Airsoft Action - July 2020 by Airsoft Action

JULY 2020 - FREE

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

Tap images for more information.

JULY 2020 - FREE

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ARMOURY: ICS CES-P + CXP

FEATURE: AIRSOFT IN JAPAN

ARMOURY: DOUBLE EAGLE AR

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

34 49

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.

KIT & GEAR: HELIKON-TEX FIND US ON… facebook.com/AirsoftAction

Search ‘Airsoft Action’

THE CAGE: 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.

KIT & GEAR: WAS LPC V2

VORSK DIARY: VX-9 UPDATE

CON ONT TEN ENTS TS 8 ARMOURY: ICS CES-P + CXP AEGs with a short overall length are ideal for the numerous CQB/CQC sites that have started up in recent years and this month Bill delves into a question that’s as valid in the “BB World” as it is in the real one, by looking at two of the latest releases from industry veteran ICS that show changing directions and new innovations. 14 ARMOURY: KING ARMS M1 CARBINE It seems that Lez Lee had been waiting ages but finally he managed to get his hands on one of these bad boys... but was it worth the wait? 18 FEATURE: AIRSOFT IN JAPAN The Airsoft Action Legion continues to grow, bringing in stories from around the world and so illustrate what a truly global airsoft community we really have. For this issue we are joined for the first time by Rai to bring us his “airsoft overview” direct from Japan, the “cultural home of airsoft”! 22 ARMOURY: DOUBLE EAGLE M904A When buying an AEG, players can expect a LOT for their money when it comes to the technicality and function of internal components and operating systems, with ETUs, MOSFETS, and FCUs now the norm for many manufacturers. Bill has found a little gem from unexpected quarters that offers cool performance at a cool price! 28 ACTION AIR: THE FRESH PRINCE… Airsoft Action’s “Man in Taiwan”, Stewbacca, continues his journey into Taiwanese Action Air. 32 FEATURE: LOCKDOWN WOES Frenchie gets to grips with writing about airsoft during the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown and finds inspiration from the most unlikely quarter… 34 KIT & GEAR: HELIKON-TEX UPDATE At SHOT in January, Bill got together with the folks from Helikon-Tex to check out their newest gear. International readers may already be familiar with the name and this Polish manufacturer of tactical gear and clothing has become a great partner for Airsoft Action - a relationship that continues to grow! Bill has been checking out their latest garments and designs. 38 WORKSHOP: F2000 MODS With young whippersnappers in his armoury outperforming the venerable F2000 as standard, Steve T sent his Tactical Tuna off for a thorough fettling to see what could be done to put it back on top.

Contents JULY 2020

JULY 2020

44 KIT & GEAR: WA03 TRACER ADAPTOR Phil B puts a 3D printed tracer adaptor, created by a fellow AA Contributor during lockdown, through its paces. 46 ARMOURY: AA R501 Some airsoft loadout ideas go on for years until the right elements can be assembled and Bill is finally drawing close to completing a “pet project” he’s been working on for a while. In the process he discovers a new modern pistol design from Army Armament that has really got his attention! 49 THE CAGE: AIRSOFT COMMS Once again Bill has drawn together the AA Team to look at a specific question regarding airsoft gear to find out their thoughts on what’s best, how they use it, and why? This time he turns attention to “Comms in Airsoft”. 53 FEATURE: THIS IS MY M4 After years of making minor modifications to RIFs with varying degrees of success, Steve T goes all-in on his MWS to find out just what an inept home tech can achieve. This month: trigger guard, charging handle and mag skins. 55 FEATURE: LOOKING FORWARD As light begins to glimmer at the end of the “Lockdown Tunnel” Bill is looking forward not only to the possibility of some summer games but also to re-engaging with his friends and fellow players at his local airsoft shop. This month he turns his attention to the importance of “that little airsoft store” that can form the hub of our local community. 57 KIT & GEAR: WAS LPC V2 Phil B has been a huge fan of WAS gear for many years and here he takes a look at their Low Profile Carrier, in V2 form. 59 VORSK DIARY: VX-9 UPDATE For this month’s VORSK DIARY I was going to talk about my experience to date with the EU-18 model I’ve been “torture testing” - but something far more exciting has happened - the arrival of the long-awaited and much-anticipated AGENCY VX-9! 60 LAST POST: HOW TO GET IT WRONG Never one to shy away from “hot topics”, Frenchie writes about the recent announcement and subsequent retraction made by one of the UK’s top airsoft sites, which proves even the best get it wrong sometimes!

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

armoury ICS CES-P MP-5 + CXP-MARS PDW9

SMG OR PDW? THE FUTURE OF AIRSOFT “9MM”...

AEGS WITH A SHORT OVERALL LENGTH ARE IDEAL FOR THE NUMEROUS CQB/CQC SITES THAT HAVE STARTED UP IN RECENT YEARS AND THIS MONTH BILL DELVES INTO A QUESTION THAT’S AS VALID IN THE “BB WORLD” AS IT IS IN THE REAL ONE, BY LOOKING AT TWO OF THE LATEST RELEASES FROM INDUSTRY VETERAN ICS THAT SHOW CHANGING DIRECTIONS AND NEW INNOVATIONS.

he SMG is dead, long live the PDW! That is probably with them has been extremely positive, so my expectations a contentious way to start a review of two new AEGs of what they produce these days is very high indeed. but when I received the latest models from ICS to ICS have always produced great-looking AEGs, both get on the range and put through their paces, it got me historical models that offer great accuracy in their to thinking… Just how valid is a traditional pistol-calibre replication but, more lately, some super rifles and carbines sub-machine gun these days when you can have a PDW of their own design that have added some real flair to the (Personal Defence Weapon) or product line overall. If you want SBR (short-barrelled rifle) not a specific model for MilSim or only in the same calibre, but in a “historic airsoft” then ICS can carbine/rifle calibre too! probably provide that for you, but To get the ball rolling, let me if you fancy something thoroughly “FIRST OFF THOUGH, BEFORE first look at the two excellent modern then they can definitely I GET INTO THE NEW AEGS models that I was sent to test and do that! Add to this that ICS THEMSELVES, LET ME LOOK evaluate; namely the new CES-P AEGs have always been insanely BACK AT MY ORIGINAL QUESTION easy to work on thanks to that MP-5 model and the CXP-MARS PDW9, both of which were due original split-gearbox design AND PUT IT IN EVEN CLEARER to launch at IWA earlier this and you have the ingredients for TERMS… WITH THE RISE OF THE success right there! year. Of course, IWA 2020 never PDW AND SBR IS THE TIME OF happened, so many of the models And with the two models we were due to see for the first under the spotlight here this is THE SMG DONE AND OVER?” time there have come onto the shown in spades, with a classic market with little fanfare, which SMG originating in the 1960s and is a great shame. a completely modern PDW that However, now they are could have been posted on an AR beginning to feed into the market I spoke to my old mate manufacturer’s website yesterday! Frank at Fire Support and, in direct collaboration with ICS First off though, before I get into the new AEGs themselves, I was soon able to acquire one of each of the themselves, let me look back at my original question and new models to have a look at and run through their paces put it in even clearer terms… With the rise of the PDW and on the range. I’ve used ICS AEGs pretty much from the time SBR is the time of the SMG done and over? the company came into being and, largely, my experience 8

JULY 2020

armoury ICS CES-P MP-5 + CXP-MARS PDW9

THE CHANGING FACE OF 9MM PLATFORMS

I would argue that the very first of what we would refer to as the “modern military SMG” was the MP 18 manufactured by Theodor Bergmann Abteilung Waffenbau, which was brought into service in 1918 by the German Army during World War I as the primary weapon of the “Sturmtruppen”, the specialised German WWI trench assault groups. Up until then, infantry combat was traditionally “ranged” and the bolt-action rifle was the king of the battlefield but the bloody and gruesome, often hand to hand combat seen within the close-confines of trench systems, called for something smaller and with a higher rate of fire… the term “trench broom” which referred to shotguns, fully-automatic carbines and eventually the Bergmann SMG was coined for a reason! WWII saw most armies still largely armed with those bolt-action rifles and the .303 SMLE did sterling service against the venerable 7.92×57mm Kar98k but the with the “Blitzkrieg” came a new, fast-moving type of land warfare fought from the backs of vehicles that required more easily carried, fast-firing sub-machine guns with effective riflemen and LMG gunners in support. Far from the days of the “Sturmtruppen” being over when trench warfare ceased to be the norm, the soldiers of a new war were confronted with fighting in towns and cities and the “weapons mix” was chosen accordingly. WWII was surely the “War of the SMG” and whilst the Germans were again at the forefront with the excellent MP38/MP40, the Allied forces soon followed with the likes of the Thompson, the STEN, the Owen Gun and PPSh-41 and, of course, the M3A1 “Grease Gun”. Even during the Cold War years the “battle rifle” still ruled the roost with the likes of the FN FAL, L1A1 SLR, G3, M14 and of course the AK47/AKM and the submachine gun largely fulfilled the role of “Individual Defence Weapon”, or IDW, for the likes of signallers, engineers, drivers and support personnel. Whilst, for instance, the British had the Sterling and the M3 was still seen in the hands of some American rear echelon personnel, once again the Germans went their own way with the MP5. During the early to mid-1960s it became apparent to security forces worldwide that the rise in terrorist atrocities was a trend that they had to counter and for this reason many police and military units started the hunt for a lightweight, accurate, pistol calibre sub-machine gun. The Germans had a bit of a history with SMGs and “machine pistols” and two companies, Carl Walther Waffenfabrik in Ulm-an-Donau and Heckler and Koch (H&K) GmBH in Obendorf-am-Necker, were at the forefront of the development process. H&K looked at the successful G3 rifle designs and then adapted things so as to make use of the 9×19mm Parabellum pistol cartridge. The MP5 was created within this group of firearms and was initially known as the HK54. First created in 1964, the H&K MP5 was developed as a pistol-calibre, blowback operated, roller-locked member of the H&K weapons system and, in 1966, it was officially adopted by the German Federal Police, border guard and

army special forces. Still regarded of as one of the most reliable and effective submachine guns in the world after more than fifty years, has seen the MP5 become the choice of the worlds’ most famous elite anti-terrorist, special operations and special law enforcement organisations. While more modern submachine guns have been designed since the introduction of the MP5 it is still the user’s choice when lives are at stake. But times they continue to be a’changin’ and whilst the SMG world has largely cooled, the development of IDW/PDW platforms has grown hotter and hotter! The terminology began to change and in the 1990’s the term “PDW” began to crop up more and more when it came to fully-automatic small calibre firearms, then, in 1991, the FN P90 appeared, featuring an unusual design with a futuristic appearance. A simple blow-back automatic weapon, it was designed to fire the FN 5.7×28mm cartridge which could penetrate soft body armour and was designed to have a length no greater than a man’s shoulder width, to allow it to be easily carried and manoeuvred in tight spaces, such as the inside of a vehicle. Form a firearms historian’s perspective, a few years later Parker-Hale unveiled an interesting and dedicated personal defence weapon in 1999. The Parker-Hale PDW (a reworking of the Bushman Ltd IDW) was designed as a multi-purpose weapon that could take on a number of roles. Primarily it was designed as a super-compact submachine gun but it could also be used as a handgun, a marksman weapon or a light support weapon. It was

very much intended to be the ultimate “SF” weapon. It was tested by the British Army and Special Forces, and again showed signs of promise but Parker Hale hit financial trouble and was bought out, ceasing all firearms

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury ICS CES-P MP-5 + CXP-MARS PDW9

manufacture; sadly all work on the PDW was brought to an indefinite standstill and never resumed. In 2001, the Heckler & Koch MP7 was introduced as a direct rival to the FN P90 and this has gone on to become another iconic firearm. Featuring a more conventional-looking design, the MP7 uses a short stroke piston gas system as used on H&K’s G36 and HK416 assault rifles, in place of a blowback system traditionally seen on sub-machine guns. The MP7 is able to use 20, 30 and 40 round magazines and fires 4.6×30mm ammunition which again can penetrate soft body armour. Due to the heavy use of polymers in its construction, the MP7 is much lighter than older SMG designs, weighing only 1.2 kg (2.65 lb) with an empty 20 round magazine. Though personal defence weapons have not proved to be drastically different from the “old skool SMG” in terms of their use, they have been acquired by many special forces and law enforcement groups as direct replacements for older models due to their ability to counter threats using body armour. However, this is far from the end of the “PDW Story” as the AR-derived Pistol Calibre Carbine or PCC has become the civilian firearm-owner’s friend!! In reality the short, even 9mm, AR is nothing new though! If you want to look at this in a timeline you could well start with the Colt Model 607/607A in around 1965 (although some may argue the CAR-15 “Tanker” model predates even this!), with its short overall length and nifty two-position sliding stock. Admittedly, this was chambered in 5.56mm and it would still take a while before 9mm entered the scene using an “AR” main platform. In fact, it was around 1982 that the Colt 9mm SMG (also known as Colt Model 635) entered service with the DEA in 9×19mm Parabellum. The 635 featured a Safe/Semi/Full Auto selective fire trigger group and the 639 featured a Safe/ Semi/3-round Burst selective fire trigger group. Both came with a 10.5 inch barrel, although the Model 633 was a modified compact version with a 7 inch barrel, hydraulic buffer and simplified front sight post. The most common model though was the 635, which was simply marked “SMG 9mm NATO”. However, the modern civilian AR PCC platform is

now acknowledged as one of the most versatile platforms available, with many “off the shelf” models from the likes of Wilson Combat, SIG SAUER, CMMG, and JP Enterprises to name just a few! The AR’s ability to be configured in countless ways has made it incredibly versatile from the get go, and this includes the ability to be chambered in a variety of cartridges, from the military 5.56mm through .308, .456 SOCOM, and various 6.8mm variants. It did take a while to catch on but eventually the 9mm AR concept spread like wildfire! Pistol calibre carbines have jumped in popularity in recent years, with the dominant chambering being 9mm. The major benefit (other than price for rounds expended in training!) of having a carbine that uses pistol ammunition is the ability to share ammo and even magazines with a handgun, which makes a great choice for civilian ownership and home defence as it gives commonality to your ammo requirement. It is also much easier to achieve higher levels of accuracy with a “long” when compared to a “short” and carbines provide a greater sight radius and a more stable platform when using iron sights. Of course, you can put an optic and bigger taclite on a carbine too, which works to provide a small-sized, easily manipulated platform capable of putting a lot of rounds into tight groups when shooting at speed. Combine all of this with low recoil, ease of operation and ability to fire quickly and a pistol calibre carbine makes a formidable weapon to protect your home. Again, from a “gun bunny” perspective another big bonus is the 9mm’s ability to be effectively suppressed!

DIFFERENT FLAVOURS, SAME END RESULT!

