Airsoft Action - June 2023

CONTENTS

8 ARMOURY: ROSSI NEPTUNE SAS 10.5

Last month we introduced ROSSI AIRSOFT and commented on the fact that there was obviously an inspiration from the USN SEALs. However, there is one AEG in their range that shouts out to us as UK ‘softers as a “must have”, and that’s the NEPTUNE SAS 10.5!

18 ARMOURY: LCT LC3 MODULAR AEG

Our friends at LCT have been sending out goodie packs to various media partners! Bella sent Stewbacca a big pack full of accessories along with their LC3A3 AEG to test out the modularity of the classic progenitor of all HK platforms, their take on the mighty G3!

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas

Deputy Editor (Asia): Stu Mortimer

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26 ARMOURY: DOUBLE EAGLE M920A AEROKNOX AX//15

DOUBLE EAGLE really appear to have found their place in the AEG world! Taking on their latest AX//15 Bill has spent some serious time with it and now delivers his verdict on an AEG that genuinely takes things to a new level!

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32 ARMOURY: DELTA ARMORY

Every so often we come across companies that really have a true passion for what they produce, and this month we introduce a new friend of Airsoft Action that truly shares our belief in the mantra “guns for the players, by the players”!

58 ARMOURY: ICS BLE ICP

As we’ve had a bit of a focus on G-SERIES pistols in this issue it seems only apt to introduce the very latest model to be added to the long-term test pool, and it comes in the shape of the the allnew BLE ICP pistol from our old and trusted friends at ICS!

38 KIT & GEAR: READY TACTICAL SLING

We take our time to test both RIFs and gear fully before we report back and give something our recommendation, and in this issue Boycie starts reporting back on some of the great innovations that he and the team saw at SHOT back in January. The first of these comes in the shape of the READY TACTICAL SLING and he reports back that after thorough testing this invaluable item!

44 THE CAGE: BASIC COMP GEAR

It’s time to move things along again in THE CAGE, the place where the members of the AA LEGION talk about the gear they use, have used, and want to use in the future! This month we start a slightly new direction as we start to look at kit setups for very specific situations! Bill sets the scene…

72 TECH: GATE LATEST

You may well remember couple of issues ago we reported on the Airsoft Action yearly pilgrimage to IWA in Nuremburg. For Jimmy it marked not only his first major trade show but also his first ever trip abroad and from what he’s told us all about his meeting with the team from GATE the road-trip certainly didn’t disappoint, and now he starts to tell all about their very latest products!

76 GETTING PERSONAL Stewbacca “sat down” online with the man of the hour himself Marck West: hot on the heels of personally taking the Popular Airsoft Player’s Choice Award 2023 for “Special Airsoft Player Award: Male”, along with his new found home with our friends at Laylax who won the award for “Best Airsoft Podcast or Video Channel” as well as once again that for “Best Airsoft Upgrade/Parts Manufacturer”!

48 RED CELL: GLOCK/EU SERIES UPDATE

Red Cell are rolling on with their updates on the platforms that they have been using now for over two years, and although new models are constantly being added to the long-term test pool, we hope that the information we’re putting together will be of use to you when it comes to buying a new GBB! This month they return to the “Glock” or “G-SERIES” pistols that have been put through the mill!

62 TRAINING: PTS BARRICADE

Continuing his evaluation of “good gear to go” that he and the crew saw in the USA airsoft veteran Boycie now looks to a superb training device that he’s been trialling on the range to improve the dynamics and efficacy of his shooting skills… standing still to shoot when training is all very well, but when you need to train to hit the target when being more dynamic then you need the PTS BARRICADE!

84 AA LEGION:

We’re very proud to have Airsoft Action Legionnaires in many countries and the message we share is that wherever you may be in this great wide world of airsoft, and however you enjoy YOUR game, we are all part of a wonderful global community that should share our passion for all things 6mm! Bill was contacted by Alex, from the “ASD 3/5 Marines”, to talk about how living history has influenced this unique Italian team!

92 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL

When you’ve been playing airsoft for a while you need to mark certain “anniversaries”, and in Portugal it is the teams themselves that institute and run games, so it’s an extra special event when it happens at your “Home Field”! Miguel and The GHOSTS recently put on a very special game to celebrate FIFTEEN years of airsoft, and now he tells us all about it!

Continuing in his ever-brutal and blunt fashion of reviewing guns and gear Stewbacca has been recently “getting his teeth” into some of the gear from Laylax following their Krytac Owner’s meeting back in November 22… and now he can “bite the bullet” and talk again about one of their greatest gear innovations to date, the BiteMag.

96

Back in Issue 124 Bill got his hands on the then-new VORSK CS DEFENDER PRO GBB pistol and fell in love with the classic MEU-style 1911 all over again… but now we’re on Issue 150 so how has this classic design stood the test of time? Pretty darn well it would seem…

ITALY

68 KIT & GEAR: LAYLAX BITE MAG CARRIERS

RELOADED: VORSK CS DEFENDER PRO

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UKSF TO GO!

LAST MONTH WE INTRODUCED THE ROSSI AIRSOFT BRAND AND COMMENTED ON THE FACT THAT THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY AN INSPIRATION FROM THE USN SEALS WHEN IT CAME TO THE NAMING OF THEIR REPLICAS; HOWEVER THERE IS ONE AEG IN THEIR RANGE THAT SHOUTS OUT TO US AS UK ‘SOFTERS AS A “MUST HAVE”, AND THAT’S THE NEPTUNE SAS 10.5!

I’ve been really impressed so far with the dealings I’ve had so far with the team at ROSSI EUROPE, and it’s become quite obvious to me that they are genuinely interested in seeing their brand flourish and grow! Each and every time I’ve approached them for information my request has been dealt with lightningfast and beyond expectation… a simple question is replied to with professionalism and great courtesy… which used to be a rare thing in relation to airsoft companies, and sometimes still is!

It’s also been made quite clear to me that ROSSI EUROPE are quite prepared to back up their claims that their AEGs, GBB pistols and spring carbines are ready to rock from the box, as in my initial conversations with them I requested a test sample of one of their AEGs so we could really get into it, and courtesy of Dave T and Dave’s Custom Airsoft who’d already placed an order with them we piggy-backed on his initial order and a shiny new ROSSI AEG duly

(L119A1/A2) as its primary for a significant period because it has met all their operational requirements and is incredibly well-liked by everyone who uses it. What we all still refer to as “The Diemaco” (now manufactured by Colt Canada, formerly Diemaco prior to 2005) was designated the “L119A1 Special Forces Individual Weapon (SFIW)” within the UK military; UKSF started to use the L119 in the late 1990s, and it was subsequently rolled out to other units such as the Special Forces Support Group (SFSG), Pathfinder Platoon, 43 Commando Royal Marines and the Royal Military Police Close Protection Unit.

Two versions are known to have been in service, the L119 SFIW which featured a heavy, high accuracy, 16.1-inch-long cold-hammer-forged barrel that was designed for operation in arctic conditions and set up to mate with the HK AG-C grenade launcher, and the L119A1 CQB Carbine which was a shortened version with a 10 inch barrel and associated upper,

LOADOUT

WOULD WANT TO OWN, AS THE ROSSI NEPTUNE SAS 10.5 IS OBVIOUSLY INSPIRED BY THE L119A2!”

But the L119A2 was a very different beast to the A1, with a purpose-designed monolithic upper capable of holding true when fitted with LAMs and associated aiming devices which were by the time much more “the norm”, especially for SF operators. This upper was licenced from Lewis Machine and Tool (LMT, they of L129A1 rifle fame), and the finished A2 came with a MagPul CTR stock, Geissele trigger, and were often first seen with Gen3 Magpul P-Mags. It’s believed that Surefire suppressors and optics were often carried over from older platforms, but more on that shortly…

Of course “them in the know” knew all about the A2, but like the MP5 with “Operation NIMROD” the updated carbine really hit the limelight in January 2019 in the hands of Christian Craighead, AKA “Obi wan Nairobi”!

I remember at the time that airsoft chat groups were suddenly awash with discussion as to “that gun”, while those of us that were already dedicated “A1 users” simply smiled and grabbed a brew while we broke down all the goodies that were fitted… but there’ll be more to come on that in a future article!

6MM REPLICATION

Although there are some absolutely great “SF” style carbines on the market in both AEG and GBBR form, if you do want to take the “UKSF high ground” then frankly nothing but a “Diemaco” will do! Once the territory of uber-expensive body kits and custommade add-ons there’s now a thriving market for both “L119” A1 and A2 parts, and with a decent donor RIF you can have yourself a tidy A1, right down to the

“OF

COURSE “THEM IN THE KNOW” KNEW ALL ABOUT THE A2, BUT LIKE THE MP5 WITH “OPERATION NIMROD” THE UPDATED CARBINE REALLY HIT THE LIMELIGHT IN JANUARY 2019 IN THE HANDS OF CHRISTIAN CRAIGHEAD, AKA “OBI WAN NAIROBI”!”

“ALTHOUGH THERE ARE SOME ABSOLUTELY GREAT “SF” STYLE CARBINES ON THE MARKET IN BOTH AEG AND GBBR FORM, IF YOU DO WANT TO TAKE THE “UKSF HIGH GROUND” THEN FRANKLY NOTHING BUT A “DIEMACO” WILL DO!”

heavy barrel of the original and the riser wing-mount for your ACOG!

However, when it comes to an A2, then things are still a little different! Yes, we have seen aftermarket “A2” style rails” and most of the

is a very, very slight differnce in the height of the rail to the separate upper receiver, but again, you’ll only see this if you’re a complete stitch-bitch! The finish of the all-metal parts is generally excellent though, the same matte black throughout, and even after a good

a seam, and I believe that once it’s painted up this discrepancy will be minimal from any distance. There

are pretty darn nice to be honest, as you get a programmable MOSFET/V2 electronic trigger,

“THE THING FOR ME THAT REALLY GIVES THIS AEG THE EDGE ON MY OLD “119A1S” THOUGH IS THE SHEER QUALITY, FIT AND FINISH OF PARTS, AND THE IMMEDIATE PERFORMANCE AS STOCK. THE “SAS” LOOKS GREAT, IS IMPECCABLY FINISHED AND PUT TOGETHER, AND HAS FUNCTIONED FLAWLESSLY DURING TESTING”

which combined with 16:1 CNC gears allows for a solid and sustained ROF. It also offers active brake, semi, auto, binary and 2, 3, 4 or 5 BB burst fire modes out the box! There are 8mm bearings, and the piston has steel teeth and a bearing piston head, the spring

prior to release and in my opinion this AEG shows that ROSSI don’t mess around when it comes to putting an AEG together.

What you will get with a ROSSI NEPTUNE SAS 10.5 is a great quality “119 inspired” AEG that could

selector up to full; I’ve not mucked about with the programming to be honest as I’m more than happy with the performance in “classic” mode!

The thing for me that REALLY gives this AEG the edge on my old “119A1s” though is the sheer quality, fit and finish of parts, and the immediate performance as stock. The “SAS” looks great, is impeccably finished and put together, and has functioned flawlessly during testing. The technology inside has been refined

PROG3NITOR: COLD WAR... HOT TICKET!

WITH THE IMMINENT RELEASE OF THEIR LC3K ‘SAS’ SHORTENED G3 AEG VARIANT WHICH STEWBACCA GOT HANDS ON WITH THE PROTOTYPE OF BACK IN APRIL 2022 DURING HIS SITE VISIT TO LCT AIRSOFT’S HEADQUARTERS IN CHANGHUA (AS COVERED IN JUNE 2022’S ISSUE NO.138), OUR FRIENDS AT LCT HAVE BEEN SENDING OUT GOODIE PACKS TO VARIOUS MEDIA PARTNERS INCLUDING OURSELVES AND SOME OF OUR FRIENDS IN EUROPE AS WELL! BELLA SENT STEWBACCA A BIG PACK FULL OF ACCESSORIES ALONG WITH THEIR LC3A3 AEG TO TEST OUT THE MODULARITY OF THE CLASSIC PROGENITOR OF ALL HK PLATFORMS, THEIR TAKE ON THE MIGHTY G3!

I’m sure everybody is well aware of my love for all things German, and particularly Heckler & Koch in origin when it comes to firearms. With the recent MP5k and upcoming HK53 replica releases keeping me busy and happy, what of the origin story of all the stamped steel, roller delayed blowback goodness that fills our lives?

I’ve not had much experience in the full scale battle rifle category, besides the L1A1/FAL and replicas thereof, but the G3 is an absolutely iconic platform and somewhat the German progenitor of the technology derived from the Spanish CETME program by the ex Mauser works folks post WW2 which would eventually drive the majority of H&K’s platforms until the tail end of the 20th century when gas operation became more ubiquitous in their own products.

Many of my European friends from secondary school and university have shared fond memories with me since we moved on in life and I got deeper into my lifestyle immersed in firearms and replicas thereof, having been lucky enough to make use of the G3

battle rifle as their standard service individual weapon in the intervening years. indeed it still sees widespread use despite its age; my Norwegian friend was a chef on a minesweeper during his national service in their Navy, and shared many gleeful stories of laying down rounds from the rear of his boat with all manner of weapons including the G3 during his training, while my Greek-Cypriot university course-mate maintains one at home along with a box of ammunition for the purposes of militia defence in case things on their island ever heat up again and he’s forced to hold the line with his compatriots.

But why should they have all the fun? While I obviously can’t get hands on live versions here in Taiwan, LCT were good enough to send me their LC3A3 AEG battle rifle, along with a box load of additional goodies to swap out on it, including basically all of the buttstock options you can think of like fixed, fixed with cheek piece riser, telescopic, AR buffer tube and CQB style PK308 separate stock, the Picatinny optics mounting rail, bipod, the narrow

“I’VE NOT HAD MUCH EXPERIENCE IN THE FULL SCALE BATTLE RIFLE CATEGORY, BESIDES THE L1A1/FAL AND REPLICAS THEREOF, BUT THE G3 IS AN ABSOLUTELY ICONIC PLATFORM AND SOMEWHAT THE GERMAN PROGENITOR OF THE TECHNOLOGY DERIVED FROM THE SPANISH CETME PROGRAM”

early version handguard, and the chunkier broad handguard that became standard in intermediate age mainstream production, as well as the Picatinny rail front handguard that sought to modernise the platform and increase its capability to add increasingly typical tactical accessories such as grips, illumination, aiming and other such things.

In late March a long and conspicuous parcel and its additional goodie box landed with my concierges (they probably wonder what I do with my spare time on occasion with all these odd packages from our friends and partners in Taiwan arriving, or my long bags or cases and camouflage clad adventures!) and I gleefully unboxed all the carefully wrapped attachments to figure out exactly what Bella had sent me to test, and begin planning what I would use and how I would tailor the LC3A3 AEG best to suit the upcoming gaming environments Team Taiji would be playing at over the April weekends.

MODULARITY FTW!

The inherent modularity of the H&K product line was always an excellent selling point of the real steel systems, and indeed Heckler & Koch were somewhat ahead of the curve in many ways with their modern manufacturing methodologies, internal operating mechanisms and tailoring of platforms to meet user needs. Being some of the first to make such modularity, adaptability and field stripping or changing of key components so easy with their now ubiquitous push-pin-retention system for unitised fire control and pistol grip groups, handguards, stocks, and other additional components it really is the original “Barbie for Bois” to my mind, even before all these whipper snappers and their SOPMOD Armalites came on the scene.

During my factory tour last April I enjoyed putting my engineering hat back on and geeking out over the somewhat heavy industrial processes that Li Cheng Technologies built their original business and resulting airsoft sub-brand on, moving from more household goods related work to sub-contracting for the likes of Inokatsu and more recently GHK as well as moving into producing their own homegrown AK furniture kits and then full blown assembled finished guns, replicating basically every variant you can imagine in the process before moving onto the H&K family

among others.

As a result of all this manufacturing expertise, LCT Airsoft have unquestionably some of - if not THE - best external quality and realism in their replicas, working to real steel samples of components or accurate dimensions and data packs where they can source them, ensuring that real steel accessories will also fit on their products, alongside their ever growing range of myriad attachments. The weight, heft general handling and complete lack of any yielding in the realistically manufactured stamped and welded H&K receivers and main barrel assemblies inspire confidence in the durability of LCT’s products; I have run enough guns into the ground in my time to know what I’m capable of bending or breaking, and I’m not at all worried about throwing these things around.

The consistency and aesthetic quality of the products is also maintained to a level that likely exceeds some of the older real steel versions in reality, given modern advancements in robotic welding which LCT Airsoft have taken full advantage of to make neat welds in a highly repeatable and stress-free fashion,

which makes their H&K and AK product lines look the part as well as damn near indestructible by even the most blunt instrument in your team. The weight

“AS A RESULT OF ALL THIS MANUFACTURING EXPERTISE, LCT AIRSOFT HAVE UNQUESTIONABLY SOME OF - IF NOT THE - BEST EXTERNAL QUALITY AND REALISM IN THEIR REPLICAS, WORKING TO REAL STEEL SAMPLES OF COMPONENTS OR ACCURATE DIMENSIONS AND DATA PACKS WHERE THEY CAN SOURCE THEM”

can be off-putting to some of the more slight end users, but that being said I’ve even seen some guys half my size out here lugging around LCT’s legendary beautifully finished M60 or PKM LMGs; if you have the passion I guess you’ll overcome the encumbrance to be ‘that guy’ who turns up with a piece of history or pop culture, that also boasts ridiculous firepower and magazine capacity to dominate the field with.

Among my team there are already more than a few guys who trust LCT’s AEGs as their primary platforms, ranging from modernised AK rifles, carbines and SMG variants, as well as Big Mike who shares my passion for cold war battle rifles and has his own longer serving LCT LC3 / G3 AEG and was good enough to partner up with me for some pictures; he’s had his for most of the time they have been on the market and speaks highly of his own example, relying on it often as a dependable AEG that just works and brings a smile to his face.

While some may see the basic (albeit hard-wearing) internals as a drawback in terms of a lack of focus toward on-board electronics or similar advances as standard, the second generation batch of SVDs should be incorporating one of LCT’s electronic trigger systems, which are also available separately with MOSFETs in either front or rear wiring loom variants; for the most part they are a more than adequate starting point for any enthusiastic player.

