12 minute read
KIT & GEAR: NUPROL ACCESSORIES
FULLY LOADED!
ANYONE WHO READS AIRSOFT ACTION WILL KNOW THAT WE HAVE, AND ARE EXTREMELY PROUD OF, A LONG-STANDING AND DEEP FRIENDSHIP WITH THE TEAM AT NUPROL, AND WE’VE COME TO RESPECT THEM MORE AND MORE AS THEY HAVE CONTINUED TO GROW INTO A TRUE AIRSOFTINDUSTRY LEVIATHAN! AS WE HEAD INTO A NEW YEAR AND LOOK TO GET “GAME READY” ALL OVER AGAIN, BILL DELVES INTO THEIR ACCESSORY RANGE TO HIGHLIGHT SOME REAL GEMS!
Many of you will recall that I worked closely with NUPROL on their more “classic accessories” during my “AR BLOCKS” builds last year and it really opened even my eyes to just how much they now have in relation to the “bolt-ons” that we all adore and use to make a stock platform truly one of a kind, and truly our own.
By “bolt-ons” I mean all the accessories that we add to our AEGs and GBBs that make them unique and beloved to us, accessories like optics, taclites and LAMs, suppressors, tracer units, and even humble rail covers! These are the items that we add that make a stock platform completely usable from our own perspective, one that we can confidently head ingame with and enjoy fielding time and again!
Over my long and somewhat undistinguished “airsoft life” I’ve had the chance to really refine what accessories I really like on different platforms, and now if you looked at my collection you’d find that all the modern ARs look very much the same, and although different the same can be said for my modern AKs! It’s not that I’m boring or can’t be bothered, more that I know what setup works best for me and I stick to it.
Why so, simple really… by setting each of my rifles and carbines in the same fashion that good old “muscle memory” kicks fully into gear and I don’t have to overthink where a pressure switch operating button is as I already know that. This means in turn that in-game I can concentrate on my situational awareness rather than having to keep checking where the button for my taclite is! Having a “standard” setup just makes my life easier, and hopefully makes me just that little bit slicker on the field.
But what do you REALLY need when it comes to accessories? A light? A laser? A red dot, holo, or magnified optic? Rail covers and foregrips?
This of course comes down to personal choice, and there is absolutely no wrong choice if what you have mounted on your own platform works for you! For me it’s quite simple again; if it’s a carbine for CQB I want a foregrip holo sight, taclite and LAM in case I go to “lo-light/no-light NVG work, and maybe a suppressor/ tracer. If it’s a DMR I want a magnified optic, decent back-up sights, a LAM again, and probably a bipod. For general use on a longer carbine or rifle for woodswork I’ll probably again go for a foregrip, holo sight, perhaps with a magnifier (more for checking out treelines than for true distance work), a suppressor/ tracer, and I’ll probably have a LAM still for night ops.
Yup, that’s largely me, a simple, straightforward setup that works across platforms, and quite frankly if I need anything I just head to NUPROL these days. Let me break it down for you so you can see what I mean…
TACLITES AND LAMS
The NX200 is a light designed to be fitted to a range of railed handguns, giving the ability to quickly acquire targets in low light conditions whilst allowing you to keep both hands on your pistol. The torch is constructed with an alloy body and head, a solid polymer toggle switch at
the rear, and features a
high power Genuine CREE 200 Lumens LED Bulb.
The light’s rear
switch features an Ambidextrous Textured Toggle, allowing activation by both left and right handed shooters. Included in the box is a spare fitting plate and allen Key. This is perfect for any night game or CQB situation, as you can light up an entire corridor or sweep out corners in any room with added accuracy and visibility.
The NX300 has the same excellent build quality of the NX200 but increases illumination to 300 Lumens whilst being only marginally larger in the head area. The NX400 not only us the power to a whopping 400 Lumens but you also get an incorporated adjustable laser. The back of the laser also holds the controls for several lighting options including the torch and laser being on at the same time if your desire.
Moving up to rifle/carbine lights, my faves these days are the NX600 series. The two models, available in Black or Tan, are Long (L) and Short (S) variants. They follow the trend towards small, bright “scout” type tactical lights that affix solidly to the rail of your RIF; designed
specifically as rifle lights they are made of high quality alloy and tough as old boots. Measuring 90mm the S variant takes 1xCR123 battery and gives out a clear white light. The L variant is 125mm long and takes 2xCR123. Both lights have a very slim, low profile, and the single bolt clamp is equally minimalist. The two lights come superbly packaged with both a “rats tail” remote pressure switch and standard tailcap which makes them very versatile; NUPROL even include the velcro strip to attach the pressure switch and a full colour instruction sheet so they really have thought of everything!
