Airsoft Action - April 2022 by Airsoft Action

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ISSUE 136 - APRIL 2022 ISSN 2634-9515

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CONTENTS 8 ARMOURY: VORSK OSIRIS VORSK have undoubtedly secured a hard-won place amongst airsofters that love a reliable, hard-charging handgun, with each and every model they release. They’ve now turned their performance-eye to another classic firearm, so Bill gets some BBs downrange with their new OSIRIS, an “M9” but as usual with a distinct VORSK twist!

PROUD TO SUPPORT PILGRIM BANDITS CHARITY

ISSUE 136 - APRIL 2022 ISSN 2634-9515

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing

18 ARMOURY: ICS LIGHTWAY DAGGER S3 There appears to be another surge of manufacturers looking to polymer-bodied ARs to fulfil a variety of tasks, but ICS have taken their time to create their most recent “take” on this style, and it appears that in respect of the new LIGHTWAY models this time has been very well spent indeed! Jimmy tells more…

Wyche Innovation Centre, Walwyn Road, Upper Colwall, Malvern, Worcestershire, WR13 6PL, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1684 878 003 Web: www.airsoftaction.net ©Calibre Publishing Limited 2021 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 publication.

24 ARMOURY: CLPD A-PLUS 1022 Our good friend Clarence Lai, of CL Project Design, has been intensifying his locally based efforts in design, manufacture and collaboration, as well as improving his distribution channels across the world in order to bring his new creations to the wider market as promised; Stewbacca gets a first look and hands-on with his latest bespoke creation, the CLPD A-Plus 1022!

FIND US ON…

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 Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, write to us at the Calibre Publishing address above, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

78 FEATURE: BOLSTER ARMOURIES Who are Bolster Armouries? Why was Bolster Armouries formed, what’s the brand mission? Following and extensive teaser campaign for this new custom-oriented brand Bill got together with the guys from Patrol Base to get the lowdown on everything that is Bolster Armouries!

Contents APRIL 2022

68 IWA SHOW REPORT It’s that time of year again, the time when Airsoft Action hit the biggest gun trade show in Europe, and what we found at IWA in Nuremberg this year was an airsoft industry recovering from the pandemic that has affected us all! 2022 though proved to be a VERY special year, so Bill reports back on a show where there was lots to see and even more to talk about!

32 GEAR: 5.11 4-BANGER Frenchie turns his attention to the somewhat interestingly named 4-BANGER from tactical-industrygiants 5.11 and finds it is very much a case of “you get what you pay for”!

60 TECH: SIG MPX UPGRADES While the reception to the new MPX has been largely on the positive side, there were a few things we wished to see work to their maximum potential, so Dan takes up the challenge!

36 TOD: PACK IT IN, RUC IT UP! Last month Bill took a look at different types of pack that will let you deal with different airsoft scenarios in an efficient and effective way, and this time he turns his attention to what you should be packing, and indeed how you pack it to make it as comfortable and safe as possible!

64 RELOADED: G&G SMC-9 Way back in Issue 112 (April 2020!) we looked closely the SMC-9 from G&G Armament. Now it’s time to check out how this little cracker has been performing in the long term test pool! Bill updates now after giving his own “Little Hammer” (as we’ve come to call it) some thorough abuse!

39 ARMOURY: PISTOL POWER Airsoft gas pistols average under 300fps, when we could have around 50 more in the UK. Steve T asks “why?”, then canvases the AA team to find himself persuaded that there may be some good reasons after all…

86 ARMOURY: WETECH T91 GBBR Every country is justifiably proud of their issued service rifle and if you’re putting together a righteous militarystyle loadout then the correct RIF is a must-have! Of course Stewbacca now lives in Taiwan, so he thought it about time he got his hands of the “local rifle”, the T91!

42: THE CAGE: PACKING HEAT! THE CAGE has always been about gear that has been pushed to its limits and stood the test of time! We use the phrase “we break it so you don’t have to”, so we thought it was time to start looking at the GBB and AEG platforms in the team as well as the gear! As usual, Bill leads off…

94 SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP As promised we’re swinging back into our usual format as there’s a whole heap of airsoft-gun goodness dropping into store right now, and we thought you might like to know what we’ve got on test that’s already out there for you to pick up right now!

46 RED CELL: 1911 & G-SERIES In November 2020 we kicked off RED CELL! Now it’s time to start landing some proper results and look at how some of the models we initially tested have stood up to use and abuse as we return to the beginning to check out the most-used 1911s and G-Series pistols!

96 HISTORICAL: LUMINOX Our old friend Will Fowler returns to the pages of this month’s Airsoft Action with a brief and to the point look at one of the timepieces chosen by the elite USN SEALs, bringing us his expert historical knowledge on the equipment used by a unit where “The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday”!

56 ARMOURY: SOPMOD BUILD The AR and “M4” style of AEG has proved to be the main choice of airsoft players around the globe. Bill recreateS, with the help of our friends at NUPROL, what he believes lured many a player into the “love of AR”, a BLOCK 1 M4 SOPMOD!

98 LAST POST The last couple of years have meant small businesses have more stringent budgets than ever before! The pandemic has shown us that truly committed people need to get paid for what they create and this month Frenchie addresses this in the wider context of airsoft games and events!

ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

OSIRIS

VORSK HAVE UNDOUBTEDLY SECURED A HARD-WON PLACE AMONGST AIRSOFTERS THAT LOVE A RELIABLE, HARD-CHARGING HANDGUN! THEIR MODELS NOT ONLY CONTINUE TO EXCITE, BUT ALSO TO EVOLVE AND GENUINELY GET BETTER AND BETTER WITH EACH AND EVERY MODEL THEY RELEASE; AFTER RE-INVIGORATING THE LOVE OF THE “1911 PLATFORM” WITH MANY OF US, THEY’VE NOW TURNED THEIR PERFORMANCE-EYE TO ANOTHER CLASSIC FIREARM, SO BILL GETS SOME BBS DOWNRANGE WITH THEIR NEW OSIRIS, AN “M9” BUT AS USUAL WITH A DISTINCT VORSK TWIST! 8

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ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

h, the M9, another handgun that we would love to love given its place in both firearms and cultural history (Go Martin Riggs! Go John McClane!), but one that in airsoft form has left many of us wanting over the years. Whatever style of airsoft

them at that time were absolute crap! This left a distinctly sour taste with us, and many of us resorted to running a classic 1911, and therein lies a story where airsoft does indeed mimic real life, as the shortcomings of the real M9 were being felt in

adventure you enjoy, the M9, in its myriad of guises, should be a pistol that is in EVERYONES armoury, but it’s not. It should be right up there with the 1911 and the Glock given its history… but it’s not. If you’re a MilSim player, especially one that enjoys recreating the “US SOCOM battle rattle” of the 1990’s and early 2000’s then an M9 (or more specifically the Beretta 92FS semi-automatic pistol) is an absolute “must have”. If you’re into movies or video games to inspire your loadout then again, a Beretta must be high on your list for both “Die Hard” and “Resident Evil” reasons. The sad fact is though that “airsoft Berettas” really haven’t been all that good, now have they? I was living and playing airsoft in the USA in the early 2000’s and for a number of events and longer duration games we chose to run as simple “grunts”, dressed in our ACU-cut UCP uniforms and gear with either M4s or full-length M16s (tricked out for marksman use with ACOGs), and of course in our oh, so Gucci droplegs we needed an M9… OMG, we tried LOADS of different brands, we ran them on green gas and propane, we fettled them and tried to make them reliable, we replaced slides when they cracked (or indeed flew off the frame entirely in one memorable incident!), and we treated the vent-when-we-feel-likeit magazines with extreme care, but ultimately all of

the field, most especially by the SEAL team operators! The story goes that the Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP), created to pick out a replacement for the aging Colt 1911A1 semi-automatic pistols and Smith & Wesson revolvers for the U.S. Military, had stringent requirements for a new service weapon as you’d expect. As an all-metal handgun (no polymers for the US Military dammit!), the M9 had a steel slide atop an alloy frame. It was a DA/SA model, with the first shot being double action and follow-up shots single action if desired. The Beretta met fully the US military’s checklist of required features including the thumb safety, de-cocker, and firing pin lock. Each magazine held fifteen rounds of 9mm Parabellum, and a basic load of ammunition consisted of three magazines with

“FOR ME AS A “PROPER GUN BUNNY” THOUGH, THIS IS WHERE THE STORY STARTS TO GET PROPERLY INTERESTING, AND IT EVEN INVOLVES OUR “RED CELL SPIRIT GUIDE”, SEAL LEGEND RICHARD “DEMO DICK” MARCINKO, BECAUSE WHAT VORSK HAVE CREATED WITH THEIR OSIRIS HAS BEEN INSPIRED BY NOTHING LESS THAN THE MYTHICAL DOLPHIN MODEL! ” www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

“THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THE DOLPHIN WAS NEVER A FULL-LINE MODEL RELEASED BY BERETTA, BUT RATHER A MISSION-DRIVEN MODIFIED HYBRID CREATED WITHIN THE LARGER SEAL AND FIREARMS COMMUNITY BY AN EXTREMELY SKILLED ENGINEER!” 10

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ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

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ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

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ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

a total of forty-five rounds; the pistol weighed in at 1179g loaded with fifteen rounds as opposed to the M1911 which was 1286g with only seven rounds in a classic single stack. Research tells me, courtesy of an excellent online article by Kyle Mizokami in 2017, that; “The M9 served in the U.S. military for nearly thirty years, though not without controversy. US Navy SEALS, whose intense training placed a high round count on their M9s encountered cracking slides, including at least one injury, and ended up procuring the Sig P226 for their own use. In a 2006 report by the CNA Corporation, the M9 reported the lowest levels of user satisfaction and soldier confidence. Twenty six per cent of respondents claimed their M9s had malfunctioned in combat, and fifteen per cent claimed their M9s could not empty a magazine without jamming at least half the time. Among US small arms used in Iraq, the M9 was the least favorably rated.” See what I mean? IRL the same problems appeared to exist almost exactly as we’d found with airsoft replicas!

ENTER THE DOLPHIN!

For me as a “proper gun bunny” though, this is where the story starts to get properly interesting, and it even involves our “Red Cell Spirit Guide”, SEAL legend Richard “Demo Dick” Marcinko, because what VORSK have created with their OSIRIS has been inspired by nothing less than the mythical DOLPHIN model! On boy, can you already tell that I’m getting excited… It’s said that the SEAL Teams were particularly unimpressed with the issued M9 and that they found it insufficiently robust for “Over The Beach” ops, and this is where a commercial company, Phrobis, entered the story as they came up with a thoroughly unofficial upgrade kit in the form of the “Phrobis Navy Slide”! These modified M9s were distinguished in particular by this new slide, more robust than the original, enclosed and featuring the ejection port instead of the traditional open-barrelled slide of the standard M9. The Berettas with the Phrobis upgrade had been unofficially nicknamed the “M9 Dolphin” (“Dolphin” being an obvious SEAL connection), and it’s told that for a while Marcinko was actually running and gunning an M9 Dolphin! If you check out the old (and somewhat uninspiring sadly!) video game “Rogue Warrior” the undoubtedly “Marcinko-esque” main character (voiced by Mickey Rourke!) starts every mission with an “SAP 9” which came with a suppressor and an infinite reserve of ammunition… this looks suspiciously like a DOLPHIN in video-game

form, and as Marcinko had direct input to the game… well, who really knows?

The bottom line is that the DOLPHIN was never a full-line model released by Beretta, but rather a mission-driven modified hybrid created within the larger SEAL and firearms community by an extremely skilled engineer! That self-same engineer is said to still own the copyright for the DOLPHIN logo that appeared on his slides, and sadly to the best of my knowledge this has yet to be licenced for airsoft replicas. However, The OSIRIS is a Select Fire, GBB Pistol brought to us by the team at VORSK and to me the inspiration is clear, and stunningly achieved! The OSIRIS is without shadow of a doubt designed around the famous M9 platform but with a few key design changes; inspired by the real-steel world the OSIRIS comes with a reinforced slide and is also fitted with a picatinny accessory rail; The most notable of the enhancements is the solid slide which toughens the OSIRIS for those “high-stress” moments when unloading a full magazine on full-auto downrange, and this will certainly help mitigate any potential cracks developing, that fundamental flaw in both the real and airsoft designs that I mentioned earlier. Gone is the open-slide design, this being replaced by the fully-wrapped “DOLPHIN-style” with the lugs above the disassembly pin. This gives the OSIRIS a thoroughly unique look with a healthy nod to the history of the original platform, especially when in the hands of some pretty righteous operators! The ambidextrous select-fire controls have been designed specifically for the OSIRIS allowing you to quickly change between semi and full-auto. The rear of the pistol features a low-profile hammer, a VORSK branded polymer grip and a protective polymer magazine baseplate for extra protection around the fill valve (often a point of failure in other M9 models I’ve had). Moving forward, the large trigger guard provides plenty of room for gloved fingers and the picatinny rail for lights/lasers is a single-slot design that easily accepts all my pistol lights. A threaded inner and outer barrel allows for the attachment of www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY VORSK OSIRIS

a suppressor (ooh, YES, “SAP 9, Marcinko-style”!), plus there is a 12/14mm CW/CCW thread adaptor to further increase the number of compatible accessories that you can choose from! I have to comment positively on the overall finish of the OSIRIS too; I chose a plain black version (although you can have your own OSIRIS in full Black, full Silver, full Brushed Aluminium or full Dark Earth!) but had all the models to view and the finish is, in my opinion, one of the very best that VORSK have created to date! The satin-black is absolutely impeccable. <<xhead>> DOWRANGE! After a cursory de-grease and polish from the box as usual I’ve now spent a few more hours working with the OSIRIS on the Short Range (between 5 and 10m) and I’m really liking it; if you’re used to a single-stack 1911 or G-style pistol then you will find the pistol grip a little “chunky”, but this is as per the design of the real pistol in order to accommodate that high round-count! Externally the finish is standing up well to going in and out of my old (OLD!) Safariland M9 dropleg holster, and to date there is absolutely no wear on the muzzle end or around the slide generally as I would expect given the harshness of the holster material; it’s pretty unforgiving to finishes unless they are super-tough! I’ve been running the OSIRIS on VORSK V6 gas and to date I’ve had no issues at all with consistency of power, and the magazine is really standing up to being hammered time after time after multiple reloads, with no leaks apparent. The action of the pistol has been lubed after each range session, and retains the smoothness that it had when it first arrived with me; in fact, if anything the action cycles even more efficiently now than it did from the box, and it was pretty smooth in the first place. I did notice that when dry-firing the trigger-pull seemed quite “long”, but when you have it gassed up this changes, and it’s very nice and crisp… and when you flick things over and give the OSIRIS some beans on full-auto then it matters not, and you can dump the mag super-fast… ideal if you have one of those “get out of Dodge quick” encounters! In terms of continued performance I’ve now logged in excess of 550 .20g, .25g, and .28g VORSK BBs through the pistol; thus far it is still performing as

new at 5-10m on steels, with solid accuracy at that distance; this is the realistic maximum distance I would usually expect to use a “secondary” at, although it does certainly have the ability to reach out further! The OSIRIS has registered highest at 0.95 Joule/320fps on a .20g BB, settling in at 0.92 Joule/315fps and staying there. I’ve found that now it has “settled” it does like .28g BBs as its regular fodder, and this is most certainly the weight I will use in the future, although it will happily handle .30g too. The magazines feed very well indeed, and their additional VORSK gas-efficiency is certainly in evidence, especially when you start to drop BBs fast! So, have I finally found an “M9” style pistol that sings to me, and actually, you know, WORKS??? The OSIRIS is a GBB pistol that is most certainly well made with scrupulous attention to detail throughout, operates efficiently, and is 100% put together to last, so I would say yes, it most certainly sings to me in all respects, and if after your own testing you decide that this is the pistol for you, I believe you will be getting a whole heap of handgun-coolness for your money! This is a great-looking, uniquely-designed GBB pistol that has a real nod to the history of both a time and specific users, but it’s also a pistol that will serve you equally well in any a skirmish situation when the fighting gets close-in and hardcore… I LOVE IT! Thanks again to VORSK for providing the test model; you can check out all the VORSK pistols and accessories they have by visiting www.vorskairsoft. com... Go on, you know you want to! AA

“THE OSIRIS IS A GBB PISTOL THAT IS MOST CERTAINLY WELL MADE WITH SCRUPULOUS ATTENTION TO DETAIL THROUGHOUT, OPERATES EFFICIENTLY, AND IS 100% PUT TOGETHER TO LAST... IF AFTER YOUR OWN TESTING YOU DECIDE THAT THIS IS THE PISTOL FOR YOU, I BELIEVE YOU WILL BE GETTING A WHOLE HEAP OF HANDGUN-COOLNESS FOR YOUR MONEY! ” 14

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ARMOURY S&TLIGHTWAY ICS LEE ENFIELD DAGGER S3

ICS LIGHTS THE WAY!

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ARMOURY ICS LIGHTWAY S&T LEE DAGGER ENFIELD S3

THERE APPEARS TO BE ANOTHER SURGE OF MANUFACTURERS LOOKING TO POLYMER-BODIED ARS TO FULFIL A VARIETY OF TASKS, FROM ENTRY-LEVEL BEGINNERS FIRST PURCHASES RIGHT UP TO SECOND OR THIRD GUN OWNERS, BUT ICS HAVE TAKEN THEIR TIME TO CREATE THEIR MOST RECENT “TAKE” ON THIS STYLE, AND IT APPEARS THAT IN RESPECT OF THE NEW LIGHTWAY MODELS THIS TIME HAS BEEN VERY WELL SPENT INDEED! JIMMY TELLS MORE…

CS’s motto is “be a game changer” and they certainly know how to change the game. With their recent line of both pistols and rifles they really are spoiling us airsofters and I can confirm that I have indeed become a big fan of theirs. In 1995 the ICS founder, Mr Chu, entered the airsoft replicas market with enthusiasm and ICS

became the first AEG company in Taiwan and also the third AEG company in the world which specialized in designing and manufacturing airsoft replicas, leading the way in which many others followed; that enthusiasm and attention to detail has remained as high today as it was way back in the beginning. The ICS portfolio is quite extensive and

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ARMOURY ICS LIGHTWAY DAGGER S3

they are not shy about letting you know this. You can read about the history on the ICS Airsoft website, and for a little “airsoft lore” it’s worth the effort to do so! I would personally wish to thank the lovely people at ICS for sending these exquisite items, as for me it is quite an honour to work alongside such a name. For this issue I’ve had the pleasure of testing and reviewing the latest Lightway Dagger S3 (the spicy flavour!) and quite frankly it’s an amazing bit of kit and a true out of the box performer. Designed for a CQB environment it is light, due to the full industrial grade polymer body, and fast, this being down mainly to the new electronic advancements inside. Yes, polymer, you read correctly but don’t be misled into thinking polymer means flimsy as it is a very solid-grade polymer and fine tolerances make it a very rigid platform. We all like a full metal platform let’s be honest but polymer is becoming more and more prevalent within the real firearms industry so why should it be any different in airsoft? Polymer definitely has some major advantages over some of the cheap pot-metal still being used today. Let’s check out some of the basic specs: • Length 660mm to 711mm • Weight 2078g • Velocity 328fps this is what ICS claim although I was seeing 300fps on a .20g over the chrono • Recommended battery for the SSS Version 11.1v or 7.4v it will happily operate on either • Inner barrel length 186mm • Magazine capacity 300 BBs These are just some basic specs, but it does boast some fantastic features that I believe many will love. Let’s take a look at the externals of this carbine; we shall start from the front and make our way towards the rear… Starting off the typical birdcage style flash hider; in the description it does state that it is a metal flash hider but sadly this one is a polymer version, although that could be down to the fact it’s an early sample. This is quite a sacrificial piece to be honest; it was tough to get off, but once I managed to get it

off the plastic threads were knackered so we won’t be using that again, that will go in the bin. Following on from that it has got a full metal outer barrel and covering that is the industrial grade polymer M-LOK 6 inch handguard and it’s got a nice stippling effect to it for added grip. That is attached to the standard style AR upper receiver sporting the SSS3 logo as well as a functioning forward assist button used for decocking the gearbox a feature that I actually prefer over the fire select decock function. The lower receiver sports the LIGHTWAY etched logo along with an enlarged magazine release (so, easy to use when wearing gloves!). Another feature which I am a fan of is the ability to split the receivers much like its real

counterpart by way of removing the rear pin which from a techs point of view makes life incredibly convenient. It offers up ambidextrous fire select; not everyone’s a right-handed shooter so we have to allow for the left handed shooters also, right? A full metal buffer tube helps to keep everything balanced but with a slight twist as the rear wiring runs along the underside of the tube itself which sometimes can be a little bit of a pain if you’re disassembling or you want to get gearbox out, but on the plus it makes for more room for slightly larger batteries which is always a nice thing to see.

