WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE ISSUE 142 - OCTOBER 2022 ISSN 2634-9515
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Saigo Defense are a still relative newcomer to airsoft but they appear to have gained a healthy following amongst players with their aggressively-styled, well-priced, and competitively-specced AEGs, but in keeping with our theme this month Bill has been getting some rangetime with their latest model, the KYUDO boltaction!
36 ARMOURY REAL SWORD SVD RETROSPECTIVE
Amongst the Airsoft Action crew we have a number of dedicated OPFOR players, and in recognition of its well-earned standing in airsoft circles Dan and Stewbacca put their heads together to take a look back at one of the most respected 6mm “Dragunov” marksman rifles to have been made, the mighty, and now rare, Real Sword SVD!
18 ARMOURY: ARES L42A1
Editorial Director: Bill Thomas Graphic Design: Calibre Publishing Ad Design: Deadshot Design Publisher: Calibre Publishing Web: ©Calibrewww.airsoftaction.netPublishingLimited 2022 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. 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, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook. WE STAND WITH THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE ISSUE 142 OCTOBER 2022 ISSN 2634-9515 CONTENTS
8 ARMOURY: G&G No.4 Mk.I SMLE
ARES have really been rolling out their historical bolt-action program as we’ve detailed in past issues, but their latest release takes things forward into the heart of the Cold War era! Bill takes a very close look at the L42A1, a rifle model that he adores, and finds out if it lives up to its hefty airsoft price-tag!
In the last issue Stewbacca assessed the WE L85A2 GBBR and how it stacked up to his experiences of weapons handling training, but what of the classic bolt action No.8 .22LR training rifle, and its forebears? He got his hands on G&G’s latest gas powered No.4 Mk.I offering to see if the old chap has been given any new tricks compared to the sudden influx of alternatives.
PhotographyKrioscourtesyPhoto
28 ARMOURY: SAIGO DEFENSE KYUDO
Although we have gone unashamedly “long gun” for this issue we couldn’t resist bringing you the latest report from Larri, our Legionnaire in Hong Kong and most-definite “pistoleer” as he brings the latest news on a righteous CQB site… and who wouldn’t want to play at Impact Force CQB when it offers such a brilliantlythemed experience? Larri tells more…
42 THE CAGE: BATTLEFIELD ROLES
When it comes to the subject of upgrading bolt-action rifles, this arena can be just as in-depth and complex as it is for upgrading AEG’s. The plethora of options, systems, and platforms available is extensive, and it’s easy to get “lost in the woods” trying to figure out your avenue of approach, so Dan simplifies things a little to give some pointers in getting the best “bang for your buck”!
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Each and every year the AA crew head on down to the New Forest to check in at the National Airsoft Festival (NAF) to find out what’s been happening with friends old and new at a thoroughly convivial event that’s ALWAYS all about the airsoft, and with numbers maxed out for NAF 2022 we’re delighted to report on an airsoft event that is truly unique, and continues to thrill in many, many ways!
70 TECH: HPA RIFLE BUILD
Keeping with our theme this month we thought that it would be remiss of us not to include an HPA system-driven platform, and our once-sceptical tech Jimmy has been creating one of his very own. Delving into the mechanics of his chosen platform and system he now begins to detail his very own “HPA Adventure”!
96 RELOADED: VFC PSG-1
Photo courtesy Cool Under
Fire
50 RED CELL: PLAYING THE LONG GAME
Having had his iconic dream rifle that is the VFC PSG-1 GBBR for the better part of a year now, how has it fared in Stewbacca’s reckoning? With more use in the field and additional accessories, and work being done on and with it, what’s gone more right or wrong since the initial purchase and Armoury Review in Issue 133?
What do YOU look for when it comes to a “precision airsoft rifle”, and what do WE mean by that? Within Red Cell we have members who have searched long and hard for the best “long gun” and some of those rifles are veterans of numerous games with a healthy “kill count” notched on their stocks! This month Red Cell take a look at many that have already undergone some rigorous testing both in-game and on the range!
This month we’ve decided to get into “long guns” and of course a crucial part of this setup is choosing the right optic to sit on top of your favoured precision rifle. With the vast experience amongst some of the seasoned members of Red Cell and The Legion factored in Bill quite literally takes a look at some of his favourite options that may suit you
74 TECH: BOLT ACTION UPGRADES
66 KIT & GEAR: MAGNIFIED OPTICS
80 AA LEGION UK: NAF 2022
92 AA LEGION: HONG KONG
It’s time for a big new sequence for discussion amongst the members of the AA Legion, and in the next few issues we’ll be casting the net a little wider as we look at different roles within a coherent airsoft team, and the kit that you need to perform those roles not just adequately, but effectively!
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OLD NEWGUN...TRICKS!
Even in my younger years, I seemed to appreciate the classic lines of the No.8 single loaded training rifles we cut our teeth on, often liking the very deliberate action of a bolt-operated rifle; there’s just something timeless and almost personable about your involvement in the process and the cycling and firing of every shot. So of course those memories came flooding back as I unboxed the new G&G offering after getting another long suspicious outer
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This is a result of the propellant method used in G&G’s LE4 rifle; while some of the equally recently released spring action equivalents may benefit from wooden furniture, the gas reservoir that resides
The rifle is a little over 3.5kg so not terribly unwieldy despite its near realistic weight, and the wood-finish plastic is reasonably well executed, comparable to other recent offerings from other manufacturers that make use of such materials. One can’t grumble really, although I did see some comments on the internet regarding the price and the fact it isn’t real wood; unfortunately the realities of post COVID supply chain issues, materials cost hikes and just the realities of the G&G offering over its competitors hasn’t sunk in fully yet. You could, if you were a stalwart with the money and means, theoretically go about changing the front end furniture for real wood equivalents without a huge amount of trouble; the external barrel and its stocking up or interfacing with the furniture is the only functional thing to worry about ahead of magazine well really, and the benefit of the Lee Enfields is the front and rear split in the furniture around the metal receiver socket where the trigger and main gripping point are.
“EVEN IN MY YOUNGER YEARS, I SEEMED TO APPRECIATE THE CLASSIC LINES OF THE NO.8 SINGLE LOADED TRAINING RIFLES WE CUT OUR TEETH ON, OFTEN LIKING THE VERY DELIBERATE ACTION OF A BOLT-OPERATED RIFLE; THERE’S JUST SOMETHING TIMELESS AND ALMOST PERSONABLE ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROCESS AND THE CYCLING AND FIRING OF EVERY SHOT.”
MOTIVE FORCE
However replacing the rear section with real wood alternatives would be a much harder prospect.
The Lee Enfield No.4 SMLE in particular was developed prior to WWII and pushed into service midway through as demand for individual weapons and replacements for those damaged or lost in action soared, and the No.4 sought to simplify the base rifle and avoid some of the frills that cost time and money to produce. It essentially distilled the Lee Enfield to a very workhorse-like weapon that took lessons from the practical realities of more recent actions and the modern, at the time, shifts in combat and more urbanised European battlefields, as well as the requirements of simplified mass manufacture in a wartime setting.
Long gone were the classic magazine cutoff, heavy checkering of the furniture, volley sights and intricate rear sights of earlier classic models, with a simplified rear aperture sight optimised for shorter range use and rapid engagements; the flip up ladder sight was initially retained for the diehard users, paired with a heavier barrel that was also somewhat free-float in nature, albeit not yet fully exposed like later models. The No.4 Mk.I SMLE was all the business, but retained a lot of the classic look and feel of its earlier and much-beloved forerunners.
cardboard parcel emblazoned with their logos, and opening it only to find their very well decorated main packaging with the name and picture of the Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.I SMLE and its accessories and features adorning it on all faces.
IN THE LAST ISSUE STEWBACCA ASSESSED THE MOST RECENT BRITISH SERVICE WEAPON IN THE FORM OF THE WE L85A2 GBBR AND HOW IT STACKED UP TO HIS FORMATIVE EXPERIENCES OF WEAPONS HANDLING TRAINING MANY YEARS PRIOR, BUT WHAT OF THE CLASSIC BOLT ACTION NO.8 .22LR TRAINING RIFLE, AND ITS EARLIER FOREBEARS THAT DATE AS FAR BACK AS THE TURN OF THE PREVIOUS CENTURY? HE GOT HIS HANDS ON G&G’S LATEST RELEASE IN THE FORM OF THEIR GAS POWERED NO.4 MK.I OFFERING TO SEE IF THE OLD CHAP HAS BEEN GIVEN ANY NEW TRICKS COMPARED TO THE SUDDEN INFLUX OF ALTERNATIVES.
in the butt stock of G&G’s model would make that somewhat difficult to accomplish. With not a great deal of thickness left surrounding it and the external surface of the stock, I imagine you would struggle to make use of real wood, aside from perhaps a very tightly packed laminate solution akin to soviet era rifles, but either way G&G elected to take the simpler and more economical option to provide a functional and practical material that is less likely to fracture in use or rough handling, as well as no doubt making the system somewhat more affordable and open to a wider market given the times we’re living in and manufacturersmanyaresufferingthrough.ThereservoiritselfisquitesubstantialandIcountedalittleover300BBsfiredonasingle
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And how does one run so many rounds through a bolt action, you ask yourselves? Well, one of my favourite features and selling points of the G&G LE4 is its innovative charger loading magazine system! As with the real Lee Enfield systems, the main external magazine is removable, however that tended to be mainly for maintenance purposes, infantry were not issued additional box magazines, rather they were given stripper clips of five rounds of ammunition to load into the attached box magazine from above when the action was opened rearwards, with the overall ten round capacity being the largest of any such system in service at the time, giving the British and Commonwealth forces an advantage over most AxisG&Gtroops.deftly replicate the realistic loading experience while also making for a practical and fast operating mechanism by making use of their patented charger system; the magazines are in fact plastic cases made to resemble 5-round stripper clips which would be fed into the real rifle; however these blocks house a ten round spring loaded magazine tube in the body
and feed lips built into the top round of the stack, as well as the included specialist speedloader which can be charged with thirty “rounds” of your chosen ammunition weight through its flip-up feed tube, which attaches to the driving shuttle. Basically you inject the rounds in through the tube after locking it upright, and they feed down into the loading tray beneath, then you can present the stripper clip magazines upwards into the feeding position, and ram the measured ten rounds in the feed tray into the stripper clip, and then repeat it for the other two clips included with a single load of the speedloader.
fill during my recent morning’s testing of the LE4 prior to game on at one of team Taiji’s urban close quarter environment sites. I ran an entire thirty clips of ammunition through it, which was somewhat of an undertaking in itself and purely an excuse for me to get some data points whilst also pandering to the many teammates who had asked if I’d run ‘mad minutes’ with it during my testing process. Spoiler alert - he did, in fact, run a lot of ammunition through it in short order!
All in all a very slick system, I have to say, and something I really enjoyed using for its realism in loading and delivering the real steel “ten rounds” of bolt action fire, of course you will be able to purchase additional stripper clip magazines to suit your usage case or loadout; in general with them being simple lightweight plastic units I can see them being very handy and economical to carry in volume for the dedicated re-enactor or impressionist user, and I’m already looking to source some more for my own use, as well as considering scoping up the LE4 for jungle sniping work. At the very first game I fielded it at our Hutoushan mountain site up in the hills west of Taipei I fired it in anger but once in the first round and got a stealthy eliminating shot out of it as a result - most impressed!Thestripper clip system also has the advantage of an integral locking latch system; upon retracting the bolt on an empty external magazine, you can insert the stripper clip into the spring loaded storage cavity
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Chrono’ing on the 0.2g rounds produced an initial peak shot of 140m/s that dropped down to 135m/s over a string of ten, while switching up to 0.3g BBs resulted in a similar string of ten rounds starting around 125m/s and dropping to 113m/s or so, 0.4g rounds resulted in 110-103m/s, and finally 0.5g rounds gave a 100-85m/s spread, so your ammunition weight of choice may have to be considered depending on the kind of gameplay or setting you intend on using the LE4 in if you’re contemplating running it in game. The general performance is fairly
The bolt itself is very smooth and easy to operate given that there is basically no spring pressure involved in its movement aside from the final resistance on the closing stroke caused by the realistic ‘cock on close’ action familiar to the real rifle; the cocking piece latches onto the main sear just as the bolt gets to its end of forward travel before locking with the downward cocking handle rotation. When the trigger is pulled it drops the sear and releases the cocking piece against the striker valve inside. You can close the bolt on a BB chambered by pulling the trigger as you cycle the action without firing it (I would however be careful if choosing to do so, and mindful of muzzle discipline nonetheless) then when you are ready to fire just grip the cocking piece and retract it to engage the sear and make the LE4 ready to fire. Alternatively you can use the manual safety lever on the rear left side of the receiver to lock both the cocking piece and bolt itself once the action is cocked, however as per the instructions be mindful not to cycle the action with it in the half or fully safed positions to avoid damage to the bolt and action.
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Upon firing the cocking piece strikes this integral valve beneath the bolt and blasts out a measured amount of gas from the reservoir up through the bolt and into the chamber behind the seated BB round in the chamber, and then down the 625mm internal barrel. Despite such a considerable internal barrel length nearing that of the PSG-1, there is apparently no joule creep to worry about from the LE4 regardless of ammunition weight used; because it is a manually operated gas system with a single instantaneous gas release that is hit once by the cocking piece as it travels past, only a certain volume of gas is released with each shot, and because there is no recoil operation or NPAS system timing the gas release until the BB leaves the barrel, there is no excess gas usage and related increase in power due to heavier ammunition’s inertia and the related longer expansion time in the barrel upon firing.
Thus during my testing I made use 0.2g, 0.3g, 0.4g, 0.45g and 0.5g BLS BBs, with the Joule rating staying in the region of 1.5-2.0 and varying a little between shots regardless of the ammunition used, but not increasing dramatically as the BB weight tested was increased and the resultant muzzle velocity dropped progressively. Regardless the muzzle energy is perhaps a little hot for other markets, but the bolts themselves are marked on the underside, mine having ‘2.4’ on the bottom of its main body which relates to the bore of the bolt nozzle, and Rick confirms that different nozzles will be supplied to suit different local environments and laws.
within the main external magazine body beneath and then press down on it to latch it into its feeding position. Should you need to unload and make safe you can retract the bolt and press down on the stripper clip to unlatch and remove it before its ammunition is exhausted, or alternatively if you fire all ten rounds and run it dry, upon the final cycling of the bolt it will automatically unlatch and jump up into the way of the bolt, preventing it closing with no rounds present. The whole system works excellently, although on occasion one of the three stripper clips supplied would misbehave and pop up before all its rounds were expended, but by and large the whole design and operation of the feed system is excellent and very enjoyable to us in its utility and realism.
GETTING INTO BATTERY
“YOU CAN ALSO REMOVE THE BOLT COMPLETELY FOR MAINTENANCE IN THE SAME MANNER AS THE REAL STEEL RIFLE, BY RETRACTING IT TO ITS REARMOST POINT ALIGNS THE LOCKING LUG WITH A SMALL TAKEDOWN BUTTON ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RECEIVER”
G&G NO.4 MK.I SMLE ARMOURY
You can also remove the bolt completely for maintenance in the same manner as the real steel rifle, by retracting it to its rearmost point aligns the locking lug with a small takedown button on the right side of the receiver, pressing this down allows the locking lug
to be disengaged and rotated upward and then the bolt can be removed completely for cleaning or to get access to the striker valve beneath it if required.
G&G NO.4 MK.I SMLE ARMOURY
I found that the HOP is already somewhat overly effective even on the minimal setting, so perhaps needs minimal adjustment anyway.
I did find the barrel to be reasonably stable and the whole system consistent, however the path of the BBs was somewhat high over the sight picture afforded by the rear aperture and front blade, neither of which appear to offer much adjustment. Even though the flip up ladder sight is highly adjustable it seems the LE4 would always fire a little too high over the front sight and I had to mentally adjust for the variance. It was pretty consistent in shot placement to be fair, I just had to mentally aim below a ‘six o clock hold’ and sometimes slightly right to ensure the rounds met their target. As G&G are planning on releasing a scope mount base in the future you should be able to work around this issue with a more readily zeroed optical sight in a No4(T) configuration if you prefer, or indeed when using the No4 Mk.I against meat targets I doubt the variance will be such an issue.
The main issue I had was upon arrival… the gas reservoir had a slow leak! I immediately took the rear butt plate off to inspect the gas reservoir which is how I realised the amount of space it took up, a likely inability to make use of real wood furniture for the rearmost section of the stock at least. For me it was a relatively simple fix of removing the reservoir back plate, soaking the included seal in silicone oil as I do with all my leaky gas magazines, and reseating it then reinstalling the rear plate. I have to say this design perplexed me somewhat as the back plate is entirely flush, and the seal itself is akin to an engine block gasket with indentations to avoid the threaded internal sections in the main reservoir that house the fixing bolts. My background in hydraulics engineering in a past life makes me think it would be better to have a simple oblong shaped seal with the bolt retaining protrusions biased to the outside of the reservoir vessel thus avoiding the complex gasket shape, and I’d also be inclined to sacrifice a little capacity to have a protrusion on the rear plate that forced the seal into its seated position as fitting the flush plate across the sealing surface and gasket was a bit of a pain in the rear to get right.
This would likely be a warranty issue for most rather than something you try to rectify for yourselves, but for me; needs must, and experience allowed, I
“EVEN THOUGH THE FLIP UP LADDER SIGHT IS HIGHLY ADJUSTABLE IT SEEMS THE LE4 WOULD ALWAYS FIRE A LITTLE TOO HIGH OVER THE FRONT SIGHT AND I HAD TO MENTALLY ADJUST FOR THE VARIANCE. IT WAS PRETTY CONSISTENT IN SHOT PLACEMENT TO BE FAIR, I JUST HAD TO MENTALLY AIM BELOW A ‘SIX O CLOCK HOLD’ AND SOMETIMES SLIGHTLY RIGHT TO ENSURE THE ROUNDS MET THEIR TARGET.”
FINE TUNING
band clamping action, it may be a case of fine tuning or fettling to get it seated nicely and shooting as consistently as possible.
I was trying my luck hitting small targets at considerable ranges so perhaps expecting too much, and over the course of my testing the HOP unit did seem to settle in somewhat; I did have the whole front end apart to check the viability of using wooden furniture as a future upgrade potential, as well as seeing if I could bias the inner barrel down a little to
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the rifle ran like a champ on every outing.
At this point I imagine I’ve run 500 rounds through the G&G LE4 over the course of three outings and particularly my gas capacity testing mad minutes on the most recent game, and I naturally got quite adept at running the action rapidly and smoothly. Occasionally if you still impart a turning moment on the bolt handle as you retract the bolt body you might skew the cocking piece off-centre slightly and cause it to hang up, but for the most part its operation is smooth and there are even inward angled surfaces on the rear of the receiver track it travels in to encourage it to realign. If it does jam up its merely a case of pushing it back to centre and learning to run the bolt with authority and precision in your movements, which I managed for the most part and it IS extremely satisfying as both a tactical and auditory experience; the LE4 really brings a lot to the table in terms of nostalgia and realism, and many of my teammates from Commonwealth countries who had the opportunity to train on them in the cadets or own and operate real ones in the likes of Canada or Australia were crowding around at our Hutoushan game to reminisce about their younger selves running that action and thoroughly enjoyed doing so with the G&G replica, with plenty of BBs sent downrange that day as a result; I was actually struggling to reload the
MAD MINUTES FOR ALL!
I definitely want another few packs of stripper clips and some form of bandolier storage solution as well as a scope, although it must be noted that fitting a scope will entail you having to remove the main external magazine from beneath and reloading the stripper clips into it manually while it’s out of the gun as the scope mounts will block the access from above for normal loading… certainly something to consider!
