INSIDE AIRSOFT: SHIELD SPORTS

IN OUR “INSIDE AIRSOFT FEATURES WE ALWAYS TRY TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE INSIGHT INTO THE PEOPLE AND COMPANIES THAT DRIVE OUR BELOVED GAME FORWARD, AND SHIELD SHOULD BE A NAME THAT MANY OF YOU WILL RECOGNISE ALREADY, BUT PERHAPS NOT IN THE FORMAT OF SHIELD SPORTS THAT BRINGS THEM FULLY INTO “OUR WORLD OF AIRSOFT”!

So, SHIELD? Who are they, and why are they important when it comes to airsoft now? Any of you out there that are seriously into your MilSim or Action Air will know their name as SHIELD produce some of the very finest optics in the world, optics that grace the firearms of military, professional, and competition shooters alike! This is very much “real deal” territory folks, with prices to match, but anyone that owns a SHIELD optic knows just how very good they are, and understands that money spent equals some SERIOUS performance; a couple of the Red Cell crew run Reflex Mini Sights on their G-Series MOS pistols and love them!

We spoke directly to Justin, their Business Development Manager (and a pretty darn impressive IPSC shooter too!) and he explained that SHIELD as an entity was was formed in the early 1980’s in Great Britain, and have developed a proven track record in providing SF Advanced Shooting Training and in developing innovative products, including specialist suppressed weapons for Special Forces, suppressor and folding stock capabilities for the Accuracy International British Army sniper rifle , electronic target systems and range construction, and of course their very own Mini Red Dot Solutions. 30 Years on they are now a market-leading innovator, manufacturer and provider who are passionate about rapid target acquisition and ultra-efficient engagement… and indeed all things shooting for both the recreational and professional user! In recent years they have built Mini Red Dots for companies including JP Rifles (JPoint) and Trijicon (REDDOT), marketed under their own brands, and they were the first importer to bring in the hugely popular .22LR 15/22 Smith & Wesson Rifle to the UKin a meaningful way (again, there’s a couple of

the AA crew that own these excellent rimfires!). They also work with other top-tier brands such as Dissident Arms, JP Rifles, Vudoo Rifles, Nordic Rifles, RMT Triggers and Doveplates!

We think it’s fair to say that if you are looking for “performance” in virtually any area of shooting sports then SHIELD have genuinely “got your six”, but the SHIELD team never stand still and they continue to design, implement, manufacture, and ably represent products that enable shooters of all flavours to “Hit the Target Earlier”, and for a fast-paced shooting sport like airsoft this is exactly what we are looking for!

As always though, time moves forward and given the growth of performance shooting in airsoft, both in tactical and practical terms, SHIELD SPORTS was created to allow them to expand their portfolio of brands represented away from the core business of SHIELD and provide them with better visibility to their wider customer base… US! Having strong relationships outside of their red dot business has always been vital and through the SHIELD SPORTS Brand it has allowed them to increase and expand the company with exciting new brands coming on board regularly. Their aim is to be able to offer all customers the best products from the very best brands all conveniently located in one place. Representing some of the biggest names in the industry and including them alongside their range of airsoft products is testament to the level of quality they are able to bring to the table.

By offering premium brands all in one place, the guys at SHIELD SPORTS felt it gave customers who may not have something specific in mind the ability to browse all the products, some of which they may not have considered in the past. At SHIELD SPORTS they are always on the look out for new and exciting brands to work with from all over the world and by doing so offer us the opportunity to buy kit otherwise much harder to source.

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS

Let’s be under no illusion that SHIELD SPORTS still has a foot very firmly in the “real steel world”, and we’ve included all the brands here to give this overview some fullness, and whilst not directly pertinent to airsoft, the fact that they offer a fabulous portfolio for the .22 shooter as part of their offering really shows that what they have for airsoft has a very solid backstop in shooting sports overall, and it’s refreshing to see a company acknowledging that airsoft is exactly that, a bona fide shooting sport!

For example, SHIELD have been working for many years with KMR Precision Arms on the development of the newly released to the UK Market S01 Long Barrel pistol. In choosing to partner with an industry leading firearms manufacturer they gained the ability to bring to the UK a product with levels of support, and quality rarely seen in our small and very specific marketplace. SHIELD SPORTS now carry the long line of accessories and customisable products for the KMR Precision Arms line of firearms for those with a FAC.

With a background in innovation and engineering it was just a matter of time before SHIELD decided to launch their own range of products, manufactured in the UK. To complement the ever popular KMR S01 they decided to offer a range of “Go faster” parts and make them available for sale. Traditionally parts required for .22RF versions of firearms had to be bought overseas and then worked on to make them function correctly. With the designs and specifications for their own products it enabled SHIELD to make parts that were ready to fit from the outset and needed no work.

Moving on though, probably the name that we as airsofters will also recognise immediately is that of KRISS USA; in choosing to work with KRISS the SHIELD team felt it was a simple and extremely valid choice to bring into the UK market their range of innovative .22 Rifle Products. We’re told that their Vector and DMK rifles are a firm favourite for customers in the UK and sales continue to do well with the rifles often seen on the UK dynamic shooting scene.

And of course with a direct line to KRISS USA, SHIELD SPORTS also have a fabulous connection with KRYTAC! As a division of KRISS USA and producer of some excellent airsoft replicas that have a huge player-

following globally, the decision to offer their premium range of AEGs was a simple one for SHIELD SPORTS, as with versions of their real firearms now available in an airsoft platform the move to offer them as well was a no brainer. SHIELD SPORTS offer the full range of products available under all of the KRYTAC brands.

