Airsoft Action -June 2024

CONTENTS

8 ARMOURY: G&G TGM R5 ETU

The trend for ultra-modern “SMG-style” AEGs coming onto the market continues without pause and G&G have jumped on this yet again in the best possible way with an update to the “daddy” of them all, the ever-popular MP5, in the form of their latest TGM R5 ETU, and Bill has been giving one his usual work-over to find out if the sweet spot has been hit!

20 ARMOURY: EMG/DOUBLE EAGLE NOVESKE N4 GBBR

With so many superb GBB ARs on the market now it’s sometimes hard to decide between them, so when a model appears that screams “unique” for any reason it’s definitely going to be worth a look; this month Bill gets down to the range with what could well be the final piece of the puzzle with Noveske-licenced N4 models courtesy of Double Eagle and EMG!

Editorial Director: Bill Thomas

Deputy Editor (Asia): Stu Mortimer

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Publisher: Calibre Publishing

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©Calibre Publishing Limited 2023

All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the express permission of the publisher in writing. The opinion of the writers do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. The editor reserves the right to edit submissions prior to publication.

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LETTER , IDEA OR QUESTION?

Got something to say? A question for our experts? An article or article idea? Drop us a line and let us know. Either email the Editorial Director: bill@airsoft-action.co.uk, or talk to us on Twitter or Facebook.

28 ARMOURY: DOUBLE BELL GEN-12 DRACARYS

Let’s face it, we’ve seen a LOT of airsoft replicas coming out of the “John Wick” franchise, especially those with the TTI name on them, and in general they’ve been very cool… but in Bill’s opinion there not as cool as the latest movie-inspired platform, the firebreathing GEN-12 DRACARYS semi-auto shotgun from Double Bell!

36

TRAINING: LONG GUNS AND LIGHTS

Andy N from CALIBRE RANGE re-joins us this month with another article focused on the accessories that we all use on our “long guns”, and this time he turns his seasoned attention to a regular addition, that of platform-mounted “white light” taclites and how we can set them up and use them most effectively!

42 THE CAGE: COSPLAY

Airsoft war never changes! You must have been AWOL if you’ve missed the excellent Amazon take on the FALLOUT universe, and with this in mind the members of the AA LEGION thought they’d turn their attention to an area of airsoft that’s loathed by a few, but absolutely loved by many, and that’s game-inspired, themed airsoft events where cosplay meets full-on 6mm action!

48 RED CELL: G-SERIES UPDATE

Once again Red Cell comes full-circle as we return to our G-SERIES pool of test pistols, and of course since we started there have been some updates in the world of airsoft “Glocks and Nots” with the introduction of the 17 GEN5, so we’ve updated the list to start bringing those models into play as is right and proper; thankfully these are in the hands of two of our most active pistol shooters, Stewbacca and Boycie so BBs will be going downrange in numbers as they get to grips with the latest iteration.

62 TECH: LCT Z SERIES MODULAR AK PARTS

Looking back to the not too distant past To ISSUE 160 Stewbacca brought in PHASE 1 and his initial thoughts and experiences using the LCT Airsoft ‘Z Series’ Zenitco-themed accessories for their LCK platforms, specifically their excellent LCK74MN modernised AK in the 5.45mm flavour in terms of real-steel footprint. Given the sheer variety of components they sent to him we knew this would be a longer term project throughout the year, and now he lands the second phase of his testing and thoughts.

72 INSIDE AIRSOFT: GETTING PERSONAL

Stewbacca met with Clarence Lai way back in 2021 shortly after he first arrived in Taiwan having left his native Hong Kong, and you can read about his new ‘Clarence Lai Project Design’ (CLPD) exploits and plans back in issue 130. But how did he come to be on Taiwan, where did it all begin, and what was his journey like to becoming an obviously influential figure in gunsmithing and customising skirmish, competition and even real guns, as well as the competitive circuit and its events and organisations?

82 INSIDE AIRSOFT: VORSK

Late last month Bill had an invitation to visit to VORSK crew at their “skunkworx” to check out the very latest developments and updates on what we can expect to see from them in the very near, and more distant, future! Taking up this privileged opportunity, he now opens the lid on exactly what shape this will take!

