac.co.uk
Former RAF Camp Sopley/ Merryfield Park, Hants, BH23 02380 899369
PHOENIX AIRSOFT
Budby, Notts, NG22 9FG 01623 812483 www.phoenix-airsoft.co.uk
PLATOON 1HQ
Rochester, Kent, ME1 1 HQ 01634 829063 www.ptt-1hq.co.uk
PLAYERS OF WAR
High Bonnybridge, FK1 3AD 07767 203979 www.playersofwar.co.uk
PREDATOR COMBAT GAMES Ballynahinch, BT24 8NF 028 4377 0566 www.predatorcombat.com
RAVEN’S NEST
Suffolk, IP8 4 01473 831563 www.ravensairsoft.co.uk
RAW WAR AIRSOFT CUMBRIA Wigton, Cumbria CA7 3SZ 01900 85645 www.airsoftcumbria.co.uk
AIRSOFT SITES | DIRECTORY Huge thanks to our friends at Airbana (www.airsoftmap.net) for supplying data! RIFT AIRSOFT COM’S SITE 3 Chipping Warden, OX17 1LZ 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com
RIFT AIRSOFT (COTTENHAM) Cambridge, CB24 8RL 07751 586781 www.riftairsoft.com
SECTION 8 AIRSOFT
Shotts, N Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB 07974 026517 www.s8airsoft.com
SECTION 8 AIRSOFT
Shotts, North Lanarkshire, ML7 5AB 07974 026517 www.s8airsoft.com
SG1 COMBAT GAMES
Co. Londonderry, BT45 8NA 07713 273102 www.sg1combatgames.co.uk
SKIRMISH AIRSOFT BILLERICAY
Billericay, Essex, CM11 2TX 01277 657777 www.airsoft-billericay.co.uk
SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – BLOXWORTH
Wareham, Dorset, BH20 7EU 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk
SPEC OPS AIRSOFT – THE ROCK Portland, Dorset, DT5 2EG 07984 656947 www.specopsairsoft.co.uk
STIRLING AIRSOFT
Coventry, CV3 6NX 07831 429407 www.stirlingairsoft.com
STORMFORCE AIRSOFT
Rugeley, Staffordshire, WS15 4LD 07515 937633 www.stormforcepaintball.co.uk
TA EVENTS
Hemel Hemstead, Herts, HP2 7QB 07894 059794 www.ta-events.co.uk
TACTICAL WALES AIRSOFT
Reynoldston, Swansea SA3 1AS 01792 473336 www.tacticalwales.co.uk
TACTICAL WARFARE AIRSOFT Warlingham, Surrey, CR6 9PL 020 8665 1299 www.tacticalwarfare.co.uk
TASK FORCE SKIRMISH
Cowbridge, S Glamorgan, CF71 02920 593900 www.taskforcepaintball.co.uk
THE DESERTERS AIRSOFT SUSSEX AIRSOFT
Slinfold, RH12 020 8150 9284 www.sussexairsoft.co.uk
Redford, DD11 07751 878175 www.thedeserters.co.uk
Mold, CH7 4 07840 001975 www.theexsitewales.co.uk
Antony, Cornwall, PL11 3AB www.swwargames.co.uk
THE WARGAMES CENTRE SKIRMISH EXETER
Exeter, Devon, EX4 5 01548 580025 www.airsoftexeter.co.uk
SOUTHDOWN AIRSOFT
Petworth, West Sussex, GU28 0LR 07766 770830 www.southdownairsoft.com
SW WAR GAMES – TREGANTLE FORT
Antony, Cornwall, PL11 3AZ 08456 345011 www.swwargames.co.uk
Stevenston, Ayrshire, KA20 3LN 08456 434326 www.scottishadventurecentre. co.uk
Boathouse lane, South Wirral Cheshire CH64 3TB www.swatairsoft.eu 07703 177756
UCAP SANDPIT
Bean, Kent, DA2 8 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk
ULTIMATE WARGAMES – FAWKHAM
Fawkham, Kent, DA3 8NY 01268 796130 www.ultimatewargames.co.uk
ULTIMATE WARGAMES – LIMPSFIELD
Oxted, Surrey, RH8 0RH www.ultimatewargames.co.uk
URBAN6AIRSOFT – ZONE 13
Stone, Staffordshire ST15 0QN 07432 291729 www.urban6airsoft.com
Wood Street, Butron-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 £AB www.urban6airsoft.com
URBAN ASSAULT
Ramsey, Cambridgeshire, PE26 1 01733 247171 www.urbanassault.org.uk
VIKING AIRSOFT TROJAN AIRSOFT
S.W.A.T. AIRSOFT
Linch, West Sussex, GU30 7 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk
URBAN6AIRSOFT – THE BLOCK
THE EX SITE SW WAR GAMES – SCRAESDON FORT
UCAP GREEN OPS
Macclesfield, SK10 4SZ 07428 024874 www.trojan-airsoft.com
TROJAN AIRSOFT – OLYMPUS CQB Weir Mill, Viaduct Street, Chestergate, Stockport, Cheshire, SK5 7JP
Welwyn, Hertfordshire, AL6 0UN www.vikingairsoft.co.uk
WARMINSTER AIRSOFT
Warminster, BA12 7RZ www.warminsterairsoft.co.uk
XSITE AIRSOFT OUTPOST Dunstable, LU6 2EE 01494 881430 www.xsiteairsoft.co.uk
UCAP AIRSOFT
Portsmouth, Hants, PO17 6AR 07590 818881 www.ucap.co.uk
XSITE AIRSOFT – LANE END High Wycombe, HP14 3NP 01494 881430
Email michaelh@ blazepublishing.co.uk to add or change a site listing
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DEALER LISTINGS
ADVERTISERS INDEX Land Warrior .................................................................................................. 2 Airsoft World................................................................................................... 3 RedWolf Airsoft ............................................................................................... 9 Airsoft Zone................................................................................................... 11 Wolf Armouries ............................................................................................. 16 UK Tactical .................................................................................................... 29 eHobby Asia................................................................................................... 34 Helikon Tex ................................................................................................... 39 Military 1st.................................................................................................... 39 Goliath ........................................................................................................... 43 S.W.A.T Airsoft ............................................................................................. 43 Silvermans .................................................................................................... 49 Badger Tac .................................................................................................... 49 Just BB Guns ................................................................................................. 51 NRG CQB Airsoft ............................................................................................ 51 No VAT ......................................................................................................... 51 Surplus Stores ............................................................................................... 57 Etonguns ....................................................................................................... 57 Tactical Airsoft .............................................................................................. 57 Gunman Airsoft ............................................................................................. 57 Thatchreed .................................................................................................... 58 Thatchreed .................................................................................................... 73 Dragon Valley Airsoft .................................................................................... 77 Countryside Matches ..................................................................................... 77 Exertus Global ............................................................................................... 77 Land Warrior ................................................................................................ 91 Pro Airsoft Supplies ....................................................................................... 92
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