Airsoft Action - June 2020 by Airsoft Action

JUNE 2020 - FREE

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

PERFORMANCE SHORT SLEEVE POLO

■■■

£34.95

UNIFORM SHORT SLEEVE POLO

COTTON SHORT SLEEVE POLO

with Pen Pocket

■■

£34.95

FIRST;_�

URBAN TACTICAL LINE POLO SHIRT

■

■ ■■■ .-..

£24.90-er'

■■ ■■■ ■■■

□ ■■■-

£24.90

£27.00

*PROPPER"

ANIKETOS POLO T-SHIRT

UTL POLO SHIRT

SIERRA POLO T-SHIRT

■ ■■■

LEVANTES HENLEY SHIRT

■ ■■■

■■■ ■■■

£16.00 ·•Sa•

---- £20.00 ·•Sa•

£23.90

TRIDENT BATTLE TOP

BATTLE-T UNDER-VEST T-SHIRT

AGERON SPARTAN WARRIOR T-SHIRT

CARDBOARD ASSASSIN T-SHIRT

URBAN TACTICAL SHORTS 11"

CPU SHORTS

GOMATI SHORTS

BDU 2.0 SHORTS

■ ■■ ■■■ ■■■-

IJ ■ ■ ■ .-..

£36.90 ROYAL SHORTS

£23.40 -er' DIVISION SHORTS

•••

■ ■ ■■■

■■ ■■

£44.90 ·•Sa•

AIRBORNE VINTAGE SHORTS

£28.00 TROOPER SHORTS

■■□ ■■■

■□ ■

£39.99 SUR1'-Ji'll SAVAGE VINTAGE SHORTS

VINTAGE CLASSIC SHORTS

£27.99 URBAN LEGEND SHORTS

INDUSTRY VINTAGE 3/4 SHORTS

TAP ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

JUNE 2020 - FREE

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ARMOURY: SPECNA E21 PDW

ARMOURY: G&G PIRANHA

PHOTO SPECIAL: CL CUSTOM

ACTION AIR: TAIWAN

Editor: Nigel Streeter Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Nigel Streeter

Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6PL

36 38

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

SPECIAL FEATURE: CAPTAIN TOM FIND US ON… facebook.com/AirsoftAction

Search ‘Airsoft Action’

FEATURE: AIRSOFT COMMS

LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION? Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editor: nige@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

SPECIAL FEATURE: REAPER OPS TV

SPECIAL REPORT: CHINA MILSIM

CON ONT TEN ENTS TS 8 ARMOURY: SA-E21 PDW Specna Arms are on an absolute roll and it seems they release more new models of AEG each month and head in new directions at the same time! Bill has spent some time with one of the latest models to be released, the SA-E21, and brings in his findings… 12 ARMOURY: G&G PIRANHA Although “airsoft replica military models” are still amongst the most popular AEGs and GBBs that we all buy, it is interesting to see new designs hitting the market, concepts drawn up by airsoft manufacturers themselves. Bill has been living with the new G&G Armament Piranha Mk1 GBB pistol for a couple of months now and this is his verdict on this unique pistol design.

JUNE 2020

38 FEATURE: AIRSOFT COMMS Using radios in an airsoft game is something that many aspire to do well but it’s a perishable skill like any other that needs constant practice and updating. Our “Legionnaire” Sean, from Blackline Simulations in Canada, gives us some pointers on how to ensure your comms are effective and how you can get the best out of them. 42 THE CAGE: BELT UP! We all love our “nylon gear” for airsoft but sometimes the old adage that “you can spot the veteran airsofter with just an old AK and belt kit” is truer than you might think! This month Bill got (virtually) together with the AA team to discuss “Battle/Shooter Belts” and asked them “Do you use one? Why? …and if you do, what do you use?”

16 PHOTO SPECIAL: CL CUSTOM GUNS There cannot be too many airsofters that have an interest in custom guns who have not heard the name “Clarence Lai”, although they may well know him by his “other” name, “Airsoft Surgeon”.

46 SPEICAL FEATURE: REAPER OPS TV At the beginning of May Bill was invited to take part in Episode 2 of “Reaper Ops TV” to talk about our recent change to digital publishing and although the show ran to nearly two hours, there were still questions unanswered and things left to say, so here he brings you a round-up of the entire interview!

22 KIT & GEAR: BLACK CAM In the last issue of Airsoft Action regular contributor Steve T gave his thoughts on the latest VCBLK gear from VIPER. This month Bill takes it a step further and puts together a complete set of gear on a budget that features “Black Cam” from a variety of sources! 28 ACTION AIR: THE FRESH PRINCE… Airsoft Action’s “Man in Taiwan”, Stewbacca, gets his groove on as he writes about his journey to Taiwan and into Action Air. 32 ARMOURY: ICS GARAND To many, looking in from the outside world, airsoft would sometimes appear to be all about the very latest tricked-out AR, or the newest “tacticool” AK but there are also replica models that both the re-enactor and collector of classic firearm models can enjoy. Bill looks at one of his favourite historical rifles, in the form of the ICS M1 Garand AEG. 36 SPECIAL FEATURE: CAPTAIN TOM Military Historian, Will Fowler, gives us a brief look back at the history of a man whose determination earned him the gratitude and respect of an entire nation.

Contents

51 EVENT: POST-LOCKDOWN MILSIM As lockdown restrictions are slowly eased around the world, Airsoft Action “Legionnaire”, Hana Xu, reports from the first MilSim event after lockdown was successfully held in China. 52 ARMOURY: CYMA 096 PLATINUM When is an AR not an AR? When its an AR/AK hybrid of course! Having looked closely at the SR-47 in Issue 111, this month Bill gets his hands on a more price-friendly AEG alternative that’s appeared in the latest CYMA 09 series - and finds it very much to his liking! 56 WORKSHOP: LD MAINTENANCE PT2 Frenchie has been maintaining kit for longer then we dare mention and continues his new series with a look at GBB maintenance. 58 LAST POST: AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN With the country still (mostly) “confined to quarters”, Frenchie poses a simple question: “When the country is in lockdown, where do you play airsoft?”

Photo by Victor Karlund. https://www.instagram.com/victorkarlund

ULTIMA JACKET BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN / SRP: Â£89.95

armoury SA-E21 PDW EDGE™ CARBINE

EDGING OUT THE COMPETITION

SPECNA ARMS ARE ON AN ABSOLUTE ROLL AND IT SEEMS THEY RELEASE MORE NEW MODELS OF AEG EACH MONTH AND HEAD IN NEW DIRECTIONS AT THE SAME TIME! BILL HAS SPENT SOME TIME WITH ONE OF THE LATEST MODELS TO BE RELEASED, THE SA-E21, AND BRINGS IN HIS FINDINGS…

honestly think I’d be hard-pushed to think of another AEG manufacturer that has consistently released so many models and variants in such a short space of time, as although Specna Arms have been knocking around for a while now, their recent output can only be described as “prolific”! I remember seeing the brand appear on the Gunfire stand several years back with a small range of “AR-inspired” models and, if memory serves, our very first mention of them actually spelt the name wrong! I believe it would now be impossible to make that same mistake, as Specna Arms have become an “airsoft household” name, with a wide range of retail stockists throughout Europe and further designs on expansion into the US market (if their presence at SHOT Show is any indicator of intent). And the fact is that they have the goods to back all this up and they continue to innovate and inspire with new models to suit any (and every) airsoft player out there models that are well-built, well-priced and perform from the box. This, ultimately, is what we, the players, truly want if we’re honest, as although we are bombarded with words, pictures, and videos from folk telling us to “fettle, change, and upgrade” our AEGs and GBBs, what most of REALLY want, especially at the moment, is to get out and play a game! It may surprise many of you that most of the airsoft

guns I personally own and use these days are internally “stock”, as what you get as standard from the likes of Specna Arms are AEGs that actually have most of the bells and whistles we used to add internally, fitted as standard. It wasn’t so long ago that MOSFETs, for instance, were the stuff of fantasy and being able to set your AEG to anything other than semi or “full chat” wasn’t even an option we considered. Tightbores were things that the “techies” fitted - and don’t even get me started on the size of batteries… Although we are constrained right now in our ability to actually get out and use our airsoft kit in earnest, the fact is that in my opinion we are living in somewhat of “golden age of airsoft”, where most firearm models are available as really quite excellent airsoft replicas and our choice is bigger and wider than ever. And that, to me, is where manufacturers like Specna Arms (there are others!) have stepped into the ring with gloves raised to take on all comers in a thoroughly professional way. Not only are we seeing the “business model” of airsoft changing but, as I have said before, we are seeing airsoft manufacturers going their own way to pursue design concepts of their own and turn those concepts into reality. Trust me, from conversations I had at SHOT earlier this year, there are those in the “real shooting” community that are looking quite hard at what the airsoft world is creating right now and new relationships forged by Specna Arms with

“THIS, ULTIMATELY, IS WHAT WE, THE PLAYERS, TRULY WANT IF WE’RE HONEST, AS ALTHOUGH WE ARE BOMBARDED WITH WORDS, PICTURES, AND VIDEOS FROM FOLK TELLING US TO “FETTLE, CHANGE, AND UPGRADE” OUR AEGS AND GBBS, WHAT MOST OF REALLY WANT, ESPECIALLY AT THE MOMENT, IS TO GET OUT AND PLAY A GAME!” 8

JUNE 2020

armoury SA-E21 PDW EDGE™ CARBINE

the likes of Daniel Defense promise great things for the future!

NEW AND GOOD TO GO

Now that’s all very well and good, but you may well ask how all of that relates to the SA-E21 EDGE AEG model that I received for evaluation from Specna Arms? What I will tell you is that this is the first model from them I have had to try that features their own take on the “PDW” sliding stock, so I’ll address that first. Although I saw the Specna Arms design a little while back now, this is the first time that I’ve had the finished product mounted on an AEG and I have to say that they’ve done a tremendous job. Whilst a “PDW Stock” can only be SO different, this one is very neat and functions very well indeed and when it is compressed it is neat, tidy and mates with the battery compartment and receivers perfectly, in fact you’d be hard-pressed to slide a fag paper between the joins! When open - and there are three positions for this - the stock is as solid as a fixed version and although the polymer pad is small for me (all PDW pads are small for me!), it’s a great shape which means you can shoulder the little carbine well. The release of the sliding stock is also very neat in that you have a “paddle” to the left but with a button on the right that will also activate the release; a small thing but well-thought out and efficiently achieved! This new addition is nothing less than I’d expect, as the EDGE is a line of AEGs that combines an array of solutions and technologies hard to find in others on the market,

most certainly at the price. It is a series that stresses great craftsmanship and care for all external parts. Every element of the EDGE series, not just this E21, has been made and fitted with the utmost care in every detail and the body even features a Nano Coating that prevents scratches. The body also bears Specna Arms markings as well as an individual serial number. The stunning looking E21 that I received in Specna’s new “Half Bronze” colour scheme is one of the shortest of their ARs, a true PDW length at just 570mm with the stock compressed (660mm with the stock fully open) and it’s fitted with a 150mm M-LOK free-float rail. This rail is only two slots long but is just big enough to fit the included foregrip and additional accessories if you want them, plus there are QD sling points at 3, 6, and 9 o’clock. The top of the E21 has a continuous top rail from front to back and comes with flipup BUIS of Specna’s own design, which are very functional and easy to use. There’s also a QD pistol grip that provides easy and rapid access to the motor without having to use tools. Internally we’ve now become quite blasé about the quality that Specna Arms offer as standard and this little carbine features a factory-fitted MOSFET X-ASR module from GATE. This high-quality MOSFET looks after the internal components, improves the trigger reaction and extends the lifetime of the electronics and the battery. It will also help you diagnose basic malfunctions inside the AEG - and there’s even a neat little “crib card” included in the package to help you troubleshoot on the go! The E21 has a short 6.03mm precision inner barrel that helps with accuracy; the barrel works in tandem with a new type of a rotary hop chamber that allows for very precise and “set once” adjustment. The E21 also features the ESA Quick Spring Change System, so it’s simple to quickly change the power to field conditions without having to access a workshop or a set of special tools. All you need to do is remove the stock assembly to gain access to the spring, so that it can be removed without having to pull out or disassemble the gearbox and Specna even throw in an extra M90 spring if full-time CQB is your preferred medium! At the beating heart of the E21 is the ORION gearbox,

“WHILST A “PDW STOCK” CAN ONLY BE SO DIFFERENT, THIS ONE IS VERY NEAT AND FUNCTIONS VERY WELL INDEED AND WHEN IT IS COMPRESSED IT IS NEAT, TIDY AND MATES WITH THE BATTERY COMPARTMENT AND RECEIVERS PERFECTLY, IN FACT YOU’D BE HARD-PRESSED TO SLIDE A FAG PAPER BETWEEN THE JOINS!” www.airsoftaction.net

armoury SA-E21 PDW EDGE™ CARBINE

which is based on a reinforced frame and equipped with a main spring release. The ORION gearbox is rated to work with springs up M140. As well as the gearbox itself you’ll find a reinforced polymer piston with steel teeth, aluminium air-sealed nozzle, aluminium double air-sealed cylinder head, aluminium double air-sealed piston head with bearings, a set of steel gears, and 8.mm bearings.

BBs DOWN RANGE

The E21 is a really easy AEG to work with due to its ultracompact size. The battery is housed inside the mock buffer tube that forms part of the sliding stock assembly, and the compartment is easily accessed by simply unscrewing the tube. I fitted an 11.1V LiPo, which is a little bit of a squeeze given the small space, but once in, the battery disappears from sight. The E21 comes with a pair of Mid-Cap 125BB S-MAG magazines, which have an unusual but visually appealing characteristic as they feature an amalgam of the Specna Arms logos! This actually makes them very tactile though and the S-MAGs are designed for smooth and uninterrupted feeding of BBs even with a high ROF. I did, as usual, try a whole heap of other “AR” mags though, and all of them worked perfectly. So, all set up it was off to the targets for some range time and the E21 performed just as I expected… wonderfully! It’s a super little carbine to work with, with great ergonomics and a very positive cheek weld even with the minimalist stock. Adding the short foregrip makes it very easy to drive the muzzle from target to target and the overall length of the rifle, the full 660mm for me, makes it easy to work with, even in tight spaces. Once the rotary hop was set, an easy control to adjust, the E21 was shooting a straight shot out to the end of the 30m range at a site-friendly 1.09 Joule/344fps average on a .20g RZR BB. The trigger is light yet crisp, with very little lag so it’s easy to get consistently accurate shots away time after time. Switching it up to full auto sends a nice stream of BBs downrange in quick time… In conclusion I would say that if you are looking for a “PDW-Style AR”, then the SA-E21 PDW EDGE is certainly most worthy of your consideration. It’s a great looking replica, especially in the “Half Bronze” style, performs just as well as it should out of the box, is solid as a rock, and at just £231.00 at the time of writing it’s an awful lot of little gun for the money! Many thanks indeed to Gunfire who kindly provided me with the AEG sample for this review. You can check out more details on the SA-E21 PDW EDGE and the rest of the extensive range of Specna Arms models by visiting www. gunfire.com. AA

“IT’S A GREAT LOOKING REPLICA, ESPECIALLY IN THE “HALF BRONZE” STYLE, PERFORMS JUST AS WELL AS IT SHOULD OUT OF THE BOX, IS SOLID AS A ROCK, AND AT JUST £231.00 AT THE TIME OF WRITING IT’S AN AWFUL LOT OF LITTLE GUN FOR THE MONEY!” 10

JUNE 2020

From everyone at TacTree we want to say thank you to our customers as well all the keyworkers who are working tirelessly to keep us safe. As a thank you, we have 15% OFF* on our website throughout May. Simply use code THANKU at checkout.