96 RELOADED: RAVEN R9

The M9-style GBB handgun appears to have fallen a little out of favour these days, but nonetheless it’s a solid sidearm that covers an awful lot of airsoft bases from themed games through to MilSim, and everything in between! It’s one of our favourite “movie guns” for sure, and Bill believes that the latest models from RAVEN give it a whole new lease of life!

88 AA LEGION: PORTUGAL

It’s time to head back to Portugal with Miguel to check out the latest iteration of the “KIA” game that he and his fellow “GHOSTS” attend each year, mixing it up with players and other teams from all over the country! This is what the AA LEGION is all about, bringing stories from communities around the globe to enlighten, entertain, and excite, and Miguel always brings us a little of each aspect in his own unique fashion!

M4 Magazine Adapter

MX-060

Hi-capa HPA Adapter

Compatibility:

MX-059 Glock HPA Adapter

Tokyo Marui, ICS, WE, AW Custom, KJW and Other Compatible Hi-CAPA

5.1 Gas Blowback Airsoft Pistols.

Magazine Compatibility:

TM M4 Airsoft AEG magazines

Compatibility: Tokyo Marui, ICS, WE, AW Custom, AAP-01, KJW

Magazine Compatibility: TM M4 Airsoft AEG magazines

MX-061

Master Mods HPA Hose

HPA hose warning: This hose is dedicated to HPA, with a Maximum working pressure of 20 kg, and must be used in a HPA bottle. After passing through the pressure regulator is < 200 psi (14kg)

THE TREND FOR ULTRA-MODERN “SMG-STYLE” AEGS COMING ONTO THE MARKET CONTINUES WITHOUT PAUSE AND G&G HAVE JUMPED ON THIS YET AGAIN IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY WITH AN UPDATE TO THE “DADDY” OF THEM ALL, THE EVER-POPULAR MP5, IN THE FORM OF THEIR LATEST TGM R5 ETU, AND BILL HAS BEEN GIVING ONE HIS USUAL WORK-OVER TO FIND OUT IF THE SWEET SPOT HAS BEEN HIT!

“YOUR MP5 CAN BE AS INDIVIDUAL AS YOU ARE, SO WHEN IT COMES TO SIMPLE AEGS, IN MY MIND THE MP5 IS UNDOUBTEDLY THE “DADDY”, AND THAT’S COMING FROM A MAN WITH AN AK ADDICTION WORTHY OF COMRADE KALSHNIKOV HIMSELF!”

“THANKFULLY

G&G HAVE A VERY LONG ATTENTION SPAN AND HAVE, IN MY MIND AT LEAST, UPDATED THE PLATFORM AS THE TGM R5 ETU IN A MEANINGFUL WAY WITH SOME NEW PARTY CLOTHES, ALONG WITH A BIG CHUNK OF THEIR LATEST TECHNOLOGY AND GIVEN IT A WHOLE NEW LEASE OF LIFE!”

adjustable front sight is a shrouded post, again with a little bit of a G&G design-tweak, and these provide a very clear sight picture. To finish things off at the sharp end is a classic tri-lug muzzle device which comes with a knurled cover to protect the 14mm CCW thread for fitting a suppressor or tracer unit; this is perhaps the only thing that still shouts “old skool” to me, and I would have liked to see a more funky flash-hider or muzzle brake… but that’s just being overly picky.

And now for something I truly love, and that’s the G&G side-folding stock with “Conducting Hinge”, or C-HS! Yup, we’re seeing this on other G&G AEGs, but on the R5 it REALLY works!