And it seems to me like ICS have looked in and taken all that history and indeed all the latest firearms trends on board, to add extra depth to their range of AEGs! Looking at that legendary MP5, the new CES-P completely mirrors the real steel version, using the bestquality steel and following the real-world production SPCC Weld Processed Steel Stamping method. In addition, the new CES-P model benefits from a steel retractable stock and solid ABS plastic lower receiver and foregrip. Inside you’ll find a whole host of new goodies, including the SSS V2 Electronic Trigger System with short-stroke trigger that is combined with a 3 round burst mode, ICS’s exclusive

“…THE MODERN CIVILIAN AR PCC PLATFORM IS NOW ACKNOWLEDGED AS ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE PLATFORMS AVAILABLE, WITH MANY “OFF THE SHELF” MODELS FROM THE LIKES OF WILSON COMBAT, SIG SAUER, CMMG, AND JP ENTERPRISES TO NAME JUST A FEW!” 12

JULY 2020

armoury ICS CES-P MP-5 + CXP-MARS PDW9

8mm bushing split gearbox with MIM (Metal Injection Moulding) pinion and bevel gears for both, one-piece metal hop unit, a dual Mosfet system (power and monitor functions protect the system and prevents automatic firing due to a short circuit), a self-diagnosis function (LEDs display the status of your AEG), and a low voltage indicator with protection cut-off. The Unique SSS V2 Trigger system is specially developed for the CES-P with individual firing modes. It is able to change the four firing modes between Safe - Semi3rd Burst, and full auto easily through the fire selector controlled by a micro-chip in the trigger system. Moreover, the combination of the pre-setting function and the short pull trigger means that the rate of fire is effectively increased. Thanks to the dual Mosfet design, the full battery voltage is fed directly to the motor which enables it to deliver full power and ensures a much faster response. Furthermore, 11.1V LiPos can be used safely as the system protects against overturning the gearbox; even with a 7.4V LiPo, the firing cycle is completed, even if the trigger is no longer engaged. The CXP-MARS PDW9 is one of the highlights from ICS for 2020. Featuring an integrated metal upper receiver and lightweight M-LOK 6.5” handguard, flip-up sights come as standard and there’s a really cool tri-way magazine release design that personally I’ve not seen before. The thoroughly modern aesthetic and the rose-gold plated bolt plate add uniqueness and this “PCC” is available in two colours, matt black and urban grey. I received the Urban Grey version of the CXP MARS PDW9 for testing and the colour matching is impeccable throughout and gives the entire package an almost “cyberpunk” feel! The PDW9 is a rear-wired design and the retractable stock presents good battery storage space in an easily-accessed rear compartment. Additional features include the SSS II E-Trigger and short-stroke flat trigger to improve the shooting response time. This model is available in two system-setups, MOSFET and SSS and is equipped with a shadow barrel extension tube (remember what I said about 9mm being perfect for suppression?) and a new 20 degree vertical-style pistol grip which personally I love. Not only is the look of the PDW9 “modern” but inside you get an upgraded 6061 aluminium

cylinder head and piston head, which increases durability, although you’ll find this in the SSS version only. You also get ICS’ proven EBB System, the split gearbox, a QD spring guide design, and a one-piece metal hop chamber to round things out. There you have it then, two AEGs with broadly similar performance features but each with its own unique aesthetic. So, which one did best on the range? Using .20g BBs the MP5 gave a mean chronograph reading of 0.92 Joule/315fps which was very consistent and obviously perfectly site friendly, whilst the PDW9 nudged it with a mean reading of 0.95 Joule/320fps. In terms of accuracy there was little in it, as both models were perfectly effective on target at 30m, with the PDW9 slightly better in groupings - but only VERY slightly! Personally, I still felt more at home with the sliding stock and the ergonomics of the CES-P MP5 but then again I guess I have many years’ experience of using an MP5 “in game”. As a big guy I still don’t feel entirely comfortable with the “PDW-style” sliding stock but that’s a personal thing and I absolutely know that others feel differently. Ultimately, which would I buy? I’d have to say that for me the SMG is most definitely not dead and it’s the MP5 all the way for me! However, if you are a dedicated “AR” user then the PDW9 is surely the way forward for you, especially as a CQB tool! Whichever way you go you can rest assured that you’ll end up with a cracking AEG, with all the bells and whistles you could possibly ask for, backed up by the ICS reputation for excellence! My thanks as always go to www.fire-support.co.uk for the loan of the test sample. Please do check them out for any, and all of your ICS Airsoft needs and much, much more! AA

“THE UNIQUE SSS V2 TRIGGER SYSTEM IS SPECIALLY DEVELOPED FOR THE CES-P WITH INDIVIDUAL FIRING MODES. IT IS ABLE TO CHANGE THE FOUR FIRING MODES BETWEEN SAFE - SEMI- 3RD BURST, AND FULL AUTO EASILY THROUGH THE FIRE SELECTOR CONTROLLED BY A MICRO-CHIP IN THE TRIGGER SYSTEM.” www.airsoftaction.net

armoury KING ARMS M1 CARBINE

THE “GREATEST GENERATION” CARBINE

IT SEEMS THAT LEZ LEE HAD BEEN WAITING AGES BUT FINALLY HE MANAGED TO GET HIS HANDS ON ONE OF THESE BAD BOYS... BUT WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT?

t is almost like the term “carbine” was created for this little lead launcher but before I rattle on about the pros and cons, there is a wealth of history that, out of sheer respect, needs to come first.

HISTORY

The M1 carbine is a lightweight, easy to use, .30 cal. semiautomatic carbine that was a popular and well-respected firearm for the U.S. military during World War II, the Korean War and well into the Vietnam War, fielding a service life of a little over 30 years. Borne of the Winchester family, this compact firearm was the outright winner from a party of 11 guns put through their paces at the request of the United States Army in 1938 while looking for a more compact, practical and user-friendly firearm to fill a void where a typical “long rifle” would prove to be cumbersome and less practical for certain elements of the military. A weapon that sat somewhere between a pistol and a rifle and, working alongside the M1 Garand, this carbine had a tough act to shadow. You might think that at a total length of just 35 inches, 4 twists in the barrel and a muzzle energy of just under 2,000 feet per second with the .30 pistol calibre round, offering an effective range of around 200 metres (or yards in those days) would not appeal to many, but that was not the case as it was actually favoured by most due to its size-weight ratio, manoeuvrability and the pure ease of use.

Some 6,500,000 carbines were eventually produced at $45 a pop, which was half the cost of its big brother, the M1 Garand, which includes the M1A1 Para folding stock version (obviously favoured by paratroopers due to its compact stature), the M2 select fire model which ultimately necessitated a larger 30 round “banana” magazine and even an M3 infra-red sighting system for night-time ops.

KING ARMS

King Arms was founded in 2004 with a vision and determination to ensure absolute customer satisfaction by providing precision products and outstanding service. In 2015 King Arms moved from Hong Kong to Taiwan, the airsoft capital of the world, where they have continued to provide excellent products of the highest quality, coupled with competitive price points. Their work with leading firearms manufactures allowed (and encouraged) them to provide their customers a level of innovation and authenticity that is now a world class leader in the airsoft industry. King Arms’ sole mission is to create premium airsoft replicas in response to the ever-evolving industry, ultimately to the flawless satisfaction that customers have come to expect in the 21st century.

FROM TAIWAN TO A SKIRMISH FIELD NEAR YOU I have been waiting and waiting …and waiting some more to get my hands on one of these for a very, very long time

“I WAS DEFINITELY HAVING “A MOMENT” WHEN I LIFTED IT FROM THE CARDBOARD BOX AND IT FELT SOOOO GOOD! FINALLY TO HAVE AND TO HOLD, FOR RICHER, FOR POORER UNTIL DEATH DO US PART!” 14

JULY 2020

armoury KING ARMS M1 CARBINE

indeed designed for soldiers whose primary placement was a confined area, such as inside a tank or vehicle, mortar crews, paratroopers and engineers that don’t have the luxury of unrestricted manoeuvrability but, due to its compact size, weight and accuracy at shorter ranges, this soon became the weapon of choice by many military personnel. In my opinion, this firearm is in a class of its own. It just feels so good to pick up and hold. The dedicated canvas strap was fixed at one end with a steel sling attachment point and a cut-out rear point in the wooden stock, which was secured by threading the strap through the cut out and attaching a small canister of gun oil, accessed from the other side in a small recess (simple and effective - great idea). This was usually accompanied by a canvas twin, snapshut magazine holder fixed to the stock. Adjustable iron sights could be found at the back and a wing-protected front post sight at the muzzle were “adequate” for the typical ranges needed. Initially the carbine did not facilitate a bayonet to be fitted but this was quickly remedied in 1943 with the simple introduction of a bayonet lug, after all, we are talking close range combat back in those days. There is no doubt that this reproduction from King Arms is a very well made high class piece of kit. You only need to pick it up and feel the quality, the balance and sheer comfort when you tuck it into your shoulder and feel the silky smooth wood against your equally silky smooth skin but how does this baby perform when the spit hits the fan? and so I was lucky to find that our great friends, supporters and retail industry suppliers, I WHOLESALES (UK), had received a delivery from King Arms and, nestled amongst the shipment, was a batch of M1 Carbines - I was there in a flash to collect mine! Very often, at this point, product reviewers seem to spend a lot of time and effort on “the great unboxing” (especially on You Tube) but for me this is a bit of a pet hate because unless it is something really special, then “it’s a cardboard box” - end of! Yes, it’s supplied in a cardboard box but, not unlike a KFC, I was only interested in what is in the box... And there it was, a sexy medley of dark beech wood and matt black zinc alloy. These are special moments indeed because it can be a defining experience, as in first impressions, etc. but what made this special was THIS WAS MY RIFLE (okay, carbine) - and I was definitely having “a moment” when I lifted it from the cardboard box and it felt soooo good! Finally to have and to hold, for richer, for poorer until death do us part! Weighing in at approx 1.9kg (4.2lbs) naked and 91cm (3ft) from butt to barrel tip puts this in a great place, somewhere between a full-size rifle and a pistol. It was

PERFORMANCE

In keeping with authenticity, the magazine holds just 15 rounds and there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. A CO2 bulb is housed in the mag also and when locked ‘n’ loaded, you really do need to make the shots count, unless you have won the lottery and can afford a battle belt full of spare mags because my research indicated that you won’t find one under fifty quid and for your average skirmish, you will definitely need a good few. As for shot count-per-Co2, I was getting around 40 shots before the power dropped (in fine weather) but oh! That recoil was really, really satisfying. Now, the subject of power. These reputedly average approx. 400 fps out of the box so we’re already in DMR territory, but the power drops to a more user-friendly 340-360 fps as the new bulb settles in. However, that isn’t going to get you through the chrono testing before the day commences unless you empty half a mag beforehand (and any site worth its salt is going to check it with a fresh bulb installed, just to make sure). And let’s not forget the accuracy factor… is it or isn’t it as it feels like it should be? I’m happy to say that the accuracy is great (as is the range) and I was hitting a human torso-sized target at 50 metres nearly every time with .28’s

“IN KEEPING WITH AUTHENTICITY, THE MAGAZINE HOLDS JUST 15 ROUNDS AND THERE’S NOT A DAMN THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. A CO2 BULB IS HOUSED IN THE MAG ALSO AND WHEN LOCKED ‘N’ LOADED, YOU REALLY DO NEED TO MAKE THE SHOTS COUNT” www.airsoftaction.net

armoury KING ARMS M1 CARBINE

fitted. Two, you can only get 4 reloads on one CO2 bulb. Three, the mag cost is high (£45.00 to £50.00 if you can even get them) and they are very heavy and, as per game you need a minimum of 8, this increases your weight by a stone. This would be ideal for a MilSim as it is exactly like the real McCoy with the two mag pouches on the stock. But on the bright side, I would not part with it!” The King Arms M1 Carbine replica is a beautiful reproduction of this classic firearm. Made with real wood and aluminium alloy, the rifle looks and feels authentic. Adding to the realism is the Co2 powered gas recoil system, which helps to imitate the bolt cycling action and THAT impresses me. Of course, like any products there are some negative points. First and foremost, is this GBB would be more at home at a MilSim, or possibly BattleSim or re-enactment site, where it would stand proud alongside a Platoon of 101st Airborne Division ‘troopers. My second observation is that “perhaps” it might be more appealing to airsofters had it been the M2 Carbine with its 30 round mag (but of course, locked to semi) but then “it’s no longer the iconic M1 Carbine”, so that might be a juggling act.

SO FINALLY AND TO CONCLUDE MY OPINION... I LOVE IT!! as the consistency was sound. I was hitting a tea plate-sized plate every shot at 30 metres. I didn’t bother trying closer because let’s not forget, this is subject to MED rules. And did I mention that sexy recoil? How satisfying is that! But hey, don’t just take my word for it! Veteran (no offence Jeff) airsofter, Jeff Smith from Dogtag Airsoft, has been the proud owner of a King Arms M1 Carbine for about 4 years and he has assured me (on more than one occasion) that he will never part with it. Visually I could see why but surely this is not the best airsoft primary for a number of reasons, predominately the low cap magazine, the cost of spare mags and the hot-from-the-box factor? “I purchased the M1 as a retirement present to myself 4 years ago. Out of the box it had that feel like an old friend. One surprise was that it came with a real wood sock that felt comfortable from the off. Tested in the garden (quite long) the grouping was very good. I then did an FPS test as there was nothing in the box to say what it should be; it turned out to be high, i.e. higher than 350. So not to be outdone, I did my first game with it but had to put through 15 BBs to bring the FPS down to site limits. In-game it is a lightweight airsoft gun to run with all day and was an absolute pleasure to use. I have used it on many games. “There is a downside though. One, the mag only holds 15 rounds and you have to lose the first load to bring the FPS down to site requirements when a new C02 bulb is

I may not get to use it much (if at all) unless I can buy at least 6 spare mags but it feels great, it’s absolute eye candy to the purists amongst us and it would be oh so wrong to go into battle with the M1 Carbine dressed head to toe in Multicam! Wrong... just so wrong! This has to be used with 100% authenticity and so the airsoft theatre may not be its best deployment. Only when a duck goes “woof” would I take it along to play airsoft. Lez OUT! AA Special thanks go out to our ever-supportive friends at iWholesales for supplying the review gun. FEATURES Realistic blowback action to simulate the bolt cycling action & recoil Powered: 12 gram Co2 cartridge Manufacturer: King Arms FPS Range: 430-470 Length: 920mm Inner Barrel: 267mm Weight: 2450g Magazine Capacity: 15rds Muzzle Velocity: 430~470 FPS (Measured with 0.20g BBs) Fire Modes: Semi-Automatic, Safe Package Includes: Gun, Magazine Hop up: Yes, Adjustable

“…IT FEELS GREAT, IT’S ABSOLUTE EYE CANDY TO THE PURISTS AMONGST US AND IT WOULD BE OH SO WRONG TO GO INTO BATTLE WITH THE M1 CARBINE DRESSED HEAD TO TOE IN MULTICAM! WRONG... JUST SO WRONG!” 16

JULY 2020

R E B O O T 2 0 2 0

2 0 %O F F ALL 5. 11 GEAR

JUNE 15 -21 . 0 0 WA S : £ 6 3

. 4 0 N O W£ 5 0

. 5 0 WA S : £ 1 5 7

. 0 0 N O W£ 1 2 6

WA S : £ 1 0 3

. 5 0

. 8 0 N O W£ 8 2

5 . 1 1R US H2 4 BA C KP A C K>

5 . 1 1DE F E NDE R F L E X J E A NS>

S H O PNO W

5 . 1 1T A CT E C P L A T ECA RRI E R>

* t er msappl y

feature AA SPECIAL AIRSOFT IN JAPAN

AIRSOFT IN JAPAN

THE AIRSOFT ACTION LEGION CONTINUES TO GROW, BRINGING IN STORIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD AND SO ILLUSTRATE WHAT A TRULY GLOBAL AIRSOFT COMMUNITY WE REALLY HAVE. FOR THIS ISSUE WE ARE JOINED FOR THE FIRST TIME BY RAI TO BRING US HIS “AIRSOFT OVERVIEW” DIRECT FROM JAPAN, THE “CULTURAL HOME OF AIRSOFT”!

reetings everyone, my name is Rai here in Japan; I‘m an American airsoft player who has been a longtime fan of airsoft and teching and I now work with Laylax. I also run my own international airsoft team here in Japan aimed at bringing players from all nationalities within Japan together to help in understanding regulations, rules, and finding fields to play at. Japanese is hard, so I do my best to help my fellow international players.

july 2020

I would like to start by showing my fellow airsoft players across the globe how airsoft in Japan differs from other countries. When it comes to usual “site rules” and what happens… • • • •

1 Joule/ 98m/s 320 FPS limit No surrender/mercy/freeze calls No MED (minimum engagement distances) Usually Semi-only

feature AIRSOFT IN JAPAN

• • • • •

Fields are much more CQB Usually games have few or no respawns Tokyo Marui`s are cheap! People are exceptionally honest, polite, and friendly Traditionally games are MilSim style, but Speedsoft is gaining ground quickly

Another common rule calls for only 1 or no respawns, hailing from the name of the game “Survival Game”. In Japan, airsoft is more about survival and strategy and less about running and gunning with unlimited respawns (still fun though). One rule that is understandable with most field being more CQB is the semi-auto only rule, but I do sometimes miss my full auto. Fields are much more CQB and small in general due to the country being small and land is much more expensive than in the US or Europe. While there are outdoor fields, the scale is nowhere near like that of the US, Canada or Europe. Last few random differences, but being the land of Tokyo Marui’s, they are plentiful and comparatively cheap, so if you are a TM fan, it’s the place to be! Finally, Japan started airsoft as an alternative to those looking for that military simulation experience, but in recent years, the official UAB League or Japan`s SpeedQB league club is gaining ground at a rapid pace. Stay tuned for more news on airsoft in Japan and next time you’re in town, let’s hit up a local field and plink. Shout out to “Feeling of Peach” indoor hotel airsoft field in Nara next to Osaka, one of the best fields around! AA

Now before we go into depth with these different points, let me first say while some may seem like huge cons or negatives, they actually cause for a more pleasant or different playing experience.