USE CODE: THANKU -------Â·nHMS APPLY

armoury G&G PIRANHA MK1 GBB

A PISTOL WITH BITE!!

ALTHOUGH “AIRSOFT REPLICA MILITARY MODELS” ARE STILL AMONGST THE MOST POPULAR AEGS AND GBBS THAT WE ALL BUY, IT IS INTERESTING TO SEE NEW DESIGNS HITTING THE MARKET, CONCEPTS DRAWN UP BY AIRSOFT MANUFACTURERS THEMSELVES. BILL HAS BEEN LIVING WITH THE NEW G&G ARMAMENT PIRANHA MK1 GBB PISTOL FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS NOW AND THIS IS HIS VERDICT ON THIS UNIQUE PISTOL DESIGN.

don’t know about you but I’ve certainly been spending more time than usual with my handgun collection in the past weeks! Even while you’re stuck at home, if you have a back garden or yard where it’s safe to shoot, then a pistol is the ideal thing. You only need about 20-30 feet, your eyepro, some BBs and gas, and some targets set into a solid backstop, and you’re good to go! I do have neighbours but they’re all used to seeing me “out back” with AEGs and GBBs, as I’ve taken time to speak with them and “educate” them that what they see me shooting are “6mm BB replicas”. In fact, my immediate neighbour, Steve, whilst 100% NOT an airsofter now regularly sticks his head over the fence to ask me “So what model is that?” - and I’ve invited him to come and have a go when we’re able to “mingle” once again! Now I know that everyone reading this may not be as lucky as I to have a range at home, but even if you can’t shoot, you can still be running draw and manipulation drills

and especially in a small space it’s actually far easier to do this with a pistol than even a carbine. I find (and this is a somewhat guilty admission) that I spend far longer working on my “long drills” than I do for my handgun skills, but then I am of the “old skool” that feels if you need to go for your “secondary” then something has gone seriously wrong! I’ve actually been enjoying spending more time with my GBB handguns and although I have my favourites, it’s always nice to try something new isn’t it? A couple of months back, when I paid my last visit prior to lockdown to the NUPROL office near London, I was lucky enough to secure a test and evaluation sample of the new Piranha Mk1 GBB pistol that, as G&G distributor for the UK, they had receieved for the product launch. As I posted recently on the Airsoft Action website, this model is soon to be with retailers and therefore available to everyone!

“I FIND (AND THIS IS A SOMEWHAT GUILTY ADMISSION) THAT I SPEND FAR LONGER WORKING ON MY “LONG DRILLS” THAN I DO FOR MY HANDGUN SKILLS, BUT THEN I AM OF THE “OLD SKOOL” THAT FEELS IF YOU NEED TO GO FOR YOUR “SECONDARY” THEN SOMETHING HAS GONE SERIOUSLY WRONG!” 12

JUNE 2020

armoury G&G PIRANHA MK1 GBB

MODERN STRIKER

I’ll get this out of the way first… The Piranha is most definitely not a replica of a “military or police” pistol but something far more interesting! It’s a unique design that G&G have created in-house and, in my opinion, it shows the very best of the current

drive for airsoft manufacturers to play with their own concepts, ones that feature all their latest technology all wrapped up in a pleasing and ultimately very usable finished product! The Piranha, to me looks, like a “Striker Fired” pistol but one with some super features. For those of you confused by the term “Striker Fired”, just picture the rear end of a Glock, where there is no visible hammer and nothing to catch on anything. In a real firearm, what makes a gun striker fired or hammer fired? The differences come from the parts that make up the action, the mechanism of the gun that loads, fires, and ejects a round and how those parts work together. With a “Hammer Fired” semi-auto pistol your first trigger pull is in double-action mode and every shot following is shot in single-action, as the cycling of the slide cocks the hammer. Having two different trigger pulls has its pros and cons; while some find that the initial “trigger pull” is safer, others find it difficult to adjust to a lighter trigger pull following the first shot, which is reflected in their shot placement. Glock are still probably the prime example and the striker fired pistol has become extremely popular with many shooters. The striker fired pistol does not rely on a hammer hitting a firing pin to ignite the primer of the cartridge. Racking the slide to chamber a round partially cocks an internal spring and when the trigger is pulled, this cocks the spring the remainder of the way, which causes the striker pin to hit the cartridge and fire the round. Although this has little real bearing on an airsoft pistol,

you could still argue that by mimicking the action of the real world “Striker Fired” concept, it allows you to get your follow-up shots on target more quickly and efficiently and the rest of the Piranha follows this ethos. Like many “Striker Fired” handguns, the Piranha has a

polymer frame which consists of a one-part front rail section, trigger guard, and grip. The grip angle is more “Glock” than “Colt” which personally I like. The slide is all alloy which gives the pistol a nice weight (773g overall) and balance, but again there’s something a bit different about it in that it’s a two-piece design. The front section of the slide housing the barrel is semi-fixed which should aid accuracy and it’s only the rear section that moves, which, in principle, means that if only 50% of the weight of the slide is moved during the shooting sequence, then gas efficiency should be optimised for faster cycling but more on that later! Controls are simple and easy to use, with a Glock-like “safety trigger”, slim slide release and a chunky magazine release. In addition to this is a large, ambidextrous takedown lever and that, basically, is all she wrote! But what more do you need? The hop design is one that I’ve seen on the new line of G&G pistols and one that I like immensely, with precise adjustment an easy task; this super external adjustment means you don’t need to remove the entire top slide, which is a really cool feature! Fine-tuning is very straightforward and requires only the included “bullet tool”, which comes with a key ring so that you can add it to your keys for easy retention, or dummy cord to you or your gear. Simply insert the “bullet tool” into the muzzle to make tiny adjustments and by turning it you are pulling the inner barrel tighter into the outer barrel, which presses onto the hop rubber itself. Simple, ingenious and works perfectly! With any gas-powered platform you need to keep an eye on the action if the temperature starts to drop and the Whirl Cylinder Valve that G&G have created will certainly help you when things cool down, or when you’re “having at it” in earnest! With a light slide weight and spring the Piranha is already very gas efficient, but the ceramic “Whirl Valve”, which spins when you shoot to break up any ice deposits inside the nozzle, takes performance further still.

“ALTHOUGH THIS HAS LITTLE REAL BEARING ON AN AIRSOFT PISTOL, YOU COULD STILL ARGUE THAT BY MIMICKING THE ACTION OF THE REAL WORLD “STRIKER FIRED” CONCEPT, IT ALLOWS YOU TO GET YOUR FOLLOW-UP SHOTS ON TARGET MORE QUICKLY AND EFFICIENTLY AND THE REST OF THE PIRANHA FOLLOWS THIS ETHOS.” www.airsoftaction.net

armoury G&G PIRANHA MK1 GBB

the accuracy of many of my pistol collection would start to fade a little beyond that distance though, the Piranha is still bang on the button. Upping to 20m using the classic three-dot sights I was still happily hitting sandbags! G&G Armament really seem to be pushing things forward right now when it comes to interesting and unique design concepts, and I have to say that to date I’ve thoroughly enjoyed shooting the GTP-9, the SMC-9 (which shares the pistol operating system), and now the Piranha Mk1. As I write, G&G have just added the Piranha TR to their pistol line and this adds a top rail to the overall feature set. Whilst this a great addition for those that want to run some form of Micro RDS on their pistol, for me it detracts from the sheer elegance of the Mk1 which harkens back to the “feel” of the original CZ75 and the Browning Hi-Power. Both of those models were, and still are, superb “combat pistol” designs that were slim, light, and easy to manipulate, and IF there is any nod to them in the overall design for the Piranha, then the G&G pistol is all the better for it! My thanks go to G&G (www.guay2.com) for providing this sample for evaluation and to NUPROL for facilitating this as my country G&G distributor. The Piranha is currently available in plain black or black/silver as tested. AA

IT’S GOT TEETH!

I set the Piranha up with .20g RZR BBs for chrono in the 24BB magazine (this is slightly larger than the magazine of the GTP-9 and sadly not compatible) and got a pleasingly consistent and perfectly playable 0.8 Joule/295fps over the course of the magazine on NUPROL 2.0 “Green”. And as much as the Piranha is a very attractive, lightweight modern design and a lovely thing to behold, at the end of the day it’s how it performs that we all want to know and if anything, it shoots even better than it looks! As I stated earlier, for me a handgun is a backup and certainly one that needs to excel on the 10m range, and as I’d hoped, at this distance the Piranha has some serious bite! Once you’ve set the “muzzle hop” with the sweet little “bullet tool” to your chosen weight of BBs (0.25g worked well for me), at 10m it’s deadly accurate! Where

“THE PIRANHA IS A VERY ATTRACTIVE, DESIGN AND A LOVELY THING TO BEHOLD, DAY IT’S HOW IT PERFORMS THAT WE ALL ANYTHING, IT SHOOTS EVEN BETTER THAN IT 14

JUNE 2020

LIGHTWEIGHT MODERN AT THE END OF THE WANT TO KNOW AND IF LOOKS!”

PHOTO SPECIAL CLARENCE LAI: CUSTOM GUNS

“Clarence Lai has become one of the most prominent figures in Airsoft. His work as an Airsoft gunsmith and with Action Air (Airsoft IPSC) has helped him gain recognition and respect the world over. From the resplendent beauty of his oneoff pistols, to his active work in promoting Airsoft IPSC globally, his work within the Airsoft community is revered and admired.”

There cannot be too many airsofters that have an interest in custom guns who have not heard the name “Clarence Lai”, although they may well know him by his “other” name, “Airsoft Surgeon”. Globally known for the incredible work he does in creating some of the most exotic and exciting pistols, alongside being a master of Action Air, his creations are sought after by shooters who want to take their sport to the ultimate level. However, he does not confine himself to just pistols, Clarence has also produced some truly wonderful pieces of airsoft art in the form of rifles. More recently he has turned his attention to some of the most well-known pistols, working on both the internal and external parts and, in turn, producing top-class weaponry that any shooter would be proud to own. In a tribute to his work, over the next few pages we want to show you some of his marvellous creations. You can find more pictures and information on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ clarence.lai.73. 16

JUNE 2020

PHOTO SPECIAL CLARENCE LAI: CUSTOM GUNS

www.airsoft-action.online

PHOTO SPECIAL CLARENCE LAI: CUSTOM GUNS

JUNE 2020

PHOTO SPECIAL CLARENCE LAI: CUSTOM GUNS

www.airsoft-action.online

KIT & GEAR BLACK CAM

BLACK CAM

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

FOR

RED CELL

IN THE LAST ISSUE OF AIRSOFT ACTION REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR STEVE T GAVE HIS THOUGHTS ON THE LATEST VCBLK GEAR FROM VIPER. THIS MONTH BILL TAKES IT A STEP FURTHER AND PUTS TOGETHER A COMPLETE SET OF GEAR ON A BUDGET THAT FEATURES “BLACK CAM” FROM A VARIETY OF SOURCES!

s we continue to be stuck indoors, I’ve been using highlighting vulnerabilities of military installations and the money I normally spend heading out to games vessels, and would regularly “use fake IDs, jump fences, and events by creating myself a new loadout. It barricade buildings, take hostages, and kidnap high was with great interest that I saw last month that my ranking officers and admirals.” The original “Red Cell” “mucker”, Steve T, has been working along similar lines (OP-O6D) even went so far as to plant bombs near Air with his new VIPER V-CAM BLK clothing. Force One and infiltrated submarine bases (that housed The whole “MCBLK” theme is one I’ve been toying operational nuclear weapons!) and took them over. They with for a while but never got round to putting together would video their missions and show them to everyone as a complete loadout, largely because (like many of you monitoring the exercises. Many people that participated reading this) my money usually seems to go on “guns in the exercises felt embarrassed by their tactics because n’ BBs”. However, with a bit it exposed their weaknesses and of time and a bit of budget in vulnerabilities, and you could hand, I decided that I’d quite like say that Marcinko very quickly “MADE SOMEWHAT INFAMOUS a new loadout for when games became “persona non grata” DURING THE 1980S UNDER THE recommence, so it was time to with his superiors! COMMAND OF FORMER TEAM SIX get back in (MC) black! Marcinko has claimed, among As someone with a keen other things, that Red Cell FOUNDING CO, RICHARD MARCINKO, interest in rather “unique” successfully captured nuclear “RED CELLS” WERE CODENAMES FOR military units, there’s one devices from United States THE US NATIONAL SECURITY COin particular that I seem to Navy facilities and proved the ORDINATION TEAM (NSCT).” always return to when I’m viability of plans to penetrate looking for a theme for a new and attack nuclear-powered loadout, and that’s “Red Cell”. submarines, destroy subs by Made somewhat infamous during the 1980s under the using them as dirty bombs and capture launch codes command of former Team Six founding CO, Richard for nuclear weapons aboard the subs. Former members Marcinko, “Red Cells” were codenames for the US of Red Cell maintain that these exercises were a cover National Security Co-ordination Team (NSCT). These teams to move special warfare operators around the world for were designed to test the effectiveness of American tactics covert missions against real-world terrorists but in 1990 or personnel and the name was derived from “Red Team”, Marcinko was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison a term for the opposing force in war games by western and fined $10,000 under charges of defrauding the nations during the Cold War and a reference to the government over the price of contractor acquisitions for predominantly red flags of Communist nations. hand grenades! During the “Marcinko years” Red Cell members To this day Marcinko maintains that he was the subject made merry with both training budgets and their role of a “witch-hunt” for his work with Red Cell and that

JUNE 2020

KIT & GEAR BLACK CAM

the fraud committed revealed the weaknesses of military security. Marcinko detailed his arrest and confinement in the last chapters of his autobiography and I actually had the great pleasure of meeting him in person at SHOT a few years back. Whatever the truth may be, Marcinko was one hell of an operator, from Vietnam through to who knows where and the story of the original “Red Cell”, of how they trained and operated, is still an inspiration to me!