One of the things I’ve always found with the classic MP5 slider is that the positions are too short for me if I’m honest, but the 230mm side-folder is perfect. Mounting to the rear of the receivers with an H&K-style mounting block, the closure is simple yet effective by way of a latch on the LHS, and once the stock is deployed it is solid; equally when folded to the side in ain’t going anywhere. Inset to the lower of the mounting block is a QD stud point, and you get a QD stud in the box…

Battery space is in the “foot” of the stock at the rear, and there’s more than sufficient space for a small LiPo stick, and this is again where things get interesting; yes, there’s some visible wiring with a Tamiya connector in the battery compartment along with a securely retained fuse, but when it comes to wiring on show, that’s the lot, even with the stock in the folding position thanks to that patented “Conductive Hinge”! Quizzing G&G Ryan at IWA he told me that the hinge itself conducts electricity, with wires leading to it, but not a thing on show… so nothing to get caught up!

Ryan said that he’d tried the “Conductive Hinge” stock on the ARP open and closed, opening and closing, and that it still fired every single BB whatever the position of the stock; this is something that I tried in testing with the R5 and yup, it works… and it works very well indeed. I did some digging, heading to the Taiwan Patent Search System and it told me that the patent filed by G&G says;

“An electric toy gun and its rotating shaft energizing device include a conductor unit installed between a first gun body and a second gun body, and a rotating unit. The conductor unit includes two conductors spaced apart and capable of conducting electricity. Each conductor is electrically connected to an electronic control unit installed on the first gun body.

The swivel unit includes two conductive swivels. Each of the swivels is sleeved on a respective conductor and electrically connected to a battery unit installed on the second gun body, and rotates together with the second gun body. Thereby, by rotating together with the second gun body and being sleeved on the conductors, the rotors maintain an electrically conductive state, which not only hides the conductor unit and the rotors and reduces exposed components, but also it can improve the smoothness when the first gun body and the second gun body are combined.”

“G&G ARE VERY MUCH KNOWN AS A COMPANY THAT LIKE DOING THINGS THEIR OWN WAY, AND ALTHOUGH THEY HAVE IN FAIRNESS CREATED SOME SUPERB “MIL” AND “COMP” AEGS UNDER LICENCE, THEY ARE VERY MUCH KNOWN FOR THEIR OWN UNIQUE VISION WHEN IT COMES TO EXTERNAL DESIGN”

“THE COCKING HANDLE TUBE FEATURES SOME NICE CUT-OUTS WHICH ARE AESTHETICALLY PLEASING, AND BELOW THIS IS A VERY MODERN M-LOK RAIL WHICH GIVES YOU ACCESSORY-MOUNTING SLOTS AT 2, 3, 6, 9 AND 11 O’CLOCK, ALONG WITH QD STUD POINTS BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT… LOTS OF OPTIONS HERE!”

You’ll have to pardon the translation, but if I can understand it I am certain that the more tech-savvy will get it fully; I just know that it works, so well done G&G on securing this patent, you’ve earned it!

SHINY INSIDE!

On the outside the R5 really is a very cool take on the classic MP5, but the goodness does not stop there!

On terms of “OS” you have some very tidy electronic components, a reinforced gearbox frame, 8mm bearings, full steel piston, Ifrit 25K motor… yadda, yadda… but there’s an awful lot more too!

The name of the AEG gives it away to a degree in that it’s the “TGM R5 ETU”, as in Electronic Trigger Unit, and there’s also a MOSFET fitted too, and this gives the R5 some cool programmable features that are easy to set via the trigger; MOSFET features include:

• Built-in 3-round burst selector switch

• Programmable [Pre-cocking] mode

• Memory function; setting will not change after battery changed

• Warning light/sound:

1. Low battery power: one warning sound and flash per 1.5 seconds.

2. Malfunction (motor or gear jammed, low battery power, piston jammed): Continue warning sound and flash for 3 seconds when trigger pulled.

3. Sector gear misposition: Warning sound and flash twice when trigger pulled.

In operation even I found the setup easy to work out! G&G tell us that before programming the MOSFET, the magazine must be loaded with BBs and installed into the AEG, then after entering the program mode, setting must be completed within 5 seconds, or the system will exit the program and entering a wrong command will exit the program too. If not in use and pre-cocking is on, G&G advise to reset the MOSFET back to default setting to release the main spring.