SABAGE

In Japan Airsoft is known as “Sabage”, short for “Survival Game”. Currently Japan has a 1 joule limit or 98 m/s/320 FPS limit nationally and limits vary between 89-98 m/s depending on the field. Some may think, “How does one have fun with such low FPS!?” Well due to Japanese law, the FPS regulation is unfortunately something that must be followed strictly. However, being part of the “1 joule club” is not all that bad, having played in the US, I don`t feel that one country or another is better or more fun, rather they are different and great in their own ways. This low FPS limit results in no need for minimum engagement distances (MED) and no surrender/mercy calls, so this means that you just shoot everyone, all the time! It’s tons of fun and leads to the next big positive. Cheating is not common! Yes, in Japan cheating in airsoft does exist just like anywhere else, but perhaps due partially to Japanese culture, most people call their hits.

GAME TYPES

Game-mode wise, it’s pretty run of the mill TDM, CTF, VIP escort, Domination but some fields have a mode where killing enemies and reviving them forces them onto your team, for a sort of “tug of war” type of game.

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury DOUBLE EAGLE M904A FCS

DE FIRE CONTROL SYSTEM In Collaboration with

WHEN BUYING AN AEG, PLAYERS CAN EXPECT A LOT FOR THEIR MONEY WHEN IT COMES TO THE TECHNICALITY AND FUNCTION OF INTERNAL COMPONENTS AND OPERATING SYSTEMS, WITH ETUS, MOSFETS, AND FCUS NOW THE NORM FOR MANY MANUFACTURERS. BILL HAS FOUND A LITTLE GEM FROM UNEXPECTED QUARTERS THAT OFFERS COOL PERFORMANCE AT A COOL PRICE!

f you’d said to me that I’d be looking at a neat little AR AEG with a host of up-to-the-minute features from Chinese manufacturer Double Eagle, even a couple of years back, I’d have probably nodded sagely and said “Oh yes, I’m sure it will be fine” as, let’s face it, Double Eagle (or DE Airsoft these days) have been pretty much known for their well-priced spring models and, apart from a delve into the AEG market with their M89A “UMP” (which is fairness was cheap as chips!), it’s not a brand I would associate with complex electric models. I have owned a number of Double Eagle shotguns, both regular springers and shell-fed tri-shot beasties, over the years and I have to say that when it comes to “gas and spring” games their M58A shottie is a vastly underrated model. I bought my first one for next to nothing when I lived in the USA as I wanted something that looked in keeping for Nam games and with a bit of judicious paintwork to give the stock and pump handle a “wood effect” finish, I was well pleased with it! You can still pick these little beauties up for under £30 in the UK and for that you’ll get a pretty cool mag-fed, pump action shotgun that bangs out a .20g BB at 300+fps that, with the little slider hop set properly, will give you great range and great accuracy!

In an airsoft world where we all seem to want the very latest full-metal, fully-tricked “uber gnu” going back to a humble spring shotgun can really sort out the “vets from the rest” and it’s something that everyone should do from time to time to remember where we all started not so many years ago. I still love my M58A springer and after many years of use it is still popping away just as well as it did when it came out of the box. But as I said, as good as that little plastic springer has proved to be, it was something of a surprise to say the least when I first clapped eyes on the new DE Airsoft ARs with the new “FALCON” Electronic Fire Control System (EFCS), which I’ll return to later in this review! After watching a video of this EFCS online though, I was properly taken aback and thought immediately that I needed to get my hands on one of the new AEGs to really check it out. As luck would have it, when I spoke to my contacts at Taiwangun they had just begun to stock a number of new DE Airsoft models. Whilst a number of them look like “standard modern ARs” there are also a couple of models that look surprisingly like “Honey Badgers” but there was one model that stood out from the crowd for me and that was the M904A.

“IN AN AIRSOFT WORLD WHERE WE ALL SEEM TO WANT THE VERY LATEST FULLMETAL, FULLY-TRICKED “UBER GNU” GOING BACK TO A HUMBLE SPRING SHOTGUN CAN REALLY SORT OUT THE “VETS FROM THE REST”…” 22

JULY 2020

armoury DOUBLE EAGLE M904A FCS

“THE FITTING OF THE FRONT RAIL IS UNUSUAL, USING A “MOUNT REGULATOR” RATHER THAN THE “NUT/DELTA RING” SYSTEM (THIS IS FULLY EXPLAINED IN THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL) BUT IT MAKES THE FITMENT OF THE RAIL TO THE UPPER RECEIVER 100% ROCK SOLID.” MODERN AND SOLID

The M904A is undoubtedly an “AR-style” AEG and benefits from a very nice 310mm alloy front-end with M-LOK style accessory attachment points, an alloy outer barrel with gas block and an alloy buffer tube. The fitting of the front rail is

unusual, using a “mount regulator” rather than the “nut/ delta ring” system (this is fully explained in the instruction manual) but it makes the fitment of the rail to the upper receiver 100% rock solid. This does mean that you are restricted to DE Airsoft compatible rails if you want to change it, but the “factory rail” is so nicely done I don’t see why you would want to! The receivers, uniquely-styled sliding stock and ergonomic pistol grip are all polymer/high-grade nylon fibre and have a really great finish to them. The 904 also comes with an unusual flash-hider (14mm CCW) which personally I like, and flip-up sights mounted front and rear as standard. These are rail mounted and the top rail is 100% contiguous along the top of the carbine. I particularly like the receiver style, which is blocky and modern-looking and the lower even features a slightly flared magwell to help

with swift reloads. The 300 BB metal mag is a simple metal STANAG style that although nothing special to talk about works well and I found that pretty much every AR mag I own fitted just fine. Internally things appear pretty solid too, with an easy-

to-work on V2 gearbox with a quick spring change system, allied to 7mm steel bearings and rotary hop. Again, this is not earthshattering tech but solid, workmanlike and easy to upgrade at a later date should you wish. However, in addition, as standard, the 904 has the FALCON EFCS and THIS is where things get properly interesting as you can access the programmable fire mode which offers a plethora of settings. You can choose easily between double-tap on semi mode, or 1-5 round burst on auto and you can even adjust trigger sensitivity, with the added bonus of motor and battery protection! DE Airsoft stress in the accompanying (understandable and thorough!) paperwork that the FALCON system is only compatible with 7.4v and 11.1v LiPos and is NOT compatible with LiFe or NiMh batteries but that doesn’t really limit your battery choice these days, does it? Battery storage for the 904 is in the buffer tube and is T-Plug/ DEANS wired, although in a nice little “accessories box” that comes with the AEG you get an extender/adaptor to change things easily to Tamiya.

GOOD VIBRATIONS!

First up, DE Airsoft advise that you set the selector lever

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury DOUBLE EAGLE M904A FCS

to SAFE mode before connecting the battery to boot the system and in terms of protection to the electronics, the 904 is extremely tactile! As stated earlier, the FALCON is compatible with 7.4v and 11.1v LiPo batteries with an operating voltage between 6-13v; if the voltage is too low or too high the power supply will be cut. When using an 11.1v LiPo the low voltage protection system will give you five vibrations, indicating the voltage is too low. When the current is too high or abnormal, the power supply on the EFCS will disconnect to protect the motor and battery and the motor will vibrate three times. If the voltage of the battery is too high the EFCS power supply will automatically disconnect and the motor will vibrate twice. That’s a LOT of “good vibrations” that will both protect and extend the operating life of your AEG! In short the vibrations equate directly to: • 1 - Power On • 2 - System Error • 3 - Voltage too high • 5 - Low Voltage In addition to the safety elements of the EFCS there is of course also the performance function, which offers you all those different shot-modes and trigger sensitivity. To engage the “burst” function: • Set the fire select to SAFE. • Pull the trigger and hold for 3 seconds to enter programming mode, and release when the motor makes a sound. • Pull the trigger once and release to enter 1-5 shot programming mode, release when the motor makes a sound. • Pull the trigger 1-5 times depending on the amount of shots you want a single trigger pull to make. • Set the fire select to full auto. Now personally I do like to be able to set the trigger exactly as I like it, and this is a feature of the EFCS that I therefore LOVE! To adjust this: • Set the fire select to SAFE. • Pull the trigger and hold for 3 seconds to enter programming mode, and release when the motor makes a sound. • Pull the trigger twice and release to enter sensitivity programming mode, release when the motor makes a sound. • Pull the trigger between 1-3 times for different levels of sensitivity (once Highest Sensitivity, twice Standard Sensitivity, thrice Low Sensitivity). If you want to set everything back to “Factory Default” then that’s simple too, as you just set the fire select to SAFE then pull the trigger and hold for 5 seconds to reset everything to bog-standard. With all this worked out I loaded the 300BB winder-

mag up with a full complement of my usual RZR 2.0g test BBs and got to work. Ten BBs through the chrono gave me a perfectly acceptable mean of 1.0 Joule/329fps; as I’d asked Taiwangun to set up the 904 to their “medium” power setting (they offer pre-setting the AEG you get to Standard/400fps, Medium/340fps, or Low/290fps to take into account different legal restrictions internationally these days!) this was perfectly acceptable and made the AEG “game ready” for any local field. Setting targets out to 30 metres I was able to get reasonable groupings on semiauto, with things opening out marginally when I switched the selector up to full; my thought is that with a bit of care and extra fettling you could really have a very, very accurate carbine on your hands here, although it’s no slouch straight out of the box. The thing that REALLY gives the 904 the edge over other “burst” replicas though is the amount of choice you get from the EFCS. Squeeze the trigger and you get a BB away in a flash! Squeeze again… Crack! Then switch the ambidextrous selector up to full auto and choose anything from “full chat” through to five round burst! With the trigger set to “Highest Sensitivity” and on three round burst this is just about perfection for me. In a nutshell this is a “budget AEG” only in terms of price, as the look, feel and finish even of the polymer parts are great and it works perfectly out of the box. You get everything that most “entry-level-priced” AEGs offer in a short, sweet package with the extra benefit of the EFCS. The DE Airsoft M904A has a retail price under 150 quid in the UK right now, which for what you’re getting is extremely good value for money. It seems to me that DE Airsoft have given us a taste of their intentions and I for one look forward to seeing what they do next! My thanks go to www.taiwangun.com for supplying the M904A, and please do pay them a visit to check out the full range of styles and options from DE Airsoft. AA

“THE THING THAT REALLY GIVES THE 904 THE EDGE OVER OTHER “BURST” REPLICAS THOUGH IS THE AMOUNT OF CHOICE YOU GET FROM THE EFCS. SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER AND YOU GET A BB AWAY IN A FLASH! SQUEEZE AGAIN… CRACK!”

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 TAIWAN | ISLAND INSIDER

THE

AIRSOFT ACTION’S “MAN IN TAIWAN”, STEWBACCA, CONTINUES HIS JOURNEY INTO TAIWANESE ACTION AIR.

OF ACTION AIR Putting pellets on paper and poppers!

ollowing my qualification for my IPSC competitor’s licence at the end of March, Sunday the 19th of April and my first official IPSC Action Air competition neared in a surprising blur. I managed to squeeze some additional training sessions in with the rest of SPPT - the Setup Project Practical Team - in the days before we set off early doors on the Sunday morning. Six of us regulars would be competing alongside one of our other more senior members, who was more focused on helping to organise and film the event. Having already used it to pass my qualification exam, I then somehow managed to snap the trigger bar on my KWA USP Compact during my (apparently unlucky) thirteenth practice session, making it somewhat useless until I could acquire replacement parts! As a result, I decided to try some of my other GBB pistols and see which suited me best and worked well for competition. Unfortunately, my TTI Glock 34 is not permitted in IPSC’s Production division due to its longer barrel and slide; so no John Wick style range burndown GoPro footage for my first competition it seems! Instead, I trained with my more standard profile M17 and CZ Shadow SP01 and ensured I had as many magazines as I could muster. In the end I used the M17 on the day as I had more magazines available for it, and due to its striker fired format and simplicity as well as its extended magazine base plates that would help absorb the bumps and scrapes of being dropped on the ground in a hurry. However, since then I have been comparing the two as scientifically as I can during further training sessions and when shooting groups on targets at home, and I’m leaning towards using the CZ75 in the longer term due to its lower bore axis, fast and light trigger and heavier metal frame that allow for very rapid double taps, reduced recoil and ease of pointing. Although deciding to use that does mean more worrying about removing the magazine and manually de-cocking the hammer on it then re-inserting the magazine prior to holstering, and then making the first shot in each stage using double action, in order to follow the production division specific rules of the IPSC. I feel the performance benefits are likely worth the minor hassle longer term, however, I just didn’t want to risk the fiddly manual of arms and a potential rules related disqualification on my very first 28

JUly 2020

competition at least! With just enough time beforehand to get our heads together and practice some varied stage layouts, reloading and handling as best as possible with our final choices of equipment, Sunday morning finally rolled around and I awoke at just after four in the morning to make my way to the team leader’s house so we could all drive down together in his car. Instead of taking a taxi which would have been the convenient and safe choice, I of course elected to try the healthy option and get in a warm up by taking a uBike (Taipei’s version of the “Boris Bike”) from my place to his. However, I managed to fall off it on the way, trying to stop suddenly while juggling my phone (for its GPS) like an idiot, and cut up my knees and elbow - a great start to the day! Thankfully my pride was hurt worse than my joints at least. After a taxi ride I arrived a little later than intended and we set off for the mountains East of Taichung - Taiwan’s central city a few

FEATURE TAIWAN | ISLAND INSIDER

hours drive away from Taipei, and where many of your favourite airsoft manufacturers not based in Taipei run their operations. We arrived in plenty of time for registration and prepared our equipment and took a look around the competition site alongside the other teams from Taipei; Spring Rain (SR) - who I had tried a few sessions with in the past as well as having taken part in their “ding ding cup” that Belinda had invited me along to, as well and Taipei Focus Action Shooting (TFAS) who train in my usual weekend skirmishing site Action Bunker during the weeknights, but whose training times conflicted with my work schedule preventing me training with them previously. All in all thirty odd competitors from the three teams attended. There were to be four stages in total shot by each player throughout the day, with the thirty something competitors being split into two squads and cycled between each of two stages operating before the lunch break - with some rearrangement then occurring during the break to set up the latter two stages to be shot after lunch, thus enabling best use of the space we had and only requiring two sets of range officers to run the whole operation. With everyone prepared and raring to go, our first briefing ensued. My squad, number 2, with Spring Rain and SPPT’s competitors, would shoot stage 2 first, a medium complexity setup that comprised a right angle triangle with paper and popper targets totaling 26 required hits behind the barricades on the outside edges of the shortest sides and with the competitor starting at the midpoint of the long side and moving within the bounds of the triangle itself, before proceeding toward the end target at the right angle opposite the starting point. This turned out to be my best stage of the day, with a clean run of 26 shots, no misses 23 of which were A zone hits and one relatively smooth reload when moving between sides. I was quite happy with my performance and achieved third place out of the six competitors in the production division - so very cleanly done and relatively quick, or at least my accuracy made up for my lack of speed - a good start, I felt - my philosophy in training being “Diligentia comes before Celeras” - I’d rather start with the accuracy and let speed come later! Next up before lunch we switched with squad 1 and did the shortest stage of the whole shoot. Stage 3 involved a very small square starting/boundary box that basically meant the shooter was nearly stationary throughout the stage - with a barricade directly

in front featuring a cutout section at a medium height to shoot through, as well as a single paper target to the left outside and twin poppers to the right outside. A further two poppers, single paper and finish target being behind the barricade shot through the cutout. I struggled a little with being so much taller than your typical Taiwanese competitor, given the lower positioning of the cutout in the barricade forcing me to get pretty low - in the stage planning I even considered dropping to one knee after dealing with the long range poppers to allow me more comfort in shooting. However, I decided against this in the end due to the small boundary box and me worrying about a potential DQ due to my long legs overstepping the rear if I took a knee. As it was, I ran it relatively quickly regardless, with a single magazine of 15 rounds I managed to make 6 misses and hit the finish plate with my final round, locking the slide rearward and garnering a round of applause for being so jammy. With that stage done we broke for lunch and relaxed in the safe area while some of the team went off to grab lunch for us all - running on sandwiches, dumplings, chocolate bars and energy drink most of the day, I worked up a decent appetite for the dinner we would grab on the drive home at least! Following lunch, squad 2 went off up to begin planning stage 3 - another relatively short and simple affair, with two start points to choose from that ran down two paths forming an X with the two start points at the rear. The finish plate being hidden behind barricades between the two start points, forcing you to run rearward to get a shot on it at the end of the stage, as well as three poppers and two paper targets hidden around various areas outside of the X-shaped paths. Choosing the right hand starting point I managed to get a clean shot on the nearest popper, followed by an immediate clean shot on the furthest popper at the other end of the X in front of me. I then had to run there and shoot left around a barricade to get the close range paper target there, before turning tail (but not muzzle, of course) to run back towards the other starting point in order to take shots at the further away paper and popper (which took an extra shot to down due to a miss), before leaning around the start point barricade to get shots on the finish. Again, I shot it relatively cleanly with a very encouraging start but a little inaccuracy for the longer shots and a little slow compared to the more seasoned shooters. www.airsoft-action.online