BACK TO BLACK

When I got to thinking about “MCBLK” my immediate thought was “this is properly Red Cell shizzle” and from that moment on my plan for a new loadout REALLY started taking shape! Now I didn’t want to bankrupt myself going down the “real deal” route but at the same time I wanted a set of “infiltration gear” that would be functional and, if I’m totally honest, kind of cool too Like Steve, my first stop was with VIPER for the basic clothing. For years now VIPER have been providing great entry level tactical clothing and gear but their latest additions take things up into a whole new level! Although they have produced all sorts of gear and clothing before, its superb to see the new “V-CAM BLK” range, which takes their clothing in exciting new directions. The fabrics used and the quality achieved are better than anything they’ve done before in my opinion and the designs are bang up to date. Not only have they developed new products but they’ve obviously had a very close look at how trends have developed in the tactical world. The latest designs reflect a thorough understanding of the “light is right tactical athlete” approach and this can be seen in their MESH-TEC T and MESH-TECH ARMOUR TOP. Both these garments are made from high-performance polyester material and provide long-lasting comfort and durability, even during the most extreme workout. Lightweight and quick drying, these shirts features flatlock seams for reduced friction and raglan sleeves for improved range of motion. Thanks to their moisture wicking properties these all-purpose shirts will keep the torso cool and dry throughout the day

and will definitely add comfort beneath a rig. Within their updated clothing range for 2017, Viper extended their line of lighter-weight fleeces by adding three new models and the TACTICAL HOODIE is a fleece that I wear on pretty much a daily basis. Constructed of a lightweight and durable fleece it’s the absolutely perfect mid-layer, and although it does sport velcro on both arms it’s very low-key. Its quite close fitting, which is technically correct to maximise breathability but the hood and “kangaroo” pocket means that you can really warm yourself up easily. VIPER’s ripstop polycotton Elite Trousers have now moved into Gen 2 of their design and these just keep getting better and better. Although the basic trouser can be had for less, the latest V-CAM BLK camo version is most definitely worth the extra money if you want something REALLY distinctive and that fits with this particular theme. With multiple adjustment features, these trousers can be modified to the user’s own shape for comfort and feel. The only place where I ventured outside the VIPER range for clothing is in relation to some colder weather gear and this is only because, at the time of writing, VIPER haven’t yet added a V-CAM BLK jacket to their line. I chose a MT Black PATRIOT jacket from Kombat UK (mainly because my mate Pete from Platoon Stores had one that looked VERY sharp when I saw him wearing it!) which is a fleece-lined softshell garment that features many pockets, along with a storm-proof main zip and a fleece-lined hood. I also spotted on the Military1st website a really neat softshell vest from Mil-Tec in MULTITARN BLACK, which offered a little extra protection form the elements, or would act as an additional layering garment in cold weather, without adding serious weight or bulk to my clothing system.

BUCKLE UP

Whatever your style of airsoft may be, from full-on MilSim weekends to occasional skirmish days, the fact is that you’re going to need some way of carrying extra magazines, ammo, pyro and general sundries. I first

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR BLACK CAM

discovered the 8FIELDS “Buckle Up” range of gear lurking on the Taiwangun website a couple of years back, and I have to admit for the price that this system has given me great service since I added it to the “gear locker”! For relatively inexpensive tactical gear it’s stood up to some hard use both in games and in photoshoots for Airsoft Action - and it’s still going strong. The premise of the Chinese-made “BUCKLE UP” system is really all about the plate carrier and how you set that up. Some of us have been around long enough that we have multiple sets of gear to use with different AEGs, with different pouch configurations to take that into account. What the “BUCKLE UP” system does is to take that principle and give you a solution that is totally customisable and that’s achieved by having different pouch panels which do indeed simply “buckle up” to a single plate carrier.

First off is the ASSAULT PLATE CARRIER in their “MB” camo pattern and whilst this looks like other, much more expensive items that I own, it retails for under £30! Now you might think that for that price you’ll be getting something “cheap and cheerful” and while the 8FIELDS gear probably wouldn’t stand up to a real-world combat zone, it’s certainly well enough put together to stand up to the rigours of your local airsoft field! The fabric used looks and feels to be a tough nylon mix and seems solid enough and the stitching is actually far, far better than I thought it might be and some attention has been given to this area, with reinforcement in all the right places. The plate carrier features front and rear plate panel pockets (hard plastic “plates” are included but you might want to upgrade these to something like those sold by J-TAC Custom) with loads of MOLLE, good shoulder padding, a cummerbund for a great fit and a fast-clip/ velcro front panel for quick changes of your kit to save time. These clips and the large velcro panel are compatible with all “BUCKLE UP” pouch panels and chest rigs - and herein lies the clever bit! Say you want to set up your plate carrier for general “recon”; well simply attach your panel of choice (say for “7.62 recce rifle” magazines) to the velcro and buckle it in 24

JUNE 2020

place. Running hot and heavy CQB? No problem, just add the “AR or SMG” mag panel and you’re all set. Rocking an AK? Again, no issue as there’s even a panel specifically for this! Basically, with the “BUCKLE UP” system you can have a plate carrier with magazine carriage options for under £50 which is a bargain in anyone’s book. If, however, you want to add even further to the modularity of your overall system, then there are even chest rigs that will slot right in, or by adding a few 8FIELDS pouches (I chose a larger UTILTY POUCH for a fiver and a MODULAR ADMIN POUCH for £4.50) and an integrated pack or back panel (the ASSAULT BACK PANEL for me, for reasons I’ll come onto…) you can really tailor your load exactly as you want it. I’m impressed with the “BUCKLE UP” system and as well as running my original model at a few skirmish days it’s also been used on a couple of photoshoots. Not only does it look great but it’s already stood up to the same abuse as my “real world” gear and acquitted itself well. If money is tight but you fancy some great-looking, robust tactical gear then I’d say do have a look at the 8 FIELDS “BUCKLE UP” system as I believe it’s tremendous value for money!

LOAD HAULING

Thus far everything I’ve chosen for the new loadout is very much angled to creating it within a sensible budget but there’s one area where I’ve learned never, EVER to scrimp and that’s when it comes to gear haulers. If you’re out on a skirmish site for the day and you can return to the Safe Zone pretty much whenever you like, then frankly there’s no real need for a pack but if you’re at a weekender, scenario game, or MilSim where you need to stay out on the field all day (and possibly longer!) then a decent pack is a crucial part of your loadout! All too often - and not just in airsoft - I’ve seen folk have an absolutely terrible time because their pack didn’t fit correctly, or worse still, that a seam or shoulder strap failed and dumped their gear on the ground. Again, not a problem if you’re close to the Safe Zone but a major ballache if you’re humping your home on your back a mile or two away. To this end, this is where I’ll spend some money and return to the Wisport pack range. As someone who worked with rucsac manufacture in my younger years, I’ve

KIT & GEAR BLACK CAM

been massively impressed by this Polish manufacturer. I wrote about them at length in Issue 109 (which you can check out via the BACK ISSUES section of the AA website) but suffice to say, they’re a well-respected supplier of packs to top-tier military units, so they’re more than good enough for me! There are two models that I’ve picked up, the first being the ZIPPERFOX 40L. This is a pack that will suit me for multi-day MilSim excursions, as it’s big enough to hold all my essentials for operating in the field away from support (apart from water re-sup). The newest addition in Wisport’s line of military backpacks, the ZipperFox 40L was created as a modified, slightly larger and more versatile, version of their Silverfox 30L backpack that I’ve used before. Designed for one or two-day long trips (I’ll stretch it to three!), this new generation of single compartment tactical backpack benefits from an extremely lightweight yet durable construction, great functionality and innovative technology. The main feature is an inverted “U”-shaped clamshell zip opening, which allows for quick and easy access to the main compartment from the top and both sides at the same time. The ZipperFox comes with re-designed SAS Plus back system which now includes profiled straps, removable buckled waist belt, rigid construction and highly breathable padding. Thanks to the ergonomically profiled straps sewn in permanently, the backpack provides excellent stability and is great under load! Of course, you may not need a pack of this size for most one-day games, so another little Wisport gem to consider is the SPARROW 16L model. The smallest of Wisport Sparrow family, the Sparrow 16 is the latest generation of compact backpacks made of extremely durable 500D Cordura Nylon and developed in collaboration with Polish Military forces. The main advantages of the Sparrow 16 are the removable, ergonomically shaped and lightly padded shoulder straps, spacious hydration compatible main compartment and multiple MOLLE attachments points. The main compartment of Sparrow 16 pack comes with an internal hydration sleeve pocket inside, a zipped pocket and multiple elastic loops for easy organisation. Additionally, above the sleeve pocket is a hook for

attachment of hydration bag and a conduit for hydration hose or antenna. The pack features a front compartment with zip closure and multiple quick release buckles allow it to be quickly dumped if required. The side compression straps allow the pack to be adapted to the size of carried kit and prevent it from shifting which may cause unnecessary noise, discomfort and disturbance of balance. This is a cracking little patrol pack and one that is, although it’s not the cheapest option out there, a companion that will see you through many airsoft encounters for years to come! One thing I will quickly recap on before I close is the panel I chose for the back of the plate carrier. This I intend to leave in place even when I’m wearing a bigger pack, so it’s important that is goes down as flat as possible when not in use. If I’m using the 40L pack then this can be dumped at the Patrol Harbour where I set up my basha and essentials can be added to the back panel for operations and patrols; plan ahead, be effective and efficient! Although all of the gear mentioned is still pretty new, I have the feeling that it’s all going to stand up well to some serious abuse and will acquit itself well. There are still more items in the overall loadout that I haven’t included (such as the excellent Emerson Multicam Black FAST helmet cover that also came from Taiwangun), not because they’re not good but because they are still to be added and fully tested. All of the items I have mentioned though are already through my first stage of evaluation and they are all working together well. This is purely “my take” on a loadout with a “Red Cell” feel to it but it’s a loadout that will, quite literally, allow you to choose your gear from head to toe without breaking the bank! Now I just need to finish building my “Mutant AR/AK” and I’ll be good to go as soon as sites re-open. My thanks go to the great teams at VIPER, Taiwangun, and Military1st for their assistance in pulling this article together. To keep up to date with the new VIPER tactical products as they become available please visit www. viperkit.co.uk. Do check out www.taiwangun.com for the 8FIELDS gear - and I’ve noticed that it is also beginning to appear now with certain retailers in the UK too. And of course, thanks to www.military1st.co.uk who stock not only VIPER gear but also a comprehensive range from Wisport. Do give them a look and check out the “Choose by Colour” function of their website if you’re looking to create a complete loadout from scratch! AA

www.airsoftaction.net

TOKYO MARUI

L119A2 CUSTOM BUILD

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CONTACT US FOR DETAILS

THE L119A2 IS JUST ONE POPULAR EXAMPLE OF OUR CURRENT RECOIL MODELS, BASED ON TOKYO MARUIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S FANTASTIC SYSTEM - FITTED WITH THE ANGRY GUN RAIL SYSTEM AND REAL STEEL MAGPUL FURNITURE

TOKYO MARUI

AK47

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CHECK WEBSITE FOR PRICING

TOKYO MARUI

SCAR HEAVY (TAN)

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CHECK WEBSITE FOR PRICING

TOKYO MARUI

M4 SOPMOD

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CHECK WEBSITE FOR PRICING

TOKYO MARUI

TM416C

NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CHECK WEBSITE FOR PRICING

ANY CUSTOM GEARBOX SPEC CAN BE ASSEMBLED BY OUR ENGINEERS; DMR VERSIONS, GATE TITAN MOSFETS AND FULL PROMETHEUS INTERNALS

FEATURE ACTION AIR - TAIWAN

THE

AIRSOFT ACTION’S “MAN IN TAIWAN”, STEWBACCA, GETS HIS GROOVE ON AS HE WRITES ABOUT HIS JOURNEY TO TAIWAN AND INTO ACTION AIR

OF ACTION AIR “In East Midlands; Lincolnshire, born and raised, on the airsoft forums was where I spent most of my days, planning games, arguing and buyin’ softin’ goods, then shooting friends and strangers out in Midlands woods. “When a few politicians worked up some reports, and started making it harder for me to play my sport I got fed up of the laws and to myself, I despaired; I’m moving to Taiwan, and getting into Action Air!”

hat somewhat (intentionally) whimsical and musical summary as a nod to everyone’s favourite Will Smith TV series, at least sets the scene for a subset of my numerous activities since I arrived in Taiwan in late 2017. While a lot of my previous writing and playing has been centred around “traditional” skirmishing - if there is such a thing - and particularly a focus on CQB games, indoor or urban playing and involvement in Copehill Down weekenders or operations in Spain before my move abroad, since arriving on my island paradise I’ve become increasingly aware of Airsoft IPSC, or “Action Air” practical shooting disciplines. With the long-standing restrictions in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau and, of course, the Chinese Mainland that mirror the last few decades of tightening firearms regulations in the UK, those who wanted to get involved in target shooting and related sports on this side of the world usually had to resort to trips to Thailand or Cambodia - including myself, having finally gotten hands on with a real M16A1 and AKM in Siem Reap back in 2015, on my third trip to Asia. Whilst IDPA and IPSC are growing in the less restrictive Asian countries - including a great deal of shooting sports or public

ranges and firearms ownership in the Philippines these days those of us who are less mobile, or want to practice on a regular basis, are “relegated” to the use of airsoft GBB pistols to get our fix and work on our drills.

6MM TRAINING

The transferability of weapons handling experiences gained in airsoft, being applied in real steel environments, is probably worth an entirely separate article when I find the opportunity. No doubt most people are aware of TRex Arms’ Lucas Botkin, taking a Japanese player, Liku (who had never had experience of real firearms but plenty of GBB usage), under his wing and having him burn down the range among more seasoned US real steel

“WITH THE LONG-STANDING RESTRICTIONS IN TAIWAN, HONG KONG, MACAU AND, OF COURSE, THE CHINESE MAINLAND THAT MIRROR THE LAST FEW DECADES OF TIGHTENING FIREARMS REGULATIONS IN THE UK, THOSE WHO WANTED TO GET INVOLVED IN TARGET SHOOTING AND RELATED SPORTS ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD USUALLY HAD TO RESORT TO TRIPS TO THAILAND OR CAMBODIA ” 28

JUNE 2020

FEATURE ACTION AIR - TAIWAN

shooters in short order and impressing everyone with his fundamental abilities. Similarly, an increasing number of police and military organisations are seeking to use airsoft or related systems in force on force training, including the Taiwanese police and SWAT teams, who sometimes train during the week at the same Linkou “Taiwan CQB Club”/”North Training” facility we skirmish at on some weekends. Also, an increased emphasis towards local

things perhaps a little too seriously. So, having dabbled in the aforementioned competition last year, I decided to prepare myself for the imminent move to pastures new by investing in the proper Double Alpha Academy belt kit and Safariland holsters, to go with the TTI Glock 34 I got for my 34th birthday. Despite the continued language barrier that my limited functional Mandarin presents I was able to pick up the movements and key points relatively easily, thanks to Mars Liu’s tutelage and attentions on my first session and I was soon turning up on a regular basis to hone my skills. It has all been somewhat hectic in reality, fitting in around 20 training sessions within the first three months since starting but as usual, I don’t do things by halves!

GETTING LICENSED

manufacturer’s T4E (Training For Engagement) systems shows that attitudes are changing and airgun shooting sports and training techniques are gaining more acceptance as of late, despite (perhaps) some earlier snubbing by many real steel users as “pointless” or “ineffective”. With all that in mind, I decided to throw my hat in the ring and give it a go. I’d already dabbled in early 2019, when my Filipina skirmishing teammate, Belinda, invited me along to a friendly competition at her local AIPSC/Action Air “Spring Rain” team’s facility in South-Western Taipei and had been wanting to get into it more seriously since that first foray. However, until I moved up to Taipei properly, the logistics were just too prohibitive given most team’s training times conflicted with my afternoon and evening teaching work.