“ONCE I GOT PAST THE INITIAL TEETHING ISSUES IT HAS RUN EXCELLENTLY, THE NOVELTY AND REALISM OF BOTH THE BOLT ACTION AND ITS PROPRIETARY PATENTED LOADING STRIPPER CLIP AND ACCOMPANYING SPEEDLOADER SHOULD NOT BE UNDERSTATED! ”
Overall, despite my initial concerns over the gas system, the G&G LE4 No.4 Mk.I SMLE has been excellent fun to use and once I got past the initial teething issues it has run excellently, the novelty and realism of both the bolt action and its proprietary patented loading stripper clip and accompanying speedloader should not be understated! So if you’re in the market for a fine-looking and practical period correct system that is very easy to operate from any position without the need to overcome springs as with air cocking bolt actions, I would strongly suggest giving the LE4 more than a cursory glance; if you find a shop that will let you try it or run it it’s definitely worth it for the experience and fun factor alone!
G&G NO.4 MK.I SMLE ARMOURY
I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Rick and the team at G&G ARMAMENT once again for sending their LE4 for my testing and evaluation, and do Be sure to check out the latest on the LE4 program (there will be more!) by visiting www.guay2.com. AA
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COLD PRECISIONWAR
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I joined my school Combined Cadet Force (Army Section) in 1976 at the age of twelve, and eventually ended up as cadet “2 i/c” five years later. Thankfully our section was commanded by a rather wonderful man (and a mentor to me!), “Jack” Bird, who had been both an “original” and a Para before becoming a school teacher, and we took great pride that “our officer” would proudly wear his sand beret when we were “on camp”. His standards were fairly set but unwaveringly high, so every Friday was “drill night”, one weekend a month was usually spent with one of the regular army units or the Royal Marines stationed in our area, and summer camps were filled to the brim with adventure!
Ithink
UKLF Leadership Course, and for two weeks some 200 cadets from all over the UK went through some of the most rigorous training that the British Army could throw at us thanks to 3 RGJ and Cadre officers (another bloody Para for me!). We drove around in military vehicles of all types, flew in Gazelles and Pumas (bloody big Airfix kits!) and even deployed for our final 72 Hour Exercise in a Chinook! Physical training was at the fore (dawn runs and the assault course every day!) and second only to that was “Skill at Arms” with every infantry weapon in service at the time. It was a tough fortnight, and not everyone made it all the way through…
ARES HAVE REALLY BEEN ROLLING OUT THEIR HISTORICAL BOLT-ACTION PROGRAM AS WE’VE DETAILED IN PAST ISSUES, BUT THEIR LATEST RELEASE TAKES THINGS FORWARD INTO THE HEART OF THE COLD WAR ERA! BILL TAKES A VERY CLOSE LOOK AT THE L42A1, A RIFLE MODEL THAT HE ADORES, AND FINDS OUT IF IT LIVES UP TO ITS HEFTY AIRSOFT PRICE-TAG!
It was Mr Bird that recommended me for the
At school we still maintained an armoury of No4 Lee Enfields and BREN guns on site (oh, how things change!), but when we visited the units around us and had range days at Deal, Hythe and Lydd we had access to the L9 Browning pistol, L1A1 SLR, L2 SMG, the L4 LMG, L7 GPMG and very occasionally if we were lucky and talked nicely to the Royal Marines, the L42A1 sniper’s rifle!
it’s pretty obvious to anyone that regularly reads my reviews that I’m a child of the ‘60s, and that my formative years were the 1970s and 80’s, so you could say that I have more than a passing knowledge of UK Land Forces (UKLF) equipment and weapons of that period.
the fact that a new military precision rifle could be created by converting the huge stockpile of existing No.4(T) rifles may have had some bearing on the decision taken; with a few minor specification changes, the XL42E1 was christened the L42A1, and production commenced in 1970. The specification of the trial rifles and the eventual production rifles was almost exactly the same, so much so that at least a few XL42E1s were later found on issue as regular sniper rifles!
and Enfield manufactured kits for this purpose. For various reasons, including poor accuracy and reduced personnel numbers, the conversion process of the No.4 rifle to L8 specification was not fully pursued, but some work was done on an L8T sniper rifle version. These L8T prototypes, externally identical to the .303 No.4(T) except for the magazine, were tested extensively in 1965 but did not succeed and were never issued.”
You can therefore imagine my absolute delight and excitement when I saw that amongst the new releases from ARES as part of their ongoing “bolt-action program” there would be an L42A1 springer, and finally thanks to Tim at iWholesales I’ve finally been able to get my greedy little mitts on one, and without giving the game away totally it’s a beauty of an airsoft rifle!
Obviously”
the No4 which I knew intimately, and, at least to my teenage self was just… better.
HERITAGE BUILT IN
“NOW HAVING PRETTY MUCH GROWN UP WITH THE NO4... THE L42A1 WAS DEFINITELY SOMEWHAT OF A “REVERED BEAST” TO ME! I’D BEEN ONE OF THE TOP SHOOTERS CONSISTENTLY WITH THE .303 ON RANGE DAYS, SO EVERY TIME I GOT THE RARE CHANCE TO GET MY HANDS ON AN L42 WAS LIKE A DREAM COME TRUE.”
However, civilian shooters of the era had mated the No4 action with a heavy-profile, commercially manufactured barrel mounted in a shortened foreend as the heavier barrel did not require support. These innovations were not lost on the designers at Enfield who soon incorporated similar features into a prototype rifle called the XL42E1. The XL42E1 was “extensively tested in competition with offerings from various rifle and scope manufacturers, and was found to offer the best combination of reliability and accuracy.
Now many players out there have been waiting for a truly outstanding Lee Enfield airsoft rifle, and it would seem that these prayers have been answered, at least in part. To put this in context the Lee Enfield in its myriad forms should ALWAYS have been produced in airsoft form, as it stood the test of time in the hands of the British Army for well over a hundred years! The first service rifle was the Lee-Metford adopted in 1888, while the last was the L42A1 sniper rifle, which was only declared obsolete in 1992! In between came the famous No.1 Mk III Short Magazine Lee-Enfield and its mass production-oriented successor, the No.4 rifle that served commendably during WWII and well into the 1950s until the L1A1 was adopted in 1954!
So the story of the L42A1 was an especially poignant one, as it was the last bolt-action design based on the Lee Enfield pattern to serve with UKLF.
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rest as the No.4(T).
“THEY WERE FIGHTING OVER OPEN GROUND IN DAYLIGHT AGAINST PREPARED POSITIONS, WERE LOW ON AMMUNITION AND LACKED ADEQUATE FIRE SUPPORT. THE BRITISH WON THE FIGHT BUT LOST 17 OF THEIR SOLDIERS AGAINST SOME 200 ARGENTINE DEAD. THEIR L42A1 EQUIPPED SNIPERS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE MADE A SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTION TO THAT GRIM TOLL”
You can say what you like to me about the L42A1, but the real rifle is without doubt the zenith of a distinguished family of Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles that served the British and Commonwealth forces with such distinction for more than a century, and as such rightfully deserves its place in firearms history!
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The L42A1 served with the British Army for nearly 25 years, and it reportedly gave excellent service wherever it was used. Deployments included such disparate theatres as the Falklands and Northern Ireland (where the STARLIGHT sight proved invaluable!), and it saw sterling service with the SAS (sorry, I couldn’t resist!) in the deserts and wadis of Oman. Although probably the most famous images of the L42 are of with SAS, it is said that; “during the Falklands War in 1984, a particularly savage action was fought between the British 2nd battalion, Parachute Regiment, and the Argentines at Goose Green. It was arguably the longest and toughest battle of that brief but bloody war. The British Paras numbered 600 and were up against 1,400 Argentine soldiers. They were fighting over open ground in daylight against prepared positions, were low on ammunition and lacked adequate fire support. The British won the fight but lost 17 of their soldiers against some 200 Argentine dead. Their L42A1 equipped snipers are known to have made a significant contribution to that grim toll.”
TURNING REPLICA TO REAL
“I GATHERED THE COURAGE TO OPEN THIS UP AND WRAPPED IN “GREASED PAPER” WAS THE VERY RIFLE I HAD DREAMED OF IN AIRSOFT FORM FOR SO LONG, ALONG WITH A MAGAZINE AND A BOX THAT CONTAINED THE REPLICA “NO32” OPTIC. WITH GREAT CARE AND SOME REVERENCE I UNROLLED THE PAPER TO REVEAL AN UTTERLY DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS AIRSOFT RIFLE.”
genuinely IS stunning! Weighing in at 4400g and at 1140mm overall this is indeed a real beast of a rifle; the real L42 was 4535.92 and 1181mm, so ARES have this pretty much bang-on to start with. The woodwork is said to be “High Grade”, and with a slightly “used” patina it certainly
rifle arrived with me I sat for some
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feels spot-on, and looks amazing… I have a genuine wood butt on my airsoft SLR and the tone is almost identical! The L42 butt features the correct cheekriser, and has the correct three sling swivels as per the real.When it comes to the metalwork there is certainly no “monkey metal” anywhere in evidence from what I can see, as the 95% of the parts are made from Grade 304 Stainless Steel with QPQ Finishing, and it certainly feels “right” to me. The outer barrel does not have the “snakeskin” finish found on some L42s, but there is most definitely a slight texture to it, which is a very nice nod to realism. A functional leaf sight is fitted to the rear of the rifle, with the again-correct shrouded post at theOkay,front.I’ll
So, with the heritage of the real L42A1 and my personal recollection of this fine military rifle in mind, it was initially with great trepidation that I approached the ARES replica; this was an airsoft rifle that I had dreamed of owning one day, but for many years the only way of doing so was by buying an insanely-priced custom creation. I dearly wanted an L42 to complete my collection of replicas that the UKLF had fielded during the late 1970s and 1980s, to sit alongside my Browning, Sterling and SLR proudly and be used in themed games (okay, I also want an L4 LMG, but “dreamWhenon”…).theARES
contained the replica “No32” optic. With great care and some reverence I unrolled the paper to reveal an utterly drop-dead gorgeous airsoft rifle.
get a couple of tinyyet-utterly-forgiveable gripes out of the way at this point, and the first of these definitely puts me into “stitch-bitch” territory. The magazine should be re-shaped “to cater to the 7.62mm ” but is in fact the same 35 BB magazine used in their No4 rifle; this is by no means and dealbreaker for me, and makes complete commercial sense as they can use the same design in three airsoft models, but in fairness it does need to be pointed out.
ARES L42A1 ARMOURY
The other slight head-scratcher for me is that the ARES is clearly marked “No MK*1 LONG BRANCH 1942”… now Long Branch Arsenal did indeed produce Lee Enfield-pattern rifles along with STEN guns, but for the Canadian, British, and Chinese militaries. It was said in the Canadian firearms magazine “Calibre” of the No4 (T) rifles that “all the guns Canadians carried throughout the Second World War are cherished by their collectors, but none are as highly prized as this: The Long Branch No. 4 Mk. 1* (T)… these rifles were hand selected due to their accuracy, and would then undergo a variety of modifications before being encased in secure transit boxes and shipped to their respective users. While just over 25,000 Lee Enfield rifles underwent this treatment, those from Canada’s Long Branch arsenal remain the rarest, with literally just a handful every year being produced”. This would make an L42 bearing the LONG BRANCH stamp a VERY rare beast
As I have said elsewhere in this issue I am no sniper, but having shot the real L42A1 what lay in my hands was obviously a thing of great beauty; now ARES describe this rifle as being “Museum Grade”, and although I am unsure exactly what they mean by this phrase, their finished replica is undoubtedly worthy of such display. If I saw it in a cabinet in an Infantry Museum in virtually every way I’d be hard-pressed to say that this was not an example of the rifle I had shot myself!TheARES
ARES L42A1 ARMOURY “THE ARES GENUINELY IS STUNNING! WEIGHING IN AT 4400G AND AT 1140MM OVERALL THIS IS INDEED A REAL BEAST OF A RIFLE; THE REAL L42 WAS 4535.92 AND 1181MM, SO ARES HAVE THIS PRETTY MUCH BANG-ON TO START WITH. THE WOODWORK IS SAID TO BE “HIGH GRADE”, AND WITH A SLIGHTLY “USED” PATINA IT CERTAINLY FEELS SPOT-ON, AND LOOKS AMAZING…” www.airsoftaction.net 23
However, given that you get a solid gun case to kick off with, that re-lined with something like Shadow Foam could carry more than one rifle, and that you get the excellent No32 optic replica as well starts to make this price-tag somewhat more palatable. If you search online for a No32 optic what you’ll find in the main are “repros”, and one of these will set you back somewhere in the region of $US350, with another US£150-200 for the mount! If you want to find a genuine No32 then prices appear to start at around US$400 with US$600-700 being what you’ll pay for a decent one… and that’s before you start to factor in shipping and import duties!
One thing that I haven’t yet mentioned fully is the fact that the ARES L42A1 comes as a complete package, and that with the rifle you actually get a replica of the No32 optic and mount that is correct for the platform. I initially tested the L42 using just the leaf/post combo, and chrino’ing on a .20g gave me a highly respectable 1.65 Joule/422fps, along with solid feeding from the magazine, and excellent accuracy out to 30m; while shooting prone I was able to group 10 BBs at 220mm.
However, this is pure semantics, and to be honest in no way detracts from what is a very, VERY fine airsoft rifle, and in no way diminishes the fabulous job that ARES have done in their replication.
As always, and especially this time a huge THANK YOU to Tim at www.iwholesales.co.uk and the ARES L42A1 should be arriving with all good retailers VERY soon! AA
“AS WELL AS BEING A SPLENDID REPRODUCTION OF THE NO32 AND MOUNT VISUALLY THE OPTIC PROVIDED HAS SOME OF THE CLEAREST GLASS THAT I HAVE SEEN ON A STOCK MODEL, WITH THE CORRECT RETICLE, AND CRYSTAL-CLEAR MAGNIFICATION! IT IS A DELIGHT TO USE” octoBER 202224
indeed and it makes me wonder if ARES didn’t use a Chinese rifle for their template.
However, re-setting the hop to .30g BBs and fitting the optic transformed the rifle further, and that grouping crept down to 137mm at 50m! As well as being a splendid reproduction of the No32 and mount visually the optic provided has some of the clearest glass that I have seen on a stock model, with the correct reticle, and crystal-clear magnification! It is a delight to use, and although I would give warning that the thread on the mount screws does seem a little weak, I would ask as to why you would need to remove this with any regularity given that rifle and optic are made to be together!
You’d better believe that I am! It is a stunning replica that if you are a collector like me as well as an airsoft player you will want to own, and indeed I believe if you are a “Cold War Brit” player you’d sell body parts to acquire one of these fine rifles for your “gun wall”!
on offer as a whole. I’ve seen that the L42A1 is now appearing on certain websites with an asking price around the UK£700 mark, and I would agree that this on the face of it seems a lot of money for a niche rifle.
It is another rifle however that will carry a hefty price-tag that on the face of it may put some doubters off, but I would urge you to consider the package
ZEROING IN
ARES L42A1 ARMOURY
But this aside, am I happy with the ARES L42A1?
So, as I say you need to look at this magnificent ARES offering as a complete package, and I genuinely believe that for players like me that have lusted after this model for so long, the price will not be offputting. As a standard, from-the-box airsoft rifle the ARES L42A1 is a wonderful replica of a much-loved service rifle, and I also believe that with just a little light fettling this elegant rifle with a rugged optic from a bygone era could prove to be an undoubted winner in-game to this day!
The operation is super, super-smooth with the bolt sliding “into battery” with a satisfying yet very audible “click” if you are going to use this rifle in the sniper role then I’d suggest that you’ll want to carry it pre-cocked with the safety applied until you’re ready to take your shot lest this very audible signature gives your position away!
ARES L42A1 ARMOURY www.airsoftaction.net 25
octoBER 202228
SPIRITWARRIOR
SAIGO DEFENSE ARE A STILL RELATIVE NEWCOMER TO AIRSOFT BUT THEY APPEAR TO HAVE GAINED A HEALTHY FOLLOWING AMONGST PLAYERS WITH THEIR AGGRESSIVELY-STYLED, WELLPRICED, AND COMPETITIVELY-SPECCED AEGS, BUT IN KEEPING WITH OUR THEME THIS MONTH BILL HAS BEEN GETTING SOME RANGETIME WITH THEIR LATEST MODEL, THE KYUDO BOLT-ACTION! www.airsoftaction.net 29
styling and the “Japanese Mystique” surrounding them in terms of model naming, Saigo AEGs have proved to be a huge hit.
And the inspiration for the naming of their new bolt-action rifle is also pretty cool; through my tabletop wargaming adventures I have become increasingly interested in the later Sengoku period, specifically the 16th Century. In this period of Japanese history my research and good old Wiki tells me that “The yumi (Japanese bow) as a weapon of war began its decline after the Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543 bringing firearms with them in the form of the matchlock.The Japanese soon started to manufacture their own version of the matchlock called tanegashima and eventually it and the yari (spear) became the weapons of choice over the yumi. The yumi as a weapon was used alongside the tanegashima for a period of time because of its longer reach, accuracy and especially because it had a rate of fire 30–40 times faster.”
“I’VE NOT WRITTEN IN ANY DEPTH ABOUT SAIGO DEFENSE BEFORE, BUT GIVEN ALL THE NODS TO THE JAPANESE WAY OF THE WARRIOR IN THEIR NAMING PROGRAM I HAD, AS ALWAYS, TO LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER, AND THE CONNECTION I MAKE IS TO SAIGO TAKAMORI (1828-77).” octoBER 202230
SAIGO DEFENSE KYUDO ARMOURY
Ultimately though, the manufacture of Saigo models appears to be Euro-driven by SKW Airsoft, a part of SKYWAY TECHNOLOGY SA, a leader in the outdoor activities business in Spain that was founded in 1991. SKYWAY TECHNOLOGY SA distributes G&G, Marui, KJW, Tornado, Zoxna, Thunder B, and also offers a variety of products from China like Jing Gong, Dboys, Cyma, Well, A&K, Double Eagle, Galaxy, Snow Wolf and the like so it could be said that they have some form when it comes to knowing what a decent AEG should be like.
some of “the old ways” in their designs, but accept “the new ways”, and whether or not I’ve hit the reasoning behind the naming of the brand, and the obvious connection to Japanese history in their naming of individual models, in an age of brand recognition and “brand values” this is a pretty cool direction as far as I’m concerned!
THE WAY
So how does this pertain to the KYUDO you may ask, and the answer is that when the yumi was superceded by the matchlock, and subsequently with more modern firearms, the spiritual aspect of Japanese archery remained. This spirit harmoniously united the warrior tradition with the dignity of
Now I’ve not written in any depth about Saigo Defense before, but given all the nods to the Japanese way of the warrior in their naming program I had, as
I’ve had a Saigo Defense SHINOBI and RONIN AEG under test for some time to see how they really perform, and thus far I have to admit to being somewhat impressed. My personal preference is the SBR-length SHINOBI, and although it’s fully polymer in both receiver set and rail it’s a great, modern-looking little carbine with more-then-adequate internals that performs well… and if you search hard you can find them for just UK£150-160 which is great value, especially as they come with a LiPo battery and a decent mid-cap mag!
