ARMOURY: DOUBLE BELL TR-1 M-LOK

LAST MONTH BILL TOOK A CLOSE LOOK AT THE LICENCED TTI 34 FROM EMG THAT WOULD BE THE PERFECT GBB PISTOL FOR A “WICK-ED” LOADOUT, SO THIS TIME HE GOES LONG WITH A MOREBUDGET FRIENDLY AR THAT WOULD ALSO BE GREAT WHEN IT COMES TO BEING INSPIRED BY ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE MOVIE ANTI-HEROS!

The legend of John Wick continues! Or so it would seem that “JW4” appears set to hit the big screen come March 2023! This has created a lot of excitement online, and certainly within the group of airsoft friends I have locally… and yes, I’m pretty darn excited by the news too as “Parabellum” left us with a huge pile of unanswered questions…

If you’ve not seen “Parabellum” (if not, WHY NOT???) then watch out, as there may be a SPOILER or two coming up… did Winston really mean to kill Wick off when he shot him, or was its staged to mess with The High Table? Will The Bowery King get his revenge? And, if what we see in the trailer is right, what is Wick going to get up to in Japan? Of course though, the BIG question for all of us in airsoft-land is what gucci firearms will he be using THIS TIME?

Fact is we’ll have to wait and see, but if one thing is certain his choice of firearms will be dissected minutely, and I’m certain that the manufacturers will be vying hard to get the latest handgun models replicated in 6mm first… honestly, there’s a lot to look forward to when a new “Wick” hits the screens, and I’m also certain that a lot the new GBBs will be licenced to the hilt and rightly so as that way we get the exact thing that we want.

But what about the “longs”? What about the rifles and carbines that our beloved Mr W uses so righteously? As much as there are many choices when it comes to the handguns, it does seem that a lot of the longer models have been left a little out in the cold, and I can’t understand quite why as some of them are amongst the most popular airsoft variants out there right now! Back in the original movie he makes good use of the HK416 (actually a Coharie Arms CA-415 clone in the movie, yes even the real firearm world has clones!) along with a KelTec KSG. In “Parabellum” it’s the TTI SIG-Sauer MPX Carbine (he actually takes and uses a SIG-Sauer MPX Copperhead at one point too!) and a TTI Benelli M2 Super 90, and of course in “Chapter 2” it’s the TTI Benelli M4 Super 90 shotgun and a rifle that many have tried to build in airsoft-custom-form, the TTI TR-1 Ultralight!

With most of these models already available in airsoft form I’m genuinely amazed that someone like EMG hasn’t created the “full package” yet, but perhaps it’s an ask too far when it comes to licencing. The “HK” was pretty bog-standard in honesty, and to create the MPX models that would mean not only the TTI licence, but also one with SIG… and as SIG have their own airsoft program now perhaps they’re not interested in third-party arrangements… who knows, perhaps we’re in for a treat one day…

CUSTOM OR NOT?

When it comes to the TTI TR-1 Ultralight though I know a fair few people that have tried to replicate this in airsoft form, and some of the custom “takes” have been downright drool-worthy! However, creating something like the TR-1 has involved donor AEGs and GBBRs, expensive real-steel parts, and in some cases some judicious 3D printing! As with any custombuild you’ve got to be in it for the long-haul, and be prepared to drop some cash on something that will indeed be unique, but also expensive. However, completely out of left field comes Double Bell (DB) with their TR-1 M-LOK AEG! In Issue 133 Jimmy took a close look at the Double Bell “416-alike” and he wound up his review by saying

“My conclusion is that Double Bell have produced something rather good which doesn’t cost an awful lot; you certainly will stand out if you’re carrying one, and it’s perfect for a beginner, especially the price!”

So, to put out my stall for the Double BellB TR-1 I’ll go back to that statement, the one that concludes that the manufacturer formerly-known as D-Boys is actually putting out some decent base-level AEGs these days!

But what do we want from a “Wick TR-1”? Looking at the rifle used in the movie it was tricked out of course with the TTI upgrade package; this included a BCM Gunfighter Mod 0 collapsible stock, BCM KMR Alpha 13” rail, BCM pistol grip and vertical foregrip, PRI Compensator, 1-6x24 Trijicon Accupoint scope with an RMR on a canted rail, and Magpul PMAGs with TTI “bumper” extensions. That’s quite the shopping list right there!