READY TO ROLL

Now with the LIGHTWAY it comes in two designs; you have the standard FET version and the SSS version. The SSS version comes with a slightly different style stock (they call it their Ergo Stock) as the FET version

“I KNOW SOME OF YOU OUT THERE ARE LOOKING AND SAYING “MEH IT’S JUST ANOTHER AR STYLE RIFLE”! WELL YOU WOULD BE RIGHT IN SAYING THAT AS IT IS ANOTHER AR PLATFORM, BUT IT’S AN AR WITH SOME RATHER LOVELY INTERNALS AND VERY FAVOURABLE ATTRIBUTES…” 20

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ARMOURY ICS LIGHTWAY DAGGER S3

comes with a CTR-style stock. The Ergo offers a quick easy-access hatch for swift and simple battery insertion which also gives you a little bit more room for your wiring; if you can’t fit your battery in the tube it can sit in the very rear section of the stock. I know some of you out there are looking and saying “meh it’s just another AR style rifle”! Well you would be right in saying that as it is another AR platform, but it’s an AR with some rather lovely internals and very favourable

attributes… I am a sucker for how things look but ultimately for me it’s what is under the hood that real excites me. Inside is a heap of what I class to be aftermarket ICS have made I previously of these and I was impressed with

upgrades but these OEM parts. reviewed some aftermarket parts and still am very them. Inside you will find it is fitted with the Master Mods Crosshair CNC 21mm o-ring nozzle, CNC double o-ring cylinder head, CNC 8 vent piston head with thrust bearing, full metal rack, high grade polymer piston, metal injection moulded bevel and gears and the brass hop up tensioner nub. All this makes for reinforced internals as standard so no need to go upgrading any of these parts as they are very high quality. It would have been great to see the Master Mods barrel and r-hop fitted, but sadly just a standard brass barrel and standard hop rubber have been used. From experience the Master Mods barrel and r-hop give amazing range and accuracy as proved at several games, enabling me to easily reach other players at around 70 metres, and actual real metres not airsoft metres LOL! As it stands targets at 40 metres from a 186mm barrel are easily reachable and even the standard hop rubber doesn’t struggle to lift a 0.30g BB.

So what it is that makes it perform so well? Apart from the components already stated, the new Smart E-Trigger system coupled with the competition short stroke trigger makes for a very fast response with the help of the ICS turbo 3000 motor, and this AEG has a very healthy ROF of 21rps on an 11.1v 15c LiPo; this is a motor I do like and trust that much that I use several one in other non-ICS platforms. The system is designed so that after the first shot it automatically goes into precock, allowing follow up shots to be almost instant and it will operate in precock continually until you decock the gearbox! On top of the precock setting the smart trigger system knows in full-auto mode whether you are holding the trigger or if tapping the trigger. If holding the trigger you will get continuous full-auto but if you tap the trigger will give you a three BB burst. Let us not forget ICS unique split gearbox; while it isn’t a recent it has stood the test of time and ICS are forever making it better. This is what sets it apart from others (anything else is just an imitation!) .I am a big fan of the split gearbox, it makes life so easy when having to work on the internals. Gone is the need to remove the entire shell if, say for instance you want replace a piston o-ring or service your compression components, or upgrade your spring! They have even adopted the quick spring change system, oh what a joy, and a spring change can literally be done in around 60 seconds .Okay, for the lower half removal is a little more involved but once removed again so easy to work on! So, in conclusion the new LIGHTWAY series not only looks the part, but it has been crafted with perfection and operates flawlessly. It is my opinion that the SSS.III versions are going to be very popular indeed, and for those purchasing one you can be confident that this platform will outperform many others as standard. Next month I’ll be upping the ICS ante with their latest MARS model which I currently have in ongoing tests, and once again I would like to thank ICS, especially Rita, for making this happen, and please do follow ICS on both social media (icsbbairsoft) and their website ICSbb.com AA www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY ICS LIGHTWAY DAGGER S3

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ARMOURY ICS LIGHTWAY DAGGER S3

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ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

A THING OF REAL BEAUTY! 24

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ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

SINCE HIS ARRIVAL IN TAIWAN MID LAST YEAR AFTER LEAVING HONG KONG, OUR GOOD FRIEND CLARENCE LAI OF CL PROJECT DESIGN HAS BEEN INTENSIFYING HIS LOCALLY BASED EFFORTS IN DESIGN, MANUFACTURE AND COLLABORATION, AS WELL AS IMPROVING HIS DISTRIBUTION CHANNELS ACROSS THE WORLD IN ORDER TO BRING HIS NEW CREATIONS TO THE WIDER MARKET AS PROMISED; STEWBACCA GETS A FIRST LOOK AND HANDS-ON WITH HIS LATEST BESPOKE CREATION, THE CLPD A-PLUS 1022!

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ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

longside his efforts to address shortcomings of existing manufacturers platforms (such as the KJ Works CZ Shadow 2) I’ve been giving Clarence plenty of my input regarding, as well as testing out, the new components as I use my own heavily abused Shadow 2 at Action Air training and

competitions; he’s also been branching out to established manufacturers to work together and make best use of locally available talent and resources in design and manufacturing. A-Plus Studio are a well-known producer locally here in Taiwan whose CNC machined hop up units and custom designed hop rubbers are finding their way into an increasing number of customised base guns, as well as being used in standard in the likes of Archwick’s L119A2 GBBR, and their quality speaks for itself, as does its existing widespread adoption by both end users and other manufacturers. Clarence’s earlier collaboration with them was the CLPD A-Plus BCM MCMR limited edition GBBR with a bronzed finish receiver and internal customisation, as I got to grips with back in December 2021’s Issue number 132 which really made me feel like carbines were being made great again. It was light weight, had a handy responsive, easily wielded and superb to use over medium ranges with the same A-Plus hop unit and inner barrel setup along with Clarence’s gas system custom components that help tune it to perfection, much the same as this new offering. In another limited edition run, once again as a centrepiece technology demonstrator for longer term more mass market offerings or separate components used in the overall collectible package, the CLPD A-Plus 1022 custom competition rifle is a

200 unit limited run of a modified KJ Works KC02 1022 platform, with purported accuracy out to 70m according to Clarence’s own publicised testing videos. I was once again lucky enough to go and see the man himself on the way home from work one evening in mid-February and pick up one of the only two prototypes of this new platform in existence at the time! That did also mean I had to do a quick turnaround with it over that weekend and my Sunday shoot with my team and get it back to him for continued work by the next Tuesday! The CLPD A-Plus 1022 was supplied in the same heavy duty travel case familiar to me from the VFC HK PSG1; this is perhaps overkill for the much handier 1022, but it nonetheless ensured safe transit back home where I proceeded to photograph and understandably drool over the gun.

FINISHED PERFECTION!

The layered wood finish of the stock not only looks delightful with its different grain shapes and two tone staining (which immediately reminded me of the Tikka rifles I’d seen on ‘Bloke on the Range’s’ YouTube videos from Switzerland, those competition rifles being used locally and by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, purportedly) and wood smells

the even amazing! The finish is just beautiful but the handling and contouring is also excellent for a variety of hand sizes and shapes, it just feels so intuitive to pick up and control, as well as being very handy and lightweight feeling in the hand

“THE FINISH IS JUST BEAUTIFUL BUT THE HANDLING AND CONTOURING IS ALSO EXCELLENT FOR A VARIETY OF HAND SIZES AND SHAPES, IT JUST FEELS SO INTUITIVE TO PICK UP AND CONTROL, AS WELL AS BEING VERY HANDY AND LIGHTWEIGHT FEELING IN THE HAND AND EMINENTLY POINTABLE.” 26

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ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

and eminently pointable. The chrome finished barrel contrasts quite nicely with the wood stock and terminates in a matt black finished compensator which coupled with the supplied 35 BB long magazine and receiver, trigger guard and butt pad all work nicely to give a classic aesthetic that is also very functional. The contouring of the butt stock allows for ease of eye alignment to the fitted optic; of course the scope I had with it is for prototyping purposes and not included with the final sales package, but this nonetheless represents a good choice in terms of general proportions and capability. I tended to use it on around the 1-4 magnification settings myself given the ranges I was working with and the familiarity with other optics in that magnification for airsoft use. Along with doing the photography and general handling I also of course couldn’t resist some manual of arms tests prior to being able to field the 1022 that Sunday. The trigger is very short and crisp, with a rapid and close reset and a low pull and break weight that, in tandem with the shorter bolt throw (akin to an MP7’s 50mm or thereabouts, given that the real steel 1022 uses the atypically short .22LR cartridge) made for easy and quick follow up shots when I fielded it. I took the 1022 competition rifle out that Sunday to Hutoushan with my team and put it through its paces with them in an open-air mountain

environment to the Southwest of Taipei. Up in the hills we were merrily plinking from our staging area; of course I didn’t skirmish the 1022, it’s a prototype after all, and the scope didn’t have a protector! At

“THE REPEATABILITY OF EACH SHOT WAS SOMETHING NEW TO ME DESPITE MY EXTENSIVE USE OF MYRIAD GBBRS; WHATEVER CLARENCE AND A-PLUS HAVE DONE TO THE INTERNALS, HOP AND BARREL, IT’S WORKING.”

www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

around GB£1100 per unit and being limited edition I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I’d damaged such a beautiful piece!

DOWNRANGE

The 1022 proved itself excellent and as advertised was easily putting 0.4g BLS BBs easily out to longer ranges, using a simple hold on the lateral tick just below the cross hair in the scope, I was easily and repeatedly deflecting rounds one after another off a ribbon of plastic tape stretched out between trees, as well as printing a small group into a tree trunk itself at range. The repeatability of each shot was something new to me despite my extensive use of myriad GBBRs; whatever Clarence and A-Plus have done to the internals, hop and barrel, it’s working. My team leader was taking the opportunity to chrono all of our team’s guns while we were out there and I figured I might as well drop some 0.2g BBs in and do some science. Using standard 12kg ‘green gas’ that the majority of people use out here in Taiwan, the CLPD A-Plus 1022 was pushing out a very stable 125m/s, with only a variance of around 1-2m/s either way, again a surprising level of consistency to me, no doubt the man himself’s internal magic at work again. Many of my teammates here are of a Canadian or US background and were quite impressed with the build quality and handling of the CLPD A-Plus 1022, some having fond memories of plinking with the real steel counterpart when they were younger men, so they’re obviously doing something right given the resounding positivity of all those who let off a few rounds with it.

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The only issue I encountered was initially with the magazine; the fill nozzle seal was a little leaky to begin with and I couldn’t get a full load of 35 rounds to run through on a single filling, but by the end of the day and a couple of refills it seemed to have settled in, something fairly typical in my experience for brand new gas blowback magazines, and not a major long term concern but something to be aware of. With a few magazine loads put through it and the magazine seals and hop unit seemingly well settled it was easily throwing full magazine loads downrange before locking open on empty. There is no bolt release as such, you just need to slingshot the charging handle to release it from the hold open latch, which I would tend to do and ease springs on the action while I reloaded the sole magazine I had to ensure nothing found its way into the action. Overall the CLPD A-Plus 1022 custom competition rifle represents an excellent demonstration of what’s possible with gas blowback airsoft guns with the appropriate care towards design, manufacturing and tuning, and while this particular run of 200 were all already spoken for before production was even finalised, there will no doubt be more mainstream or wider market applications of the components and technologies Clarence and A-Plus are making use of in this limited edition offering. But, if you have managed to secure yourself one from the pre-orders then you have made an enviable purchase; the final production offering is also being made available in three different colour options for the stock to suit the end user’s tastes. As always I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Clarence for entrusting me with these precious limited edition guns to try out and introduce to you, and look forward to seeing and fielding further fruits of his labour; judging by how busy he is there is undoubtedly a lot he has in store! AA

ARMOURY CLPD A-PLUS STUDIO 1022

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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 MARUI’S FANTASTIC SYSTEM - FITTED WITH THE ANGRY GUN RAIL SYSTEM AND REAL STEEL MAGPUL FURNITURE

KIT & GEAR 5.11 4-BANGER

5.11 COOL CARRIER!

WHEN IT COMES TO FIELD-READY AND FIELD-USABLE PACKS AND BAGS FRENCHIE IS NO STRANGER TO WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T! THIS MONTH HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO THE SOMEWHAT INTERESTINGLY NAMED 4-BANGER FROM TACTICAL-INDUSTRY-GIANTS 5.11 AND FINDS IT VERY MUCH A CASE OF “YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR”!

ast year I reviewed the Viper VX Buckle Up Sling Pack (BUSP) and I was very enthusiastic about it. It was, and is, good kit at a very reasonable price. What I didn’t realise at the time was that it is essentially a straight copy of the 5.11 4 - Banger, and having discovered this I was determined to get hold of the original and to compare the two. Thanks to David Morton of 5.11, I now have the 4 Banger in my grubby mitts and I am, well, perplexed. At the risk of repeating myself, I’ll review the 4-Banger on its own merits and then compare and contrast with the “homage”. Features: • Total Capacity: 5L • Carries four 5.56 magazines and tactical gear • Stable and secure mag retention • Customisable, laser cut web platform • Quick-prep, grab-and-go design • Cross-body strap supports ambidextrous use • Adjustable padded shoulder strap

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• • • • • • • • • • •

Dual zip storage pocket at front Concealed pistol compartment at rear Traditional flap and bungee cover options Specifications: 7”H x 15”: x 5.3”W 1050D tear-resistant nylon composite fabric Front loop supports flag or ID patch Weatherproof coating Self-healing YKK® zipper hardware throughout Genuine Duraflex™ hard points Moulded grip pulls on storage zippers

The 4 Banger isn’t a large or heavy bag. While 5.11 doesn’t tout it as a ‘bail out’ bag, it could happily serve that purpose, and as a result it translates to daily use with ease.

GETTING INTO IT

There are two zipped pockets on the front of the bag, each with an internal mesh divider. These are ideal

KIT & GEAR 5.11 4-BANGER

for items you need to access on a regular basis, on the street or in the field. I have

you find said it before (often) but I’ll say it again, the quality of the zippers used really matters. There is no point in having an easy access pocket if access is anything but easy and requires the use of both hands. Thankfully that is not the case here and you can get to your gear with speed and ease. There is a looped panel on one pocket to allow you to attach a patch or insignia should you choose. Behind these pockets is a full-length, full- depth pocket accessed via a double zipper. It’s worth stating that the double zipper is not one of those “where did I leave it” items as the moulded pullers sit at either end of the track and both open and close the pocket. This avoids any confusion and makes perfect sense given the ambidextrous nature of the 4-Banger. This is one of those small matters that make you go “ah!” and differentiate good kit from the also-ran stuff. There are a series of elasticated loops on the front face of the pocket to secure small items of kit and there is extensive loop material on the rear face allowing for the attachment of equipment or even I suppose a holster. In the bottom are two grommets sewn into the base to allow water to drain out should

yourself swimming or in a monsoon. While the 4-Banger is constructed from weatherproof material, I doubt it is completely waterproof. Behind this pocket we start to see a major difference compared to the BUSP. This second fulllength, full-depth pocket is designed to securely hold four 5.56mm magazines and in order to do this there are permanently attached flap covers and internal elastic retainers. The flap covers can be folded out the way and be replaced by bungee retainers which are provided with the bag. While this represents quite specialised storage, the fact is those flaps will serve to retain most anything you put in here, so on the street you have further stowage at your disposal. I’m personally using one of the slots to retain a power bank which fits nicely into the elastic loop! Finally, the back of the bag is a simple mesh pocket with what I took to be an internal hook and loop retention strap which can be used for concealed carry. Wrong. It’s actually a tensioning strap that runs through and allows you to tighten or loosen the bag around magazines to keep everything snug. Leaving the storage behind, the design and

“IT’S WORTH STATING THAT THE DOUBLE ZIPPER IS NOT ONE OF THOSE “WHERE DID I LEAVE IT” ITEMS AS THE MOULDED PULLERS SIT AT EITHER END OF THE TRACK AND BOTH OPEN AND CLOSE THE POCKET. THIS AVOIDS ANY CONFUSION AND MAKES PERFECT SENSE GIVEN THE AMBIDEXTROUS NATURE OF THE 4-BANGER. ” www.airsoftaction.net

KIT & GEAR 5.11 4-BANGER

execution of the shoulder strap is worth a little time. The clips which secure the strap to the bag are not simply moulded plastic to which the shoulder strap is permanently attached. They are held closed using spring clips, and this allows the user to reverse the strap to proper left or right handed use. This is important, maybe obvious, if the stabilising strap is to be used and to function as it should. The supplied shoulder pad is firm and has good grip on the underside, but as I always mention, I’m not a fan so it was easily removed thanks to three hook and loop straps. Likewise the stabilising strap, I don’t need that in daily use because I am constantly moving the pack to retrieve things, but were I using this in game, it would be right back on there to keep the 4 Banger just where I want it. It is essentially there to prevent the bag from moving round your body when that’s the last thing you need. The bag came set up for right-handed use and that’s how I’m using it. On the field, I would reverse that to put mags and gear easily accessible by my non-gun hand. There is a little laser-cut MOLLE available on the bag - two wide, three deep on either end and two wide, six deep on the shoulder strap. Other than maybe a folding dump pouch I’m not sure what I would usefully attach there, as it is, they serve as excellent pen holders! This is one of these ‘better to have than not’ even if you choose not to use them. All the attributes I appreciated when reviewing the Viper version are here as well, unsurprisingly, but they are all done a little better, and the user experience is correspondingly better. I’m finishing this review coming off the back of a busy weekend where the 4-Banger was a dog walking bag, camera bag, document carrier and occasional shopping bag. I’m sure it wasn’t intended for any of these roles, but the fact that it performs them all with aplomb is a testament to its superb flexibility.

CHOICES, CHOICES!

Finally it’s time to compare and contrast. The first thing to know about the two bags is the similarity in price: the recommended retail price of the BUSP at the time of review was UK£60.00 although in the UK you will find it being sold at around UK£54.00. The 4-Banger also retails for around the UK£60.00 mark.

Looking back at my review of the BUSP I make the point that it would be worth adding hook and loop mag pouches to stiffen the bag up as the mag pocket has no form of closure or retention. That small additional cost means the two items are essentially identical in price. At this point it simply doesn’t make sense to recommend the VX over the 5.11. Copying is a common practice across all areas of manufacturing and while I fully understand how galling it can be, it can be a godsend for cash strapped airsofters. As I have sadly discovered, in this case there is no such benefit to be gained by choosing the ‘homage’; at the same price, the original is simply a much better offering in every respect. I am a big fan of both brands, albeit for different reasons. I really appreciate the design and quality of 5.11 gear. I am a fan of Viper’s normally outstanding value for money, but in this case I’m afraid they have missed the mark. If the concept of this bag appeals to you, go 5.11. It simply is the original and the best. AA

“THIS SECOND FULL-LENGTH, FULL-DEPTH POCKET IS DESIGNED TO SECURELY HOLD FOUR 5.56MM MAGAZINES AND IN ORDER TO DO THIS THERE ARE PERMANENTLY ATTACHED FLAP COVERS AND INTERNAL ELASTIC RETAINERS. THE FLAP COVERS CAN BE FOLDED OUT THE WAY AND BE REPLACED BY BUNGEE RETAINERS WHICH ARE PROVIDED WITH THE BAG.”

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OUTDOOR TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

PACKING IT IN, RUCCING IT UP! LAST MONTH BILL TOOK A LOOK AT DIFFERENT TYPES OF PACK THAT WILL LET YOU DEAL WITH DIFFERENT AIRSOFT SCENARIOS IN AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE WAY, AND THIS TIME HE TURNS HIS ATTENTION TO WHAT YOU SHOULD BE PACKING, AND INDEED HOW YOU PACK IT TO MAKE IT AS COMFORTABLE AND SAFE AS POSSIBLE!

All images used licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

ltimately there are countless opinions of what you should carry in your pack, and just like a certain part of our anatomy, everyone has an opinion! The same can be said for how all of that gear should be loaded into said pack, and once again you guessed it, the jury is out on this too! I have my own set of guidelines that have been built up over many years of carrying a small pack every day, and a large (sometimes huge!) pack whilst adventuring around the globe, and more importantly and in context for this magazine, playing both short and long-duration airsoft games. If you look at most pictures of me “in game” there will usually be at the very least a small sustainment pack on my back, even if it’s just to carry a hydration bladder, some snacks, extra “ammo” and possibly even some pyro. When it comes to longer games though, and most certainly for multi-day events then that pack will be significantly larger, although experience has taught me exactly what I need, and where to place it inside my pack for both comfort and ease of access. I use the word “comfort” here as this is what any pack you carry needs to be; comfortable. If a pack is correctly fitted and loaded it may

APRIL 2022

still be heavy, but if that weight is properly balanced then specific-area fatigue at least can be avoided. You will still be carrying the weight, but if your pack is set up in such a way that it uses the body’s own “pillar structure” you’ll be able to keep going for longer, and further, and be switched on too! The first step is to select a pack model that fits the scenario you’re going to be in. As the old saying goes “don’t take a knife to a gunfight” and the same is true of packs… don’t take a massive 80L multi-day pack to a skirmish day! Buy what you need, and don’t buy an unnecessarily large pack, or a one that’s too small! Even for longer, multi-day

OUTDOOR TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

games it’s usually sufficient to use a pack with a usable size of 40 to 60L. In general a 405L “patrol pack” should have enough space inside to hold everything including your sleeping bag for well over 72 hours, especially if you’re getting a replen in the field. Packing a pack correctly and efficiently, with a “hierarchy of need” (no, not Maslow’s, but close to it!) is fundamental to how well you can react to changing environments and scenario-dictated events. A well-packed pack ensures maximum comfort, and therefore allows you to say in the game, in all ways, for longer. In a perfect world, your gear will all be “hi-speed, lo-drag” and be as lightweight as possible, but the world is sadly imperfect, and our bank balances can only sustain so much! Many mountain athletes go for ultra-lightweight gear, and modify even that to make it lighter still; when I was active in mountain sports I even knew folk that would cut the shaft of their spork down to save a gram or two! The fact is that even ultralightweight gear adds up, especially on long walkins. Longer multi-day games mean that you can potentially be wearing your pack for longer periods; shorter duration games are easier with a small or medium sustainment pack, but the longer the game the more you need to concentrate on what goes in your pack, and where, to ensure comfort and to keep fatigue at bay… airsoft is supposed to be fun, right?