NAILING IT WITH THE LC3

The 515mm long internal barrel of the LC3A3, genuinely half the overall length of the rifle, and tactile clicking HOP drum accessible through the ejection port when the charging handle is locked back certainly allowed me to throw 0.3g BLS BBs out to respectable ranges, especially when we recently played a site new to myself that the team hadn’t been permitted to use since just before I joined a couple of years back. Working from the ground level and rooftops with my teammates and looking through a 4x ACOG replica mounted atop the 8.5 inch long Picatinny optics rail (LK034) I was easily able to throw BBs into doorways on an adjacent building’s rooftop 30m away with enough precision to keep one opponent pinned in the very corner of the doorway while my teammates worked their way around; the wind picked up occasionally and threw BBs off or spun

them in vortices shedding off the roof edge, but I was effective in suppressing them regardless, and despite the lack of electronic trigger the responsiveness is certainly snappier that anything AEG related I remember using back in the UK.

The wide version front handguard (LC003supplied as standard with the LC3A3W ‘w’ for ‘wide’ variant) allows for a slim nunchuck style LiPo battery to be installed around the outer barrel and connecting into the front wired gearbox, although you’ll need to use a rear-wired solution with the fixed (LC030) or AR style stock (LC036) if you want to make use of the slimline original production style front handguard (LC001) due to its very slender cross section; even the front wiring loom can be a challenge to route through the confined space between it and the outer barrel while setting it up; I was using the telescopic stock at the same time during my CQB usage of the LC3A3, so managed to connect the LiPo battery and route the wiring out of the very front opening of the slimline handguard and then routed it into a small battery bag velcroed around the front end which meant I could still access the charging handle fine and get a C-Clamp grip on the main rear portion of the handguard.

At least when using the picatinny tri-rail modernised handguard (LC038) it allows for mounting a PEQ box, foregrip or similar external battery storage unit should you want to leave it front wired, which would also allow you to change the stock for the telescopic collapsible variant (LC035) which I’ve happily used the equivalent of on my LK53 to date, making it an excellent compact backpack gun.

The ability to tailor the profile and format of the platform with all these accessories allowed me to change the handling and capabilities between game days, and using the wide handguard in conjunction with the folding bipod (LK010) allowed me to use the LC3A3 as an effective DMR in longer distance and duration engagements. I made use of a pair of the 140 BB midcaps (LC012) which extended my capabilities beyond my usual gas rifle loadouts in terms of suppressing fire over having to pick my shots; during the second outing I also elected to switch out the fixed cheek riser stock (LC028) for the telescopic PK308 LTS stock mounted to the AR buffer tube adaptor which allows for some adjustment in length

“THE ABILITY TO TAILOR THE PROFILE AND FORMAT OF THE PLATFORM WITH ALL THESE ACCESSORIES ALLOWED ME TO CHANGE THE HANDLING AND CAPABILITIES BETWEEN GAME DAYS, AND USING THE WIDE HANDGUARD IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FOLDING BIPOD (LK010) ALLOWED ME TO USE THE LC3A3 AS AN EFFECTIVE DMR”

of pull, great for my longer arms, although you have to be aware of the eye-box on your optics if you are using any. In the end I left it mostly collapsed to get my eye behind the ACOG effectively, whereas the fixed stock with cheek riser I used the first game day felt a lot more natural for that setup and situation, but with plentiful space left on the Picatinny rail adaptor you can no doubt make use of a larger, longer scope with deeper eye relief should you wish.

The PKS308 does allow you to control the back end of the rifle better when making use of the bipod to take the load of the front end at least, allowing your support arm and hand to wrap around and grab the lower part of the buttpad and really pull the whole thing in tight in an LMG gunner’s style to allow you to pan your point of aim around without it slipping out of your shoulder. The AR tube adaptor also has the added benefit of internal battery storage space, and an integral QD sling socket on the rear left shoulder of it making it easier to field and make compatible with more modern load bearing or sling solutions than the typical basic sling loops of the fixed or telescopic stocks.

SWITCHING IT OUT

Switching between all of these different options was also very easy given the prevalence of the aforementioned push pins, two of which are also included with each additional stock variant so you’re never short of spares if you manage to lose one. Removing the stock also allows the charging handle spring retainer to pop out of the rear, as well as opening up access to the quick change spring base plate which can easily be rotated and unlocked using a large flat-head tool to rapidly change the mainspring without the need for further disassembly, making adaptation to local field or national power restrictions a painless exercise compared to many earlier counterparts I’ve sworn at in my time! Out of the box my example was throwing out a fairly consistent muzzle velocity of 95m/s to within 1m/s variance using 0.3g BLS BBs (which works out to 1.3 Joules and 380 FPS on a 0.2g BB), a little too toasty for the UK and some other areas, but fine for Taiwan’s native lawlessness!

Besides the wide range of extras Bella was good enough to send me for testing, LCT’s website also has

a further range of high cap and mid cap magazines with either plain or waffle surface texture styles, spare buttplates, internal springs, charging handles, barrels, body pins and ergonomic pistol grip options available in green or black to allow users to further customise their LC3A3 to achieve a certain look or represent various eras in the development or fielding of its real steel counterpart which has seen adoption by in excess of 40 countries, for the most part any NATO or allied cold war nation not using an FAL or derivative was more than likely fielding these instead!

If for some reason the LC3A3 isn’t long enough for your liking, the muzzle device can even be removed to reveal an industry standard 14mm CCW thread for mounting mock suppressors or tracer units should you feel the need to, and among the other accessories on LCT’s website there’s even the LC006 bayonet adaptor to help attach a stabby thing over the muzzle and to the front end of the charging handle tube above the barrel.

I’d like to thank Bella and the LCT Airsoft team (www.lctairsoft.com) for their continued support of my blunt instrument testing efforts and entrusting me with yet another excellently build replica and all its accessories, and I look forward to seeing the LC3K SAS variant and further H&K based models hitting the market soon! AA

“THE AR TUBE ADAPTOR ALSO HAS THE ADDED BENEFIT OF INTERNAL BATTERY STORAGE SPACE, AND AN INTEGRAL QD SLING SOCKET ON THE REAR LEFT SHOULDER OF IT MAKING IT EASIER TO FIELD AND MAKE COMPATIBLE WITH MORE MODERN LOAD BEARING OR SLING SOLUTIONS”

TARGET CONNECTION

DOUBLE EAGLE REALLY APPEAR TO HAVE FOUND THEIR PLACE IN THE AEG WORLD OF LATE, WITH SOME THOROUGHLY UNIQUE MODELS HITTING THE MARKET AND UPPING CAPABILITY LEVELS AT THE SAME TIME! TAKING ON THEIR LATEST AX//15 BILL HAS SPENT SOME SERIOUS TIME WITH IT AND NOW DELIVERS HIS VERDICT ON AN AEG THAT GENUINELY TAKES THINGS TO A NEW LEVEL!

“AEGS BY THEIR VERY NATURE HAVE BEEN FICKLE BEASTS, ABSOLUTE MARVELS OF ENGINEERING REALLY WITH A MYRIAD OF SOMETIMES QUITE DELICATE COMPONENTS THAT GO TOGETHER TO CREATE A FUNCTIONAL WHOLE… AND ONE THAT THEN GETS DRAGGED THROUGH THE RAIN, SHINE, MUD, AND DUST OF GAMEDAYS”

In December last year I had the chance to get some rangetime in with the DE SR47 UTR and I have to admit that it was a carbine that I really quite came to like, one that took all the best bits of AR ergonomics and added an AK magazine for “OPFOR Shenanigans”. At the time I said that I liked it because it was shorter in comparison to my other SR47s and “its modern styling makes it unique in a good way! With a price of just under UK£200 at the time of writing this, as far as AR/AK hybrids go this is a great little AEG and one that deserves a rightful place in my OPFOR armoury”

I’ll stand by those initial comments as I move on to the latest model that’s come my way, via iWholesales here in the UK, from Double Eagle as although the M920A AEROKNOX AX//15 goes firmly back into the AR camp it does so with some shared features with the SR47 that I believe are quite unique, as well as adding something more to the party again in the form of wireless connectivity for programming the operating functions!

This seems to be all the rage right now and as Jimmy will illustrate later in his TECH article this month having wireless connectivity when it comes to programming does bring with it a number of benefits… it’s true when he says though, as I’ve experienced the same thing, that hardwiring the programming function can lead to connectivity issues, especially if you mislay the dedicated cable!

This in turn leads me back to the question of “over-engineering” for its own sake; are we simply adding too much to AEGs these days, and just because something CAN be done, SHOULD it be? Fundamentally AEGs by their very nature have been fickle beasts, absolute marvels of engineering really with a myriad of sometimes quite delicate components that go together to create a functional whole… and one that then gets dragged through the rain, shine, mud, and dust of gamedays with very little care and attention in the hands of many!

The fact is that we expect our AEGs to perform without giving them much of a second look when the game is over and we store our gear away for another day; okay, I believe that more and more players understand that their AEGs need a little more than a simple wipe-down to keep them in full fighting fettle for an extended service life, but by

adding more and more to the base gun are we just asking for trouble? More to go wrong inevitably will go wrong…

I am somewhat of a “techno-luddite” when it comes to airsoft platforms, and whilst I understand fully that technical upgrades at source can lead to you getting both protection for the AEG system and access to absolute peak performance from it, I am still a little uneasy as I’m definitely a less-is-more kind of guy. That said, having experienced a few systems now that allow you to hone the performance of your AEG, especially via a Bluetooth, I am beginning to second-guess myself on this!

The M920A AEROKNOX AX//15 has the excellent new Falcon gearbox that I started to talk about first back in 2022, but this time the V2 which has already proved to be a solid and reliable setup, and to this Double Eagle have added the Kestrel V2 ETU which moves things on yet another step; this adds the wireless programming connectivity that I’ve been talking about, and it’s a system that even a sad old airsofter like me can get into and navigate easily!

UNIQUE STYLING

Double Eagle have obviously hit on a bit of a winner when it comes to the styling of their latest flagship carbines; they certainly look “bang on trend” and the AX//15 is no exception with CNC high-grade alloy construction throughout! You get a very unique, almost “billet-like” receiver pairing that’s beautifully finished and well put together; the lower also has a slightly over-sized trigger guard that’s ideal for use with even bulkier gloves protecting a flat-face “A” trigger. The upper melds neatly and solidly into an excellent ¾ length contiguous top rail

“DOUBLE EAGLE HAVE OBVIOUSLY HIT ON A WINNER WHEN IT COMES TO THE STYLING OF THEIR LATEST FLAGSHIP CARBINES; THEY CERTAINLY LOOK “BANG ON TREND” AND THE AX//15 IS NO EXCEPTION WITH CNC HIGH-GRADE ALLOY CONSTRUCTION THROUGHOUT!”

LLC Firearms (a firearms company from Texas that provides cutting-edge and revolutionary products to the defence industry!), while at 3,6, and 9 0’clock you have full-length M-LOK compatibility meaning you can set it up with your favoured optics

Rounding

inside things are equally interesting! I’ve talked before in depth about the Falcon system, but suffice to say the latest AX//15 V2 gearbox has the quick change spring function, and steel gears mounted on 8mm bearings. Also as mentioned earlier the AEG is prefitted with the Kestrel V2 ETU by ESHOOTER, which is easily controlled via a smartphone app for iOS and Android that is easily found and downloaded from either the APPSTORE on GOOGLE PLAY; on the end of the box and in the instruction manual there’s also a QR code to scan that will lead you direct to the ESHOOTER App, so very neat again. You need to calibrate the system to your liking before you use your new AEG, but it really is very straightforward, and there’s a good video on Youtube that can help you with this, just search out “Function Introduction for Kestrel V2”.

that again look almost futuristic, and a unique muzzle brake, again a really nice Aeroknox design, this time mimicking their “Butterfly” on a 14mm CCW thread so the AEG is suppressor/tracer-ready although I don’t know why you’d want to change out the brake that comes with it as standard! It’s very cool throughout, a very good replication of the Aeroknox designs that fulfils all the licence obligations as far as I can ascertain, and the AX//15 is also lightweight at 2560g but very sturdy indeed! Control-wise you have a really well set-up and uniquely-styled ambidextrous selector lever and charging handle, along with an oversized paddle magazine release making everything slick when it comes to drills and mag changes. To top

Once the app is downloaded and set up (even I could manage it, but the iOS Siri voice-control function was a step to far even for me!) the Kestrel system really lets you get into the nitty-gritty of operation, and you can easily program a faster trigger

polymer flip-up sights front and rear; it’s a very tidy and solid package throughout.

So the AX//15 externally is really quite unique thanks to the well-used licence with Aeroknox, and

“THE AEG IS PRE-FITTED WITH THE KESTREL V2 ETU BY ESHOOTER, WHICH IS EASILY CONTROLLED VIA A SMARTPHONE APP FOR IOS AND ANDROID THAT IS EASILY FOUND AND DOWNLOADED FROM EITHER THE APPSTORE ON GOOGLE PLAY”

response/sensitivity or a higher ROF, fire modes (BINARY/ BURST 3-10 BBS/ AUG-progressive Mode/ Sniper Mode), active brake, and pre-cocking (3 levels). One new feature I personally love is that of “Real Magazine” function which cleverly simulates a real 30-round magazine in operation; after firing 30 BBs, the carbine cuts out and you need to change the mag to get back in the fight!

The EHOOTER app also keeps an eye on, and displays messages about the performance of your gearbox; this does help to prevent damage from overheating, overloading the system in any way, or potential short-circuits. The ETU also has a “Sleep Mode”, so if your gun is put away with a battery still connected in error it will “sleep” and stop the battery from discharging which of course can lead to some unpleasant and costly outcomes!

DOWNRANGE

I programmed the AX//15 the way I like it; I just adjusted the trigger sensitivity, set it to3 BB burst on semi, and added the “Real magazine” function… yup, I did that, and all on my old phone so it would appear that an old shooter can learn new tricks after all! There is a physical button inside the magwell for the “Real magazine” function that detects when a magazine is inserted, and after 30 BBs the AEG does stop… you need to remove and reinsert a magazine (it can be the same one) so that the AEG recognises a magazine change and resets so you can carry on shooting, although like some other systems there’s no need to hit the bolt release to complete the procedure.

Now the AX//15 like other Double Eagle models I’ve tested in the past was pretty warm when it arrived, but with the quick change spring function it was a simple job to change this out, resulting in a power level through the chrono of 1.06 Joule/338fps on a .20g BB, bang-on for most sites! Now, most good retailers will change the spring to comply with local site restrictions, but make sure it’s been done before you take it home if you’re in the UK as the original power will put you into dodgy legal territory!

As I’m a midcap player I was delighted with the polymer “bullet-style” model as standard, and this fed flawlessly throughout testing, although I did test with a variety of different mags and had good results with

all, realcap, mid, and hi. On the 30m “woods range” once the hop settled in (rotary adjustment, very simple!) I was getting solid hits time and again on the 300x300mm steels. As I’d set the trigger pretty light it was easy to get semi-shots away swiftly, with followups equally fast, and the 3 BB burst… well, suffice to say I like that a lot! I actually caught myself out at first with the “Real Magazine” function as I’d forgotten that I’d set that up, but it really came into its own as I had to keep my mind on BB expenditure once I’d remembered that I only had limited ammo, a “real” function that I personally enjoy!

After very much enjoying the SR47 UTR I have to say that I really like the AX//15 version of this cracking little carbine, especially with the increased functionality that’s so easy to use wirelessly! The unique and thoroughly up-to-the-moment Aeroknox design pleases me greatly, and it’s a great weight and length to carry all day, in all situations! As much as I like, and admire, the programming side of things from an engineering perspective though I still have minor misgivings about the sheer amount of electronics in this AEG, but I believe that may just be me being an old fart!

Overall the DE M920A AEROKNOX AX//15 is a fine little AEG, and one that in honesty I can find no fault with; in fact I like it a lot! If you’re in the market for an AEG that can be as individual as you are, and that will deliver BBs to target in just the way you like, then I would recommend that you give the AX//15 some serious consideration, and you can check it out by visiting www.iwholesales.co.uk. AA

“I PROGRAMMED THE AX//15 THE WAY I LIKE IT; I JUST ADJUSTED THE TRIGGER SENSITIVITY, SET IT TO3 BB BURST ON SEMI, AND ADDED THE “REAL MAGAZINE” FUNCTION… YUP, I DID THAT, AND ALL ON MY OLD PHONE SO IT WOULD APPEAR THAT AN OLD SHOOTER CAN LEARN NEW TRICKS AFTER ALL!”

PUTTING DELTA IN THE ARMORY!

EVERY SO OFTEN WE COME ACROSS COMPANIES THAT REALLY HAVE A TRUE PASSION FOR WHAT THEY PRODUCE, AND THIS MONTH WE INTRODUCE A NEW FRIEND OF AIRSOFT ACTION THAT TRULY SHARES OUR BELIEF IN THE MANTRA “GUNS FOR THE PLAYERS, BY THE PLAYERS”. AFTER FINALLY MEETING IN PERSON AT IWA, BILL GOT TOGETHER WITH THE TEAM FROM DELTA ARMORY TO TALK ABOUT AIRSOFT, THEIR WAY!

IWA 2023 was a very busy show for the AA Crew, and it really gave us a chance to connect with companies that we’ve been speaking to for some considerable time but hadn’t met in person, and I have to admit I was keen to finally get the opportunity to speak to Peter from DELTA ARMORY (DA). Peter, from the Czech Republic, and I have been exchanging messages and emails for nearly three years now about the AEGs that DA have been quietly producing, and as these are now entering my “home market” in the UK then I thought it was high time that we should meet in person to talk about their latest developments, and to talk about cementing an ongoing relationship between DA and AA for the future!