Having started off March with our first Speedsoft-oriented tournament in Taipei - as featured in my previous Island Insider article ‘”Live and let DYE” - I decided to end it with qualifying for my Action Air Competition License following a whole day seminar. I understood a surprising amount, despite not always being able to translate every single word on the fly but it certainly helped to have prior understanding of real firearms, or live fire competitions and the material as they tend to transfer into Action Air rules and procedures. Those halcyon days in my school’s Combined Cadet Force and breezing through weapons handling tests were gladly put to good use once again! Following a morning of procedural and administrative matters, as well as general structure, distribution and operation of the different levels of officials in the Asian region, we broke for lunch and got on with the practical assessment in the afternoon. Having already practiced, with Mars holding a few mock tests for me, on the lead up to the examination day, the practical shooting side was a breeze and, thankfully, the examiner also has an excellent

FIRST TASTE

Happily, in February a local friend noticed I had been getting my equipment repaired at KIC Airsoft’s shop in Sanchong, North West Taipei and told me that he trained in Action Air not far from there. Having struggled to get involved with the other teams in the area, such as “Spring Rain” (SR) and “Taipei Focus Action Shooters” (TFAS) due to my evening teaching work timetable for the last few months, I jumped at the opportunity to train with “Setup Project Practical Team” (SPPT), just a short bus ride from my new digs in central Taipei. And so, after a brief exchange of details online I was welcomed along to my first session to get an idea for my abilities and what Action Air involves. I imagine I made a decent enough first impression, as I always have to be “that guy” who takes

“FOLLOWING A MORNING OF PROCEDURAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS, AS WELL AS GENERAL STRUCTURE, DISTRIBUTION AND OPERATION OF THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF OFFICIALS IN THE ASIAN REGION, WE BROKE FOR LUNCH AND GOT ON WITH THE PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT IN THE AFTERNOON. ” www.airsoft-action.online

FEATURE ACTION AIR - TAIWAN

level of English so made sure there were no misunderstandings in what drill was expected. By the end of a long day there were 11 new certified shooters from the various aforementioned teams spread around Taipei inaugurated into the Action Air/AIPSC shooting community. Were it not for the ongoing issues related to the Coronavirus causing cancellations, I would have immediately gotten involved in my first competition shoot barely a week later, in Hsinchu, where I had first lived and worked when I moved here. Unfortunately, as it was I had to wait until April for the next shoot in Northern Taichung, not too far from where my other half originates from she was also very patient on the exam day and good enough to wait around all day in case there were any language issues that arose. Translating the written exam would certainly have been a lot harder without her but I managed to scrape through it with her help and that of the others who had less of a language barrier than myself, so many thanks to the ever-helpful Ms. Stewbacca!

LOOKING FORWARDS

One thing that I’ve noticed in all my adventures in airsoft and Action Air here, is that despite me still having a limited ability in conversation, or terminologically-specific material, everyone is still very welcoming and accommodating nonetheless and, regardless

of where you go in the world, shooting sports (or combat sports in general) attract the same kind of focused, disciplined, likeminded and decent folk who have to endure poor press and public reactions due to everyone else’s misunderstandings of our hobbies and interests. Hopefully, out here I can put a bit more of a “big friendly foreigner” face on the whole thing and thus far I’ve always had plenty of interest from local players, young and old, as to what me and my other expat teammates are up to here and how we got into airsoft. I usually tell them that I’m a previous addict and that I moved here because it’s where airsoft seems to be focusing and flourishing the most. I’m very glad I did, given the warm reception and how easily I have been able to get involved in not only playing, but communicating with local players and companies as well as bridging the gap and introducing Taiwan’s airsoft community and manufacturing abilities to our global readership. So, now I’m properly licensed to put pellets through paper against the clock, I’ve joined the SPPT regular team and continued my training regime at home and their training space. In my next installment I’ll be telling you how our experience of the first competition of the year in Taichung went - so keep your eyes peeled for that and join me on my continuing adventures in my new found Action Air addiction. AA

www.airsoft-action.online

armoury ICS M1 GARAND

OLD GARANDS NEVER DIE... THEY JUST GET BETTER!

TO MANY, LOOKING IN FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD, AIRSOFT WOULD SOMETIMES APPEAR TO BE ALL ABOUT THE VERY LATEST TRICKED-OUT AR, OR THE NEWEST “TACTICOOL” AK BUT THERE ARE ALSO REPLICA MODELS THAT BOTH THE RE-ENACTOR AND COLLECTOR OF CLASSIC FIREARM MODELS CAN ENJOY. BILL LOOKS AT ONE OF HIS FAVOURITE HISTORICAL RIFLES, IN THE FORM OF THE ICS M1 GARAND AEG.

f you are looking on as an outsider to the wonderfully diverse world of airsoft, it must appear that the sport is dominated by the “AR” platform and, to some degree, I’d have to (somewhat sadly) admit that there are probably more variants of the modern American rifle out there than anything else! Over recent years though, I’ve watched an upswing in the use of other platforms, particularly that of “Comrade Kalashnikov”, in the game and if you take time to look closely at what is actually available in 6mm replica form, there are some absolute gems. For the collector of firearms, albeit in 6mm form like me, there are actually very few military models that do not, or have not ever, existed in airsoft guise. Like many “flavours of airsoft”, historical periods seem to come and go and come again in a never-ending cycle, quite often driven these days by a movie, TV series, or video game launch. I’ve seen replicas in airsoft form ranging from pirate, through Napoleonic and cowboy, to WWI, WWII and the Vietnam War - and you can bet your bottom dollar that if a firearm has existed there’s an airsoft tech somewhere

that has had a crack at building it! As I still have a toe in the Vietnam Living History world I’m quite regularly asked by re-enactor friends about airsoft replicas from that era and I’m pleased to say there are some extremely fine examples, like the MX177, M16A1 and even the rather splendid Stoner and RPD LMGs. If asked by someone from the “WWII world” I’d have to say that this is also true for that period too. Although there are many manufacturers that make Colt M1911A1s Thompson SMGs for the “WWII US” airsofter or re-enactor, the M1 carbine is still all but impossible to find in electric form. I own a couple of very nice gas M1 carbines but one is in 8mm form, whilst the other is 6mm but too powerful for most airsoft games in the UK. I hope that one day someone will address this and create an electric version. Until a couple of years back I had never owned an M1 Garand for the same reason but thankfully,

“I’VE SEEN REPLICAS IN AIRSOFT FORM RANGING FROM PIRATE, THROUGH NAPOLEONIC AND COWBOY, TO WWI, WWII AND THE VIETNAM WAR - AND YOU CAN BET YOUR BOTTOM DOLLAR THAT IF A FIREARM HAS EXISTED THERE’S AN AIRSOFT TECH SOMEWHERE THAT HAS HAD A CRACK AT BUILDING IT!” 32

JUNE 2020

armoury ICS M1 GARAND

“THE UNITED STATES WAS THE ONLY COUNTRY TO EQUIP ITS TROOPS WITH AN AUTO-LOADING RIFLE AS THE STANDARD INFANTRY WEAPON OF WWII, AND IT GAVE AMERICAN TROOPS A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE IN FIREPOWER, LEADING GENERAL GEORGE PATTON TO CALL THE M1 GARAND, “THE GREATEST BATTLE IMPLEMENT EVER DEVISED.”” Taiwanese airsoft manufacturer ICS have a super version of this for all players and collectors to enjoy!

THE FIRST ISSUE SEMI-AUTO!

At the back end of the 19th Century the Maxim Gun was creating quite a stir amongst military users around the world and firearms designers scratched their collective heads on how to apply the auto-loading principle to rifles and pistols. Because of the low power of its small bullet, the pistol was relatively easy and semi-automatic handguns began to appear quire quickly - but applying Maxim’s principle to a military rifle was much more difficult due to the the power of the cartridge. The use of the machine gun and in the latter parts of WWI, the sub-machine gun, taught the value devastating nature of heavy infantry firepower and in 1918 U.S. Ordnance began to search for an auto-loading infantry rifle. Over the next ten years many inventors

submitted designs for testing, however, none proved acceptable. If they could stand up to the punishment, they were too heavy and if they were light enough to be carried easily (a relative term for the “PBI” who had to carry it!), they were necessarily of small calibre. However, one of the more promising designs was submitted by a young, Canadian-born inventor named John Cantius Garand, who was quickly employed by Springfield Armory in Massachusetts to develop his rifle further. After many stop/starts with his original design, Garand’s improved rifle tapped off the propellant gases of the fired bullet and used it to cycle the rifle. This design eventually beat out all the competition and was adopted as the standard U.S. infantry rifle in 1936. Mass production of the M1 Garand began at Springfield Armory in 1937 and the first rifles were delivered to the Army in 1938. In 1940 a second line was opened by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company who were contracted to manufacture the rifle. Now fully on a “war footing” both Springfield and Winchester operated around the clock,

producing more than 4,000,000 M1 rifles by the end of the war in 1945! The United States was the only country to equip its troops with an auto-loading rifle as the standard infantry weapon of WWII, and it gave American troops a tremendous advantage in firepower, leading General George Patton to call the M1 Garand, “The greatest battle implement ever devised.” But this was not the end of the story. Following WWII many M1 Garand rifles were mothballed and put into storage but when North Korea attacked South Korea in 1950, M1 rifle production was resumed. Although the primary source remained Springfield Armory, two new manufacturers were contracted, International Harvester Corporation and Harrington & Richardson Arms and it is estimated a further 1,500,000 new M1s were produced between 1952 and 1957. Of course, in the early 1950’s U.S. Ordnance had already begun the development of a new infantry rifle, one that would have a larger capacity magazine and selective fire capability and after much trial and error (and no little controversy) an updated M1 was adopted in 1957 as the

M14 Rifle. The Garand is still used by drill teams and military honour guards to this day though and it is also widely used by civilians for hunting and target shooting and has become a prized military collectible, so much so that under a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Army and the Civilian Marksmanship Program, M1 Garand sales are now regulated.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE “PING”!

I am extremely lucky as, during my time living in the USA, I actually had chance to shoot a real Garand on the range a couple of times and let me tell you that this big old .30-06 is actually a joy to shoot and, quite frankly, the rifle was way ahead of its time! Unlike modern rifles it doesn’t have a detachable box

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury ICS M1 GARAND

magazine but loads instead with eight round clips. These are inserted into the open action from the top and retained inside the rifle until the last round is fired, at which point the clip ejects with the final fired cartridge case and with the much-commented on “‘ping”; a sound which, if I’m pushed, I would say would go largely unnoticed in the heat of battle, although others would beg to differ I’m sure. While you don’t get the “ping” with the ICS airsoft replica of the M1 Garand, I’m going to tell you that this is one of the few things that isn’t there, as this is a truly stunning replica! I get to shoot MANY airsoft replicas on the range each and every year - and that’s before I count the models I get to try at demo days and shows - and to my mind, the ICS Garand is a standout model, as it’s truly a visual work of art. The linseed-finished woodwork is absolutely lovely, feeling almost “sticky” as new; this rifle looks just like it’s come direct from the Springfield Armory! At 1,102mm long and weighing in at 3,600g this is by no means a small rifle but it still feels well balanced in airsoft form and actually is an AEG you could happily carry all day in game. The metalwork is also beautifully finished and details, there are many. Internally you get a gearbox with 8mm bushings for reliability and durability, along with steel gears, an uprated MIM set, a nylon-fibre piston and a one piece cylinder head, all driven along by a top-end ICS Turbo 3000 motor. You also get (as standard) a MOSFET to eliminate high switch temperatures, a real bonus as the Garand is semi-auto only! And talking of which, how does this all translate to the range? Using .20g BBs the Garand gave a mean chronograph reading of 1.37 Joule/385fps, which was totally consistent and perfectly site friendly if your site of choice makes use of a “semi-only DMR” rule. Setting the trigger safety to fire will send BBs downrange with an extremely satisfying crack and the long, 537mm inner barrel really comes into its stride. The Garand is quite astonishingly accurate, hitting sandbag targets easily at 30m at the extent of the range and with a .30g BB this lovely retro-rifle definitely has some legs! Overall, the ICS M1 Garand is a truly stunning replica and I can really see it acting as your main AEG if you want something for a living history impression that will doubledate at your local Sunday Skirmish! For the quality of materials, construction and performance I do not view this as an expensive replica as you can have one for around £425 with a pair of unique 42BB mags included, and for this price you are getting a slice of firearms history and a great deal for you money! My thanks as always go to www.fire-support.co.uk for supplying the rifle. Please do check them out for any and all of your ICS Airsoft needs and much, much more! AA

“THE GARAND IS QUITE ASTONISHINGLY ACCURATE, HITTING SANDBAG TARGETS EASILY AT 30M AT THE EXTENT OF THE RANGE AND WITH A .30G BB THIS LOVELY RETRO-RIFLE DEFINITELY HAS SOME LEGS”

www.airsoftaction.net

AA SPECIAL CAPTAIN TOM MOORE

LT COLONEL THOMAS MOORE AKA “CAPTAIN TOM” MILITARY HISTORIAN, WILL FOWLER, TAKES A BRIEF LOOK BACK AT THE HISTORY OF A MAN WHOSE DETERMINATION EARNED HIM THE GRATITUDE AND RESPECT OF AN ENTIRE NATION.

f you live outside of the UK, the name “Captain Tom” might not be familiar to you but here, he is a national hero. On the 6th April, at the ripe old age of 99, Captain Tom, a former British Army officer, began to walk laps of his garden aiming to reach his goal of raising £1,000 in aid of NHS Charities Together by his 100th birthday, on the 30th. His challenge captured the British public’s hearts and donations started pouring in, so much so that on the morning of the 30th April the total raised by his walk had passed £30 million and by the end of the day (and his long walk), was just shy of £33 million! His 100th birthday was marked by with a flypast from the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, a video call from the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres and a personalised birthday card from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. He was also appointed as honorary colonel of the Army Foundation College and featured in a cover version of the song “You’ll Never Walk Alone”, with the sale proceeds going to the same charity. The single topped the UK music charts and made Captain Tom the oldest person to have a 36

JUNE 2020

number one single! Tom Moore was born on April 30, 1920. His parents and family were local builders in Keighley, Yorkshire, where he spent much of his life. He attended Keighley Grammar School as a child, and later went on to complete an apprenticeship as a Civil Engineer. But in 1940, aged 20 he enlisted in the 8th Battalion Duke of Wellington’s Regiment (8 DWR), The Regiment was stationed in Cornwall as part of 203 Independent Infantry Brigade (Home) to defend the coast as the threat of a German invasion. He was selected for officer training in 1940 and posted to an Officers Training Unit (OTU) before being commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 28 June 1941. In November 1941 8 DWR was re-rolled as an armoured regiment 145 Regiment Royal Armoured Corps (RAC). All personnel continued to wear their DWR cap badge but on the RAC black beret. Later, Tom Morre was transferred to 9 DWR , which left Liverpool for India on August 28, 1941 arriving in Bombay on October 25, 1941, then, on November 1, 1941 it was re-rolled as 146 Regiment RAC and drew its first three Valentine tanks. By October 1942

AA SPECIAL CAPTAIN TOM MOORE

it had been fully equipped with Valentines and had an armoured car troop in Ford Indian Pattern Carriers. Six Universal Carriers were added as part of the mortar troop in November 1942. A photograph from this period shows a youthful Lieutenant Moore, along with a brother officer, siting on the front deck of a Valentine surrounded by the crew. The two officers are wearing the black RAC berret with regimental cap badge. In Bombay, Moore, who went on to win trophies in competitive motorcycling after the war, was instructed to set up a motorcycling course for the regiment. The regiment then moved east to Calcutta, a road trip that took three weeks through the driving rain of the monsoon. 146 RAC was assigned to the 50 Indian Tank Brigade and initially based at Kirkee Barracks in Poona, later moving to Dhond until July 13, 1942. On 1st October 1942, Tom Moore was promoted to war-substantive Lieutenant and to temporary Captain on October 11, 1944. With this rank he was probably Second in Command of a tank squadron and responsible for the administration and re-supply. The regiment then moved to Lohardaya (under XV Indian Corps) until January 1, 1943 and then to the Ratu-Ranchi area. The various squadrons were then split off and assigned to different fighting forces across Burma. ‘A’ Squadron was attached to the 72 Indian Infantry Brigade, ‘B’ to the 29 Infantry Brigade and ‘C’ Squadron as the divisional reserve. ‘A’ Squadron was located at Madh Island, Bombay with its brigade. When the order of battle of the 36 Indian Infantry Division changed, the division was allotted only two squadrons. It returned before entering the Arakan and the regiment was located during the first six months of 1944 at Pashau Camp in Poona, where they gradually converted from Valentines to M3 Lee tanks. By May 1943, the Regiment’s ‘C’ Squadron had been fully equipped with