BREAKING IT DOWN

So, let’s look at what really needs to be included in a larger, multi-day pack. The items/gear you need to carry will include:

• Clothing • Windproof/Waterproof/Rain gear • Sleeping Gear • Shelter Gear • FAK (First Aid Kit) • Cooking Gear • Food • Water Clothing: Always use synthetic quick dry clothing as cotton is heavy when wet and takes time to dry; even mix poly-cotton is better than pure in many environments. All together you should allow up to 2kg for clothing; a spare baselayer, socks, watchcap, buff and gloves should add little more than 500g to this. Normally protection is vital for he core of the body (where all your vital organs usually reside!), so a fleece or lightweight insulated jacket will add another 500g to your back. A Fleece/Synthetic Fill/ Down jacket is light and provides adequate warmth; the weight should be within a kilogram for jackets of this type. A windproof upper with hood is also a must-have bit of kit, and then you can add your waterproofs… Sleeping Gear: All sleeping bags are rated with a temperature rating, and bear in mind here another old mantra, “pack light, freeze at night”, and buy one with a rating commensurate to the conditions you expect to encounter, but remember that for emergencies you can use clothing inside while sleeping. Synthetic/Down filled sleeping bags weigh up to 2kg, and with a carry mat a little more. Shelter Gear: This can be anything from a simple lightweight bivvy-bag that will weigh no more than 1kg, right up to a full tent which will be significantly more! If you’re going down the tent route it’s probably best to split this between you and your buddy… add a head torch for use in your shelter; a Petzl TacTikka is just 85g! First-Aid/Medical Kit/Food/Water: Keep your FAK simple yet effective; aim to add a maximum of 500g. Keep some energy food handy! A few energy bars, dry fruit mix and a small pack of Glucose is good to have, but again keep this to about 500g maximum. Allow up to 1-1.5kg for food above this as an absolute minimum. Water is vital yet heavy, so check with the game organiser what will be available to you in the field. You should always bank on carrying a minimum of 2L of water; water weighs

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OUTDOOR TACTICAL OUTDOOR DEVELOPMENT

around 1 kilogram per litre…

PACKING IT UP

Virtus Soldier System - British Army

When packing your gear lay your pack HORIZONTALLY with the harness straps on the ground; this helps eliminate heavier items from shifting during the packing process. Ultimately you want to avoid weight all on one side or the other, or spread unevenly, which will put stresses unequally on your body and lead to fatigue more quickly. Pack heavier gear towards the bottom of your pack; this will reduce stress on your shoulders. You want the weight to pull down towards your hips and your hip-belt to make carrying more comfortable and avoid uneven weight pulling you over if you stumble. Make sure to place gear you will need to access regularly near the top of the pack for ease of access. Place gear you may need during your walk-in at the top so you can get to it quickly. Ensure your waterproofs and your gloves, etc are handy; in the style of pack I use myself they always go in the big flat pocket on the front. Roll your extra clothing to save space, and make sure everything is in a waterproof bag, then place this in the middle of your load; you won’t need to change your shirt or socks until you reach your overnight position!

I put my sleep system inside my bivvy bag, and then compress the lot; this goes middle/bottom for me. My main food and cooking gear goes middle/ top so that I can easily get to it if I have chance to get a quick brew on. If you use a hydration system this goes either inside your pack, or if you’re going to need to refill it on the go, at the top with the hose over your left shoulder (if you’re a righty, reverse if you’re a lefty!) and hooked to the left shoulder strap for easy access, and to keep it clear of your rifle/ carbine. Ensure your pack is balanced once packed; put it on and take a walk to feel out any unbalances or shifting; stabilise the shifting or unbalanced items by stuffing some soft gear around them. So, that’s a simple guide to what to pack, and where to pack it! There are far more exhaustive guides easily found online, and most good mountaineering stores/outfitters will have a variation of what I’ve outlined on their website. Bottom line is that with everything packed you should be aiming for about 10-12 Kg, and you should get into the habit of carrying it comfortably. Every gram matters. Quality ultralight gear is often expensive, so I would always advise that you buy your gear over time, and refine it as you go. Find out what everything does, and how you use it, and then USE A PACKING LIST!

“MAKE SURE TO PLACE GEAR YOU WILL NEED TO ACCESS REGULARLY NEAR THE TOP OF THE PACK FOR EASE OF ACCESS. PLACE GEAR YOU MAY NEED DURING YOUR WALK-IN AT THE TOP SO YOU CAN GET TO IT QUICKLY. ENSURE YOUR WATERPROOFS AND YOUR GLOVES, ETC ARE HANDY”

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ARMOURY PISTOL POWER

DEAR PISTOL GODS, WHERE’S MY EXTRA 50+FPS? AIRSOFT GAS PISTOLS AVERAGE UNDER 300FPS, WHEN WE COULD HAVE AROUND 50 MORE IN THE UK. STEVE T ASKS ‘WHY?’ THEN CANVASES THE AA TEAM TO FIND HIMSELF PERSUADED THAT THERE MAY BE SOME GOOD REASONS AFTER ALL…

e test airsoft gas pistols day-in, day-out here at Airsoft Action and it’s safe to say that they average about 280 to 300FPS on a .20g, give or take 10FPS here or there, which is ‘fine’ but also in the region of 50+FPS shy of the limit for most UK sites. Which begs the question from one of your British correspondents; where’s the rest of our FPS? Going into this article, I was firmly in the camp that if site limits allow for 350FPS, then I want as near to that as manufacturers can achieve. Why should I give up those last FPS to save a couple of quid in manufacturing costs? If it’s to ensure reliability, then why not safeguard pistols against the upper limit so that players can purchase the very best hardware possible? One of the reasons I value being part of this very experienced team is that I’m happy to learn from people with more insight gathered over many years in active service as well as shooting toy guns. Stick around, you might learn a thing or two… I know I did… My initial premise was that if a thing can be done, then it should be done. In other words, if I can run a pistol at just under 350FPS in the UK, then why aren’t the manufacturers giving me what I deserve as a consumer? Why must I settle for something in the mid-high 270s if there’s so much potential being left on the table? Those average numbers were initially based mostly on my own records of tested GBB pistol

performance using similar gas and BBs in a centrally heated room. They’re also borne out in the most part by the findings of the AA team. It seemed a sound starting point for questions as a premise, but I have to concede that power does not always equal precision, as some of my most accurate pistols have also been amongst the lowest powered I’ve used. In particular, it has to be said, Tokyo Marui. With that in mind, one AA contributor that has asked not to be named observed that for the most part GBB pistols, “Are based on the old TM models and limits - that is the reason… 280 is close to their limit”. Similarly, Jimmy Davison acknowledges that with his preferred Marui pistols, “FPS is always going to be lower”.

IS “OKAY” GOOD ENOUGH?

Slavish observance of an out-dated design isn’t enough to convince me that okay IS good enough, but Jimmy went on to make an excellent observation. “I carry a pistol most game days, but if I need to draw my pistol, it’s because I either ran out of ammo on my primary or I’ve managed to get close enough to draw it”. Or as Bill puts it, “Sidearms for me in game are really just a case of last resort, if everything REALLY goes to sh1t-pancake time!” Most players can relate to panic stations at some point in their airsofting career, but you could

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ARMOURY PISTOL POWER

argue that it would be mitigated by carrying more magazines most times. But even when it would be quicker to draw a pistol rather than re-arm a primary, the deeper question is a regard for the people that you play against. As Jimmy says, “If I get within 15 metres, then I have enough respect for the people I’m playing against to get them with a lower velocity weapon. I never crave for a high FPS on a pistol”. It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by another AA contributor Boycie who says that, “For me, the relatively lower power reflects the scaled up range difference in real steel”. I had honestly never thought about it in those terms. Mind = blown! This is such a simple differentiation that it never occurred to me; “if can, then do”, remember? Extracting the maximum from any given set of parts makes perfect sense from an engineering point of view, which is how I’d approached the situation, but of course a sidearm should be penalised in terms of power versus a primary in airsoft! Many of us strive for some kind of realism in the sport and this is a great example of it in practice. Yes, CO2 pistols raise the upper figures, sometimes by too much, while being more expensive to run. Boycie makes the excellent point that while some sites allow up to 500 FPS for semiauto weapons, would you want to meet a pistol at that level around a blind corner? No, me neither. Stewbacca also argues the case for lower pistol FPS when he says that, “One of the reasons is that a lot of players and sites see pistols as the ‘soft’ option for close-in shots that aren’t overkill. So unless you’re running one as a primary, people aren’t expecting top limit output and performance”. Jimmy agrees saying that, “It’s a sidearm, aka “secondary”, designed for close quarters. It doesn’t need the velocity to reach out to greater distances. I pride myself in reaching the limit when it comes to rifles, but I don’t care for velocity with pistols”. And just in case you don’t remember back as far as when airsoft replicas dumped gas everywhere and when spring was king, Jimmy reminds us that we should

APRIL 2022

“be thankful you have a pistol that can empty a full mag and doesn’t ruin your day with the cloud of disappointment that is the gas dump” .Maybe that’s exactly what contributor Bill W-R had in mind when he said that, “I believe that we are coming to the end of GBB pistols and that EBB is where we will all be heading”. Maybe he has a point, but despite having pondered previously why electric guns rule the AR roost versus the more kinetic felt-energy of gas replica pistols, I’m not so sure that skirmishers are ready to give up their GBB sidearms so soon! The truth is that pistols are very much an afterthought for the vast majority of players and I am definitely in the minority that will happily troop out of the safe zone for a short game armed only with a sidearm just because I enjoy the sensation and the challenge.

TOTALLY SOLD!

I found this discussion amongst the AA team really interesting, not least because I came into it with a firm conviction that was easily defeated, but also because it sheds new light on the very different ways that players engage with airsoft as a hobby. I could argue the case that airsoft GBBs underachieve against market restrictions as a ‘want it all’ consumer, especially as a player that actively enjoys using pistols over SMGs or ARs on game day just for the fun of it. But as a player with a preference toward the Mil-Sim side of airsoft, I’m happily persuaded by the arguments for differentiation between airsoft primary and secondary weapons, where there must be a meaningful distinction between pistols and rifles that are both governed by the same set of rules. Should I be disappointed when my next pistol measures under 300FPS? Definitely not. Of course I’d be delighted to discover that I’d acquired a 345FPS hand cannon on one level, but on another, the AA team has made me see that relatively low-powered pistols are actually a welcome wrinkle to this beautiful pastime that we call airsoft. AA

ARMOURY PISTOL POWER

GBB FPS TESTED PERFORMANCE

Combining the results from a number of different Airsoft Action reviews, Red Cell and group tests and personal data of green gas pistols with .20 BBs, the average result is 290FPS. (Presented in alphabetical order.) NB: All pistols were tested by various members of the AA team across numerous dates, sites, conditions and chronos. As such, this is not empirical data, but an illustrative sampling. Make Model Av FPS Action Army AAP-001 297 Army Armament R604 288 Army Armament R45A1 228 Army Armament R17 V3 312 ASG CZ Shadow SP-01 280 ASG CZ 75 Classic 303 ASG CZ P-09 262 ASG CZ Shadow 2 306 Cybergun FNX45 278 G&G Beretta GTP-9 302 G&G Piranha Mk1 260 G&G Beretta GPM 92 304 ICS BLE BM9 274 KJW Sig P226 288 KWA Beretta M9 PTP 340 KWA H&K HK45 305 Raven 1911 MEU 273

Raven Hi Capa 4.3 319 Raven Hi Capa 5.1 318 Raven EU18 288 Raven R226 285 Raven EU17 285 Sig Air ProForce M17 313 Sig Air P320 298 Swiss Arms P226 289 Tokyo Marui 1911 MEU 233 Tokyo Marui Detonics 230 Tokyo Marui G17 Gen 4 305 Tokyo Marui USP 9MM 283 Tokyo Marui PX4 230 Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4 313 Umarex Glock 45 276 Umarex Glock G19X 260 Umarex Walther PPQ 269 Umarex Walther P99 261 Umarex Glock G19X 315 Vorsk Hi Capa 5.1 Split Slide 339 Vorsk VX-9 267 Vorsk EU17 Vented 321 Vorsk EU18 Vented 325 WE 1911A1 285 WE G17 Gen 5 MOS 318 WE G19X 318 WE MK25 293 WE G17 295 WE GP1799 293

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THE CAGE PACKING HEAT!

THE CAGE:

PACKING HEAT!

THE CAGE HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE GEAR THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE AIRSOFT ACTION LEGION USE THEMSELVES, GEAR THAT HAS BEEN PUSHED TO ITS LIMITS AND STOOD UP TO THE TEST OF TIME! WE JOKINGLY USE THE PHRASE AMONGST OUR GROUP THAT “WE BREAK IT SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO”, SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS TIME TO START LOOKING AT THE GBB AND AEG PLATFORMS IN THE TEAM AS WELL AS THE GEAR! AS USUAL, BILL LEADS OFF…

ow many RIFs do you own? This is a question I regularly see come up in airsoft groups all over the world, and let’s face it, there are some pretty cool collections out there! But is a “collection” simply that, a number of AEGs and GBBs that you own because you just love them, or is your personal armoury set up specifically for your in-game needs? For me it’s a little of both, and to say that the collection I have gathered over my years in airsoft has become something more than “extensive” is about right! Even if I had bought just one AEG and one GBB each year that would be putting me towards 60 models… but it’s never just one AEG or GBB a year is it? I mean, c’mon, I’m an airsofter! I have to admit that once I bought specifically for what I needed “in game” and my collection was small, sweet, and very much to the point. Over the years though I have dabbled in many different airsoft genres, so one AR became several (one for CQB, one for the woods, one for Nam games, one for the range…) and in turn, several became even more… of course I need an M16A1 for Nam games, but also an XM177, possibly a Mod 607… oh, and a Stoner for

those SEAL moments… and although I have a very serviceable Mk18 AEG of course I need to replicate that as a gasser… This same pattern has been replicated on AK (both classic and modern) models, along with springers shotguns and bolt-actions, AEGs and now GBBs that I simply HAD to have and I am somewhat embarrassed to admit that not all of them have been used in game, they just hang on the wall of my personal CAGE to be admired and occasionally taken out to shoot. I am not telling you this to big myself up, merely to illustrate that if you’ve been in airsoft for a good few years then your personal armoury will continue to grow… and GROW! I know some committed players that are exceptionally disciplined when it comes to their armoury… but it ain’t me! I somewhat easily justify my collection as it has “historically important models in it”, and that I need to have them so as to be able to comment fully on newer models… who am I trying to kid?

TEAM TALK

With all this in mind I thought it might be fun to find out what some of the other “Legionnaires” had

“EVEN IF I HAD BOUGHT JUST ONE AEG AND ONE GBB EACH YEAR THAT WOULD BE PUTTING ME TOWARDS 60 MODELS… BUT IT’S NEVER JUST ONE AEG OR GBB A YEAR IS IT? I MEAN, C’MON, I’M AN AIRSOFTER!”

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THE CAGE PACKING HEAT!

in their armouries, what gets them excited when it comes to their own AEG, GBBs, and accessories, and over the next couple of months we’ll delve into this deeper. To get this party started though I asked them “What do you have in your personal airsoft armoury, which platforms (AR, AK or something else? Gas or AEG?) to you prefer, and why do you favour certain styles?” Stewbacca: My current personal collection is all GBBR: • WE Tech G36C, HK416, MP5A5/A6, MP5K PDW, T91, L85A2, Luger P08, M17, M92F • VFC HK PSG-1, PPQ NPA, Glock 18C (With Archwick USW-G kit & replica ACRO) • KSC/KWA HK45, USPc, MP7, M11A1, Vz61 Skorpion • KJWorks CZ75 SP01 Shadow, CZ75 Shadow 2, USWA1 • Modify PP2K • Action Army AAP01 Recently I have been mostly shooting the PP2K, MP7, MP5A5 and T91 for the majority of games where I’m not evaluating something that isn’t mine, and typically run the PPQ NPA as my go to sidearm as of late. In the “old days” loved my old Real Sword SVD, I could just dominate the field with it given its

ridonculous inner barrel and cylinder capacity, and it was a lot lighter and easier to handle than the M14 as it’s mostly spindly barrel out front. Chris: For me it’s mainly all AEG apart from my pistols! • 2 x Block 1 M4 • G&P Stoner 63 • AUG (and enough parts to build 2 more!) • 21 year old Marui MP5, now honourably retired! • WE 1911 • Marui USP9 • WE Browning mk3 • Steyr Scout. • 2 x M203 Mine all fit a theme or loadout, the Scout I just have as I absolutely love the design. The AUG is one I also love; design, feel and function are all great, a timeless classic considering how old the design is now, and with training its one I’ve come to really appreciate! It, alongside the Scout is my go to long arm. (or shorty for CQB) The M4’s are there for mainly re-enactment kits, I don’t tend to take them out a lot. The M203’s generally only come out for re-enactment events too, fitted to my AUG and M4 due to having grenadier kit. I go for AEG over GBBR mainly due to the weather,

www.airsoftaction.net

THE CAGE PACKING HEAT!

and my experiences with GBBR’s has been a bit lacklustre; price and functionality for the amount of time we can realistically use them a year is not that great IMHO and I’m loathe to go HPA. Dan: My mains are: • Real Sword SVD Dragunov • LCT AK-105 • VFC SIG MCX • KWA VM4A1 (configured into a Troy M7A1 PDW) • Real Sword Type 56-2 (set up with a AKS-74U front end) • VFC MP7 AEP • A&K PKM (currently disassembled for a project) • RWA Agency NOC G17 • Custom TM based G17 The SVD has always been my “grail” gun, and I’ve been running this Real Sword for over 12 years now without fail. It’s the one I reach for the most and has become pretty much my signature gun that everyone knows me by. It’s been well tuned and upgraded, and I love that I can reach out with a .48g and just wreck lives outside of the reach of everything and everyone! The LCT AK-105 and MCX are my two main carbines that I run when I don’t feel like sniping or if the field conditions don’t allow for it; the AK because it’s a

APRIL 2022

tank and superbly accurate, and the MCX because I love the aesthetics and modular design and wanted something that took M4 mags, but wasn’t an M4. To a lesser extent I sometimes use the Troy M7A1 PDW build, which is done off a KWA VM4 base. I’ve always been a fan of that particular design and its unique look. Other than the sidearms, everything in my collection is AEG based. I’m not really a fan of GBB performance in our colder climate up north here. Dabbled with HPA a bit, but having played Paintball for over 15 years prior to Airsoft, I have no desire to return to an HPA platform again. Jimmy: Well then, where to begin! My collection is ever-growing although not a the rate I’d like mainly because I haven’t got bags of money and let’s face it, airsoft isn’t getting any cheaper. It’s true what people say about addiction and airsoft, I purchased one and that’s where it began. I tend to prefer the more modern platforms mainly because of how they look. My collection is very AEG orientated with the exception of my sidearms which are GBB. There’s something about electronics and mechanical systems occupying the same space that intrigues me and I can’t help but want to tinker with so for me the AEG platform is perfect… which is why 90% of my AEG platforms have some form of upgraded electronic

THE CAGE PACKING HEAT!

device inside. I appreciate GBBs for what they are; they offer the player a feel of realism but for my game style it just doesn’t suit to be honest. 30 BB magazines… paaah! Give me a box mag with 2600 BBs, wind me up and watch me carve a path much like Mac in the film “Predator” with the minigun… lol, you all know that scene! My collection thus far in no particular order: • G&P Spec Ops M4 • Dboys Spec Ops M4 • Ares AM-014 Honey Badger • G&G GC16 Predator • G&G PCC45 • ASG CZ 805 Bren (really King Arms) • Specna E06 • Specna E12 PDW • Classic Army M249 Mk1 (now a SAW) • Saigo Defense Ronin PDW (KWA wannabe) • Umarex Ares UMP45 • Nuprol Romeo Recon Bravo • BO Dynamics LK595 CQB • Double Bell 416 • VFC Sig MCX • VFC Sig MPX • Krytac Kriss Vector • Asg Scorpion Evo A1 • Cyma Platinum CM.097 • JG MG36 • JG G36c I’ve missed one or two I’m sure I have… GBB sidearms now… • ASG Dan Wesson 715 • ASG CZ Shadow 2 • TM 4.3 Hi-Capa • TM 5.1 Gold Match Hi-Capa • TM FNX 45 • TM G17 Gen 4 • TM Vorpal Bunny • TM M92 Biohazard Albert w 01 • TM 1911 4.3 Strike Warrior • Golden Eagle 1911 4.3 Strike Warrior • Army SAI G17 • Army 1911 R32 Nightstorm • WE Hi-Capa Dragon 7 I don’t really have a specific I mainly use, so come game day I usually end up spending an hour deciding which to go for! That said My Specna E12 PDW has

been heavily used over the past year, as it seems to tick all the boxes and is suited for both outdoor as well as indoor. When it comes to pistols my TM HiCapas tend to get a fair amount of use as they work all the time, every time, and I love finding myself in a situation where drawing the side arm is the only option!