The KYUDO arrives, like many bolt action airsoft rifles these days, in two parts; the chassis as outlined above, with the barrel/action as a drop in. The outer barrel and action come as one, finished unit from the box, and these are a decent alloy with an even satinblack finish. The outer barrel is nicely fluted, whilst the action is attractively cross-cut “ported” to reveal the silver “bolt” inside; the top rail for optics also
Now given all this, the Kyudo is a rifle that again I have to admit I like already, although once again the provenance does appear to come courtesy of the WELL MB04A… Saigo seem to be very good at picking up inspiration from elsewhere and then improving on said “original” by giving it a complete makeover both internally and externally. You could be a bit sniffy about the fact that the new KYUDO resembles something that has come before, but the fact is that what Saigo eventually end up producing is something that is actually worth the money straight out of the box (unlike that old WELL!) and that can be bedded-in and taken to a game pretty swiftly.
The Butt is adjustable for length, and the cheek riser for height; one thing I noted here is a strange little “fin” on the underside of the riser, but this disappears as you raise the cheekpiece. The pistol grip benefits from some subtle yet effective stippling, and the baseplate of the whole butt-assembly keeps your hand nicely in position, although I fear that those with big hands might struggle a little here. The forward, stock part of the chassis is quite plain with no railmounting points, although you have sling points front and rear on both sides. You do get the option of a forward stud-fixture for either a sling-swivel or a “Harris-Style” bipod (my favoured option) or a QD placement for an “L96-Style” model.
NUTS AND BOLTS
“THE KYUDO IS A RIFLE THAT AGAIN I HAVE TO ADMIT I LIKE ALREADY, ALTHOUGH ONCE AGAIN THE PROVENANCE DOES APPEAR TO COME COURTESY OF THE WELL MB04A… SAIGO SEEM TO BE VERY GOOD AT PICKING UP INSPIRATION FROM ELSEWHERE AND THEN IMPROVING ON SAID “ORIGINAL” BY GIVING IT A COMPLETE MAKEOVER BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY”
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This to me is no bad thing; think of all the “VSRclones” that are out there, some of which can be turned into excellent precision airsoft rifles with some straightforward modification… but with the Saigo the building-blocks of potential excellence are largely already in place.
that really make the design “sing” more. The solid block colour has been replaced on the green variant with a highlighted black/main-colour that really lifts the look of the KYUDO, turning it into an attractive, thoroughly modern-looking rifle. The plastic of the overall chassis is nothing to write home about to be honest, and feels a little harsh, but it’s very well put together and doesn’t flex.
I love this, and the naming of their new rifle sits well with me as it seems to bring together all that is good about precision airsoft shooting together in a very spiritual sense; I’ve often talked about being “one with the rifle” to achieve the best marksmanship possible, and in this instance Saigo Defense appear to have arrived at the self-same point; there is, after all, more than just one “Way of the Warrior”!
SAIGO DEFENSE KYUDO ARMOURY
SAIGO
ARMOURY
For a rifle that retails for around UK£240 how did it perform? It’s an absolute beast! I ran it through the chrono and the chrono doesn’t lie, and over 10 .20g BBs from the 23 BB magazine the KYUDO delivered a mean power of 1.79 Joule/440fps! Now I know that I would usually put that kind of power output into the lower end of “fettled” territory rather than box-fresh, but the fact is the KYUDO has some hoof straight from the box, and this is very pleasing.
DOWNRANGE
comes integral to the action, which keeps it nice and close to the bore. There’s a neat “two-stage” trigger that breaks cleanly, and above this on the right of the action you’ll find a “red-dot-live” safety.
The bolt seems very nicely engineered, operating smoothly each time it is cycled, and is easy to use, although you do get a little hang-up from the angle of the buttpad and the pistol grip configuration; it’s actually quite hard to cock it “in the shoulder” given the strength of the spring! Cocking the KYUDO “out of the shoulder” though is manageable but still requires some effort; compared to some higher-
“THE RIFLE COMES WITH A 6.03MM BRASS BARREL AS STANDARD, AND ALTHOUGH THIS LOOKS PERFECTLY ADEQUATE IT IS AN AREA THAT PERSONALLY I WOULD LOOK TO UPGRADE, AS YOU ALSO GET AND AEG-CUT ALUMINIUM HOP CHAMBER WITH A MAPLE LEAF RUBBER 60º AND MAPLE LEAF OMEGA NUB FITTED AS STANDARD!”
octoBER 202232
DEFENSE KYUDO
Externally once assembled the KYUDU does look very nice indeed, but internally there’s some good stuff going on as standard too! The rifle comes with a 6.03mm brass barrel as standard, and although this looks perfectly adequate it is an area that personally I would look to upgrade, as you also get and AEG-cut aluminium Hop Chamber with a Maple Leaf rubber 60º and Maple Leaf Omega nub fitted as standard! The rifle also appears to feature an additional pressure ring between the barrel to the chamber for a great fit and a solid seal, but upgrading the inner barrel itself should be straightforward.
SAIGO DEFENSE KYUDO ARMOURY
“THE BOLT SEEMS VERY NICELY ENGINEERED, OPERATING SMOOTHLY EACH TIME IT IS CYCLED, AND IS EASY TO USE, ALTHOUGH YOU DO GET A LITTLE HANG-UP FROM THE ANGLE OF THE BUTTPAD AND THE PISTOL GRIP CONFIGURATION; IT’S ACTUALLY QUITE HARD TO COCK IT “IN THE SHOULDER” GIVEN THE STRENGTH OF THE SPRING!”
The KYUDO weighs in at just 2625g without accessories, and even with them fitted it’s certainly no heavyweight! At 1180mm overall it’s still a long rifle to manipulate, but the balance is good, and it’s definitely a rifle you can carry all day. The Saigo Defense KYUDO undoubtedly looks cool and completely modern, and with just a new inner barrel I believe that you’d be getting solid, consistent hits with it at medium range, with the potential to hit out further still if you are willing to put even minimal effort and spend into the platform.It’srelatively simple, well put together, has some neat little parts fitted as standard, and is reasonably, if not cheaply, priced. For these reasons I can commend the KYUDO to you if you’re just getting started, or are on a serious budget and want to channel a little of that “warrior spirit”!
Many thanks as always to www.iwholesales.co.uk for providing the sample rifle for testing. AA
Once I’d moved up to .30g BBs and dialled in the hop beneath the forestock it was time to zero my 4x32 optic, and perhaps age has mellowed me somewhat, but I actually really enjoyed this part immensely as I knew I had some solid basic power to work with. Supported on sandbags and in the prone position BB after BB went steadily to target at a distance of 30m on the woodland range, and after about an hour or so I was able to achieve some good results on an A4 “X” paper target of my own creation; I think that with a little more patience and a longer range I could probably move that up even further over time, and for a “basic rifle” I find that quite a positive thing.
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powered spring bolt actions that I’ve tried in the past though, the KYUDO can still be chambered and fired quickly, as the bolt almost feels like a straight-pull action, even with the resistance of the spring.
OCTOBER 202236
DRAGUNOVDEFINITIVE
AMONGST THE AIRSOFT ACTION CREW WE HAVE A NUMBER OF DEDICATED OPFOR PLAYERS, AND IN RECOGNITION OF ITS WELL-EARNED STANDING IN AIRSOFT CIRCLES DAN AND STEWBACCA PUT THEIR HEADS TOGETHER TO TAKE A LOOK BACK AT ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED 6MM “DRAGUNOV” MARKSMAN RIFLES TO HAVE BEEN MADE, THE MIGHTY, AND NOW RARE, REAL SWORD SVD! www.airsoftaction.net 37
“EVENTUALLY I ALSO ACQUIRED A PROPER REPLICA OF THE BIPOD WHICH FINISHED THE LOOK NICELY AND MADE IT MORE MANAGEABLE WHEN USING ON OVERWATCH FOR PROTRACTED PERIODS.”
total and jungle mag taped them into pairs; I used four TMC utility pouches on a PLB belt to carry these pairs as finding suitable pouches for them as singles or in general was one aspect I struggled with. The short 10 BB real-steel magazines are a bit square and boxy for most pouches, and having them taped in pairs at least meant I had double the capacity easily available when firing from prone or inconvenient positions.
From then on I used the SVD like any other AEG in terms of gameplay and the rules I had to abide by; at the time the whole grey zone of higher powered ‘semi locked DMRs’ was something I personally avoided and I got more than ample performance out of the RS SVD using just normal power limits, thanks to its leviathan 690mm internal barrel and oversized elongated cylinder. I’d regularly outrange other players at Skirmish Ollerton and could dominate the football pitch paintball-style arena with the SVD, posting even
REAL SWORD SVD RETROSPECTIVE ARMOURY
current market the Real Sword SVD is a hard beast to track down, and owners are most certainly NOT leeting them out of their sight if they are lucky
first evening disassembling and reassembling it around fifteen times to get the power down, and even used the spring from my QBZ and swapped them out to balance the power levels of both guns. Once I’d done all that faffing about they were both shooting at 346 and 348 FPS consistently respectively.
I ordered one and once it arrived I broke out my chrono and decided to test it; initially I was perplexed when it only clocked around ‘170’, then I realised I’d left my chrono in metric mode... somewhat toasty indeed! After drilling a hole in the laminate flooring with that downward shot into a target net I spent the
Scott had called me and pre-warned me at the time that they would likely be coming in on the warm side as they were straight in from Asia.
Often
Playing OPFOR at all of the Copehill MilSim games
the baseline metric for which Airsoft SVD’s and their various derivatives are measured against, the Real Sword Dragunov SVD has deservedly reigned dominant throughout the years. The Real Sword is a true 1:1 replica, possessing a quality of construction rarely, if ever, matched by airsoft companies; weighing within 113g / 4oz. of the real SVD (without scope) and assembled from durable heat-treated steel and laminated plywood, it is even finished in accordance to real SVD’s, with a parkerized base finish underlying a painted exterior. Simply every detail of this AEG was made to be as authentic as possible!Inthe
OCTOBER 202238
a long object, such as an Allen key, your car key, or the like you can depress this plate, which pushes against the cutoff lever and raises it away from the trolley. Pulling the trigger will then cycle the gearbox in full auto and clear out the lockup. If using a more powerful motor, 11.1v LiPo’s and making complete trigger pulls, one can greatly mitigate the need for this device. Still, it’s a nice feature to have for those rare instances where it might be induced.
Overwhelmingly it was a positive experience owning it and gave me a lot of good games and just looked and felt the business, but in the end I sold it on to a friend for a third of what I’d paid for the whole lot before leaving the UK, and he’s made further modifications to it with MOSFETs etc since then... but oh my, I still miss the SVD even now!
the arm it landed on under me was bruised along its whole length... clumsy? Who, me?
Okay, so, loved by the player, but what went on inside the RS SVD; what made it work as well as it did? Dan takes the story forward…
REAL SWORD SVD RETROSPECTIVE ARMOURY
I went to, the SVD was a regular showpiece for me to take along, allowing me some useful range from high places and the PSO-1 replica aided with target identification and to some extent even ranging thanks to its legit stadia curve thing that you bracket a man sized target in to get an idea of distance. Internally it was built like a tank and I had very few issues with it past that first mess around getting it shooting at a reasonable power; I thought at the time that they could have put a quick change spring system in under the top cover and made it a lot easier, but the whole thing had to be dismantled completely to work on the gearbox it seemed.
THE BELLY OF THE BEAST
“THERE IS AN INTERESTING LITTLE DEVICE THAT RIDES ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE GEARBOX THAT CAN BE USED IN INSTANCES WHERE ONE MIGHT EXPERIENCE A SEMIAUTO LOCKUP”
I think I had one instance where the original spring eventually bound up and I had to strip the whole thing down and redo the internals, as well as clear
Dan: For its time in history, the unique constraints of the receiver resulted in Real Sword having to design a completely new gearbox to sit inside of their SVD. Known formally as the “T3” gearbox, this was a high quality extended gearbox casing housing a large cylinder design, a beefy 19-tooth piston and a set of torque 28.7:1 ratio gears in 7mm bearings, and was powered by a short type 28 TPA ferrous motor. Just as in the CYMA SVD, which clones many aspects of the Real Sword, the 4th gear is just a transfer gear, which is necessitated due to the long design of the gearbox
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OCTOBER 202240
As mentioned, the Real Sword was originally fitted with many parts that are literally indistinguishable from the real steel analogue. This has lead to some popular misconception about them being made entirely from converted SVD’s, but in some areas,
Quite unique to the Real Sword, however, was the massive air cylinder design. This was both elongated for the aforementioned 19-tooth piston, and had a larger internal diameter than conventional bore-up cylinders, a bore up “plus”, if you will. Owing to such, the cylinder head and piston head were completely proprietary to it. Technically, by extension the gearbox shell was also proprietary to it as the cylinder area was enlarged to accommodate the larger compression components. The air nozzle was a quality design and featured an O-ring that helped maintain the excellent compression.Theinnerbarrel was among the longest made for a stock AEG at 690mm in length, with a 6.05mm diameter bore. This was mounted to a rotary hop up chamber that had a top-down-center style hop up arm that provided vertical hop up pressure against the bucking. This assembly sat inside a very rigid steel outer barrel that was a precision fit to the receiver. A set of stabilizing screws sat to either side of the chamber and provided additional rigidity, but could also be used to help center the hop up chamber for better air nozzle alignment.
REAL SWORD SVD RETROSPECTIVE
they do in fact use converted components. A notable example is the magazines, which was verified from some old correspondence with Real Sword as having been made from real converted SVD magazines. These are amazingly robust and have true steel locking lugs and incredible lockup, something I wish more Airsoft manufacturers would diligently pursue, especially with AK
been my near-constant companion on the field for over 14 years, the Real Sword SVD has proved itself nothing less than exemplary and extremely durable. Together, we have created many fond memories and legendary encounters that are still spoken of within the ranks of our local community. My example has been running a Guarder SP150 spring producing 2.7J / 545 FPS since day one, and is still running the stock gears, piston and bearings; all of which have dutifully chugged along without fail. I rarely see AEG’s that hold up as well for as long as this platform has, to be honest.
ARMOURY
A real SVD is admittedly one of my “grail guns” that I’d love to own someday, but can’t really justify laying down the cost of a small down payment for a house on. As such, the airsoft reproductions are eminently more approachable to the average layman, and just as fun to collect and shoot.
Havingplatforms.now
With regard to upgrades, these will accept standard AEG-cut inner barrels, hop up buckings, V3 trigger switches, bushings, motors, and some other small parts. If you’re lucky enough to own a Real Sword, for longevity I would recommend installing an inline MOSFET to help preserve the trigger contacts. A Neodymium motor will also greatly improve the semiauto responsiveness, and this gun practically begs for a high quality inner barrel and aftermarket bucking or an R-Hop. Once so outfitted and tuned up, it becomes an absolutely formidable beast on the field.
Unfortunately, airsofters wishing to get their hands on one of these will have an uphill battle ahead of them as these have been long discontinued and Real Sword no longer appears to be in operation for that matter. When new, these used to be available for about USD$450 and used examples now can fetch in excess of USD$1000!. As such, whatever number of these that remain in circulation are kept close at hand, and used examples rarely appear on the secondhand market. Still, if you’re willing to put in some effort locating one, you could find no better SVD replica available. AA
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THE ROLESBATTLEFIELDCAGE: IT’S TIME FOR A BIG NEW SEQUENCE FOR DISCUSSION AMONGST THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION, AND IN THE NEXT FEW ISSUES WE’LL BE CASTING THE NET A LITTLE WIDER AS WE LOOK AT DIFFERENT ROLES WITHIN A COHERENT AIRSOFT TEAM, AND THE KIT THAT YOU NEED TO PERFORM THOSE ROLES NOT JUST ADEQUATELY, BUT EFFECTIVELY!endorsement.DoDconstituteorimplynotdoesinformationvisual(DoD)DefenseofDepartmentU.S.ofappearanceThe BATTLEFIELD ROLES THEOCTOBERCAGE202242
The AA Legion “chat” is a very, very active place these days, as it’s where everyone from around the globe that acts as an “AA Legionnaire” gets together to throw ideas around and help one another with articles and reviews, and a while back Miguel piqued our interest when he posed the question as to “what makes a good airsoft LMG gunner”, and this sent the conversation down a wide-ranging and interesting route!
It’s not just the rifle itself that I’m talking about either as of course to get a good setup you’re going to need the accessories to go with it; an optic, decent rings or a mount, a bipod, and possibly even
As in this issue we’ve devoted our space to “long guns” though, it seemed only fitting that the first “team role” to get some scrutiny is that of “The Sniper”! During my many years involved with airsoft I’ve toyed many, many times the idea of adding another bolt-action sniper rifle to the armoury. I’ve tried many, many models from different manufacturers from super cheap to mega expensive and enjoyed shooting them all, but I’ve usually found myself thinking “I wish I could get just a bit more…”, which of course means investing more time and money into a platform that I’m not personally (and in all honesty) going to use very often.
a suppressor all add to the overall cost of the build, and of course when it comes to optics the sky is the limit.I’ve often fancied trying the sniper role in airsoft games but to be perfectly honest, just as in the real world, it takes a very particular mind-set to perform this even adequately. In an airsoft game, a talented sniper with a higher powered bolt-action rifle can act as a real ‘force multiplier’ (as I’ve found out time and again when I’ve come up against a very talented individual in the woods during numerous games!), reaching out beyond normal airsoft engagement distances to remove the threat of a support gunner, or take out a ‘high value target’.
Time and again though I come back to the fact that even as I get older I’m still more of a ‘in your face, take ground’ type of player and I’ll be the first to admit I just don’t have the patience or inclination to crawl around or hide away in a bush in a ‘Ghillie Suit’, waiting for that one perfect shot. I have to admit that also I don’t really have the “sniper mindset” which is really a must to be effective on the field; yes, I’ll happily hit a game with a semi-auto only DMR, but the thought of laying patiently in wait or sneaking through the woods in a ghillie suit hunting for my quarry is not really my style!
BATTLEFIELD ROLES THE CAGE www.airsoftaction.net 43
TEAM TALK
So, my specific questions to the Legionnaires this month were: “Have you ever played airsoft as a Sniper? What do you believe the role of the sniper REALLY is in an airsoft game?”
experience I end up not using them.
Stewbacca: A few years in when we were playing Vietnam themed games I spent a while getting into bolt action and even the M14 scoped up as an M21esque sniper platforms and got really into reading up on exploits of the likes of Carlos Hathcock during the real conflict. I got quite into it and enjoyed being
Miguel: The sniper role is always attractive, but it’s impossible for me... I’m stuck being a team leader and playing sniper forces one to have a special kind of attention and gameplay, and it’s not feasible to balance both. For example, even using scoped sights starts to create necessary tunnel vision, so from
A good sniper though is worth their weight in gold though, and I do truly admire those that embrace the role fully, and over the years there are many times that I’ve taken a hit seemingly from nowhere and called out “Bloody good shot mate!”. But I have my idea of what a “sniper” is, and this is just a single viewpoint, so I threw the question at the members of The Legion to find out what they thought…
“I USE THE SNIPER IS AS A RECON MEMBER; FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE ARE PREPARING TO LEAVE FOR A MISSION AND WE ARE STILL GETTING INFO FROM THE FACTION COMMANDER I CAN STILL SEND OUT OUR SNIPER TO THE MISSION AREA IN ADVANCE AS A SCOUT.” v3.0.LicenceGovernmentOpentheunderlicensedinformationsectorpublicContains BATTLEFIELD ROLES THEOCTOBERCAGE202244
But I do have to oversee a sniper (just one for now) and the way I use the sniper is as a recon member; for example, if we are preparing to leave for a mission and we are still getting info from the faction commander I can still send out our sniper to the mission area in advance as a scout. It’s important to mention that our guy is “kinda fit”, so he takes off running like it’s nothing and arrives fast at any location. That way I can have an idea of how the mission area is looking. But when it comes to standard team progressions he works as a “dangling” member, always moving around our flanks, looking out for danger to the rest of the team
When I play with a bolt action precision rifle I always play more as a marksman, someone who moves with the team and can aid in long range engagements if required. although personally I have my “long range rifle” downgraded (yet still accurate) to add a little bit of a challenge.