FEATURE TAIWAN | ISLAND INSIDER

Finally, the most complicated stage 4 was shot by our squad and took a good while to assess with everyone doing multiple planning runs to try and optimise their routes, aiming angles and reloads. As for my performance, this was really the only part where I had any issues: I got somewhat distracted just before starting when the Range Officer questioned the starting condition of my M17. It’s a hammerless/striker fired design as such, so it should just be a case of load, make ready, safety and re-holster but he seemed confused for some reason and began asking me to decock it, before the other RO came over and clarified the situation. Unfortunately, that distraction and confusion led me to forget my stage plan to some extent and when the start buzzer went I just tried to engage whatever I could see, completely failing to engage two paper targets, earning me four misses that cost me about half the points I accrued elsewhere. I was a little slow with other targets but that was largely because I saw two rounds go through the same hole on one of them so paused to go back and give it a further round to make sure, as well as running my gun to slide lock twice instead of pre-emptive reloading. I was somewhat annoyed by the FTE’s as I basically shot the rest of the targets as clean A zones, with the exception of a C on one of the longer range targets but being confused, slower and missing four hits wiped out most of the advantage my marksmanship would have given me. Such is life, at least I know what I have to improve and it was really the only major failing point that came up in our post competition focus meeting at our next training session. With all shooters finished we began clearing the stage equipment and site away as well as packing our personal gear away and catching up with friends on the other teams while the range officers began tabulating the results and preparing the winner’s certificates. Finally, around four in the afternoon, the scorecards were finalised and the first, second and third places for the open, standard and production divisions. All told, the six of us from SPPT unfortunately walked away empty handed on this occasion but nonetheless I wasn’t disheartened at all with my own performance, aside from the final stage. At least my safety and range practices had caused no issues and when I had remembered to shoot targets I had nailed mostly A zones or one shot hits on poppers - being particularly happy

with my first stage despite my heart pounding audibly in my chest once I stepped up to the start point and readied myself and my pistol! After reviewing all of my own GoPro footage, as well as the SPPT team camera’s 3rd person footage and integrating it to produce my video content for my Instagram and Youtube channels, I counted a total of 67 hits required across the whole shoot, with me managing 55 rounds on A zones, 8 on C’s and those 4 unfortunate missed shots on the two paper targets I failed to engage on the last stage. I only had 12 other misses in terms of extra shots on poppers and made 6 other shots on target that I didn’t necessarily need to - but was “making sure” with. All in all, I was very happy with my technical abilities, just my stage planning and the speed of movement and reloading are the things I need to concentrate on improving. I had a great time and really enjoyed the atmosphere and great support and sportsmanship exhibited by everyone involved and wish to thank the range officers of the Taiwan Practical Shooting Association as well as the site owners and organisers and everyone from the SPPT, Spring Rain and Taipei Focus Action Shooter teams for taking part and congratulate those who excelled in their respective divisions. Now I can’t wait for my next outing! AA

www.airsoft-action.online

feature LOCKDOWN WOES

SPRINGTIME FOR THE M16A1

FRENCHIE GETS TO GRIPS WITH WRITING ABOUT AIRSOFT DURING THE UK’S COVID-19 LOCKDOWN AND FINDS INSPIRATION FROM THE MOST UNLIKELY QUARTER…

ne of the problems with lock down, one of the many, minor problems, is that it is really difficult to get hold of gear to write about, so I have been casting around my much diminished collection of airsoft guns to see if there was anything worthy of comment. This search was only interrupted by the sudden and spectacular disintegration of my chair back, which spilled me onto the floor and launched my desk skywards. That took care of yesterday afternoon… However, I do have something and it is something that I have warm, fuzzy nostalgic feeling for, so without much ado, let’s chat about the Tokyo Marui M16a1 rifle. “What? That old, wobbly thing!” I hear you cry! Oh, it’s much worse than you suspect, because the M16a1 I have sat beside me as I type is, in fact, one of Marui’s spring rifles, an airsoft gun that should never be used on a skirmish field. Unless you’re me. It is entirely possible that Marui still make this rifle, at least occasionally, Marui manufacturing being what it is, however, their website would suggest that of the original line-up of spring rifles, only the G3 and the Xm177e2 survive. Hardly surprising really. The full line up used to be the M16a1, Xm177e2, G3 and the Uzi, and I own, or have owned, all of them. I have also skirmished with all of them, albeit a long time ago. Like all of Marui’s spring replicas (sniper rifles and shotgun aside) I have to assume that the guns were produced for customers who maybe wanted to do a bit of plinking, or just wanted a replica, since as soon as Marui released the FAMAS, these things were obsolete. I don’t have my chrono any longer but if memory serves 32

JUly 2020

muzzle velocity was somewhere in the region of 200 – 230 fps, on a good day. Thanks to the fixed hop, range was “ok” but really didn’t go much further than pistol distances. It has a magazine capacity of about 30 rounds, is naturally single shot, it’s made almost entirely from ABS plastic and it emits the most raucous “boing” every time you pull the trigger. Ah… Perfection! No, no it isn’t! At the time I started playing, it was just about acceptable for a cash-strapped chap staring down the barrel of a divorce. That’s to say, I could afford it and with some effort could just about hold my own on a small airsoft site. Unlike the G3, of which I have written previously, there was limited scope to do much if any upgrading here and I’ll come to why that was so shortly. Spare magazines were available and they could be carried loaded as they released the internal spring once they were inserted into the gun, unlike many other spring magazines which would fountain BBs if there was a “Y” in the day. There was even a convenient integrated funnel stored in the top of the magazine to make it easier to load, although sadly mine is missing that. Sights were a two-position flip sight at the rear, adjustable for windage (believe it or not) but the foresight was a fixed plastic affair with no elevation adjustment. In fairness, given the gun’s limitations, this was hardly a handicap since if you couldn’t quickly master holdover you were unlikely to hit anything beyond about 30m. The three-position safety was basically Safe – Fire – Fire since (obviously) there was no full-auto option and cocking was by the well-loved T-piece behind the rear sight. However, the M16 had one trick up its sleeve: like the

feature LOCKDOWN WOES

XM177 and the Uzi, it had an alternative, more gamefriendly method of cocking: a fold out handle beneath the fore grip which allowed you to pump away furiously, dramatically increasing your rate of fire, although at some cost to accuracy. Wah Hey! Off we go! Well – no, not really. Yes, it helped in extremis and yes, I have used it but there were drawbacks. The biggest one was the fact that the cocking system was all of a piece, so when you used the forward grip, the T-piece still came back. That was a detail to get down and remember unless you enjoy plastic up your nose! As alluded to above, while you could maintain a modest rate of fire and achieve some degree of suppression of the opposition, it tended to be a bit wild and you had a very limited supply of ammunition. Finally, since the gun wasn’t exactly stealthy (no VSR this!) you loudly proclaimed your position and intention to all around you. Granted, this isn’t nearly as bad as the Uzi with which I have actually frightened a player into submission simply by cocking it close behind them, but it is the nemesis of sneaky. It will be obvious that if you are, perhaps foolishly, going to use one of these, you have to pick your shots as carefully as you can. Like all Marui springers, these were designed and intended for 0.25g ammo although 0.2g was an acceptable compromise. You could snipe, in the truest sense of the term, by using cover and taking your time, however, mad charges under suppressing fire were doomed to failure and only to be attempted for laughs. As mentioned previously, nearly every part is plastic other than some carefully placed weights. Despite that, I don’t think I ever broke one of these. Take it as read that I was aware of their possible fragility, but I also don’t recall babying them through games. Like all Marui springers they were better designed and better made than anyone else’s and that paid off. Internally you will find all the components are well-built and as large as they can be.

I have never had pistons, cylinders or sears fail. I’m sure with sufficient time and abuse I could cause such failures but none of mine ever let me down. I love that about spring guns! Just out of curiosity, I sneaked a couple of shots out the office window, down my garden. The only ammo I had to hand was 0.3g but I had the advantage of height and they went about as far as I remember. I got almost exactly the same results from my abused XM177 but given that the two rifles are identical internally with only the barrel length being different, I wasn’t surprised. Nor was I surprised that after years of inactivity and dust both worked first time, that’s what springers do. I will curb my no-doubt irritating habit of ranting on about the “divine purity” of spring-powered airsoft guns and just observe that with simplicity comes reliability. Would I suggest that anyone seeks one of these out and plays a game with it? Only if you really, really like a challenge and are blessed with a good sense of humour! Beyond sniper rifles and shotguns, the day of the springers on site are well past. That’s progress and don’t for a moment think that as soon as I could afford an AEG I didn’t go there – I absolutely did – becoming a FAMAS firepower monster for many years thereafter! The spring rifles were never, I think, intended for playing, other than possibly with a few like-minded friends. They make great plinkers if you have somewhere that doing so won’t excite the neighbours, and they are passable replicas. For me they were a means to an end and kept me in the game until my circumstances improved sufficiently to move on. For that I am grateful. I’ll spare you any humbug about “learning fieldcraft” or “improving use of cover” – I was always a straight-down the middle sort of player so that would be errant BS. They worked, they’re fun; that’s really all that needs to be said! AA

“OH, IT’S MUCH WORSE THAN YOU SUSPECT, BECAUSE THE M16A1 I HAVE SAT BESIDE ME AS I TYPE IS, IN FACT, ONE OF MARUI’S SPRING RIFLES, AN AIRSOFT GUN THAT SHOULD NEVER BE USED ON A SKIRMISH FIELD. UNLESS YOU’RE ME.” www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR BLACK CAM UPDATE HELIKON-TEX

GEAR FOR THE GOOD GUYS... AT SHOT IN JANUARY, BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE FOLKS FROM HELIKON-TEX TO CHECK OUT THEIR NEWEST GEAR. INTERNATIONAL READERS MAY ALREADY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE NAME AND THIS POLISH MANUFACTURER OF TACTICAL GEAR AND CLOTHING HAS BECOME A GREAT PARTNER FOR AIRSOFT ACTION - A RELATIONSHIP THAT CONTINUES TO GROW! BILL HAS BEEN CHECKING OUT THEIR LATEST GARMENTS AND DESIGNS.

hen it comes to creating a hard wearing and shows, as undoubtedly there will be something improved or functional clothing system you really have to work even brand new to see. The range is absolutely huge these with manufacturers you can trust and for many of days and they offer all their clothing and gear in multiple us, one of the “go to” brands for this is Helikon-Tex from colourways; should you need camouflage they work Poland. Trousers and shirts, waterproof and breathable with some of the most up to date, cutting edge patterns jackets, fleece jackets and headgear are all available within available but if your “airsoft AO” is such that you need to their range. run “low key”, then you’ll also find muted hues ideal for Helikon-Tex was established tactical situations. in 1983 and has been producing They also work very closely clothing for the military, indeed with technical fabric “A “GREY MAN”, AS THE NAME emergency services and the police manufacturers, so when it comes IMPLIES, IS A PERSON THAT CAN since then. When Helikon-Tex was to getting real performance EASILY BLEND INTO THE CROWD established their business was from your clothing system, then AND THE PERFECT OPERATOR mainly concentrated on military Helikon-Tex can pretty much SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A surplus sales. However, changing guarantee they will have what “GREY MAN”, BEING ABLE TO trends and a fast-changing market you are looking for and if you visit AVOID DETECTION EVEN WHEN in the mid-nineties demanded a their website and check out their SURROUNDED BY OTHER PEOPLE.” new direction for them and, in “Partners” page you’ll see exactly 1999, they decided to start their what I mean! own military and security clothing I’m pleased to say that we production. have a really superb working relationship with the team at The range that they now offer is proof that their Helikon-Tex and even during these “challenging times”, decision was the correct one, as they now offer a they’ve been in constant contact with us, sending us over really comprehensive (and ever-expanding) selection of test garments and gear and their “operational tempo” uniforms, tactical and outdoor clothing, backpacks, boots seems to be as brisk as ever. What you need to realise and equipment that have gained recognition amongst here folks, is that any manufacturer needs to be working professional users, soldiers, law enforcement officers, well ahead of the curve given the fact that it takes some survival and outdoor enthusiasts all over the world and serious time to develop an entire range of gear. Helikoneach and every year their offering drives forward with new Tex are working constantly with both their own “brand designs. ambassador” program and with professional users around I always look forward to visiting their stand at trade the globe each and every day. What we’re seeing as

JUly 2020

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX BLACK UPDATE CAM

finished product today has been, quite literally, “in the mill” for some considerable time and their longevity as an experienced manufacturer gives them the ability to be not just “on trend”, but to set that trend themselves!

NEW, IMPROVED, AND BANG ON

I’ve personally been a fan of Helikon-Tex shirts since I bought my very first range polo from them many years back, as they build their garments for the user with extra little refinements thrown in that prove that they’re “users” themselves - and the very latest shirts in their range show that completely! A while back they introduced two models that were really a “statement of intent” of where they wold be heading and I love their Defender Mk2 Pilgrim shirt. I’ve also become a fan of the MBDU Flannel Shirt, which looks great but also has a wealth of features to enamour airsofters and shooters worldwide and I have to say the Helikon-Tex team looked super-sharp in theirs at SHOT! Never a company to rest on their laurels though, Helikon-Tex have rolled out this program further, with some great new models for 2020 that take things further, truly creating a range that has something for everyone! The newest models of their tactical shirts expand the selection of the Urban line with new Covert Concealed Carry shirts but also with a plain-looking Greyman Shirt, which, together with their Greyman Tactical Jeans, creates a solid set-up for any urban adventurer, and are perfect for your “PMC loadout”! I think we’d all have to agree that there is probably no more low profile type of clothing than a classic shirt combined with a pair of cargo pants or jeans, and the new Covert Concealed Carry Shirts are just the garments you need to pull of this laid-back, yet prepared, look. During urban operations in warm, summer days, it is as

much important to look good, keep a low profile and feel comfortable so in addition to a full-length sleeve model there’s also a Covert Concealed Carry Short Sleeve Shirt to fulfil all those tasks. Made of lightweight cotton/poly (heavy on the cotton for a great feel!) fabric in a classic plaid pattern, the shirts will help you blend in during any urban operation. Two classic chest pockets and one zippered pocket will hold all your essentials but what makes these shirts truly unique is the fastening system… At first, the shirt looks like any buttoned shirt but when needed, a single strong pull reveals that the shirt is fastened with snap buttons, giving you instant access to your weapon, magazines, baton or anything else carried underneath. I particularly like the glasses wipe attached to the hem of the shirts, a little feature that once again proves that Helikon-Tex know their stuff… I mean c’mon, who doesn’t wipe their shooting glasses on their shirt hem??? A “Grey Man”, as the name implies, is a person that can easily blend into the crowd and the perfect operator should be considered a “grey man”, being able to avoid detection even when surrounded by other people. Helikon’s “Greyman” shirt looks quite unassuming but is still stylish, with the plaid pattern providing not only a degree of elegance but also a low profile look, a necessity during covert urban operations. A classic style with buttoned chest pockets, buttoned front and as well as buttoned sleeves will help you blend into the crowd whenever you need, but for your essential EDC items the shirt has a hidden, internal zippered pocket and another hidden, yet useful feature is a swatch of special cloth for cleaning glasses which is integrated into one of the shirts sides. All of these make the Greyman Shirt a perfect choice either for covert operations or for everyday use. In line with their other shirts like the Defender MK2 series, the “Gentleman” shirt and the Trip Lite shirt HelikonTex really have covered all the bases for warmer and hot

“I’M PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE HAVE A REALLY SUPERB WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE TEAM AT HELIKON-TEX AND EVEN DURING THESE “CHALLENGING TIMES”, THEY’VE BEEN IN CONSTANT CONTACT WITH US, SENDING US OVER TEST GARMENTS AND GEAR AND THEIR “OPERATIONAL TEMPO” SEEMS TO BE AS BRISK AS EVER.”

www.airsoftaction.net

Helikon-Tex®

MCDU® Combat Shirt Unmatched Comfort on a Mission

• Two zippered bicep pockets • Sleeves made of NYCO® fabric • Torso made of TopCool® fabric

#Journey to Perfection

KIT & GEAR HELIKON-TEX BLACK UPDATE CAM

weather wear, and I’m certain there’s more to come!