Stu: Mains are: • KWA QRF MOD3 • G36C • AUG • Several AKs (Cyma, E&L, Real Sword) • TM NGRS Scar H - set up as an DMR (it’s an evil bit of kit!) • KWA LMD4 GBBR M4 • KWA PTS Radian GBBR M4 • KWA PTP 1911 MKV • RWA Nighthawk 1911s x 2 (Co2 for the odd game where they are needed) • Umarex/VFC Glock 17 • KWA/KSC CZ75 • Western Arms SVIs x 6 (yes, SIX!) • Western Arms PO1445 • VFC/Cybergun FNX45 You’ll see I do love a Western Arms pistol! Granted that they all had upgraded metal slides already fitted, then apart from having to be sent to Mr Dean for the odd repair and service, all I’ve done is feed them gas and BBs. They work; it’s as simple as that! AA

“IN THE “OLD DAYS” LOVED MY OLD REAL SWORD SVD, I COULD JUST DOMINATE THE FIELD WITH IT GIVEN ITS RIDONCULOUS INNER BARREL AND CYLINDER CAPACITY, AND IT WAS A LOT LIGHTER AND EASIER TO HANDLE THAN THE M14 AS IT’S MOSTLY SPINDLY BARREL OUT FRONT.” www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

RED CELL

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND! IN NOVEMBER 2020 WE KICKED OFF A NEW REGULAR FEATURE IN AIRSOFT ACTION… AND “RED CELL” WAS BORN! NOW IT’S TIME TO START LANDING SOME PROPER RESULTS AND LOOK AT HOW SOME OF THE MODELS WE INITIALLY TESTED HAVE STOOD UP TO USE AND ABUSE AS WE RETURN TO THE BEGINNING TO CHECK OUT THE MOST-USED 1911S AND G-SERIES PISTOLS!

n the months since the Red Cell test team first met we’ve been through a global pandemic with numerous lockdowns and travel restrictions, members have been poorly and in isolation, but we’ve always managed to bring a report in to land, and some of them have been pretty major! The Team has looked at a veritable host of handguns, ARs and AKs, SBRs, PCCs, SMGs, and even a couple of “historical specials” and I believe it’s fair to say that our own appreciation and understanding of the platforms we use, both AEGs and GBB, has come on leaps and bounds! I’ve been personally lucky enough to look at literally hundreds of RIFs over the years, but during the Test Program so far, the rest of the Team now have a huge pool of airsoft knowledge to benchmark against when they see a new model. We hope that it also means that any of you reading this will be able to check out our reports and immediately have access to information on some cracking models before you

go out and buy one, and to some small degree we hope that our efforts will give you some degree of confidence in choosing the right model for YOU! Is this the end of the Red Cell Program? No, not at all, it’s merely the end of the beginning as we now start to look back at the most-used models, how they’ve stood up to abuse over time and hard-use, and why they are still “most-used”. From this point onwards we can start to land some REAL data as to how power levels have settled, how parts have worn, and where we’ve needed to maintain and/or repair the individual platforms, what has been needed, and what has it cost us. I’m pleased to report that thus far with our Test Pool of GBBs and AEGs we’ve had no really catastrophic failures thus far, although there have been a few niggles for sure! Although not fully used in a skirmish situation due to the Covid restrictions as much as we would have hoped, all the Red Cell members are keen range shooters too… if you saw

“I’VE BEEN PERSONALLY LUCKY ENOUGH TO LOOK AT LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF RIFS OVER THE YEARS, BUT DURING THE TEST PROGRAM SO FAR, THE REST OF THE TEAM NOW HAVE A HUGE POOL OF AIRSOFT KNOWLEDGE TO BENCHMARK AGAINST WHEN THEY SEE A NEW MODEL.” 46

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RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

the number of BBs Jimmy alone gets through down on the range you’d understand what I’m saying (we don’t call him “Drum Mag Jimmy” for nothing…)! So, where does Red Cell head next? Easy answer, honestly we really have only just begun to get properly into our stride! We’ve already started getting new models for the Test Pool and have been promised

many more, especially after our meetings at IWA. We’ve not yet touched bolt-actions, DMRs and support guns so we’ve still got that to go at this year, but as I said, we’ll be intermingling full tests of new models with ongoing data updates of the old ones during the course of this year to keep bringing you all the information you need, and we’re discussing a “Red Cell Special” where we bring ALL of these reports into one place so that you can access this easily on our website, FREE TO READ as always. After over a year of testing and reporting so far we’ve also now got manufacturers that we are working with directly, feeding data and information back to them regularly, especially where we find a problem starting to develop. The manufacturers, the good ones that give a sh!t anyway, are listening to what Red Cell tells them, and in some instances problems we have analysed have already been actioned so that you guys don’t have to be the ones to find out something doesn’t work when you buy it. THIS is what Red Cell is all about, and you can look forward to a LOT more coming from the Team during 2022!

1911: A TRUE VETERAN!

Well, on returning to the initial test models, and indeed a couple that we’ve subsequently added to the

long-term test pool, it was generally our “techs” that had the most to say, that’s for sure, but first up, let’s look at some of the 1911 models that we tested way back in November ’22, and skirmisher Bill W-R kicks things off! I’ve been using the Army R501 extensively; this has been my go to primary sidearm, replacing my GTP9 as my preferred handgun of choice. This gun has required only lubrication and a replacement valve on one of the magazines. Considering it has been used in all weather’s and lots of different environments I can’t see me replacing this for some years to come. A low price does not always equal a poor GBB! Little Stu: RWA Nighthawk... I have two of ‘em as overkill is under-rated! They keep going. Solid feel and build, nice kick on them. Good accuracy also. And they can handle heavy ammo as well, which is nice! Jimmy: Ah, the .45ACP, my favourite! “While strolling through the fields of time There are many things to see, But nature is the greatest sight That there could ever be The greatest of them all to me Four Five ACP!” So, the M1911, the staple of every airsofters arsenal; looking back at the 1911 test day my attention was drawn to three models, one of which I have managed to spend some time with. I have come to the conclusion that it is possibly the strongest heaviest 1911 on the market today and one that is money well spent in my opinion; The RWA

Nighthawk. My initial thought was “WOW take my money” and Danny at Redwolf UK did take my money as I now own that pistol! If you are looking for competition style pistol this isn’t for you, but if you are looking for realistic aesthetics and a heavy recoil with efficiency to boot

“IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR COMPETITION STYLE PISTOL THIS ISN’T FOR YOU, BUT IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR REALISTIC AESTHETICS AND A HEAVY RECOIL WITH EFFICIENCY TO BOOT THEN THIS IS A PISTOL TO SERIOUSLY CONSIDER. ” www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

then this is a pistol to seriously consider. Powered by CO2 you get a heavy recoil effect and can easily see a third reload per caplet. One flaw I did find is the heavy trigger pull; while offering a realistic feel it can slow the performance down a bit which I discovered at a game day as I was outperformed by a faster-operating WE Hi Capa ( a great little one on one!). This hasn’t deterred me one bit from using it and loving it though. I might see if CL Project Design’s new sear spring will help with that. It will lift a .28g BB perfectly but does struggle to lift anything heavier (I’ve had a .30g bb drop early but the 0.28g is perfect for close quarters). I have discovered it doesn’t like heavy oils like the GHK silicon- based oil; it prefers something a bit thinner so I have been using Maglubes Magload oil. With CO2 I always pop a drop of oil on the caplets before insertion to ensure the seals stay supple. Back on the testing day I also had a look at the TM MEU 1911 and the TM Detonics 45, but due to not being out as much to games with Bill who owns these unfortunately I haven’t had any field time with those. As a whole though I do like a “45 pistol” and respect the 1911; lets be fair it’s served a purpose for many years! Bill: When it comes to 1911s there are actually quite a few models that stand out for me! It’s been a great couple of years for 1911-lovers, and the host of new models has actually brought a few back to the 1911-style platform (including some awesome Hi Capas!) in a very positive way, myself included! If I’m pushed though to pick a couple of models (apart from the RAVEN Hi Capa which I absolutely adore and know have three of!) then top of the list would have to be the VORSK VX9!

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Having now shot extensively with my own pair of VX-9s what can I tell you? Simply put, in my opinion this model took 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 a superb overall finish, 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 thing they had been designed to work together haha! And this does have a profound effect on performance too; I’ve continued to test 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! And for me the other standout model was from VFC; as I said when I first got the pistol in my hands the VFC 1911 Tactical Custom is a striking looking pistol! It aimed to break a few moulds in both looks and performance, and it has proved to do both very well indeed. The pistol is beautifully finished in every respect. In use this 1911 is all about smooth cycling, and all the positive ergonomics you would come

RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

to associate with the 1911 platform. With the new hop up design that allows you use the guide rod for adjustments, the GuideHop, you can incrementally and exactly adjust the hop on the go if necessary, allowing a full range of adjustment without removing the complete slide; all you need to do is hold the slide to the rear and turn the guide rod itself to increase or decrease the hop with series of “clicks” that you can both feel and hear, then release the slide forward to keep shooting! The 20BB magazine is extremely gas efficient, and I’ve found that many single-stack 1911 magazines in my collection work in the pistol (almost!) as well as the VFC original. The power output on green gas as quoted by VFC is iro 0.83 Joule/300fps for the 1911, and they’ve got this pretty right; I tested and re-tested (as well as giving the 1911 regular run-outs on the range) using NP 2.0 gas and .20g RZRs and have continued to get between 299 and 302fps which is pretty tight! Accuracy on the 10m Short Range has improved as the 1911 has bedded in, and I’m now hitting that “headspace” more times than not, so regular centremass shot-placement really shouldn’t be an issue at normal pistol ranges!

NOT A GLOCK!

Now let’s get to grips with a few of the G-Series models that have been with the team for a while, and here I’ll let our newest member of the extended Red Cell Team, Dan, in the USA, get things rolling! I have some experience with the Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4, as far as repairing and tuning them (and a lot more with the Gen. 3 model 17 and 19, which I have personally owned). All of the examples I have used generally chrono’d around 300 - 315 w/.20g on average, out of the box. The stock accuracy is highly variable, and unfortunately mostly poor, which I attribute to the

internals being highly lubricated from the factory; so by extension, the hop up bucking and bore is usually absolutely soaked in oil. If keeping the pistol largely stock, I would recommend deep cleaning it, do selective lubrication on key points, cleaning the bucking and resetting it. There have been issues with slide binding/excessive resistance on the Gen. 4 and 3 models. Usually this is due to the locking block sitting too high, which causes a significant amount of drag and loss of efficiency. Some of these have struggled to fire through a complete magazine on a full charge of gas as a result. Filing down the height of the locking block and polishing the rail guides can increase efficiency substantially. I have seen improvements of up to FOUR full magazines per single gas charge afterwards. As for upgrades, much like the weird disinformation that surrounds KWA, there is a myth that these can’t be upgraded. Presently speaking, a lot of the pistol has TM parts compatibility, and more specifically key components such as the barrel, hop up bucking, hop up arm, adjustment wheel, etc. are TM compatible. What parts that are not TM compatible, already have an aftermarket analogue made for it. It is to the point where 99% of the pistol can now be refitted with different parts if so desired. As far as I know, the only thing still not able to be upgraded is the piston lid (I would need to check and see if there’s been any

“HAVING NOW SPENT SOME TIME ACTUALLY USING A “NOT A GLOCK” I HAVE COME TO LOVE THEM, AND MY SALIENT ARMS G17 IS PERFECT, A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PISTOL TO THE R17 I MUST SAY. THE MARUI WAS A GREAT PERFORMER, AGAIN SO MUCH I PURCHASED ONE, SPECIFICALLY A GEN. 4 AND IT HASN’T LET ME DOWN.” www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

TOKYO MARUI G17 GEN 4 Price: iro £150.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 709g Length: 202 mm Magazine Capacity: 25+1 Cold Chrono:0.89 Joule/310fps Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk RAVEN EU17 Price: iro £85.00 Age: Three Years Weight: 700g Length: 200mm Magazine Capacity: 24+1 Cold Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps Hot Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.rvnairsoft.com UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN 4 Price: iro £160.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 665g Length: 210mm Magazine Capacity: 24+1 Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com ARMY ARMAMENT R17 V3 Price: iro £50.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 700g Length: 200mm Magazine Capacity: 25+1 Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: iwholesales.co.uk WE G17 GEN 5 MOS Price: iro £120.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 770g Length: 186mm Magazine Capacity: 25+1 Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.weairsoft.com

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RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

TOKYO MARUI 1911 MEU Price: iro £150.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 840g Length: 223mm Magazine Capacity: 28 Cold Chrono: 0.70 Joule/275fps Hot Chrono: 0.33 Joule/190fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: No Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk ARMY ARMAMENT R501 Price: iro £80.00 Age: 20 Months Weight: 1020g Length: 218mm Magazine Capacity: 28 Cold Chrono: 0.80 Joule/295fps Hot Chrono: 0.70 Joule/276fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.iwholsales.co.uk VORSK VX-9 Price: iro £140.00 Age: New Weight: 873g Length: 220mm Magazine Capacity: 15+1 Cold Chrono: 0.70 Joule/275fps (without extension) Hot Chrono: 0.62 Joule/258fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: No Suppressor Compatibility: YES!!! Available From: www.vorskairsoft.com VFC TACTICAL CUSTOM 1911 Price: iro £130.00 Age: Two Years Weight: 805g Length: 225mm Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs Cold Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/301fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: No Suppressor Compatibility: No Available From: www.redwolfairsoft.com RWA NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM RECON (CO2) Price: iro £135.00 Age: 18 Months Weight: 908g Length: 220mm Magazine Capacity: 18 BBs Cold Chrono: Joule/380fps Hot Chrono: Joule/377fps Holster Compatibility: Good Taclite Compatibility: Yes Suppressor Compatibility: No Available From: www.redwolfairsoft.com

www.airsoftaction.net

RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

progress on that front lately). Boycie: On the VFC/Umarex Glocks, I think the fact that I own four, in different variants, speaks for the fact that I really like them with only one being slightly modified from box standard. What I really like on the more recent offerings is the new method of adjusting the hop without having to take the slide off. Generally I find that the range is good and accuracy is okay especially as I only tend to draw my pistol if indoors and then the range to target is usually below 15-20m. The Raven EU17 I was quite impressed with during the tests, so much in fact that I bought one so that I could extend the test. I could have asked to use the exact one from the test but as the Red Cell is spread over the country, plus then the Covid problems, it made getting to meet up and further test quite awkward. For a pistol which has quite a low price point, this is good for the new player. For the seasoned player like myself, plus I have an engineering background, I tend to look quite closely at a pistol for fit and finish. Whilst the quality of the Raven is not the same as a VFC variant, I think it’s still good, especially for the price point. Jimmy: I was never really a fan of the G-Series to be honest as I preferred the look of the 1911, but since the first test day I find myself now owning three of the buggers! The two brands that really made an impression on the day were Army Armament and Marui and my opinion has since changed regarding the Army Armament R17. On the day we had the opportunity to range test, but had done no real longevity test; since then I have seen my local airsoft shop sell quite a few Army’s and 75% of them all came back with very similar issues, the main issue being nozzle springs and hammer problems. This is a shame as they performed fairly well initially, and indeed are still performing well for some of the team, but I just can’t get past that return rate! Having now spent some time actually using a “Not A Glock” I have come to love them, and my Salient Arms G17 is perfect, a completely different pistol to the R17 I must say. The Marui was a great performer, again so much I purchased one, specifically a Gen. 4 and it hasn’t let me down once. It is completely stock

and requires very little maintenance other than a few drops of Maglube every couple of weeks and, as Dan said before, keeping the barrel clean and the hop rubber oil free. Power-wise on green gas around 275fps but I’m not going to grumble over that; there’s a hype in airsoft and many claim to never run a stock TM on green gas and initially I was sucked in and only used NUPROL “White Can” gas… due to our climate here in the UK I’ve found that NUPROL “Green Can” gas works just fine and I am yet to see a Marui fail on green so I shall keep walking that path. One of the Glocks I wasn’t a fan of was the Umarex (strangely, as this is a fully licenced model!) and this was largely due to efficiency and the large baseplate which needed to be removed in order to gas the mag, but of course that’s a personal thing! It’s funny how things work out isn’t it? For a pistol I didn’t like when we started testing, I now own several! Bill: So, as a serious long-term fan of the Glock, and as someone that has owned many G-series replicas, and even a real G17, suffice to say I love this platform! Although Jimmy was not totally complementary about the Umarex G17 I have to admit that this is actually one of my favourites, purely because it’s fully licenced and carries all the correct “trades”. The Glock replicas created by Umarex have always been okay, but the latest generation has really moved things forward again! After years without an official “6mm” option licensed by Glock, Umarex finally

“IN THE CASE OF THE RAVEN PISTOLS MANY HAVE STATED THAT THEY BELIEVE THE PRODUCTS TO BE SIMPLE RE-BRANDS OF EXISTING MODELS, BUT ONCE AGAIN I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT THIS COULD NOT BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH.”

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RED CELL UPDATE: 1911/G-SERIES

sealed the deal and subsequently assigned Vega Force Company (VFC) to manufacture pistols for the brand; regular readers will know that we rate VFC training platforms highly, so this to us is very good news! Since VFC started working with Umarex they have taken every best possible advantage with the licence, and who could blame them? To the left of the slide is engraved not only the Glock logo, but also “17 Gen 4”, “Austria” and “9×19”. The right of the slide carries a serial number that matches the one on the ejection port. Unlike copycat versions, you’ll also find the Glock logo to the bottom left of the grip, while the right side reads “Officially licensed product of Glock”. One neat touch we particularly like is that the butt of the magazine also shows the Glock logo; to recharge with gas, you’ll need to press in a small button in the magazine baseplate to slide it forwards, revealing the gas fill valve. It might sound like a pain, but not only does it help make the pistol look even more real, it also only takes a second or two to

achieve. I’ve been running the Glock 17 on NUPROL 2.0 “green bottle gas” and to date I’ve had no major issues with consistency of power, and the magazines are really standing up well to being abused on a regular basis. In terms of continued performance I’ve now logged in excess of 3000 RZR. 20g, .25g, and .30g BBs through the pistol, and the G17 has registered highest at 0.92 Joule/315fps on a .20g RZR, settling in at 0.86 Joule/305fps and staying there. I’ve found that now it has settled in it does like .30g RZRs as its regular fodder, and again, this is most certainly the weight I am now using. I do like the WE MOS just because it’s a solid replica and continues to shoot and perform well, and particularly because I can mount my SHIELD RMR to it directly, but just to be contrary though I have to

admit that the other G-Series I LOVE and use regularly is another of the “un-traded” models, and that’s the RAVEN EU17 BDS. In the case of the RAVEN pistols many have stated that they believe the products to be simple re-brands of existing models, but once again I have to tell you that this could not be further from the truth; working directly with the factories in the Far East the RAVEN team have scoured the best parts that are available and put them together in their own unique way to bring us their new series of pistols that are quite unique to them. There are many “tell tales” for the experienced player that show the RAVEN’s are genuinely new models; if you look in the box for instance when you receive your new EU17 you’ll find a set of interchangeable backstraps (you might say here “Gen 4” style…), a little bag containing spare O-Rings and even a spare nozzle! The red-dot BDS is an excellent addition to the pistol, and this makes target to target acquisition super-quick… and I’m STILL running this on the original battery! On the range the EU17 performs satisfyingly well; using RZR .20g BBs and NUPROL 2.0 Gas the pistol comes in at a healthy 0.84 Joule/301fps. These readings are a “mean” over some 2500 BBs and there is still very little drop-off from first to last which indicates to me that the gas mech is very efficient. In terms of accuracy the pistol is consistently knocking down the plates at 10 metres. The EU17 is very well made, functions smoothly and efficiently, is superbly presented, and performs every bit as well as I’d hoped it would. Priced sensibly for an airsoft secondary, and available in numerous colours (a very attractive and up-to-the-minute black/tan for mine!) the EU17 will be a great addition to your armoury as either your first airsoft pistol or if you need an extra, reliable backup! AA

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ARMOURY M4 SOPMOD BUILD

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NUPROL

BIRTH OF THE BLOCKS

THE AR AND “M4” STYLE OF AEG HAS PROVED TO BE THE MAIN CHOICE OF AIRSOFT PLAYERS AROUND THE GLOBE, AND INDEED IF YOU LOOK THROUGH THE RANGE OF VIRTUALLY ANY MANUFACTURER OUT THERE IT’S GOING TO BE THE AR-STYLE THAT IS DOMINANT! BILL CASTS HIS MEMORY BACK TO THE EARLY DAYS OF HIS OWN AIRSOFT JOURNEY TO RECREATE, WITH THE HELP OF OUR FRIENDS AT NUPROL, WHAT HE BELIEVES LURED MANY A PLAYER INTO THE “LOVE OF AR”, A BLOCK 1 M4 SOPMOD!

ost of us will have one or more ARs in our personal armouries, and for some much time and effort is spent recreating some very specific builds, both military and civilian, that have appeared “IRL” or onscreen. When I first started playing airsoft you couldn’t buy a decent AR-style AEG, and decent GBB models were still many, many years away! However, airsoft itself, and the industry, moved forward! In the early 2000s brands really started to get on the “AR Train” as of course the M4 had been introduced into full service; the news was awash with images from “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan, especially those of “Spec Ops” units carrying some very (to us at the time) “tricked out” M4s, and of course every airsofter worth their salt at the time wanted a piece of that in their lives! It was a time when many of us, just like many of you guys these days with your Multicam, hovered up desert tri-colour and US woodland clothing and coyote tan gear, and we all wanted a “proper M4” too, sprayed up and with all the bits and pieces bolted on! My first “SOPMOD” was a Classic Army AEG, and I scoured high and low for the right parts to build it! In 2006 I moved the live in the USA and sadly I’d had to sell my beloved CAs (yes, by that time plural!) as

shipping from the UK to the USA for anything that resembled a “military carbine” was a strangely a definite “no”. Luckily by that time I’d already built up some good international contacts, and my old friend and then-airsoft-mentor John Lu put me in touch with Andrew Ho at AEX, and a new VFC HK416 AEG and a couple of Glocks arrived at my new home in Florida. I became heavily involved in the “Florida Scene” and played every single week in one way or another, and the DPM that I’d taken with me was soon replaced with the M81 and Coyote (and indeed a bit of proper “old skool SEAL ERDL”!) worn by my new “teamies”. That in turn changed over to ACU in the controversial Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP), and throughout my years playing and running games in the USA there was usually a BLOCK 1-style “M4” in my hands. Time does indeed move on, and these days we have so much choice when it comes to building a “Dream M4”, and although in terms of gameplay I have definitely embraced the “OPFOR Life”, I still love to build a good AR, and indeed I’m working on my “BPRE” project right now. However, I found myself hankering again for a good old “BLOCK 1” after re-watching “12 STRONG”, and decided that I

“I FOUND MYSELF HANKERING AGAIN FOR A GOOD OLD “BLOCK 1” AFTER REWATCHING “12 STRONG”, AND DECIDED THAT I WOULD PUT TOGETHER BOTH A COUPLE OF CARBINES INSPIRED BY THE SOPMOD M4A1 AND MK18 MOD 0 TO PLACE IN MY COLLECTION” 56

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ARMOURY M4 SOPMOD BUILD

would put together both a couple of carbines inspired by the SOPMOD M4A1 and MK18 Mod 0 to place in my collection, and along with Jimmy I’ll be detailing the build over the next couple of issues!