Founded in 2019, DELTA ARMORY have been quietly but assuredly creating their AEGs for the

mainland Euro player community, and reports from numerous friends have given me confidence that the brand is well-liked, respected by users, and here to stay! With production that like many started in Hong Kong, DA AEGs are now made in China and Taiwan, and as some of the very best AEGs are currently coming out of “airsoft central” this is a huge positive in my mind. But I wanted to really get my teeth into what, for me personally at least, is a new brand that’s skirmishing its way forward in a very crowded marketplace! I wanted to find out what exactly made the guys at DA tick, and how they are working with the technologies that they’ve developed and that are available to them to create something that stands out, something that’s unique and different and that will excite players young and old!

“FOUNDED 2019, DELTA ARMORY HAVE BEEN QUIETLY BUT ASSUREDLY CREATING THEIR AEGS FOR THE MAINLAND EURO PLAYER COMMUNITY, AND REPORTS FROM NUMEROUS FRIENDS HAVE GIVEN ME CONFIDENCE THAT THE BRAND IS WELL-LIKED, RESPECTED BY USERS, AND HERE TO STAY!”

I’ll put this straight out there… DELTA ARMORY, like virtually every airsoft manufacturer out there, make ARs! But they also do a bit more than that, and I’ll come onto that in more detail later!

So what makes them different, what drives them? I asked Peter this directly and he told me:

“From airsofters to airsofters is our philosophy, just like yours! We have been airsoft players for many years ourselves, and we have, and are, developing products which we want to use on the field. At the same time our background is in the airsoft business so we know how big players treat the small; most of time small and family-owned airsoft shops have struggled and we wanted to change this, to offer a fair B2B policy to shops with very good products and a good quality/price ratio to players.”

I have to say that this was a refreshing approach to me, one that I very much liked. Airsoft intrinsically is a “hobby business” for many, and whilst it’s true that we do need the “big industry hitters” we also need the passion, dedication and innovation that comes from smaller companies dealing with smaller specialist retailers to keep the groundswell of airsoft moving ever forwards! And this comes down, ultimately, to the people involved and I very much get the feeling from Peter that this matters to DA as well; I asked him who the key people in DA were and he told me very directly “the key people in DELTA ARMORY are all our distributors; our distributors are part of DELTA ARMORY, we are similar-minded people and we are helping each other grow!”

And grow? They most assuredly are, but of course to grow needs not only the friendly and inclusive approach I’ve seen thus far from DA, but the products to back this up, and I’m pleased to say that there is something for everyone in the line-up that’s on offer, from solid entry-level ARs in the all-polymer CHARLIE Series, through polymer/metal-handguard BRAVOs to full-metal APLHAs for the more advanced player looking for a well-priced backup, project AEG, or solid skirmish tool.

BREAKING IT DOWN

The BRAVO and CHARLIE series are all about getting a durable and reliable AEG into the hands of players that don’t want to break the bank, and the two series are characterised by durable ABS polymer construction and high-quality internal parts; my local airsoft store has started stocking these and so I’ve been able to get my hands on a number of the different models. They’re all solid designs that range from some absolute classics like the “AR15 RIS” and “AR15 CQB” that replicate early “Block” style military

ARs well, through to more up-to-the-minute designs like the “AR15 KeyMod 8 Inch” and the “AR15 URX 3 12 Inch”. There’s even a few quirky models that will undoubtedly appeal to the more general skirmish market such as the “Silent Ops” carbines…

ALPHA takes things up a notch with some nicelyachieved full metal models, and in this range we start to see more specialist designs like DA’s take on the Mk18, a model that is a favourite with us and will undoubtedly please many CQB-focused players out there, as well as starting to interest those with a more MilSim orientation! The “AR15 MK18 ALPHA” actually looks great, and is the latest generation AR from DELTA ARMORY; with full metal construction (handguard, body, trigger, stock tube, outer barrel, flash-hider and so on) the rail system is CNC machined aluminium, and internally you’ll can find high-quality parts like an SHS piston with full metal teeth, SHS delayer, rotary Hop-up chamber, a durable reinforced gearbox that will accommodate a 120-130 spring, 6.03mm precision inner barrel, and a metal modern A-type flat-face trigger. Many of these internal parts are common to the DA range, and the UK distributors,

www.deltaarmory.co.uk, have kindly sent us one of the latest Mk18s to test so we’ll be reporting back on that soon!

BRAVO

CHARLIE ALPHA

MOVING IT UP!

All of the above begins to explain why DELTA ARMORY AEGs have a solid fanbase in Europe, but I’m pleased to report that there’s more, a whole lot more! When I met with Peter, along with Scott and Chris from DAUK, at IWA their big news was the introduction of the new DELTA ARMORY ETU SERIES! This has taken their existing range of AEGs and taken selected models forward with even more functionality.

Again I asked Peter how he saw the new ETU Series moving forward, and it was an important step and he told me:

“The ETU series is big success! We call the new ETU series “Fully upgraded - No compromises” and the range is characterized by a complete upgrade and an ETU unit (Electronic Trigger Unit) as standard! Just a couple of months after the launch during IWA, we sold most of the stock which we had prepared for this year, but a new batch is already on the way. We are very happy and honoured how shops and players have appreciated the quality of internals and price of our ETU line.”

So what does this offer to the player beyond the already respectable parts included in the basic AEGs you may ask, and the new functions include:

• Pre-cocking -spring preload - faster response when pressing the trigger

• Binary trigger - double shot - when the trigger is pressed, the AEG fires once and when the trigger is released, it fires a second time

• Burst mode – when the trigger is pressed you get a tri-shot Burst!

Peter also told me that “thanks to the processor, the ETU response has an improved cadence and the trigger is much better than with classic mechanical trigger contacts. At the same time, the ETU series is equipped with a Deans/T-plug connector, which has replaced the small Tamiya connector, and thanks to the high-quality internal parts we can recommend using 11.1V LiPo batteries!”

So, quite the tidy, thoroughly modern package, all wrapped up in some really solid internals! This bodes well for the future of DELTA ARMORY, but again… THERE’S MORE!

THE DA FUTURE!

Where will DELTA ARMORY head in the future? What are the company goals and dreams? As well as the obvious DA brand itself Peter and his colleagues now hold three important licences from real fire arms manufacturers, Czech Small Arms, Grandpower and Proarms, and Peter tells me that they would like to add to this collection to bring more unique products

to the line as a whole! There is some discussion for the future to add a GBB pistol range, but as Peter says “it must good, the same as our AR15s, and for this we are looking for good partner to work with!”

At present the DA distributors, and through them the growing number of retail partners stocking DA, have been mostly in the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom, but that appears to be changing as there are now plans for DELTA ARMORY to enter the market in the USA! Peter commented to me that “we are still not sure if we will open our own company there or we will find good distributor who will join our DA “family” team but we will open DELTA ARMORY USA when the time is right for everyone!”

The bottom line is that I am very glad that I took the time at IWA to meet with the guys from DELTA ARMORY, and it’s quite obvious to after first speaking to Peter some time ago me that their initial plans have now been fulfilled; DELTA ARMORY has pretty much come from nowhere and built a reputation on the quality of their products alone, with little fanfare until relatively recently.

Not only have they done what they said they would do from the beginning, but they’ve done so in a friendly and professional way that is making them more and more friends, and gaining them more users in the player community as they move forward. The new ETU models move them into new territory again, and with the plans that I’ve been able to share with you here it’s again obvious that their ability is matched, and indeed exceeded, by their dreams.

I for one look forward to working closely with Peter and the guys behind the DELTA ARMORY brand around the globe, and to seeing an airsoft manufacturer with huge heart fulfil their own airsoft dreams as they help players around the world create and live their own dreams of glory in-game!

My thanks go to Peter for speaking to me at length and helping with images for this article; if you’d like to know more simply head on over to www.deltaarmory.com, or if you’re in the UK then visit www. deltaarmory.co.uk AA

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

READYAND VERY ABLE

REGULAR READERS OF AIRSOFT ACTION UNDERSTAND THAT WE TAKE OUR TIME TO TEST BOTH RIFS AND GEAR FULLY BEFORE WE REPORT BACK AND GIVE SOMETHING OUR RECOMMENDATION, AND IN THIS ISSUE BOYCIE STARTS REPORTING BACK ON SOME OF THE GREAT INNOVATIONS THAT HE AND THE TEAM SAW AT SHOT BACK IN JANUARY. THE FIRST OF THESE COMES IN THE SHAPE OF THE READY TACTICAL SLING AND HE REPORTS BACK THAT AFTER THOROUGH TESTING THIS INVALUABLE ITEM SHOULD BE IN EVERYONE’S GEAR LOCKER!

We all know what a sling is, in fact most of us use one for our primary AEG or GBBR. As with most things there are many different options out there from the type and design of sling, and there are then a multitude of options of how they attach to the rifle, along with adjustment methods. Many are variations on a theme and rarely do we see much in the way of innovation. Well that was until Chad and Tressa Spriggs launched their “Ready Tactical Sling” or RTS, from their home base of Ball Ground, Georgia in the USA.

Neither Chad or Tressa are native Georgians. Chad is originally from the “Motor City” of Detroit, Michigan and Tressa hails from Benton, Illinois. Chad’s background isn’t in the Military or Law Enforcement, he actually started out as a mechanic and then over thirty years he owned a couple of auto repair shops in the Atlanta, GA area before forming the business which is now Ready Tactical Slings.

But Chad shot his first gun at the age of three and has been an outdoors enthusiast for many years enjoying hunting, hiking and camping. He also enjoys a number of shooting sports including airsoft and paintball. In the US, the gun laws are different as we know and Chad had been trying out a large number of slings to see which would allow him to climb when hiking and retain his rifle and leave his hands free. A man of faith, Chad was getting frustrated with the ‘traditional’ slings and designs thus far on the market, so he started to think in a new direction. Not long after the hike, the inspiration that was to be the Ready Tactical Sling came to him and he started to develop it.

From the humble beginnings of the RTS sling, back in the spring of 2016, it has become hugely popular and so far Chad tells me that they have sold over 15,000 units. “As time passes”, he says, “we find

more things that the Ready Tactical Sling offers to meet everyone’s needs”. RTS count amongst their many clients a number of United States Government Agencies, Military Units including US Special Forces and Law Enforcement Departments and Agencies. RTS also sell to the civilian market and you’d find the sling in gun ranges, gun stores, outfitters, outdoor stores and via their website. New stockists are being added almost every day, Chad mentioned when we spoke at SHOT.

READY FOR YOU

Currently the Ready Tactical Sling is offered in a range of FIFTEEN colours with more in the pipeline which means that you can tailor your sling to your specific loadout if you so desire! They also offer multiple attachment options from tie on, to HK Snaps and QD Sling Loops. These can be mixed and matched to the rifle(s) and with the Fastex type buckle the sling can quickly be changed between a number of different platforms by having each fitted with the attachment points.

I had first made contact with Tressa, around SIX months before the world was plunged into the nightmare of the Covid Pandemic, after being told about the sling by a brother from another mother and Editor of Armed Lifestyle Magazine (formerly PMCI Magazine) Trampas Swanson.

Trampas uses the slings on his firearms when he trains clients around Florida and all over the US, including Military, Law Enforcement and civilians. I really liked the sling and made contact with Tressa to see if they would be willing to supply me with a sling, in left handed format. Within three weeks, they had made and shipped the sling which had QD attachment points to me. I immediately started to use the sling on

“CHAD HAD BEEN TRYING OUT A LARGE NUMBER OF SLINGS TO SEE WHICH WOULD ALLOW HIM TO CLIMB WHEN HIKING AND RETAIN HIS RIFLE AND LEAVE HIS HANDS FREE… CHAD WAS GETTING FRUSTRATED WITH THE ‘TRADITIONAL’ SLINGS AND DESIGNS THUS FAR ON THE MARKET, SO HE STARTED TO THINK IN A NEW DIRECTION”

my airsoft rifles and after a bit of time to get used to the way that the sling functions I was fielding it during a number of skirmish days at the now sadly closed Camp Sparta. Being an urban site, Camp Sparta had a large number of buildings to navigate and staircases to climb/descend. I really liked how the sling pulled my primary close to the body to allow easy access to my secondary, but also if needed allowed the rifle to be punched out and put into action with the minimum of fuss. I have also tested it when using scaling ladders and it gave me total confidence in the “weapon retention” when doing this and I am sure it would also be a huge asset when abseiling/rapelling.

Made from milspec webbing and elastic and high grade QD, HK Snaps and other attachment devices, I had a lot of confidence in the sling. I’ve now been using my first Ready Tactical Sling for over three years on both airsoft, T4E Training Rifles and RS rifles and it’s still as good as the day I received it.

SHOW AND TELL READY!

Chad now takes over the description of the slings operation which in “Show Mode”; at full tilt he can deliver a full demonstration of exactly how the system can be used in around one minute! When I was chatting to Chad at SHOT Show 23 in Las Vegas, Nevada USA, he told me that he must deliver the demonstration some 50-100 times a day and from the demonstration he gave to me and colleagues, Lil Stu and Dan, it is obviously a well-polished routine.

“In two point use, the sling allows you to go hands free, you can go for your sidearm or your main weapon. You can adjust it high or low, you can shoot around corners, even 180 degrees. You can go to your back and also hands free (retention) by lifting the sling over your pistol grip. This is ideal when riding either a motorcycle, ATV or horse. Also it can be used in centre carry, high or low, to the side again high or

“CURRENTLY THE READY TACTICAL SLING IS OFFERED IN A RANGE OF FIFTEEN COLOURS WITH MORE IN THE PIPELINE WHICH MEANS THAT YOU CAN TAILOR YOUR SLING TO YOUR SPECIFIC LOADOUT IF YOU SO DESIRE! THEY ALSO OFFER MULTIPLE ATTACHMENT OPTIONS FROM TIE ON, TO HK SNAPS AND QD SLING LOOPS”

low, and the last option is side carry, which is great for security or low profile use. If you need to get in or out of a vehicle and stow your rifle you a simply detach it using the quick release buckle, leaving the attachment point on your rifle.”

If you want to see the full demonstration delivered by Chad at Shot Show, then we have the video on the Airsoft Action website so check it out there!

During the times I skirmished before the covid lockdowns, I used the sling regularly and had been comparing it to the large number of other slings that I have used over the past forty years. I’ve been really impressed by how easy, once you get the hang of it, that the sling is to use. It does feel a little alien initially as other slings have to be manually adjusted to hug the rifle to the body, whereas the RTS does it for you. The speed in which the rifle can be lifted into the aim

is fantastic and I find that the elastic gives you a little more stability when taking a longer shot.

I’ve demonstrated the sling to my colleagues at the range where I work and they were that impressed that they immediately placed an order with me for their own Ready Tactical Sling! Boss Bill has also seen the slings and has now one of his own (specially made in Ranger Green!) which I am sure he will put through its paces as we get into the spring and summer skirmish season here in the UK and report back too.

My sincere thanks go to Chad and Tressa for their input to this article; it really has been a pleasure to speak with them both via messages and especially in person! If you’d like to know even more about the READY TACTICAL SLING system then don’t hesitate to visit www.readytacticalslings.net AA

“IT DOES FEEL A LITTLE ALIEN INITIALLY AS OTHER SLINGS HAVE TO BE MANUALLY ADJUSTED TO HUG THE RIFLE TO THE BODY, WHEREAS THE RTS DOES IT FOR YOU. THE SPEED IN WHICH THE RIFLE CAN BE LIFTED INTO THE AIM IS FANTASTIC AND I FIND THAT THE ELASTIC GIVES YOU A LITTLE MORE STABILITY WHEN TAKING A LONGER SHOT”

THE CAGE: RUNNING AND GUNNING!

IT’S TIME TO MOVE THINGS ALONG AGAIN IN THE CAGE, THE PLACE WHERE THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION TALK ABOUT THE GEAR THEY USE, HAVE USED, AND WANT TO USE IN THE FUTURE! THIS MONTH WE START A SLIGHTLY NEW DIRECTION AS WE START TO LOOK AT KIT SETUPS FOR VERY SPECIFIC SITUATIONS! BILL SETS THE SCENE…

So, over the past few months the AA Legionnaires and I have been slowly but surely bringing our combined experience to bear on the kit and gear that we all use, all the time when we’re heading to a game or event. We’ve built things up step by step to give a rudimentary “template” for the sort of thing to get you started, extending this month by month in a full “3 Line” setup that will let you get the best from any game you might possibly encounter without getting into the realms of historical or heavilythemed scenarios. All this information of course will stay available in the BACK ISSUES area of www. airsoftaction.net so feel free to dip back in when you fancy it!

To move things on I thought it might be fun to look at one of those more “specific” areas where your gear might need to come together in a slightly different way than it would for a normal skirmish day, but then I thought “would it really?”

Here I’m talking about starting in on the fun and excitement of competition airsoft shooting, and once again it struck me that through our own, in-house “Practical Airsoft Multi-Gun (PAMG)” program we’ve learned that your usual skirmish-day belt setup can stand in just perfectly for a little light competition!

Obviously there are very specific setups for more dedicated competition use, and thankfully we have a number of practitioners amongst the AA LEGION who can speak pretty knowledgeably on this topic, but for now what I wanted the crew to look at was something simpler, something that would be easily attainable by virtually every airsofter out there without any additional spend.

I’ve long been working on my own “PAMG Gear” both in terms of the Springers, AEGs and GBBs that

I’ll need, and also in relation to the gear that I REALLY need when I’m off to shoot targets, and honestly, it’s pretty much identical to what I’d use in-game. I’ve two sets of gear for game use, one Multicam (WAS) and one in PenCott GreeZone (Direct Action) that have served me well, and I have pretty much the same setup for range use in Adaptive Green (Direct Action) and Black (Helikon-Tex).

All the belts have pretty much everything that I’ve learned through many years of use that I need, and not a lot else! All of them will serve well with bungeestyle AR/AK primary mag pouches (possibly with one changed out for a WAS AR/SG Shell combo pouch), with a greater or lesser number of pistol mag pouches (dependant on specific uses), so the pattern goes, L to R: two primary mag pouches, one or two pistol mag pouches, fold-away dump pouch, TQT/FAK pouch (a small multi-toll lives in this pouch too), holster, usually a platform-specific Kydex Customs model these days… annnnd… DONE!