NEXT? SFU NEXT!

Now it’s all very well having a great range of shirts to choose from but having a trouser design that works just as well and is as full of useful features is a necessity too! I already mentioned the “Greyman Jeans” which work perfectly in an understated way but this year Helikon-Tex have moved forward with their Special Forces Uniform (SFU) NEXT program with the latest SFU NEXT MK2 pants. These pants are a new, improved version of the classic SFU NEXT that have proved to be a superb design, offering a host of features, great durability, and excellent freedom of movement. Even though the new pants are based on the previous pattern, they have been redesigned to fit with a straight, aggressive cut. The pants have numerous pockets, including two classic hip pockets, back pleated pockets and large hook & loop closed cargo pockets on the sides. Additionally, there are two smaller, pleated pockets on the front that can securely hold most smartphones. Profiled knee reinforcements also act as pockets for internal protective pads should the situation dictate their use and the waist band is adjustable via hook & loop webbing on the sides. The pants are closed with neat “Helikon-Tex” branded buttons. Although the design is lower profile than before, the new polycotton stretch ripstop fabric actually works with the design (remember I said earlier that HelikonTex work very closely indeed with technical fabric manufacturers?) to get the very best movement possible. The lower profile of the cargo pockets also means that the MK2 pants are less noticeably a “tac pant”, whilst still maintaining a full feature set. Add to this that the MK2 pants have been tested and positively evaluated by professional users already and this, in totality, makes the SFU NEXT MK2 pants a perfect choice not only for the field, but also for any adventurous trip and, indeed, daily use. Although this is really just highlighting the tip of the iceberg when it comes

to new designs from Helikon-Tex for 2020, I’ll be returning to other models in the future - at the time of writing I’ve just received the very latest MCDU Combat Shirt to test. The MCDU is Helikon’s approach to a combat uniform for more dynamic operations. This combat shirt is not only the first part of the MCDU lineup (and can also be a great addition to the existing MBDU pants) but sits equally at home with all the pant models in the range. The torso of this shirt is made of highly breathable, lightweight TopCool fabric, while the sleeves and stand-up collar are put together in durable NYCO fabric. Bicep zippered pockets will hold most important small essentials like range cards, a target photo, folded map or a GPS, whilst double loop panels on the biceps will allow for easy personalization with various patches, including unit or even country flags. This combat shirt will work perfectly not only on hot days, but also in combination with plate carriers, chest rigs or other vests. The Helikon-Tex MCDU Combat Shirt became available on 6th June at www.helikon-tex.com and at distributors and this is a piece that I’m really looking forward to testing on summer shooting days to come - and you can be certain that you’ll find an update on it when I have! All in all, Helikon-Tex have really showed us their intentions with this year’s range of clothing and I am completely intrigued as to what 2021 will bring! I still need to recap on their new equipment that we saw at SHOT and I’ll endeavour to do so in the next issue of Airsoft Action. For now though, be sure to check everything out by visiting www.helikon-tex.com AA www.airsoftaction.net

WORKSHOP F2000 MODS

TUNING THE MIGHTY TUNA! WITH YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPERS IN HIS ARMOURY OUTPERFORMING THE VENERABLE F2000 AS STANDARD, STEVE T SENT HIS TACTICAL TUNA OFF FOR A THOROUGH FETTLING TO SEE WHAT COULD BE DONE TO PUT IT BACK ON TOP.

veryone knows that parents should love all their children equally. But everyone also knows that isn’t always the case. Despite evidence to the contrary - better grades, better sports results, better looks sometimes there’s just a certain “something” that some kids have. That’s my F2000. Don’t get me wrong - it performs great as standard - but even I had to concede that newer releases just shade it out in terms of performance. That would never do, so I decided to give my favourite some special coaching to bring it up to speed. After many hours’ research and importing parts from the other side of the world, I handed it over to renowned tech and movie prop master, Hollywood, to work his magic. With a not inconsiderable spend that could buy a whole AEG at just under £200 for parts alone, was it all worthwhile?

THE MOD REVIVAL

Does anybody really need a modified RIF in 2020? Now that we’re lucky enough to have things like MOSFETs and tightbore barrels as standard - as Bill mentioned last issue you could argue not. And as always, he’s right! Unless… Your RIF is an older design, there’s a known functional issue, or the build focused on one area at the expense of another. Often, VFC is known for the latter, while even

the mighty Marui has its problems with certain models. G&G’s F2000 definitely qualifies as an “older design”, first introduced a

whole decade ago. Regular readers will remember that despite being officially unavailable since 2013, I managed to import one new from the USA last year as an Evike exclusive (see the March 2018 issue for a head-tohead review with

“DOES ANYBODY REALLY NEED A MODIFIED RIF IN 2020? NOW THAT WE’RE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE THINGS LIKE MOSFETS AND TIGHTBORE BARRELS AS STANDARD - AS BILL MENTIONED LAST ISSUE - YOU COULD ARGUE NOT. AND AS ALWAYS, HE’S RIGHT! UNLESS…” 38

JULY 2020

WORKSHOP F2000 MODS

Cybergun’s more affordable option). I was thrilled then and I’m still thrilled to use it now. But the fact there are other, newer guns that outperform it as standard has niggled at me. Time to do something about that…

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

One of the most popular upgrade routes in airsoft is to achieve higher FPS, but we didn’t need to even consider that for the G&G F2000. With its ingenious adjustable spring that’s ridiculously easy to dial in, the FPS can be set up for just about any site in under a minute. Number one in my book is always reliability, but as a tactical player, also increased range and accuracy. Then there’s the no small consideration of the feelz. Happily, there’s one mod unique to the F2000 that fixes the first and last of those concerns. That’s the M-Trigger from Shadow Regime Airsoft in the USA. G&G’s F2000 is notorious for developing fire select issues over time and the internet consensus is that SRA’s solution is the best. Normally, I follow the doctrine of “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and I’ve experienced no problems in over a year of ownership, but the M-Trigger also comes with one very fruity bonus over and above guarding against failure - you can specify it to include a MOSFET capable of running an 11.1 LiPo. More performance AND better reliability for under £90? Done deal! From the get-go, thanks to the new Gate NanoHard meaning that we can run an 11.1 LiPo, the Tuna is instantly more Tempura batter crispy than raw sushi squidgy. There’s a “SNAP!” To every cycle that was missing before and full auto is now an absolute blast! The trigger pull remains distant, but that’s unavoidable due to the mechanical nature of the bullpup configuration and it’s long transfer bar. The switch mod can’t do much to alter that, but it is more durable, better configured for the mosfet and should improve both reliability and durability.

THE STROKES

As well as an 11.1 LiPo-ready MOSFET, one other mod helps to make for a faster response when contact is made - and

the best thing is that it doesn’t cost a penny! A mod that costs literally nothing and improves performance has to be a winner in anyone’s book. Just one that’s best left to an expert tech unless you’re willing to risk rendering your RIF inoperative... While the Tuna was being filletted on Hollywood’s workbench, he deboned the sector gear and piston rack - in other words, he short stroked it by two teeth. Fewer teeth means that the piston is released sooner, resulting in both a quicker single shot and a higher rate of fire. No wonder full auto is now fun time!

Here’s how Hollywood explained to me why it works. “The volume of the cylinder needs to compress air to approximately the volume of the barrel, so that the piston reaches the front of the cylinder and the pressure maxes out just as the BB leaves the barrel. Only M16 length barrels - or longer - need the entire cylinder to work efficiently. Shorter

“AS WELL AS AN 11.1 LIPO-READY MOSFET, ONE OTHER MOD HELPS TO MAKE FOR A FASTER RESPONSE WHEN CONTACT IS MADE - AND THE BEST THING IS THAT IT DOESN’T COST A PENNY! A MOD THAT COSTS LITERALLY NOTHING AND IMPROVES PERFORMANCE HAS TO BE A WINNER IN ANYONE’S BOOK.” www.airsoftaction.net

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

WORKSHOP F2000 MODS

barrels [as you’d find in most AEGs] need less volume. “TM solved this by putting ports in the cylinder, so that the piston starts building pressure later to match the barrel length of the gun. As a result on shorter-barreled guns, the piston is being pulled all the way to the rear of the gearbox for no reason. So why not reduce that travel to a distance closer to the volume needed? “The net result is that on single shot, the piston gets released by the sector gear earlier, which makes the whole gun respond faster. It also increases the dwell time on auto, making it less prone to issues in the event of a BB jamming.”

at 25m every time. And I don’t mean most of the time - I mean every time! Other than “user error” of course, which happens more often than I’d like to admit. But the good news is that after the upgrades, the limiting factor is the meatsack behind the stock and not the mechanicals in front of it. With a magnified scope fitted, I was able to make the most of the F2000’s new-found trajectory fidelity and landed a satisfying 1cm bullseye at the same 25m range on a slightly breezy evening. More importantly for a tool that only really needs to hit person-sized targets, the overall grouping was about an inch tighter overall than standard.

FINISHING TOUCHES

While it was under his knife, Hollywood also shimmed the gears - bevel and sector, shim fans! - as well as cannibalising a spare cylinder head to do the sorbo pad mod to finesse the Angle of Attack. He also recommended a larger capacity battery with a high discharge rate for ultimate performance. And one final mod that I requested was to reinforce the slits to either side of the stock to better support a fabric sling, which is a tidier solution than the real-world lashup. It may not be truly authentic, but it works for me on a Sunday skirmish and even though the polymer shows no signs of stress around those points, it only seemed prudent to reinforce them while we had the chance. 1mm steel secured with epoxy should do the trick nicely. Something to consider if you’re thinking about shortstroking your AEG is that you will lose in the region of 10 FPS per tooth. If you counter that with a stronger spring to bring FPS back up, then you’ll place more stress on your gearbox, which could result in failure. That wasn’t a concern here, since the F2000 is designed to cope with 400+ FPS out of the box, so we could adjust the standard spring back to 350 bob-diddly-on without worry.

SMOOTH CRIMINAL

With its proprietary hop unit and already sporting a G&G Green bucking - the rubber of choice for many UK airsofters - that was another area that we left standard. But we could always swap out the brass inner barrel for something with a smoother, more consistent finish for better accuracy. Hollywood’s recommendation was for a 6.03mm Madbull Black Python v2 (the V2 is important because the original had issues with the finish flaking over time, causing problems with consistent accuracy). It might not have been my first choice, but he’s fitted hundreds over the years and I trust his judgement. The 363mm just protrudes beyond the outer barrel, which would be masked by a flash hider - and you can’t even see it at all with a mock suppressor such as G&P’s Skull Frog that I think suits the F2000 well. Even without a sight or scope and just with a steady aim after setting the easy-to-adjust hop under its flap on top of the receiver, the Tuna is now reliably hitting a six-inch target

JULY 2020

WAS IT WORTH IT?

In terms of hard empirical data? No, not really. For GB Pounds vs performance, these £200 of mods don’t add up to a 50% improvement on a £400 gun. But then, there was nothing really wrong with the F2000 as standard. It’s a premium RIF from a respected manufacturer that’s performed like a champ throughout my ownership. As we touched on earlier, the parts cost alone could buy a decent AEG, but you enter the realm of diminishing returns when you start upgrading a top tier RIF. WHAT’S THE F2000 LIKE TO WORK ON? VERY EASY, ACCORDING TO THE TECH. HOLLYWOOD SAYS THAT, “THE WAY IT BREAKS DOWN IS REMARKABLY STRAIGHTFORWARD. YOU CAN UNSCREW THE SPRING GUIDE AND TAKE THE SPRING OUT, SO STRIPPING DOWN THE GEARBOX IS EASY. ALSO, AS THE MOTOR IS FITTED TO THE GEARBOX, TESTING THE FUNCTIONALITY OUTSIDE THE GUN IS EASY TOO. “HAVING THE SWITCH MECH ON THE OUTSIDE MEANS YOU COULD FIT THE SWITCH MOD WITHOUT OPENING THE GEARBOX IF YOU DIDN’T WANT TO DO UPGRADES AT THE SAME TIME.” IT’S NOT ALL GRAVY THOUGH AS HE OBSERVES THAT, “INSTALLING THE SPRINGS ON THE SWITCH UNIT IS A REAL PAIN, ESPECIALLY THE SMALLER ONE; WORKS BEST WITH TWEEZERS. THE GEARBOX IS A BIT STIFF TO REMOVE FROM THE BODY TOO”.

WORKSHOP F2000 MODS

Like any special forces operative - or top athlete - once you’ve gone as far as your skills can take you, your kit can give you a tiny bit more. But small increases can end up being expensive. The way Hollywood puts it, “if you take your gameplay seriously - training skills and drills etc - and you’ve gotten as far as you can like that, then it’s time to eke out every last bit of performance from your gear. Having a gun at max performance is really the only remaining way to get that edge.” As we’ve seen from the results though, it seems I’ve put the cart before the horse and improved my kit before working on my sh**. I blame lockdown for making me rusty and let’s move on, ahem! With my sensible head on, I’d have been better served putting that money into a new AEG or sidearm. Airsoft is a sport - and shaving an inch or two off range tests is hardly the difference between life and death it might be in real combat, when £200 for any advantage would be a bargain. In airsoft, as long as you can hit another player far enough out, then good enough is good enough. But with my indulgent father goggles on, my favourite kid just got even more special. Not only does it now reach

that bit further out, that bit more reliably, but it also feels sharper and more exciting. It’s not overstating things to say that I have fallen in love with my ugly duckling all over again. AA

PARTS AND PRICES SRA M-TRIGGER & GATE NANOHARD MOSFET: £90.00 SHS LONEX A1 LONG MOTOR: £56.99 SHS 15 TOOTH POLY PISTON & ALLOY HEAD: £12.45 MADBULL BLACK PYTHON V2 6.03MM INNER BARREL: £36.00 TOTAL: £195.44

“EVEN WITHOUT A SIGHT OR SCOPE AND JUST WITH A STEADY AIM AFTER SETTING THE EASY-TO-ADJUST HOP UNDER ITS FLAP ON TOP OF THE RECEIVER, THE TUNA IS NOW RELIABLY HITTING A SIX-INCH TARGET AT 25M EVERY TIME. AND I DON’T MEAN MOST OF THE TIME - I MEAN EVERY TIME!”

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR WA03 3D PRINTED TRACER ADAPTOR

WA03 3D PRINTED

TRACER ADAPTOR

PHIL B PUTS A 3D PRINTED TRACER ADAPTOR, CREATED BY A FELLOW AA CONTRIBUTOR DURING LOCKDOWN, THROUGH ITS PACES.

e all love tracers don’t we? I know I have never seen someone look sad after having a go with one at night; whether that be at home (where safe to do it) or during a night game/in dark buildings. There’s something cool about seeing that line of green or red BBs flying towards your target but until recently you had to have a specific unit on the muzzle, hop unit or the G&P tracer mags to get the effect and they haven’t always looked that great. If you wanted to run a suppressor too, then more often than not you were out of luck! Tracers aren’t new though; Marui had one out years ago and I’ve owned a couple of them. They were quite big but you did get a few adaptors in the kit which allowed you to fit them to a number of guns, or even conceal it within the integrated suppressor of the MP5SD6 but it was quite a large unit and the unconcealed one, whilst it looked a bit suppressor like it, wasn’t really based on any real life one. Fast forward quite a few years and there have been many different tracer units in the market - largely based off the Marui unit - but as technology has moved on, the size of these units has shrunk considerably to the point now where they are light and small enough to work on pistols without impeding the blow back function. There’s also a lot more available and there is also a much larger choice in the colour of tracer BBs, as well as weights, so you really don’t need to compromise like the old days and just use green 0.2g BBs anymore. The only problem with the new tracers is that they

look even less like a suppressor now than they did before. A couple are small enough to be mistaken for a muzzle device of some description but they don’t look great (in my humble opinion). Luckily, this is where 3D printing steps up and helps out and in this instance the product on test is from one of my fellow contributors to Airsoft Action, Craig Walton.