HISTORY TIME!

I’ll unashamedly paraphrase here from an article I wrote a little while ago, as the history don’t change, but I’ll focus on the “Birth of the Blocks”… In 1988 Colt had already begun work on a new carbine design called the XM4 combining the best features of the Colt Commando and M16A2 rifles. The XM4 was given a longer 14.5-inch barrel with the M16A2’s 1:7 inch rifle twist in order to be able to use the heavier 62-grain M855 rounds. The extended barrel improved the XM4’s ballistics and reduced muzzle blast even further. In 1994, the U.S. military officially accepted the XM4 into service as the M4 carbine to replace M16A2s in certain roles. Designed specifically for lightweight mobility, speed of target acquisition, and potent firepower capability the M4 delivered on all counts. The M4 could be comfortably carried, yet be instantly available to provide the level of firepower, dependability and

accuracy of a 5.56mm rifle at the desired “combat effective” range. The Colt M4 Carbine served as the United States Armed Forces’ weapon of choice and the weapon of the 21st century warfighter worldwide. In April 2012, the U.S. Army announced its intention to buy over 120,000 M4A1 carbines in addition to their initial order of 37,000 to start reequipping front line units from the original M4 to the new, even further improved M4A1 version. In October 2015, Commandant Robert Neller formally approved of making the M4 carbine the primary weapon for all infantry battalions, security forces, and supporting schools in the U.S. Marine Corps. The switch began in early 2016 and today the M4 is used by the entire US Armed Forces! By the time that those original M4 carbines started being issued to regular line units, of course it had been in the hands of the “Spec Ops” community for FAR longer! You can easily find most of the information online these days in open source but if you’re looking at the M4 specifically then the Special Operations Peculiar MODification (SOPMOD) program to provide the elite warfighter with a truly modular weapons platform “dates back to September 1989, when the Special Operations Special Technology (SOST) Modular Close Combat Carbine Project was founded. The Material Need Statement (MNS) was signed on May 1992, and by September 1993, the Operational Requirements Document (ORD) for the program was validated. Responsibility for the program was then assigned to the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division.” For those that know only of the “SOPMOD or CRANE” stock fitted to many AEGS it may interest you to know that the Naval Support Activity Crane (NSA Crane) is, amongst other things, the home of the Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). NSA Crane was originally established in 1941 under the Bureau of Ordnance as the Naval Ammunition Depot for production, testing, and storage of ordnance under the first supplemental Defense Appropriation Act, and the base is actually the third largest naval installation in the world by geographic area and employs approximately 3,300 people! Now whilst personnel at NSA Crane do a lot of “interesting jobs”, it’s the work done there on the SOPMOD program that most interests me, and us, as Crane produced what would essentially become the “blueprint” for what we now refer to as the “Blocks”, 1, 2, and now 3 (or I, II, and III of you prefer)! In original documents now in the public domain that date back to the early 2000’s it is clearly stated by those clever people at Crane that: www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY M4 SOPMOD BUILD

“The SOPMOD Program Management Office (PMO) at NSWC Crane, IN, will provide standardized, versatile weapons accessories to meet needs across SOF mission scenarios. These accessories will increase operator survivability and lethality by enhanced weapon performance, target acquisition, signature suppression, and fire control. SOPMOD PMO will provide these accessories when they are operationally suitable, affordable, sustainable, and funded.” Under “SOPMOD ORD 5 - Core Small Arms” it was stated that the main program core recipients would be the M4A1 and the M203 grenade launcher, but it went on to encompass as “annexes” models such as the SCAR, CQBR (Mark 18), MK46 LMG/ M249 SAW Machineguns, MK48/ M240-N/M240/ M240-B Machineguns, M14 and Mark 14 Enhanced Battle Rifle, Mk-19 40mm Launcher, M2-HB .50 Cal Machinegun, M72 LAAW, AT4-CS, MAAWS, MK11, MK12, MK13, & MK15 Sniper Rifles, M-24 Sniper Rifle, and even the AK-47/AK74 Series Assault Rifle!

BLOCK 1 BUILD

Now of course individual “operators” set up their carbines as they wished, to make them as effective as possible, and it wasn’t unusual to see “SF carbines” with commercial optics and “COTS” accessories fitted. Crane though analysed the “capabilities” needed, especially those required by dedicated Special Operations and Special Forces units operating in small teams, and documented that these “capabilities” needed to encompass a family of modular weapons accessories, that could be added to the basic M4 and M4A1 and would enable even a very small team of highly-trained operators to REALLY lay down some pain in a meaningful way! To achieve my own SOPMOD M4 I’ll reflect again on the components for the first official “BLOCK” or group of modular enhancements to the basic “infantry M4”. The components for this (the list is now also easily available in the public domain if you look for it!) included all of the following: • Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) Rail Interface System (RIS) • KAC vertical foregrip • KAC backup iron sight (BUIS) • Trijicon Model TA01NSN 4x32mm Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight (ACOG) • ECOS-N optical sight (a variant of the Aimpoint CompM2) • Tactical Ordnance and Equipment Improved combat sling which allows for secure cross body/patrol carry. • PRI Bracket mount for AN/PVS-14 night vision 58

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•

In addition to these elements the “BLOCK 1 KIT” also included (in limited issue numbers): • Insight Technology AN/PEQ-2 Infrared Target Pointer/Illuminator/Aiming Laser (ITPIAL) • Insight Technology Visible Light Illuminator (VLI) • Trijicon Model RX01M4A1 reflex sight • KAC quick-detach sound suppressor (QDSS) • KAC quick-attach M203 grenade launcher mount • Quick-attach sight for use with the M203 • M203 with a 9-inch barrel • Insight Technology AN/PEQ-2 or 5 visible laser sight • AN/PVS-17A mini-night vision sight • AN/PSQ-18A M203 night sight Although this provides a really great list to work from if you want to create a good replica of an “early model SOPMOD M4” it’s is by no means exhaustive; as an ongoing program even within the “BLOCK 1” auspices there have been numerous changes, additions and enhancements that have been seen in the wild such as the EoTech 551 and 552 optics, the Crane (Sloping Cheekweld) Stock, the M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System and the M320 grenade launcher. Basically the SOPMOD kit allows for the attachment of any rail-compatible accessory so within reason, anything goes, but for a proper “BLOCK1” build I’d stick reasonably closely to the list above! Considering those parts of course I first needed a solid base for the build, and as I had a Specna Arms SA-E03 already in hand from my “Last Ship” pandemic-loadout project (along with the shorter Specna Arms SA-E04 that I’ll get to next month when I look at the MK18 Mod 0) that seemed a good place to start as apart from a couple of small discrepancies it makes a pretty reasonable basic “M4” to work from. I still had a basic black AN/PEQ-2 battery box in hand from long ago (although I’ve ordered a couple more from Daves Custom Airsoft) so that was a start!

NUPROL NAIL IT!

It was time to get into the meat of adding the rest of the accessories, and I remembered that my friends and NUPROL offered a huge range of accessories, optics, and now even a suppressor that was just right… they truly have become a “one stop shop”, even when it comes down to a quite specialist build! Accessories first; a simple NUPROL VERTICAL GRIP – BLACK gave me what I needed for the basic build, although the NUPROL PRESSURE PAD VERTICAL GRIP – BLACK gave me an option when running a VLI (Visible Light Indicator, or taclite to you and I!); more on this shortly… Rail covers were simple as they

ARMOURY M4 SOPMOD BUILD

came with the AEGs, and CRANE stocks? They’re pretty much standard fare on base AEGs these days, although if you want to go “proper old skool” then you’ll need to find an XM-style stock! Two of the things that I kept from my earlier BLOCK 1 builds so many years ago were the G&P Scorpion Series VLI X9 Illuminator Combat Light (with Pressure Switch) which is a great copy of the real one from Insight Technology Inc., and my original Guarder KAC Style QD Silencer With Flash Hider. The VLI to me is a key “historical” part, but you’d be fine running with a Scout light like the NP NX600L WEAPON LIGHT these days, and I’m pleased to tell you by the time you read this NUPROL will have those “KAC Style” suppressors as an in-stock item… boom, or should I say “pffft”! Onto optics and, apart from the NV models like the PVS-17A and PSQ-18A, NUPROL once again have things covered with one caveat; they do produce a nice replica of the Aimpoint COMP M2 in the shape of the NPOINT HD-1 RDS SIGHT, but with the angled riser rather than the straight one, so this riser I still need to find. The COMP M4 is also replicated well as the NP POINT HD-8 RDS SIGHT, and both the E0Tech 551 and 552 can be found in their range as the NPTECH 881 and NPTECH 882 HOLO SIGHTS. I have some photographic evidence that early DELTA SOPMODs also made use of Trijicon’s Model RX01M4A1 reflex sight, and indeed this appears in the list, and thankfully the NUPROL NPCON RDS

works really well here and looks great; this is probably going to end up on the Mod 0, although it’s a tossup between this and the NPTECH 881 as back in 2007 I treated myself to a real 551 and this saw me through my entire US “M4 airsoft life”! The NPCOG 4 X 32 works pretty much perfectly to replicate the early-model Trijicon ACOG, and for the “field-ready SOPMOD M4” this is my definite choice. In terms of magazines NUPROL offer metal 140 BB MidCaps, 370 BB HiCaps and 330 BB Flash Mags in the classic STANAG style; I’ve used all of these and they’ve proved to feed very well indeed in all the ARs I own. All that remains of course is the “big badda boom” option that screams SOPMOD to everyone, and that of course is the M203 40mm under-barrel grenade launcher! The model specified is the 9-inch barrel model, and again NUPROL can provide both a long and short “203” under their S&T distributorship, and in the same vein if you want to add a SUREFIRE M910 A VERTICAL FOREGRIP WEAPON LIGHT (that was seen in some of the early “SOPMOD Kit” images) then that’s there from S&T courtesy of NUPROL too! So, with all the parts in one place the basic layup of the “BLOCK 1 M4” was ready, with both CQB and “field” options. In the next part I’ll look more at the MK18 Mod 0 components, and Jimmy will be looking at how you can get best dependability and accuracy from both… and then we’ll look at getting the “M4” properly sprayed up! AA

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TECHNICAL SIG MPX UPGRADES

POTENTIAL FULFILLED!

ISSUE 134 OF AIRSOFT ACTION MAGAZINE SAW US TAKE AN EARLY PEAK AT THE HOT NEW RELEASE FROM VFC: THE MUCH SOUGHT AFTER SIG MPX. WHILE THE RECEPTION TO THE NEW MPX HAS BEEN LARGELY ON THE POSITIVE SIDE, THERE WERE A FEW THINGS WE WISHED TO SEE WORK TO THEIR MAXIMUM POTENTIAL, SO DAN TAKES UP THE CHALLENGE!

s previously reported, both John and I were left a little unimpressed with the anemic response on our independent examples of stock MPX; this is owing largely to the nominal 18:1 gear ratio and now-ancient 19 TPA ferrite motor on top of some tight shimming. Considering the price point, it was also a little disappointing that this gun did not come outfitted with the higher end Avalon gearbox. In this tech article, I’m going to pop open the hood again and see if we can’t turn our stately compact sedan into a zippy little street tuner! This MPX is being prepared for a customer who requested that it have improved trigger response, whilst being a good “balanced / decent ROF” build that

could be used at US field velocities and not come in too expensive. While I would love to have truly “maxed” this one out, there’s scarcely any MPX’s on this side of the pond and won’t be for some months yet, so I have to work within the parameters of what’s passed onto me for upgrade. I won’t needlessly dig into disassembly again as that was previously covered in Issue 134. However, one 60

APRIL 2022

interesting anecdote worth passing on is I’ve since learned that it is not necessary to remove the magazine release to extract the gearbox. This is actually retained by the lower receiver and not the traditional loop on the gearbox; similar to current generation KWA’s. Moving straight away then to prepping the gearbox shell: we start with knocking down the posts for the wires and radiusing the cylinder cutout on the front of the shell. The former is being done as this will be fitted with a Gate TITAN and it is necessary to file the posts down so the shell can be fully closed without damaging the heavier 16AWG wire the TITAN uses. The latter is a common stress reduction technique used to prevent cracks from forming in the corners of square cut windows due to impact from the piston coming home.

TECHNICAL SIG MPX UPGRADES

GETTING IT READY

Before this prep work kicked off though, I happened to notice one of the bearings under the spur gear side was looking a bit warped. I believe this was due to the spur side being shimmed too tight, which put excess lateral pressure on the bearings. Rather than risk the whole foundation to likely failure, I opted to knock out the bearings and install a set of 8mm FLT bushings. These are some of the very best bushings on the market and conceivably will outlast even the gears. FLT’s fit very tight in the VFC shell and consequently required the assistance of a Modify bushing installation tool to seat them properly. One can do it ‘old school’ and pound them in with a punch, but without properly supporting the backside of the shell fully, you risk bending it out of flat when pounding in tight fitting bushings. Next up is a quality motor: in this case, that would be the excellent Action Army R30000, which is a 16 TPA Neodymium magnet motor. This motor has a more traditional body design as opposed to CNC construction on the comparable ASG Infinity series, which can be tight in some motor grips. I already had some reservations about available space in the MPX’s motor grip (which held true, as I later discovered), but as I quite liked the feel of this grip, I was determined to see if I could make it work.

I’ve upgraded the gears in this build with a set of SHS 16:1’s (which are actually a true ratio of 17.28:1). These have been short-stroked three teeth off the pickup side. In conjunction with a trimmed Guarder SP130 spring, this will bring the gun right into US field velocities while avoiding any possible issues of premature engagement of the piston due to the higher cyclic rate and a steady diet of 11.1v LiPo’s. The stock cylinder was replaced for a ½ ported style, which is more appropriate for the tiny barrel length as fitted in this AEG. An SHS piston with the rack AOE corrected and epoxied was fitted next, with the stock ported aluminum piston head retained. As reported in the previous article, despite being new, the cylinder head on this example already had evidence of hairline fracturing stemming from the air nozzle downward to the 6 o’clock position. This is an endemic problem with VFC cylinder heads, so it was replaced with a Lonex double o-ring aluminum cylinder head. On the backside was affixed a 70D AirPad which assists with both AOE correction and further shock reduction. I’ve retained the stock tappet plate and the excellent VFC O-ring air nozzle. VFC’s tappets have fortunately swung back into reliable territory again, and this is usually the best one to stick with if you’re planning on keeping the stock nozzle and hop up chamber and want to avoid dancing around nozzle feeding and compression issues. The front face of the tappet was lightly filed down to seat the nozzle slightly deeper and improve air seal. The tappet spring was also trimmed 2 coils and re-looped. By shortening the tappet spring you can increase the tension of the spring on the tappet plate and also help reduce instances of “midcap syndrome” whereby the stack pressure of a fully loaded midcap magazine forces the nozzle out of alignment, leading to a loss of FPS and poor range and accuracy.

“MY CONCERNS ABOUT THE MOTOR GRIP PROVED SPOT-ON; WITH THE LARGER 16 AWG WIRES FROM THE TITAN, IT TOOK A LITTLE FIDDLING, CAREFUL POSITIONING AND LIGHT MODIFICATION OF THE MOTOR PLATE TO MAKE IT CLOSE UP PROPERLY.”

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TECHNICAL SIG MPX UPGRADES

Finishing up the gearbox is a front-wired Gate TITAN Advanced ETU and the lovely E-Type MAXX CNC tuneable flat trigger. This is my preferred ETU and trigger combination as they’re very complimentary products to one another. I absolutely love the ability to set the desired amount of overtravel on the trigger after the firing point and reducing or eliminating the dead space thereafter. Moving over to the barrel side, I’ve fitted a short 155mm Prometheus 6.03 stainless steel barrel fitted with an R-Hop and modified Maple Leaf bucking. As previously noted, the hop up chamber in the MPX is the standard VFC Ver. 2 rotary design; only fitted with a larger hop up wheel so one can easily adjust it through the relatively small ejection port window, which only opens a few millimeters. It is probably possible to use something like the MAXX CNC rotary chamber in this gun, but I think you would struggle to adjust the hop up easily due to the smaller wheel; something to consider for later experimentation, no doubt. 62

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FIT AND FUNCTION

Now that the internals were wrapped up, it was time to reassemble and check the MPX for function. My concerns about the motor grip proved spot-on; with the larger 16 AWG wires from the TITAN, it took a little fiddling, careful positioning and light modification of the motor plate to make it close up properly. Suffice it to say: there is a technique for putting it back together. The bolt release lever itself is also a little fiddly to reinstall. This involves a combination of depressing the bolt catch with a tool, keeping the two wires bent out of your way and working the bolt release around until it indexes into the bolt catch on the gearbox. On a related note, the design of the lower receiver on this gun means that the wires stay neatly out of the way of the magazine well. So something like the Laylax wire guard is not actually needed on the MPX; whereas I feel it is one of those “must have” upgrades for the larger MCX. The TITAN does clean up the inside of the handguard area a bit for just a simple pair of

TECHNICAL SIG MPX UPGRADES

quick-connects and a Deans plug. A 21 x 16x 116mm 11.1v 1450mah buffer tube LiPo fits in the surprisingly spacious area above the barrel. I have no doubts that dual-panel or tri-panel LiPo’s would similarly drop right in too. Taking the MPX to the range for testing shows the upgrades made a dramatic felt improvement in responsiveness on this gun. Gone was the previous sedate and sluggish rate of fire, then clocking in at 18 RPS with an 11.1v, now exchanged for a crispy 25 RPS. Also pleasing is the stock magazine is capable of keeping up with the higher rate of fire as well. Despite the short barrel, with the R-Hop and .30g’s, this gun is capable of easily slugging it out at 250+’ with quite excellent accuracy to boot. I’ve tuned the FPS output to sit at 370 FPS with .20g’s, which accounts for the joule creep experienced with the short barrel. With a .28g we’re sitting right at 335 FPS / 1.46J, just a hair under field limits on my part of

the USA. On the external side, she’s been dressed up with the original retractable stock from the VFC MCX, which I feel looks more appropriate on this little SMG than the stock it ships with. A real SIG 3-prong flash hider, modified for 14mm CCW threads is also fitted and looks the part better than the ol’ A2 birdcage. An EOTech XPS2 and some Surefire, Modlite and BCM goodness round it out. Having all of it now, the only thing we are truly lacking for is extra magazines! As of early 2022, there is still a distinct lack of spare magazines available for this gun. So as much fun and as effective and competitive a build it is, it still regrettably remains somewhat of a range toy until that void is filled. That being said, when those inevitably start filtering in, this little beast will be ready to hit the field with the best of them!! AA

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RELOADED G&G SMC-9

LITTLE HAMMER

WAY BACK IN ISSUE 112 (APRIL 2020!) WE LOOKED CLOSELY AT A NEW MODEL FROM G&G ARMAMENT IN THE FORM OF THE SMC-9, AND NOW IT’S TIME TO CHECK OUT HOW THIS LITTLE CRACKER HAS BEEN PERFORMING IN THE LONG TERM TEST POOL! BILL UPDATES NOW AFTER GIVING HIS OWN “LITTLE HAMMER” (AS WE’VE COME TO CALL IT) SOME THOROUGH ABUSE!

ithout a doubt the G&G SMC-9 has really become a firm favourite with many GBB users I know, offering stellar performance and superb durability all wrapped up in a stunning little package! With all the talk now of “PCCs” G&G 100% got in at the right time, and after a few little wobbles with international power-levels, hit the market with a GBB platform that many have come to love, cherish, and skirmish with regularly. When it comes to GBB “longs” in a skirmish situation they are still a pretty rare beast, and huge respect goes from me to all my fellow users out there that work with “real or real-ish” ammo loads and still hold their own! I love a GBB rifle or carbine, and whilst they are perfect for a scenario-

driven game or MilSim, you have to be right on top of your game to use one for a general skirmish day! To paraphrase unashamedly from my original review of the SMC-9, it’s pretty common knowledge that the SMC-9 has at its heart the super G&G GTP-9 gas pistol, and even on the grip of the SMC-9 you’ll find the pistol markings. This is no bad thing at all, as the GTP-9 of course has the G&G Whirl Cylinder Valve which spins when fired to break up “frost” deposits inside the nozzle with the net result of enhanced performance. And then there’s the clever new hop adjustment which is easily accessed at the muzzle, making fine tuning a snap. The SMC-9 has been designed as a single, efficient platform, and although you could drop in the lower frame and

“TO PARAPHRASE UNASHAMEDLY FROM MY ORIGINAL REVIEW OF THE SMC-9, IT’S PRETTY COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT THE SMC-9 HAS AT ITS HEART THE SUPER G&G GTP-9 GAS PISTOL, AND EVEN ON THE GRIP OF THE SMC-9 YOU’LL FIND THE PISTOL MARKINGS.” 64

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RELOADED G&G SMC-9

gubbins from your GTP-9 into the “carbine kit” that G&G now offer, the SMC-9 comes fully assembled and good to go. Externally the SMC-9 is still a beauty, slim and light at just 1550g and just 420mm long with the stock folded (610mm extended). Even with this low weight and diminutive size though you still get a 7’’ M-LOK handguard with eleven attachment points, a full length top rail for attaching optics, front QD sling mount, a unique full metal flash hider (removable to reveal a 14mm CCW threaded outer barrel), a sidefolding polymer stock with rubberised buttplate, and removable flip-up front and rear sights. In terms of controls you have Safe, Semi, and Auto firing modes, and then ambidextrous EVERYTHING! That’s ambidextrous magazine release, slide release, selectable left or right ejection port covers, side selectable sling loop, and a non-reciprocating charging handle! The push-through safety is positioned well above and to the rear of the trigger, whilst the selector itself is a separate push-through button sited to the rear of the ejection port. You also get a comfortably textured pistol grip with interchangeable backstraps for different sized hands, and a two stage “safety trigger”. All in all it’s a very, very tidy package!