“I’VE LONG BEEN WORKING ON MY OWN “PAMG GEAR” BOTH IN TERMS OF THE SPRINGERS, AEGS AND GBBS THAT I’LL NEED, AND ALSO IN RELATION TO THE GEAR THAT I REALLY NEED WHEN I’M OFF TO SHOOT TARGETS, AND HONESTLY, IT’S PRETTY MUCH IDENTICAL TO WHAT I’D USE IN-GAME”

You may question the inclusion of the TQT/FAK pouches, but as I also shoot on real steel ranges overseas with the exact same setup it’s important to me to have that as part of my standard rig; hopefully I’m not going to need it in an airsoft setting, but a few plasters do come in handy sometimes!

TEAM TALK

So that’s me! However, I thought I’d throw a question at the AA Legionnaires “YOU’VE BEEN INVITED TO A FRIENDLY COMPETITIVE 2/3-GUN SHOOT (Pistol, Carbine/Rifle, Shotgun (Tri Barrel, single shell)) WITH YOUR MATES AT YOUR LOCAL SITE IN THE WOODS AND NEED TO RUN WITH JUST A SET OF BELT GEAR... WHAT WOULD BE ON YOUR BELT AND WHY?”

Stewbacca: Most of the pistol and/or rifle competitions I’ve done (especially looking at you, Kaohsiung level 3) have been short enough stages to accomplish in 30-40 BBs respectively. So a spare rifle mag and two spare pistol mags should be sufficient (plus initial magazines for each carried somehow of course), plus anything you’re using for the shotgun. Pistol and holster in the appropriate position depending on your model and rule set, and a lanyard retained chamber flag/round ejector would be my standard setup. I tend to use rigid plastic magazine carriers for the most part for competitive purposes, but fabric or rubberised fast mag or KYWI style should be good too. I don’t carry an IFAK as a matter of course, but probably should, however I can’t recall anyone adding it to their belt kit for competition purposes as you’re on stages for a matter of minutes at most, and surrounded by other people who can and will provide assistance if you get injured. Having one in your range bag is not a bad idea though. Along with hydration and Haribo…

Boycie: With the capacities of shotguns in airsoft, most being TM style shells holding 30 x BBs, I would still carry a number of shells, likely around six-ten, along with two rifle mags and two pistol mags. If I were using an APS then I would likely carry a similar amount (up to twenty) as they are one shot from each shell. For me it’s more about muscle memory so if I keep changing things it may affect performance in a competition, whether it be informal or formal. As we

can carry a bag with a speedloader and more gas it’s easy to top up after each “stage”.

So my setup is pretty much the same as Bill’s, although for me it’s pistol mags at the front and rifle more on the side. The shot shells held in an AR pouch on a card holding six. If I were using an APS then I would use one of my Magload shell holders at the front (appendix) position, then pistol and then rifle mags. Oh, and mirrored as I am a south paw!

Robbie: I have two sets, my range/casual set and my full kit that I simply remove or add to. My preference for the base is a High Speed Gear HSGI Cobra 1.75 Operator /With Velcro Inner Belt for my kit and four point suspenders (shock corded to the belt for give). I’m a BIG fan of HSGI taco pouches for magazines, and I run on my left; three rifle HSGI tacos, a HSGI taco pistol pouch (for a light or multitool) and a dump pouch (rollable type). On my right; two pistol HSGI tacos, a kydex G17 holster, an empty space behind that, and then an accessory pouch (usually another HSGI rifle pouch with speedloader if airsofting). Centre back is my blowout and boo-boo med kit.

Miguel: Shooting competition is not really my thing, but if I had to build a belt for it I would have the normal items, like mag pouches, holster and maybe a small carry pouch. But the most important aspect would be having it well-balanced in weight.

Dan: So for this scenario, I would just scale up my usual belt platform, which is a two-piece Ronin Shuto that carries a G-Code RTI optimal drop platform and a Kydex Customs holster (soon to be testing the Milwaukee Custom Kydex AlphaLB). Normally I run this belt relatively unadorned owing to my vest setup. But if not carrying anything up top, then I’d add on a pair of my T.REX Arms MARS pistol mag carriers.

I’m admittedly a bit unfamiliar with airsoft shotguns and if they can be dual or quad loaded. If so, I might also add on one or two Taccom Duelin Duece shell holders, which is what I use for my real steel Benelli M3. If not, then I might opt for something like Esstac’s shotshell cards instead. If we’re adding on a carbine, then I’d use a G-Code Scorpion, which is “peak” AK magazine pouch in my humble opinion. And yes, I would rock an AK for competition (good man… Bill)! If that carbine happened to be of the pistol calibre

“I HAVE TWO SETS, MY RANGE/CASUAL SET AND MY FULL KIT THAT I SIMPLY REMOVE OR ADD TO. MY PREFERENCE FOR THE BASE IS A HIGH SPEED GEAR HSGI COBRA 1.75 OPERATOR /WITH VELCRO INNER BELT FOR MY KIT AND FOUR POINT SUSPENDERS (SHOCK CORDED TO THE BELT FOR GIVE)”

variety, then I’ve been hard pressed to find a pouch as versatile as the HSGI extended pistol TACO’s. These will work with anything from an EVO, to a UMP, MP5, Vityaz, MP7 and everything in between.

Aside from that, I’d probably just try to keep it as minimalist and light as possible, with consideration to what the competition allows and requires. The more weight you stack on the belt-line, the more it’ll slow you down and then you’re having to consider things like suspenders to distribute the load better. The only other thing I’d also add on is a dump pouch. My preference is for the Tactical Tailor Fight Light roll-up pouch. This is a really durable pouch that can hold a boat anchor, but mainly I’d run this because I’m not a fan of tossing my spent mags in the dirt to get contaminated or to break the otherwise fragile feed lips. Losing floor plates kind of sucks too! AA

RED CELL ROCK YOUR GLOCK!

RED CELL ARE ROLLING ON WITH THEIR UPDATES ON THE PLATFORMS THAT THEY HAVE BEEN USING NOW FOR OVER TWO YEARS, AND ALTHOUGH NEW MODELS ARE CONSTANTLY BEING ADDED TO THE LONG-TERM TEST POOL, WE HOPE THAT THE INFORMATION WE’RE PUTTING TOGETHER WILL BE OF USE TO YOU WHEN IT COMES TO BUYING A NEW GBB! THIS MONTH THEY RETURN TO THE “GLOCK” OR “G-SERIES” PISTOLS THAT HAVE BEEN PUT THROUGH THE MILL!

Isometimes wonder when I have a new airsoft pistol to look at why this is such an emotive area; fundamentally we all want a pistol that looks cool and accentuates our individuality of loadout and play style, but why are pistols imbued with such an emotional response when frankly up until relatively recently they actually haven’t been that effective in game!

Sure, I’ve known a number of very talented airsoftsmiths over the years (Robbie in this very group among them) who have been able to take a GBB sidearm and REALLY make in sing in terms of range and reliability of performance, but I’m absolutely certain that players that have been in the game for a good few years like me have had some real dogs over the years… lack of range, the inability to cycle or feed properly, half-cock, no-cocks, hangfires and the dreaded cold-morning-venting of gas… these are all familiar events in the annals of old-skool GBB pistol users without doubt…

But things, well, they move on and now we’re seeing half-decent pistols come out of the box pretty much ready to use, with magazines that only need a modicum of regular maintenance, actions that work smoothly and efficiently, and new gases that let you actually tailor what you pump through the system to account for varying climatic conditions.

We’ve also seen a “rise and rise” of competitionstyle airsoft pistol shooting, and just like in many areas of life, the specialist advances required by top-level practical pistol shooters have filtered down into the realm of the skirmisher too. New developments internally have seen airsoft pistols become more usable as dependable tools, and as the “real steel” world has now finally taken full notice of airsoft as a potential training aid has meant that even more money has been pushed into the “handgun arena”. Okay, some of these models we will never see for skirmish and game use as they’ve been designed for military and police training use (with price-tags to match!) only, but they ARE out there, and as the development has largely been carried out by existing airsoft OEMs it had filtered through into what we as players carry in game.

But there’s one manufacturer that although

vehemently protective of their design is yet to produce an airsoft pistol of their own, and that’s Glock! Of course there are now numerous licenced “Glocks” out there, and I own a good few of them, and the airsoft world is awash with “G-SERIES” replicas that mimic the classic, blocky, fighting pistol design without being an out and out copy… let’s not forget that Glock are pretty vociferous when it comes to protecting their name and products, and in many ways I would have to agree that this is just “business being done”, much as I dislike the concept in principle.

Until relatively recently again an airsoft pistol would, by many “real shooters”, have been laughed off the range. However, with other firearms manufacturers now getting more seriously involved in the “6mm Training” arena Glock must be looking towards GBBs as an untapped market, and with quite literally MILLIONS of Glocks now in the hands of US shooters the idea of a “Glock Safe Training Pistol” as a revenue source must be increasingly attractive for a company that’s known to love maximising their bottom line!

The fact is that although we all love different airsoft gas pistol platforms that are as individual as we are, if you want to put together a loadout that has even the most minimal nod towards MIL or LE then you’re probably going to need a “G-SERIES” replica of some description. It’s why I personally love them, and why it’s the one GBB model that I really want to see succeed in every way possible, and be the best it can possibly be!

GOING G-SERIES

But that’s quite enough from me! Now it’s time to hand things over to the members of THE CELL and see what they have to say about the “G-SERIES” and the models that they’ve been using and that have been under long-term test…

Jase: The WE Europe EU-Series EU17 Gen4 is an airsoft pistol that replicates the look and feel of the Glock 17 Gen4, a popular real-life firearm. I have had mine for a good number of years and it has been my only side arm up until recently. The WE Europe G17 Gen4 is constructed with high-quality polymer materials that make it lightweight and durable. The pistol also features a metal slide and barrel for added

“NEW DEVELOPMENTS INTERNALLY HAVE SEEN AIRSOFT PISTOLS BECOME MORE USABLE AS DEPENDABLE TOOLS, AND AS THE “REAL STEEL” WORLD HAS NOW FINALLY TAKEN FULL NOTICE OF AIRSOFT AS A POTENTIAL TRAINING AID HAS MEANT THAT EVEN MORE MONEY HAS BEEN PUSHED INTO THE “HANDGUN ARENA”.”

TOKYO MARUI G17 GEN4

Price: iro £150.00

Age: Two Years

Weight: 709g

Length: 202 mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono:0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk

RAVEN EU17

Price: iro £85.00

Age: Four Years

Weight: 700g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 24+1

Cold Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps

Hot Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.rvnairsoft.com

RAVEN EU18 (SELECT FIRE)

Price: iro £90.00

Age: Four Years

Weight: 790g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 24+1

Cold Chrono:0.78 Joule/290fps

Hot Chrono: 0.75 Joule/285fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: Good Available From: www.rvnairsoft.com

VORSK EU17 VENTED

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 500g

Length: 220mm

Magazine Capacity: 22+1

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/321fps

Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/321fps

Holster Compatibility: Okay (See Tester Notes)

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: Good, Adaptor fitted as standard Available From: www.vorskairsoft.com

VORSK EU18 VENTED

Price: iro £145.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 550g

Length: 220mm

Magazine Capacity: 22+1

Cold Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps

Hot Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps

Holster Compatibility: Okay (See Tester Notes)

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: Good, Adaptor fitted as standard

Available From: www.vorskairsoft.com

realism. The blowback system on the WE G17 Gen4 provides a realistic recoil experience that simulates the feel of firing a real firearm. Magazine capacity of the WE features a 24-BB magazine capacity, providing plenty of ammunition for airsoft games. The hop-up system is adjustable, allowing players to fine-tune the trajectory of their shots for increased accuracy. The pistol also replicates the features of a real-life Glock 17, such as the textured grip and interchangeable backstraps, making it a popular choice for airsoft players who appreciate realism. Over time I have had to upgrade my bucking through wear and tear but other than that it’s solid and dependable. I have recently started using a Raven EU17 as I fancied a tan frame but as I have not had enough time out in the fiend with it to pass judgement just yet.

Stewbacca: I have a variety of Glocks I’ve accumulated as of late, largely Archwick’s fault as I work in a gun cage full of them at times when there so they’ve grown on me, so now I have a VFC/ Umarex G17 Gen4 which I find has a pretty snappy recoil and general feel of reliability, certainly compared to my older G18C which has admittedly seen some wear. I think as a workhorse vanilla sidearm that just works you can’t really go wrong with VFC’s line up, most of my teammates favour the peanut butter G19X for its slightly more compact format, and while I can comfortably use them I tend to go for full frame pistols because bear-mitt reasons. The later generations with the guide HOP adjustment are a nice feature, but even the standard style aren’t a total pain to adjust as such, and tend to hold position once set. I use my G17 in my USW-G chassis now as the G18C was causing too many problems and firing full-auto when I didn’t want it to. Honestly full-auto pistols are a bit of a gimmick to me at times, I’m far happier with the stock G17 and its reliable cycling and reasonable out of the box accuracy.

Dan: I’ve done a lot with the Gen3 Umarex G19 and G17, and to a lesser extent the Gen4 models. While the TM fanboys really like to rag on these and claim they can’t be upgraded, I’m here to say that is gobbledygook gibberish. Personally, I actually prefer these over the Tokyo Marui versions as they have better recoil, nicer frames, and they accept

upgrades with minimal hassle. The only real fault I find with them is some of the older models can be a little rough to cycle out of the box. On the Gen3 versions in particular this is usually because the locking block sits too high and causes excess drag on the slide. If you spend a little sweat-equity and polish the slide rails and modify the locking block, you can increase the efficiency of the pistol immensely. The newest examples I have seen from Umarex appear to have had some product improvements and changes that make them internally nicer in the fit and finish department than the previous releases.

With regard to the aftermarket side, the myriad of parts manufacturers have stepped in and now essentially every single part (with exception to the piston lid, I believe) can be replaced or upgraded on these. This includes frames and slides too. Despite what the naysayers will have you believe, a lot of TM spec parts will also fit or can be fitted little fuss. That being said, you don’t really need to do much to get good performance out of these pistols; a lot of aftermarket parts are really just for the ‘window dressing’ side of things and don’t necessarily increase performance so much as they do a good job of lightening your wallet. If anything, a good quality bucking and nice polish of the rails will largely suffice. Beyond that, you’re primarily looking at parts that will be a little more durable than their OEM analogs and those which may slightly increase efficiency and recoil. Past that you’re diving into the weeds of cosmetics; some of which do have utility such as Optics Ready slides which allow you to mount a red dot sight.

Overall, I really like this series of pistols and consider it to have solid place amongst the pantheon of what I consider the most reliable GBB pistol models, those being the TM Hi-Capa 5.1 and 1911 MEU, and the KWA H&K USP NS2 and MK23. I’m sure there’s a few others that could be added to that list... but I haven’t shot them all yet!

Elvis: About my licenced Umarex G19, a review would be simple. Savage recoil (green gas and red gas tested), markings precisely done, gas consumption better than my previous WE and older gen Umarex and KJW replicas (one fill, two magazines easily). In hand, beautiful feeling, non-slippery, and the colour

“I’VE DONE A LOT WITH THE GEN3 UMAREX G19 AND G17, AND TO A LESSER EXTENT THE GEN4 MODELS. WHILE THE TM FANBOYS REALLY LIKE TO RAG ON THESE AND CLAIM THEY CAN’T BE UPGRADED, I’M HERE TO SAY THAT IS GOBBLEDYGOOK GIBBERISH.”

UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN4

Price: iro £160.00

Age: Two Years 7 Months

Weight: 665g

Length: 210mm

Magazine Capacity: 24+1

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

ARMY ARMAMENT R17 V3

Price: iro £50.00

Age: Two Years

Weight: 700g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: No

Available From: www.allagesairsoft.com

WE G17 GEN 5 MOS

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Two Years Three Months

Weight: 770g

Length: 186mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: No Available From: www.weairsoft.com

UMAREX GLOCK 19X

Price: iro £185.00

Age: Two Years

Weight: 641grams

Length: 185mm

Magazine Capacity: 20 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: No Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

WE G19X

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Two Years

Weight: 690g

Length: 180mm

Magazine Capacity: 24 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.97 Joule/320fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.weairsoft.com

finish matte with a great grip while pulling slide. My 19 shows no signs of wear after the second year and I use it pretty much all the time, if not playing, then for target shooting. It’s accurate with 0.30 BBs to 25m, but beyond that range it is impossible to set the hop up correctly as I’d want heavier BBs. For longer range, you can use 0.25g BBs, but you get too many flyers out at 30+m so I’m using it more on dead close range, not up to 20m. I’ve played down to 5°C and already used it with red gas to get one and a half mags out. Overall though I am really, really happy with this one and the internals are still in great shape (my tech said so and I believe that!).

Boycie: Glock! Well, where do I start…. Going back to KSC & KWA versions around 25 years ago right up to the present day and the Umarex (VFC) G19X, G43 and G17, plus all the RS ones in the middle, I might just be a Glock Fanboi. Like Dudley Moore’s advert for Volvo in the movie “Crazy People”, “Buy Glock, they’re boxy but they’re good!” and for me this is absolutely true. In the world where the majority are cack-handed righties, us normal lefthanders have a few challenges with other pistols with things like safety catches, slide locks etc. Glock however solve all this for me with their trigger safety. Easy to carry ‘cocked and locked’ but super quick to deploy and get BBs down without the faff of a safety catch.

Also their boxy design and rounded edges for me meant it was easy to carry “concealed”. No sharp edges to catch on holster, clothing etc. The rail underneath on the Glock means we can mount torches and aiming devices, and they did this waaaay before other firearms manufacturers jumped on the band wagon. With each variant there are slight changes like on the Gen 5, I really like the ambi controls, but with all the time using controls on the wrong side I am so used to them it feels counterintuitive to even think about using the new features. I have recently had hands on the GHK Glock and I must say I am impressed. Whilst the VFC’s (Umarex) ones are good, the GHK just hits another level and I can see one coming into my collection soon as I train for RS competition in other countries.