LOCKDOWN WORK

Craig found himself with some time on his hands during the current global lockdown and with his 3D printer he set about building one of his own, as there were no “plug and play” ones on the market. Sure, there were some online guides to rustle up a makeshift one but nothing you could just grab. Ironically, the first model he made one for was for a MP5SD6; just like the original Marui version. Craig’s version, however, uses the XT301 Mk2 mini tracer unit, which is held in place in the can by the two-part, 3D-printed adaptor. The instructions provided are clear and it takes just a couple of seconds to get it assembled the right way round. After that, all you need to do is unscrew the front cap of your suppressor, remove some (or all) of the foam, depending on the suppressor type and drop the unit into the space, before reattaching the front cap - and you are good to go! There’s no need to switch anything on as the XT301 has an auto on/off function so you can leave it in their until it needs charging. The version I got from Craig was for one of the many

“…ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS UNSCREW THE FRONT CAP OF YOUR SUPPRESSOR, REMOVE SOME (OR ALL) OF THE FOAM, DEPENDING ON THE SUPPRESSOR TYPE AND DROP THE UNIT INTO THE SPACE, BEFORE REATTACHING THE FRONT CAP - AND YOU ARE GOOD TO GO!”

JULY 2020

KIT & GEAR WA03 3D PRINTED TRACER ADAPTOR

replica surefire SOCOM RC2 cans, which are ever-present and popular these days - and it fitted perfectly. There was just under a millimetre of play on either side and because the bore of the tracer unit and the adaptor is not tight bore, it is perfectly fine. Not a single BB hit the inside of the unit or the suppressor during my testing and, thanks to the foam packing, there was no vertical movement within the suppressor either. Craig has already expanded the range and you can buy

sleeves for the Marui HK416 Devgru, the MP7QD, PBS-1, Nuprol BOCCA long and the eponymous SOCOM RC2 Surefire suppressor too! He can also make a custom adaptor for you (if you send him your suppressor so it can be sized up) and he has done so on a few occasions. All of the different models come in either black or grey and can be found on www.ebay.co.uk/ usr/the3dprinter AA

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury ARMY ARMAMENT R501

ARMY ARMAMENT

OLD SKOOL NEW KOOL

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

SOME AIRSOFT LOADOUT IDEAS GO ON FOR YEARS UNTIL THE RIGHT ELEMENTS CAN BE ASSEMBLED AND BILL IS FINALLY DRAWING CLOSE TO COMPLETING A “PET PROJECT” HE’S BEEN WORKING ON FOR A WHILE. IN THE PROCESS HE DISCOVERS A NEW MODERN PISTOL DESIGN FROM ARMY ARMAMENT THAT HAS REALLY GOT HIS ATTENTION!

nspiration for a loadout comes from many directions, of OPFOR for me) but my real “pet project loadout”, a doesn’t it? These days many loadouts are driven by labour of love for many years, is for the character of “John movies, TV shows, and games and there’s absolutely Rourke” in “The Survivalist” series of books from the nothing wrong with that if dressing up as your favourite 1980s. “insert character here” adds to your enjoyment of the And weirdly, this is where fact meets fiction! Jerry Ahern game! was a science fiction author best known for his postI’ve been a bit of a sucker apocalyptic survivalist series “The for this over the years, with Survivalist” and the books in this “A WEAPON OF WHICH I AM loadouts for Namsoft, WWII series are heavy with descriptions US D-Day Airborne and USMC of the weapons the protagonists EXTREMELY FOND IS MY Pacific, along with 80’s BAOR, use to survive and prosecute DETONICS BLACK COMBAT modern USN SEAL and UKSF a seemingly never-ending war MASTER .45 …THE GUN I CARRY to mention but a few and, amongst the remnants of the although these days my delight superpowers from pre-apocalypse VIRTUALLY EVERY DAY… SOME in playing an OPFOR role has times. Interestingly, Ahern also THINGS, GUNS, KNIVES AND led me in yet another new wrote for firearms magazines OTHER INANIMATE OBJECTS, JUST and, in later life, he produced a direction, I still like things to be “right” when I’m doing a series of gun holsters of his own SEEM TO FIT ONE’S HAND AND loadout properly. My personal design and became the President ONE’S LIFESTYLE SO WELL, THEY “man cave” is a bit of a of a gun company called Detonics BECOME INDISPENSABLE.” treasure trove and although USA! – JERRY AHERN some of the loadouts have In the books (there are 27, or gone, many are still with me… 35 in the entire series if you count just in case! add-ons!) protagonist Dr John To date though, there are two loadouts that I’ve wished Thomas Rourke, a retired CIA operative, weapons expert, to do that have eluded me, either because certain key trained physician and “The Survivalist” of the title, always items weren’t available at the time, or down to the fact carries two Detonics Combat Master pistols (talk about that I didn’t feel I should be spending money on an esoteric product placement!). In the books they are stainless steel whim! One of these, that I will get round to completing models but that always glared a little to me as a bit “bling” one day, is WWII “French Resistance” (another extension for a combat shooter. Yes, I understand that there are 46

JULY 2020

armoury ARMY ARMAMENT R501

“I STILL LIKE THINGS TO BE “RIGHT” WHEN I’M DOING A LOADOUT PROPERLY. MY PERSONAL “MAN CAVE” IS A BIT OF A TREASURE TROVE AND ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE LOADOUTS HAVE GONE, MANY ARE STILL WITH ME… JUST IN CASE!” technical reasons why they are stainless steel but in general I’ve always preferred my personal “classic 1911 derivatives” plain black with wood grips, as did Jerry Ahern.

However, financial problems plagued Detonics, even when the line was increased to include the “Servicemaster” and “Scoremaster” until finally, in 1986, the company filed for bankruptcy. Detonics remained dormant until 2004, when it was resurrected by gun writer and novelist Jerry Ahern, who had written about the Combat Master from its inception! Ahern renamed the company “Detonics USA” and during this period the “Streetmaster”, featuring a full-size slide on a Combat Master frame and the “Model 9-11-01” were added to the product line. Ahern’s official involvement with the Combat Master lasted until November 2007 when Detonics USA was purchased by its last owners, Bruce Siddle and Dr. Steve Stahle, who changed the name back to Detonics. The company struggled to survive and, in 2017, disappeared quietly into the realms of “gun lore”. Of all the models made by Detonics, it was the Combat Master that inspired Ahern (and by association his character John Rourke) and Ahern once wrote: “A weapon of which I am extremely fond is my Detonics Black Combat Master .45 …the gun I carry virtually every day… Some things, guns, knives and other inanimate objects, just seem to fit one’s hand and one’s lifestyle so well, they become indispensable.”

OLD SKOOL, CLONED FOR FUN

Jerry Ahern with Detonics Combatmaster .45

PATCHY HISTORY

The Detonics Combat Master was an interesting handgun with a rather patchy history. Back in the early 1970s an engineer named Pat Yates decided to see if he could make his own subcompact 1911 and, aided by Sid Woodcock, he did just that! After building a few prototypes based on chopped Colt M1911A1s, they joined forces with Mike Maes and Chuck Lyford who had formed a company called Detonics. The company created a pistol that could be easily mass-produced, yet still possessed the reliability of a custom-made handgun, the Detonics “Combat Master”. This little beauty became the world’s first commercially manufactured, subcompact, single-action semi-automatic, measuring just shy of seven inches long and five inches tall and it was chambered in man-stopping .45 ACP, with a six-round magazine! Grips were wood or Pachmayr rubber and initial models were offered with a matt-blued finish, although the Combat Master line was eventually extended to include brushed-nickel, hard-chrome and polished-blue finishes.

I’m, going to be blunt and say that the first airsoft “Detonics Combat Master” I bought many moons back when I first started on the “Rourke Project” was the original, black plastic TM and it is a lovely little pistol! I soon added some custom woods grips to it (luckily, I had the foresight to buys two pairs of these at the time!) and its been sitting in my collection ever since. I’ve always sworn that I would add the second when I had the money but the TM retails for iro £130 and spare 18BB mags are about £22 a pop, so it’s quite a lot of moolah for an “occasional use only” pistol.

www.airsoftaction.net

armoury ARMY ARMAMENT R501

However, I was speaking to one of the guys at the local shop on Pistol Night (another reason to visit your local shop is that you find out things you may have missed from mates you meet there!) who had recently got himself a China-made Army Armament R45A1 1911 Compact and I will admit to doing a bit of a double take when I saw it, as there before me was a clone of the TM Detonics - but one that was full metal from the box and sold for £60! After I shot his R45A1 on the range I was convinced that this was the way forward and soon ordered one in. I dug out the second pair of wood grips and stained them to match the pair on the original TM and apart from the R45A1 not having any trades, I suddenly had my “matching pair a la Rourke”! And the R45 has proved a real eye opener for me to the Army Armament pistol range, one that I’d avoided down to my disappointment with their original EBB L85 (stripped piston during the first outing)..

The little R5A1 is a corker, weighing in at just 700g, the small slide means that it cycles like a champ and chucks out .20g BBs at about 0.49 Joule/230fps, although mine seems happiest on .23g. Its nicely made and finished and once I’d changed out the plastic grips for the wood ones, it feels brilliant in the hand. This tiny pistol in huge value for money and as it uses TM mags as happily as its own (which are slightly cheaper and work in the TM too!), I’m happy as a happy thing and the “Survivalist” loadout is one small step closer to completion… although, sadly, the Harley Davidson Low Rider is still a little out of reach!

NEW SCHOOL SKIRMISHER

Of course, delighted as I was that I’d finally found my second “Detonics”, I was impressed enough with the finish and performance of the “little pistol” that my thoughts turned towards the rest of the Army Armament Pistol line. I seem to be having a bit of a “1911 moment” after many,

many years of being a “G-Man” and the choice from Army Armament is extensive if you like the “American Pistol”! After much rumination I decided to go for, to me, the most modern-looking of their “in house” designs on offer and got an R501 model in from Taiwangun. The R501 is a cool looking pistol, both in plain black, and in the black/ tan configuration that I chose myself. The upper slide, the frame, outer barrel, and compensator are all made of a nice semi-matt-black finished alloy which gives the 1040g R501 a great feel and a solid recoil impulse as the slide cycles. The “compensator” is free-floating and feels a little wobbly, but it does add a huge amount of character to the design as well as housing a fibre-optic front sight. Beneath this as an integral part of the frame is a six slot 20mm accessory rail that just screams for a taclight! One thing that endears the R501 to me, is the stippled pistol grip that comes as standard that encourages a good grip and solid retention; this is, however, quite aggressive, so I think I’ll be using gloves! There’s also a nicely flared magwell to encourage a swift magazine changes and the controls are unmistakeably “1911 Hi Capa” with a Beavertail safety in addition to a physical slide lock. The R501 fits perfectly into all my Kydex 1911 holsters , so I can keep the same belt setup for different pistol models which is a bonus, and the pistol seems happy with Hi-Capa magazines from different manufacturers if you already have some. The 30BB magazine that comes with the pistol has an enlarged baseplate which slides forward to reveal the fill nozzle and thus far it’s proved very reliable. Coming back to the Detonics (the R45A1) I never intended this to be a “range pistol”, more a fun gun to fill out my theme but the R501 is a different beast! It chrono’d solidly at a mean of 0.84 Joule/301fps on my .20g RZR test BBs but seems happiest on .23g. As with many GBBs, you need to remove the slide to adjust the hop (this is well explained in the instruction manual that comes in the box) but once set it appears to stay put during firing. At 10m the R501 is no precision “tack driver” but it keeps BBs on target and that’s really all that’s important. For around £80 this is a big chunk of fun for the money and makes a great skirmish-day backup! Overall, I have to say that I’ve changed my opinion on Army Armament; I believe it will still take a lot to get me back to their AEGs thanks to that first L85, but now I’ve tried their gas pistols and added a couple to the armoury, I can honestly say that I believe I’ve been missing a trick. Just because one thing turns out to be a lemon, it doesn’t mean that other models from the same manufacturer can’t be a far sweeter deal! My thanks got to www.taiwangun.com for supplying the R501, and both this and the R45A1 are available right now! AA

“I WILL ADMIT TO DOING A BIT OF A DOUBLE TAKE WHEN I SAW IT, AS THERE BEFORE ME WAS A CLONE OF THE TM DETONICS - BUT ONE THAT WAS FULL METAL FROM THE BOX AND SOLD FOR £60!”

JULY 2020

THE CAGE COMMS

THE CAGE:

COMMS

ONCE AGAIN BILL HAS DRAWN TOGETHER THE AA TEAM TO LOOK AT A SPECIFIC QUESTION REGARDING AIRSOFT GEAR TO FIND OUT THEIR THOUGHTS ON WHAT’S BEST, HOW THEY USE IT, AND WHY? THIS TIME HE TURNS ATTENTION TO “COMMS IN AIRSOFT”.

irsoft and communication? In some cases you might well be right in thinking that the two things are mutually exclusive, as in many games the use of verbal signals, let alone radios or any other tech, seems to matter not one bit as your team-mates bomb-burst out of the start point and disappear into buildings or the treeline, never to be heard from again until they turn up at Respawn! Even at the most immersive of MilSim games I’ve experienced the “comms net” turn very quickly to absolute rat-crap, with players VOX-ing one another and ignoring even the simplest form of radio discipline, which negatively impacts the playing experience for everyone. On the flipside, I’ve also seen radios and mobile tech used exceptionally well throughout an event, making the experience wholly positive and enjoyable and vastly adding to the immersive nature of the game! So where do we stand in this “debate”? I believe it’s largely a very personal thing yet again. As Sean succinctly pointed out in his article on comms last month, a halfway decent set of comms need not cost you the earth but it WILL need an investment of both money and time if you want to get the setup right and be able to use if effectively! And of course, this does not only apply just to you but also to the other guys on your team as you will need compatible radio models and also be prepared to learn how to use them!

And then there is the legal aspect of radio ownership! Here in the UK most use of radio transmitters (walkietalkies, vehicle sets, CBs and the like) requires a licence which stipulates who can transmit where and on what frequency, to make sure that different users do not cause interference to each other. This is especially important regarding “official” radio users such as police, emergency services, railways, military and air traffic control etc.. However, many radios that meet certain standards are allowed to be used without any licence; basic, short-range walkie-talkies that conform to the EU-wide “PMR446” standard can be used by anyone in the UK or EU with no need for any licence and this type of radio can be easily found in electrical stores at very reasonable prices. Radios that meet this standard (usually called “PMR446” radios) can only have a power output of 0.5 watts, which means that their range is less than the more powerful licensable business walkie-talkies that have power outputs of 4 to 5 watts. They all use the same number of channels, which can sometimes cause problems if there are a lot of users on these channels in a given area… like at an airsoft game! Use of more powerful radios (up to 5 watts for handheld radios, and up to 25 watts for vehicle sets and “base stations”) requires a licence; licenced handheld radios can have 5 watts power output, but as “licencefree” PMR446 radios can only have a lower power output,

“EVEN AT THE MOST IMMERSIVE OF MILSIM GAMES I’VE EXPERIENCED THE “COMMS NET” TURN VERY QUICKLY TO ABSOLUTE RAT-CRAP, WITH PLAYERS VOX-ING ONE ANOTHER AND IGNORING EVEN THE SIMPLEST FORM OF RADIO DISCIPLINE, WHICH NEGATIVELY IMPACTS THE PLAYING EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE. ”

www.airsoftaction.net

THE CAGE COMMS

the licenced radios will have a better range and better signal penetration in buildings. Whilst we would all “like to have” more powerful radios you do need to ensure that you are compliant with the law and although 5 watt+ models are easily obtained from online sellers, this does not mean that you are within the law if you buy and use them, so please do ensure that you are buying and using radio models that conform to the law wherever you are! More and more, however, I’m seeing the use of mobile telephones taking over from the old “PMR-style” radio handsets and as that technology and available “comms apps” moves forward, then this is potentially a valuable and legal way to add “comms” to your airsoft experience - this is an area that we’ll be looking at in more depth in a future issue of Airsoft Action.

TEAM TALK: BROADSWORD CALLING DANNY BOY!