M3 Lees and subsequently absorbed ‘B’ Squadron which, therefore, moved onto M3 Lee tanks as well. The Lee had a hull-mounted 75mm gun with restricted traverse but this matched the limited visibility of the jungle, while the turret-mounted 37mm gun now had a canister shot that was ideal for infantry support. The crews worked out an effective method of bunker busting, using their HE shells to clear away any camouflage and their AP shells to break up the bunkers. The regiment’s constituent squadrons had largely regrouped into a regimental formation again by early 1944. By 1944 the Lee was the primary equipment of the regiment, except for ‘A’ Squadron which was then equipped as a light armoured vehicle squadron. 146 RAC was an active participant in the Second Arakan campaign and A Squadron, supported 26 Indian Division in landing and later fighting on Ramree Island, (Operation Matador) in January and February 1945. On May 9th, Tom and his comrades heard that the war in Europe was over and VE Day was being celebrated but they knew that for the 14th Army the war was far from over. During July 1945 the 254 Indian Tank Brigade, having returned from Burma, became established at Ahmednagar, in Maharashtra State. One of the brigade’s constituent units, 7 Light Cavalry needed to be relieved, and 146 RAC was assigned as its replacement. The regiment’s 1945 reassignment to 254 Brigade led to the introduction of the M4 Sherman tank, though a report of June 1945 shows that 146 RAC was not considered battle-ready at that stage, having received only 12 Shermans for the entire regiment and, with three quarters of its manpower being made up of new recruits, it had insufficient training on the vehicles In 1945 Tom Moore moved further south with the regiment, reaching Rangoon where they linked up with amphibious forces who had landed in “Operation Dracula”. The war in the Far East ended on August 15, 1945 and the regiment was sent to Sumatara in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) to ensure stability following the Japanese surrender. On his return to Britain, Tom Moore served as an instructor at the Armoured Fighting Vehicle School in Bovington, Dorset until the troops were demobilised and returned home. AA

Valentine Mk III Tank Tunisia 1943

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR AIRSOFT COMMS

NO COMMS, NO BOMBS

THREE WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR RADIO COMMUNICATIONS USING RADIOS IN AN AIRSOFT GAME IS SOMETHING THAT MANY ASPIRE TO DO WELL BUT IT’S A PERISHABLE SKILL LIKE ANY OTHER THAT NEEDS CONSTANT PRACTICE AND UPDATING. OUR “LEGIONNAIRE” SEAN, FROM BLACKLINE SIMULATIONS IN CANADA, GIVES US SOME POINTERS ON HOW TO ENSURE YOUR COMMS ARE EFFECTIVE AND HOW YOU CAN GET THE BEST OUT OF THEM.

t was probably about five minutes into your very first event when you realized how important communication was going to be in your new hobby. Organizing units over long distances, coordinating attacks and calling for help all require a way to get in touch with your team. Those messages have to be fast, clear and preferably not yelled into the air where the enemy can hear them! So it’s no surprise that airsoft players have turned to radios to solve that problem. Dozens of radio solutions get deployed on the field. You can find low-cost handheld units like the Baofeng UV5R, fully functional replicas of the AN/PRC 148 MBITR and AN/ PRC 177 radios and high-end professional Motorola models used by law enforcement. All of these serve their users well, from simple communications to high-quality impressions. Unfortunately, as more people pick up communications tools it becomes clear the problem isn’t always with the type of radio. “Can you hear me?” “Comms check.” “Someone is hot mic-ing!” “What did you say?” *Static* The best comms gear you can buy will only be good for Instagram photos if there isn’t a competent operator behind the microphone. We can’t cover everything in a couple of magazine pages but we can suggest three self-study areas you should focus on if you want to be an effective communicator. 38

JUNE 2020

1. LEARN BASIC PROCEDURES

While different sectors and militaries have different standards for communication, many share common fundamentals. Messages clearly identify the sender and receiver, they use strategies to ensure the message is easy to understand and they only allow one person to speak at a time. These fundamentals are often referred to as “Radio Operating Procedure”. If this concept is new to you, one of the easiest procedure formats to use is the “Receiver, Sender, Message, Over/Out”. Begin your message with who you are trying to reach, then add your own callsign so everyone knows who’s speaking. State your message, then finish with “over” OR “out” (not both!). End your message with “Over” if you’re finished and ready for the next person to speak. Use “Out” if you are finished speaking and are ending that conversation. This simple format makes each message a clean package that is easy to understand and helps the listener know when it is OK for them to speak. If you want to be more authentic, do some research on your local Military and Law Enforcement units to see how they format their messages. Clear messages also rely on clear speech. This can be challenging when it comes to strings of letters or numbers that sometimes sound the same over a radio. Confusion is even more likely if transmissions aren’t perfectly clear. NATO utilizes the “NATO Phonetic Alphabet” - a system of words and pronunciations that make it easier to understand what letters and numbers are being spoken. This system was designed to work well in English, French, and Spanish. Your country may have a system of its own, however, if

KIT & GEAR AIRSOFT COMMS

you want to use the NATO alphabet, there’s a great chart available. Unfortunately, the only way to learn it is through memorization. You could try reading local vehicle license plates using the Phonetic Alphabet for practice.

NATO phonetic alphabet, codes & signals

The ability to communicate and make yourself understood can make a difference in lifethreatening situations – imagine for example that you are trying to alert a search and rescue helicopter of the position of a downed pilot. To ensure clear communication, NATO uses a number of well-known formats which are in general use. NATO standardization agreements enable forces from many nations to communicate in a way that is understood by all. Some standards can be found in everyday civilian and military life. “Bravo Zulu”, typically signalled with naval flags on ships at sea and meaning “well done”, is also commonly used in written communication by the military, for example by replying “BZ” to an email.

Numbers

11 22 33 44 55 66 77 88 99 00 One

Phonetic alphabet

The NATO alphabet became effective in 1956 and, a few years later, turned into the established universal phonetic alphabet for all military, civilian and amateur radio communications.

International Morse Code

Morse code transmits text through on-off tones, light-flashes or clicks. It was widely used in the 1890s for early radio communication, before it was possible to transmit voice.

Flaghoist communication

Semaphore

Semaphore is a system in which a person sends information at a distance using hand-held flags – depending on the position of the flags, the message will vary. The signaller holds the flag in different positions that represent letters or numbers.

Alfa

(al-fah)

Panel signalling

Panels are visual signals for sending simple messages to an aircraft. Using a limited code, ground forces can send messages to pilots, for example to request medical supplies.

Ships use flags as signals to send out messages to each other. The use of flags, known as flaghoist communication, is a fast and accurate way to send information in daylight.

Bravo

Golf

(brah-voh)

b (golf )

Charlie

Hotel

(char-lee)

Delta

(dell-tah)

(hoh-tel)

Echo

Juliett

(eck-oh)

India

(in-dee-ah)

Foxtrot (foks-trot)

(jew-lee-ett)

Kilo

Papa

Uniform

Zulu

(key-loh)

(wun)

Two (too)

Three (tree)

Four

Lima

(lee-mah)

Mike (mike)

November (no-vem-ber)

Oscar (oss-cah)

(pah-pah)

(fow-er)

Five (fife)

Six (six)

Seven (sev-en)

Eight (ait)

Nine

(nin-er)

Zero

(zee-ro)

Quebec

Victor

(keh-beck)

q (vic-tah)

Romeo

(row-me-oh)

Sierra

(see-air-rah)

Whiskey (wiss-key)

Tango

Yankee

(tang-go)

s Xray

(ecks-ray)

More information on NATO's codes, signals and standards can be found on the NATO Standardization Office (NSO) website: http://nso.nato.int/nso/ – More on the history of the NATO phonetic alphabet: http://www.nato.int/declassified/ This poster can be downloaded at http://www.nato.int/alphabet

(you-nee-form)

u (yang-key)

(zoo-loo)

Created by Communications Services, Public Diplomacy Division, NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium – NATO 2018 Phonetic transcription is based on English pronunciation.

“Over” and “Out” are called “Procedure Words”, or “Prowords” for short. These are standard words that reduce the amount of speaking required and clarify what is being communicated. While these too vary by country and language, here are a few of the basic ones used in Canada and the United States. “Over” - My transmission is over and a response is necessary. Send your message now. “Out” - My transmission is over and no response is required or expected. “Roger” - I have understood your message. “Say Again” - I did not understand your message. Repeat your last message. “Read Back” - Repeat my message back to me so I can confirm you received it correctly “Affirmative” - Yes “Negative” - No While there are many more prowords to learn, this is a great start for someone unfamiliar with radio communications.

2. KNOW YOUR GEAR

This self-study area goes way beyond knowing what radio model you’re using. It’s a formal challenge for you to understand your equipment’s placement, function and capabilities. Where your comms gear is placed makes a big difference in how effective it is. For example, one of the most common causes of “hot mics” (the accidental radio transmissions that block the channel for everyone else) is poorly placed gear. If your “push to talk” button is in a place where it’s hit every time you go prone or shoulder your rifle, you’ll be effectively jamming the frequency for your friends. Poor placement can cause other malfunctions like snagged cables, bent antennas and dials being turned when you absolutely need to communicate without fail. To address this, suit up in your gear and go prone, roll around, shoulder your weapon, bend side to side. Move as you would in a game to see if you trigger your radio. Look at your cables to ensure they’re weaved into your gear so they can’t be pulled out or snagged. Double-check to see that your radio is covered well and protected from accidental contact. Placement and function go together as well. Antenna relocation kits that get your antenna away from a pouch and up to the highest point on your body aren’t for show. Antennas for UHF frequencies get better reception if they’re higher up. Sometimes that will apply to you too. You may have to find higher ground in order to get your message out. Understanding how the frequencies you’re using are impacted by the environment will help you troubleshoot poor transmission or reception issues. There are functional aspects of your radio you’re going to have to understand too. Do you know how to program frequencies into the device? Do you know what antennas work best? What about how far you can transmit? These are some basic knowledge skills you should have for your radio before you hit the field. A great way to deal with these equipment challenges is to build yourself a pre-operation checklist. Start with some basics and add to it as you encounter problems during events so you can deal with them before they come up. Some basic pre-operation checks may include: [ ] - Radio tests completed and radio is operational [ ] - Volume is set [ ] - Primary battery is charged [ ] - Secondary batteries are charged and packed [ ] - Cables are attached and secured [ ] - Microphones, headsets and PTTs are connected and functional [ ] - Radio is secured and protected

3. THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK

You’ve got your format down. You know the phonetic alphabet. You’ve gone through your pre-operation checklist three times. You’re ready for the largest challenge… actually forming a message! Often, those who are new to using radios squeeze down on the push to talk button and begin sending a stream of

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR AIRSOFT COMMS

consciousness out onto the frequency. They’ll make guesses about what they’re seeing, mention vague locations, or provide information that’s not required. All the while, they pause and delay which jams up the frequency for other urgent traffic. Learning to form a short, concise message is hard. It takes lots of practice to filter the situation you’re in and push only the most necessary information onto the network. For your self-study, consider these few tips for more effective messaging: Start with Writing Practice with friends in a low-stress environment and write your message down before you send it. It’s harder to write than speak and you’ll naturally want to write as little as possible. Your written message will likely be much shorter and accurate than the one you made up as you spoke. Facts Only Communicate exactly what you see and don’t guess. A person may look like they’re carrying a gun but if they’re too far away for you to be certain, then communicate what you know. You see an individual carrying a long dark object. Speculating creates misinformation and doesn’t help your team understand the situation you’re in.

can do on your own or with friends to improve your radio communications skills. There is a lot more to learn about comms, including how new technologies like Zello are changing the game, or how to employ PACE plans and Signal Operating Instructions (SOI’s) for more robust and secure messaging. However, the fundamentals are key and should be part of your regular training plan as much as reload and contact drills. If you’re new to radio communications and are excited to learn, or if you’re looking to practice more advanced techniques, Blackline Simulations offers two Radio Communications courses. Built around the fundamentals and military simulation applications, the Introductory Level Course teaches radio basics, message formats, and the phonetic alphabet. The Advanced Level Course focuses on reports, SOI/ PACE and virtual operations to test your abilities. Both include a number of sessions with other students to give you a chance to practice your skills from anywhere in the world, using a network radio PTT app called “Zello”. If the idea of working with like-minded learning-focused players appeals to you, check out the courses here: www.blacklinesimulations.com/events and here: www. blacklinesimulations.com/post/comms-at-blackline-zelloand-uhf-working-together AA

Don’t Rush The goal is to communicate the correct information as quickly and as accurately as possible. Ironically, that means you should slow down. Speak firmly, clearly and at a moderate pace. This is especially true if you’re sending coordinates. If you’re too fast, people will not understand your message and you’ll be forced to repeat it - actually increasing the amount of time it takes to deliver your information. Learn Basic Reports The military has been sending radio transmissions for the better part of a century. They’ve made simple standardized reports that make sure all the necessary information is included as concisely as possible. Research standard reports like SITREP, SALUTE, and the 9-Liner MEDIVAC reports and consider using them. Modify them for your use or build your own. The key is to be simple, efficient, and complete, while also being fast. Use Common Reference Points “Near the building” is a useless description unless there’s only one building in the region. Use products you build with your team in advance like Grid Reference Graphics, map waypoints, or MGRS locations to help orient the listener to what you’re seeing and where it is. A Canadian Special Operations soldier once told us. “Push to talk, not push to think.” That’s a great way to look at effective radio transmissions. Learning basic procedures, knowing your equipment and thinking before you transmit are three things you www.airsoftaction.net

THE CAGE BELT KIT

THE CAGE:

BELT UP!