Ben: Ah the Glock... Now unfortunately I don’t

own a Glock but I have fired many now! For me when I think of a Glock or someone mentions it, the first image that comes to mind is Morpheus in Matrix 2 when he takes out the vehicle with his samurai sword whips round the 18c with extended mag and let’s rip, killing the twin ghost brothers! However, of all the Glocks I have had my hands on the Umarex G19 has been the most lovely to grasp, the feel from the slide and trigger action are of top quality, and it’s recoil gives a kick like no other, it really is a pleasure to shoot Do I personally think it’s worth the price? Actually no, not for such minor features but if you can afford it then why not, as individuals we of course have our own opinions but we should focus more on the positives and how we can achieve about bringing these more desirable features to other manufacturers so it’s more affordable for the bigger market which in turn keeps all us players happy!

Jimmy: Pistols from the “G-SERIES” are a very common platform among the airsoft community and one that is quite rugged! We started our journey in Red Cell looking at a variety of “Glocks” and all performed rather well as new, all offering something slightly different be it styling, performance or price. Since then the Glock has somewhat grown on me although I wouldn’t say it is my favourite choice of pistol. Being a Marui fanboi they would come top of my list and at one point I did own a TM G18C AEP which I had a lot of fun using and even though the velocity was pretty low I was amazed at the range it had and due to it being electric it was an all year round pistol and didn’t suffer cold fatigue.

“G-SERIES” pistols just work and rarely need any repairs or any upgrades to be good. I have worked on a few but only to replace certain parts due to wear which was the result of heavy prolonged use. I did purchase a Gen4 VFC 19X but it felt very gritty and it had a habit of only half cycling, a problem I couldn’t put my finger on so shortly after buying I sold it on and used that money to buy an Army SAI G7 which is a lovely looking pistol and for under UK£100 so you can’t complain. While it did the job it soon became apparent that the ability to lift a decent weight BB was lacking and at times it could be inefficient and vented a lot of gas rearward, but due to the design it

“IN THE WORLD WHERE THE MAJORITY ARE CACK-HANDED RIGHTIES, US NORMAL LEFT-HANDERS HAVE A FEW CHALLENGES WITH OTHER PISTOLS WITH THINGS LIKE SAFETY CATCHES, SLIDE LOCKS ETC. GLOCK HOWEVER SOLVE ALL THIS FOR ME WITH THEIR TRIGGER SAFETY.”

HUNTSMAN H17

Price: iro £80.00

Age: New

Weight: 784g

Length: 182mm

Magazine Capacity: 28 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.iwholesales.co.uk

EVOLUTION EO17

Price: iro £140.00

Age: New

Weight: 776g

Length: 198mm

Magazine Capacity: 24 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.76 Joule/286fps

Hot Chrono: 0.76 Joule/287fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.store.evolutioninternational.it

SECUTOR GLADIUS MAGNA VI

Price: iro £150.00

Age: New

Weight: 730g

Length: 182mm

Magazine Capacity: 24 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.91 Joule/313fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.iwholesales.co.uk

ARMORER WORKS VX301

Price: iro £115.00

Age: New

Weight: 735g

Length: 198mm

Magazine Capacity: 27+ 1

Cold Chrono: 0.97 Joule/320fps

Hot Chrono: 0.99 Joule/328fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.iwholesales.co.uk

ICS BLE ICP

Price: iro £TBC

Age: New

Weight: 800g

Length: 204 mm

Magazine Capacity: 30 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.78Joule/290fps

Hot Chrono: 0.82Joule/298fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Available From: www.icsbb.com

was easy to upgrade and make better so I persevered. There are a plethora of parts to choose from, from many different manufacturers. I opted for a Cow Cow Guide Rod with 140% recoil spring and a Cow Cow short-stroke buffer kit, Waldo Custom snap nozzle spring, PTS MEC R type piston head, Maple Leaf Autobot 60 degree hop rubber, Maple Leaf I-key, Poseidon 6.05mm steel barrel, Nineball gas routers and router shims. All these came together quite nicely and transformed the efficiency, accuracy, range, velocity and gave it a much snappier response; I feel I could do with a better feeling trigger one with a shorter pull and maybe some high flow bullet valves from Laylax, but now it will compete easily with many rifles. I do like the Army “G-SERIES” I must admit and even the cheap standard Army G17 we tested had most of us impressed, and for UK£70 out if the box it held its own. If I were asked to recommend a “G-SERIES” I think I would have to go with the Army range.

Bill: As an out and out “G-SERIES” fanboi, something I have been for many a moon, I have to go, along to a high degree with the findings of my team-mates here. Whilst the original TM “17” set a benchmark for me, and this pistol still works brilliantly I find myself coming back to a couple of models for different reasons the Umarex/VFC Glock 17 Gen4 is still my favourite when it comes to “the look” as its pretty much bob-on, and this is from someone that once shot a real G17 on a very regular basis! In airsoft form this pistol for me is everything that a proper “replica” should be; well made, beautifully finished, a proper weight and size to fit into any “real-deal” holsters, and ultimately it shoots really well, even after 3000 logged BBs. And then there’s the trademarks that any self-respecting “gun bunny” will drool over… I’ve never been the biggest TM fan and although the old G17 still rolls well (3,100+ BBs) the fact that I know the “trades” are hooky and the slide is a “plastic fantastic” puts me off when I have other, cheaper, options like the cheeky little Army R17 available for a fraction of the cost, although I have heard reports now that “Batch 2” into the UK has had a few problems… suffice to say that our test model was “Batch 1” and we’re still to see any issues developing although it’s now past 3000 BBs!

The WE G17 Gen5 MOS allows you to have a RDS (I use one full-time on this pistol from SHIELD) while keeping the iron sights as a co-witness option, or indeed you have the option to run the pistol “clean” if you so desire by simply leaving the cover plate in place. Whichever way you like to run your pistol it’s always nice to have options, and on that front alone,

as on many others, the MOS sings to me! 3000 BBs in this has proved to be a great little pistol, never missing a beat with just simple maintenance, although I long ago ditched the original “vent as you view it” magazine! Thankfully it’s compatible with just about every other “G-SERIES” mag I own…

Looking to the Raven and VORSK models, they’ve all had upwards of 4000 BBs through them; the Raven EU17 is still very much my “go to Game-G” and I’ve used it effectively in games both home and abroad for a creditable “service life” already; it’s well-priced and has shown great durability, and now the other models have “loosened up” over time it is very obvious that they are cut from the same quality of cloth!

This has also proven to me what I think about VORSK; they are unique and striking GBB pistols, but the simple models are most definitely your “down and dirty fighting pistols” whilst the unique outer design of the VORSKs makes them pistols to cherish and use on the range, and the VORSK EU18 still rocks the giggle factor with the extended mag and the selectfire function! Don’t get me wrong, a VORSK will serve you well on gameday just as well as any of the other models featured, but do so with some style thrown in!

To complete this month’s update I’ll just give a mention to the new models that we’ve added since the inception of THE CELL testing program, and I won’t go into detail yet on these as we’re playing “BB-count-catch-up” with them, and until they’ve had a similar amount of BBs downrange as the older models it would be unfair to comment “on par”. However, thus far the HUNTSMAN H17, EVOLUTION EO17, Secutor Gladius MAGNA VI, and the Armorer Works VX7301 are all performing well, and we’ll update on all these models again as we land our final finding on the “MIGHTY G” in due course… and my initial report of the brand-new ICS BLE ICP follows on directly so be sure to check that out! AA

Red Cell is supported by:

G-MAX!

AS WE’VE HAD A BIT OF A FOCUS ON G-SERIES PISTOLS IN THIS ISSUE IT SEEMS ONLY APT TO TAKE THIS SPACE TO INTRODUCE THE VERY LATEST MODEL TO BE ADDED TO THE LONG-TERM TEST POOL, AND IT COMES IN THE SHAPE OF THE ALL-NEW BLE ICP PISTOL FROM OUR OLD AND TRUSTED FRIENDS AT ICS! BILL TAKES A LOOK AT THE LATEST ADDITION TO THEIR HANDGUN PROGRAM AND AS A BIG G-SERIES USER DEFINITELY LIKES WHAT HE’S SEEN SO FAR!

what I like in terms of gear, and most especially the AEG and GBB platforms that I favour, and although these days I prefer gas rifles and carbines there has been, and always will be at least one ICS AEG in my armoury! However, ICS have been venturing further and further down the GBB handgun road for a while now, and it’s been my huge pleasure to have worked on pretty much each and every release to date in this respect, and it does give me somewhat of a rare overview of what they

been my pleasure to see their new projects coming to

ICP! The ICP is a whole new direction for ICS as the pistol integrates all the advantages of their current technology into a single, maxed out, and exciting platform that’s actually designed for all players and not just those who shoot BBs to compete! Designed with a very serious nod towards the iconic Glock platform (and with a very famliar fire control group and magazine compatibility with TM- spec G-SERIES models), the ICP has at its heart a fixed outer and

“THE ICP IS A WHOLE NEW DIRECTION FOR ICS AS THE PISTOL INTEGRATES ALL THE ADVANTAGES OF THEIR CURRENT TECHNOLOGY INTO A SINGLE, MAXED OUT, AND EXCITING PLATFORM THAT’S ACTUALLY DESIGNED FOR ALL PLAYERS AND NOT JUST THOSE WHO SHOOT BBS TO COMPETE!”

6.03mm precision inner barrel and TDC Hop Up chamber that help turn in some pretty darn tidy range results, but more on this later!

Looking in detail at the design of the ICP, at the front end you get a very square profile as the cutaway

function more smoothly and more reliably, a neat design, and well achieved! The ICP is very carefully and precisely put together throughout, finished an even matte/satin black, and ICS even includes a CCW 14mm Barrel Adapter in the package if you want to

design is in fact a very clever one, keeping weight down for increased efficiency of cycling, and when locked back to the rear you can actually access the internal mechanism to switch things over to gain full-auto functionality; it also Integrates a springpowered hammer-contact design which I’m told reduces interference between the cylinder housing and hammer guide wheel, making the whole system

which is exactly where you’d find it on any “G”, along with a slightly enlarged magazine release that can be easily switched from left to right (Boycie, looking at ya!). The magazine that comes with the ICP is also enlarged to hold 30BBs, and has greater gas capacity than usual for this type of pistol; ICS tell me that this results in “an increase of 20% in gas efficiency”, and my testing would indicate that this is true! The

“THE ICP IS VERY CAREFULLY AND PRECISELY PUT TOGETHER THROUGHOUT, FINISHED AN EVEN MATTE/SATIN BLACK, AND ICS EVEN INCLUDES A CCW 14MM BARREL ADAPTER IN THE PACKAGE IF YOU WANT TO RUN A SUPPRESSOR”

enlarged magwell is compatible with pretty much every G-SERIES (G17/18) magazine I own, and the magwell-base is detachable if you want to run G19 magazines too!

The cutaway slide is extremely smooth when you

that moves ICS further along that “development fast-track” that I’ve noted before when it comes to their GBB pistols; the operation of the ICP is supersmooth, the gas efficiency excellent, and the design very striking and appealing.

capacity to keep you going for a good while! In terms of accuracy the ICP is again right where you want it, and at 10m you’ll be hitting your target with ease, and again I’d say that the consistency of power and those excellent sights really help with this. Unlike other pistols in the ICS BLE line you won’t be needing a bespoke holster for the ICP either as the pistol fits perfectly in all my existing G-SERIES Kydex Customs holsters, both light-bearing and non!

After a few weeks with the ICP and numerous range sessions I believe that this will be a pistol

that “G-SERIES” fans like me will most certainly want in their collection, but one which they will use not only to compete if that is their thing, but also carry in-game with confidence that the ICP won’t let them down when they need it most!

My sincere thanks go to the super team at ICS for once again providing this early test model for Airsoft Action, and be sure to keep an eye on their website, www.icsbb.com, and their busy social media platforms for regular updates of what they have coming next!

AA

“ICS HAVE CREATED A VERY ASSURED AND MATURE “G-SERIES” PISTOL MODEL FROM THE GET-GO, ONE THAT GIVES A FIRM NOD TO “BEST PRACTICE” AND DEVELOPMENTS IN THE REAL WORLD OF SHOOTING SPORTS WHILST PROVIDING THE VERY BEST OF THEIR CONTINUOUS EXCELLENCE OF IN-HOUSE DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE”

DYNAMIC TRAINING

CONTINUING HIS EVALUATION OF “GOOD GEAR TO GO” THAT HE AND THE CREW SAW IN THE USA AIRSOFT VETERAN BOYCIE NOW LOOKS TO A SUPERB TRAINING DEVICE THAT HE’S BEEN TRIALLING ON THE RANGE TO IMPROVE THE DYNAMICS AND EFFICACY OF HIS SHOOTING SKILLS… STANDING STILL TO SHOOT WHEN TRAINING

BUT

YOU NEED TO TRAIN TO HIT THE TARGET WHEN BEING MORE DYNAMIC THEN YOU NEED THE PTS BARRICADE!

How many of us train/practice away from the skirmish field? The AA Crew certainly do. As the years slowly stack up, I find myself needing to increase the exercise that I do and after seeing a number of different methods used in gyms on Youtube, IG, FB and other media, I thought that I could combine both exercise and airsoft-related training to make it more fun. I already have to drive to the Muay Thai gym to train but I needed something closer to home that I could do without having to drive around twenty miles to get to and home again afterwards!

Most of us will admit to having put on a plate carrier and “clearing the house” (there’s some entertaining memes online for this!) at one time or another, obviously with curtains closed so as not to panic the neighbours or the public. I tended to use the garage for practice as it has no windows, and if I am practicing drills then BB’s won’t break anything.

During my watching various reels and videos on the media over the years, including the Magpul videos by Travis Haley and Chris Costa, I saw a number of people using a barricade to assist with practising different firing positions. Chatting with my colleagues from the US shooting fraternity I was shown the PTS Barricade and I quickly made contact via email to ask about their training platform. Soon after I sent

“MOST OF US WILL ADMIT TO HAVING PUT

SO

ON A PLATE CARRIER AND “CLEARING THE HOUSE” (THERE’S SOME ENTERTAINING MEMES ONLINE FOR THIS!) AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER, OBVIOUSLY WITH CURTAINS CLOSED

AS NOT TO PANIC THE NEIGHBOURS OR THE PUBLIC”

IS ALL VERY WELL,

WHEN

discussed his training platform at length over the next few weeks.

I was chatting to Franz whilst he was on holiday in Jamaica and we made arrangements to get a barricade to me. Soon after his return, Franz made the arrangements and in under a week, my barricade was delivered to my home all the way from New York State, USA. Excellent job DHL! A LARGE package weighing over 18lb, door to door in FIVE DAYS days, putting UPS to shame as it took them twenty-five days to get a parcel, weighing 5lb containing just jeans and t-shirts to me from the supplier in Austria!

NEVER STOP MOVING FORWARD!

Franz, the owner and designer of the Portable Tactical Simulated Barricade (PTSB), was born and raised around three miles east of Negril in Jamaica. When he was 18 he emigrated to the United States and with the incredible support from his parents, Franz was sent to college in New York with a view to studying and fulfilling his childhood dream of being a pilot. Disappointed after his first flight and learning of the huge cost of such an endeavour, he decided on a slight change of tack and achieved a degree in aircraft design, but when he graduated in 1984, Lockheed Martin and the big hitters in aviation were laying off staff due to an economic slowdown. Franz, undeterred, bought his first computer and formed a business which would last some twenty plus years. Then the covid pandemic struck and everything stopped…

As the world was plunged into the pandemic, a concept that Franz had been working on was brought up and it became the ideal remedy to the boredom of lockdowns and restrictions. The PTSB was born and a patent was filed. Franz told me that “...the day, 3rd November 2020, my patent was granted was day one of one of the most momentous presidential elections in America’s history!”. He spent the next three years refining the tooling and manufacturing process to produce more than five different PTSB models; “I believe the journey has really only started and the PTSB could have a big future in the firearms and training industry”.

The package that arrived with me as I said was huge, easily around the size of a medium sized dining

table. Well packed in cardboard, I opened the box and took out the two sections. The first is the base, which has a hinged ‘foot’ that locks into place and provides a very stable base to the main barricade. The top section slides into a channel and can be set at a large number of positions with a captive pin. I had a good look over the barricade at home and incurred a funny look (we that are married know those looks!) from my wife who asked me “how long is that staying there?”

“I OPENED THE BOX AND TOOK OUT THE TWO SECTIONS. THE FIRST IS THE BASE, WHICH HAS A HINGED ‘FOOT’ THAT LOCKS INTO PLACE AND PROVIDES A VERY STABLE BASE TO THE MAIN BARRICADE. THE TOP SECTION SLIDES INTO A CHANNEL AND CAN BE SET AT A LARGE NUMBER OF POSITIONS WITH A CAPTIVE PIN”

That evening it made its way into the garage where I tried it out with one of my favourite VFC Glocks and my M17. Over the next two weeks I was able to have 10-15 minutes a day working out some “drills” that I could do which included using a number of the different firing positions available on the barricade.

MOVING TO DRILLS

Once I had set up the PTSB, I checked that there were no BBs in my Glock. I have a spare magazines for the VFC Glock and M17 that I don’t have a follower or mag spring in for drills practice, so I gassed this up so that I could fire the GBBP, safe in the knowledge that there were no BBs present and the action would still cycle. Glasses on, sop, I then carried out some basic drills.

The first practice I did was to stand with my GBBP holstered and ‘made ready’. When I was ready I just drew the GBBP and presented it through the upper most aperture sighted up and fired a dry shot before re-holstering. This drill I repeated five times.

The next drill was to again be holstered and ready, before drawing and firing one shot through the next aperture down the PTSB, Repeating this FIVE times.

Next drill was GBBP holstered and ready. Draw, kneel and fire one shot through the hole at approx. waist height, again repeat FIVE times before topping up the gas in the mag.

The next was the double/ triple drill. Holstered and ready, draw and fire one shot through the upper aperture, adjust position and fire one through the second hole, as before I did this FIVE times before going to the triple drill; holstered and ready, draw and fire one shot through each aperture. This was harder as I was having to move through three positions and then rise to holster before starting the drill again. It’s almost a work out in itself!