Chris: To me a sniper should be a support element as per the real role, observation and reconnoitring first, precision application second. I think the role of sniper in airsoft is romanticised to the point of overdoing it and the original real world role being overshadowed by kill counts for likes.
Jimmy: The role of a sniper is to unnerve, discourage, weaken and even undermine your enemy in order to collapse morale. Seeing objectives from a distance you provide intel, sort from surveillance all while staying concealed. The ability to pick off important targets at long range gives you a major advantage but you need to be equally proficient at close quarters as you will come in to close contact, so the skill of small arms must be of high standards to ensure your survival.
I certainly think there’s a lot more to it than just long range shooting, certainly if you want the most realistic experience and to be an asset to your team rather than a lone wolf marksman. I think it’s not an ideal position for new players unless they’re really committed to the mindset and the camouflage and concealment and above all else the patience for playing a potentially longer and less action packed game.InTaiwan I’ve seen a lot of new players come into shops and drop silly money on high-end sniper platforms with scopes big enough to do stargazing, and a few weeks later come in and just get an AEG or something more sensible and fun for somebody starting out with a trigger itch, but there are some seasoned players out here and among my team who really take their time to get their loadouts looking top notch and perform well in a larger team.
It’s a good idea to interact with other airsoft snipers especially if you are new to the role you can learn so much and I recently had the pleasure of meeting “Silly Ghilie” over at one of my local sites, in my eyes a very skilled airsoft sniper. Ultimately airsoft is about having fun and being out in the elements so don’t take it to seriously!
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Boycie: I agree with Chris that the problem with
Training is essential, you don’t just become a sniper/ hunter and learning the art of stalking, concealment and shooting all take time to master. Snipers are trained to make the rifle an extension of themselves, the scope an extension of the eye, the trigger an extension of the fist. Sniping is an art form and can take years to master properly. When it comes to sniping in airsoft things change and depending on the game- style can alter the way a sniper approaches things. Skirmish, battlesim or full on milsim will require you to adopt slightly different methods.
“TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL, YOU DON’T JUST BECOME A SNIPER/HUNTER AND LEARNING THE ART OF STALKING, CONCEALMENT AND SHOOTING ALL TAKE TIME TO MASTER. SNIPERS ARE TRAINED TO MAKE THE RIFLE AN EXTENSION OF THEMSELVES, THE SCOPE AN EXTENSION OF THE EYE, THE TRIGGER AN EXTENSION OF THE FIST.”
only played skirmish days up until now it amazes me just how many players are like sitting ducks which makes it much easier to take them out! You find pockets of people just stood around not really doing much and some of the tactics they use trying to get close enough to get the drop on you is comical. Using the concealment can allow you get incredibly close, allowing you to easily pick them off with a pistol and them not have one clue where It came from. At 6ft 4” and 16st you would think it difficult to hide but so far I have taken to sniping like a duck to water and I can honestly say I am enjoying it immensely, constantly learning and picking up new techniques. At the last game day while stood in all my gear, ghillied up, one young lad looked up to me and said “damn you’re big, how do you hide” and I just replied “make like a tree” lol.
angle on things. For one my ammo count has dropped dramatically, my want to run into the fire has lowered and the thirst to shoot everything that moves has somewhat become quenched. I spent many years shooting hft (hard field targets) and this has given me a head start as I understand more about distances and accuracy and the ability to adjust according to distance and the effects Mother Nature can have on a projectile.Having
sneaky and crawling everywhere and radioing Intel in or taking occasional shots, and once I got into MilSim weekenders I’d take the SVD out and provide rooftop overwatch and comms/Intel for the whole team in larger operations.
Having recently immersed myself into this role has allowed me to slow things down and get a better
Dan: I think it takes a certain personality to be in the role of a sniper. You have to have the patience of a saint and possess a tacit understanding of the ebb
and flow of battle and when to “get out of dodge” when the numbers aren’t in your favour. You need to be able to work independently of a team, and understand that you might inevitably find yourself outside of radio range and have to make your own decisions on the spot.
You also need to understand people and personalities: be a people watcher, if you will. You need to understand the makeup of the opposing force and how to use that to your advantage: new guys get tunnel vision hard and can be drawn away from their teams and main force into ambushes. Seasoned players will not typically give chase so easily unless they have numerical superiority or can rally up a posse to hunt you, and even then, you might not be worth their while unless you’re being seriously harassing. Regardless, try not to get cornered, always have an exit plan, and never let them get inside your MED… ideally never let them get to where they have range on you! Always leverage the superior range of your gun to your advantage. You need to know your rifle intimately, to where it’s an extension of yourself and you know exactly how it will perform and where to make your holds at various ranges, etc.
sniping in airsoft is that a lot of new players come into the sport having only played COD/MW and other shoot ‘em ups and have a totally unrealistic impression of what sniping is all about. Also they have no concept of, in some occasions, the lack of hit taking on general open skirmish fields.
Much as others have alluded to, sniping is really a one or ideally two person role and can often mean slow, deliberate movement to get into position for just a few shots. I really enjoy that side of things now, mainly as I’m not as young as I used to be!
Larri: I tried few games as a sniper like 20 years ago! Patience and payong attention to the details are very important.
Bill W-R: The sniper role for me has always been as a support role. Now I’m not one of the ghillie brigade and find that even with just a standard CSMO loadout good positioning can bring results!. However, the true sniper role is a long and thankless task as you may not get as many targets as a run and gun player, but like fishing patience and preparation have their rewards!
v3.0.LicenceGovernmentOpentheunderlicensedinformationsectorpublicContains BATTLEFIELD ROLES THEOCTOBERCAGE202246
It’s not a role or play style I generally recommend to new players to the sport, as they haven’t found their “airsoft feet” yet and figured out their groove (and this naturally evolves over time too). 99% of the time, a new guy will get a COD fantasy in their head, buy a bone-stock bolty and immediately get trashed on by a 12 year old with a G&G Wombat machine, followed by a week later finding that same bolty put up for sale on Airsoft Classifieds. They don’t understand that it takes a financial investment to properly build out a true long-range setup, nor do they understand the tactics and persona required of someone involved in the role. You also need to separate preconceived or anticipated fictions from reality. There’s no such thing as 360 no-scopes in airsoft!
Robbie: This is so tough, tougher than any other role to chat about, honestly IMO. I have written erased and rewritten this maybe ten times. My issue is what I feel, what I see, and what I know don’t match. Especially based on real-life past work.
BATTLEFIELD ROLES
I’ll say this... it so depends on the field, (especially if you can see further than you can shoot which is a big issue in airsoft field design IMO), the game rules/fps/ rof, and the basis of whether you gaming to win or gaming to LARP! AA
THE CAGE www.airsoftaction.net 47
For myself, I’ve been long invested in the role, but I wouldn’t say I play as a sniper so much as in a supporting role. Maybe the lines are just blurred due to the vagaries of airsoft lol. We rarely have opportunity or the terrain for doing the discreet reconnaissance, as an example. I can’t remember the last time where I really had to just scout around and do recon, to be honest. The majority of time when
playing with teams, I’m given free reign to do my own thing, where I’ll just travel from skirmish to skirmish taking care of issues that are outside the reach of my teammates so they can try and get a leg forward. I’ve developed some tactics that work very well for me and my play style, and have proven to be quite effective.I’veapparently developed a real flair for it over the years, so when people see me drag out the SVD in the safe zone, they start groaning and trying to jockey and find out which side I’m playing on. So I guess I’m instantly demoralizing without even firing a shot half the time (“job’s half done, eh!” lol).
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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 TOKYO L119A2MARUICUSTOM BUILD NEXT GEN RECOIL SHOCK CONTACT US FOR DETAILS
WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN IT COMES TO A “PRECISION AIRSOFT RIFLE”, AND WHAT DO WE MEAN BY THAT? WITHIN THE RANKS OF RED CELL WE HAVE MEMBERS WHO HAVE SEARCHED LONG AND HARD FOR THE BEST “LONG GUN” THEY CAN LAY THEIR HANDS ON, AND SOME OF THOSE RIFLES ARE VETERANS OF NUMEROUS GAMES WITH A HEALTHY “KILL COUNT” NOTCHED ON THEIR STOCKS! THIS MONTH, IN LINE WITH OUR THEME, RED CELL TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THEIR FAVOURITES, MANY THAT HAVE ALREADY UNDERGONE SOME RIGOROUS TESTING, BOTH IN-GAME AND ON THE RANGE!
RED
GAMETHEPLAYINGCELLLONG
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the lure of the “Precision Rifle”! Virtually every airsofter I know has at one point or another looked at either a bolt action or semi-auto “sniper” models and thought “I’ll have me some of that”, but inevitably many hopes and dreams are dashed on the rocky shores of underperformance, leading the majority of players to walk away from platforms that don’t give them the vicarious and immediate thrill that an AEG or even a full-auto GBBR does!
snipers over the ages.
Not only do they hunt for other players, but they constantly hunt for knowledge and an edge, that extra little bit of performance from their rifle, or that extra scrap of know-how that will allow them to ply their trade even more effectively!
“NOT ONLY DO THEY HUNT FOR OTHER PLAYERS, BUT THEY CONSTANTLY HUNT FOR KNOWLEDGE AND AN EDGE, THAT EXTRA LITTLE BIT OF PERFORMANCE FROM THEIR RIFLE, OR THAT EXTRA SCRAP OF KNOW-HOW THAT WILL ALLOW THEM TO PLY THEIR TRADE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVELY!”
I’ve known many airsoft snipers over the years, and some have been truly exemplary; when playing pick-up games in Florida I remember my friend Kyle (and his late father Scott, RIP old friend!) would simply disappear into the palms and mangroves at the start of the day, and the only thing we would see of him until game-end was players holding their arms up and crying “HIT” as he added another notch to the stock of his simply-amazing Maruzen L96. In larger games, Kyle was a real “force multiplier” for our team too, as he would range on our flanks, dealing with threats we never even knew about. If our advance was bogged down by a talented gunner or, lawd forbid, another good sniper I would call Kyle up to our line and simply say “deal with it”… and he would!Thankfully
I’ve known a few outstanding and talented airsoft snipers like Kyle, but like you I’m guessing, I’ve also known the ones that are either lone-wolf glory-hounds more interested in filming
Ah,
Of course a minority stick with their beloved “long”, and put in the hours and hours of testing and development necessary to build a REALLY good rifle, marrying up upgraded internals (and even HPA systems) with a reliable optic, bipod, and other accessories to turn their stock rifle into an absolute tack driver at engagement distances that most AEG users can only dream about! They build a custom summer ghillie, again spending many hours getting this just right so that they can melt into the foliage of their favourite site, and then they create another to take into account changing foliage conditions in the winter months. They scour the interwebz for tutorials on camouflage, fieldcraft and stealthy movement, and some I know even delve into real, old-skool paper books to research the tactics used by real-life
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OPFOR GOLD
To me the success of a true airsoft sniper is not measured by the amount they spend on their rifle, but rather the effectiveness of their actions in game. Whilst by nature a sniper IS a bit of a “lone wolf” they can also be a hugely valuable member of any team if they are good at what they do. It should come as no surprise to you then that some of the rifles that Red Cell have chosen are not super-expensive, but instead are good, solid models that with minimal “fettling” and a good optic will let a GOOD shooter with the requisite mind and skillset get to business… and business will be good!
LONG GUNS
RED CELL
I won’t mention the site, but at one game our advance was bogged down by an OPFOR gunner and as usual I made the call “Sniper Up!” Said “sniper” arrived with his tricked out VSR, spent a couple of minutes fiddling and settling, and then took his shot… and hit nowhere close! He took another shot and I actually watched the BB drift and curve lazily over the OPFOR position… again, NOWHERE close! Eventually I became so frustrated that I simply stood and loosed a burst from my AKS74U which by sheer chance nailed the opposing gunner, and I’m sure the look of disdain I gave that “sniper” remains with him to this day… but probably not, such are airsoft egos...
their “killstreak” on their Go-Pros for some kind of weird and needy self-aggrandizement, or those that simply are inept!
at the basic motorised infantry rifle platoon level. Such marksmen were estimated to have a 50% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 800m/875 yards, and an 80% probability of hitting a standing, man-sized target at 500m/547 yards. For distances
“THE DRAGUNOV (OR “SNAYPERSKAYA VINTOVKA SISTEM’Y DRAGUNOVA OBRAZ’TSA 1963 GODA (SVD-63), OR SNIPER RIFLE, SYSTEM OF DRAGUNOV, MODEL OF THE YEAR 1963”...) IS A UNIQUE RIFLE FOR SEVERAL REASONS. FIRST, IT WAS NOT MEANT FOR HIGHLY TRAINED AND SPECIALISED SNIPER TEAMS, BUT RATHER FOR DESIGNATED MARKSMEN IN AN INFANTRY SUPPORT ROLE…. SO IT FITS AIRSOFT PERFECTLY!”
OCTOBER 202252
The Dragunov (or “Snayperskaya Vintovka sistem’y Dragunova obraz’tsa 1963 goda (SVD-63), or Sniper Rifle, System of Dragunov, Model of the Year 1963” to give the rifle it’s full name!) is a unique rifle for several reasons. First, it was not meant for highly trained and specialised sniper teams, but rather for designated marksmen in an infantry support role…. So it fits airsoft perfectly! After the introduction of the rifle, the Soviet Army deployed designated marksmen
Bill: I’ll start the ball rolling with a righteous choice for the OPFOR players out there, and although Dan and Stewbacca have already sung the praises of the awesome Real Sword SVD I’ll offer up my own choice for this platform in the shape of the WE ACE VD GBBR.
wanted it as close to my local fields semi-auto 1.87 Joule/450fps DMR limit as possible, and 2) I wanted the trigger fettled for as smooth a break as possible; when he returned it to me I was getting a consistent 1.79 Joule/440fps on a .20g BB and the trigger broke like glass. What you need to consider here is that the trigger, unlike a battery powered AEG, can be worked on just like the real thing! You do also need to replace the stock hop-rubber as it’s awful, along with the nozzle as the “factory” one is made of cheese, and a very delicate soft cheese at that!
musket) and they don’t come much longer
rifle it is far from ungainly; weighing in at 2900g/6.4lbs
The ACE VD GBBR with the laminated wood suits an exceptionally long inner barrel too, coming in as it does at a whopping 620mm/24.5inches! When you’re talking about an airsoft rifle one
LONG GUNS RED CELL
aside, the bullpup format creates a nicely condensed length when compared to the full sized SVD, with a rear-biased center of gravity that makes the whole gun quite comfortable to shoulder and manipulate. Externally the SVU has a full metal steel body and fittings fitted with a modern polymer handguard, pistol grip and buttplate. The sheet metal dust cover is also fitted with a polymer cheek riser that extends over the top of the cover and makes aiming the rifle more comfortable. A beefy looking mock suppressor is affixed to the outer barrel as would be found on the real version. The polymer handguard can be separated to reveal the battery
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Moving up to .40g BBs to get a more solid trajectory the Dragunov hurtles them downrange with a huge “crack” which certainly turns some heads! Once I’d dialled the iron sights in I was easily hitting “hub-cap” targets at 50m, which is exactly what I’d hoped for. I’ve not invested in a “real deal” optic for mine as I’m perfectly happy on the “irons” and on those alone I’ve even hit a moving player at just over 100m… thankfully witnessed by my team-mates! All things considered I’m really, really happy with the ACE VD “Dragunov” and it’s exactly the kind of “reach out and touch somebody” rifle that I hoped it would be. Retailing iro UK£400 it’s a fabulous bit of kit and I keep it well-tuned mainly for MilSim events… mainly!
“UNUSUAL APPEARANCE ASIDE, THE BULLPUP FORMAT CREATES A NICELY CONDENSED LENGTH WHEN COMPARED TO THE FULL SIZED SVD, WITH A REARBIASED CENTER OF GRAVITY THAT MAKES THE WHOLE GUN QUITE COMFORTABLE TO SHOULDER AND MANIPULATE.”
brushed silver which looks particularly attractive, and the laminated wood of the stock and handguard also looks spot on. The 22 BB gas magazine is also metal and finished the same as Now let’s talk performance; when handed it off to my “gas man” and
carry all day. The construction is metal throughout, and the finish is absolutely first rate, a semi-matt black. The heavy,
to play around with electric versions too which have been great airsoft guns but somehow lacked character; most of the electric versions also require at least some major upgrading to get true performance from them, but thankfully this is an area where a
Dan: Airsofters seeking a reliable semi-auto airsoft sniper rifle outside of the conventional would do well to take a hard look at the CYMA OTs-33 SVU. This AEG is essentially a bullpup variant of the venerable SVD Dragunov design. Here, CYMA has made an excellent replica of this unusual looking firearm, and IMHO, the SVU and SVD are among CYMA’s best madeUnusualAEG’s.appearance
Aft of the pistol grip is the receiver proper, which has the mock bolt carrier, behind which is the hop up
The pistol grip is hollow and does not contain the motor, as one might surmise. Some users with large hands might find it a bit short in length, but it’s otherwise serviceable. The actual safety is found here in the form of a crossbar style safety that prevents movement of the trigger linkage when the switch is in safe mode. Pushing it to the left will allow for firing.
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Moving over to the internals, we have the exact same gearbox as found on CYMA’s SVD, which is itself a clone of Real Swords “T3” gearbox design. There are some minor differences with respect to the requirements of the bullpup design, specifically the trigger linkage and selector gears. This uses an elongated cylinder design with a 19-tooth piston. Unlike the Real Sword, however, these are not
CELL
Just behind the motor grip is the magazine well, which can be fitted with either 120 round hicap or 80 round midcap SVD magazines. Presuming one can find them, Real Sword SVD magazines can also be fitted with some mild modification to the locking interfaces. The magazine release will be eminently familiar to anyone who’s handled an AK, and thusly is truly ambidextrous in operation. This design also works excellent for the bullpup format, and changing magazines is a breeze.
RED a precision rifle. It’s not especially rigid as the tube has some flex when “loading” up the bipod, and the legs do not rigidly lock into place when extended either. This is a removable assembly, though, and users wishing to shave a little weight might opt to remove it.
“THE MAGAZINE RELEASE WILL BE EMINENTLY FAMILIAR TO ANYONE WHO’S HANDLED AN AK, AND THUSLY IS TRULY AMBIDEXTROUS IN OPERATION. THIS DESIGN ALSO WORKS EXCELLENT FOR THE BULLPUP FORMAT, AND CHANGING MAGAZINES IS A BREEZE.”
SVD style selector switch is also found here, but in this case, the SVU has a 3-position switch that also allows for firing in full auto. While a helpful feature for rectifying gearbox lockup (where rapidly operating the trigger in semi-auto and inadvertently short-stroking it might induce a gearbox jam), most fields require DMR’s and snipers to be locked to semi-auto only, so this will likely have to be disabled.
LONG GUNS
A set of flip-up iron sights sits atop the rifle, with the rear being a peep style aperture that allows for elevation adjustment only. The front allows for windage and elevation changes. Most will never really use these as the rifle is intended to be used with optics, so they exist more as a backup than your main aiming source. The SVU features the same scope rail interface as the SVD series, so it has compatibility with SVD optics and optic rails that use an SVD mounting interface. Other SVU variants made by CYMA feature M-LOK rails and full length picatinny top rails for mounting western-style optics.
Despite the air nozzle lacking an O-ring, in
than the rifle comes equipped with. The main weak points here are the air nozzle, which is regrettably made from clear polycarbonate and lacking an O-ring, and the piston head which is a crude and inelegant design. Both of these can fortunately be replaced with quality aftermarket options.
