ARMOURY: CUSTOM L129A1

AS CUSTOM AS IT GETS!

ALL TOO OFTEN IN AIRSOFT CIRCLES WE HEAR THE PHRASE “CUSTOM GUN”, AND THIS MEANS VERY DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE! RECENTLY BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH DAVE FROM “DAVE’S CUSTOM AIRSOFT” TO TAKE A LOOK AT THEIR VERY LATEST CREATION THAT WILL UNDOUBTEDLY BRING JOY TO PLAYERS WHO FAVOUR A “MODERN UK FORCES” THEME TO THEIR LOADOUT BUT WANT SOMETHING OTHER THAN AN L85A3… BRING ON THE L129A1!

Although Airsoft Action now has a truly international, indeed global, purview and strives to interact with players wherever they may be in our big wide world of airsoft, the fact of the matter is that sometimes were are very proud to be a UK-based magazine, and that’s never truer than when we see a REALLY cool “UK Forces” loadout being rocked! It sometimes surprises us that so many of you around the world go for the “British Squaddie” look with some MTP and an L85, L108/110 or an L115, but then the traditions and

battle honours of the British Army

are really second to none so it really shouldn’t surprise

us that many of you wish to emulate this, and in terms of loadouts we’ve seen it done SO well, by SO many over the years! But up until now there has been one major “missing link” in the UKplayers armoury and that’s the L129A1, and by association the L192A1 Sniper Support Weapon (SSW)… until now! Why is this so important? Well, according to “Elite UK Forces”;

“The L129A1 Sharpshooter is a marksman’s rifle that has been fielded by UK forces since late 2010.The weapon was procured in order to fill a capability gap identified by experience in Afghanistan, where British infantry units

were often engaged by small arms fire from outside the range of their own assault rifles and light machine guns. At ranges between 500m and 800m, the only small arms carried by infantry units that were capable of returning effective fire were the GPMG or the boltaction L96A1 sniper rifle, which is not suitable as a patrolling soldier’s weapon.”

They go on to say;

“The L129A1 is a 7.62mmx51mm semi-automatic rifle designed to give an infantry squad the ability to engage targets with accurate fire out to 800 meters. Unlike the L96A1 bolt-action sniper rifle previously used in the role, the

Sharpshooter is fitted with a 20-round box magazine and sights for both long range and close quarters target acquisition.”

And it’s a darn fine looking rifle too! Manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT), the L129A1 is chambered in 7.62mmx51mm NATO fed from a 20-round box magazine and benefits from a quickchange free-floating 16 inch barrel. As issued it comes with a Trijicon ACOG 6x48 primary optic with an additional Trijicon 1X LED Rugged Miniature Reflex (RMR) sight atop the main scope for “close encounters”; these, in the tradition of the British marksman are supplemented by flip-up iron sights. As part of the package the soldier also gets an adjustable bipod, extendable stock, and fold-down foregrip.

Although fundamentally the same base rifle, the SSW is designed for use by spotter in a sniper pair. It replaces the ACOG scope with a L17A2 Schmidt & Bender 3-12 x 50 Sniper Scope and adds a SureFire suppressor; the rationale here is not just for accurate target acquisition and shot-reporting, but if for some reason the sniper’s scope fails, the SSW’s scope can be moved across to the L115A3 to keep the team fully in the fight! So, for a couple of pretty major reasons the L129A1 is now an important part of the UK-themedplayers armoury, and certainly if the whole team is themed (like that of some great player friends in Germany!) then it’s a bit of a “must have”.

CUSTOM OR NOT?

The fact is that up until now, if you wanted an L129A1 then you’d really have to go for a full “custom one off”, and this really begs the question as to what we really mean by a “custom gun” for airsoft. As said, this means different things to

different people, and to

me it is not accessories the bolting-on of or a fancy-

schmancy paintjob that makes the

difference! A true

“custom gun” may be a thing of imagination, sure enough, but if you’re trying to replicate accurately an existing military firearm then the devil is 100% in the detail!

The guys over at the L119 Facebook group (of which I am a member) do a fabulous job in replicating both the A1 and A2 variants of the UKSF primary, and of course you can now buy a “COTS A2” from the clever folk at Archwick if you like a GBBR. However, when it comes to the L85, the “infantryman’s backbone”, there doesn’t seem to be so much going

on, or perhaps I’m just missing something!

Of course there are many manufacturers that make L85 variants both AEG and GBB, but if you want a true “Afghan A2” you’ll be searching high and low for certain parts like the SureFire muzzle device and the ACOG Z-mount. Okay, ARES now produce an A3 which is actually super-nice (apart from the battery compartment) and a great base AEG to work up, so you’ve got some pretty solid ground to build from, but getting it 100% right is still not to me making it a “custom” as you’re basically just bolting on parts to an existing, often bog-standard platform.

And this is where my old mate Dave, from Dave’s Custom Airsoft, comes into the picture, as he’s the driving force behind a kit that will transform an existing “7.62 DMR” into a tack-driving L129! Now I’ve known Dave for many years and have enjoyed visiting him both at UK shows and more recently in his fabulous shop in the South East of the UK; it’s actually one of the most visually impressive and well-stocked airsoft stores that I’ve had the pleasure to visit over the years (oh, that coffee table… those that know, know!) and pride of place goes to many of the true custom airsoft models that he and his team have created!

Although they do upgrade work on virtually anything, it’s the true one-off or limited-run custom creations that they make that really let you know that you’re with people that truly understand what goes into fabricating a totally down-to-the-nuts-and bolts unique airsoft platform, and when I talk about the L129 “kit” this is far and beyond just a few parts to bolt on to give it the appearance of the LMT! I spoke to Dave and asked him all about the project, and this is what he had to tell me.