DB have really pulled a flanker here in my opinion as they’ve created an AEG that LOOKS like the “Wick Rifle”, and comes fully-formed from the box ready to roll with in your catacombs of choice! Now I have seen that in the UK market the rifle in question comes WITHOUT any trademarks, and in my personal opinion this is right and proper, but in other markets I have seen images of it WITH trades… your call, but again personally I’m quite happy with the un-traded version, but then regular readers will know my opinion of this…

That out of the way, in all other ways what you get from Double Bell looks great, and for the most part you get a very, very passable “TR-1” for around the UK£300 mark, and the package includes both flip-up iron sights and a pretty reasonable 1-4x20 throw-lever optic! The rifle itself is actually very well put together indeed, with a close-fitting alloy MUR-style receiver set (the lower featuring an oversized trigger guard) with standard non-ambi controls, and one feature I like is the “chrome” mock-bolt, although being a little purist this should be bronzed rather than chromed. The other major changeout is that the DB features an rather nice M-LOK rail rather than the KeyMod of the movie gun, but again this brings it up to date in my eyes and adds rather than detracts from the whole.

Furniture is also very well done with a nice nod to replicating the look of the BCM parts, and the muzzle device replicates the PRI comp nicely too; this is on a 14mm CCW thread, so if you fancy a tracer or

“DB HAVE REALLY PULLED A FLANKER HERE IN MY OPINION AS THEY’VE CREATED AN AEG THAT LOOKS LIKE THE “WICK RIFLE”, AND COMES FULLY-FORMED FROM THE BOX READY TO ROLL WITH IN YOUR CATACOMBS OF CHOICE!”

suppressor you’re all set. Internally there’s nothing to shout about to be honest, it’s just a very workmanlike AR-AEG with a V2 gearbox, quick-change spring, standard wiring to a mini tamiya in the buffer tube, and a rotary hop setup, but as Jimmy said of the Double Bell he tested “this would also be a great base to throw some money at internally and make it something special”!

DOWNRANGE

So, did shooting it make me feel just a little bit “Wick”? Actually it did; with airsoft it’s sometimes a little bit “pantomime” isn’t it, and the right tools just help in that “suspension of disbelief”! It’s no performance rifle like the real deal (although I believe it could be) But it‘s great fun to shoot!

With the optic fitted and levelled I loaded up the “sidewinder” 300 BB Hi Cap with .20g and got to work on the range. Although the TR-1 has a singlepoint sling plate fitted as standard I ended up using a black VIPER two-point as that style suits me best these days, and this made it easier to transition from pistol to rifle and back in drills; the rifle is only 850mm at full extension and weighs 2860g so it’s easy to manipulate and move around with. Working through the range I found the trigger is a little unresponsive; not overly so, but it does take a positive pull to send BBs downrange happily. On semi you really can still get shots away rapidly if your trigger discipline is good, but on auto it’s pretty cool, and the TR-1 really does grunt when you put down a solid burst!

The flip-up sights that come fitted as standard are more than adequate, and indeed are sturdily made of alloy, but with the included optic the TR-1 really is ready to roll straight from the box just by adding a battery and some BBs! Once the optic was zeroed, at 30m unsupported in was easy to get hits on a sandbag target with each BB flying straight and true. I also took the TR-1 down to the 10m indoor range (which is a bit catacombs-like to be honest!), and the rifle performed well, banging the steels hard at 5-10m, and putting a power level of 1.06 Joule/339fps on a .20g through the chrono, although the hop arrangement seemed to really like .28g best.

I have to say that the DB TR-1 really did make me feel pretty on-point, especially with the TTI 34 in my holster as a backup! How would I run this setup in game? Well, with the number of indoor CQB sites these days I do think I’d be brave enough to run this setup suited and booted so to say, but probably with a beanie on my head, a black roll-neck under some LEstyle body armour, and a really lo-profile belt setup for extra AR and pistol mags like the one that JW used in The Continental in “Parabellum”; in fact I think I may have to speak nicely to Taig at Kydex Customs and see what he might be able to create!

With an iro£300 price-tag here in the UK the TR-1 really gives a massive amount of giggle-factor for the money, and when you add that it most certainly looks the part, feels great, and shoots very adequately as standard so as far as I can see Double Bell have got this right. As Jimmy said, the Double Bell AEGs are easily upgradeable with COTS “Marui compatible” internal parts, so this strikes me as a fabulous solution for anyone that wants to create a “Wick-inspired” loadout for CQB games on a budget but with the scope to upgrade it to something a bit more special as their funds allow…we’re certainly not talking “custom gun” money here, or anywhere near the US$4000 a real TTI would cost you!

So, are we ready for “JW4”? I know I am, and in the meantime I’ll just keep in dreaming dreams of those catacombs…

My thanks go to www.iwholesales.co.uk for supplying the test sample, and you’ll find the Double Bell models on their regularly updated website. The TR-1 AEGs are available in two different lengths, and internationally I’ve seen them in two different colours, Black and a rather nice Tan/Bronze combo, so I hope these will be here soon too! AA