PERFORMANCE UPDATE

After extensive use now (mainly rangework due to the pandemic restrictions, but also one memorable skirmish day!) as I said before, the SMC-9 reminds me of all my favourite SMGs, the Israeli Uzi, the H&K MP7, and the B&T MP9 where you get that functional “hand meets hand” style of reloading, and the 50BB gas magazine (you can also use standard 27BB GTP-9 mags, and I have!)) supplied with the carbine is styled perfectly to make the most of this. Spare magazines are not hard to get hold of now, and if you search thoroughly you get some great deals on them; I actually prefer the GTP-9 mags in the SMC-9 as although they have a lower round count you can easily carry a bunch of them just on your belt kit, and if you use the G&G pistol too you have complete compatibilty. Initially the SMC-9 posed somewhat of a challenge when it came to actually holding onto it, as that 7” M-LOK rail at the sharp end is occluded a by the ambi charging handle! In my review of the SMC-9

as new I said that I haven’t got the biggest of hands, and I found it hard to get a good control-hand grip, and so I added a G&G M-LOK foregrip to give me a solid reference point and this helped. I also added a short NX600S taclite with a rat-tail pressure grip, and although this does load-up the front of the rail it actually helps with a solid and easily-referenced grip at the front end.

For additional accessories I will admit fully to being a bit of a “tacticool tart” with the SMC-9 as I decided that I would go all-out in tan to counterpoint the plain black of the platform itself; I added an EoTECH-style holosight (I have always loved this style for CQB, and I still do!) and an FMA PEQ-15 box with red laser. The optic and the laser are both co-witnessed to each other and the original and very usable iron sights on the SMC-9, so whatever aiming tool I am using will always work… redundancy is a good thing here, and this setup gives me lots of options for doing work in differing light levels.

LIGHT THE NIGHT

The only other addition I’ve made is a G&G Midnight Hawk Tracer Unit as the SMC-9 really cries out for a suppressor to me! You do need to be a little careful how you set this up due to the muzzle-hop, but it can be done, and when you get it right, it REALLY works well! Now I know “After Dark” airsoft is not to everyone’s taste but I have to admit it’s something that I very much enjoy; with the right site operator a night game can be a real experience to remember!

“I INITIALLY SET THE SMC-9 UP WITH .20G BBS FOR CHRONO TESTING, AND GOT A PLEASINGLY CONSISTENT AND PERFECTLY PLAYABLE 1.04-1.07/335-340FPS OVER THE COURSE OF THE MAGAZINE ON NUPROL 2.0 “GREEN BOTTLE”; THIS HAS REMAINED PRETTY CONSTANT TO THIS DAY, ” www.airsoftaction.net

RELOADED G&G SMC-9

The Midnight Hawk still comes in as one of my favourite tracer units, and it resembles a short suppressor at just 125mm long, and weighing in at just 160g, it’s not going to add too much weight and bulk to the muzzle (again important due to the muzzle hop). It’s threaded 14mm CCW so that means it will just screw onto most AEGs or gassers without any fuss, and a small grub screw keeps it securely in place. Unscrewing from the back of the shell reveals the battery compartment and a mass of intricate circuitry which is all CE rated. The unit itself, unlike the old G&G fixed, rechargeable battery unit, is powered by four cheap and easy to find AAA batteries, and once these are fitted the unit is activated by depressing a small button on the rear, and you’re “good to go”… when you let rip on full-auto with it on the SMC-9 I’s impressive to say the least! I initially set the SMC-9 up with .20g BBs for chrono testing, and got a pleasingly consistent and perfectly playable 1.04-1.07/335-340fps over the course of the magazine on NUPROL 2.0 “Green Bottle”; this has remained pretty constant to this day, although I

usually run it now on .30g for games. Once you’ve set the “muzzle hop” with the clever little tool that you’ll find secreted behind the pistol grip to your chosen weight of BBs, at 10m it’s deadly accurate on semiauto which makes it an absolutely ideal CQB tool, but where my pistol would start to fade a little beyond 20m, the SMC-9 is still bang on the button, and it’s good now its bedded in for 40-50m! Although I would still class the SMC-9 as a carbine, and indeed what many have referred to as a “carbine kit” as it essentially contains the GTP-9 as the “driving force”, it is so much more than that. For now though I’ll conclude by repeating what I said initially; I do completely love the SMC-9! It’s a GBB that I will continue to thoroughly enjoy, and I look forward to using it in-game more now that we can get out and play regularly again! My thanks go to G&G (www.guay2.com) for providing the original GBB sample for evaluation, and to NUPROL for facilitating this as my country G&G distributor. AA

“ALTHOUGH I WOULD STILL CLASS THE SMC-9 AS A CARBINE, AND INDEED WHAT MANY HAVE REFERRED TO AS A “CARBINE KIT” AS IT ESSENTIALLY CONTAINS THE GTP-9 AS THE “DRIVING FORCE”, IT IS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT.” 66

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IWA 22:

EMERGING FROM THE DARKNESS! IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN, THE TIME WHEN AIRSOFT ACTION HIT THE BIGGEST GUN TRADE SHOW IN EUROPE, AND WHAT WE FOUND AT IWA IN NUREMBERG THIS YEAR WAS AN AIRSOFT INDUSTRY RECOVERING FROM THE PANDEMIC THAT HAS AFFECTED US ALL! 2022 THOUGH PROVED TO BE A VERY SPECIAL YEAR, SO BILL REPORTS BACK ON A SHOW WHERE THERE WAS LOTS TO SEE AND EVEN MORE TO TALK ABOUT!

kay, picture the scene if you will; two fairly big lads (namely Smooth Jase and I) piled into a car filled with tactical-style packs and gear rocking up at the Channel Tunnel check in! To say that both immigration and customs gave us more than a cursory glance would be lying… this was one hell of a road-trip, heading on to a 1,700km there and back to the IWA Outdoor Classics Show 2022, the first big show for us since the very first lockdown! This is always my favourite event of the usual show season, and although SHOT is still bigger there’s a certain something about the show in Germany that always brings a heady mix of excitement and expectation for me, and of course after no shows at all for some considerable time, this one was even more special! Normally held in early March every year “IWA” brings to Europe the very best in firearms, optics, accessories, clothing, and gear to the trade. Alongside IWA, EnforceTac has always been a separate entity from the main “civvy” show and was created from the traditional Official Agencies Day at the start of IWA Outdoor Classics and already has a solid reputation. The growing interest in an international and above all discreet exchange of views on law enforcement, security and tactical equipment

led to the premiere of EnforceTac as a separate restricted exhibition and conference in the congress centre of NürnbergMesse in 2012. These days besides firearms, ballistic accessories, optronics and tactical equipment, the exhibitors at EnforceTac present operational clothing such as bullet-proof vests, stabproof vests, body protection, face protection, shields and helmets to their core professional customers and users. The main “IWA” Show is slightly (just slightly!) more relaxed in relation to visitors, and continues to be a very special event, although this year of course we still had Covid-safety requirements to take into account, and these were exceptionally stringent... in honesty this was a small price to pay to be actually able to see old friends again, and meet new ones! When I first started attending the show many years ago the airsoft and tactical side of things had only really just begun to make its mark, but since then I’ve seen a sure but steady influx of companies and each year the show just gets better and better for our industry; “tactical” now dominates a hall of its own, and although airsoft was scaled back due to the absence of many “big names” from the Far East who usually exhibit in person, it was still the “place to be”

“PICTURE THE SCENE IF YOU WILL; TWO FAIRLY BIG LADS (NAMELY SMOOTH JASE AND I) PILED INTO A CAR FILLED WITH TACTICAL-STYLE PACKS AND GEAR ROCKING UP AT THE CHANNEL TUNNEL CHECK IN! TO SAY THAT BOTH IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS GAVE US MORE THAN A CURSORY GLANCE WOULD BE LYING… ” 68

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even in a “just out of pandemic” year! For the 2022 show, although the event was an unusual one in the context of the current geopolitical situation and the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, a total of 856 exhibitors from 53 countries took part in this eagerly awaited return to the sector gathering in Nuremberg. The Leading International Trade Fair for Hunting, Shooting Sports, Outdoor Activities and Security also drew 19,500 trade visitors (international contingent just under 60%, representing 111 countries) to Nuremberg between 3 and 6 March, and I would be the first to say that the ably-enforced hygiene strategy worked, with exhibitors and visitors observing the relevant regulations. Sadly this year though the airsoft side of things was hit harder than most, as of course many of the exhibitors we would normally see there are based in Taiwan and the Far East, and getting to Germany was out of the question for them. Even some of the European manufacturers and distributors were either absent or had smaller than usual stands due to the strictures of “the pandemic years”, but for those who did attend, and certainly behind the scenes, things were rocking! A good few companies, although not exhibiting, were in attendance, and many meetings were had “off the show floor”. However, there were definitely some new faces in evidence, and new products there were aplenty! IWA is where tactical and airsoft writers like me can stand toe to toe with manufacturers from around the globe, discuss their plans, check out all their latest products, and provide feedback to them from the community. Whilst nobody at Airsoft Action would deem themselves to be “the voice of the community” we are of course “one voice” involved with many groups, and make note of any genuine problems we see; we also see and test a large number of RIFs and a huge pile of gear every year, so amongst the 20+ “Legionnaires” we

have a pretty good overview of what has worked and where problems exist, and believe me, we DO share these problems with the manufacturers! Hitting Nuremberg late on Friday after a 880km drive for some and a flight for others, the doors to the show proper opened bright and early on the Saturday morning for Jase, Boycie, Little Stu and I, and after a brief visit to the professionally run Press Room (I discovered I’m not the only one on the AA team to run on caffeine and cake!) it was time to get rolling; as much as I like to see as much as possible when I visit IWA, experience has taught me that you need to make a schedule and stick to it. It’s simply just not possible to see everything, but with so many friends in attendance there was a constant “heads up” flow of information in relation to exciting new products.

GOOD TO GO!

So, enough of my musings and on to what you really want to hear! Our first meeting of the show was “off floor” with the excellent guys from Gunfire, and we managed to catch up on a whole host of topics! As you will all know we have some members of the “AA Legion” that are also Ambassadors for Gunfire and Specna Arms, and we hope that this program will enlarge so that we can bring you airsoft stories from more and more countries, stories from fellow players that are deeply and intimately immersed in their own airsoft communities! We also discussed future products and development projects, so you can expect to see this news hitting both the web news and the “monthly” as the year progresses!

“HITTING NUREMBERG LATE ON FRIDAY AFTER A 880KM DRIVE FOR SOME AND A FLIGHT FOR OTHERS, THE DOORS TO THE SHOW PROPER OPENED BRIGHT AND EARLY ON THE SATURDAY MORNING FOR JASE, BOYCIE, LITTLE STU AND I, AND AFTER A BRIEF VISIT TO THE PROFESSIONALLY RUN PRESS ROOM (I DISCOVERED I’M NOT THE ONLY ONE ON THE AA TEAM TO RUN ON CAFFEINE AND CAKE!) IT WAS TIME TO GET ROLLING.” www.airsoftaction.net

SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

Next up was Umarex, and again this was more a development and marketing meeting rather than a product-specific one, although I can tell you that there will be more to come from them soon. G&G also always have something fresh and this year was absolutely no exception; although their new products were professionally introduced by the team from Jolly Softair (their partner from San Marino)

the MXC9 which not only looks great but offers some clever new internal features… off the record (NOT!) we even saw a couple of the guys from ASG checking it out as this new model could well give their EVO a run for its money! Add to this the updated MIG enhancements to the Combat Machine line and it looks like G&G are going to make 2022 an exciting year for us!

Eraldo and his crew turned out to be brilliant, and these guys are most definitely in the “new friends made” category, and I look forward to speaking with them more! G&G new products in fact blew many, us included, away especially with their new G3 SYSTEM SGR 556 Carbine! We’ll report on this new technology in full next month, but suffice to say it is a MAJOR step forward by our friends in Taiwan! We also got “hands on” working models of both their GK12 (Little Stu and I drooled quite a lot…) and their stunning LE4 MKI; both of these look ready for production at last, so fingers crossed! What we didn’t know about was their extension to the COBALT Kinetics BAMF line, with some more skirmish-oriented models (the FDE BAMF looks amazing!), and we loved the new BAMF STEALTH CQB-length version! There’s been a major design facelift to the ARP9, and this is joined now by

Talking of ASG as always they were “loud and proud” and rightly so! Certainly a few new things to report, but their STEYR Scout and Accuracy International licenced models were getting some attention (we’ve tested both if these… good guns!) and of course the EVO-train just keeps on moving up the tracks. We did notice a new AR in the form of the ASG M4 Long and CQB variants, along with a fine looking GBB Steyr L9A2, and it looks like there may be a couple of additional new handguns under their CZ and ISSC licences; so along with their B&T APC 556 Carbine AEG it looks like their “skunkworx” is still in full flow. Our steps took us onwards to Cybergun. Whilst their display at the show was of largely existing products, they actually had LOADS going on, and they gave us a very warm reception! First up were some very cool looking Armorer Works “G-style”

“NOPE, STILL NOT DONE WITH CYBERGUN… AN FN “M4” GBBR? YES, BLOODY LOVELY, AND WITH A LOVELY TRIGGER! A GBBR MP38/40 WITH THE “BAKELITE” LOWER? I’LL TAKE ONE PLEASE! A NEW VERSION OF THE STG44… NICE! NEW MODELS OF KALASHNIKOV… RIGHT ON! ALL IN ALL CYBERGUN WERE ON IT THIS YEAR IS ALL I CAN SAY.”

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SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

www.airsoftaction.net

SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

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SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

www.airsoftaction.net

SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

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SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

pistols with numerous unusual design features, but it was the licenced CANIK TP9 ELITE COMBAT replica that REALLY grabbed all of us! This unique handgun is a collaboration between CANIK and Salient Arms International so it’s just a little bit special, and there’ll be more to come on this I am certain! Along with some beautiful wooden custom grips for the 1911, a classic Swiss Arms 1911, the ARCHON Type B, and a couple of Tangfolio GOLD CUSTOM pistol models to view, it was a solid handgun offering (and I won’t mention their Gen 5 Glock… oh, sorry, I just did, sadly this is purely for the French market…). This, of course, is before we reached their “longs” selection, and the first thing to make us go “ooooh” was the SCAR H TPR! For 762/308 fans like us this was a definite “WOWSERS” moment; although the finish as a pre-prod was a little ragged in places the overall rifle, and especially the unique stock, is a thing of beauty that I believe many DMR users like me will long to have in their collection. Directly alongside this and distinctly at the other end of the spectrum was the SCAR SC which Little Stu went a bit wonky over; this is definitely a “shorty” (the AEG, not Stu, we know that already!) that will definitely tempt CQB-lovers and between the two models I believe these may well introduce the SCAR platform to newer players in a meaningful way! Nope, still not done with Cybergun… an FN “M4” GBBR? Yes, bloody lovely, and with a lovely trigger! A GBBR MP38/40 with the “Bakelite” lower? I’ll take one please! A new version of the StG44… nice! New models of Kalashnikov… right on! All in all Cybergun were ON IT this year is all I can say. Talking of “AKs” a trip to see new BOLT models with the guys from FREE SHOT in Italy revealed their own take on this, and what a take it is! That said, what really took our interest in relation to BOLT recoil AEGs is their increased focus on the training side of things; this really did have pride of place under the banner “TRAINING DIVISION” and my thought here is that this is a market that they will be actively targeting in 2022! What does this mean for the airsofter? In my mind it means enhanced build-quality and even more performance so I’ll be keeping my eye on BOLT in this respect. Also on show at FREE SHOT were some stunning custom-finish BOLT models which just show what can be achieved if you have a mind to do so… Usually airsoft continues to expand at IWA, and

thankfully Redwolf were all over this, leading from the front as always, although we were saddened by the absence of Danny, Herman, Marck, Max, and the rest of their “HK Crew”. Their stand as always was absolutely chock-a-block with airsoft goodness and innovation but one thing that particularly caught my eye was the new range of TITAN Lithium Ion batteries which are superbly cutting edge; I look forward to having a closer look at these with Ronald from TITAN EUROPE in due course. Also on their stand was Matt from VIRTUAL SHOT showing off the very training system that we’ve been talking about for some considerable time now, and we’ve got to say a HUGE WELL PLAYED to him as he’d come all the way from Australia! Of course the real “showstopper” for many of us was their own stunning Nighthawk models, and even those were surpassed by their EXA pistols; also their continued collaborations with Agency Arms and Battle Arms Development means that there are again a few more absolutely righteous looking RIFs on the way soon! Whilst I was spending some quality time with the lads on the Novritsch stand who turned out be friendly, professional and extremely knowledgeable, Boycie, Stu and Jase went to have some fun with the guys at Jefftron. Boycie told me after their meeting... “I’m always interested in tech and innovation so I wanted to make a visit to Jefftron’s stand. I’ve run a Leviathan in my (Umarex) HK416, and. I’ve really liked the way they work alongside their app for adjusting performance and settings. I wanted to have a look at the Jefftron stand as I was interested in the new “Scylla” universal ECU which was on display as the first working prototype aimed at RIFs like the P90, M14 and others with restricted space in the gearbox shell. This looks much like the “plug and play” fets that have been around for some time but this is where the similarity ends. In place of using the RIF’s standard trigger contacts, Jefftron use a circuit board with the optical sensors where the standard contacts sit. Then trigger wires go through the gearbox to plug into the main circuitry in the stock tube. The prototype already looks quite small but as the Jefftron guys told me, they are working on making the size of the main control module substantially smaller. Also they explained that

“AND OF COURSE I HAVE TO SAY THAT IN RELATION TO THE “SHOW TEAM” WE’RE ULTIMATELY WE’RE ALL BRITS, SO IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC TO MEET UP WITH OUR OLD FRIENDS FROM SHIELD WHO WERE THERE IN FORCE AND REALLY HAVING AS GOOD A TIME AS WE WERE.” www.airsoftaction.net

SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

if a user runs a number of platforms with the internal board fitted, that they can simply unplug the main board module and swap it over to another rifle. This can really reduce the cost of converting a number of RIFs. We’ll talk more about their rangefinder at a later date.” Drawing towards a close on products I’ll mention briefly a couple of the optics companies we met with, the first being Sightmark. We were really impressed with their “AR setups”, namely the ULTRA SHOT and SOLAR models with the XT-3 TACTICAL MAGNIFIER. We also drooled over the LOPRO COMBO LAM which offers another low-profile laser/whitelight/IR aiming option and is even directly compatible with their MINI SHOT optics! And of course I have to say that in relation to the “show team” we’re ultimately we’re all Brits, so it was absolutely fantastic to meet up with our old friends from SHIELD who were there in force and really having as good a time as we were. These guys are shooters just like us with massive experience in the real-steel world, and they’re now bringing this experience to the airsoft-side of things too, not just with their knowledge of optics, but as the UK distributor of the Clarence Lai PD custom parts as well! We took great pleasure in checking out their new RMSx and AMS optics, but I’ll keep this tight here as I’ll be speaking to them in detail in next month’s AA!

THERE’S NO I IN TEAM!