The stock barrel is a 6.05mm bore diameter and comes equipped with a nice rotary style hopup chamber that has a true top-down-center hopup arm. Coupled with the secure mounting interface and rigidity of design, this makes it an ideal setup for eking out accuracy; especially with upgrades.
LONG GUNS RED CELL
The trigger switch is a standard Ver. 3 setup, and would benefit from one wiring in a inline style MOSFET to help protect the contacts from burning out over time. On the gear side, we have an arrangement of four gears and CYMA’s 7mm crosshatch sintered bushings. The gears are a torquey 28.7:1 ratio gearset, with the 4th gear simply being a transfer gear, or idler gear, as it’s otherwise known. Paired with this setup is CYMA’s 22 TPA Neodymium motor, which provides good trigger response. Ideally, the SVU should be ran with 11.1v LiPo’s to obtain the best responsiveness out of it. The battery compartment is large enough to house normal buffer tube length LiPo’s and some larger stick styles in addition to a MOSFET.
Thanks to the Specna Arms mantra that their CORE-series replicas will have “an attractive price in combination with good performance straight out of the box as well as high-quality materials” their SV-98 comes in at just UK£115 (UK£223 for the rifle/scope/ bipod package) which makes it an affordable choice. But that’s not to say that the price in any way relates
The SV-98, or “Snaiperskaya Vintovka Model of 1998”, came about due to the need for Russian units to replace their aging stock of SVDs for the true “sniper role”. As good as the SVD is, it is essentially still a DMR in nature, and even though some models were accurized beyond the norm, specialist units still felt the need for a dedicated precision rifle due to their own changing roles. Developed in 1998 by a group of IZHMASH designers, led by Vladimir Stronsky and produced by JSC Kalashnikov Concern, the SV-98 is based on the design of the Record CISM full bore target shooting rifle series also made at Izhmash.
“AS GOOD AS THE SVD IS, IT IS ESSENTIALLY STILL A DMR IN NATURE, AND EVEN THOUGH SOME MODELS WERE ACCURIZED BEYOND THE NORM, SPECIALIST UNITS STILL FELT THE NEED FOR A DEDICATED PRECISION RIFLE DUE TO THEIR OWN CHANGING ROLES.”
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be remiss of us not to include a dedicated OPFOR bolty, and of course the one that immediately springs to mind is the SV-98. Although there are now a couple of different airsoft models of this military rifle out in the wild now, along with some truly excellent custom versions, but I wanted an AS-98 and didn’t want to spend the earth, so I went for the Specna Arms version, and I’m actually pretty glad that I did!
REAL SWORD SVD AEG
Age: 18 Months Weight: 2920g Length: Magazine1140mmCapacity: 45 BBs
Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk
WE ACE VD GBBR
Price: iro UK£115.00
Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/ 315fps fps
Cold Chrono: 2.77 Joule/547fps
Hot Chrono: 2.77 Joule/547fps
Cold Chrono: 1.79 Joule/440fps
Price: iro UK£450.00
Magazine Capacity: 200 BBs
Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/331.8fps
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
SPECNA ARMS SV98 SPRING
Price: iro UK£750.00 (as new)
Supplied By: www.taiwangun.com
Age: Many Years!
Cold Chrono: 1.37 Joule/385fps (as Hotnew)Chrono: As Per User Setup
OCTOBER 202256
Age: Six Years Weight: 3400 g Length: 1220 mm Magazine Capacity: 22 BBs, Gas
Weight: 4800g Length: 1225 mm Magazine Capacity: 96 BBs
Supplied By: You’ll be lucky to find one!
RED CELL
APS M40A3 SPRING
Age: Two Years Weight: 3755g Length: 1210mm
Price: iro UK£106.00
Hot Chrono: 1.87 Joule/449fps
LONG GUNS
Magazine Capacity: 32 BBs
Cold Chrono: 1.8 Joule/440fps (as new)
Age: One Year Weight: 2900g Length: 1140mm
Age: Two Years Weight: 4700g Length: 860mm/1090mm/1145mm
Cold Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps
Price: iro UK£560.00
Cold Chrono: 1.73 Joule/433fps
Age: One Year Weight: 2950 g Length: 1000 mm
Age: Two Years Weight: 4100g Length: 1085mm
Hot Chrono: 1.08 Joule/338.1fps
Price: iro UK£100.00
ARES MS338 (M40A6) SPRING
ARES STRIKER AS-01 SPRING
Price: iro UK£440.00
Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk
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ASG STEYR SCOUT SPRING
Magazine Capacity: 30 BBs
Age: Three Years Weight: 2815g Length: 1135mm
Hot Chrono: 1.73 Joule/433fps
EVOLUTION M40 SPRING
Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps
Magazine Capacity: 78 BBs
Price: iro UK£170.00
Cold Chrono: 1.47 Joule/401fps
Supplied By: www.evolution-airsoft.com
Hot Chrono: 1.8 Joule/440fps Supplied By: www.landwarriorairsoft.com
Hot Chrono: 1.47 Joule/401fps
LONG GUNS RED CELL
Cold Chrono: 1.08 Joule/336.7.9fps
Magazine Capacity: 20 BBs
Supplied By: www.iwholesales.co.uk
SPECNA ARMS SA-S02 SPRING
Supplied By: www.gunfire.com
Price: iro UK£100.00
Magazine Capacity: 45 BBs
Bill: If you’re looking for a more BLUFOR “Mil-style” precision rifle, then once upon a time I would have immediately said “go for an L96”, but times move on and this venerable platform has largely been superceded. What I look at personally in a “Mil” rifle now usually find me picking up some form of “M40” rifle, and one of my favourites of the last few years is most definitely the APS APM40A3!
I’ve been working with the spring-powered SV98 for a couple of years, and their SA-SO2 boltaction for significantly longer, and thus far I’m still extremely happy with both models. The Specna Arms SV-98 replica features a simple and reliable boltaction mechanism fed from a detachable 65BB box magazine, and I’ve found the bolt to be smooth and simple to operate in all conditions. Internally the SV-98 is put together with parts compatible with the “TM standard”, and I’ve found that many small upgrade parts just drop right on in, although I’ve done nothing significant to it.
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to “out of the box” quality and performance though!
LONG GUNS RED CELL
In terms of construction the SV-98 is made of metal and reinforced polymer; metal parts include the entire external barrel along with the chamber, trigger and charging handle as well as RIS accessory rails and all assembly elements such as screws. The chassis with the stock, stock pad and the magazine are made of solid polymer and rubber; the use of Specna’s own NCore reinforced polymer makes the construction very durable and the matte finish of the chassis gives the rifle a striking and unique look; oh, that green (you can have boring black, tan, or olive if you wish)! The stock has three adjustment points as the cheek pad and the comfortable, profiled buttpad can be adjusted for height and length. At the bottom of the stock, there is an adjustable monopod that improves that helps stabilise the rifle when shooting prone.The SV-98 is at 1210mm/48-inches long a big rifle! That said, of course what that also means is that it does have an exceptionally long 585mm/23 inch inner barrel too! From the box the SV-98 chrono’d nicely at 1.58 Joule/413fps with .20 BBs , but I’ve tweaked that higher but still comply with the “sniper” limits found at most sites. Set now at 470fps with the hop set correctly (easy to do, it’s a big dial on the bottom of the chassis!), the long inner barrel, and that amount of power I can easily hit accurately to 7580m using a .40g which is perfectly fine by me! I may still make some further improvements to the internal operation in the future, but for now though, all things considered I’m really, really happy with the Specna
“IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A MORE BLUFOR “MIL-STYLE” PRECISION RIFLE, THEN ONCE UPON A TIME I WOULD HAVE IMMEDIATELY SAID “GO FOR AN L96”, BUT TIMES MOVE ON AND THIS VENERABLE PLATFORM HAS LARGELY BEEN SUPERCEDED.”
An airsoft M40 for just 105 Great British quids though, there had to be a catch… but a few years down the road I’m yet to find one. The first name to catch my eye here was APS Limited (best known for their CAM 870 shell-ejecting shotgun system, and closely followed by that name was another, that of Hakkotsu, they of the “Hades Arrow Mortar System” fame! So, with all this under my hat I was convinced that I’d found a bit of a “hidden gem”, and it has proved to be that I was totally right!
Arms SV-98.
With the M40 no major introduction is required
MORE MIL!
happy with these!
The action is super-smooth and precise. With a short lift and sharp pull to the rear there is a little resistance due to the power (oh, the power!) but you soon get used to this. Internally you will find a 6.03 Stainless Steel Inner Barrel as standard; the M40 actually has six built in inner barrel stabilisers and APS/Hakkotsu have ensured that there is perfect alignment of the inner barrel as it is installed in the rifle. It appears to me that they wanted to make sure the accuracy of this rifle is outstanding from the get go, and it APS/Hakkotsuis.
don’t call this rifle the “EXTREME POWER VERSION” for nothing! This thing came out of the box at a whopping 2.77 Joule/547fps on a .20g, and at this power level you may find some sites that won’t be happy with it as a skirmish
To start with I tried some 0.32g BBs as my other guns tuned to 1 Joule are set up with them. I continued to shoot, and soon figured out 0.32g was just too much for the rubber to handle at this power, and I found that actually 0.28g and 0.30g gave a better result range-wise. So after clearing that up and adjusting a bit back and forth, I went to the range for some target practice!
So,small!maximum range out of the box I would say is just above 50 metres for a player-size target, but again, the stock rifle as new I got for testing was only at just below 1 Joule! However, the look rifle? It screams tactical and right away. Assembling it is very easy, just some screws basically. I did notice the rifle is rather heavy, much heavier than my TM VSR
“I’VE HAD FUN GETTING THE EVOLUTION M40 ON THE RANGE, FITTED WITH A HARRISSTYLE BIPOD, AND A VORTEX 4-16X50 CROSSFIRE II OPTIC, AND SO FAR I’VE KEPT THINGS DOWN TO 50M. THE RIFLE ITSELF IS CERTAINLY CAPABLE OF MORE THOUGH...” www.airsoftaction.net 59
Bjorn: I’ve had fun getting the EVOLUTION M40 on the range, fitted with a Harris-style Bipod, and a Vortex 4-16x50 Crossfire II optic, and so far I’ve kept things down to 50m. The rifle itself is certainly capable of more though; I test fired a few shots to dial in the hop up and then chrono’d it (that’s the way over here in Sweden) and it chrono’d in at just below 1 Joule which is perfectly acceptable for a “stock” bolt-action spring rifle.
First off I set up three plate targets of medium size, (300mm x 300mm approximately) at 30, 40 and 50 metres, as I figured it was what I could expect with this amount of power and a newer rifle. At 30m: no problem! Hits every time! At 40m, still okay, maybe hits about every second shot. At 50m: okay… now it got a bit challenging! I was hitting the plate about every fifth BB, but remember that this is a brand-new rifle, and the size of the target at 50m was…
LONG GUNS RED CELL
with a matt effect which gives the rifle a classy look. The furniture is available in plain black, plain desert tan and Multicam Black (for a bit more money of course!). Throughout the moulded furniture is very precise with no gaps or prominent lines present, and both the grip area and the forestock are nicely stippled for ease of retention.
We have an old shooting range nearby that I was able to access for testing and to take pictures; it’s a kinda old military range with huge numbers set up in the sand, and goes out to 200+ metres, more than enough for an airsoft rifle!
OCTOBER 202260
The Modular Sniper Rifle, or MSR, is a bolt-action sniper rifle developed and produced by Remington Arms for the United States Army. It was introduced in 2009, and was designed to meet specific United States Army and USSOCOM Precision Sniper Rifle requirements. In 2013, the MSR was declared the winner of the Precision Sniper Rifle competition. This was followed by a $79.7 million contract for 5,150 rifles with suppressors, along with 4,696,800 rounds of ammunition to be supplied over the next ten years according to MilitaryTimes.
Bill: Okay, time to get real! I do love the classic M40 style of rifle, but of course then something comes along that is all “Gucci and shiny” that turns your head and makes your plans go slightly awry, and I’m as guilty of that as any of you! For me that moment came at IWA when I first laid eyes on the ARES MS338/M40A6 MSR on the iWholesales display in 2019!
The upper receiver on the MS338 is CNC aluminium, while the lower receiver is die cast aluminium alloy. The fore-grip, barrel, flash hider and rail are CNC machined as well for greater authenticity. I understand from “sniper friends” that the spring cocking system is compatible with the TM VSR-10 system, which means that you can use after-market performance parts designed for the VSR-10 in this rifle.
rifle, but for a potential precision rifle this is not a bad thing as you want a solid shooting base for consistent accuracy.
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The MS338 chronos on a .20gat a very tidy 1.47 Joule/401fps; I’d hoped for more, but “400” is in my mind more than adequate to get cracking with! At 50m on .40g with very little error I was soon able to hit an A4 sheet of paper, and then working slowly but surely I was able to pull the grouping of the BBs in towards the centre of the cross drawn upon it. As it was spot-on at 50m I saw no reason whatsoever that it would be a no-brainer reaching that 70m mark, and this proved to be the case once I got an optic up top!
com.In 2013, the USMC released a solicitation for the M40 Modular Stock Program. Upgraded features included a folding stock, compatible with current M40 actions and barrels, to make the rifle more compact for transportation inside confined spaces like vehicles and a full-length rail to accommodate optics and accessories; the M40A5 has only a few inches of rail space beyond the scope for a night vision optic, so extending the rail length would allow more accessories to be attached, enabling snipers to put rounds on target under any conditions. The resulting weapon from the program was originally to be re-designated the M40A6.Officially licensed by Remington, the ARES MS338 spring-powered boltaction sniper rifle is a faithful replica of the MSR/M40A6; as well as being a real-world tack-driver, this rifle gained a popular following from video games like Call of duty Modern Warfare3 and Ghost Recon Future Soldier! Of full metal construction and weighing in at 4758g, this is a precision rifle that you can actually carry easily. At just 890mm with the stock folded it’s easy to strap on a pack in addition to your primary, but at 1100mm with the stock extended it becomes a thoroughly usable beast. Ergonomic features include an adjustable riser/cheekrest, and a fully adjustable butt for a perfect fit that is entirely tailored to you. Mini RIS rails on the butt allow you to attach accessories or a monopod on the rear for a more stable shooting platform.
The whole feel of the MS338 is absolutely lovely, and the action of the bolt is silky smooth, meaning that you can easily stay on target between shots. The trigger is crisp with almost zero take-up. The pistol grip is sublime with a great shape and some super texturing, and that butt… oh boy! You can fiddle with this to your heart’s content to get it absolutely perfect!
for the bipod, along with two double-sided swivels for the attachment of a QD tactical sling; if you prefer you can mount the bipod to the swivel stud which brings it closer to the chassis.
OCTOBER 202262
RED CELL
The furniture itself is made from metal and reinforced polymer; the use of “Ncore” reinforced polymer makes the construction very durable and adds a nice matt finish to the chassis. In addition, metal elements feature a Nano Coating finish that prevents scratches, and metal parts include the entire external barrel along with the chamber, trigger and charging handle as well as RIS accessory rails and all assembly elements such as screws, with the bolt carrier featuring laser-engraved Specna Arms markings. The chassis with the butt, butt pad and the magazine are made of solid polymer, and the butt has a comfortable rubber pad, the thickness of which can be adjusted using a set of exchangeable overlays. In combination with the adjustable cheek pad it allows
LONG GUNS
Bill: Now for many airsoft snipers out there the TM VSR-10 is king, and it’s undoubtedly a cool base rifle; however, reams and even volumes have already been written on this rifle so we’re not going to bore you on OUR thoughts too! However, if you want something that doesn’t really scream “Mil” at all then there are some fine crossover choices on which to base your bolty!My personal choice for this is the Specna Arms SA-S02 CORE as it’s inexpensive (the basic S02 comes in just under €100!), easy to work on and upgrade, and even comes as a “package” if you want to get into the sniper role on a budget! In terms of looks the SA-S02 CORE still closely resembles the M40 rifle design, but in a pared-back way. Up top is a standard Picatinny mounting rail, so it’s again easy to fit an optic, and the S02 also features a short section of rail
GOING “CIVVY”
Chris: I have to admit since buying the Steyr Scout at the tail end of 2021, I’ve only fielded it a handful of times (four maximum) being only able to play once a month due to “adulting commitments” and wanting to use my AUG. But, what little experience I have with this replica is all extremely pleasing. It’s first game was at full stock strength and innards, which I may say is extremely impressive, I did however paint the stock a nice OD to match my AUG; okay I have a thing about Steyr guns in OD/
adjusting the butt to user preferences. A neat safety is located next to the bolt and can be operated with yourInternallythumb.the S02 (apart from the Hop-Up chamber and the magazine) is fully-compatible with the everpopular VSR-10, which enables easy power tuning and means that spare and upgrade parts will never be an issue! I have to say that it looks the business, and power testing as standard on a .20g BB gave me a very consistent mean of 1.65 Joule/423fps which is brilliant straight from the packaging! Range is also solid out to 50m using a .30 BB, and I can still punch out to 65m accurately if I try hard enough! This rifle from me gets a big “thumbs up”.
Aside from downgrading, I have installed the Modify H Nub (blue), and this has made an already very accurate replica even more so; I’m not talking real rifle subMOA accuracy but using a 1.5x scout scope it’s putting a .36 on a figure 11 target’s centre mass at 50 meters every time. It may not sound amazing but some users are reporting they are putting .40+
upwards of 90 meters with the same accuracy using stock internals and just the H Nub added.
Red Cell is supported by:
Pretty impressive for a toy!
Bill W-R: What to say about the ARES Striker? Well, in its various iterations it has something to suit everyone, from the standard AS01, the upgraded AS02 to the bonkers AS03 “knee capper”! My AS02 had a short but fruitful time with me following spring, piston and hop upgrades. A raft of add-ons are available and there is a great facebook community for owners which is mature and non-toxic for a pleasant change.Asfor my AS02 I loved the adjustability at the stock-end and the built in holder for the spare magazine is a wonderful touch. I feel that some more could be done by ARES to up the performance and quality to bring it line with competitors hitting the market like the Scout. It has always surprised me that some manufacturers just sit back and concentrate on volume rather than evolution.
Overall, I’m still massively impressed with a replica I’ve waited 20+ years for, and my only single gripe is that it doesn’t feed from the proper mag well… always something to work on, isn’t there… it’s airsoft!
first game the only parts I’ve changed/added are the main spring, to bring it down, yes… down... to 345fps with a .20; why would I want to use a bolty at low power? Several reasons, but chiefly, it’s a scout rifle. The whole scout rifle doctrine as described by Jeff Cooper is something I have subscribed to, having an accurate bolt action rifle that can engage at close range quickly makes airsoft very fun for me, I’ve been playing for so long now that these little challenges keep me going!
Bill: So, there you have it, the Red Cell meanderings on what we ourselves use and why! Being an airsoft sniper doesn’t mean you have to throw gazillions of buckeroos at your preferred platform, but it does mean that you need to put time in both in terms of making that platform as accurate as possible, and in learning ALL the skills that make the sniper a truly useful, and valued member of any team!
See you out on the field… but then again, maybe not, if you’re doing it right! AA
LONG GUNS RED CELL
black!Since
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With the range having now been out for quite a few years now it would be good to see the next generation of these come out. Overall a good platform that needs some money to be invested in it including the aftermarket hop adjuster which ARES should really have included in the rifle.
T U R N YO U R P H O N E I N T O T H E M O S T A F F O R D A B L E V I R T UA L S I M U L AT I O N S H O O T I N G S Y S T E M . W O R K S W I T H R E A L F I R E A R M S , G E L B L A S T E R S A N D A I R S O F T.