AA: Dave, it’s a pleasure to speak to you as always! Please could you give readers a bit of a quick lowdown on Dave’s Custom Airsoft, and the most unique custom projects that you’ve worked on to date?

DCA: We are an SE England based Airsoft Retailer / Small Time (for now) Manufacturer with an increasing line up of our own parts and accessories. As well as the retail side of our business which we take great pride in, we also repair, build and upgrade AEGs and Spring Sniper Rifles. This includes some commission builds and showcase builds. My favourite builds we have completed so far are our HK11 MG and MG3 KWS, these were very extensive builds requiring hundreds of many hours and included parts that were CAD produced in house, 3D printed Steel & Polymers & much more. Our KWS design files have proven so popular we have sold them all over the world, including the United States where they are modified by people making real MG3 Replicas.

AA: It’s a real privilege to be able to get under the skin of this particular project, so could you first tell me why you felt that you needed to create the L129A1?

DCA: I have always had a love for anything British in terms of military equipment, and, during the war in Afghanistan the L129A1 was regularly seen on TV and in the media, the look of the rifle was a real turn on for me and with peoples love for the L119 series being what it is today I thought there must be similar interest in the L129A1 platform.

AA: You describe the L129 as a kit that is “quick and easy to install on your existing SR-25 AEG”, but there’s so much more to it than that! Please could you expand a little on this?

DCA: We are always about giving our customers as many options as we can, with that in mind we sell our bolt on L129A1 Rails & Flash Hiders as standalone set. These can be fitted to the majority of SR25 AEGs (and maybe GBBR, we have not tested this yet) in the same way as you fit the Angry Gun L119 Rails etc.

For those who are looking to add some extra realism we have taken it a step further by putting together a set to include our Rail & Flash Hider set, AEG Pistol Grip, Bi-Pod, Folding Vertical Grip, Stock, Rail Covers and your choice of either our Replica X6 ACOG with RMR, or, our very own DCA produced L115A3 Scope Mount with a replica PMII scope (SSW setup which is getting more and more common now). These kits are very easy to fit with simple tools you can find around the house.

As well as this, for those who want a complete rifle we are offering a full L129A1 ready assembled with either optic setup. We also have Cerakote or Krylon paint jobs on offer for those who want the in theatre look. We have seen L129A1s with Multicam Paint

Work and various different schemes so it is not always as simple as what you saw on TV, doing some google research is always a good thing when trying to make a replica.

This L129A1 kit represents an enormous undertaking by DCA and we hope that the airsoft community will continue to support us by placing your orders for these fantastic kits.

DCA are working hard to produce a modification kit to allow you to turn your G&G, Classic Army or A&K SR-25 into a British Army L129A1 Sharpshooters Rifle. So far we have completed the CAD design for the L129A1 Rail System and Barrel Nut that will allow you to swap out your existing SR-25 Rail System. This rail has been prototyped and tested on G&G & Classic Army SR-25s, by this logic we assure it will also fit A&K SR-25 and this will be tested in due course. We have also completed CAD designs and prototype on the flash hider. The Rail System and Flash Hider will be CNC machined on our behalf by Angry Gun who have produced a number of other DCA products for us, of course this means they will be of the highest quality.

As well as the DCA L129A1 Rail System and Flash Hider this kit includes the following;

Your Choice of either a DCA L115A3 Scope Mount with PMII Replica Snipers Scope, or, DCA TA-648 ACOG Replica (Pro-3D Printed Body, Cerakoted Externals, x4 ACOG Internals, QD Mount and RMR; be aware this optic is not a factory optic and will not provide the same level of optical quality as factory produced scopes, butit provides a useful aid for watching the fall of shot and adjusting accordingly). • Flip Up Iron Sights • Exclusive Only 25 Full Sets Made • Folding Vertical Grip • Crane Stock • TD Rail Covers Set • Ergo Pistol Grip AEG • Harris Style Bi-Pod with QD Release Arm • CAD Works by Toyohide Miyaki

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

AA: This sounds absolutely first rate to us! Are there more projects lined up for the future that go into this amount of detail and design? DCA: We have an ever-increasing line up of DCA products, all of which we have taken great care with, we also partner with excellent designers such as Toyohide and manufacturers such as Angry Gun to ensure that the physical products are manufactured to the highest possible standards.

The L129A1 has been the largest project we have taken on to date and it provides people with the ability to modify their SR25 rifles as realistically as they would like into an L129A1. We are always looking at more accessories and modification kits and the more people get behind our brand and support us the bigger and better our offerings will become. We hope to produce full replicas one day.

So there you have it! That’s the lowdown direct from the source! We’re REALLY pleased to finally see all the required parts for an L129A1 in one place, and it’s certainly something that we will be keeping an eye on, and who knows, perhaps even building one for ourselves!

Now that we ARE able to start dreaming about playing overseas games again a number of the AA crew (known in-house as “Section Eight”) have put forward the idea that we really should fly our own national flag high and proud when visiting games abroad, so that means MTP/Multicam gear and all the UK Forces weapons platforms that go with it! In discussion a couple of the team who dislike bullpups and aren’t support gun users bemoaned the fact that there wasn’t an L129A1 readily available, but now thanks to Dave and his team their wishes may just have come true, so expect to see more on this later in the year!

For now, my thanks go to Dave for his time speaking to me, and please do take time to visit the DCA website (www.davescustomairsoft.co.uk) and their busy social media channels to keep an eye on “what happens next”… it’s bound to be interesting! AA