So, that’s what caught our “collective eye”, but as usual the guys were keeping their eyes peeled individually! Boycie told me after we got home: “I really enjoyed IWA 2022. The best part was that I was able to attend alongside my “brother from another mother” Stuart, who was also helping me with his photography skills. Seeing so many manufacturers there brought back a lot of memories of the days when we, in the UK, were permitted to own pistols and self-loading rifles other than in .22LR. One of the first stands we looked at was Glock and the first chance I had to handle a real Glock since October 1997 when the UK Handgun ban was enforced. Then Tanfoglio seeing ‘in the flesh’ how much their range had changed since I owned one back in the late 80’s. The show was a great chance to compare airsoft to the real thing which will provide excellent reference points when writing about the airsoft replicas. Over the whole show we took around 500-600 photos. The social aspect of the trip was great as previously when we’ve (the AA Red Cell) been 76

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together it was mostly for a one day activity but this was three full days, meeting up at certain points in the day then going our own ways to cover as much of the show as possible. On the final day, I tallied up how many real weapons we had the chance to handle and if we were in the UK, handling what would be Section 5 firearms and the 5 year jail sentence that could be handed down for each we could have been serving 285 years! An awesome trip and I’m really looking forward to stepping it up to a whole new level with SHOT 23 in Las Vegas next January!” Now as much as we were there to meet with the airsoft industry people who had made it to Germany this year, my aim at IWA is also to concentrate on the “soft” side of the industry, namely clothing, gear, and footwear too. Having worked alongside some of the “big names” in the performance gear market I do tend to be quite hard on people, especially when they try to blind me with the “science” I’ve worked with for many, many years! We actually managed to spend a full day on this side of things, so next month we’ll bring you the lowdown on what’s new and “tacticool”, although I will say that “Camo of the Show” must go to MAPA this time… it was EVERYWHERE and I’ll be taking a much closer look at this next month too! As always any report like this can only show “the tip of the iceberg” and we spoke to so many people, and saw so much goodness that I can only apologise to those not mentioned; I would say a huge thank you to all that took time to speak with us. I did finally manage to sit down and have a face to face conversation with my good friend Chris from the Airsoft and MilSim News Blog that I, and AA, have worked with during the pandemic, and the outcome is that we have agreed to collaborate even more closely on some joint projects in the coming year which should be awesome! In conclusion I’ll just say that IWA 2022 was a tremendous show both for me personally, for Boycie, Stu and Jase (as “cherries”!), and for Airsoft Action as a truly international publication which continues to get even more recognition a global scale! I hope to see many more friends from the international airsoft and tactical community in Nuremberg next year, and I do sincerely hope that we’ll see friends return to Nuremberg to exhibit again at the show from the UK, from the USA, and from the Far East… guys, you were VERY MUCH missed! IWA has already been fixed for 2nd to 5th March 2023 (EnforceTac in the days before) so get it in your diary and the AA crew look forward to seeing you in Germany next year! AA

SHOW REPORT IWA 2022

www.airsoftaction.net

FEATURE BOLSTER ARMOURIES

CUSTOM INNOVATION WHO ARE BOLSTER ARMOURIES? WHY WAS BOLSTER ARMOURIES FORMED, WHAT’S THE BRAND MISSION? FOLLOWING AN EXTENSIVE TEASER CAMPAIGN FOR THIS NEW CUSTOM-ORIENTED BRAND, BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE GUYS FROM PATROL BASE FOR THE LOWDOWN ON EVERYTHING THAT IS BOLSTER ARMOURIES!

f you’re an airsofter in the UK then it’s probable that at one time or another you will have made a purchase from Patrol Base, either in their old “bricks and mortar” store in the North of England, or morelikely via their comprehensive online store. I’ve met the guys at shows over the years and always found them grand company in person and, just like us, they live and breathe airsoft, although their business is exactly that, business-like and professional. If you pay a visit to www.patrolbase.co.uk you’ll find that they offer a comprehensive range of everything that is airsoft, and they’ll happily tell you all about it via their regular podcast or on their YouTube channel! Their range is staggering and features many of the very best brands in airsoft, and although I’ve never experienced it myself I am told that their technical work is first-rate! Which brings me neatly to Bolster Armouries, their new “custom gun” offering! Having spoken to them about this foray into new territory the guys told me that Bolster Armouries has been founded with one primary mission; to provide airsofters with a range of RIFs which have been fine-tuned to provide the absolute peak in attainable performance together with breath-taking external quality. They state that each and every one of the GBBs and ARGs will be hand-assembled by some of the most experienced airsoft gun-techs in the industry and will be built to an exacting standard.

They also told me: “Conceived with the modern airsofter in mind, Bolster Armouries RIFs sport some of the finest internal and external upgrades available on the airsoft market today, and are guaranteed to provide unparalleled performance. Every Bolster Armouries RIF is issued with a dedicated extended warranty and service package to ensure you get the complete experience the creator of these RIFs intended.” Now with that whole array of premium airsoft brands to pick from, the Team at Bolster Armouries will go out of their way to ensure their RIFs are at the absolute utmost level of both performance and external build quality. But there’s more, as Bolster Armouries’ after sales service will underline the smooth running of these hand-built RIFs and their enviable performance in the long term. The Bolster Armouries service programme involves carrying out standard routine maintenance along with a thorough testing regime to ensure every Bolster GBB or AEG continues to run flawlessly. To show full commitment to their products, the first service/health check of your Bolster Armouries RIF will even be performed free of charge! Again they tell me; “We offer a 24 month warranty with every gas pistol and a 24 month or 200,000 BB (whichever comes first) warranty on our AEGs.” Now this all sounds great to me, and is a logical step forward to extend the great range of airsoft

“BOLSTER ARMOURIES HAS BEEN FOUNDED WITH ONE PRIMARY MISSION; TO PROVIDE AIRSOFTERS WITH A RANGE OF RIFS WHICH HAVE BEEN FINE-TUNED TO PROVIDE THE ABSOLUTE PEAK IN ATTAINABLE PERFORMANCE TOGETHER WITH BREATH-TAKING EXTERNAL QUALITY.” 78

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models that are offered via Patrol Base; you have the guns, you have the parts, and you have the experience in the technical side on hand, so why not move things forward to enlarge and complement what you already do very well? I believe this is a bold and assured move from an experienced airsoft business, but ultimately exactly WHAT can we expect to see?

SHINY, SHINY THINGS!

Let’s start by having a closer look at the Bolster Armouries CAPA Series. Comprising of four stunning Hi-Capa GBB pistols hand-assembled by their resident IPSC Shooter using the best parts available from the biggest names, including Cow Cow Technology, Airsoft Masterpiece, JL Precision, CLPD, and many more, the CAPA range is designed around efficiency and accuracy, with internals mapped out to offer primary weapon-worthy performance in a myriad of styles to suit any shooter. QUARTZ HI-CAPA Features: • Comes with Vector Optics Frenzy • Custom stippled grip • Tuned Trigger • Reliability • CNC slide

• • • • •

safety, grip safety, slide release) JLP AMPHIBIOUS RED-DOT SIGHT MOUNT MAPLE LEAF CRAZY JET 113MM CL PROJECT DESIGN REINFORCED NOZZLE NINEBALL VSR-10 HOP RUBBER AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE BRASS HOP-UP BASE FOR HI CAPA

OBSIDIAN HI-CAPA Features: • Complete CNC slide, frame and grip • Tuned trigger • Reliability • Threaded outer barrel • Mounting ris rail for attachment

Which of those parts are worth shouting about? • VECTOR OPTICS Frenzy-X 1x20x28 RD 3MOA IP6 • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE INFINITY IMM CROSS VER.5 MAP - BLACK/GOLD • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE Steel Controls (thumb

MOONSTONE HI-CAPA Features: • Aluminum grip with grip tape. • Fibre optic front and rear sights • Complet CNC slide, frame • Tuned trigger • Reliability

“HAND-ASSEMBLED BY THEIR RESIDENT IPSC SHOOTER USING THE BEST PARTS AVAILABLE FROM THE BIGGEST NAMES, INCLUDING COW COW TECHNOLOGY, AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE, JL PRECISION, CLPD, AND MANY MORE, THE CAPA RANGE IS DESIGNED AROUND EFFICIENCY AND ACCURACY, WITH INTERNALS MAPPED OUT TO OFFER PRIMARY WEAPON-WORTHY PERFORMANCE IN A MYRIAD OF STYLES TO SUIT ANY SHOOTER” www.airsoftaction.net

FEATURE BOLSTER ARMOURIES

Which of those parts are worth shouting about? • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE BRASS HOP-UP BASE FOR HI CAPA • MAPLE LEAF CRAZY JET 113MM • NINEBALL VSR-10 HOP RUBBER • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE Steel Controls (thumb safety, grip safety, slide release) • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE SHAY AKAI GATOR CLASSIC 2017 STANDARD KIT (SILVER) • CL PROJECT DESIGN REINFORCED NOZZLE MOONSTONE Limited Edition HI-CAPA Features: • Cerakoted in Northern Lights • Fibre optic front and rear sights • Compleat CNC slide, frame, grip • Tuned trigger • Limited Edition

Which of those parts are worth shouting about? • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE SHAY AKAI GATOR CLASSIC 2017 KIT NORTHERN LIGHTS • MAPLE LEAF CRAZY JET 113MM • NINEBALL VSR-10 HOP RUBBER • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE Steel Controls (thumb safety, grip safety, slide release) • CL PROJECT DESIGN REINFORCED NOZZLE • Cerakote finish • AIRSOFT MASTERPIECE BRASS HOP-UP BASE FOR HI CAPA The Moonstone provides a stylish and graceful solution to your skirmishing needs but has been designed to also be perfectly at home in a competitive event. The Moonstone [Limited Edition] will dazzle your friends and foes alike with its beautiful and bombproof Cerakote finish, and the Quartz is a pure-bred plate ringing machine, equipped for undiluted performance with precise yet aggressive styling. Whether you need a high-speed race gun, or a cold, calculating combat pistol, Bolster Armouries’ CAPA range has you covered! Then there’s the ONYX Series which Bolster assure me has been designed to be the best performing AEG on the market, reliable, versatile and just downright stunning, both to look at and to shoot. Built around some of those “ultimate” parts that I mentioned earlier, these rifles and carbines will be put together to operate at an unquestionable level of efficiency. The ONYX platform has been designed around the stunning Krytac Barrett REC 7, a model that I tested out and reported on in Issue 117, and is widely regarded as having some of the highest quality core external parts available. The only parts retained from the original REC7 in the Bolster Armouries lineup though are the outer barrel, receiver, buffer tube, and handguard; everything else has been stripped to make room for the Bolster Armouries’ internal and external magic, including but not limited to a massive PTS and Magpul furniture overhaul, Warhead Brushless Motor, and a pre-tuned GATE TITAN. The ONYX range will come in two variants, the 9.5” SBR, perfect for any situation, compact but just as powerful as its big brother, and the awesome 15”

“THE ONYX PLATFORM HAS BEEN DESIGNED AROUND THE STUNNING KRYTAC BARRETT REC 7, A MODEL THAT I TESTED OUT AND REPORTED ON IN ISSUE 117, AND IS WIDELY REGARDED AS HAVING SOME OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY CORE EXTERNAL PARTS AVAILABLE. ”

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FEATURE BOLSTER ARMOURIES

Carbine, with all the elegance you expect from a longrailed powerhouse. To give an idea of exactly what’s on offer here: ONYX SBR Carbine Features: • Accuracy • Trigger response • Range • Reliability • Unique Design

distributors and retailers (we’re about testing and not selling!), Bolster Armouries holds the promise of something pretty special; if it wasn’t a retailer with the experience and depth of stock behind the new brand I might scoff a little at the claims being made. However, with some clearly defined goals, some greatsounding, commercially-viable initial models, and the determination to take what they have to the next level I believe that Bolster Armouries could be a winner for the airsofter looking for “that little bit more”.

Which of those parts are worth shouting about GATE TITAN Drop In MOSFET V2 Advanced Set; Rear Wired • Warhead CNC M Long Shaft Motor • Prometheus Inner Barrel • Prometheus Purple Hop Rubber • Maple Leaf Omega Nub • Genuine Prowin M4 CNC Hop Up Chamber • Magpul genuine CTR Stock, Black • PTS Furniture • Cerakote Finish

I wanted though to leave the final words here to Chris at Patrol Base himself though, and he told me; “Over the past 13 years we have seen airsoft grow in popularity. The technology and quality has also improved greatly. Even though quality has improved we believe there’s a need for a range of airsoft RIFs where no aspect of the build could be regarded as a compromise. We believe we have identified the areas of weakness and through our own user experience taken steps to minimise any points of failure and realistically enhance performance beyond that of an ‘off the shelf’ product. Our confidence in our custom builds is clearly evidenced by our warranty commitment. Our in-house gun techs have some of the most hands-on airsoft experience in the country and they have spent the last 12 months researching parts and building a new line of RIFs that will perform out of the box. No upgrades needed, just add your attachments and go.” More information can be found at www.patrolbase. co.uk/bolster-armouries. AA

FINAL WORDS

This is certainly looking mighty impressive to me, but of course the “proof” will be in the models themselves which I, and we, are yet to see. However, Patrol Base do have a habit of coming up with the goods and seeing through every project they embark upon fully, so I see absolutely no reason why the GBBs and AEGs put together under the Bolster Armouries auspices should be anything other than righteous. Although we don’t always see eye to eye with

“... WITH SOME CLEARLY DEFINED GOALS, SOME GREAT-SOUNDING, COMMERCIALLY-VIABLE INITIAL MODELS, AND THE DETERMINATION TO TAKE WHAT THEY HAVE TO THE NEXT LEVEL I BELIEVE THAT BOLSTER ARMOURIES COULD BE A WINNER FOR THE AIRSOFTER LOOKING FOR “THAT LITTLE BIT MORE”.”

www.airsoftaction.net

COMING IN EARLY 2022!

ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

GOING NATIVE! EVERY COUNTRY IS JUSTIFIABLY PROUD OF THEIR ISSUED SERVICE RIFLE, EVEN IF IT IS A PROBLEMATIC ONE SUCH AS THE L85, AND IF YOU’RE PUTTING TOGETHER A RIGHTEOUS MILITARYSTYLE LOADOUT THEN THE CORRECT RIF IS A MUST-HAVE! OF COURSE STEWBACCA NOW LIVES IN TAIWAN, SO HE THOUGHT IT ABOUT TIME HE GOT HIS HANDS OF THE “LOCAL RIFLE”, THE T91!

APRIL 2022

ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

aving been “in country” three years, gotten a further three year work visa and temporary residency card granted, and with Taiwan’s ‘double ten’ 10th of October National Day celebration fast approaching I decided that seeing as they don’t seem to be sending me packing any time soon that I might as well start ‘going native’ and grab a gas blowback replica of the Taiwanese armed forces’ standard infantry individual weapon; the T91. Manufactured by WE Tech in this case, it was purchased from KIC Airsoft in Cailiao, Western Taipei, as are the vast majority of my guns, spare parts and other such things. The T91 as a real steel solution was adopted in 2002 (the 91st year of the Republic of China – 1911 being year one, as such, following the abdication of the last Emperor and the fall of the long standing dynastic rule of ‘China’ as a political or cultural entity, with the itself RoC then relocating to the geographic entity of Taiwan in the late 1940s after some… heated disagreements). In external appearance it follows on from the likes of the other generic Armalite rifles of the area and era, a somewhat

shortened AR15/M16 looking platform with a more trapezoidal front handguard, rather than the truly triangular affair of the earliest M16A1s the likes of which served US forces in Vietnam and seem to be littered around Asia ever since; I fired the real deal in Cambodia back in 2015 which was an experience! The T91 replaced the earlier T65 (1976 adoption) service rifle which looks more akin to a Daewoo Korean K2 service rifle or an AR18 of sorts, but external appearances aside, both the T65 and T91 are actually amalgamations of the best parts of the AR15 and AR18, with the general profile, break open receiver construction, rotating multi-lug bolt in a cylindrical carrier with the buffer tube retained recoil spring of the AR15, however making use of an arguably more reliable modified version of the AR18 gas system up front in the upper receiver. This meeting of Armalite platforms apparently provides the best compromise for the local Taiwanese climate and related concerns ensuring easier tolerance of ammunition or environmental variations which is especially important given the original AR’s www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

teething troubles in the dank jungles of Vietnam. With this being fairly fresh in the minds of the local state arsenals and developers when the T65 was originally incarnated to supersede the hand me down M14s that the US furnished the RoC armed forces with to begin with (some of my older teammates, and indeed even Mr Liao of G&G as a Marine and special forces soldier of that era) all trained on that earlier US made platform prior to the arrival of the T65, and now many of my younger teammates and local friends have equal familiarity with this hybrid child of the times. Wherever I go, I appear to be sandwiched between Armalite derivative service rifles, eh? – My recently acquired WE Tech L85A2 GBBR being an example closer to home, that will no doubt get its own article at a later date.

WORKING UP THE T91!

So, for the sum of around 6000 NT Dollars at the time, (just 150 of your English pounds) I took home the WE Tech T91 GBBR and got to work sorting it out ready for fielding; until the acquisition of my VFC HK PSG-1 GBBR it served as the longest barreled option available to me as well as being magazine and parts compatible with my WE Tech HK416 GBBR which has been somewhat useful in terms of maintaining serviceability. I acquired the typical mainland Chinese made EOTech clone optic with ballistic screen protector insert that I use for my carbines, already having 552 replicas on both my WE Tech G36C and HK416 and liking the sight picture, reticule and operation of them. This was where I encountered my first problem,

however, due to the more traditional front handguard geometry of the T91, there is no continuous picatinny rail running the length of the receiver and rails as with the G36C and HK416; there do appear to be threaded inserts in the top face to allow the attachment of additional rails or other accessories, however these would undoubtedly sit higher than the integral rail along the top of the upper receiver. Thus, to maintain the same eye relief and familiarity with my G36C and HK416 EOTech setups I had to elect for the shorter 558 style replica with a transverse CR123 battery, rather than the coaxial AA battery pairs; to be fair this has actually been less problematic as the recoil doesn’t cause the same battery contact interruptions as with the other two carbines, and I managed to source rechargeable CR123 batteries, not that I’ve had to change any of the batteries in any of my EOTechs thus far, to be honest… double plus good, as they say! With the familiar optics arrangement in place the only other thing I really was a vertical foregrip under the front end. There is a stub picatinny rail section on the underside of the gas block and front sight arrangement here which I imagine is intended specifically for such a vertical grip as it’s too short for anything else that comes to mind; I elected for a replica of the longer KAC style vertical grip as used on my G36C, whereas my HK416 uses a stub BCM style one as I can wrap my hand around the RIS system more easily on that and don’t need the full grasping space as a result. The KAC works nicely for the G36C and T91 however as they have much chunkier front handguard profiles which necessitate a whole handed hold on the vertical grip.

“I DECIDED THAT SEEING AS THEY DON’T SEEM TO BE SENDING ME PACKING ANY TIME SOON THAT I MIGHT AS WELL START ‘GOING NATIVE’ AND GRAB A GAS BLOWBACK REPLICA OF THE TAIWANESE ARMED FORCES’ STANDARD INFANTRY INDIVIDUAL WEAPON; THE T91.” 88

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ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

The only remaining addition was my typical single point sling Fastex plastic QD buckle setup that I use on all my guns which interfaces directly with my integral custom slings on my plate carriers, allowing me to comfortably carrier and easily transition the guns from right or left hold, as well as throw them over my back and secure the front end with a larger QD buckle on around my waist for when I need to use my sidearm or otherwise run my primary gun dry and don’t want it flapping about in front of me or want to have to ditch it; also has a bonus tacticool look! The T91 has a double eyed castle nut plate that allows clipping on, or in this case threading through, of slinging equipment on either side of the lower receiver to suit your needs, while the front end has a sort of sling loop built into the left side of the gas block retention swiveling pin. I chose to avoid using this as it seems like more of a cosmetic and plastic component on the WE replica, so instead I just wrapped a length of nylon strap with appropriate Fastex QD buckle on its dangling end around the front handguard’s front end and tied it off with the appropriate sliding buckle hardware. With all that in place the only thing that was left to do was remove the rear iron sight block, as it’s somewhat chunky and obtrusive and would be totally in the way of my sight picture through the replica EOTech’s window. This is somewhat stubborn in its attachment and required the spring pin across it’s body to be lifted out of engagement with the slot in the picatinny rail beneath it on the upper receiver, allowing it to be slid off backwards; it is adjustable for windage and has a flip over arrangement of two apertures to select from, but I’d already found the retention pin on the dial somewhat wanting and in fact it wandered off so I ended up bashing a nail through in its place as a quick fix… not

a deal breaker as I had no intention of running the irons, but not ideal either really.

ACTION (BUNKER) TIME!

With all of the preamble preparations taken care of I merrily headed to Action Bunker to give the T91 GBBR its first field outing, the magazine and general parts commonality meant support equipment outlay was also minimal, using the same magazines I’d already acquired for my HK416, which also meant carrying both to a site at the same time allowed me for different options or a back-up gun as such; more on that ‘theory’ later! But off the bat I was loving the T91’s handling and particularly the slight advantage the longer inner barrel gave me over my other carbines, albeit with the obvious downside of having to remember there was more sticking out in front of my support hand than usual, and thus I clouted my muzzle and affixed tracer unit on the scenery on more than one occasion while playing.