THIS MONTH WE’VE DECIDED TO GET INTO “LONG GUNS” AND OF COURSE A CRUCIAL PART OF THIS SETUP IS CHOOSING THE RIGHT OPTIC TO SIT ON TOP OF YOUR FAVOURED PRECISION RIFLE. WITH THE VAST EXPERIENCE AMONGST SOME OF THE SEASONED MEMBERS OF RED CELL AND THE LEGION FACTORED IN BILL QUITE LITERALLY TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF HIS FAVOURITE OPTIONS THAT MAY SUIT YOU TOO!
Most
DMRs,myopticIIIHDRazorVortexGen1-10x24onairsoftand I INSIGHTING
airsoft manufacturers now seem to have a solid range of different optics, but the concentration for most of us is usually the more “tactical” style given the engagement distances we normally skirmish and play at. I do like holo and red dot sights (especially the micro RDS that have appeared on the slides of my pistols!), and you might argue that given the realistic shooting range of an airsoft replica this is really all that’s needed. That said, I was running a
As much as I love, and own, their Crossfire Red Dot (which has proved massively durable with outstanding performance!) it’s their magnified optics that really do it for me! The Strike Eagle comes in four different models, with magnificationdifferinglevels, but the one I personally love is the 1-6X24 model. The 1x variable optics offer
GETTING REAL
In relation to more “traditional” optics there are three models to choose from. The NP Optics - 4x32 IR, 3-9x40 IR, and 3-9x50 IR so you can really find the ideal airsoft sniper scope that works for you should you wish to take out a target at distance. Thanks to the wide selection of colour and brightness modes on the reticles you can take out your target in any lighting condition be it outdoors or in built up urban environments. The NUPROL scopes all come with 20mm rail mounts and airgun mounts too; they’re very easy to setup, rock solid once fitted and add very yourweightminimaltorifle.
placeto
That said, there is always the question of whether to go for a dedicated optic from one of the “real steel” companies out there, and after speaking to the crew it does appear that VORTEX are still very much the brand of choice for many. When you’re spending good money on a piece of glass you want to know it’s going to be with you for a considerable time, and the fact that Vortex offer their “VIP Warranty” which effectively says they will “repair or replace your Vortex product in the event it becomes damaged or defective at no charge to you. It doesn’t matter how it happened, whose fault it was, or where you purchased it” means that your outlay is well protected, and I know that they honour this even for airsoft use.
I usually head to my “go to” supplier for my optics, and that’s NUPROL as these days they have virtually every type of optic you can think of, including the fabulous “retro” models that I’ve used in my ongoing “BLOCKS” builds and even a PKO for my fellow OPFORists! In their range you’ll find that they offer some pretty nifty magnified optics to sit alongside the “CQB” styles though, and my absolute favourite of these is the NP Optics ZR10 1.25-5x26 IR; this is a super-clear optic that boasts some excellent mechanical features not often seen on such an affordable sight as it retails around the UK£110 mark. The windage and elevation dials can be popped and locked into
avoid any
tubestraightincludedThetochangesaccidentalmadeyourzero.mountisalsoandboltsontothesightwithtwelveboltsintotal,sothewholeunitbecomesrocksolidoncemountedonyourtop-rail.Theilluminationisgreattoothankstothe
variable brightness and with three (RGB) colour options, you have a very crisp outlines of the main central dot and outer ring that does not distract from your target be it at 1.25 or the optional 5x max zoom; this excellent sight really works very well and everyone I’ve shown it to thus far has been impressed!
andspeedversatilityforrifleandcarbineuserswhoneed
recently tried using this on my gas ARs, and I’ve been pretty happy with the result so that’s now where it’s found it’s “forever home”; however, this is a “real steel” model and therefore was not a cheap buy!
Stewbacca: I prefer to stick to red dots or holosights for the most parts these days, being focused mostly on CQB; however when I break out the long bois I have the Vortex Optics 2-7 x 32 scope atop my PSG-1 which is an excellent piece of glass with MIL-DOTS and obviously the adjustable zoom helps. With the L85 the ruggedised G&G ELCAN replica with 4x optical magnification works very nicely, as does my similar 4x ACOG that floats around my ARs as and when required, and I would tend to argue that 4x is probably an ideal power for use in identification or targeting, and a lot of real steel applications seem to support that.
Miguel: The only scoped sight I use is my old Strike Systems 4x32; it’s really easy to use and has great eye relief. I do tend not to use scoped sights since they steal a bit of attention from the surroundings, but if we are talking about a big field
“GO OUT AND USE A SPECIFIC RANGED SETUP, MARK YOUR SCOPE SETTINGS TO THOSE EXACT MEASUREMENTS, THEN YOU CAN SHOOT A TREE AT DISTANCE, SEE WHERE IT HITS, AND ADJUST PARALLAX, ADJUST AIM, AND WHEN A TARGET GOES TO TAKE COVER AT SAID TREE YOU WILL BE 100% ON!” OCTOBER 202268
A MATTER OF TASTE
recommend a scope I’d definitely go for a 1-4 or 1-6x scope of some sort. With that said airsoft distance and parallax adjustment are a massive deal so maybe look into a cheaper air rifle scope with adjustableAdjustableparallax…parallax allows you to set the focus specifically to just before the target so you can actually see your BBs trajectory and when they hit (or miss) and use it as a poor man’s range finder. Go out and use a specific ranged setup, mark your scope settings to those exact measurements, then you can shoot a tree at distance, see where it hits, and adjust parallax, adjust aim, and when a target goes to take cover at said tree you will be 100% on!
KIT & GEAR to engage targets from point-blank out to extended ranges. And that’s exactly what you’re going to get with Vortex’s Strike Eagle 1-6 x 24. Take into consideration what it costs to get into this optic, and you may find you can’t afford not to buy it! Whether you’re burning through a 3-Gun Stage, logging some range time, or holding for that elusive target on the skirmish field, the Strike Eagle is up to the task. High-quality, fully multi-coated lenses deliver a clear, crisp sight picture and optimal low-light performance. A true onepower on the low end of its 6x zoom range provides quick target acquisition in close quarters scenarios. Need to engage targets at distance? Crank it up to 6x and let it rip!
Boycie: For me it depends on the game and role I’m playing. For the games where I’m observing/ spotting I usually use a Vector Forester as it gives me the best of both worlds. On other long guns I prefer my Leupold 3-9x40.
Rob: I went with the TRUGLO TRU-Brite 30 Series 1-6 X 24mm Dual-Color Illuminated Power Ring Duplex MIL-DOT Reticle Gun Scope with Mount, Matte Black, TG8516TL on my ranged AR (real) for scout style use. After playing with it for a few
Again available in four different guises the Diamondback Tactical 6-24X50 FFP is the darling of the discerning airsoft sniper crowd! The first focal plane reticle, a feature ordinarily reserved for 4-figure-priced optics, allows shooters to use the information-packed EBR-2C reticles for ranging, holdovers or windage corrections on any magnification. Housed inside its durable, one-piece aluminium tube is a 4x optical system delivering excellent edge-to-edge clarity and sharp resolution. Exposed elevation and windage turrets are low profile enough to stay out of the way in packing situations, but offer the quickness, ease and precision of dialling accurate shots at distance. A side adjustable parallax gives shooters peace of mind by removing parallax error from the equation from 10 yards to infinity.
MAGNIFIED OPTICS
Now of course this is just MY idea of what optics are “bestest for precision airsoft”, but I thought it would be interesting to see what the guys had to say on this matter too, so I asked them what they used, and why, and I was surprised to see answers very similar to my own, even down to the brands chosen! This is what they had to say…
All the optics mentioned here are of stunning quality, offering sharp, precise sighting options and when you decide which is best for the application you desire, and whatever your shooting style, there’s sure to be something that will let you reach out and touch somebody in a thoroughly positive manner! AA
Bill W-R: One scope that I have always enjoyed using is the same NUPROL ZR10 1.25-5x26 that “the other Bill” also favours. This is probably one of the unsung heroes of the optics world given the price; it has amazing eye relief which is always an issue for a glasses wearer and those that wear goggles or a mask!So,
actually had the same FOV as the 4x24 and the glass clarity wasn’t as good as my POSP either. So that went in the sell pile…
Björn: For my Evolution M40 I use a Vortex Crossfire II 4-16×50 that I got from tacticalstore.se, and this is more than enough for airsoft! But that is only for my sniper rifle… sometimes I use 1-4 or a flip x3 for forest games or bigger fields even if it’s a CQBtuned AEG.
as always we have both a general consensus as what to look for when it comes to a precision optic both from dedicated airsoft manufacturers and from their “real steel” counterparts. When it comes down to it you can spend an absolute fortune on an airsoft optic, or you can “try before you buy” and decide on which one works best for YOU.
Dan: I run a genuine POSP 4x24 with the 1000m SVD reticle on my Real Sword SVD. I’ve had a couple of the replica’s in the past and after having so many issues with them losing zero or having bad soldering on the electrical switch, bendy mounts, gross sticky rubber finishes and various other issues, I ended up just breaking down and buying a legit version. I’ve been using this one on the regular since 2010 and so far it’s been an absolute tank and holds zero perfectly. The reticle is quick and intuitive and the stacked chevron design works amazingly well for hold-overs in airsoft. I’ve been supremely happy with it.
I did score a good deal on a 6x42 PSO a year back, thinking it might have a little wider field of view and maybe I could use the extra magnification... but it
MAGNIFIED OPTICS KIT & GEAR (like plains) I like to have something that will help me looking further.
“THIS IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE UNSUNG HEROES OF THE OPTICS WORLD GIVEN THE PRICE; IT HAS AMAZING EYE RELIEF WHICH IS ALWAYS AN ISSUE FOR A GLASSES WEARER AND THOSE THAT WEAR GOGGLES OR A MASK!”
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Up until a few months back I had only ever been interested in AEG’s and GBB pistols and I honestly didn’t care much for anything else. My head was well and truly buried in the sand when it came to “operating systems” and looking back I rode very roughshod, not paying any attention to others and their opinions on anything; like many out there, I’d set my course and I was steering it!
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This was actually a bit wrong of me if I am to be completely open and honest, because boy, was I missing out! The thought of a High-Pressure Air systems, or simply HPA as we all know it, in airsoft left
HPA RIFLE BUILD TECHNICAL
a sour taste in my mouth; I believed firmly while it has its place, its place was not in airsoft and should stay very much in the paintball world, and the thought of running around with “scuba gear” as Bill so kindly calls it, “old skool fool” that he is, left me cold. I liked the freedom of a self-contained, battery-driven system, and that was an end to it!
There seems to be a lot of stigma surrounding HPA systems and the people that use them. Well, my opinion has completely changed in that I believe that HPA is a very effective way to power an airsoft rifle, specifically a good sniper platform, and let’s be fair
MAX FORCE!AIR
KEEPING WITH OUR THEME THIS MONTH WE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD BE REMISS OF US NOT TO INCLUDE AN HPA SYSTEM-DRIVEN PLATFORM, AND OUR ONCE-SCEPTICAL TECH JIMMY HAS BEEN CREATING ONE OF HIS VERY OWN. DELVING INTO THE MECHANICS OF HIS CHOSEN PLATFORM AND SYSTEM HE NOW BEGINS TO DETAIL HIS VERY OWN “HPA ADVENTURE”!
• Laylax spring
MANCRAFT ENGINE;
“WITH
• Action Army hop unit
HPA RIFLE BUILD TECHNICAL
• Laylex cylinder
• Laylax trigger group
With zero hesitation I got straight to work fitting the Mancraft engine; it fitted in perfectly in the G Spec and was really quite easy to fit with only one small mod needed, which was to drill a small hold for the inlet tube to feed through allowing easy connection of the air tank. Once installed into the cylinder it is just a case of feeding the airline through the trigger group where once the spring guide stopper sat slide on the brass tube which now acts as a spring guide stopper and button everything back up. ZERO HESITATION I GOT STRAIGHT TO WORK FITTING THE IT FITTED IN PERFECTLY IN THE G SPEC AND WAS REALLY QUITE EASY TO WITH ONLY SMALL MOD NEEDED, WHICH WAS TO DRILL A SMALL HOLD TUBE
ONE
FIT
GETTING DOWN TO IT
FOR THE INLET
I honestly could not believe just how lucky I was and it was such a great gesture on his part; sometimes your friends amaze you, don’t they, and although I would carry out the work on his AEGs as discussed, this was still a very, very generous gift - sometimes our BB-chucking community is simply a wonderful thing!
TO FEED THROUGH ALLOWING EASY CONNECTION OF THE AIR TANK.”www.airsoftaction.net 71
on this, HPA is becoming more prevalent; from an industry perspective there is no going back now and the feet of HPA system manufacturers are well and truly under the airsoft table, so deal with it!
Let me preface my personal journey into HPA though; a few months back a dear friend of mine asked if I would take a look at a couple of his HPA rifles and see if I could get them working properly. Over the course of a few weeks I learned so much about HPA, and then had the pleasure of playing using this system in the interests of testing my work for my friend, and that is when my opinion changed. I managed to trade a few old AEGs and ended up with a Double Bell “VSR” clone, which was actually quite a nice piece of kit, and for me was the first “VSR” I had seen with a real wooden stock. As with many stock bolt action airsoft rifles, while it worked okay and was pretty damn quiet it needed something more to be field effective.
• Laylax barrel
Great I thought, and gladly accepted the offering knowing that the Mancraft SDIK kit would fit perfectly. To my utter amazement the G Spec was dripping with aftermarket parts already, including;
• Laylax spring guide
I acquired a Mancraft SDIK kit which would enable me to convert the spring system into a HPA system; sadly the Double Bell turned out to have a different spec to that of a Marui VSR which was a bit disappointing as I really liked the wooden stock, so back to the drawing board. A couple of weeks later another friend of mine (yes, you Mr Seal, you beauty!) mentioned he had a Tokyo Marui VSR G Spec that he was not using and would gift it to me in return for some work which he wanted me to carry out on a few of his AEG’s.
• Laylax barrel stabilisers
• Laylax piston
I am a fan of a mechanical style HPA system now, as it is much simpler and easier to maintain and service, should any problems arise. Taking into consideration the fact there are very few moving parts I would be highly surprised should anything go wrong. Being HPA it is very easy to set your velocity and I am able to get it bang on and sit nicely at 500fps on a 0.20g BB; using a 0.40g BB it is hitting 353fps at 2.34J using around 100psi and will see fluctuations of +/- 3fps, but this all depends on the regulator that you are using. At present I am using a Valken Ultra Rig LPR which is proving to be very consistent with its delivery of air.
TECHNICAL
work HARD!
SNIPER LIFE
The next part was to decide where I wanted the airline to exit; I opted to have it short, exiting in front of the trigger guard. The Mancraft kit utilises a piston
As good as it seems on paper it still isn’t something that is going to make you an overnight pro; there is still a lot of fettling and testing needed for the rifle to be effective, then the rest is on the user. For instance, BB weight… after much testing I discovered that the Firefly hop rubber fitted prior to my ownership was struggling to lift a BB heavier than 0.36g. Now most snipers use a 0.40g BB and above for accuracy and flight-stability, something I was struggling with so I decided to swap out the Firefly for a Maple Leaf Autobot 70 degree rubber, but in order to do that I had to modify the barrel slightly as the Maple Leaf rubbers don’t work with bridged barrels. In order for it to fit I had to machine down the bridge.
This is but the commencement of my further journey into the world of “all things airsoft”, and as a tech the words “never stop learning” are particularly poignant. So far I have thoroughly enjoyed both creating my own HPA setup, and fielding it in game, but I know that this is just the very beginning of another exciting “airsoft journey”… watch this space!
So this rifle would be my path into the world of “airsoft sniping” and so far I am thoroughly enjoying it and have taken to it like a duck to water! I still have a lot to learn about the true role of the sniper but it is something I am willing to learn and work at… and
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So, why HPA I hear you ask? Well, the fact of the matter is this; HPA systems have very consistent performance and are easily configurable should you need to adjust for different site limits, and due to simplistic design they offer repeatable and consistent performance. Another major benefit is the operation; an HPA-driven rifle is a lot lighter to operate than a heavy spring model, meaning less fatigue on the user and a more stable position when taking followup shots; smooth action, no needing to jerk about heaving a spring-bolt about, as an HPA-bolt just travels back and forth “into battery” like a silkysmooth thing!
Now with the Autobot rubber and an Omega nub the rifle is able to lift a 0.40g BB very consistently way further than before, and I can say I am effectively reaching targets out to around 80m which will far exceed most other rifles including AEG’s. I would love to get it out onto a proper range and see the 100m mark (Bill’s gas benchmark… challenge accepted!) which I know to be achievable.
and a spring still unlike other HPA engines which rely solely on air to propel the BB. The Mancraft engine operates slightly differently, so rather than the spring creating all the power, the piston itself is air driven, making it very consistent maybe not as quiet as something like a Wolverine engine, but much quieter than a spring powered version and with a foam-filled suppressor you will go unnoticed with no muzzle report .
HPA RIFLE BUILD
There is one downside to running HPA regardless of the platform though and that is the fact you are tethered to a tank, so something I am always conscious of is the airline it can get caught up sometimes, but that is a price I’m willing to pay for performance, and honestly, it doesn’t affect my “freedom” as much as I thought it would. This project is still ongoing, and as I learn more about my chosen platform, and more about the true role of the sniper in airsoft I’ll report back.
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BOLT ACTION UPGRADES TECHNICAL
The first stop is to select the platform you’d like to start with. I often recommend thinking about the aesthetic style or design you like first because gun choice is often a very personal matter, then researching whether it has any upgrade options available for it. This latter aspect might influence your choice more than you’d like to admit, and may even omit some designs entirely due to lack of available upgrades and other pitfalls.
Many
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perspective that these are a simple chassis, or template, if you will, with parts as placeholders that you can upgrade at your personal discretion. You will have to spend some to get some with this class of rifles. Getting the most out of your bolt-action rifle will involve creating a plan of attack first and foremost; and here, the plan gets a little simpler than approaching an upgrade path with AEG’s…
To properly evaluate stock bolt-actions in their proper context, one must look at it from the
owners fresh to the bolt-action life often become dismayed that their newly purchased rifle is not performing as expected, and in fact, many find themselves outgunned and outranged even by simple stock AEG’s. The cold, hard reality is that starting out your airsoft journey with a boltaction first often means that journey will end shortly thereafter and the “bolty” is quickly put up for sale at a loss.While a stock rifle is certainly something one can skirmish with, it should be understood that very few commercially manufactured bolt-action rifles will actually be fully tuned from the factory or possess high quality parts that give them a leg up against their sewing machine competitors (AKA AEG’s). This is largely down to price-point and the simple fact that most manufacturers consider bolt-actions low on the totem pole of product offerings. Excluding some boutique custom shops, you will not find a major manufacturer touting a bolt gun as their ‘flagship’ product, as an example; when looking at it from a pricing tier, the majority of bolt guns can be purchased for around US$125–200, which doesn’t package something up with a lot of improvement in material quality or component design.
ALL SPRING!JOYSTHEOF
SELECT YOUR PLATFORM
WHEN IT COMES TO THE SUBJECT OF UPGRADING BOLT-ACTION RIFLES, THIS ARENA CAN BE JUST AS IN-DEPTH AND COMPLEX AS IT IS FOR UPGRADING AEG’S. THE PLETHORA OF OPTIONS, SYSTEMS, AND PLATFORMS AVAILABLE IS EXTENSIVE, AND IT’S EASY TO GET “LOST IN THE WOODS” TRYING TO FIGURE OUT YOUR AVENUE OF APPROACH, SO DAN SIMPLIFIES THINGS A LITTLE TO GIVE SOME POINTERS IN GETTING THE BEST “BANG FOR YOUR BUCK”!
rifles or truly niche “partless monsters” (to quote my friend Mark Van Dyke) like the CheyTac M200 Intervention, as a notable example.
