RED CELL SHOTTIES
RED CELL
TRENCH BROOMS, BREACHERS, AND COMPETITORS YOU COULD CALL THIS MONTH’S REPORT “BILL’S ODE TO THE SPRING SHOTGUN” AS HE’S PULLED TOGETHER HIS EXTENSIVE KNOWLEDGE OF THESE RIFS INTO ONE PLACE TO CREATE A BIT OF A “SPECIAL REPORT”, ONE THAT WE HOPE YOU’LL FIND EYE-OPENING AND INFORMATIVE - AND WILL SHED SOME LIGHT ON AN OFTEN-FORGOTTEN AREA OF AIRSOFT FUN!
T
he spring-driven “airsoft shotgun” holds a very special place in my heart and, in my opinion, it’s one of the most underrated RIFs that any airsofter can have in their armoury! When I first started out in what was to become a long, almost lifetime journey in the world of things that spit BBs, electric guns were still in their infancy in the UK and everyone I knew owned a fair number of springers, especially pistols, as they were cheap and, even back then, reasonably easy to get hold of. When you’d got used to running around a friend’s deserted farm buildings, or some damp private woodlands shooting at your mates with a pistol that needed cocking for each and every shot, the thought of having something “longer” with greater range and accuracy was a joy to ponder. Back then you could even buy airsoft spring “models” which you actually needed to put together like a gigantic plastic model kit; I recall having an especially nice XM177E2 that I bought from my local model shop! Today though, where the sheer range and choice of both electric and gas powered guns is jaw-droppingly staggering, you may well ask if the humble “springer” still has a place in our armoury (other than as a boltaction sniper platform) and in the case of the airsoft shotgun, for me the answer would be an unequivocal “OH YES!” In recent years we’ve seen a move to both gas and electric-powered shotgun models, in some cases 46
NOVEMBER 2021
like the TM AA-12 making use of Hi-Cap magazines and even made a backwards step (in a way) to shellejectors like the APS CAM. Whilst these are most definitely airsoft works of art in their operation, as with all things electric they can suffer from “issues” and don’t even get me started on gas shotguns, especially the shell-ejectors! I am still the somewhat less-than-overjoyed owner of an original Tanaka “M1897 Trench Gun” which, although being a thing of absolute beauty, has never really worked since the day I got it… Then there’s the 8mm beast that is the ACM clone of the Marushin “M500” that hangs on my office wall… Okay, I LOVE airsoft shotguns, especially pumpaction versions and my collection of G&P “Model 870 Wingmasters” continues to grow when I see one at a reasonable price! S&T have entered the market with some cracking clones of the G&P (and some unique models of their own!), NUPROL and CYMA provide an extensive range and if you’re really pushed for cash there’s always good old Double Eagle which, although cheap as chips, actually perform astoundingly well. Of course there’s also Secutor, who produce both gas and spring VELITE shotties and some of these are just stunning in their design! These not-now-so-humble “springers” to me, fixed or adjustable hop, single or tri-barrel and all, are the epitome of the airsoft shotgun world and are easy to live with and eminently upgradeable externally.