WE ALL LOVE OUR “NYLON GEAR” FOR AIRSOFT BUT SOMETIMES THE OLD ADAGE THAT “YOU CAN SPOT THE VETERAN AIRSOFTER WITH JUST AN OLD AK AND BELT KIT” IS TRUER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK! THIS MONTH BILL GOT (VIRTUALLY) TOGETHER WITH THE AA TEAM TO DISCUSS “BATTLE/ SHOOTER BELTS” AND ASKED THEM “DO YOU USE ONE? WHY? …AND IF YOU DO, WHAT DO YOU USE?”

hen it comes to “belt-kit” you’d be rightly excused for thinking of “old school” webbing kit that was cheap as chips - and about as durable! Time, along with design and components, moves on though… Not so long ago if you’d spoken to me about “belt-kit” then, undoubtedly I would have nodded sagely and talked to you about “SAS style” hand-tailored pouches suspended from a roller-pin belt. However, technology and design moves ever onward and in more recent times I’ve seen the adoption of the “battle-belt”, sometimes with protective inserts, which made use of the MOLLE system, allowing you to tailor the make-up of your belt to your own specifications, whilst (importantly!) keeping everything firmly in one place. In the past couple of years though things have moved on even further, with lower profile systems coming to the fore and new technologies being embraced to ensure strength and durability whilst keeping the weight well and truly down. The “two piece shooters belt” seems to be in vogue and having now tried a few different models from a variety of manufacturers, I can understand why this is so. When I was at IWA a couple of years back I managed to catch up with Scott from UK-based Warrior Assault Systems (WAS) and (after “chewing the fat” for a while) I asked him if WAS intended to follow this growing trend. He simply grinned, went behind the display and handed

me their new, at that time yet to be released, LOW PROFILE DIRECT ACTION MK1 SHOOTERS BELT, at which point I rolled my eyes and told him “Yup, of course…” The setup, which is sold as a complete unit, features the WAS Low Profile MOLLE Belt (LPMB) DA MK 1, which offers a two-stage low profile platform that has been configured for the needs of the modern shooter. Stage One is a reinforced slimline belt that is covered in loop Velcro and is designed to be threaded through

your trouser belt loops and acts in the same way that a traditional belt would. Stage Two of the system is made up of a low profile MOLLE belt covered in two rows of Mil

“IN THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS THOUGH THINGS HAVE MOVED ON EVEN FURTHER, WITH LOWER PROFILE SYSTEMS COMING TO THE FORE AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES BEING EMBRACED TO ENSURE STRENGTH AND DURABILITY WHILST KEEPING THE WEIGHT WELL AND TRULY DOWN. ”

JUNE 2020

THE CAGE BELT KIT

Spec webbing; this belt has a row of hook Velcro on the inside which marries up to first belt, it is then secured by way of a removable belt and composite GT Cobra buckle. Although it’s marketed as a two-piece system there are, in fact, three components to the system; the inner trouser belt, the outer belt with the GT Cobra and then a MOLLE sleeve which covers that. Overall, this means that you have a versatile and very strong system that will support the weight of multiple pouches and a holstered pistol. And talking about pouches this is, in my mind, where WAS have been thinking ahead, as the system comes complete with a variety of their excellent models, including a Single Pistol Magazine Pouch, two Rifle Magazine pouches, a Slimline Foldable Dump Pouch, IFAK First Aid Pouch, one Small Horizontal Pouch and their incredibly useful Universal Pistol Pouch/Holster (UPH). Although you can add and subtract from the pouches provided, the Universal Pistol Pouch/Holster is a godsend for me as it saves having to change out my holster when I’m testing different pistols on the range. Also, if I’m attending a real firearms course overseas and don’t know the exact pistol model the trainer will be providing, I can take the UPH confident that it will retain virtually any model safely and securely. This, I have to say, got me started on the two-piece belt and since then I’ve also come to love the lo-profile Mustang system from Direct Action. The inner belt works simply as a trouser belt and as a stabiliser for both the Mustang and Warhawk outer belts. As it attaches to the inner Velcro loop panels of those belts, it prevents rideup during dynamic movement or when drawing a pistol from a holster. With this belt in place there’s no need to use suspenders or a drop leg panel in order to achieve a secure pistol draw. Made out of proprietary laminate and Velcro this is simply a flat, feather-light accessory to keep your pants up and your working equipment belt where you’d expect it to be. The ultra-thin profile of the trouser belt effectively eliminates “buckle over buckle” discomfort and can be worn all day long. Made of heavy duty tubular webbing, proprietary laminate and lined with Velcro loop the Mustang Rescue/ Gun belt is bartack-reinforced in stress points, stiffened to carry the weight of holsters and magazine pouches and secures with a certified AustriAlpin Cobra buckle. There’s an anchor point for carabiner/lanyard/tether next to the buckle and this is compatible with FROG buckle or shackles. It’s Velcro-loop lined on the inside so that it mates perfectly with the inner trouser belt, so you can have all your range-ready kit pre-mounted and be good to go within seconds. I have two of these setups now, one in simple Adaptive

Green for training and one in PenCott GreenZone for games. Both are set up identically with a safety tether, two primary magazine pouches, two secondary magazine pouches, a dump pouch, a TQ pouch and an IFAK (all the pouches are DA or Helkion-Tex, and the HTX Modular Individual Med Kit pouch is an absolute gem!). I use holsters from Taig at Kydex Customs with QD belt clips so I can swap out my secondary as desired. I’ve worn my personal setups regularly both at home and abroad and already given them some serious abuse and, thus far, they’ve been nothing but exemplary. In fact, I’m so impressed that I’ve just ordered the slightly wider Direct Action Warhawk outer belt!

WHAT THEY SAID!

So, with this in mind I spoke to the rest of the guys on the AA team and asked them what they were currently using and this is what they had to tell me: Scott: “I use a belt to hold my jeans up because I can’t do my jeans up as I’m getting fat stuck indoors! I’ve never used belt kit other than in a sniper role years ago; I always find chest rigs easier all round.” Callum: “I have two go-to belts; my Tactical Tailor belt with Blade Tech Fast Mags for my Mk18, and a Wartech/ ANA mash up for my Russian kit with the 104.” Jon M: “A very bare bones WAS Shooters belt setup for me; Holster, Dump Pouch, Retention Lanyard, Glove Holder. It’s all I need.” Stu: “I used them a lot more back in the UK and liked the comfort and convenience of having everything set up on different belts for my various primary guns like my QBZ97 and SVD which had very different mag geometry, as well as running a lot of Five-seveN mags on one. They’re great for weight distribution and carrying stuff on your hips/waist instead of straining your back or shoulders which is an issue for my buggered back at times. More recently I’ve switch to 6094 plate carriers or the JPC 1 since moving to Taiwan, but all my guns run similar mags

“THIS, I HAVE TO SAY, GOT ME STARTED ON THE TWO-PIECE BELT AND SINCE THEN I’VE ALSO COME TO LOVE THE LO-PROFILE MUSTANG SYSTEM FROM DIRECT ACTION. THE INNER BELT WORKS SIMPLY AS A TROUSER BELT AND AS A STABILISER FOR BOTH THE MUSTANG AND WARHAWK OUTER BELTS. ”

www.airsoftaction.net

STRETCH PANTS BLACK / DARK COYOTE / GREEN / SRP: Â£69.95

THE CAGE BELT KIT

so I can get away with only having a normal belt for my pistols and just attach pouches each game due to running less gear in shorter closer CQB games.” Christopher JW: “I use FRV Tailoring’s Shooter Belts, they are great! Velcro belt on my trousers then put on whichever belt setup I want in seconds. I have two of them, one for my Mk18 set up and the other for my Mk46.” Phil: “WAS Low Profile Direct Action Shooters Belt with very minimal kit on it. A double mag pouch for primary and a double for secondary mags, and a WAS universal holster or a Safariland depending if I’m running a Glock or something else. I don’t like loads of weight on a belt.” Craig: “I used to use a “battle belt” style but found it kept slipping around when running. The two belt systems with the soft velcro on the trouser loops and the hook on the belt itself hold everything in place perfectly for me, and there are many version on the market from FRV Tailoring, Ronin Tactics, TMC and the like. Personally I have the TMC versions, and they’re great for a fraction of the cost!” Jonathan L: “Mine’s a Ronin Tactics Shooters Belt with just a G17 holster, M4 mag pouches, and a fighting knife!” Rob: “I run a belt set as my base both for work and for airsoft, a thin padded three-line MOLLE ultralight with built-in belt and belt keepers (I wear thin flat suspenders with belt on my trousers so that I can just take the belt on and off with or without having to remove my armour when it is work issued). Kydex holster with shock cord retention when needed that tucks away, three pistol Taco-style mag

pouches, and two or three rifle Taco pouches that can accept AK or M4 mags (depending on range setup or combat) a folding dump pouch, water bottle pouch, and blow out kit. “I wear mine in a system, as a base for the range or when working; it goes belt set, armour and/or chest rig, then back bags as needed. Since issue firearms can include AK or AR or even MP5/SMG types I prefer the HSGI Taco pouches which let me just use what I need. I have several belt rigs in formats for range, stealth-protection work, PMC work, airsoft indoor, airsoft outdoor, but my most favourite belt set is 100% HSGI with a custom MOLLE holster for my Glock. On the other hand, my preferred running gear for airsoft is a Russian SMERSH belt and suspender set!” AA

www.airsoftaction.net

AA SPECIAL REAPER OPS TV

AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY BILL WAS INVITED TO TAKE PART IN EPISODE 2 OF “REAPER OPS TV” TO TALK ABOUT OUR RECENT CHANGE TO DIGITAL PUBLISHING AND ALTHOUGH THE SHOW RAN TO NEARLY TWO HOURS, THERE WERE STILL QUESTIONS UNANSWERED AND THINGS LEFT TO SAY, SO HERE HE BRINGS YOU A ROUND-UP OF THE ENTIRE INTERVIEW!

’ve always shied away from “online TV” before as I’m a firm believer that any enterprise is a sum of all those involved and not just a single individual. That’s said, when my old mate Jim from the airsoft and tactical shop Platoon Stores suggested I join him, along with Dan and Alex from local site Reaper Ops, on their new channel (Reaper Ops Airsoft TV, or ROATV for short) to talk about the changes at Airsoft Action, I felt that the time for me to speak up had come! I’ve been a customer with Pete and Jim at Platoon Stores on and off for some considerable time and always enjoy a visit to see them and played at the Reaper Ops site earlier this year, coming away very impressed both by the site and the gameplay. So, what better group to spend a Sunday evening talking airsoft with …albeit “virtually”? Jim had suggested possible topics for conversation before the broadcast but as always, a plan never survives first contact and we all ended up having way too much fun, talking about a whole diversity of airsoft topics which I hope that those who tuned in enjoyed. Nige and I thought though, that you might like to hear more about what has happened at Airsoft Action recently and how we REALLY view things. I’ll base this article on the questions Jim gave

me prior to broadcast! ROATV: “Aren’t Magazines Dead? “ AA: “It depends on what you class as a “magazine”. If you mean the traditional paper publishing style of magazine, then I would definitely say that for niche interest areas then yes. Sadly, the circulation numbers alone will dictate that (economically) a paper publication with a smaller circulation is going to fall away as it will simply not be viable. I’ll come onto exactly why later but no airsoft publication in paper format can really ever have a global reach. “If by a magazine you mean a focused “product” utilising multiple channels and formats of communication, where a group of knowledgeable individuals join forces to produce something that is useful, informative and entertaining, that appears in a set format on a regular basis and that is free and available to all, then I believe that format is still very valid. “As one such “product”, we now have many ways of putting what Airsoft Action does in front of that huge global audience and Nige and I just made a simple decision to maximise our readership and reach by placing everything online and making it freely accessible. Greater reach and

“…WHEN IT COMES TO AIR POLLUTION, THE PRINT INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTES BY RELEASING VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOCS) INTO THE AIR FROM USING SOLVENTS. IN CANADA, AS AN EXAMPLE OF THIS, THE PRINT INDUSTRY IS ONE OF THE MAIN (STATIONARY) SOURCES OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUND EMISSIONS!” 46

JUNE 2020

AA SPECIAL REAPER OPS TV

more readers means the manufacturers will be interested in what we offer, therefore we have more to write about and readers will have more to read… it’s a bit of a “selffulfilling prophecy deal”.” ROATV: “Was the jump to digital dictated by the change in technology, reader’s habits, the newsagents and stores changing or is it a need to be more environmentally friendly or something else?” AA: “Honestly, it was a combination of all those things! It is true that the “paper product” market is slowly but inexorably collapsing, largely a problem of its own making. As paper magazine volumes fall worldwide the net result is that the physical printing of a magazine has become more expensive; it costs more to produce, so it costs the reader more to buy. Sadly, it’s simple economics; less magazines to print, higher cost per unit at the printers, higher cover price at the newsagents or for subscribers. “Paper, at least decent quality paper, has also become more expensive so this again negatively impacts the price per unit and it’s true that certain “news stand” stores also have you pay through the nose to stock your product, which in turn makes it more expensive again for the reader. Yup, you heard that right! Magazines have to pay newsagents for them to stock and sell a product… go figure? “From a personal perspective as an outdoorsman (I spent much of my life involved with the outdoor pursuits industry before I started writing full time), the environmental aspects of paper printing has also come into the decision, as there are many negative environmental issues caused by the print industry. These

include air pollution, handling and disposing of hazardous materials, waste management, and energy use. “For instance, when it comes to air pollution, the print industry contributes by releasing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air from using solvents. In Canada, as an example of this, the print industry is one of the main (stationary) sources of volatile organic compound emissions! “All of this is basically a personal thing but it did make me think when we discussed leaving paper behind that this could actually be a good thing in more than the obvious ways. Of course the changes in how people consume “news” has changed dramatically in recent years and we needed to adapt to that, and now the technology is so freely available and easy enough for even muppets like me to use, why would we not make use of it? “But the “obvious ways”, for me, are that by going digital we can offer a magazine that’s free to read due to cutting out printing and shipping costs and, most importantly, we can react faster (i.e. immediately!) to incoming news via our website and associated social media platforms, plus our product can have a far wider, even global, reach! We can now talk to the airsoft community worldwide every day and have them talk back to us! “This could not be achieved with a paper product as the cost of shipping internationally is absolutely prohibitive and again has an “environmental footprint” implication! We need to balance this implication against what we do and if there is a better, cleaner, more environmentally friendly way of doing things that also happens to tie in

www.airsoftaction.net

AA SPECIAL REAPER OPS TV

with how readers will consume what we produce, than again that’s a “win-win-win”. “We have a fabulous group of contributors, the pool of which internationally is now above 40! Not all of these great airsofters contribute to every issue, but it just means we can always have news from experienced contributors for each and every issue, not just from the UK but from around the likes of the USA, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, The Netherlands, Sweden, Africa, Australia and New Zealand... “We just ran out first collaboration piece in Japanese, the article about the Airsoft Surgeon Championship that AA is also involved in and has actively championed, with a translation and even more pictures available via the website and this, I’m pleased to report, was massively popular. It shows absolutely the increased flexibility that being digital allows and we want to see more of this type of thing done in the future.” ROATV: “Has the lockdown made it harder for you because of the uncertainty of things or has it been a blessing in disguise, allowing you to catch up? I assume there is always more things happening than you can cram in.” AA: “To be completely blunt, my workload has actually increased dramatically since we went into lockdown! Prior to the lockdown we already had our new business model in place and, in fact, the physical move to digital has been the culmination of nigh on two years of planning. As you know, we released the first fully digital edition of Airsoft Action just prior to things kicking in and were planning a big website change to announce at IWA as part of the Airsoft Meetup that is held every year. “Nige and I had really just started ramping up the new format “live news” website when everything kicked off in earnest and I’ve been working super-hard on that. I mostly work from home as our main office is in Worcestershire and I’m based in Kent, so not much has changed for me! “It has, however, given us an opportunity to prove both to the player community and the manufacturers that we are able to not only sustain a viable product in the best of times but also in the most challenging of times! “Since the UK lockdown started we’ve continued to populate the new website, as well as producing the monthly “magazine” bang on schedule and the next online issue of Airsoft Action will upload on the 15th of May as usual. “I won’t say that we haven’t had to face some major challenges as, obviously, now the magazine is free to the reader and supported by the industry itself. The entire industry has taken a huge, major knock right now and so they’re suffering as much as anyone. However, we have some extremely strong industry partners who have continued to support us; these relationships are long-held

and based on mutual trust and appreciation and we’re incredibly thankful to all of them for helping us to move forwards, even in the hardest of times.” ROATV: “Is it important to pick a side and “banner wave” for brands you personally feel passionate about or do you have to remain impartial as a journalist?” AA: “Impartiality is the bedrock of great journalism for me and everyone else Airsoft Action! The door must ALWAYS be open for new innovation and new ideas and everyone should be able to access our “outlet” on a balanced and equal basis if they have a story to tell. “As I said before though, we do have some incredibly close and strong relationships with a number of brands and I won’t deny that but this is largely down to them being confident to work WITH us. Whilst I for one see little point in slating a particular product (when did that become worthwhile news???), I will always liaise with the manufacturing brand if they send me a right lemon! You could say that it’s sometimes what is NOT in Airsoft Action that tells a tale… “This process is one that few fully understand. I see somewhere upwards of six to ten “new” airsoft models a month, every month and have done for the past seven years or so, and that’s a LOT of AEGs and GBBs - you can work out the total for yourselves! That of course doesn’t take into account the models I might see when I visit a game, shop or show, so I am seeing and shooting well over a hundred AEGs and GBBs each and every year! “As I’ve been in the industry for a while I work directly with some manufacturers as they develop new products and let me tell you, I send back a lot of “concept” products back with “improvement notes” before they ever get to market! By the time they reach me for testing and evaluation there’s an entire process that has already been undertaken and even occasionally when I do get a bad one, I will usually speak with the manufacturer in question to try and rectify a problem. I will always say: “Sorry, not going to give a positive review on this because of X or Y, but if you fix the problem I will check this has been rectified on retesting and then provide the final review NOTING that you have made the change”. “I believe this is far more pertinent that simply saying “this is crap” and trying to big yourself up! Manufacturers are people and I deal with people as I would wish to be dealt with. This is also the overwhelming ethos of Airsoft Action… we deal with everyone as human beings… fairly and with respect! “Personally speaking, as a reviewer I can only comment on what is physically put in front of me, what I physically take to the range to shoot and these days the majority of things are good to go immediately. If what I test performs to the level I expect then that’s what I will say. Others may