So, with all that in mind, this month I asked the members of the Airsoft Action team and The Legion a couple of simple questions; Do you use a radio? What type? Do you feel this adds to the airsoft experience? Jonathan: “I use a Harris 152 with RS PTT AND Peltor bone headset; it’s a real-steel set as I find that any airsoft

comms lose it if you walk 50 feet away!” Scott: “An iPhone X; nothing beats “what is your location?” and sending them a selfie! I got fed up with radios not working and phones work so much easier! I never had any luck with anything except the old motorola XTN.” Christopher JW: “I use radios in two ways; in the private games I run we tend to have a squad radio only and folks really like the RTO role but it’s mainly to stop “blue on blue” (lol)! At the last game, as it was “modern” we ran squad only radios if the squads wanted and no squad to squad and folks missed the squad to squad. On away trips with the team we use inter-squad radios all the time, great help most of the time!” Phil: “Baofeng when I can be bothered, which is less and less these days as it never quite works out as you imagine it will and, for me, it ends up just being a hindrance in most cases. If I’m playing where there’s gonna be a lot of pyro though, then they can be useful especially with noise cancelling headsets.” Turgay: “I use a standard PMR radio, it works well so I have no problem. In relation to headsets I use a Code Red brand bone headset model.” Sai: “Baofeng; I think yes it totally enhances the game if used consistently, changes it from a skirmish to more tactical and strategic. Can I get my team to use them? Hell no! Whistle blows and I’m standing alone! Might as well become a sniper instead. Either that or just start chatting with the other side just for company…” Sean: **Rubs hands together** “Most of our players are equipped with the Baofeng UV5R. Its relatively inexpensive and meets most needs. A few other Baofeng models make an appearance, such at the UV82. The impression-focused players lean heavily on the reproduction PRC152 and PRC148 models offered up by TCI and TCA. They’re handy because of their native compatibility with authentic radio accessories. “One thing we’ve been leaning on more and more is PoC/PTToC (Push to Talk over Cellular). This technology turns your phone or another dedicated device into a PTT radio. “Zello” is one of the applications doing this and it’s our software of choice. The paid version allows complete control over users, channels, talk priority or listen only and live location tracking of all users. Its an excellent alternative to UHF/VHF when you have cell service at your event space and you want secured comms away from the crowded FRS/GMRS bands. If you want more details on PoC, or how we blend the two together, we wrote a larger article on it here: https://bit.ly/3f8Bw2L” Rob: “When I did more regularly, yes, a radio for me. I’m very old school in that I prefer hand signals mostly

“I USED TO USE MOTOROLA PMR446 XTNS WITH THROAT MICS AND IN-EAR/WRAPAROUND PIECES BACK IN THE DAYS OF UK SHOOTS, OR COPEHILL EVENTS WHILE PROVIDING OVERWATCH AND REPORTING ON ENEMY MOVEMENTS FROM THE TOP OF THE TOWER BLOCK.”

JULY 2020

THE CAGE COMMS

when possible. Still, radios have a place. I have half a dozen Baofengs and a couple other ham radio models with specialty antenna, including fold-down long. (Yes, licensed get your ham license or the family channel licenses at least!) I wear an in-ear, secret service-style but hear through ear mold with PTT lapel mics.” Steve T: “When we all remember to charge and pack them, we run poverty-spec radios on our team. In other words, the Baofeng BF-888S. Of course, there are other, better handsets out there using newer technology but we’ve never run out of range and they seem to be reliable. And with an asking price in the region of just £16 per pair, it doesn’t matter if it jumps out of your pouch, gets shot or you land on it. How effective radios are ultimately depends on whether your squad mates use them or not. On the best days, they’ve enabled us to split into smaller groups in different sections of the site and still operate as a unit towards one objective. But perhaps the most important information I’ve ever heard over the radio was, “Oh look - a deer!”” Stu: “I used to use Motorola PMR446 XTNs with throat mics and in-ear/wraparound pieces back in the days of UK shoots, or Copehill events while providing overwatch and reporting on enemy movements from the top of the tower block. As for Taiwan, I bought a Baofeng programmable and have used it a grand total of once because it’s just too hectic to do comms in a CQB place where it’s just simpler to yell and you don’t even have time to reach for a PTT due to gunfire and VOX is *always* just someone panting vociferously …to everyone else’s dismay!” Nige: “Based more on the observation of many, many games and events, rather than on personal experience, I think, given the right situation and correct usage, then radios can be a great asset. For example, I have had the pleasure of being an “embedded reporter” whilst taking part in Stirling Airsoft events and in that environment they are perfect. However, on the other hand, I have witnessed games where “radio use” has contributed to (and, indeed, sometimes caused) the general mayhem seen at some

skirmishes. I am sure we’ve all probably heard calls like “... at my ten o’clock” (useless unless you happen to know where the player is and which way they are facing) and my all-time favourite, “...behind the [big] tree over there!” I guess the question can be answered with another... If radios were no good in battle, why would militaries around the world place such emphasis on their use?” As usual there’s a wide spread of opinion amongst the crew and I have to admit that when it comes to my own use I too will go down the XTN/Baofeng route. I used the Motorolas almost exclusively during my time running games and they never missed a beat; great value for money, easy to program and as they run on normal “buy in the shop” batteries, pretty foolproof in the field, albeit with range limitations. When I joined a team back in the UK on my return from the USA, everyone was running Baofengs so I ended up getting one but I have to admit to not being a huge fan though, due to charging issues and for a technoluddite like me, the programming. Headsets? Oh my, that’s a whole other can of worms when it comes to me, as I do like shiny things! I’ve had throat mics and earbuds, SEAL “Swimmer” headsets (I actually like those a lot!), Bowman-style for my UK loadouts, “bone sets” and numerous sets of “peltor-a-like” headsets with boom mics, some of which have been great, some of which have never worked from new! These days I tend to run real Peltors with connections for both the old Moto’s and the Baofeng. Truth be told though, like many others I do believe “comms”, when used properly and effectively, can be a real bonus in game but, ultimately for me, they are just another piece of kit to add to my personal load and one that more often than not goes “pffft” at exactly the wrong moment! I for one am extremely interested to see where the “mobile phone comms” thing goes in the future. I’ll conclude by saying, for those who like the extra level of immersion, then fill your boots… just remember not to VOX your entire team! AA

“I AM SURE WE’VE ALL PROBABLY HEARD CALLS LIKE “...AT MY TEN O’CLOCK” (USELESS UNLESS YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW WHERE THE PLAYER IS AND WHICH WAY THEY ARE FACING) AND MY ALLTIME FAVOURITE, “...BEHIND THE [BIG] TREE OVER THERE!””

www.airsoftaction.net

COVERT BOOT

BLACK / BROWN / TITANIUM / SRP: Â£49.95

THIS IS MY M4 PART 7: TRIGGER GUARD+

THIS IS MY M4 PT7: THE FAT FINGER SHUFFLE

AFTER YEARS OF MAKING MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO RIFS WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SUCCESS, STEVE T GOES ALL-IN ON HIS MWS TO FIND OUT JUST WHAT AN INEPT HOME TECH CAN ACHIEVE. THIS MONTH: TRIGGER GUARD, CHARGING HANDLE AND MAG SKINS.

s regular readers will know, we’ve enjoyed a cracked lower receiver during the course of this build. But without time or tools to properly address that issue and the original cause - for now, at least - it’s time to look at an ergonomic oversight for me personally; the flat trigger guard. If you wear full-fingered gloves for airsoft - and who could blame you after the first time you take a 350FPS shot to a digit - then you’ll know that space is at a premium for index fingers in standard trigger guards. It may be authentic and there’s certainly nothing wrong with TM’s flat guard as such but it’s not exactly welcoming of fat-fingered friends such as myself. So as part of the journey to tailor the M4A1 to my individual needs, I fitted the MAP-style trigger guard by Angry Gun. There are many other options on the market but I chucked it in the basket as I was placing an order for other, bigger items as covered in previous issues.

GINGER SPICE

A trigger guard isn’t a hard part to fit but I was understandably more ginger

in the way I approached it, having already caused damage to the lower receiver. The standard trigger guard is secured in two places. To the front is a moveable pin that you simply press in to clear the receiver as it swings down. To the rear is a pin that requires you to tap clear of the body - preferably from the nearside. You mean I have to take a hammer to it again? After the trouble I got into last time? Okay, deep breath… Even using a rubber mallet, that’s more stress through the damaged body than I’d like, but even though the pin resisted, it came free in the end. Be advised though; it’s a length of rolled metal rather than a solid pin, so I wouldn’t recommend abusing it with pliers or similar in case it gets bent out of shape, which would make it difficult - or impossible - to reseat.

this screw until it felt like it was flush with the guard, hoping to swing it in then back it off to secure. But no dice. Instead, I needed to remove the screw entirely, line up the mounting holes, insert the screw and tighten from outside. No drama, but some instructions would have been nice! So, what do I think of this affordable £15.00 - and relatively easy - mod? Well, obviously it looks cooler than standard but more importantly, it drops the lower bar by just enough to comfortably accommodate sausage fingers like mine. We’re talking bare millimetres of difference here but - as I started to learn from the beginning of this build and simply fitting aftermarket externals such as a new pistol grip or stock - a mm here and

PRESS FOR ACTION

Trigger newly nude, it was time to dress for action once more. The rear pin taps back in as before but, on Angry Gun’s replacement, I needed to secure the front using a 1.5mm metric allen key. First, I tried tightening

“BUT NO DICE. INSTEAD, I NEEDED TO REMOVE THE SCREW ENTIRELY, LINE UP THE MOUNTING HOLES, INSERT THE SCREW AND TIGHTEN FROM OUTSIDE. NO DRAMA, BUT SOME INSTRUCTIONS WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE!”

www.airsoftaction.net

THIS IS MY M4 PART 7: TRIGGER GUARD+

there actually add up to make a big difference to the overall feel. In this case, it’s now genuinely easier to transition my trigger finger from a passive rest to actively reach

the trigger without fouling on the guard en route. It makes getting on target more positive, without a possible fumble as your trigger finger hits the guard on the way in. But its far from night and day and we’re talking increments of milliseconds here. You could certainly argue that

while that could be invaluable for a CQB forward operator, it is no real gain for a slower paced rear guard such as myself.

POSITIVELY CHARGED

While we’re talking about externals, let’s take charge of the situation (groan!) with a new charging handle. It is the work of but moments to fit - remove rear pin, rotate upper, pull existing, swap out and return - and there are many aftermarket options out there. I chose the PTS Raptor handle, for

no good reason other than... sexeh! It seems that they’re hard to come by in the UK at the time of ordering but it’s still easy to import direct from the manufacturer in Asia. After placing the order, it arrived in just days. To be honest, the Raptor adds just about nothing to the MWS’ functionality, other than being maybe a touch easier to access under the long and low scope I chose to fit. To be honest, it doesn’t even look that different until you pull it back - and will you be looking at it when you do? Probably not. But I can almost imagine that it makes the release feel ever-so-slightly crisper and ready-to-fire more definite, but I’m the first to admit that’s probably buyer’s bias. That said, I like it so much that I don’t even care…

SKIN ME, BRO!

Outside of the core RIF, one area I chose to pay attention to was the notorious “cooldown effect” when using gas magazines. It’s a wellknown phenomenon that GBB mags lose power over rapid follow-up shots, thanks to the way the gas experiences a sharp drop in temperature through use. That’s why your pistol mag feels so cold after dumping a full mag of ammo - and also why you can squeeze out more shots after reloading BBs and allowing the mag to return to operating temperatures. It only seemed prudent to try something to mitigate against those problems while working on a GBBR build. Something that I’ve tried during this project for the first time is rubber magazine skins to act as an insulating layer. Some people like to use them to protect their mags from accidental damage and while I’m not too concerned about that, I could see their potential to work like a sock and keep your gas mags as warm as your toes. My thinking being that the external layer of insulation would help keep those gas mags warm

while guarding against rapid drops in temperature and hence, performance. They’re a lovely snug fit that will work across a range of mags but if

your fill valve is at the bottom of the magazine - as they are on the MWS then you’ll have to remove them every time you want to gas up. Which is an utter pain. Unless… you use a leather awl to punch through the rubber, leaving you with a perfectly circular and very respectable hole through which to fill up to your heart’s content. The end result certainly looks neat as well as noteworthy, but we’ve noticed that while the skins do seem

to insulate against consistently low temperatures externally, they also prevent heat from reaching the magazine. So, if they’re warm, they’ll stay warm but when they get cold, they’ll take longer to heat up. And, of course, they get colder the more you use them. Them’s the laws of thermodynamics, so we’ll call this one a draw. I probably wouldn’t bother again. Next month: Fixing the lower. AA

“THE END RESULT CERTAINLY LOOKS NEAT AS WELL AS NOTEWORTHY, BUT WE’VE NOTICED THAT WHILE THE SKINS DO SEEM TO INSULATE AGAINST CONSISTENTLY LOW TEMPERATURES EXTERNALLY, THEY ALSO PREVENT HEAT FROM REACHING THE MAGAZINE.”

JULY 2020

FEATURE WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME AS LIGHT BEGINS TO GLIMMER AT THE END OF THE “LOCKDOWN TUNNEL” BILL IS LOOKING FORWARD NOT ONLY TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SOME SUMMER GAMES BUT ALSO TO RE-ENGAGING WITH HIS FRIENDS AND FELLOW PLAYERS AT HIS LOCAL AIRSOFT SHOP. THIS MONTH HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE IMPORTANCE OF “THAT LITTLE AIRSOFT STORE” THAT CAN FORM THE HUB OF OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY.

ome of you reading this may be old enough to remember that “Where Everybody Knows Your Name” is the theme song from the television sitcom “Cheers” and, right now, it strikes me that the words of the song have strange, wistful resonance when it comes to our local airsoft shop: “Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came; you want to be where you can see, our troubles are all the same; you want to be where everybody knows your name.” Whilst I’m often involved in discussing airsoft matters on an international - and sometimes global – basis, there’s one major thing that’s missing from my life right now other than the games themselves and that’s my regular visits to my local airsoft shop! Outside of games and events, I’m usually quite happy being a bit of a “loner”. After many years of travelling and working overseas, alongside some pretty meaningful “life events” that I’ve experienced along the way, these days I’m happy being at home with my wife and my hound, building and reviewing guns, testing and evaluating kit, and writing all about it. My other favourite pastime, tabletop miniature games, can be very social when I get together with Jase and James to re-fight episodes of “Strike Back” and “Turf War Z” but, in lockdown, I’ve

found myself playing solo games of “Zona Alfa”, “Last Days” and more recently, “Hardwired” and enjoying them immensely. That also means I’ve been making new models and scenery, which is great fun but again is a pretty solitary pastime. Bottom line… throw in a good book or two and I’m pretty happy with my own company! However, after a couple of weeks I realised that there was most definitely one thing that I was missing and that was my regular visits to my local shop, All Ages Airsoft. I speak to Marcus, the owner, on a regular basis and this hasn’t changed during the pandemic as we’re good mates before anything else, often discussing weird and wacky airsoft projects that will never see the light of day but also what’s going on in our lives outside of airsoft… I also speak regularly to the other “regulars” at the shop as they’re also my “Expendabellies” teammates; we have our chat group open most days with what I can only describe as a “wide ranging” and ongoing conversations about airsoft, life, the universe and everything! We’ve been discussing new AEGs and GBBs, along with new loadouts, sites we want to play when we’re able to again, and generally having a laugh together… But it is not the same as meeting in person, is it? Although I am totally happy on my own I do miss the

“AFTER MANY YEARS OF TRAVELLING AND WORKING OVERSEAS, ALONGSIDE SOME PRETTY MEANINGFUL “LIFE EVENTS” THAT I’VE EXPERIENCED ALONG THE WAY, THESE DAYS I’M HAPPY BEING AT HOME WITH MY WIFE AND MY HOUND, BUILDING AND REVIEWING GUNS, TESTING AND EVALUATING KIT, AND WRITING ALL ABOUT IT.” www.airsoftaction.net