So, to set things up you need to switch to semiauto, hold the trigger down for FIVE seconds (this will fire a BB, so make sure you’re pointing the R5 downrange safely!) and you’ll hear a “BEEP” three

times, then release the trigger to enter the program mode.

After you’ve successfully entered program mode:

• Default Setting - Hold trigger down for 3 seconds; continue “BEEP” until the trigger is released to complete the program.

• Pre-cocking - Pull the trigger twice and hold the trigger on the second pull for THREE seconds, continue “BEEP” until the trigger is released to complete the program.

• 3-Round Burst - Pull trigger THREE times and hold the trigger on the third pull for THREE seconds, continue “BEEP” until trigger released to complete program. Now full-auto has been programmed to 3-BB burst mode

• 5-Round Burst - Pull trigger FIVE times and hold the trigger on the fifth pull for THREE seconds, continue “BEEP” until the trigger is released to complete the program. Now full-auto has been programmed to 5-BB burst mode!

Yup, you read that right, you can set FIVE BB BURST as well as three, so there really are lots of personalisation options here too.

DOWNRANGE

By cocking the charging handle (H&K slap-me-up!) you can adjust the sliding hop easily, but if you’ve ever owned an MP5 AEG then everything on the R5 is going to seem simple and intuitive as all the controls are exactly as you’ll find them on any of the airsoft (or indeed real) variants.

Coming direct from the lovely folk at G&G in Taiwan I had to get the R5 onto the woodland range to check things out. Using .20g BBs it gave a mean chronograph reading of 1.1 Joule/345fps which was very consistent and obviously perfectly site friendly in most places.

Setting the fire selector to semi-auto and easing the sensitive trigger sends BBs downrange in a most satisfying manner, and for something with a relatively short inner barrel the R5 is quite astonishingly accurate, hitting sandbag targets easily at 30m.

Switching things to three BB burst and full-auto gave exactly the same shooting results, but with multiple BBs impacting the sandbags rather than just

“THE NAME OF THE AEG GIVES IT AWAY TO A DEGREE IN THAT IT’S THE “TGM R5 ETU”, AS IN ELECTRONIC TRIGGER UNIT, AND THERE’S ALSO A MOSFET FITTED TOO, AND THIS GIVES THE R5 SOME COOL PROGRAMMABLE FEATURES THAT ARE EASY TO SET VIA THE TRIGGER”

“COMING DIRECT FROM THE LOVELY FOLK AT G&G IN TAIWAN I HAD TO GET THE R5 ONTO THE WOODLAND RANGE TO CHECK THINGS OUT; USING .20G BBS IT GAVE A MEAN CHRONOGRAPH READING OF 1.1 JOULE/345FPS WHICH WAS VERY CONSISTENT AND OBVIOUSLY PERFECTLY SITE FRIENDLY IN MOST PLACES”

“THE R5 ADDS TO THE G&G STABLE IN A MEANINGFUL WAY; IT LOOKS SUPERB, IS BRILLIANTLY FINISHED AND PUT TOGETHER, BENEFITS FROM MASSIVE UPDATES INSIDE AND OUT, AND FUNCTIONS FLAWLESSLY FROM THE BOX”

singles, with no discernible loss of accuracy, and the fancylooking 130BB Mid-Cap magazine feeds exceptionally well.

The magazine itself also deserves comment as again it’s a new G&G design, the Four Channel Converging Magazine, or FCCM for short; this super design is silent when loaded, supports heavy-weight BBs (G&G claim up to .40g!), supports a high ROF, and also gives a clear “window tracker” so that you can visibly see roughly how many BBs you still have; the spring is also visible which gives a nice sense of “real” which is super-cool! I did try the R5 with other MP5 mags I have and it worked just fine, although with the flared-magwell in place you do need to “nose” standard mags in.

At IWA Ryan also commented that you’ll need to remove this magwell should you wish to run their drum mag, but this is just a case of removing a retaining pin.

Overall the G&G TGM R5 ETU is a stunning little AEG, and I can really see it becoming a favourite for many players getting started or players wanting a “Modern 5” AEG. They’re not an inexpensive platform, but you do most certainly get what you pay for, and extra MP5 mags are relatively cheap and easy to get hold of too these days; I believe that you are getting an absolute gem if the “maschinenpistole” is as much your “thing” as it is mine!