Next was “stepping it up”. For this set of drills I was using a single aluminium plate at about 5m from the barricade. This would give me a good audible “clang” when hit. The GBBP was holstered and ready, but I added fully

functioning mags (loaded with gas and BBs) plus one of my favourite AEGs, my VFC HK416 which I prefer to use real caps or low caps in. On my belt I had two AR mags and two GBBP mags. To save damaging the mags unnecessarily I put a box with a blanket, at the base of the PTSB. With the HK416 slung on my Ready Tactical Sling, the drills this time started with the GBBP, top hole, reload, middle, reload, lower. Re-holster and recover the mags from the box. Stand up and repeat another FOUR times. This set was followed by starting with the rifle, and repeating the drill of top, reload, middle, reload and lower. Recover and replace mags on my belt and repeat another FOUR times.

“Step it up again” is similar to the “step it up drill” but this time I started with the 416, fired one shot, transitioned to GBBP and again another shot. Reloaded the GBBP, re-holstered, reloaded the 416, fired another shot and then applied the safety before recovering and replacing the mags then settling for the next step; Same again but this time for the middle hole, then again for the lower hole. This is plenty for me to do, hey I am over 50 now lol!

The thing I find with this set of drills is not only is it “tactically” good training but there is also a fitness ‘kick back’ that since I started this I actually feel like I can move more easily and I am sure over the next few

months it will help me with losing a bit of timber.

With the amount of apertures and firing points on the PTSB there is a huge number of options for which aperture(s) and also heights you can use when designing your own drills or making the drills a fun competition amongst friends. For me, the PTSB is a brilliant piece of kit!

Whilst chatting to Franz he told me that amongst the United States users of the PTSB are the Pentagon Force Protection Agency, US Customs and Border Protection, the US Army, US Air Force, and Marion Military Institute as well as a number of Police and Law Enforcement departments and agencies including the FBI. He offers a number of types of barricade and layouts to suit the end users, from free standing to barricades which can be set up on a shooting bench.

I’m really looking forward to a trip “darn sarf” to see my fellow Red Cell members and show them the PTSB. Who knows! We may even have a friendly competition or two… Again, if you want to see the PTSB in action then simply head on over to www. ptsbarricade.com AA

PTSB-PRO

Weighing only 18lbs, the PTSB-Pro is a solid but nimble barricade that is easy to setup, transport and store.

Weight: 18lbs

Materials: Wood and plywood

Dimensions: 24” x 51 3/4”;

Expands in height to: 72”

Thickness: 1/2” or 3/4”[User Specified]

Colour: Unpainted, Brown and Camouflage

Platform: Adjustable barricade

Applications: pistols, long-gun

BITING THE BULLET!

CONTINUING IN HIS EVER-BRUTAL AND BLUNT FASHION OF REVIEWING GUNS AND GEAR STEWBACCA HAS BEEN RECENTLY “GETTING HIS TEETH” INTO SOME OF THE GEAR FROM LAYLAX FOLLOWING THEIR KRYTAC OWNER’S MEETING BACK IN NOVEMBER 22… AND NOW HE CAN “BITE THE BULLET” AND TALK AGAIN ABOUT ONE OF THEIR GREATEST GEAR INNOVATIONS TO DATE, THE BITEMAG.

As mentioned in my previous article, the team at Laylax were good enough to hand out a myriad of their gear to us international airsoftpersonality-type guests during their awesome Krytac Owner’s Meeting Volume 5 event; with different loadout considerations for the platforms each of us were fielding both on the day, and a longer term plan to take their offerings home and use them with other compatible systems back at our home bases.

As such I was furnished with a trio of their BiteMag SMG magazine carriers, which are ideal for me given my particular leaning towards a love of SMG/ PDW GBB platforms such as the WE MP5k PDW, WE MP5A5 and even the VFC MP5k which was the cover model of our April Issue No.148. While I also use the likes of the MP7, Vz61 and PP2000 I have more specific tailored solutions to deal with their odd magazine profiles, but if you’re fielding a double stack 9mm or .45 cal SMG platform these are ideal.

At the KOM I used a mix of Krytac KRISS Vector and P90 SMG AEGs, with the latter requiring me to use the sole AR magazine BiteMag on my rig to clamp the bottom end of the one spare odd-shaped long 50 round magazine to. The SMG versions are nonetheless ideal for the Vector magazines, and a few of us were fielding them, including Maydaysan who had a mixed setup of them and the AR BiteMag variants on his plate carrier for the day to cover his own choices of airsoft gun.

Unlike a lot of existing alternative products on the market, the Laylax BiteMags are attached to your MOLLE/PALS system, or similarly over a rigid shooting belt or bandoleer, by means of very rigid plastic straps which are bolted in place, rather than using velcro or interference fitting through straps or clasps; these do take a bit more work to assemble in the initial instance, but if you don’t plan on moving them

around much this is at least an extremely permanent and reliable solution. Thus far I haven’t had any issues with them coming undone or loosening up during a few months of solid use; personally I’ve been primarily leaving them assembled and manually feeding them over my double alpha academy Lynx belt’s inner rigid velcro belt which I wear as an everyday solution in all walks of life.

ONE-STOP SOLUTION

I have various custom placard systems set up for 3x 7.62/5.56mm TMC Scorpion FastMags, 4x pistol TMC Scorpion FastMags for all my SMG/PDW and pistol requirements, as well as a 4x PSI Gear pistol taco setup just for my very slim PDW magazines to use, and while all of these work very well with their intended magazines, the Laylax BiteMags are superior especially for the broader double stack 9mm SMG magazines (especially the oversized WE MP5 ones which are chunkier than the VFC equivalents made to real spec sizes).

While the TMC FastMags have been my go to for my entire time in Taiwan, re-indexing the wider and squared off WE MP5 magazines is a challenge that usually requires a two handed manipulation to help pull the front rubberised panel away from the rear to get the magazine body through the mouth of the top opening; pistol magazines at least tend to have a taper that helps with this, but squared off double stack-double feed format mags lack that ability to naturally force their way in gradually and end up hanging up or deforming the softer material as you’re trying fruitlessly to reindex the thing in the top opening mid-firefight.

Not so with the BiteMags! Thanks to their more rigid plastic shell construction and the retention

“UNLIKE A LOT OF EXISTING ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS ON THE MARKET, THE LAYLAX BITEMAGS ARE ATTACHED TO YOUR MOLLE/PALS SYSTEM, OR SIMILARLY OVER A RIGID SHOOTING BELT OR BANDOLEER, BY MEANS OF VERY RIGID PLASTIC STRAPS WHICH ARE BOLTED IN PLACE”

strap system that holds the individual components together in the typical ‘TACO’ style, the whole assembly is a lot more rigid and less prone to deformation, as well as being naturally wider to accommodate double stack 9mm or .45 magazines and their wider footprint. They are a bit loose to use with true pistol magazines, but Laylax have narrower offerings specific to pistol magazines should you need those; you can see everyone’s favourite Kiwi the lovely Nonocat modelling those on their promotional video and other materials from the KOM.

The lack of movement or deformation of the rigid plastic BiteMag carriers makes them ideal for rapid reloads and re-indexing magazines, as well as effectively retaining them in a stable fashion. Even running around CQB sites like the overgrown airport side village and our Yangmei dormitories indoor/outdoor game site, or the killing house style Linkou CQB club, I haven’t had any issues even with the heavier GBB magazine bodies falling out or moving around in the BiteMag carriers at all… which is a great vote of confidence from me, given the improved accessibility and reindexing capability over my typically used TMC equivalents.

I haven’t, as yet, resorted to mounting them upside down anywhere! I did use to do this with older generation FastMags on my various rigs in the UK, but never with the heavier GBB magazines; I think if you’re using them for AEG mags you can get away with it given their rigidity and the sheer amount of grip they impart upon the magazines when seated fully into them, and this can of course be increased or decreased to your preference with the typical squeeze button sliding chord retainers which allow you to ‘lace them up’ tighter and have the retainer clamp down on the excess paracord to keep the tension on the BiteMag body parts, and by extension the magazines held within. I’m as yet still not confident enough to invert mine for such purposes, but then with my current equipment I have no real need to, they work

fine as a trio on my EDC belt on my left hip, ready for support hand reloads of the MP5, although this usually means running my sidearm magazines on my main rig in the quad pistol mag placard, or moving the MP5 magazines between the two solutions to suit the gaming situation.

ALL GOOD THEN?

One drawback of the slightly bulkier Laylax BiteMag SMG carriers is similar to that found when I tried to make use of rigid TMC MP7 FastMags and my customised variants of them for Five-seveN pistol magazines back in the UK in the year or two before I left. Due to the innate bulk of carriers, they don’t fit well in the standard MOLLE/PALS footprint side-byside, and you may find yourself having to mount them on alternate ladders and skip one instance between, as you can see on my plate carrier at the KOM; mine were packed in tight together and caused my MOLLE panel to curve outward somewhat due to the lack of alignment nicely within the standard MOLLE spacing. If, however, you run them on a belt, thigh,

“IF YOU RUN THEM ON A BELT, THIGH, CUMMERBUND OR OTHER SIMILAR RIG WHICH IS NATURALLY CURVED AROUND YOUR BODY (RATHER THAN A FLAT SURFACE ACROSS YOUR CHEST) THEY SHOULD FIT THE CONTOURS PERFECTLY AND OFFER AN IDEAL SOLUTION”

cummerbund or other similar rig which is naturally curved around your body (rather than a flat surface across your chest) they should fit the contours perfectly and offer an ideal solution. Again this is why I opted to belt mine for the instances where I’m running an MP5, and either shift my sidearm mags further back or forwards, or reposition them on my chest to compensate, and they’ve worked excellently in this setup, giving a natural presentation for my support hand to swing down to and withdraw a magazine for reloading, as well as more readily allowing re-indexing without having to actually look at the magazine as with other products; it becomes a lot more intuitive and reliable as you get used to them!

Occasionally if mounted loosely on a belt they may rock back and forth or twist on the belt a bit; due to my EDC belt being fairly narrow and not fully making use of the space available between the top and bottom screw points holding the retention bar on, you could easily pack this out or even tie-wrap the carriers together as I have on other products if you’re going to be using them in a block all the time anyway. For the majority of instances this hasn’t caused me any issues, and occasionally such flexibility can actually allow you to cant the magazines forward or back to avoid interference with other kit such as radio pouches mounted in similar areas of your loadout.

So, thus far I’ve had no retention failures or otherwise lost or damaged magazines during all my time using the Laylax BiteMag SMG magazine carriers,

and had a much improved response in terms of the draw and reinsertion of magazines, without worrying about having to break my firing hand grip or sling my primary platform to assist as I’ve had to in other instances using other products.

Aside from the space requirements due to their overall width making them harder to mount as a stack on a standard flat MOLLE PALS panel, I’m very happy with them thus far, and with my continued love of the MP5 in its various guises you’ll no doubt see them on my beltline for many more games to come.

I asked for mine in black, because black goes with everything, darlings, but if you fancy picking up some of your own Laylax offer them in an array of solid colours, camouflage schemes, and in variants sized for pistol, SMG and AR magazines, as well as offering additional accessories such as fabric fold-over security flaps and self-adhesive velcro tabs shaped specifically to fit over their front faces to allow for attachment of other velcro accessories or securing the fold over fabric flaps. Check out the Laylax website www.laylax. com or your local stockist, and with the fine ladies and gents having just landed in the Pacific Northwest of the US at time of writing, you can guarantee that there’ll be more of these coming to stockists near many more of our readers, not to mention more great products to follow!

Many thanks as always to our friends at Laylax for furnishing me with these excellent samples for testing! AA

GETTING TO KNOW GATE BETTER!

YOU MAY WELL REMEMBER COUPLE OF ISSUES AGO WE REPORTED ON THE AIRSOFT ACTION YEARLY PILGRIMAGE TO IWA IN NUREMBURG. FOR JIMMY IT MARKED NOT ONLY HIS FIRST MAJOR TRADE SHOW BUT ALSO HIS FIRST EVER TRIP ABROAD AND FROM WHAT HE’S TOLD US ALL ABOUT HIS MEETING WITH THE TEAM FROM GATE THE ROAD-TRIP CERTAINLY DIDN’T DISAPPOINT, AND NOW HE STARTS TO TELL ALL ABOUT THEIR VERY LATEST PRODUCTS!

At IWA 23 I was finally able to meet face to face many of the people who manufacture and produce some of the finest airsoft products on the market.

At first, being new to the event, I was a little hesitant to approach people as I didn’t really know how they would react toward me, but on the third day I plucked up the courage and I managed to secure a meeting with a very large airsoft manufacturer, that manufacturer being a well-known name on the tongues of many airsofters around the world… GATE!

It was a true pleasure to get the opportunity to meet the owner of GATE in person, the man behind the name, and not just the man but his core team as this is a company that is truly a family run business. I was very excited for this opportunity; the chance to get to talk to someone that knows everything about their creations is rather satisfying as sometimes you’re left guessing with certain products, so to get to meet the actual brains behind GATE was at first a little bit daunting, but it was a very easy meeting and my nervousness soon dispersed.

Back in February a good friend of mine was approached by GATE and they asked him if he would like to receive, test and review in full the latest and their first ever HPA engine, the Eon Pulsar and the latest Titan 2 which is their most recent Titan and is fully Bluetooth’d. The friend in question was none other than someone that I feel to be a leader in airsoft tech and knowledge; a lot of people know him as he is very, very popular on many social media platforms and he is someone who I look up to and aspire to be as good as! Negative Airsoft AKA Luke Dobson; I feel he deserves a massive mention and the reason he recommended me is obviously because I have embarked on a journey of HPA and I’m really starting to enjoy it!

At first I was a little bit dubious when it came to HPA and I felt it didn’t really have a place in airsoft as it lent itself more to the paintball world. From dipping my toe in the HPA world my opinion has since changed and I am now fully immersed, having to date have worked with most of the HPA equipment on the market. So the reason Luke recommended me is

PLEASURE TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE OWNER OF GATE IN PERSON, THE MAN BEHIND THE NAME, AND NOT JUST THE MAN BUT HIS CORE TEAM AS THIS IS A COMPANY THAT IS TRULY A FAMILY RUN BUSINESS”

A

“IT WAS

TRUE

because I am now dabbling with HPA a lot more and purely for the fact that his experiences with GATE products haven’t been all that great; he openly admits this and he gives his reasons as why, he’s not just one of these guys that instantly sacks something off, he has to have a good reason and some of these reasons are valid and if you take the time to research and follow Luke you’ll see that on many of his YouTube videos.

Getting back into it, the meeting I had with GATE started at around 10:00 on the Sunday and I spent roughly around an hour and a half with them; in this time I learned a hell of a lot regarding GATE as a business, and then we were onto new products!

Marcin (CEO and Founder of GATE, see how I roll!) was able to explain everything about their latest system very clearly and very precisely and at the end of the meeting the penny dropped… He realised that me, the guy in front of him, was in fact the guy who Luke had recommended to test their latest HPA equipment and after more handshakes all round I left with the new Pulsar engine, the Titan 2, and one of their new Eon hop units which saved him shipping them out…. And gave me a great big old grin too!

is currently the cheapest and the smallest HPA engine on the market today and is also the first engine to be powered using a fully optical ETU. It is easily tuned and adjusted via the GATE GCS app; this allows for easy adjustment of things such like ROF control which is adjustable between 1 and 100 RPS and if you can find a magazine that will feed 100 rounds per second I would like to see that! Quite frankly 100 RPS is ludicrous, very impressive but no airsofter should be subject to that kind of punishment in my personal professional opinion!

Trigger sensitivity offers up to 250 points of sensitivity, with each being up to 50 in one millimetre so you can have a very, very precise and very light trigger response. Nozzle setting is dealt with in milliseconds and can be infinitely tuned. Solenoid settings? This is a single solenoid open bolt system and has been designed at some point to be able to run a twin solenoid system allowing you to choose between open bolt and closed bolt. The pressure range is from as little as 60 PSI and as much as 140 PSI so velocity will vary between 200FPS and 550FPS depending on your setup (ie barrel length and hop arrangement).

The engine itself has been designed and it has been confirmed that it will fit in over twenty different gearbox casings; now I’m not 100% certain if this means different versions or if they mean brands. it was mentioned that this system does not fit and is not compatible with the Retro Arms range of gearbox, but I can confirm that it is 100% compatible with the VFC gearbox casings. It was mentioned in the meeting that the Titan 2 is compatible with both HPA and AEG, however the HPA version is not compatible with an AEG build due to the thin gauge of the wiring, although the AEG version is compatible with both HPA and AEG!

HOME IS WHERE THE TOOLS ARE!

Excited to get these lovely things tested, fitted, and out in the field I couldn’t wait to get back to the UK and start in on it. The problem of what to put them in then presented itself and I have so many different platforms I didn’t know what would do it justice! I didn’t just want to put these creations in any old platform, and after much deliberation all I settled on fitting them in my VFC sig MCX VIRTUS.

The new Eon Pulsar Engine and Titan 2 Bluetooth

Another thing that was mentioned also was the fact that there is no FCU or motherboard that they have tested that has proven to be incompatible with the EON pulsar engine, meaning you are not limited to only using the Titan 2. When you first see the Pulsar engine it is clearly evident that it is much, much smaller than any other engine on the market and it is made entirely from aircraft grade aluminium and finished with a perfect anodising in a green and a burgundy colour and has one single moving part (the

“THE NEW EON PULSAR ENGINE AND TITAN 2 BLUETOOTH IS CURRENTLY THE CHEAPEST AND THE SMALLEST HPA ENGINE ON THE MARKET TODAY AND IS ALSO THE FIRST ENGINE TO BE POWERED USING A FULLY OPTICAL ETU”

nozzle) and as a result it is incredibly efficient.

BLUETOOTH FTW!

The new Titan 2 Looks identical to the original version only with a facelift and some jazzy colours with the exception of the new 5.2 Bluetooth system, so no longer will you need any cables or any separate attachments as it will connect directly to your phone or device be it Android or iOS. Now in the past I have had difficulty with some of the older units not wanting to connect to the GCS app which can be very frustrating at times, but with the new Bluetooth system I have not experienced any issues connecting with the app and to date it seems to run flawlessly.