FEATURE WHERE EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME

social aspect of meeting everyone “down at the shop” and it got me to thinking exactly why this is. I speak to them online, I speak to them on the phone (when I remember to switch mine on, sorry guys!) and we are all in touch both individually and as a group. So just what is it that makes the shop itself so important? Okay, let’s first address the obvious. As much as we have all been ordering stuff online during the past eleven weeks (and counting as I write) there is most definitely the allure of actually touching and handling things before we buy them and that’s sadly missing at the moment. I know that we aren’t supposed to handle things if we’re not going to buy them, but oh boy, I miss that. At the shop I can get a pistol or carbine in my hands, feel the weight, check the quality and operation and even test-fire it on the range. I can’t do that with an online purchase. I can’t just pop down and buy a bag of BBs when I run out (and when I’m testing I go through a ton of BBs!), or check a battery on the big charger/balancer. I can’t use the workshop facilities and get Marcus’ valued technical input on those super-tricky jobs that are beyond my own meagre tech-ing skills. I can’t take down a review AEG and hand it to the guys to get an opinion other than my own, and I most definitely can’t just drop in for a chat and a coffee with whoever happens to be there at the time. Some of those things I can solve online but, ultimately, it’s the intangible that I’m missing most. A bit of banter, a chat about new guns and gear, laughing at who has done what to who on a face to face basis… The spontaneity is missing, as when I visit the place “where everybody knows my name” I have no idea what direction or shape the conversations I will have will take, or what mad scheme may be cooked up on the spur of the moment! Yes, there’s a lot of japery that goes on that all feeds into the big tapestry of a healthy local airsoft community and there’s the usual bitchin’, but that’s all part of it. I miss the stupid hi-jinks (like seeing if we can fit Aidan into a NUPROL wheelie case) and the casual competition on the range in the basement, where we all egg one another on to greater things. I miss sharing the new test guns with the guys and getting their feedback as players and I definitely miss the occasional fish n’chip or pizza supper at the end of the day, when the doors have closed for business. When the shop opened Marcus was very keen to ensure that it would be a place where everyone was welcome, where ethics and safety standards could be instilled in new players and be an environment where we could enjoy together the very latest, the maddest and the absolute finest moments that airsoft could throw at us! As the months and years have moved forward, so

the community has grown and coalesced into something pretty special. We’ve donated bits (in my case a sofa) to make it “home” and worked on it to make it a better and nicer place to hang out, so “The Regs” feel some “ownership” and help to keep things up to scratch. It has become not-so-much a business, as a “community resource” that we all care deeply about. This is not a unique situation as I see this replicated in other shops around the country and indeed around the world, and it always makes me smile. So, let’s just pause for a moment and think about our local shop and what it does for us. Yes, it’s a place that we can head to when we want to buy a new AEG or GBB, an accessory, or even just a bag of BBs but it’s also a place that makes airsoft what it really is - and that’s a community of like-minded individuals who share a common passion meeting in one place… just because that place is there for us. In isolation it has been illustrated to me very clearly that the “local shop” is a VERY important place in my airsoft “life”. Its where I go to have fun, be inspired, and even be cheered up if I’m feeling a bit “eff’d off” with life in general. Its where I meet old friends and make new ones and yes, everybody does know my name and my little world is a better place just for that. So, make time to visit your local shop and make that small purchase there, rather than sitting behind your computer or clicking on an item on your phone. Make the time to get to know the shop staff and owner - and the other players that congregate there - and engage with them. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned in the past few weeks, it’s about the wonderful, bonkers mad and committed family that you’ll find to greet you there and ultimately it’s a place where, eventually, everybody will know your name too! AA

“IF THERE’S ONE THING THAT I’VE LEARNED IN THE PAST FEW WEEKS, IT’S ABOUT THE WONDERFUL, BONKERS MAD AND COMMITTED FAMILY THAT YOU’LL FIND TO GREET YOU THERE AND ULTIMATELY IT’S A PLACE WHERE, EVENTUALLY, EVERYBODY WILL KNOW YOUR NAME TOO!” 56

JULY 2020

KIT & GEAR WARRIOR ASSAULT SYSTEMS LPC V2

WARRIOR ASSAULT SYSTEMS

LPC V2

PHIL B HAS BEEN A HUGE FAN OF WAS GEAR FOR MANY YEARS AND HERE HE TAKES A LOOK AT THEIR LOW PROFILE CARRIER, IN V2 FORM.

have been a huge fan of Warrior’s load bearing kit, from their chest rigs and pouches to plate carriers. In fact, I have used WAS gear predominantly for the last 8 years or so, with the odd smattering of Blue Force Gear and Mayflower thrown in there for good measure but I always went back to WAS for my main carrier. To that end I have a couple of DCS - one in coyote and the other in Multicam - and to be honest, I thought they were the absolute bees knees. They are incredibly comfy, they are easy to maneuver about in and easily carry everything that I need for a day’s play quite easily but lately I had been yearning for their latest offering that seemed to combine the best of the DCS with some of the features of the Crye JPC and other features from other carriers. It was released in two forms, the “V1” and the “V2”. The difference being that the cummerbund on the V1 was solid-sided and the V2 had “ladder”, or ventilated, sides. Both have MOLLE loops on them for attaching pouches but I chose the V2 as I thought it would make an ideal summer PC, with the ventilation channels in the 3D foam of the back pocket and the ladder sides giving plenty of airflow to keep me cool. The LPC also has a really nicely integrated admin pouch at the top of the front panel that’s easy to access and can store a few small items, like a compass or multi-tool for example. The final feature that I really liked, was the quick-release buckle system on the LPC, which makes donning or removing it an absolute cinch and as there is no Velcro to undo, it is almost silent too.

At the same time I also ordered some of their new laser cut pouches to see what they were like. The LPC is also available in laser cut form, which is supposed to be lighter than the traditional fabric loops used for MOLLE but they were sadly out of stock at the time of ordering. However, I did manage to get a triple M4 mag pouch and a double pistol mag carrier in the laser cut design. Remember, this is my lightweight build! I only want it to carry the absolute essentials, so with the aforementioned pouches and a double M4 magazine pouch on my left side, that is all that is going on it. Obviously, I haven’t been able to use the LPC in anger yet thanks to the lockdown but I have worn it a little for some photos and just to get it set up and it is definitely lighter and slightly less bulky than the DCS - and thats not a bulky carrier in the first place! It is noticeably cooler than the DCS, however, thanks mainly to the ventilation channels on the inside of the rear panel, the Hyperlon shoulder pieces and the ladder sides on the cummerbund. Overall though it is very, very comfy to wear. The LPC comes with a MOLLE front panel as standard but I got the triple mag pouch front panel, which attaches to the plate carrier using swift clips at the top and Velcro on its rear to hold it all firmly in place. The Velcro also secures half of the release buckles and once they are adjusted and, as mentioned already, there is no need to remove the front panel to take the whole thing off, thanks to the QD

“I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO USE THE LPC IN ANGER YET THANKS TO THE LOCKDOWN BUT I HAVE WORN IT A LITTLE FOR SOME PHOTOS AND JUST TO GET IT SET UP AND IT IS DEFINITELY LIGHTER AND SLIGHTLY LESS BULKY THAN THE DCS - AND THATS NOT A BULKY CARRIER IN THE FIRST PLACE!”

www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR WARRIOR ASSAULT SYSTEMS LPC V2

buckles. The mag pouch panel I got is laser cut and whilst it looks good and very Gucci, I really don’t see what the benefit is as I found it impossible to thread my FRV Tailoring tourniquet holder through the laser cut slits. The same was also true for the cummerbund MOLLE loops, as they are reinforced to keep their shape and the tourniquet holder was just too thick. Threading of the Warrior pistol mag pouch and the other Warrior double M4 mag pouch onto the cummerbund was much easier though, as the attachment pieces were much thinner fabric. It’s not necessarily a complaint but something to be aware of if your pouches have bulky straps. One thing that is good about the laser cut pouches, is they are much thinner without compromising on strength and even more low profile than their older contemporary pouches. I would be happy to use more of them but possibly not if stacking pouches on top of each other was going to be required. As I said, I can’t really report on how well it performs in game as I haven’t had a chance to use it yet but I suspect it will be every bit as good as the DCS plate carriers I have AWARD already and I’m actually hoping it will be that little bit better. Price wise, you’re looking at £220 for the laser cut version. Which for a quality plate carrier is pretty good and quite a bit cheaper than some of the more well known and coveted American carriers.

Airsoft & MilSim Blog from All pouches and the plate carrierNews were bought UKTactical and can be found at https://www.uktactical. com and if you shop at the right time, it’s quite common to @AMNBOﬃcial see 10% off all WAS kit, so you could get it for just a sniff under the £200 mark. & MilSim Blog Once I’ve hadAirsoft a chance to use itNews in anger, I fully intend to update this review with some post-game thoughts. Stay safe and hang on in there; we’ll all be back out @airsoftmilsimnewsblog playing soon! AA

WINNER

WWW.AIRSOFT-MILSIM-NEWS.COM

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

JULY 2020

VORSK DIARY THE VX-9 LANDS

THE VX-9 LANDS!

FOR THIS MONTH’S VORSK DIARY I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE TO DATE WITH THE EU-18 MODEL I’VE BEEN “TORTURE TESTING” - BUT SOMETHING FAR MORE EXCITING HAS HAPPENED - THE ARRIVAL OF THE LONG-AWAITED AND MUCH-ANTICIPATED AGENCY VX-9!

he VX-9 has been a project that I’ve been pretty intimately involved with since its inception and to know that something pretty special is going to arrive eventually, sometimes leads to a little gnashing of teeth… and that’s just me! I can’t believe how Ross, Mark and the Vorsk team must have been feeling after the best part of two year’s work! Yup, that’s right, after the “concept period” the VX-9 has taken a whopping eighteen months to go from initial design on paper, through 3D printing and numerous design phases, until it was finalised into a pre-production “mockup”. This version then winged its way off to the toolmakers for creation of the moulds before test-casting. After test-casting the initial parts were checked minutely to ensure that they were not only correct in “look” but also fit for purpose… and this is all before full production could even be dreamed about! But then production did begin and again there was a nail-biting period waiting for the first complete models to come “off the line”. At every stage Ross was kind enough to share images and updates with me and I became even more deeply involved - and more excited! This though, is now all behind us and the VX-9, both gorgeous single models and the stunning boxed pairs, have landed and started getting out there to you, the users! And I’m pleased to say that the initial response to these long-awaited new models has been incredibly positive, with retail stockists reporting that they are flying out the door (virtually that is, via online sales…) and this does not surprise me in the slightest! Having now received my own VX-9s what can I tell you? Simply put, even though I probably know more about

the design than most at this stage, I am absolutely delighted with the finished production model! In my opinion these new models take the Vorsk line from being great, to being 100% awesome! The finish and quality of the VX-9 is simply stunning, the silver pair having possibly one of the very nicest finishes that I’ve seen, not just in terms of the slide and frame but all the finishing touches; like the mag baseplates being “colour coded” on both on the regular and the extended mags that come with the boxed set, the woodwork and rubberised panels inset to them being beautifully formed and the inner and outer barrel extensions fitting perfectly! The effort that has gone into the extended inner barrel and the “suppressor” alone is obvious, as they fit together with the main inner and outer impeccably… you might even think they had been designed to work together! And this does have a profound effect on performance too; I tested the pistols with and without the extensions and using NUPROL 2.0 gas and RZR .20g BBs I got a consistent chrono of 0.72 Joule/280fps without extension, and 1.07 Joule/340fps with! I also noticed that with the extension I was able to nail the 25mm bull of my paper targets from 10m more times than not, although without the BBs were still firmly within “the black” 75mm circle! Overall? I’m going to come out and say it… I’ve not waited for an airsoft pistol for so long and with such anticipation for years and the VX-9 has lived up to everything I hoped it would be - and more! I’ll bring in the full T&E report for Issue 116 in July. For now, well done the Vorsk team …bloody well done indeed! AA

“I AM ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED WITH THE FINISHED PRODUCTION MODEL! IN MY OPINION THESE NEW MODELS TAKE THE VORSK LINE FROM BEING GREAT, TO BEING 100% AWESOME!” www.airsoftaction.net

last post GETTING IT WRONG

OUCH! GZ GET IT WRONG!

NEVER ONE TO SHY AWAY FROM “HOT TOPICS”, FRENCHIE WRITES ABOUT THE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT AND SUBSEQUENT RETRACTION MADE BY ONE OF THE UK’S TOP AIRSOFT SITES, WHICH PROVES EVEN THE BEST GET IT WRONG SOMETIMES!

ell, that went as expected…. Having spent the last few issues it seems, writing about the issues facing airsoft sites, it was inevitable that someone would try and re-open. Step forward Ground Zero, who declared their intention to start running games again with properly instituted social distancing. Less than 48 hours later, step down Ground Zero (GZ), when it became clear to them that public opinion simply wasn’t on their side. Nor it seems was the current Government guidance. Sadly, the original post stating their intention to run a game and how they were going to do it appears to have been removed, so you will have to accept my shaky recollection of its contents. While I personally think GZ were foolish to take the steps they did, I’m not simply going to repeat some of the pointless finger pointing and name calling that resulted, rather let’s look at the intention and the problems. GZ appear to have based their decision on the relaxation of restrictions on certain sporting events which applies in England. If you have been paying attention, this referred to activities such as tennis and golf – mass participation sports that allow for ...well, mostly the better off to stretch their legs. Key here is that these are not, despite my sarcasm above, mass participation sports. Those are still restricted. GZ’s intention was to limit contact as far as possible between players and staff but one witty post in response beautifully illustrated my point made some issues back, that the problem isn’t the opposing force, you can easily stay away from them, it’s your own side! The picture showed a group of players huddled in a trench, either firing or sheltering from fire. This is not something you can do while maintaining your appropriate distance. This is far and away the biggest issue that will have to be addressed by all sites and it cannot be left solely to the players. I’m not sure that social distancing would be top of my concerns in the middle of a game and I was desperately looking to find cover from fire. Equally 60

JULY 2020

I cannot see it being cost-effective to have sufficient Marshals available to enforce said distancing without clogging up the site.

LAST POST GETTING IT WRONG

According to the post, they had put in place arrangements to absolutely minimise administrative contact – no pay-on-the-day, game and safety briefs to be handed out in writing (got to be careful with that one) and, if I recall correctly, no safe-zone, with players instead being sent to their cars between games. Pretty sensible on the face of it …but have you ever been in a site car park between games? There is more activity there than in the safe-zone and I absolutely promise you that, despite in excess of 34,000 deaths from Covid-19 as I write, there would be someone who declared it all to be “bollocks” and would happily wander around, threatening the health and lives of others. I foresee problems with that. The truth is, the various UK governments are some way away from allowing mass participation events, much as we might all wish it were not so. Indeed, there is guidance to that effect and GZ, in their post, suggest that they had got hold of the wrong guidance. Whether this was a genuine mistake as stated, or something other is not for me to say, although I would suggest that although we have had to endure some very poor messaging from Whitehall over the past ten days, I’m not convinced that any of this was really in doubt. My best guess is that this will be OK at about the same time as we are advised that we (or rather you, because I hate it) can start attending football matches again. Nevertheless, the comments I did see were quite interesting. There is a lot of polling suggesting that the majority of us living in these sceptred isles will be reluctant to return to normal – probably until there is a proven cure or vaccine. That feeling was very well represented in the comments, even if it wasn’t always succinctly expressed. There was also a thread that ran along the lines of “Just wait until the Daily Mail gets hold of the news of us playing soldiers when we should be socially distancing”. Now, given that the Daily Heil managed to turn Sir Keir Starmer’s ownership of a field in which rescued donkeys

are allowed to live in peace, into a declaration that he was a vicious property magnate, that concern may be well founded. Personally, I think it spoke more to a tone deafness on GZ’s part: yes, players across the UK want to get back to shooting lumps out of each other - but not quite yet! They are concerned about their own well-being and some are concerned about how a too-hurried return to playing will be perceived. Others are just knobs who are too in love with the sound of their own keyboards to pause long enough to form a coherent thought. But hey, internet! Since it is highly unlikely that airsoft sites will receive advice specifically for them regarding what is and isn’t acceptable and safe, they are, like so many of us, going to have to read what is available and extrapolate to their particular situation. Someone will have to be first, since there is no governing body to represent and advise sites across the nation and GZ went for it. Their attempt was misjudged and duly backfired. Partly, as per their posts, it was down to misinterpreting the guidance available at the time but I think they also misjudged the mood of airsofters. Yes, they are keen – super keen – to get back to playing but the pandemic has made the majority of us quite circumspect; and while GZ may have really been speaking to, and thinking of, their own player base, these days communications go far and wide before you have repositioned your mouse on the mat. Something that really was only going to affect 120 players gained far greater traction and comment. Airsoft will be back, I still don’t know when. Hopefully it won’t necessitate every player dressing up in full Hazmat suits and sites fitting disinfectant showers (nice game idea though…) but it is still too early to do this safely and, if the response to GZ’s attempts are anything to go by, it’s still too early for a lot of players. I don’t know when but our time will come! AA

www.airsoftaction.net

Tap image for more information.