With some great SMG/MP models that we love already in play with the MXC9 and PCC45, the R5 adds to the G&G stable in a meaningful way; it looks superb, is brilliantly finished and put together, benefits from massive updates inside and out, and functions flawlessly from the box; the programming is easy even for an old duffer like me, so that’s a bonus too! G&G are no newcomer, and their AEGs have been tweaked and refined, and their latest take on bringing a classic completely up to date provides superb value for money…the FIVE is ALIVE all over again, and all the better for it!

My thanks go again to our friends over at G&G, and especially to Apple for supplying the evaluation sample; please do check out www.guay2.com, or your nearest G&G stockist for any, and all of your “5” needs and much, much more! AA

THE FINAL PIECE?

WITH SO MANY SUPERB GBB ARS ON THE MARKET NOW IT’S SOMETIMES HARD TO DECIDE BETWEEN THEM, SO WHEN A MODEL APPEARS THAT SCREAMS “UNIQUE” FOR ANY REASON IT’S DEFINITELY GOING TO BE WORTH A LOOK; THIS MONTH BILL GETS DOWN TO THE RANGE WITH WHAT COULD WELL BE THE FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE WITH NOVESKE-LICENCED N4 MODELS COURTESY OF DOUBLE EAGLE AND EMG!

The plot continues to thicken when it comes to the multi-partner program that has resulted in a number of

“N4 GBBs” being released by different manufacturing partners in collaboration with EMG in the USA, and this mash-up of different creators working on what is effectively the same carbine with the same overall Noveske licencing agreement has actually resulted in a lot of choice for the player!

Why do I say this? Well, if you look at the price of GBBRs overall this has been following somewhat of a trend downwards, and this in turn has offered a

cost-effective way for new players to “buy into” the world of GBBR ownership, more so than ever before in my mind. With prices of GBBRs landing at the same level as a decent AEG there’s a lot more choice, and this has to be a good thing. Gas magazine prices too, although they’ll never be as cheap as the AEG equivalent, have moderated, and whilst this aspect of GBBR-ownership will only ever be viewed as an “investment”, owning a gas carbine or rifle has never been more of a budget-friendly option than right now.

EMG of course have a portfolio of licence agreements with real firearms companies in the USA (and indeed further afield) that means we can all own AEGs and GBBs with the correct trades and all the correct setups, and for the “purist” this is solid gold! I

“IF YOU LOOK AT THE PRICE OF GBBRS OVERALL THIS HAS BEEN FOLLOWING SOMEWHAT OF A TREND DOWNWARDS, AND THIS IN TURN HAS OFFERED A COSTEFFECTIVE WAY FOR NEW PLAYERS TO “BUY INTO” THE WORLD OF GBBR OWNERSHIP, MORE SO THAN EVER BEFORE IN MY MIND”

and only where, necessary, keeping the design clean and uncomplicated while ensuring that precision engineering and attention to detail create a winning combination that cannot be beaten.

Now this is all somewhat ancient history, and I’ve written about my personal love for “things Noveske” on many occasions in the past. Times have moved on; Noveske Rifleworks has of course continued as a firearms company following the sad demise of the founder to release new rifles, carbines, PDWs, and PCCs that are available in 300 Blackout, 5.56mm, and of course with their “pistols”, 9mm. With barrel lengths of 7.94 inch, 8.5 inch, 10.5 inch, and 16 inch (and more!), and all offered with M-LOK or KeyMod free-floating front ends and premium parts, the choice in their range is mind-blowing!

Finish options include Bazooka Green (yeah

The fully licensed Noveske replicas of course have all the trademarks from the original (ie real) rifles, carbines and PCCs, which can be clearly seen on the receivers and rails. In the case of the Double Eagle N4 the receiver setup mimics the real-deal perfectly in relation to fire selector, mag release and bolt release.