I believe the choice to go Bluetooth was a good move and it also makes set up for the Pulsar incredibly easy, and by doing so has freed up space within the gun due to the lack of FCU or programming board, so all you have to worry about is battery replacement; due to HPA batteries being much smaller however, there is no longer the need to try and cram battery wires or FCU’s into tight places which in turn eliminates the possibility for any damage to any components or wiring.

Installation of this system was incredibly pain-free and due to the fact that the Titan 2 is only powering a Solenoid the only thing you have to adjust or calibrate is the trigger itself. GATE do offer a new trigger to run with the new Titan but I settled for a Maxx trigger which works perfectly fine and is easy adjusted. GATE do state that the Eon engine works best with the Eon hop unit or the Maxx hop unit, but unfortunately the MCX did not accommodate the GATE hop unit, so on turn I opted for the retro arms C&C hop unit which works incredibly well with the Pulsar engine.

Something to note when choosing hop units is the fact that the Ppulsar engine uses a 21.25 millimetre nozzle although they are planning on creating a range of different sized nozzles to accommodate different hop units. As mentioned the only thing you have to calibrate on this is the trigger in the Titan itself which I found to be 100% accurate as an out-of-the-box unit. I found I didn’t have to adjust the engine settings as it was set at a perfect base level which was incredibly responsive on semi-auto at the factory setting of 30 rounds per second. The only thing I had to set was the pressure from my regulator which is set to just below 100 PSI and is giving a very consistent 345 to 347 fps testing on a 0.20g BB.

Unfortunately to date I have not had any chance to field test the new Pulsar or the gate Titan 2 in any kind of game scenario as I purely have not found the time; however I shall be doing a follow up article after being able to spend some time using the system and getting to learn the GCS app settings a bit more in depth, so stay tuned for that hopefully it should be in the next issue.

I would like to say a massive thank you to Airsoft Action for taking me out to the IWA show which allowed me to see another side of airsoft, and also allowed me the opportunity to meet the amazing people at GATE! Marcin and team, a massive thank you also for allowing me, and us, the opportunity to be one of the first to get hands on your latest offerings! I’d also like to say a massive thank you to Luke Dobson of Negative Airsoft for recommending me to GATE to test this new tech! Hopefully when I come back to you I can have some more in depth data recorded, so please do stay tuned for Part 2…

AA

“WHEN YOU FIRST SEE THE PULSAR ENGINE IT IS CLEARLY EVIDENT THAT IT IS MUCH, MUCH SMALLER THAN ANY OTHER ENGINE ON THE MARKET AND IT IS MADE ENTIRELY FROM AIRCRAFT GRADE ALUMINIUM AND FINISHED WITH A PERFECT ANODISING”

MAKING A MARCK!

IN A CONTINUATION OF HIS NEW COLUMN “GETTING PERSONAL” STEWBACCA WILL BE TAKING A LOOK AT PROMINENT FIGURES IN THE INDUSTRY AND HOW THEY CAME TO BE WHERE THEY ARE AND WORKING WITH WHO THEY ARE, AND THIS TIME HE “SAT DOWN” ONLINE WITH THE MAN OF THE HOUR HIMSELF MARCK WEST: HOT ON THE HEELS OF PERSONALLY TAKING THE POPULAR AIRSOFT PLAYER’S CHOICE AWARD 2023 FOR “SPECIAL AIRSOFT PLAYER AWARD: MALE”, ALONG WITH HIS NEW FOUND HOME WITH OUR FRIENDS AT LAYLAX WHO WON THE AWARD FOR “BEST AIRSOFT PODCAST OR VIDEO CHANNEL” AS WELL AS ONCE AGAIN THAT FOR “BEST AIRSOFT UPGRADE/PARTS MANUFACTURER”!

Before leaving the UK for Taiwan, I have to admit I never really bothered watching much airsoft related content online, I barely made my own aside from short cuts of gameplay which I was engaged in less frequently due to transport and teammate availability restrictions in our latter years playing, and I was still largely consuming real steel, scientific and political content and reading a lot on my commutes to work and back.

Once I set foot here in “Airsoft Central” however, I left behind all my physical media and decided to try and keep a minimal footprint in terms of possessions… guns and gear aside! I also immediately started moving closer to the airsoft industry and community in general having largely chosen emigration to Taiwan over mainland China job offers due to the prevalence of manufacturers and far greater freedom of ownership and playing here. Naturally I bumped into Jonathan of Airsoftology fame at the first MOA in 2017 and soon my network was growing along with my viewership of Asia-based content creators.

Thus when I started following Redwolf Airsoft’s video review exploits Marck West was already an established name in the presenter role, and I like many enjoyed watching his run downs of new products being made available, top pick videos and recaps of the year’s releases, as well as his increasing Instagram shenanigans and event coverage with many of the other household names in our somewhat niche and tight knit industry and community.

Eventually I had the pleasure of finally meeting him in person with the arrival of the Krytac Owner’s Meeting Volume 5 in November 2022; during our

time in Japan, with the international crew at large producing various content for Laylax and their own channels regarding the travel, events and products we got hands on with, and some of my long term reviews of which are already making their way to our very own pages.

But what of the man himself, how did he come to be where he is today, and where does he want to find himself, or take us, in future?

GETTING TO KNOW YOU

AA: Marck, thanks for talking to me; what got you interested in guns/airsoft/militaria?

Marck: I started out early at the age of 11 shooting real steel pump-action .22 rimfire rifles with my Dad in the traditional American approach but soon progressed to the typical crazy seat of the pants springer pistol ‘BB wars’ that most young guys inevitably end up going through before getting involved in gas blowback gun ownership in my late teens, and after that eventually maturing into full on skirmishing, although there was a large pause between the two as I ended up moving to Hong Kong and growing up to work in a more corporate environment.

I eventually returned to the fold, dipping my toes back in the scene as a result of my uncle and his leading role in the GBBR user group in the local scene, as well as eventually rising through the ranks myself to lead the “Hong Kong Off The Grid” expat players group and helping to build the local community before finally becoming the face of Redwolf Airsoft TV and the opportunities it afforded me over my time there.

“I STARTED OUT EARLY AT THE AGE OF 11 SHOOTING REAL STEEL PUMP-ACTION .22 RIMFIRE RIFLES WITH MY DAD IN THE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN APPROACH BUT SOON PROGRESSED TO THE TYPICAL CRAZY SEAT OF THE PANTS SPRINGER PISTOL ‘BB WARS’ THAT MOST YOUNG GUYS INEVITABLY END UP GOING THROUGH BEFORE GETTING INVOLVED IN GAS BLOWBACK GUN OWNERSHIP”

AA: What were your experiences as a player earlier on and more recently?

Marck: Hong Kong started out as a predominantly MilSim oriented scene with a strong preference toward outdoor environments back when land availability and values were more favourable to those kind of sites… of which there were many more back then! Obviously as the city developed along with the hobby and industry supporting it, many began switching over to using gas blowback platforms as a dominant form of gameplay and moving away from AEGs as the production quality and reliability of gas rifles improved to practical levels.

More recently the HK scene began to move indoors and focus more towards CQB, SQB and competitive shooting as the literal landscape of the city changed over

time and old outdoor sites were inevitably redeveloped to make way for homes and businesses.

AA: How do your friends/family/ coworkers react to your involvement?

Marck: Coming from a typical Chinese upbringing and family values in Hong Kong my closer family were understandably concerned when I told them I wanted to leave a more theoretically stable corporate environment to work in what is for all intents and purposes the toy industry!

Some of my relatives wondered how I could possibly make a living out of making videos about “toy guns”, but all of my family have been nonetheless supportive of my time in the airsoft industry and all the opportunities it has brought me, managing to monetise my hobby as well as letting my

focus toward Redwolf’s activities during COVID when the whole world was basically on hold also helped me maintain my own sanity (and no doubt many of the viewers!) by allowing me to spend time improving the content and viewer interaction.

Leaving Redwolf in the end was more of a case of it being time to get out of Hong Kong and return to my US roots by whatever means I could, and not so much about leaving the company itself. I relished and appreciated all the opportunities I had there and the platform it gave me, as well as the connection to the community and the people who watched and appreciated our content. I just happened to be in Japan and be offered an opportunity that was already in line with my existing end goals and I just knew it was time to move on.

AA: Have you encountered any difficulties working in the industry?

Marck: Inevitably industries have their own issues, and ours is quite niche and theoretically a small circle; sometimes I had growing pains as such getting into the reviewing process and dealing with a variety of

different manufacturers and their differing levels of information provided or openness towards the reviewing process and end users, knowing full well that more discerning members of the viewership or the people who really like to get inside their guns would want answers to questions or particular specifications that some airsoft companies might not include, or even be open to sharing so openly for various reasons.

AA: Why do you do what you do; what do you enjoy most about it and what motivates you?

Marck: Around 2017 with the transition from longserving and well-recognised Tim fronting the Redwolf TV channel towards me taking over I was already going through my own hard time; naturally people don’t like change when they’ve become familiar with a certain presenter or delivery style, and the inevitable negativity of the internet and Youtube comments section could be potentially disheartening at times during the transition. I even contemplated whether I really wanted to stay in that situation or return to a potentially more lucrative but stable and perhaps

“LEAVING REDWOLF IN THE END WAS MORE OF A CASE OF IT BEING TIME TO GET OUT OF HONG KONG AND RETURN TO MY US ROOTS BY WHATEVER MEANS I COULD, AND NOT SO MUCH ABOUT LEAVING THE COMPANY ITSELF. I RELISHED AND APPRECIATED ALL THE OPPORTUNITIES I HAD THERE AND THE PLATFORM IT GAVE ME, AS WELL AS THE CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE PEOPLE WHO WATCHED”

boring corporate job.

Thankfully I stuck it out and learned an important lesson in that the content we create can have an immeasurable impact on others; some viewers reached out to tell me that our videos gave them some level of sanctuary or relaxing viewing time where they could push all their problems to the backs of their minds and just enjoy a more personable and less hard-sell-based review or conversational content piece that allows viewers to almost touch base or have a social connection. That aspect is definitely the most rewarding part for me, giving back to the community and seeing the positive impact what we do can have, it makes it all worthwhile and motivates me to connect more with a wider group of enthusiasts.

AA: What have you achieved so far in the industry and as an individual shooter?

Marck: Actually the very personal Popular Airsoft award was obviously humbling and I felt honoured to be valued by the community enough to not only be nominated but get the award; however in terms of the feeling of achievement it definitely goes to the award our still very new Laylax International

channel took! It was a real milestone and sense of accomplishment that something I lead the charge for and did a lot of the groundwork for along with my colleagues was viewed by so many people in the community and recognised as something that was worth growing! It really made all the long hours and sticking to the original plan and direction despite the earlier doubts seem like it had all paid off, and it was a really nice note to move on to the next step of moving back to the US and opening up our new operations there; we’ve also seen a lot of increased interest in the Japanese language channel and user engagement as a result, so it’s really buoyed up the whole team on both sides of the Pacific and makes us want to do more and do better for everyone.

AA: How do you feel about other players viewing you as a role model?

Marck: I certainly feel like that is something you really can’t go out actively seeking; people who want to be leaders or role models tend to be the examples you shouldn’t follow, and tend to want it for the wrong reasons, or just for personal goals.

My Dad imparted an important lesson to me early

“THE VERY PERSONAL POPULAR AIRSOFT AWARD WAS OBVIOUSLY HUMBLING AND I FELT HONOURED TO BE VALUED BY THE COMMUNITY ENOUGH TO NOT ONLY BE NOMINATED BUT GET THE AWARD; HOWEVER IN TERMS OF THE FEELING OF ACHIEVEMENT IT DEFINITELY GOES TO THE AWARD OUR STILL VERY NEW LAYLAX INTERNATIONAL CHANNEL TOOK!”

on that’s stayed with me, “greatness and leadership are not things that are taken, but given or earned, and you really have to win hearts and minds instead of tell people what to think”. I’m always very aware of the responsibility that comes with being recognised not only in the airsoft but also real steel communities for the content, events and products I’ve been involved in, and I always strive to not just present, but genuinely become a better version of myself and make sure that what I do gives a positive effect on the end users, viewers or young people potentially looking up to me or getting involved in the community on the back of my exploits.

Most importantly, I’m very aware that it’s important to always make time for people when I can; I enjoy engaging with people in general, and the community feedback is rewarding in terms of seeing other people enjoying and extolling their interests and passions for airsoft and the products and content we make. It’s really important to listen to what they have to say, not just from a business standpoint, but just to help develop everyone’s ideas and push the community as a whole forward.

Similarly my personal lifestyle and social media is geared towards what I love doing and trying to motivate others to better themselves and find a positive path and outlook in life as well as take time to enjoy what’s most important to them, especially as everyone’s lives can be so busy these days and people really should make time for hobbies or personal goals and outlets. That would likely be my “Dad Advice” to people; we all have the same 24 hours a day to use, so make sure you manage and prioritise what really matters to you, and only you will truly know what that is, and to get the most out of the time we have and see the benefit to yourself and others around you.

AA: What are your plans or goals for the future?

Marck: The move to the USA was obviously a personal inevitability but was also a long mooted goal of Laylax in general; given the sheer size of the community and market in the US and the west in general, having a physical presence in the US is undoubtedly a positive step, allowing us to engage directly with events and the user base here, making face to face meetings and outreach far easier, and listening to what the players have to say about our products; what they like, how they use them, what they want to see more of!

It not only helps us give people what they really want, but helps grow the player base and lifts everyone up with better equipment and gameplay abilities, as well as allowing us to cross-pollinate ideas from Japan into the US and vice versa, sharing not only our own products and the ways they are being used, but also building more positive collaborative efforts with other domestic manufacturers as well as distributors or event organisers.

MANY THANKS

As you can see, Marck’s not only a very well-known and liked member of the global airsoft community and industry, but a genuine people person and someone who loves to engage and positively impact upon the players, industry partners, products and places that bring us all together! I’d once again like to thank him for his time and all the support and past interactions we’ve had on our respective journeys through this hobby (or habit!) we both love, and look forward to seeing what he, and the wider Laylax team, still have to bring us in the future! AA

HONOURABLE AIRSOFT... ...ITALIAN STYLE!

WE’RE VERY PROUD TO HAVE AIRSOFT ACTION LEGIONNAIRES IN MANY COUNTRIES AND THE MESSAGE WE SHARE IS THAT WHEREVER YOU MAY BE IN THIS GREAT WIDE WORLD OF AIRSOFT, AND HOWEVER YOU ENJOY YOUR GAME, WE ARE ALL PART OF A WONDERFUL GLOBAL COMMUNITY THAT SHOULD SHARE OUR PASSION FOR ALL THINGS 6MM! WORD OF THE LEGION IS OBVIOUSLY SPREADING AS RECENTLY BILL WAS CONTACTED BY ALEX, FROM THE “ASD 3/5 MARINES”, TO TALK ABOUT HOW LIVING HISTORY HAS INFLUENCED THIS UNIQUE ITALIAN TEAM!

It has to be said that one of the areas of airsoft that I have also loved is the one where living history and skirmishing meet perfectly!

Over the years I’ve played is some totally awesome historically themed games alongside some pretty hardcore re-enactors, and the level of immersion that they bring to any game is truly wonderful! Sometimes there are passions that run on parallel tracks destined to never meet, but on other occasions you can find the perfect balance, as in the case of the ASD 3/5 Marines of Varedo (MB) ITALY, who have combined airsoft with modern military/historical re-enactment.

Two founding members, Pietro “Pit” Figini and Alessandro “Small” Balconi, together with other enthusiasts have given life to this association which was founded in 2015 in Varedo, from the ashes of the V Marines of Gallarate and after another twoyear reenactment experiment, which inspired the founding members and outlined the basic ideas of the project, called “Kilo Company, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines - Operative Reenactment Milsim Squad.” This name is abbreviated to “3/5 Marines”, that is the third battalion of the 5th regiment, under the first MARDIV, and specifically the Kilo company.

Alex and his team-mates were kind enough to provide some very detailed information for me, so

without further explanation I’ll get straight into things!

AA: WHY THE 3/5?

The President, Alessandro, answered: “We have chosen to re-enact this unit for its glorious history that begins during the First World War in Belleau Wood, and then moves on to the bloody clashes held on the Pacific islands, such as Guadalcanal, Pelelieu and Okinawa, then the battles in Pusan and Inchon in Korea and the fighting for Hue in Vietnam. The battalion has been deployed to Iraq several times, both during Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom; then we arrive “to the present day” with the deployment in Afghanistan more precisely in Sangin between 2010 and 2011. In particular, when we created the team, those guys were doing a great job out there in theatre and their actions arrived also on Italian media.”

AA: WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY “OPERATIVE REENACTMENT”?

“3/5 is committed to replicating a Marine unit as faithfully and realistically as possible, using the real USMC manuals as sources for training material, only slightly adapted to airsoft. In addition, each member uses mandatory original equipment that above all is consistent with the period recalled; this as per the

“WE HAVE CHOSEN TO RE-ENACT THIS UNIT FOR ITS GLORIOUS HISTORY THAT BEGINS DURING THE FIRST WORLD WAR IN BELLEAU WOOD, AND THEN MOVES ON TO THE BLOODY CLASHES HELD ON THE PACIFIC ISLANDS, SUCH AS GUADALCANAL, PELELIEU AND OKINAWA, THEN THE BATTLES IN PUSAN AND INCHON IN KOREA AND THE FIGHTING FOR HUE IN VIETNAM”

basic rules of the good re-enactor. All with the aim of bringing a realistic system and tactics to the Italian MilSim, which lacks in simulation and generally is more playful than its foreign counterparts, according to our way of thinking.

The fact that the US military releases their training material online was an important push for our choice: we have examples and explanations of how to do something in the most efficient and least risky way for the unit. This is why we define it as an “operative or operational re-enactment”, not merely static.”

AA: HOW DO YOU TRAIN TO BE REALISTIC?