Somewhat more technical to install, but paying big dividends in the range department is having an R-Hop installed. I would actually suggest doing this only after you have selected a higher quality barrel as there’s no sense in doing it twice.
BOLT ACTION UPGRADES TECHNICAL
“QUALITY INFORMATION IS HARDER TO FIND AND AMONGST “EXPERTS” THERE ARE UNFORTUNATELY ALSO MORE THAN A FEW “GATEKEEPERS”. I’VE NOT FOUND IT TO BE NEARLY AS TOUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD AS IT IS IN THE GBB WORLD, BUT IT’S DEFINITELY NOT AS EMINENTLY ACCESSIBLE TO THE EVERYMAN AS THE AEG SIDE IS.”
ACCURACY FIRST
Regardless of any other upgrade you can throw at the gun, the most noticeable and biggest performance upgrade you can immediately make is upgrading the hop up bucking and barrel. On the cheaper end, just swapping in a quality bucking can do wonders, and this should be the very first upgrade you pursue. As most bolt actions are quite easy to disassemble, this is also a quick and painless upgrade to install and only costs a few dollars at most.
On an aside, I will caution that researching bolt guns can be a bit of a hurdle in and of itself too. There are fewer true subject matter experts on upgrading these, and often they are more specialized or concentrating on just one or two platforms that they know intimately. Perhaps as a side effect of the cost point at which most bolt-actions are priced at, this tends to generate a lot of low-quality information about how to upgrade them too. Quality information is harder to find and amongst “experts” there are unfortunately also more than a few “gatekeepers”. I’ve not found it to be nearly as tough a neighborhood as it is in the GBB world, but it’s definitely not as eminently accessible to the everyman as the AEG side is.
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Additional ‘icing on the cake’ would be in the form of upgraded hop up components or hop up
So when it comes to selecting a platform to settle on, you will doubtlessly notice a theme trending here with regard to aftermarket support. In the bolt-action world, the Tokyo Marui VSR design (and clones) reigns king for aftermarket upgrades, much like the Hi-Capa or Glock for GBB pistols, or the Ver. 2 M4 and Ver. 3 AK for AEG’s. Other designs, such as the L96, Ares Striker, KJW M700’s, and etc. typically have decent support, but will not have the same degree of customization available. More niche platforms like the A&K spring SVD or S&T Kar98k have even more limited upgrades; in this case, just one or two manufacturers produce any aftermarket parts for it. You can get even more obscure with shell-ejecting
As mentioned, an aftermarket barrel is a good second upgrade to consider if the budget allows for it. Here bore quality and internal finish level matters more than length, although length is an important factor to consider when it comes to properly voluming the bore. EdGi, PDI, and Lambda are among some of the best brands out there for producing straight barrels with high quality internal finishes.
Generally speaking, I suggest looking for something that offers more precise movement and a bonus is if it allows for a true top down center hop up arm, which is absolutely ideal for R-Hops or even conventional buckings.Oneworthwhile upgrade is an externally adjustable hop up adjustment. This usually takes the form of a wheel that you can adjust by hand, but saves the hassle of always having to carry an Allen key (that conveniently seems to always wander off!) to adjust the hop via traditional means.
chamber. A lot of aftermarket companies make these for most of the major platforms, and the designs can differ from something as simple as an improved hop up arm design, to full CNC hop up chambers.
THE OS
TECHNICAL
There are some pros and cons for either pathway. Spring-powered upgrades are generally a lot lower in cost and relatively reliable, though some parts such as improved sears, trigger packs, pistons and cylinders, etc. can certainly start creeping up the expense sheet. Many of these parts primarily address
BOLT ACTION UPGRADES
Once you’ve got the main component of your accuracy side handled, now it’s time to consider what operating system (OS) you want to run. There is something to be said for simply running the gun up until something dies, then upgrading. That way you get more value for your buck. But whether you decide to upgrade now or later on, you will have to eventually decide whether you wish to run it in its native design, which will generally be either springpowered or gas, or make the switch to HPA or CO2.
Cylinders and cylinder kits is another area where you can get some more improvement. Some of these are simple polished steel affairs, and others use special plating’s or Teflon finishes, with the aim of reducing the amount of friction when the piston is drawn back. Other designs can also slightly increase the amount of air volume possible.
design deficits and provide more durable components. Chiefly among these will be sears, which is a rather common component to break on stock bolt-actions. Incidentally, this is often the first part that will break
One of the downsides to spring-powered setups is the draw weight of the bolt handle. Unlike real steel bolt-actions, which have no rearward resistance, you do have this on spring-powered airsoft bolt guns by virtue of having to cock back the spring for every shot. As mentioned, there are cylinder designs and
on a stock rifle too, so this is one of those parts that should be on high your upgrade list if you intend to keep the gun spring-powered.
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Most spring powered guns will typically chrono around 1.5J / 400 FPS, which is typical for fresh out of the box guns, but may be too high for some sites in Europe or elsewhere. Often, upgrading the main spring is done out of necessity to meet field limits or to put the rifle into a new class bracket, such as ‘sniper’ class. In the US, as an example, most boltaction rifles can shoot as high as 2.7J / 550 FPS, with a rare few being as high as 600 – 650 FPS. Keep in mind here that when you increase the spring weight, you also increase the amount of stress imparted on the sear and trigger components. Hence, these two upgrades often go hand-in-hand.
other assorted improvements one can make to reduce the effort of this. Just remember, the heavier the spring you use, the more strength will be required to pull back the handle. Conversely, decreasing spring strength will reduce stress on the sear and trigger components, while also decreasing the amount of effort required pulling the bolt back.
Naturally, the first stop is to top your rifle off with a bipod and good optic, another matter discussed elsewhere in this issue. There are a myriad of options and price ranges from the budget to the “spared no expense” to consider. For airsoft ranges, I would normally suggest a variable magnification scope to give you some options with your viewing distances; you don’t typically need much more than 4x power due to the ranges we normally encounter, but some highly specialized setups will benefit from increasing this.Many platforms allow for the fitment of aftermarket stocks, external barrel lengths, mock suppressors, bolt handles, trigger shoes, and all manner of greebling. Most of these don’t really provide any performance enhancements, but do serve to make your rifle more bespoke.
Once you’ve settled on which system you want to use and have sorted out the internals to your liking, then comes the fun part of dressing up the exterior!
HPA systems (as detailed by fellow tech Jimmy in this issue), and by extension CO2, get up there in cost as it represents a larger financial investment right out of the gate. If you’re not doing an on-board air supply or CO2 cartridge holder, then you will need to also purchase an air line and tank too. Some may not like the added weight this represents, nor necessarily enjoy being tethered to a tank for that matter.
HPA systems in particular are also easier to fine-tune the Joule / FPS output on as this is usually controlled off the regulator which is accessed from outside the gun. This can save a lot of time vs. the spring-action build, which will require disassembly every time to change spring weights.
Another con is some HPA systems require a battery to power the solenoid, which may be a detractor for someone seeking a simpler system, as this also requires a battery charger too. Most HPA powered systems are truly fully mechanical and do not require a battery or FCU such as is used when converting an AEG to HPA. On the positive side, HPA and CO2 systems completely eliminate the heavy pull weight variable of the bolt handle. Some unique designs and modifications even dramatically reduce the amount of distance required to pull the handle so it’s down to just the 6mm of distance required to seat a fresh BB. On the whole, one can more quickly operate the bolt on air-powered setups easier than they can on a spring gun. It’s almost like cheating!
Many thanks to our good friends over at Airsoft & Milsim News for helping us out with additional images to support this article; you can find their full review of the Modify M24 at review-modify-mod24-sniper.https://airsoft-milsim-news.com/ AA
Obviously, as with any aspect of airsoft, hobbies or otherwise, you can certainly sink a lot of money into your bolt-action. It’s good to approach it with a plan and a budget in mind, but also be willing to flex your budget and expectations as things evolve. A well tuned bolt-action is an absolute delight to use on the field, and represents a more unique challenge and style of play that’s quite unlike what you typically encounter. For someone looking to broaden his or her horizons a bit or try something new, I definitely recommend looking into it!
IT’S ALL ABOUT AESTHETICS
BOLT ACTION UPGRADES TECHNICAL
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EACH AND EVERY YEAR THE AA CREW HEAD ON DOWN TO THE NEW FOREST TO CHECK IN AT THE NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL (NAF) TO FIND OUT WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING WITH FRIENDS OLD AND NEW AT A THOROUGHLY CONVIVIAL EVENT THAT’S ALWAYS ALL ABOUT THE AIRSOFT, AND WITH NUMBERS MAXED OUT FOR NAF 2022 WE’RE DELIGHTED TO REPORT ON AN AIRSOFT EVENT THAT IS TRULY UNIQUE, AND CONTINUES TO THRILL IN MANY, MANY WAYS! NAF 2022BACK WITH A BANG! OCTOBER 202280
With player numbers traditionally in the thousands, The National Airsoft Festival (NAF) is the UK’s largest airsoft event and this year’s gathering was even more highly anticipated as it was the first full-speed iteration after a slightly quieter post-pandemic event last year, that we all enjoyed fully as we could finally get out in the New Forest woods again!
Airsoft Action has been present at all but one NAF and I have seen (what was then called) The National Airsoft Event become a joyous meeting place for airsofters Europe-wide, with players travelling from across the continent to enjoy not only the wide-ranging gameplay, but also the incredible social atmosphere created when thousands of airsofters get together! This year’s event was fully maxed out, and fully back up to previous years, and for those 3000-PLUS PLAYERS who did make it this year, we were treated to a madlyfabulous weekend of all-things-airsoft both on and off the field of play!
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For those that are still oblivious to the event the UK National Airsoft Festival takes place every August Bank Holiday down at the Ground Zero site in the depths of the New Forest. The NAF/NAE
in and get their player number and wristband, the atmosphere starts to build as groups of players form and merge and, following loads of “high-fives” and “man-hugs”, the inevitable “airsoft banter” begins!
made history by hosting what was at that time the largest airsoft event ever held in in the UK (and probably still is!), bringing in players from all over the UK and Europe.
At a time when many of us in the UK we are still
Whilst I was still around to meet with our industry partners and fellow media-folk, Jimmy and Ben were in the thick of it, and there’ll be more from both
of them later! Suffice to say that we were looking forwards to another hugely entertaining event …and that is exactly what we got!
EVENT
NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2022
“AIRSOFT ACTION HAVE ALWAYS BEFORE HAD A GAZEBO IN THE MAIN VENDORS AREA WHERE WE’VE MET WITH PLAYERS AND FRIENDS, BUT THIS YEAR JIMMY, NEW RED CELL MEMBER BEN AND I DECIDED TO (LITERALLY!) PITCH IN WITH EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ON-SITE CAMPING AREA AND GET STUCK INTO THE EVENT PROPERLY!”
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NAF, SO WHAT?
Right alongside the event, the campsite rapidly fills with motorhomes and tents of all shapes and sizes and just like in previous years, it became home to multiple team “swimming pools” and “bars”, although there is also a “quiet area” for those who actually prefer to sleep! This year, the Airsoft Action crew approached the event in a slightly different way; we make a lot about the fact that we are airsofters ourselves, but we have always before had a gazebo in the main vendors area where we’ve met with players and friends, but this year Jimmy, new Red Cell member Ben and I decided to (literally!) pitch in with everyone else in the on-site camping area and get stuck into the event properly!
Over the years I have reported from the NAF we have seen it grow into more than “just another game of airsoft” …into something really special. As I say every time I report back, yes, the gameplay is great fun and, given the sheer size and scale of the Ground Zero Airsoft site (where the event is held), as challenging as you choose to make it, but there is just something “special” about it that raises the Festival to a whole new level. From the moment
Once upon a time I would have been amongst the many airsoft players that said “yeah, the National Airsoft Festival, what about that?” but after a series of totally entertaining and illuminating events over the past few years I was really, really looking forward to heading on down to Ground Zero to attend an event that I’ve done a total about face on; it’s one weekend each year that I get to hang out with old friends from both the UK and further afield so that in itself makes the trip 100% worthwhile, and this year was still extra-special given the restrictions that we all faced during 2020 that meant there was “no NAF” for that year, and last year of course Covid restrictions were still very firmly in place, precluding extended travel for many and keeping numbers down.
NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2022 EVENT
The main Safe Zone is split away from the camping area and is almost a self-contained “festival village” in its own right. There were numerous gear-sellers
Bottom line is that the NAF is just one HUGE celebration of airsoft, not just for UK players, but usually for players from around the world that make the pilgrimage to Ground Zero, and this year the player numbers were WAY UP THERE! The thought of a massive airsoft game involving quite literally thousands of players is my personal worst scenario though; we all know that sadly you get the odd “cheater” at even the very best game, and the chance of that happening with so many players in one place at one time means that this is magnified…
the “naysayers” no heed! This year the numbers were solid again, and options…“fancysomeespeciallysightplaceairsofters3000-plusinoneisatrulyatobehold,givenofthedress”“Boris”,
Years”, both in the number of active players, but also in the volume of folk who turn up to camp for the weekend, see mates, bask in the sun with an ice cream or a cold beverage, and shoot the breeze about their6mmfavouritepastime!Manywillsay“don’tbother”whenitcomestotheNAF,butpay
But the NAF is undoubtedly BACK and the numbers continue to grow again now we’re out of “The Plague
“AIRSOFT ACTION HAVE ALWAYS BEFORE HAD A GAZEBO IN THE MAIN VENDORS AREA WHERE WE’VE MET WITH PLAYERS AND FRIENDS, BUT THIS YEAR JIMMY, NEW RED CELL MEMBER BEN AND I DECIDED TO (LITERALLY!) PITCH IN WITH EVERYONE ELSE IN THE ON-SITE CAMPING AREA AND GET STUCK INTO THE EVENT PROPERLY!”
Upon arrival at the Ground Zero site you’ll be immediately impressed with the sheer size of the field and the diversity of terrain, and that is just as you drive in! Ground Zero is situated about a mile from the nearest road on the private grounds of Somerley Estate in Ringwood, Hampshire, and boasts some 175 acres of playable terrain, with a massive 50 acres of Safe/Camping Zone! Now you may find that latter number “overkill”, but I’m going to tell you that with thousands of bodies and all the varied entertainment/ logistics staff on site 50 acres soon becomes very, very small and intimate.
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I’m talking about you, well played good sir!
a little bewildered as to what will happen in regards to our relationship with the rest of the world, and travelling around it, I will say that many friends gather at the NAF every year, and it’s a time when I can
months and years to come (who knows how right now?) but one thing I do know is that these guys will always be my friends, and it’s always a pleasure to see them!
FESTIVAL FUN!
Many players, even good ones that are always willing to give the benefit of the doubt decide not to attend the NAF for this reason, and having now been a number of times before I think they are genuinely, truly missing out on a great “airsoft experience”, even if they don’t play for a minute! Even though certain friends were still missing this time my old friend Stef and the crew from the Netherlands were back, and the event maintained the warm, friendly “Festival Feel”, and I for one love a bit of that action!
THERE’S
good old fish n’ chips, wood-fired pizza and even fresh coffee and donuts! The licensed bar marquee this year was rocking as usual, but being fully open on one side made the most of the breeze, and the usual outdoor table area was packed out! Again as usual, the Ground Zero team did an excellent job of making sure that they did the very best possible for player’s enjoyment.
“THEN A PLETHORA OF STANDS THAT MAKE UP THE “FOOD COURT”. IF YOU WANTED OR A BACON ROLL, THEN IT WAS THERE FOR THE HAVING, AND IF YOU DIDN’T THEN YOU HAD A CHOICE OF
WANT TO COOK OVER THE WEEKEND
VERY WELLPRICED GREEK FOOD (ABSOLUTELY LEGENDARY KEBABS!), BURGER AND CHIPS, GOOD OLD FISH N’ CHIPS, WOOD-FIRED PIZZA AND EVEN FRESH COFFEE AND DONUTS!”
was time for “Game On” and players headed out to their respective start points. After a rousing brief from the team I/ Cs the game started properly, and it was time to
“Viper Lockbox” winner, Regan Smith with Ratty from Viper and Rich from Zero One.
Rich from Zero One delivering his usual succinct and to the point safety brief!
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NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2022
giveaway, quite apart from the “tabletop gear dispersal system” that was put in place on Saturday evening! Neil from Attack Sense Targets, and my good friend Taig from Kydex Customs (who is REALLY pushing along with his range and launched the new “BARE BONES” holsters fully at the event!) were in their usual spots, and you could even have your photographic portrait done by Josh from Krios Photography! It was a pleasure to meet James from Airtac UK, and to finally get a chance to chat properly with Finchy from Finch Embroidery (and patches!) at last! Apologies to others exhibiting and selling that I just didn’t get time to speak to… Then there’s a whole plethora of stands that make up the “food court”. If you wanted an ice cream or a bacon roll, then it was there for the having, and if you didn’t want to cook over the weekend then you had a choice of very well-priced Greek food (absolutely legendary kebabs!), burger and chips,
GAME ON!
EVENT around the village, with Jo and family from Flecktarn UK and the Enola Gaye team, along with Ian and Dave (Ratty and Rocky to their friends!) with
WHOLE
AN ICE CREAM
As per past years I was able to watch all the proceedings as players arrived and booked in, and this was again done very efficiently with an absolute lack of fuss, although the line at times was LONG… with so many players booking in and needing to chrono this was inevitable, but things at least appeared to move on swiftly enough; each player came away chrono’d and with a “goodie bag” and their player armbands, Green for “Delta”, Orange for “Bravo”, and “Blue” for the “Others”. The “range” stayed open late into the evening, and was in use the whole time, as was the MET CQB area. Across from this you could also try out the AttackSense target system that we’ve been using for our Red Cell Test Days, and this was busy the entire time too, and proved especially popular (to say the least!) with the very competitive fellows that tried their hand at it!
I’ll hand over now to Jimmy and Ben for their thoughts on the game itself…
You need to make sure you have sufficient sun cream to last you the weekend at the festival, and this year you really needed it as players needed to contend with heat and the sun blazing down on them without mercy. The teams obviously felt there was still more to play for though, and on Sunday morning they headed back to the game, and they just kept on playing, gaining objectives and points whilst having a thoroughly good time. Reports are that there were actually very few heat-induced incidents, although by early afternoon a few players were heading back in as tempers wore thin; again I believe that this was in the minority though, as most players were having a great time of it!
“DUE TO THE ULTRA-DRY CONDITION IN AND AROUND THE FOREST, BBQS WERE KEPT WELL UNDER CONTROL… THIS DIDN’T APPEAR TO PUT A LID ON HIGH SPIRITS IN ANY WAY THOUGH, AND OUR VERY OWN “TACTICOOL JEDI” BEN IMPRESSED MANY, INCLUDING ME, WITH A RATHER AWESOME IMPROMPTU LIGHTSABER DISPLAY!” never have too many guns!
This was when the real “festival spirit” took over, and in “The Village” the bar rocked thanks to some live music that featured a real old mixture of classic tunes, but it seemed that the heat of the day had indownwentbeverages”ofAeveryone.sappednumber“adultasociable and thoroughly chilled out atmosphere, with groups from all the teams exchanging their “war stories” from the day and having a genuinely good laugh. As the evening progressed though many players moved on outside, and shenanigans continued… what happens at NAF stays at NAF though!