A STANDARD OF EXCELLENCE

As shooters themselves at the highest level, just like all of us at Airsoft Action the guys at SHIELD SPORTS recognise “upgrade excellence” when they see it, not just in the real firearms world, but also in respect of airsoft replicas, and in the airsoft market “Airsoft Surgeon AKA Clarence Lai” is a legend! Regular readers of AA will know that we have a deep and long-term friendship with Clarence, but we love his creations and products not because of who he is (although this undoubtedly helps as he’s an awesome guy!) but because of the performance they endow on our GBBs and AEGs!

His top-shelf pistols and rifles have for years been both inspirational and aspirational to most and cherished by those lucky enough to own them, and of course now after several years the brand has moved on to Clarence Lai Product Design (CLPD). Along with that change comes a host of new and exciting upgrade parts and even rifles from the man himself; we’ve already featured some of the new offerings both in terms of reviews from Stewbacca and Jimmy as parts and excitingly fresh RIFs have appeared, and we’ll continue to do so as the depth of the CLPD range develops forward.

Again like us, the team at SHIELD SPORTS have recognised the innovative nature of CLPD products, and as the UK and European distributor they are able to offer the full range available from stock in the UK; this will undoubtedly be of HUGE benefit to all players in Europe as it removes some of the pain of international shipping, which quite frankly is still a major issue for many of us. Obviously we’re delighted by this arrangement, and we look forward to working even more with both Clarence and SHIELD SPORTS when it comes to thorough testing of all the products!

Stewbacca and Jimmy will continue to look at parts for pistol upgrades as this range gets bigger, and as it’s no secret that we’re fans of the VegaForceCompany (VFC) GBB rifle and carbine models (there are several users of these within the AA Crew!) thanks to our friendship with Clarence we’ve actually had the A+ STUDIOS/CLPD drop-in upgrade kit in hand for a while, along with a rather splendid floating valve and a Crusader Tech 2-Stage that Clarence sent Bill as a gift for his BCM MCMR GBBR… and oh, boy, are they cool! The guys at SHIELD SPORTS tell us “we consider this upgrade kit a must have for anyone using the VFC platforms in airsoft games or Action Air”, and we couldn’t agree more!

FIELD READY

With their initial offering SHIELD SPORTS seem to have covered off many important areas of airsoft; obviously they have optics of the very highest quality, they have high-standard AEGs to offer, and some seriously good upgrade parts too! As far as we can see, if they find the right GBB brand to work with they’ll have an offering that is 100% killer, with no filler!

But what about gear we hear you ask? Yup, they’ve got that covered too! Grey Ghost Precision have been making custom firearms for the US Military for many years with their origins dating back to the creation of their GGP S Series Heavy in .308. From there, and multiple rifle and pistol builds later, the decision was made to create Grey Ghost Gear (GGG) in order to apply those same manufacturing qualities and produce unique equipment tailored to the needs of a specific market. At SHIELD SPORTS they’ll be carrying a selection of GGG Field Kit and load bearing systems and hope to grow these lines to be able to offer their full range of products!

For those that don’t know (and you really should, shame on you!) on their old website (it’s currently being updated) Grey Ghost Gear tells us that:

“Grey Ghost Gear is a Service Connected Disabled Veteran owned manufacturer of Tactical Equipment for the individual operator. We remain relevant to the customer by being in constant contact with military front line users and first responders. Their feedback is the most important aspect in price point, gear design, and manufacturing.

We specialize in utilizing new fabrics and emerging camouflage patterns to ensure that our customer is afforded cutting edge designs and construction. Grey Ghost Gear realizes that we have the best customers in the world, with the most important job in the world.”

This is righteous kit used by those at the “sharp end” that has been made available for more general use, and the quality shows no compromise for the tactical user. Bill has had some if their kit in his gear locker for a number of years, and if you see him out in his PenCott loadout he’ll undoubtedly be carrying his much-loved Lightweight Assault Pack, so we can already say that Grey Ghost Gear has been tried, tested, used and abused by us for some time, and has NEVER been found wanting in an airsoft setting!

So, in conclusion the team at SHIELD SPORTS have small but beautifully formed collection of airsoft related products for us to take notice of, and if like some of us you’re also a rimfire shooter, then this offering is doubly important!

Airsoft continues to grow and expand on a global basis, so you could ask if this is another instance of a company from the “real steel” side of things trying to jump on the back of a closely-related growth area? We’d have to say a categorical NO as although SHIELD are undoubtedly at the “tip of the spear” in the professional-user arena, what they have chosen carefully to offer in their airsoft range shows clear direction and real commitment along with a true understanding of an associated yet very different market!

Their continued support and sponsorship for events like The Airsoft Surgeon Championship shows that they are genuinely interested in what we do, and not just coming at it from a wholly “all business” standpoint. Behind SHIELD SPORTS are guys that actually care about shooting in all its myriad forms, and they bring to the party a portfolio of products that will be of benefit to all of us as airsofters, and with so many “wannabes” appearing on an almostdaily basis it’s fabulous to see someone relatively new to our market doing it so right!

For more information on SHIELD SPORTS and what they offer please do keep an eye on their social media channels for regular updates, and visit www. shieldsports.net @shieldsportsdist.AA