Pietro answered this one: “Airsoft, as far as they say, is a military simulation in all aspects. There are those who do it casually, with full masks, 3000 BB magazines and running around like hares, and those who, like us and a few others, do it by doing their utmost to be as realistic as possible on the battlefield. Let’s be clear, this “extremist” choice involves sacrifices: you have to accept the fact of spending Sundays trying and trying again, training, rather than playing the most classic of the classic attack/defence/ capture the flag, run away from the zombie games!

To understand us better, start from a concept; according to the reports and studies of the various fire conflicts (Source: US Defense Ministry), in an urban environment the average engagement distances are about 35 metres, which coincidentally a range that is perfect for our replicas. That is why we took the “MOUT” (Military Urban Operation Terrain) manual, translated it and applied it to our training. By following this particular training, the guys learn to move like a SQUAD, thus reducing the hit and exponentially increasing the kills.

Coming out of the urban world, where everything has a written logic and where military/airsoft comparisons hold up by force of physics, we enter the woods or 98% of Italian camps. Here too we have noticed that, with very few adaptations of the relative manual “Marine Rifle Squad”, everything works the same! You have to learn how to move in a forest, understand the difference between “fire & movement” and “fire & manoeuver”, know how to perform a “center peel” and much more. That’s fun, tiring but fun!”

AA: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU ARE IN CONTACT WITH “REAL” MARINES?

Alessandro told me: “Absolutely yes! You should know that at first we did not intend to direct our efforts towards Operational Re-enactment but after being contacted directly by a support group of the families of the fallen and talking and establishing relationships with the real veteran Marines of Sangin

we understood how this approach was the only possible way to avoid the risk of tarnishing the memory and honour of a fighting unit.

We know very well that nowadays, thanks to the internet, our activities can reach the” real “Marines in a second: it’s not like re-enacting American Airborne during WW2 or the Roman legionaries, people who can’t argue back and get mad for a wrong pocket, oversized moustache or the wrong accessory. But above all they cannot criticize the fact of seeing themselves or their comrades re-enacted, people who have died inside that uniform.

We care a lot about this aspect, and it is a topic that we emphasize well to the new recruits: seriousness, discipline and respect for the uniform are fundamental requisites for becoming part of our team. You don’t wear it just to “shoot four BBs on Sunday morning”!

Recently, using social media, we have reached several veterans and we are carrying out a project of digital interviews, which you can find on our social media pages. Hearing stories of the deployment directly from them, as well as asking them for their opinions on our activities, is priceless…”

AA: WHAT IS THE VETEANS’ OPINION ABOUT YOU?

“As mentioned, thanks to social media we are in direct contact with several veterans of the battles of Sangin who (and we say this with a nice pinch of pride) talk about us understanding our commitment and the passion behind our business , which could also be seen as a farce or “stolen valor”. A team photo of us was even posted on the Battalion history Instagram page (@ 3rdbattalion5thmarineshistory: “You know you’ve done some cool shit when dudes in other countries are reenacting / milsim-ing your deployment. Thanks to @ 35marines. it “).”

All the positive feedback we receive is constantly printed and posted on a wall at our headquarters. It’s always a great satisfaction to receive their praise, especially since we boast several haters. But you know, haters gonna hate!

Finally, we can proudly share with you the fact that a former member of us (Italian American) is now in effect enlisted in the real Marine Corps. Hi Giampaolo!”

AA: TELL ME ABOUT YOURUNIFORMS AND EQUIPMENT

Pietro responded to this question: “As mentioned, all our material is original, purchased from the USA or from bases in Europe. As for the specifics, the real marine in Afghanistan always had three types of equipment available; light for reconnaissance or

where no fire contact was expected, and two with ballistic protections and helmet to choose according to the environment and possible dangers.

We opt, depending on the playing occasions, for the light setup (called Greenside) or for the heavy one, with the Scalable Plate Carrier body armour with helmet, which is the icon of marines today. The uniform is obviously the MarPat woodland or desert while the pockets and the equipment applied is chosen based on the role to be covered/ re-enacted. The weapon is mainly the M16A4, with its accessories, but it also changes according to the role, passing from the M4 to the M249 SAW or the dreaded M240 or M2 Browning (yes, we have two of them!).”

AA: DO YOU CARRY OUT OTHER ACTIVITIES OUTSIDE THE AIRSOFT?

“As public events, we use the Militalia (Novegro, near Milan) fair in order to introduce ourselves and interest any new recruits. As mentioned, we are currently working on a descriptive, promotional and obviously celebratory interviews project of the marines who served in Afghanistan.

Furthermore, some time ago some of our members went to Rome to take part in the creation of a Sky TV series; we were in fact invited to shoot some scenes of “Devils”, appearing as extras during the funeral of a soldier. We also intend to try to get in touch with Netflix and Sky Italia, in case they need Marine extras in any of their TV series.

Finally, we would like to underline that every year during the Boot Camp (the training period for new recruits), the guys take part in all day long training course about first aid, during which possible accidents that may occur in our activities, are discussed. We also deal with the topic of BLS-D (Basic Life Support & Defibrillation). Thanks to the presence in the team of a certified Instructor, it is possible for the members to receive a well-rounded training; combined with the practice of heart massage, it allows them to receive a certificate as a AED operator valid throughout the country. AED + Trained citizens = people who survive, and we speak from personal experience on the field ...”

AA: HOW DO NEW RECRUITS FIND AND POTENTIALLY JOIN THE TEAM?

To conclude is Alessandro: “The Few the Proud”. This is the Corps motto that we too adopt. We do not aim to have a hundred associates to our team but rather those “few but good”, so the aspirant must have the right mindset as well as high physical and mental resilience, have a very strong sense of brotherhood and affiliation as well as an honourable character and moral rigor.

Anyone interested in a “level” re-enactment in airsoft and with the right mentality can contact us via our social networks or via email at info.35marines@ gmail.com. You can find us also on Facebook, Instagram and Youtube as “35marines”

Thank you Airsoft Action for the interest in our team, and I would like to conclude by also thanking all our guys:

Alessandro “ Small” Balconi

Andrea “Jackson” Pirovano

Claudio “Doc” Lalomia

Daniele “Drake” Rielli

Fabio “Milligan” Alberti

Gabriele “Texas” Cavaglieri

Giovanni “ Perez” Matozzo

Giuseppe “Diaz” D’Amato

Lorenzo “Clark” Rossetti

Luca “Collins” Gentile

Matteo “Frost” Fumagalli

Pietro “Pit” Figini

Roberto “Carter” Piovani”

In turn I, and all at Airsoft Action, would like to thank Alex and his team-mates for reaching out to us and showing another wonderful, and respectful, side of airsoft that perhaps many would not think of automatically. As well as playing our games all over the world, sometimes we have the opportunity to do something truly meaningful, and if you have a story of your own team to tell, well... The AA LEGION needs to hear from you! AA

““THE FEW THE PROUD”. THIS IS THE CORPS MOTTO THAT WE TOO ADOPT. WE DO NOT AIM TO HAVE A HUNDRED ASSOCIATES TO OUR TEAM BUT RATHER THOSE “FEW BUT GOOD”, SO THE ASPIRANT MUST HAVE THE RIGHT MINDSET AS WELL AS HIGH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL RESILIENCE, HAVE A VERY STRONG SENSE OF BROTHERHOOD AND AFFILIATION AS WELL AS AN HONOURABLE CHARACTER AND MORAL RIGOR”

OPERATION ONE FIVE

WHEN YOU’VE BEEN PLAYING AIRSOFT FOR A WHILE YOU NEED TO MARK CERTAIN “ANNIVERSARIES”, AND IN PORTUGAL IT IS THE TEAMS THEMSELVES THAT INSTITUTE AND RUN GAMES, SO IT’S AN EXTRA SPECIAL EVENT WHEN IT HAPPENS AT YOUR “HOME FIELD”! MIGUEL AND THE GHOSTS RECENTLY PUT ON A VERY SPECIAL GAME TO CELEBRATE FIFTEEN YEARS OF AIRSOFT, AND NOW HE TELLS US ALL ABOUT IT!

Fifteen years in airsoft, it sometimes it feels like an eternity ago, other times like it was just yesterday. Throughout this one and a half decade, there have been many games and events, adventures and memories, and we’ve seen saw a lot of teams come and go with the time and made many friendships.

If we look at our team now, few are the same players from 10 or 15 years ago; there are a lot of new faces that joined us through our “candidate system” (check out Issue 147 for more about that), and it’s really important to have new blood, because I’ve seen teams fade away when a few key members have to step away from airsoft and no one picks the team up after them. So of course we had to do something a little special for our 15th anniversary, it’s an important milestone of the team. Hence, the ONE FIVE Operation was born, an event to commemorate this special date.

The event started a couple of months before, with many online meetings, changing ideas, building the game module and mechanics, rules and all other aspects of the game. First, we started with a wave of private invitations to teams who we can consider friends, teams with whom we have shared the field many times throughout the years; we have learned that if you want a good event it’s imperative to have teams who respect airsoft as a whole, and everything that this means, present. We then opened the remaining slots to the community, and we easily reached the maximum for the field of 80 players as we had planned. It would be easy to have 100, 150 or even more players present, but we like to organize events where the teams can move and flank without finding enemies every 10m! It’s also important to mention the amazing support from Viper Tactical and

Gunfire; there are not many games nationwide here in Portugal with giveaways of this “calibre”, and we knew that the players would be thrilled with what we had to offer thanks to our sponsors.

ROLLING IN

For us, the event itself started Saturday night, welcoming the teams who came from further away. We held a small late-night BBQ AT the field itself, filled with drinks (local beer of course!) and good laughs; this is one of the aspects of airsoft that we love! Of course, we had to turn in relatively early for the night and get at least a few hours of sleep before getting back on the field at 06:00!

The sun wasn’t up yet when we arrived again, but there was work to be done, to place the objectives in the right place, prepare the check in and parking space, hang the banners and some final touches in both teams’ HQs. A bit after sunrise, the players started to arrive and until the briefing time there was some time to greet the players and have a few more laughs. Of course, we couldn’t let time slip and at the scheduled time we started the briefing, and after that it was GAME ON!

The One Five Operation pitted two warring factions who deployed forces to the region chasing a rumour about a device that could help tip the balance of this long confrontation. In the South side, we had the Iron Wolves, commanded by Almeida from the FOE team, and in the North side, the Steel Legion was led by Rafa from KillerBees. Both factions already had some work done pre-game, with a group chat where several representatives of each team were present; both commanders had also created small groups to make it easier to handle missions and orders.

“THE ONE FIVE OPERATION PITTED TWO WARRING FACTIONS WHO DEPLOYED FORCES TO THE REGION CHASING A RUMOUR ABOUT A DEVICE THAT COULD HELP TIP THE BALANCE OF THIS LONG CONFRONTATION. IN THE SOUTH SIDE, WE HAD THE IRON WOLVES, COMMANDED BY ALMEIDA FROM THE FOE TEAM, AND IN THE NORTH SIDE, THE STEEL LEGION WAS LED BY RAFA FROM KILLERBEES”

The game had several timed missions that were handed to both commanders at the same time, and when the game started three missions were available right off the bat; find and photograph the enemy HQ position, find several power cells that were spread in the field and recover two boxes to hold said power cells. As soon as the green light was given, both factions left for the field trying to fulfil their orders, and each completed mission would give their faction a certain amount of points, and in the end the one with more points would win.

The Iron Wolves took the lead, since they found and scouted the enemy base early on; the two other missions were evenly divided by both factions, with

each completing half of those objectives. Also, when the fourth mission (and one of the most important) was released, the Steel Legion were slow and let their enemy get farther away in points. During the fourth mission, both factions had to find a code and delivery it to a crazy scientist capable of decoding it; here we had a bit of role-play, with the scientist playing a great role of an air-head, who was immune to the pressure that the players tried to place on them in order to continue their mission. After decoding it, the scientist would give the players the final coordinates where a device had to be activated and held until a certain hour.

THE PRESSURE BUILDS!

With half of the game gone, the Iron Wolves were controlling it when it came to points, but it would soon change. The fifth mission, where the factions had to find three supply boxes that were dropped off in the field, was completely dominated by the Steel Legion! Adding that to the fact that they were able to find and scout the enemy base as well gave them the lead for a few points. At this point, the final mission was launched, it was the second part of the device, both factions had to find the second piece of the code, getting it decoded by our great crazy scientist and control the device; the Steel Legion had the momentum, they were able to reach the device first and defend it, even against the advances of the Iron Wolves. And thus it was game over, with a great comeback from the Steel Legion!

Of course, no game of ours is completed without a good BBQ at the end, so the players joined forces, friends again, to get some grub, drink a few cold ones and talk about the game. Everyone was also looking forward to the giveaways, and after everyone had at least a go at something to eat and drink, we started picking the winners. It was great to see big smiles in the face of the ones we called, and for that we have to

thank Viper Tactical and Gunfire again. Thanks also to the commanders who both did an awesome job on the day, and to the players that made it such a memorable event; there was some hard fighting, but also much laughter, and we hope that OPERATION ONE FIVE created some new and wonderful memories for those that took part, and I look forward to the next fifteen years ahead and seeing our games in Portugal flourish even more!

STILL LOVIN’ IT!

BACK IN ISSUE 124 BILL GOT HIS HANDS ON THE THEN-NEW VORSK CS DEFENDER PRO GBB PISTOL AND FELL IN LOVE WITH THE CLASSIC MEU-STYLE 1911 ALL OVER AGAIN… BUT NOW WE’RE ON ISSUE 150 SO HOW HAS THIS CLASSIC DESIGN STOOD THE TEST OF TIME? PRETTY DARN WELL IT WOULD SEEM…

Jeez, back in March 2021 when I first got hold of the VORSK DEFENDER PRO 1911 I had no idea what lay ahead for me and for all of us; what a time we’ve been through! But the airsoft industry has survived, and although times were tough for all

The story of VORSK is one that I’ve been intimately involved in right from the very beginning, and from this privileged position I’ve seen the brand rise, rise and rise yet again, consistently bringing us new things that excite and inspire. I’ve shot just about every

“I’VE SHOT JUST ABOUT EVERY SINGLE MODEL IN THE VORSK RANGE, AND MANY OF THEM HAVE BEEN RETAINED AFTER INITIAL TESTING AND REVIEW TO FIND A HOME IN THE RED CELL TEST POOL… WHERE THAT TESTING CONTINUES TO THIS DAY!”

a dependable skirmish partner we say it only after a massive amount of testing and shooting!

But much as I love all the VORSK pistols that I’ve had the pleasure to shoot, there are a couple of “unsung heroes” in the line that I REALLY adore, and one of these that sees little limelight in my opinion, “a supporting actor” rather than the “leading man” it should be is the CS DEFENDER PRO. As the first of the “VORSK CUSTOM SHOP” models (hence “CS”) it had a real statement to make as it really pushed forward the boundaries of what the VORSK team were creating at the time; as I said from the off “I believe that this is their finest creation to date, both in terms of construction, and indeed performance.”

The DEFENDER had an entirely new slide featuring three forward vent ports, a top slide with rippled-V pattern and “snakeskin” slide accents; the “V for VORSK” pattern along the length on top of the slide looked awesome, but ultimately served another practical purpose in that you could use

gave it a very aggressive look, but there was quite literally a very clever “twist” in the design here too, as by depressing the guide rod you could rotate the compensator to one side and remove it and there was a spare, standard barrel bushing in the box if you preferred, like me, to run the DEFENDER more “old skool”.

The finish throughout as new was impeccable, and the frame and slide married together with hardly any movement other than the obvious one and no rattle at all, something that you only find on a really highquality 1911 replicas in my experience. Even the pistol grips were a really attractive mix of wood and polymer which led to a visually striking design and as a first in the VORSK range a solid trigger was used, which gave a more direct interface with the trigger mechanism.

BUT THAT WAS THEN…

We all know that when you get hold of a new pistol

returning to time and

“THE DEFENDER HAD AN ENTIRELY NEW SLIDE FEATURING THREE FORWARD VENT PORTS, A TOP SLIDE WITH RIPPLED-V PATTERN AND “SNAKESKIN” SLIDE ACCENTS; THE “V FOR VORSK” PATTERN ALONG THE LENGTH ON TOP OF THE SLIDE LOOKED AWESOME”

RELOADED

patient wait for this pistol proved 100% worthwhile. Through the chrono on NP 2.0 gas and using .20g VORSK BBs the DEFENDER kicked out the BBs at 0.69 Joule/273fps as new, and with just a little care and maintenance it still does two and a bit years on! Cycling is slick and smooth, with a great recoil impulse, and the trigger is just lovely (damn, it’s good!), with absolutely minimal take-up and a crisp reset; if you like to get your shots away quickly, then the DEFENDER is going to make you very happy indeed!

In a world of Hi Capas there is, in my mind, still a place for an MEU-styled single-stack 1911, and of all the many that I own I have to tell you that the DEFENDER ranks up there at the top alongside a couple of others; I do still adore my old original TM MEU, but the fact is that it’s sadly a little “vanilla” when you look at it on the shelf alongside the DEFENDER… the DEFENDER has presence, heft, a truckload of attitude, and above all consistent

performance to back all of that up.

If you’re in the market for a “1911” then I’d urge you not to overlook the CS DEFENDER PRO as this is most definitely a “leading man” that’s just waiting in the wings to make their entrance, and as the audience we will be thoroughly entranced time and again by the performance delivered.

As we expect from VORSK the CS DEFENDER PRO pistol is available too as an RDS option, and in multiple colours; Black, Chrome, and Brushed Aluminium, with a Dual Tone “Training Blue” option available. The flagship Chrome/ Black and Black/ Chrome design is available as a contrasting double pack, as is the Dual Tone Blue option, and it’s fabulous to see this blue variant as it means that new players, and indeed non-playing shooters of all flavours can immediately benefit from legal ownership from the get go! You can check them all out by visiting www.vorskairsoft.com AA

“THROUGH THE CHRONO ON NP 2.0 GAS AND USING .20G VORSK BBS THE DEFENDER KICKED OUT THE BBS AT 0.69 JOULE/273FPS AS NEW, AND WITH JUST A LITTLE CARE AND MAINTENANCE IT STILL DOES TWO AND A BIT YEARS ON!”