Nonetheless I was fast falling in love with the feel of the recoil, the snappy bolt cadence and follow up shots which seemed smoother than that of my HK416, perhaps due to internal spring differences,

“I WAS SOON TUNING THE HOP UNIT IN AND ZEROING THE EOTECH REPLICA TO SUIT, ONCE AGAIN ALLOWING ME TO ACCURATELY POST SINGLE SHOTS THROUGH THE NARROW GAPS OR WINDOWS THAT LITTER ACTION BUNKER’S SITE IN A MANNER I WAS ALREADY ADEPT AT WITH MY MP7, G36C AND HK416.” www.airsoftaction.net

ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

or just a difference in perception due to the overall bulkier handling of the T91. Out of the box, and considering the longer barrel, the T91 was running right at the upper chrono limits Action Bunker allow, typically hitting the 120-124m/s mark on the majority of shots with a 0.2g BLS BB and 12kg ‘green gas’, albeit with good consistency, and accuracy over the CQB ranges and I was soon tuning the hop unit in and zeroing the EOtech replica to suit, once again allowing me to accurately post single shots through the narrow gaps or windows that litter Action Bunker’s site in a manner I was already adept at with my MP7, G36C and HK416. With the indoor arenas proving quite comfortable an environment for what was then the longest gun in my growing collection, I decided to see how it dealt with more extreme ranges; back in February 2021’s Issue 122 I shared my experiences of the Taiwan Pinoy Airsoft charity shoot which took place down at Hill Fox Tactical’s excellent outdoor mountaintop arena overlooking Taichung in the central region of Taiwan’s West coast; I fielded the T91 there as the longer barrel afforded me the range advantage over my other available options to ensure I could continue to throw rounds out far enough to make a difference, even given the disadvantage of running a GBBR with limited 30 BB real capacity magazines, albeit with five of them on my rig and a sidearm to boot! I really got the T91 running nicely out to 50m ranges and even a tad more at times, posting single shots or short strings through building windows and hammering it quite a lot given the number of mags I was carrying and the intensity of the action, and heat, that day. Fast forward another few months, and a few outings, later, and I was getting on fairly happily with the T91, to the point where it made the ideal choice for a new form of my adventures here in the Taiwanese airsoft scene; while Taiwan’s IPSC Action Air scene is still somewhat narrowly focused on the pistol competitions I’ve already been experiencing and reporting on for two years, I have managed to squeeze in something a little more abstract and exciting in the intervening time. Back in March 2021 the Taiwan Shooters and Match Officials Confederation, TSMOC, were holding one of their events in Taichung along with support from the locally

based retailer KUI Airsoft (I spent most of my first two years in Taiwan hanging around their Zhubei store whilst posted there before moving to Taipei, so, plenty of old friends and whatnot!). The KUI/KBST/TSMOC rifle and carbine shoot was thus far the one and only opportunity I’ve had to put a long gun up against paper and poppers – TSMOC usually focus their operations, and in particular their rifle competitions, in the southern areas of Taiwan which I don’t get chance to frequent as often as I’d like in all honesty, thus I jumped on the chance to go against the clock with a replica that presented a new marksmanship challenge, as well as putting the T91 itself to the test in a different environment. It did not disappoint! Some of my SPPT Action Air teammates that day lost out to me due to gun malfunctions against the clock, but thankfully the T91 ran like a dream and I took home third place with it, my first podium finish in any competition; evidently I’m just better with a long gun eh? Over four stages of varying layouts and target counts the WE Tech T91 GBBR fared very well, with some great accuracy and tight grouped shots on paper targets as well as easily leveling the many metal poppers presented, indeed the only failings that day were my footing, fumbling of reloads to a minor extent, and also the considerable height over bore I had to account for with the EOTech sat atop the upper receiver and with running the gun at reasonably close range in many instances; nonetheless, I was chuffed with my performance and the gun’s.

FEEDING FUN – NOT!

So far so good; I’d fielded the T91 with great success in indoor CQB, outdoor long range skirmishes, and outdoor mixed range and intensity competition stages, and it hadn’t missed a beat yet. Towards the tail end of 2021, however, both my T91 and HK416 began to misbehave somewhat, particularly with misfeeding issues. As per my HK416 review back in May 2021’s Issue 125, the same problems began rearing their head in both my WE AR based platforms, albeit a little later in the T91 at least. Nonetheless, I was soon swearing into the same jammed up action on both platforms, and with the

“I FIELDED THE T91 AS THE LONGER BARREL AFFORDED ME THE RANGE ADVANTAGE OVER MY OTHER AVAILABLE OPTIONS TO ENSURE I COULD CONTINUE TO THROW ROUNDS OUT FAR ENOUGH TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE, EVEN GIVEN THE DISADVANTAGE OF RUNNING A GBBR WITH LIMITED 30 BB REAL CAPACITY MAGAZINES, ALBEIT WITH FIVE OF THEM ON MY RIG AND A SIDEARM TO BOOT!” 90

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ARMOURY WE TECH T91 GBBR

problems having been ongoing until recently I think I’ve finally worked out the issue, although I’d like to get some slow motion footage of the actions cycling and bolt carriers and nozzles feeding rounds at some point, you know, for science reasons! It seems the feed lips in the WE AR / STANAG M4 style magazines tend to weaken or loosen over time and in all honesty, I should probably have coined that earlier, given the sheer hammering most of my guns take; however, the G36C is my oldest GBBR carbine and doesn’t exhibit any such issues. I think the combination of the more open bolt face and trunnion geometry allow for the loose rounds shaken out of the worn magazine feed lips to smash into the gaps around the main feed nozzle of the bolt carrier group as well as the fake annular locking lug slots of the trunnion. I’ve had a few occasions where both the T91 and HK416 have had the same failure within minutes of each other, having ditched one and picked up the other only to have it drop its guts in the same way; so much for that aforementioned ‘spare gun’ theory eh? Twice the failure, twice the anguish. For some reason the G36C’s bolt face is smaller than the AR platforms, despite them all being essentially the same real steel action – the L85A2 GBBR also has the very same front nozzle as the T91 & HK416, so I’m not really sure why the G36 series has a different size and shape to be honest, but it doesn’t suffer this delightful BB mash jamming issue as a result.

As with the previous HK416 review, any rounds that fly out of the magazine during the recoil or bolt travel cycle then tend to bounce around inside the open space left by the bolt carrier as it travels rearward, then get mushed into the slots in the trunnion or bolt carrier and prevent the whole system going fully

forwards into battery, thus causing light strikes or entirely dead triggers and failures to fire once enough BBs misfeed to hold the bolt too far open. If you don’t realise and catch it soon enough you have a godawful pulp of numerous pellets that needs gouging out of the trunnion and bolt face annular slot… lovely. This again prevents the bolt going fully into battery, which prevents you hinging the receivers open, and you have to remove the buffer tube and dismantle the whole set up for cleaning; I ended up leaving an outdoor game early in a bit of a nonplussed mood at the tail end of last summer as a result, and dismantled both the T91 and HK416 to thoroughly clean them out. In the recent game where I took the photos for this article and having surprisingly been able to acquire Taiwanese DCCU digital camouflage in my size for added ‘going native’ effect, I managed to leave one of the more troublesome magazines in my loadout along with the ones I’d already replaced the feed lips on; it was not a fun day as a result, that one magazine furnished me with more misfeeds and jams, as well as some truly hilarious stoppages where BBs somehow managed to get behind or under the bolt carrier group and lodge themselves in the fire control group, jamming the main hammer and sear system as a result… as I said at the time ‘at least they’re all data points!’ This problem also extended to my second fielding of the L85A2 GBBR which I also tested with the same suspect magazine with similar results; at least the take down procedure wasn’t impeded by the blockages, and the more open receiver allowed loose rounds to go down the side of the trunnion instead of being trapped against it. It’s definitely a magazine maintenance issue to be watchful of as the ones with new feed lips haven’t had such issues since. Regardless the WE T91 GBBR has been an excellent replica of the Taiwanese armed forces individual weapon, and again I’d impress upon readers the sheer abuse and level of use all my equipment undergoes, so you shouldn’t necessarily let my experiences colour your decision making; remember, I’m running things hot and hard out here, and doing it for the science #IbreakShitSoYouDontHaveTo! If you’re looking for something a little different and are more diligent with your maintenance and observations than me, I certainly wouldn’t pass off the chance to at least have a go with a WE Tech T91 GBBR, if not pick one up for yourself! AA

www.airsoftaction.net

www.kydexcustomsuk.com

UK-BASED KYDEX HOLSTERS AND EQUIPMENT Manufacturer of products for police, military and airsofters around the world!

Holsters Light-Bearing Holsters Magazine Carriers Magazine Inserts Grenade Carriers Radio Carriers Shotgun Carriers Knife sheaths

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KIT & GEAR SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP!!

LAST MONTH WE HAD A LOOK AT THE LATEST MAGNUM BOOTS, BUT AS PROMISED WE’RE SWINGING BACK INTO OUR USUAL FORMAT AS THERE’S A WHOLE HEAP OF AIRSOFT-GUN GOODNESS DROPPING INTO STORE RIGHT NOW, AND WE THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO KNOW WHAT WE’VE GOT ON TEST THAT’S ALREADY OUT THERE FOR YOU TO PICK UP RIGHT NOW!

kay, occasionally we like to give space to one very special product, but “occasionally” is the word, so it’s back to talking about the AEGs and GBBs we all love! First up this month is the latest KWA AKR-74M AEG3 that’s now in stock and live on their site! The KWA AEG 3 AKR74M is the second model in the new 3rd gen AEG family. This updated ERG now shares the newest features of the recently introduced AEG 2.5 system, PLUS simulated recoil with KWA’s patented Kinetic Feedback System. Highlighted by a Switch Life Extender to minimize the wear and tear on trigger contacts, the AEG 3 combines ultimate AEG rifle with a more costeffective training solution to provide players and professionals the best airsoft experience. Additional features include magazine cut-off compatibility combined with a quick-change spring for you to customize your KWA AEG rifle. The AKR-74M is also equipped with a reinforced metal gearbox utilizing KWA’s unique 9mm ball bearing bushing combination and case hardened, upgraded precision metal gear sets. Heavy duty springs and an upgraded high-torque motor are matched for optimum results. The KWA AKR-74M was engineered to outperform, offering ultra-high performance and training simulation straight out of the box! 94

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Moving onto ARs we’ve finally got our hands on the ARES M4 X-Class courtesy of iWholesales which is the latest lineup of AR AEGs that are designed to be a reliable yet stylish choice for players. The X-Class features a billet style ambidextrous lower receiver, flat-faced trigger, and uniquely designed CNC handguard and steel QPQ flash hider. In addition to this, the X-Class comes standard with a set of flip-up front and rear sights and a redesigned stock. The stock itself is slimline and can be attached with a magazine carrier attachment for the carrying of extra magazines. For better control, the X-Class comes with a slim pistol grip, angled straighter for a more natural shooting experience. Internally the X-Class comes with the ARES tried and tested programmable EFCS gearbox and is compatible with other V2 gears and parts. As an added bonus, the X-Class guns now come standard with Airsoft T-Plugs and works ideally with Titan Batteries! Features include: • 12” CNC M-LOK Rail • Flip-Up Front and Rear Sights • Redesigned Stock • Ambidextrous Controls • Slim Motor and Slim Grip

KIT & GEAR SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP

• Programmable EFCS Gear Box • Barrel Threaded 14mm CW • Airsoft T-Plug (Deans) Ready We’re already liking the look of this, and our initial test was completely positive. However, we’ll continue to run it through the mill and report back in full next month! Also from iWholesales is a classic replica of the MP18 SMG from Snow Wolf! This is an SMG, possibly even the “daddy of all modern SMGs” and we are 100% certain that it’s going to appeal to every WWI and WWII collector out there! The gun full stock and butt are all made from a good-quality wood (with a nice colour for once!) whilst the upper is all steel and alloy, including the trigger guard and the distinctive MP-18 multi-hole vented barrel shroud, a common design feature found on historic models like the PPsH and Lanchester, and the underside of the shroud features a sling loop to fit a period sling to really finish it off. The mag well is located on the side of the AEG and accepts a 130 BB MidCap magazine, and the hop up unit is easily accessed by pulling back the mock bolt. Again, this is something a bit different as we haven’t really covered a proper “old skool” model for a while, and we’re REALLY looking forward to giving this some range time! Features include: • Real Wood Body • Steel Upper Receiver • Sling Mounts • Tamiya Connector • 130 BB MidCap Magazine When it comes to GBB pistols we also picked up from our trip to see the iWholesales team the latest Armorer Works VX9, along with the APS Mantis X these cd no be re different in their design and

intended user but they both really took our fancy, and again we’ll be “range test reporting” in due course. Quick snippet on the clothing side that we saw at IWA is for the

Snugpak TOMAHAWK jacket, and we thought we’d better get this in now while you can still benefit from it in colder weather… and it is on their website and with Snugpak stockists right now! Available in OD and genuine Multicam this is a cold weather insulated jacket with an insulated hood and scooped back that’s ideal for the Safe Zone or when you’re more static; as we usually say with this type of jacket it is absolutely ideal if you’re acting as a range officer or marshal when you need to stay comfortable in all weathers! Features include: • Extended scooped back • Exclusive Softie® insulation • Brushed polyester lined neck warmer for added comfort and warmth • Fold-out chin guard • Deep hand warmer style pockets lined with brushed polyester for added comfort and warmth • Hook and loop adjustable cuffs • Arm pocket with zip • Internal and external chest pocket with zip • Concealed YKK® front zip with fabric baffle behind • Elasticated drawcord-adjustable hem - helping trap warm air and aid insulation • Windproof, breathable & water repellent Okay, so that’s the space gone for this month… after IWA we have so much to tell you about in relation to gear so make sure to check in for Issue 137 for our “Gear Special”! AA

www.airsoftaction.net

HISTORICAL LUMINOX WATCHES

SEAL SELECTED

OUR OLD FRIEND WILL FOWLER RETURNS TO THE PAGES OF THIS MONTH’S AIRSOFT ACTION WITH A BRIEF AND TO THE POINT LOOK AT ONE OF THE TIMEPIECES CHOSEN BY THE ELITE USN SEALS, BRINGING US HIS EXPERT HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE EQUIPMENT USED BY A UNIT WHERE “THE ONLY EASY DAY WAS YESTERDAY”!

kay, so it’s a wrist watch, so what’s so special about it? What in marketing jargon is its “Unique Selling Point”? Well it’s rugged and light, with a black carbon fibre case. It has a Swiss quartz movement. The hands and face markers have Tritium illumination that provides consistently reliable illumination for up to 24 years. It is water resistant up to 200 meters. There’s got to be something else – right? Right! The watch was developed by the Luminox Watch Company (Lumi is Latin for light while Nox is Latin for night). The California-based company was formed in 1989, driven by a commitment to offer cuttingedge luminescence and readability in its line of highperformance sports watches. But then came the breakthrough that makes Luminox watches special. In 1992 Nick North, a retired US Navy Petty Officer and the Assistant Officer in Charge (AOIC) for Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E), West Coast, for the US Navy Special Forces unit (universally known as SEALs) saw a Luminox 96

APRIL 2022

HISTORICAL LUMINOX WATCHES

watch at a trade show. He liked what he saw and together with the Luminox founder, Barry Cohen, worked to develop a watch specifically for the SEALs for their operational role on Sea Air and Land and so the Navy SEAL watch was born. With this endorsement Luminox could feature the distinctive US Navy SEAL insignia on the back of the watch case and use it in promotion and marketing – one heck of a USP! In 1994 after Luminox provided the watches to the SEALs, and their time pieces became ANU or “Authorized for Navy Use”, more elite units contacted the brand directly, including the U.S. Coast Guard, New York City Police Department, Singapore Air Force, Special Military Forces Israel and many other law enforcement groups. In 2007 Luminox launched the Navy SEAL Colormark 3051 Series, the evolution of the original Navy SEAL timepieces, which soon to become the bestselling series of Luminox timepieces. 2011 saw the launch of the first Luminox RECON series with the Point Man 8820 Series black with a rubber strap and CARBONOX Case. As an indication of the innovation driving the company in 2020 Luminox launched its first sustainable watch where the case, bezel and strap are made from 100% recycled ocean waste plastic. Luminox is now a Swiss company and remains at the forefront of design and marketing; however I have a soft spot for my Navy SEAL watch with its clear

unfussy face . Some “military” watches may have Tritium illumination and a fancy black face but they are chunky and heavy on the wrist. As you would expect Luminox watches are not cheap; at a discount online warehouse an original Navy SEAL watch comes in at UK£295. However for the money you get quality, reliability, a rugged design and a friend for life! AA

“LUMINOX IS NOW A SWISS COMPANY AND REMAINS AT THE FOREFRONT OF DESIGN AND MARKETING, HOWEVER, I HAVE A SOFT SPOT FOR MY NAVY SEAL WATCH WITH ITS CLEAR UNFUSSY FACE.”

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last post WHAT’S MY TIME WORTH?

WHAT’S MY TIME WORTH?

THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS HAVE MEANT THAT EVERYONE AT AIRSOFT ACTION HAS BEEN REQUIRED TO WORK MORE EFFICIENTLY AND, LIKE MANY SMALL BUSINESSES OUT THERE, TO MORE STRINGENT BUDGETS THAN EVER BEFORE! IF ANYTHING, THE PANDEMIC HAS SHOWN US THAT TRULY COMMITTED PEOPLE NEED TO GET PAID FOR WHAT THEY CREATE AND THIS MONTH FRENCHIE ADDRESSES THIS IN THE WIDER CONTEXT OF AIRSOFT GAMES AND EVENTS

ell, it seems it is time to return to a topic that reared its ugly head a while back, the value of other people’s skills. Let’s begin with the *theoretical (*not even slightly theoretical) instance that brought this to our attention… again. You’re arranging a game, something a little out the ordinary, and you contact a ‘supplier’ for want of a better description. Let us say that they are military vehicle enthusiasts, just for the purposes of this article. They are enthusiastic about your idea and respond, laying out what they can do and, importantly, what it will cost. This is the response they get: “I’m a little surprised that you’re charging for the people side, we assumed that this is also your hobby and that’s why you wanted to be involved. The guys like XXXXXX are going to get to play parts of it and would get to have a free event. I don’t take a salary for doing all the planning stuff, it’s a part of the hobby. I shall pass this on to the boys...” There is so much to unpack here! They’re surprised that they are charging for the ‘people side’. I work for myself, so relatively late in life I have developed a much keener appreciation of the value of people’s time. If one of my kids needs a hand with something, cool, happy to help no question of charging. If one of my clients needs a new leaflet written, or their website content refreshed, cool, I’ll prepare them an estimate based on the value I ascribe to my time and skills. The only people who would be “surprised” here are cheapskates and those who don’t understand that our time and skills are valuable 98

APRIL 2022

assets and that we give them free of charge only when we choose to. “We assumed that this was also your hobby”. I mean WTAF? What has that got to do with the price of fish or anything else in the great wide universe? Assumed is doing a lot of work here and it is telling us a whole lot about the person using it as well. It apparently never even occurred to them that conflating a person’s leisure pursuits with a business proposition might be a bad idea. Okay… “XXXXX will get to play parts of it…” Is that because Quintuple X wants to play, or because to deliver whatever the service is, they have to play? It’s not clear, but I’m just going to wander out onto this here limb and suggest that it’s almost certainly the latter. I’d put a small wager on a necessity being

LAST POST WHAT’S MY TIME WORTH?

represented as a benefit here. If Quintuple X preferred to sit in the zone knitting a new scarf for his granny, would the service still be delivered? I bet it wouldn’t. And finally, we come to the kicker, the bit upon which all else is founded; “I don’t take a salary for doing all the planning stuff, it’s a part of the hobby, mate.” Just you hang on there while I let off some fireworks! You choose not to take a salary. That’s big of you, especially since you choose not to take a salary for “all the planning stuff”. You don’t often come across bifurcated salary structures, some work you get paid for, some you don’t. Especially when you just know that this distinction is one the writer was making themselves. Of course, they pay themselves a salary for the “planning stuff”, but for the purposes of this faux outraged, passive aggressive nonsense, they don’t. A liar or a fool, or possibly both? This is a golden example of where airsoft is a less than mature business. Make your mind up time; is it a business with all the costs associated in order to deliver excellent product, or is it a hobby from which you expect to recoup no more than running costs and maybe an occasional pint? It cannot be both. If it’s the latter, then own that and be honest when asking others to participate ‘we would love to have you take part but there is no money for it’. That’s mildly insulting (check out Reddit for many excellent examples of working for exposure!) but clear. To get all pissy when someone responds to your approach in a professional manner is never a good look. The last time I covered this was in respect of a site looking for a photographer to cover an event, but the same rules apply. If you need a service to enhance what you’re doing, or to make it happen at all, then you should budget for that service, and you should do so at market rates. I’ll accept that that is an ideal state of affairs and not always achievable, if you run a small site, you literally may not have the budget to pay the going rate. In that case, it would be polite to approach a provider and explain that. You may be in a position to offset the lack of cash with other benefits, and it is possible that the person you approach is willing to accept your offer. If they choose not to, they are making that decision based on a clear understanding of the facts. My point here is that it isn’t just up to you, as the party seeking the service, to dictate the terms and conditions, especially if your idea of what constitutes a ‘reasonable’ offer may just be a bit skewed by an overweening sense of entitlement or just because

you’re a complete chancer. As the kids say, “check your entitlement”. I understand that a lack of selfawareness might colour your thinking here and sadly there is nothing that I or anyone else can do about that. One of the spin-offs from the Covid pandemic has been the rise in ‘antiwork’ sentiment. Depending on who you listen to this is all about not having to work at all for the basic necessities of life, or it’s all about the value of labour being properly recognised and recompensed. As an aside it strikes me that the whole thing is a bit socialist and I am deeply comfortable with that; comfortable because a purely capitalist economic model tends to undervalue those who do the work and create the value, seeing them not as a benefit but as a cost to be managed. Avoiding that trap is, in my slightly humble opinion, to be avoided regardless of where your enterprise sits in the pantheon of business, not purely for economic reasons but because it predicates treating human beings like, well, human beings. If we return to the *theoretical premise of this month’s rant, a bit of honesty and a bit of understanding from the individual looking to engage the specialist supplier would have gone a very long way. I don’t know what the outcome of that exchange was but if I were the recipient of that email my response would have been swift, finely crafted and incapable of misinterpretation! Asking for something is absolutely fine; assuming that you are entitled to it is something most of us try to teach our children not to do when they are very young. PLEASE NOTE: All pictures used in support of this report were taken by members of the AA Crew at military vehicle shows and do not represent the group under discussion. AA

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