Finally I have to mention what I believe is one of the best PEQ15 replicas on the market today, and that’s the NPQ15 LIGHT/LASER BOX. Available in black or tan, this is a very sturdy “PEQ Box” but one that actually has all the functionality you need rather than being a place to store an oversized battery! Thi IS NOT a battery box, but a fullyfunctioning item that offers a bright white CREE LED, red daytime laser, and an IR laser for use with night vision devices! It fits straight onto a 20mm RIS Rail and comes with a removable pressure switch, or “Rats Tail”; I’d also add here that it works perfectly with some of the dual pressure switches out there that let you control your taclite and PEQ from a single interface. The PEQ uses 2 x CR123A Batteries (Not Included) and comes in a sturdy carry case, although for me it stays fitted full-time on my platforms.
OPTICS
NUPROL have had a solid range of different optics for some time now, both magnified and “tactical” style, so you have a whole array of options here from a simple RDS for pistol and shotgun work (the NP MICRO RDS) which also works excellently as a backup to a magnified DMR optic on a 45 degree mount. You might argue that given the realistic shooting range of an airsoft replica this is really all that’s needed other than on a rifle or carbine, but the reality is that we want our platforms to look cool, and therefore we need a choice of style!
On my AKs I tend to use the NPOINT E1 RDS SIGHT (a T1 style) as this sits nice and close to the bore. However, many years ago I got to using the “Eostyle” holosights and to be honest I’ve never looked back as I find these both robust and easy to use. I guess it’s the “two eyes open aiming thing” that I like
most about these, and although for years I used the NPTECH 881 style (this gives windage and elevation adjustment and a reticle colour change (green / red) all powered by two LR44 1.5V batteries (included)), but recently I’ve moved to the slightly smaller NPTECH 886 in all my platforms (this offers all the function of the 881 but uses two easy-to-find AA batteries). If you fancy something different though, there are more styles available to suit your taste!
But NUPROL have, if you’ll pardon the pun, looked at this long and hard at their optics offering, especially when it comes to the magnified variety, and come up with a neat, compact range of models, of good quality, at a sensible price. If you want “MIL-style then their 4x32 NCOG sights are pretty cool (especially for more period-defined builds), and they bring things well up to date with the NP PHANTOM F 4 X 32 SCOPE models.
For that classic “scope look though you have a number of great options in the NUPROL range; I’ve been running a NP Optics - 1.25-5x26 IR on my DMRs, and this is a super-clear optic that boasts some excellent mechanical features not often seen on such an affordable sight. The windage and elevation dials can be popped and locked into place to avoid any accidental changes made to your zero. The illumination is great too thanks to the 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!
In relation to more “traditional” optics there are three new models. You can now choose between 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; they’re very easy to set up, rock solid once fitted and add very minimal weight to your rifle.
SUPPRESSORS AND TRACERS
In reality an airsoft suppressor is really a bit of “dressing up” for your primary (or indeed secondary, the AGENCY suppressor rocks!) as virtually none of them, even the most expensive, actually provide any real kind of sound suppression. That said there is one simple area where a suppressor can actually help to enhance the performance of your AEG or GBB; by fitting one as a barrel extension you can easily and effectively lengthen your outer barrel, which in turn means that you can fit a longer inner barrel!
Apart from the “look” this is actually a very good reason to fit a suppressor to any airsoft platform, but even if you’re not going to try and increase performance there of course is the undisputed “cool guy” factor of adding a “can”. This is especially true if you’re going to try and nail certain “SF” styles as you are definitely going to need a suppressor.
Now for a good while NUPROL have offered their excellent range of both QD and non-QD suppressors
and barrel extensions in the form of the COBRA, BOA, MAMBA, VIPER, and COPPERHEAD “sound hog”, but more recently they’ve added some super little cans and tracer units for both “shorts and longs”. I particularly like the 132 and 158mm NUPROL TRACER UNIT as it mimics a certain “SF” suppressor nicely with the added bonus of tracer-capability, and as it comes with a prefitted battery and USB charging cable it’s easy to use in-game as you can always give it an extra boost if you carry a small powerbank! In the same vein there’s also a “sound hog” length NUPROL COMPACT FLASH-P TRACER UNIT which has a 4 hour/2000BB battery life; the unit has one-button operation and enters “sleep mode” after a minute of inactivity, but then re-activates after your next shot! This is also rechargeable via the USB B cable provided.
To be honest I could go on and on, but I won’t as I wanted to focus on the accessories in the NUPROL range that I have used personally and got great performance from. I also use their super 9” MULTIFUNCTION BIPOD extensively on my larger rifles, especially when combined with a magnified optic, and find this a first-rate, stable support.
The only area where I struggle to find what I need in the NUPROL line is foregrips; although they do some excellent models I prefer a very slimline “stubby” style, and this is something I’ve talked to them about many times! I have seen their own designs in this respect, and they look righteous, so I’m hopeful that this year these designs may finally become a reality! Still, when they cover off all of my other accessory needs this is really massive nitpicking…
Bottom line is that NUPROL can genuinely supply ALL your accessory needs at sensible prices unless you’re looking for something very specific, and they are usually fully “in stock” of all of them, making sure that their retail partners, and ultimately “we, the players” also have what we need, when we need it!
To check out the entire range of NUPROL accessories just head on over to www.nuprol.com or check with your local stockist for availability. AA