You can
As Day One wound down, the evening “action” started with the raffle, and the now usual “banter” this has somethingbecomeofalegend,butifyou’reofagentledispositionit’sbesttostayawayasjustlikethegame,theactiongetssomewhat“downanddirty”,butinaveryfunnyway!Themain“action”forSaturdaynightappearedtobeonceagaincentredonthecampinggroundswheremanygroupshad
HOTTER THAN A SNAKE’S…
Jimmy: My first visit to the NAF, while it wasn’t
their party heads on, although sensibly this year due to the ultra-dry condition in and around the forest, BBQs were kept well under control… this didn’t appear to put a lid on high spirits in any way though, and our very own “tacticool Jedi” Ben impressed many, including me, with a rather awesome impromptu lightsaber display!
get the fight on. Although the site is HUGE it’s also broken down into smaller “game zones” that are eminently playable in their own right, and that on a regular “skirmish day” would delight anyone. There’s a small village, a “prison”, outposts, guard towers, trench systems and numerous other structures to play through. Of course for the weekend EVERYTHING is in play at the same time, and wherever you went there was the sound of a firefight taking place. All three teams had objectives to achieve and points to be earned from them and from what I saw every objective was hard-earned by the eventual victors. Play continued throughout the day, with some hardy souls lasting the duration, whilst others returned to the camping grounds and “The Village” for much needed R&R as this year it was yet again hot, darn hot, REAL HOT and the ice cream vans did outrageous business!
EVENT
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NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2022 EVENT As AlwAys, A huge ThANK yOu TO JOsh ANd The TeAm AT KriOs PhOTOgrAPhy, whOse PhOTOs APPeAr ThrOughOuT This rePOrT ANd ON bOTh Of These PAges. There Are, quiTe liTTerAlly, huNdreds mOre sO if yOu wANT TO see Them (ANd mAybe buy A few) heAd Over TO Their websiTe: hTTPs://biT.ly/3AhAJ3T www.airsoftaction.net 87
As for everything else… you don’t know man! You wouldn’t understand if you weren’t there!
I will be happy to go again and not just for the gaming, but to meet more of the lovely people and make new friends! So overall is it worth going? Obviously YES!
Ben: As this was my first time at The National Airsoft Festival have to say I very much enjoyed it, which comes from different factors... the energy and vibe of everyone that was there, walking around and seeing people in their loadouts as if it was the normal to do so, the love we all have for all things airsoft... then most important of all this was being with your friends/family as at the end of it all we share our experiences and the reasons why we love what we do.
Thanks to Ben and Jimmy for their input, and my final thoughts on the National Airsoft Festival 2022? As I’ve said before, the site is superb and the organisation impeccable, even with numbers being WAY back up there! The facilities on site were first rate (although the portaloos as ever… ‘nuff said…) and the scheduling spot-on. Once again I’ll echo my thoughts of past years as the play that I saw was hard, fast, and in the main fair, with hits taken and compliments given where they were due, and both Jimmy and Ben would appear to agree with that. The “after game” was as much fun and as lively as I’ve seen, and the bottom line is that everyone seemed to have a thoroughly bang-on time whether they played for the duration, for a few hours, or not at all!
Marshalling was excellent considering the amount of people to have to keep an eye on, and they were always giving good morale boosts and guidance for those who seem to be stuck or confused. Hats off to all those who played on both days especially the Saturday... it was hot! For those in full loadouts or in the weird and wonderful costumes that entertained us all so much, playing all day you were true troopers, so much respect, whatever team you were on!
Well done to the players of DELTA who took the win this year, and I’m certain that BRAVO and THE OTHERS will be back with vengeance on their minds next year! Again as I now say every year, whatever your style of play may be the National Airsoft festival has something to offer you. The Festival is first and foremost just that, a joyful festival event that celebrates airsoft in all its diverse and wonderful forms, and a festival that just happens to be set on an awesome site that has an enormous game going on at the same time… and long may it continue!
Finally out on the field, putting the new Daniel Defense ICS Mk18 was a joy and it is a cracking platform as usual from ICS. I must say a massive thank you to ICS Rita for getting it sent over in such quick timing ready for the weekend and from many players it received some very positive views and opinions; everyone who saw it… loved it!
massively action packed it was lovely to get away from civilisation and spend time with some of the team and finally experience the Festival I’d heard so much about. I would have liked to play a bit more but due to a fuzzy head from Friday night (who knew taclite/ laser sky-duelling at 02:30 was a thing?) we focused on getting some photography work done for the magazine and met with some industry mates, freeing up Sunday for us to do as we pleased game-wise.
As for the Airsoft game itself... wow! The site is massive; it would take a few times going to the Festival to get around the game site to see it all. The
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For further information for the 2023 National Airsoft Festival please keep an eye on www. groundzeroairsoft.com/nae, and I look forward to seeing you there; you don’t need to be a “Boris” to have fun, but hey, it’s AIRSOFT, so just go for it! AA
Now it’s not for everyone as some may feel that the word “festival” gives off an impression of an all-out party with many different things to see and experience and this wasn’t that, which isn’t to say you wouldn’t have a good time, as it is focused around airsoft and not fire-eating performances and the like… It’s left to YOU and others to find your own form of choice of self-entertainment, so it takes YOU to go and find this out if it’s something for you!
NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL 2022 EVENT
“WELL DONE TO THE PLAYERS OF DELTA WHO TOOK THE WIN THIS YEAR, AND I’M CERTAIN THAT BRAVO AND THE OTHERS WILL BE BACK WITH VENGEANCE ON THEIR MINDS NEXT YEAR! AGAIN AS I NOW SAY EVERY YEAR, WHATEVER YOUR STYLE OF PLAY MAY BE THE NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL HAS SOMETHING TO OFFER YOU.”
While playing it was really very busy with so many players all trying to achieve the same results and due to this I saw some very tight bunching in certain areas. It’s strange, I have never had to queue to shoot at the opposition, so that was very new to me lol….
But upon reflection I had a thoroughly good time, hooking up with friends old and new and I would recommend anyone who is into airsoft get themselves down to the National Airsoft Festival at least once; it really is a great experience!
AA Red Cell members, Jimmy and Ben.
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INJAPANESEGOINGHK! OCTOBER 202292
ALTHOUGH WE HAVE GONE UNASHAMEDLY “LONG GUN” FOR THIS ISSUE WE COULDN’T RESIST BRINGING YOU THE LATEST REPORT FROM LARRI, OUR LEGIONNAIRE IN HONG KONG AND MOST-DEFINITE “PISTOLEER” AS HE BRINGS THE LATEST NEWS ON A RIGHTEOUS CQB SITE… AND WHO WOULDN’T WANT TO PLAY AT IMPACT FORCE CQB WHEN IT OFFERS SUCH A BRILLIANTLY-THEMED EXPERIENCE? LARRI TELLS US MORE…
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Impact Force CQB (IFCQB) has been providing such premium service for more than TEN years here in Hong Kong, and while there were social distancing issues early on in 2022, IFCQB rebuilt a brand new Japanese themed game zone “Sakura No Kuni”, which brings you a total airsoft experience in “Japan streetImpactview”!Force CQB was founded in 2008; in the early days it was located in San Po Kong and moved
Facility
decoration and layout is one of key marketing factors for any Hong Kong CQB Airsoft field, and I’m talking about a nicely themed and set up playing zones and a great lobby!
On our visit, once we entered Impact Force CQB, we found that the whole floor is decorated like a
to Hung Hom in 2016. After they moved to the latest location, they’ve never stopped upgrading their venue and it was never just a case of relocating the barricades! Field-theme changes are based on player reviews and renovated accordingly, which keeps giving the airsofter surprises! They had renovated about seven times between 2016 – 2022, changing not just the barricades, but also theme, lighting and audio system; as an airsoft player, we are always thrilled to see all new changes which keeps the games fresh and exciting.
Victoria Town
This zone has three major routes; there is a linked room section, low light road section and mid-way with several buildings. Again personally,
The second game zone, “Victoria Town” is
CHOOSE YOUR THEME!
Besides airsoft, there are a variety of services provided; there’s also Jelly Gun and a Laser Tag Gun Rental service for different types of players. I’ve tried Jelly Gun before, it is a weaker version of airsoft with a jelly bullet! This full auto jelly gun sets its firepower to around 0.2J, so it’s totally not painful and great for costume party or younger players, so any organiser can leave it to their participants to decide what they want to play; however, obviously airsoft is still my best pick, as they have THREE individual game zones.
The first game zone is called “Sakura No Kuni” and is modified from the “Snow Garden” game zone; it is a very finely decorated Japanese-themed game zone of around 8000 square feet, and the hardware has been built based on airsoft competition arena, each side with two fortresses for sharpshooter , while the middle part is a paradise for assault players. As it’s decorated as a maze with walls of different heights, players have to mind their heads as you may easily get sniped. Unless it is a 10 v 10 game it is nearly impossible to guard all intersections, so if you push fast enough, you can definitely surprise your opponent from behind too! Personally this setup I enjoyed as it benefits the speedsofter, and as it’s decorated in white it is great for filming GoPro footage; besides that, people enjoy taking photos there to have the Japanese-trip feeling!
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scale CQB actions. I believe it is totally capable of handling 20 v 20 people or more! It’s an indoor town theme with decorations like a train, shops, and market place, to bring participants a very realistic combat zone. Also, they’ve built three stages in between buildings, which grant a perfect long shot spot during gameplay. Within the zone, we are able to see the Egyptian decoration at the Museum session, and that’s a very iconic decoration of IFCQB as people have been shooting around this decoration for more than 10 years!
Among all the game zones, our favorite is “Sakura No Kuni”. It definitely challenges our guts and timing to coordinate assaults; the maze is the best part to make use of since there are lots of corners that benefit to defender, so corners have to be carefully checked. Last but not least, It is important to get a rear guard in each squad as this can save you from surprises, and this will give you a great CQB experience in “Japan”!
For those who interested in seeing Impact Force CQB – Sakura No Kuni, you can check out my video gameplay on YouTube com/watch?v=K8PWxss1-Xc).(https://www.youtube. AA
careful or bring your teammates for that section. As the venue is in low light condition, players can make use of the situation for surprise attack; however the low light setting is not great for action camera filming.
I think the low light section is great for assault, as
the game zone boundaries for shortcuts and to secure the rooms with teammates for further assault approaches.
The venue built with around six open buildings with no camping spots; to move through the whole
Amazon Arsenal
“THE VENUE BUILT WITH AROUND SIX OPEN BUILDINGS WITH NO CAMPING SPOTS; TO MOVE THROUGH THE WHOLE GAME ZONE, IT CHALLENGES THE SHOOTER TO MAKE USE OF BOTH STRONG AND WEAK HAND, AND KEEP MOVING IS THE KEY TO SURVIVAL!”
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A TRUE AIRSOFT EXPERIENCE
Iexperience,personalsurvival!themovingshooterchallengesgamethetomakeuseofbothstrongandweakandkeepiskeytodoenjoyusing
The third game zone called “Amazon
around 5000 square feet, a great venue for small scale action like 5 v 5. As it’s a maze setting game zone, the tension pushes your adrenaline to max
2018 and therefore didn’t sneak up on us all quite as much as their almost surprise announcement and release of their HK PSG-1 replica, I nonetheless find myself staring at the somewhat impressive gun wall in my new place and casting my eyes to the right where the ‘lorge boi’ HK still takes equal pride of place, and thinking about what I’ve put it through already and the future plans or other improvements I still want to make to it and how I can utilise it more often where possible.
first acquired it I bemoaned the sheer bulk of the carry case supplied in lieu of your
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As
One of the major improvements I’ve stumbled upon is a creature comfort factor of sorts; when I
typical cardboard box and blister pack carton most replicas would be sold in. To be fair the PSG-1 is one of the largest and most cumbersome platforms I think I’ve encountered, and I can just about get away with single point slinging it or an SVD, so I’m by no means small. Nonetheless, while the armoured realistic deployment case VFC supplied it in serves well in protecting your investment, its weight is equal to that of the fully decked out gun with all its accessories so you’re essentially carrying around the best part of 15kg or so with the gun, magazines and case, and the carry handle isn’t exactly comfortable for prolonged use as I experienced when navigating the local MRT with it for pickup to go to
HAVING HAD HIS ICONIC DREAM RIFLE THAT IS THE VFC PSG-1 GBBR FOR THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR NOW, HOW HAS IT FARED IN STEWBACCA’S RECKONING? WITH MORE USE IN THE FIELD AND ADDITIONAL ACCESSORIES, AND WORK BEING DONE ON AND WITH IT, WHAT’S GONE MORE RIGHT OR WRONG SINCE THE INITIAL PURCHASE AND ARMOURY REVIEW IN ISSUE 133? NONETHELESS FIND MYSELF STARING AT THE SOMEWHAT IMPRESSIVE GUN WALL IN MY NEW PLACE AND CASTING MY EYES TO THE RIGHT WHERE THE ‘LORGE BOI’ HK STILL TAKES EQUAL PRIDE OF PLACE, AND THINKING ABOUT WHAT I’VE PUT IT THROUGH ALREADY AND THE FUTURE PLANS OR OTHER IMPROVEMENTS”
I eagerly await the imminent release and inevitable purchase and review of another long awaited 7.62 x 51mm platform in the shape of VFC’s LAR/FAL GBBR, which admittedly was announced or at least teased as far back as MOA
YEARPSG-ONEON!
“I
games!Similarly, unless you have your own vehicle, or even if you are sharing someone else’s, it’s somewhat cumbersome and doesn’t easily fit into most boot spaces; I had to strap it to my teammate Barrie’s roof rack atop his mini on more than one occasion, so just getting it to and from games can be a pain for yourself and anyone else who might want to fit a gun in the car!
pistol grip sub-assembly. By doing this I found I could store the PSG-1 in my long rifle case quite effectively, with the scope still attached to the main receiver and barrel assembly, and then the stock placed alongside the barrel to make best use of the bag space, while the trigger group is kept in the separate accessory pouch in between the four magazine pouches on the front of the gun bag which carry all of my magazines.
VFC PSG-1 RELOADED
In the end I stumbled on the idea of treating it as a cool assassin style ‘takedown’ gun; by popping the two body pins out and storing them in the typical stock mounted sling loop adjacent holes I can remove the somewhat clunky butt stock assembly, as well as dismount the trigger group and bulky
I now have four of the full sized 20 BB G3 magazines as well as the custom “5 round” sized one just for perfecting the look and as a wall hanger or which can be used as an emergency backup magazine or to carry the heaviest ammunition in an easily distinguished manner. This is by and large a much more practical
“I FOUND I COULD STORE THE PSG-1 IN MY LONG RIFLE CASE QUITE EFFECTIVELY, WITH THE SCOPE STILL ATTACHED TO THE MAIN RECEIVER AND BARREL ASSEMBLY, AND THEN THE STOCK PLACED ALONGSIDE THE BARREL TO MAKE BEST USE OF THE BAG SPACE”
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ATTS AND DETS
solution, although it doesn’t afford the same level of protection to the whole system; I have to remain careful in how I carry it around or stack it in vehicles, but at least it has allowed me to make use of the PSG-1 far more readily and I’ve fielded it more often as a result, which is the main thing really, seeing as I refuse to let it languish as just a wall hanger, I bought it to test its limits and my own!
With responsible use and adherence to the minimum engagement distances however it can be used very effectively to deliver long range supporting fire, and during one session where I fielded it at our Xindian mountain site in the southeast of Taipei I managed to get some uphill long range shots to drop onto opposition snipers and designated marksmen hidden largely behind a ridge line overlooking our team as we tried to advance up the main track flanked by trees.
I did frustratingly find the wind that day carrying my BBs off course just as they’d reach the opponents positions at times though as there was a break in the treeline just downhill and off the track so I’d see the rounds majestically sailing toward them through the very clear Vortex 2-7 x 32mm scope I have mounted on it, only for them to drift off target at the last moment! Some would also frustratingly ping off branches just ahead of the targets, but regardless I was enjoying stretching its legs and assessing its realistic capabilities. Gas blowback guns are after all not always the most consistent performers, but the PSG-1 still manages to throw BBs down fairly well and I’m sure the hop unit will continue to bed in well with time spent in use.
energy is essentially doubled, with less than a 20% velocity drop it seems, so it’s definitely a potential hot runner by most standards; something to seriously consider if you are looking to use it in game!
On the subject of testing, since acquiring it and my initial review and zeroing process I’ve further experimented with a wide variety of ammunition weights from the BLS BB range, with everything from 0.2g, 0.3g, 0.36g, 0.4g, 0.45g and even 0.5g. All were chrono’d on the same day in an attempt to minimise the shift in other variables, although it was a particularly hot day at the indoor range SPPT use for action air, and I sat there ‘thumping away on the long gun’ and testing it out before one of our infrequent afternoon makeup sessions that usually fall on a national holiday weekend which upsets our usual training schedule.
As yet I still haven’t adjusted the NPAS at all, but will look towards this as the next phase of fielding and fine tuning the whole system to use an optimal ammunition weight and output power suitable for sustained in game use where I’m not concerned about it being overpowered even by Taiwanese gameplay standards. The 650mm barrel and large gas cylinder volume and heavy action in general make for a noticeable joule creep effect, when comparing the same 12kg ‘green gas’ usage and 0.2g vs 0.5g ammunition the resultant muzzle
The addition of a VFC Harris-style bipod became an immediate priority after my first fielding or two of it, not wanting to rely on sandwiching my
CONTINUATION TESTING!
support hand between it and low lying cover when using it prone, and saving my old back some of the suffering! Of course this addition now brought the gross weight up to 6.5kg for the PSG-1, scope, bipod and magazine, but the two point quick adjustment slider style sling at least makes it more manageable for me to hang off my large frame and comfortably field it without having to strain my arms or back as much. The bipod itself has sprung flip- down legs with spring-out telescopic legs and reasonably wide feet on their ends which enables me to get a good firing position, and when stowed actually provide a surprisingly comfortable grip and indexing point for my larger hands than the front foregrip alone used to before I fitted the bipod beneath it… win win I guess!One
If you find yourself able to pick one up, or someone very nice will let you take a few shots on theirs, it’s definitely an experience worth trying; there’s typically a queue forming behind mine whenever I field it! AA
On the subject of the scope I still need to get around to either machining off the picatinny rail claws of the scope rings I bought and direct tapping and threading them to the stanchions welded onto the receiver… or come up with an entirely custom machined scope mount that interfaces with them to avoid that stepped rail which doesn’t look particularly realistic or appealing. This also increases
thing I noticed after the first game or two trying to make use of it was the need for me to increase the length of pull due to the positioning of my scope and its required eye relief; when playing around with it at home I’d failed to account for the offset in your shoulders you tend to get when lying prone or taking cover on an incline behind it, so I soon found myself making use of the wind out acme-threaded butt plate, which now sits around an inch or so out of the flush position and is locked there for convenience.
the height over bore considerably and therefore the cheek piece comb height has to be at its upper limit to align my eye with the scope. Hopefully I can work something better out when I find the time.
The only issue I have to report thus far has been the perhaps somewhat undersized recoil spring mount screw that holds that whole reasonably heavy spring system into the butt stock socket; this has worked its way loose and partially stripped its thread extremities during all the firing and perhaps as a result of my repeated dismantling of the gun for transport, but it wasn’t an impossible fix. I just had to remove the mounting plate from the butt stock and retighten the recoil spring assembly mount screw to it from behind with the plate out of the stock. This small gripe aside, the VFC PSG-1 has been performing very well for me thus far and I look forward to beating it some more and fine tuning it to the point where it starts earning its keep on the field as much as it earns my admiration on the gun wall.
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The two point sling I added is affixed to the rear sling loop in the buttstock and then wrapped around the front of the receiver just ahead of the magazine well and behind the charging handle slot’s rearmost edge, all held in place with the aid of the bipod mount to keep it reasonably static. That way it isn’t inhibiting the shouldering or movement of the rifle much but also isn’t in the way of the action or cocking handle.
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