“LIKE MANY OTHER SPORTS AND HOBBIES THAT INVOLVE SOCIAL INTERACTION, AIRSOFT HAS TAKEN A BIG KNOCK DURING THIS PANDEMIC BUT MY PERSONAL FEELING IS THAT WE WILL COME BACK JUST AS STRONG AS BEFORE - DIFFERENT SURE ENOUGH, BUT JUST AS STRONG!” 48

JUNE 2020

AA SPECIAL REAPER OPS TV

have different experiences with the same model and those experiences are totally valid, but if I test something (and I test everything using the exact same criteria) and it works well, then I’ll say so. If it’s poor in testing it will go back to the manufacturer with my testing notes politely saying: “Must try harder…”” ROATV: “How easy is it to balance between content and advertising goes and what readers want over the business/ publication needs?” AA: “When Nige started the magazine he stated that he wanted to maintain a strict minimum editorial to advertising ratio of not less than 60% editorial. We have both worked for publications in the past where “the advertising dollah” has been more important than giving readers value for money but, as airsofters ourselves, we passionately believe that our readers do not want to be bombarded with adverts, they want to read about airsoft! “However, we also appreciate that advertisers need to know their adverts are being seen by the maximum number of potential buyers and, as the magazine is now 100% supported by income from the industry itself, we will always try to ensure they are positioned in the most relevant place in the magazine, where they will gain the maximum exposure. With our recent move to digital-only and freeto-read, our readership has already grown massively and now with many more thousands of airsofters being able to get an instant response to adverts by simply tapping on them, our advertising partners benefit from a much larger potential customer base. “If by your question you mean “do [we] pander to our advertisers or give positive reviews where they are not justified because they pay us”, then I’d have to say that’s a categorical “NO!!!” We cover guns ‘n gear from those that pay for advertising and also from those who don’t if their guns ‘n gear are good! I’d also refer back here to that “developmental process”; by being involved in projects from concept inception onwards, something that is a fundamental part of a strong and trusting relationship, we know whether something is going to be good WAY before most people get to even hear about it.” ROATV: “Where would you like to see the industry go post lockdown? What do you think will change for the better or things you’d like to see disappear?” AA: “Bad “airsoft reporting” is most definitely one of the things I’d love to see disappear! Bad, lazy, and unprofessional reporting just makes it harder for those of us that try to do a good job - as we see all too often! We deal (in some cases) with companies and manufacturers that service both the police and military, the professional and not recreational users and a lack of respect from one individual or publication can see said company or manufacturer ceasing to deal with the airsoft community altogether! “One of the positive things that has been glaringly obvious to me during the global lockdown, is how the “interwebz” have actually become a much nicer place to be. Like you guys, I belong to a whole host of online airsoft groups and the tone of pretty much all of them has changed positively during the last few weeks. Players are

still talking, possibly even more regularly than ever but the tone is one of fellowship and understanding, of help and support, rather than the usual mire of negativity that we’ve come to expect in many groups! I hope this continues in the future! “For the industry itself, I believe that many manufacturers are currently taking stock and seeing where they can add value to existing products. I’ll take G&G as an example here, with their ETU program, where they’re adding value to existing products without increasing price at retail. I’d also come back to the development process as most manufacturers are working months, if not years, ahead. Okay, we’ve had a hiatus in those new developments and products hitting the market right now but once things free up a bit I believe there’s an awful lot of goodness coming our way! “From my perspective as a player? I know that games and events are already restarting around the world and we will see that happening here too. Site operators are talking together to see how they can effectively run games; will sites need to change their SOPs? Yes, I believe they will and those conversations are already taking place as to how best get games going again safely in line with recommended safety guidelines. Like many other sports and hobbies that involve social interaction, airsoft has taken a big knock during this pandemic but my personal feeling is that we will come back just as strong as before - different sure enough, but just as strong! “Bizarrely, Airsoft Action is in a far better position than I believe we’ve been in for a long time! We have a great digital product produced by committed and experienced airsofters, along with many, many new ways of bringing you the very latest news from the airsoft world. There will be more to come still, hopefully later in 2020 but given the current situation some of our plans may be a little delayed! “But come they will… and I don’t know about you but I’ve set up a couple of new AEGs and a GBBR whilst stuck at home that REALLY need to be shot!” Our sincere thanks go to the team at Reaper Ops TV; if you missed the broadcast you can find it on the Reaper Ops Airsoft Facebook page, on YouTube (https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=ADwyEtAytA4), or by listening in to the podcast at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/thereaper-ops-tv-podcast/

www.airsoftaction.net

COVERT BOOT

BLACK / BROWN / TITANIUM / SRP: Â£49.95

SPECIAL report AIRSOFT RESUMES IN CHINA

AIRSOFT RESUMES IN CHINA AS LOCKDOWN RESTRICTIONS ARE SLOWLY EASED AROUND THE WORLD, AIRSOFT ACTION “LEGIONNAIRE”, HANA XU, REPORTS FROM THE FIRST MILSIM EVENT AFTER LOCKDOWN ENDED WAS SUCCESSFULLY HELD IN CHINA.

hina had more than two months in lockdown at home because of COVID-19 and began to return to work in March and then gradually opened the restaurant, shops and all services, including Airsoft venues in April. In addition to booking their own games against Airsoft at the venue, players also successfully held a smallscale MilSim event at 24-25th April. “Spring Offensive” was local organized by Xinxiang · Three Seven Club and Zhengzhou · Blue Wargame Club and with the supported by Yulin Amy Tactical Team in Henan province (the central in China).

PRECAUTIONS FOR EVENT

Ensure environmental and regional health after Henan province had been effectively controlled. And players was spontaneously equipped with surgical masks or other masks.

EVENT BACKGROUND

A group of militants raided X Armoured Brigade armored ground, taking two armored vehicles and evacuate to the armed militants are deep in the mountains near the ground. After receiving the news of the armored vehicle being plundered, X Armoured Brigade quickly gathered personnel, formed a more attacking team, armed enemy positions on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other means of investigation, in determining the composition and distribution of the militants. Immediately organized attack team was made up of many different direction raids began to enemy fighters and began to do battle with the enemy fighters. Eventually, after an afternoon of heavy fighting, the armored vehicle was recaptured and the enemy militant leader was successfully targeted. The event adopts the coordination of armored vehicle and butan, providing transport and scene, which can be moved for players but without launch.

During the lockdown all players are looking forward to going out and play with our teammates, but it is still safety first in anytime. After our region or country makes effective progress and safe, you can start to enjoy our game in the near future. Stay safe and hope we can meet again soon. Many thanks to GunDream for the interview and photos.AA

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury

CYMA CYMA CM.096 PLATINUM

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

WHEN IS AN AR NOT AN AR? WHEN ITS AN AR/AK HYBRID OF COURSE! HAVING LOOKED CLOSELY AT THE SR-47 IN ISSUE 111, THIS MONTH BILL GETS HIS HANDS ON A MORE PRICE-FRIENDLY AEG ALTERNATIVE THAT’S APPEARED IN THE LATEST CYMA 09 SERIES - AND FINDS IT VERY MUCH TO HIS LIKING!

have to admit that (like many of you) I am fascinated by all aspects of firearms development and having spent some quality time now with the BOLT SR-47, I have to say that the familiar feel of the AR design but with AK magazines and loading/unloading drills has really endeared it to me. Although, in my opinion, the BOLT is a super AEG, the fact is that you’re going to need to drop iro £400 for the URX 3.1 version and I have found that it’s a little picky on what magazines it likes to devour. As regular readers will know though, I’ve been following the rollout of the latest CYMA 09 series of AEGs and been mightily impressed at what they offer for the money. I do honestly believe that this series offers tremendous value without any compromise in performance, and longer duration testing has proved to me that they are going to give continued great service as they bed in. I’m lucky enough to have a range, albeit only a 30m one, at home, so even during the lockdown period I have been able to continue testing. With a longer-term goal in mind, I’ve been testing a whole bunch of AEGs and GBBs during the last few weeks and I’m soon going to need to order another case of BBs! I’ll be feeding back my findings on all of them in the coming months, not simply as a review of a new gun (we can only report on how the gun is, and

performs, as new from the box in this format) but as a model that’s been used hard. Personally, I find this more valid and more useful to you as players that will want to use your chosen rifle, carbine, or pistol again and again! With that said, I’ve been blowing the heck out of the 097A and 098A (this has now been physically restricted to semi-only as a DMR) and both have had upwards of 15K BBs through them …and more in the case of the 097A! Both AEGs are operating and shooting just fine and, as the hops have now bedded, I’m more than happy with accuracy. I want to get the 098A onto a longer-distance range again to see what it’s “legs” are like now but that will still have to wait a while longer. So, with both of these models performing well there was one other model in the 09 series that I really wanted to try and that was the CM.096. CYMA already do a passable SR-47 replica, the 093, but what caught my eye in the new series was the 096 and this is because it replicates another A/AK hybrid, namely the CMMG Mk47 “Mutant”!

MUTATED TO PERFORM

Launched back in 2015, Central Missouri Machine Gun, or CMMG as we best know them, wanted to create a shooter’s rifle that took the best attributes of the AR

“I DO HONESTLY BELIEVE THAT THIS SERIES OFFERS TREMENDOUS VALUE WITHOUT ANY COMPROMISE IN PERFORMANCE, AND LONGER DURATION TESTING HAS PROVED TO ME THAT THEY ARE GOING TO GIVE CONTINUED GREAT SERVICE AS THEY BED IN.” 52

JUNE 2020

armoury CYMA CM.096 PLATINUM

“WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK AT THE “MUTANT”, OR MK47, YOU MIGHT BE RIGHTLY MISTAKEN THAT IT’S JUST ANOTHER AR; THE RAILED UPPER RECEIVER, BUFFER TUBE, CHARGING HANDLE, FIRE SELECTOR, STOCK, PISTOL GRIP AND RAIL SCREAM OUT “.308 AR”…” platform and married those up seamlessly with the utility and proven effectiveness of the 7.62x39mm AK cartridge. In the words of CMMG Production Manager Tyson Bradshaw at the time: “(We wanted) consumers to have a reliable, USmade rifle that could properly handle the dimensions of the 7.62x39 mm cartridge. To do this properly, it required CMMG to build the rifle around the caliber. Using AK

magazines was an easy decision to make, because they are known to be some of the most reliable magazines available that work properly with the tapered cartridge” CMMG decided to call their hybrid “The Mutant” and whilst this description may fill your head with thoughts of malformed and mismatched horrors from the void, what they did was to create a rifle where each part was carefully selected to provide the standards of performance that modern shooters expect. When you first look at the “Mutant”, or Mk47, you might be rightly mistaken that it’s just another AR; the railed upper receiver, buffer tube, charging handle, fire selector, stock, pistol grip and rail scream out “.308 AR” but the lower - and especially the flattened-out “industrial style” magwell with a paddle magazine release - begins to tell quite another story! Of course, when you seat that big old AK “banana mag” into the magwell all becomes clear. The CMMG receivers for the Mk47, uppers, and lowers are actually a hybrid AR platform though and they are not compatible with standard AR-15 or .308 WIN platforms.

The original Mutant shipped from CMMG with a single Magpul AK-type 30-round P-Mag. Externally it featured the CMMG RKM KeyMod front rail, with an upper and lower receiver manufactured from 7075-T6 billet aluminium. Now referred to as the RESOLUTE 100, 200 and 300 by CMMG, the MK47 lineup is engineered without any compromise on quality. The “basic” RESOLUTE 100 rifle comes with a 16-inch barrel and is designed for balance, accuracy and manoeuvrability. The latest models feature a CMMG A2 Muzzle Comp, Billet 7075-T6 AL Mid-Size upper, Billet 7075-T6 AL Lower, and an RML15 M-LOK rail. You also get (as standard) an A2 style pistol grip and “LE” style six position stock. The RESOLUTE has a Hard Coat Anodized finish for the receivers and rail. CMMG also offer a “Mk47” in their dedicated SBR/AR Pistol range these days in the form of the “BANSHEE 300”, which benefits from all the plus-points of the full-length rifles whilst cutting down barrel length and

featuring the RML6 M-LOK rail. This is a super-neat package but frankly must be a real handful to use, just like the short AKSU variants! Although Mk47s ship from CMMG with that single Magpul P-Mag , they state that the rifle should also work with any standard AK magazine and of course good quality AK magazines, both new and surplus, are easily found these days.

ELECTRIFIED!

So, this is quite the story as far as I’m concerned… A rifle that has moved on from the original and incredibly rare “military” KAC hybrid, to something that is a bit more mainstream “shooter and looter” and is available for sale in the USA right now! If you want something that, like the real deal, has all the modern ergonomics and familiar control functions of an AR but is a bit different, then you’re www.airsoftaction.net

Airsoft & MilSim News Blog @AMNBOï¬&#x192;cial Airsoft & MilSim News Blog @airsoftmilsimnewsblog

& AWARD WINNER

WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM

armoury CYMA CM.096 PLATINUM

going to like the CYMA CM.096 …a lot! As part of the CYMA “Platinum” series, these AEGs are produced to a different specification from some of their cheaper models, with the receivers, stock tube, outer barrel, fire selector, magazine release, trigger, charging handle and the front and rear sight all manufactured in top-grade alloy. Each model also has a unique serial number. What you get with the 096 is a rifle-length AEG with

the “correct” 16-inch external barrel (with a precision 6.03mm inner barrel), 14.5-inch M-LOK rail, A3 flat top upper receiver and a dedicated lower receiver that will accommodate most AK magazines and even drums! From the box you also get a polymer 6-position sliding stock with easy battery compartment access, an ergonomic polymer pistol grip, folding sight set, the new CYMA three-prong

on the outside, as you get a reinforced dedicated gearbox frame with quick spring change system, processor unit with built-in MOSFET, a steel tooth polycarbonate piston, CNC machined steel gear set (ratio: 13:1), CNC machined aluminium silent cylinder and piston head set, and 8mm bearings. There is also a high-speed motor as standard to rock things along nicely! Weighing in at 2990g and at 865mm long (950 mm with the stock at full extension), the 096 feels great and shoulders well; it’s an AEG you could carry all day long and over the last month I have really warmed to it! I’ve found that, unlike some AEG “hybrids”, the 096 will happily work with every single brand of AK magazine I have in the armoury, which of course was part of the “design brief” for the real thing! As per my request, the 096 I received from Taiwangun had been set to 1.13 Joule/350fps on a .20g BB at source and this remained pretty constant through the chrono. As I’m a “midcap player” I was delighted with the polymer 160BB model as standard and this fed flawlessly throughout testing. In terms of hitting the target at 30m, this was not a problem and once the hop settled in POA/ POI were pretty darn spot on! Like the 097 and 098 I’m certain this will improve further once the 096 has had time to fully bed in fully. So, another winner from CYMA/Taiwangun? Yup, I’d say so and with a price of just over £200 at the time of writing this review, as far as AR/AK hybrids go this is a real bargain! As usual, time will tell if the initial performance continues as it should but if the other 09 series AEGs are anything to go by, then the 096 should steam along nicely and will be another superb, yet relatively inexpensive AEG to buy and own. As Taiwangun have kindly agreed to allow us to place these new models into the “Airsoft Action Long Term Test Pool” once I can get back on the range more often I’ll start to run all the models through some extended “torture testing! And report back in full. For now though, if you do fancy something different from the average AR, something a bit “Red Cell”, then the CYMA CM.096 Platinum AEG could be the very thing you’ve been searching for and you can check it out by visiting www.taiwangun.com. AA

flash-hider (which looks uncannily like the new SIG model!) with a 14mm CCW thread, an ambidextrous sling plate, and a great-looking, almost “casket-style”, 160BB polymer magazine. The 096 comes in the new CYMA E-EDITION & HIGHSPEED configuration and, as standard, has a velocity of around 1.48 Joule/400fps on a .20g BB which, in combination with a LiPo battery, gives a ROF around 25rps and a super trigger response. Internally things are as tidy as

“IF YOU WANT SOMETHING THAT, LIKE THE REAL DEAL, HAS ALL THE MODERN ERGONOMICS AND FAMILIAR CONTROL FUNCTIONS OF AN AR BUT IS A BIT DIFFERENT, THEN YOU’RE GOING TO LIKE THE CYMA CM.096 …A LOT!”

www.airsoftaction.net

WORKSHOP BASIC MAINTENANCE - PART TWO

LOCKDOWN AIRSOFT MAINTENANCE FRENCHIE HAS BEEN MAINTAINING KIT FOR LONGER THEN WE DARE MENTION AND CONTINUES HIS NEW SERIES WITH A LOOK AT GBB MAINTENANCE.

s promised, this month I’ll turn my attention to Gas Blowback (GBB) maintenance. Now, there is a real danger that I’m teaching my granny to suck eggs here, as people with GBBs who don’t perform regular maintenance are called “players without guns”! Some GBBs are pretty tolerant of careless use but the majority aren’t, so ignore this at your peril. I will also confess that I am no wizard when it comes to GBBs - I’ve always been far more comfortable with AEGs and spring guns, however, I have worked on gas guns for decades and it’s always a delight when they respond as I hoped they would! In part this is because I prefer either electric pistols or a shotgun as a secondary – and from that statement you may fairly deduce I prize function over the “boom factor”! I know AEPs (Automatic Electric Pistols) are rightly the butt of many jokes and scathing remarks but they work, and if you invest in a Marui, they work really well. That, however, is a subject for another day. Back to gas guns. Personally, the greatest appeal of GBBs for me has always been their proximity to the workings of real guns - only the motive power, compressed gas rather than a chemical explosion, really differentiates them. It follows that maintaining them is far closer to maintaining a real firearm than say, an AEG. Fundamentally that comes down to cleaning and lubrication, with a few extra annoyances in the form of

seals and nozzles thrown in for good measure.

KEEP IT CLEAN!

First and foremost therefore, keep your GBB clean. Like real firearms there is a potential for dirt or other foreign bodies to enter the action and stop them working. Bolts and slides have to move and in doing so, they expose the inner workings in a way that electric guns seldom do. Fortunately, most gas guns disassemble in a manner that closely replicates the firearm they are based on, so if you’re unsure, refer either to the user manual or check YouTube - someone has almost certainly posted a video of how to take your particular gun apart. Let’s be clear what I mean by “disassembly”; in the real world it would be referred to as “field stripping”, the level of disassembly required to perform basic maintenance. On a typical pistol that will involve removing the magazine and the slide

“THE ONE ABSOLUTE RULE IS NEVER USE MINERAL-BASED LUBRICANTS. SO NO “THREE-IN-ONE” OIL, NO “WD40”. THAT APPLIES TO ALL AIRSOFT GUNS AS MINERALBASED LUBRICANTS CAN (AND OFTEN WILL) DAMAGE THE SEALS ALL GUNS REQUIRE FOR EFFICIENT OPERATION.” 56

JUNE 2020

WORKSHOP BASIC MAINTENANCE - PART TWO

and extracting the barrel and recoil spring(s). That leaves you with all the principle components free for inspection, cleaning and lubrication. Going beyond that is the remit of the tech or the keen. Unless there is a problem, there is seldom a need to strip down the hammer and trigger group, although some pistols do make that relatively easy. Once apart, clean the components. That may just be a wipe down with a clean J-cloth (dead handy things) or a bit of a work over with an old toothbrush. Remove any bits of forest you may have acquired during your last outing. Don’t forget to clean the barrel. Inspect the parts for wear or breakages. Generally, wear should be superficial - finish becoming worn due to friction but as steel is little used and light alloys abound, it’s worth making sure that nothing is worn and shiny that shouldn’t be. Clean off existing lubricant from the slide and frame and wipe down the hammer group as far as possible. This is where that toothbrush can come in handy.

KEEP IT MOIST!

We now come to the bit where those who encountered me in a past life might start shouting at their screens – lubrication! I used to be very dogmatic about this, but age and experience have softened my attitudes somewhat. The one absolute rule is never use mineral-based lubricants. So no “Three-In-One” oil, no “WD40”. That applies to all airsoft guns as mineral-based lubricants can (and often will) damage the seals all guns require for efficient operation. Beyond that, as I said, I’m a lot less strict. Silicon oil and grease are probably your friends here. The oil can be used sparingly around gas nozzles, trigger groups and the grease can be used on slide rails. I used to decry the use of any silicon product from metal-to-metal surfaces but a couple of things changed my mind: I could never find any literature which said that silicon based lubricants couldn’t be used

for that purpose and secondly, if you are looking after your guns on a regular basis the lubricant isn’t going to be there for long, as you’ll clean and replace it. It is arguable that even with heavy use, by airsoft standards, silicon grease is more than robust enough to handle the task. You would never use it on the gears in an AEG, but few of us use our gas guns to anything like the extent we cane our electrics. If you want to use what the suppliers recommend for metal to metal, Abbey’s LT2 grease is ideal, although it is mucky, stringy stuff. They recommend it for all metal to metal contact and far be it from me to argue with them, but meh. I would, however, concur with Abbey where GBB rifles are concerned, as they are moving much larger and heavier chunks of metal around and will benefit from a more robust lubricant between those parts. Key to all of this is the word “sparingly”. Once you have bought your various lubricants, they should all last you a long time. There is a phenomenon I have encountered occasionally in airsoft which I can best describe as “squaddie lubrication”, which involves putting as much lube on a gun as possible. Oddly this doesn’t really help and I have seen Marui HiCapas reduced to useless lumps as they fail to overcome a surfeit of love. You just need a little! Abbey describes applying LT2 to the slide rails as “polishing”. That’s very good advice. Magazines, assuming they aren’t leaking, need a little silicon oil applied to the filler port, the release button (the bit struck by the hammer) and the gas router on top of the magazine. If you are stripping your magazine, I would personally use silicon grease on the internal seals to keep them healthy. Beyond that the usual rules about keeping your guns clean and corrosion free apply, although they are more relevant to gas guns because of the nature of the moving parts. Too little cleaning and too much lubrication generally spells trouble for gas guns as does a lack of maintenance. In the UK, with our unpredictable weather and less than encouraging temperatures, gas guns have their work cut out. A bit of time and care on your part can ensure that they at least have a decent chance of performing as you want them to. AA

“FIRST AND FOREMOST THEREFORE, KEEP YOUR GBB CLEAN. LIKE REAL FIREARMS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR DIRT OR OTHER FOREIGN BODIES TO ENTER THE ACTION AND STOP THEM WORKING.” www.airsoftaction.net

last post AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN

AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN WITH THE COUNTRY STILL (MOSTLY) “CONFINED TO QUARTERS”, FRENCHIE POSES A SIMPLE QUESTION: “WHEN THE COUNTRY IS IN LOCKDOWN, WHERE DO YOU PLAY AIRSOFT?”

ell, that’s a good question and one to which the answer should be obvious – your living room perhaps? Clear the bathroom! Attack the attic! Where you won’t be playing is on an airsoft site!! As I suggested a couple of issues ago, like all non-essential activities, sites have shut down for the duration as they represent a risk to life – I never thought I would write that line about airsoft. It would seem, however, that this is insufficient reason for some people. Scott Allan of Land Warrior recently posted a pugnacious video on Facebook concerning the decision by a small number of players to take it upon themselves to make use of his site while it was shut! I absolutely share Scott’s frustration and anger; I mean, where to start? How about breaking the law that bans the meeting of more than two people – there were four of them. Now there is no law regarding trespass in Scotland, although there are other laws that deal with criminal damage etc. However, poncing about during a lockdown with replica guns might possibly get the attention of Police Scotland …were they not busy analysing Strava feeds! (Google it. Ed.) The antics of these knuckle-dragging simians did, however, come to the attention of the landowner, who contacted Scott. Like most sites, the land the site operates on is rented and like most landlords, if the tenant becomes more of a hassle than the rent justifies, they can, and will, divest themselves of said tenant. While this isn’t the case with Airsoft Edinburgh as best I know, it’s always good to stay on the right side of the landowner. Airsoft Edinburgh have had to deal with this sort of behaviour before but never when it could be a matter of life and death. I don’t know who the four idiots were, it

is possible that they are all members of the same family, all live together and therefore do not pose an immediate infection risk to each other, however, you have to look at the bigger picture. They were willing to make use of land that didn’t belong to them. They did so during a period when emergency powers are in place to prevent the spread of a virus for which there is no vaccine and no obvious cure. A virus whose spread is encouraged by close physical proximity, like for instance 4 amoebas sharing a car to visit a closed airsoft site, to which they have no right of access during a pandemic. What we are looking at here is a pattern of behaviour which wouldn’t particularly trouble Sherlock Holmes, or Poirot. “Ah, my dear Watson, it is entirely obvious! These people are utter [expletive deleted] idiots!” Thanks to the site security the individuals were identified, promptly banned from Airsoft Edinburgh and their details circulated to all UK sites. Good luck getting another game guys… But really… WTF?! A good friend of mine, someone I used to work with and who I met through airsoft, has recently been in hospital with Covid-19 and I won’t lie, I genuinely feared I might be writing another airsofter’s eulogy. Fortunately, he’s on the mend but with in excess of 20,000 deaths at the time of writing, it should be really obvious that this is not a disease to mess with. But it’s not just that. It’s a complete lack of respect for those who make their living from airsoft. It’s the complete lack of understanding about how airsoft works, how sites are started, built and maintained. It’s the arrogant assumption that you’re entitled to do what you want – at any time, never mind right now and the erroneous belief that you won’t get caught.

“AT A TIME WHEN WE ON THIS SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC ARE WATCHING ARMED AMERICANS LAY CLAIM TO ALL THE AVAILABLE DARWIN AWARDS BY PROTESTING FOR THE END OF LOCKDOWN WHEN THEIR STATES ARE STILL RIVEN WITH COVID-19, IT’S NOT DIFFICULT TO FIND EXAMPLES OF TRULY WORLD-CLASS STUPID.” 58

JUNE 2020

LAST POST AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN

Airsoft & MilSim News Blog

At a time when we on this side of the Atlantic are every bit as keen to see some kind of return to normality. watching armed Americans lay claim to all the available For some the current situation is a genuinely existential @AMNBOﬃcial Darwin Awards by protesting for the end of lockdown threat. Fortunately, most couriers seem to be operating when their states are still riven with Covid-19, it’s not and therefore goods can be ordered online and delivered. difficult to find examples of truly world-class stupid. Of course, consumables beingNews used Blog as no one is Airsoft aren’t & MilSim In comparison to those gun-toting but mask-averse playing at present, so I suspect pickings are a bit thin at neanderthals, our four anti-heroes are very small beer, present. @airsoftmilsimnewsblog but it’s clear that stupid knows neither borders nor On the other hand, your patience means that you will boundaries. be able to play again, unlike those damned fools who just The simple truth is, unless you are lucky enough to couldn’t wait and may well find every site now closed to own land, or live on a farm and your family are all into them. I doubt they will be missed and they could always airsoft, you’re probably scunnered for a while to come take up knitting or pebble-counting instead of airsoft. yet. If you have a garage that isn’t filled with 20 years of Have fun with that! assorted junk, you could set up a target range and take To the rest of you, be sensible, be patient and most your lockdown angst out on paper targets – you’ll find importantly, stay safe. While the numbers favour you loads online you can print off. I kinda’ wish my garage remaining safe and healthy, this is not an illness to be wasn’t full of Trabant at the moment… messed with for laughs. AA The simple and obvious truth is, as far as playing airsofting is concerned, you can’t! There is much we cannot do at present, most of it for good reason. These are times the likes of which even those of us who have AWARD WINNER passed the first flush of youth (and the second..) have never seen before and we just have to cope with them until circumstances change. Change they will, this will not last forever although we have no idea what the post Covid-19 world will look like until we have either a reliable cure or an effective vaccine.WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM You can rest assured that those whose livelihoods rely on airsoft, the retailers and the site operators, are

If you have any old kit or gear tucked away in a cupboard, garage or shed that you have thought about sticking on eBay, or a forum to get rid of it, then why not donate it to the Pilgrim Bandits instead and Tez will make sure any money raised from its sale will go towards helping even more people – and you can be sure of the undying gratitude and thanks of those who it helps to live again. Please contact Tez on either his mobile: 07748 800 981 or email: terry.arnett@pilgrimbandits.org

www.airsoftaction.net

TAP IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION

Airsoft Action - June 2020

Articles inside

LAST POST: AIRSOFT IN LOCKDOWN

WORKSHOP: LD MAINTENANCE PT2

EVENT: POST-LOCKDOWN MILSIM

ARMOURY: CYMA 096 PLATINUM

THE CAGE: BELT UP

SPEICAL FEATURE: REAPER OPS TV

ARMOURY: SA-E21 PDW

ARMOURY: ICS GARAND

SPECIAL FEATURE: CAPTAIN TOM

KIT & GEAR: BLACK CAM

ACTION AIR: THE FRESH PRINCE

ARMOURY: G&G PIRANHA