The fore-end again replicates the Noveske NSR-9 M-LOK Rail System and this is also trademarked. In the case of the N4 you also get a 3-prong “suppressor-ready” muzzle brake on a 14mm CCW thread; the 3-prong is an industry standard for quick installation and removal of a suppressor, and there are numerous adaptors out there to make this work with your can of choice which is a very cool touch.

When it comes to the receivers and front end, all metal parts are perfect recreations, with every joint completely seamless and beautifully finished like

“I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A NOVESKE FAN, A “FANBOI” OF MANY YEARS STANDING, AND I OWN A COUPLE OF AEGS THAT PROUDLY BEAR THE NAME BY WAY OF EMG, AND I LOVE THE FACT THAT EMG GOT THINGS SO RIGHT WITH THE THEIR AEGCOLLABORATION PROGRAM”

too. All in all it’s a very attractive and tidily finished package that gives me all the right vibes!

Everything is finished in a really, really crisp and totally even FDE colour and just like the more expensive CYMA every single part is perfectly colourmatched; M-LOK fore-end, upper and lower receivers, pistol grip, and sliding stock are the same tone giving the Double Eagle a really cool “OPR8R” appearance. Again like the CYMA the silver barrel and black muzzle brake/buffer tube just act as counterpoints to this, giving the entire carbine a quality-feel. Weighing in at a very usable 2260g, and at 705/790mm the Double Eagle is very slightly shorter and lighter than the CYMA, probably due to the standard of alloy components used externally and the fact that it doesn’t appear to have all the steel parts internally that the more expensive N4 versions do.

BCG/bolt, hammer, and valve knocker, but additional improvements have been made here to include a steel bolt-locking-plate which addresses a common issue with standard gas AR systems where the bolt stop suffers from accelerated wear and quickly loses the last round bolt locking function!

This shows even further collaboration between manufacturers, collaboration that in the end results in a better, more competitively-priced, and more durable gas platform for us to buy and own! To me it comes under the heading of a “very good thing”, and can ultimately only mean that everyone benefits. We get a great GBBR that we can actually afford to run regularly, the manufacturer sells more, and that in turn leads to more money for them to put into further development… which means even more solid,

“SO, “TOKYO MARUI ZET COMPATIBLE”, I SAID THAT ABOUT THE MAGS… THIS SAYS EVERYTHING ABOUT THE “OS” INSIDE THAT I NEED TO KNOW! YUP, THE DOUBLE EAGLE N4 EFFECTIVELY USES THE TOKYO MARUI MWS GAS BLOWBACK SYSTEM, WHICH IS A GOOD THING”

affordable, and long-lasting platforms for all of us… total, 100% WIN WIN as far as I can see…

DOWNRANGE

Having said much the same about the CYMA version of this carbine, externally the Double Eagle ticks all my “Noveske Love” boxes, right down to the trades on the BCG and the “Super Badass” charging handle, and the “300 BLK” marking on the inside of the dust cover. Internally there’s a LOT of stuff going on to increase both performance and longevity; it’s a totally neat package that looks awesome, but how does it fare when you start hammering that trigger?

I gassed up the mag with green and loaded up the 35 BB mag with .20g then happily put some BBs down the 30m range, the chrono giving me a mean of 0.96 Joule/323 FPS. The trigger is nicely crisp with a very positive reset, and just a nudge sends BBs downrange; on semi you really can get shots away super-fast, and the full-auto function works brilliantly with good gas efficiency even on a mild day. As my TM MWS mags are now back from servicing I was able to try these too, and they all fed well, with equally good gas-usage.

The flip-up sights that come as standard are more than adequate, and indeed are sturdily made, so the Noveske is ready to roll straight from the box just by adding gas and some BBs! Moving up to .30g and resetting the hop, the N4 handled the increased weight easily and it genuinely felt like you could run this weight all day long, if not heavier! At 30m unsupported it was easy to get hits on a torso-sized target with each BB flying straight and true. As always with a CQB-focused “shorty” I also tried the N4 on the 10m “short range” and it performed superbly in rapid, target-to-target transitions, again in reality down to the responsiveness of the superb trigger.

As I said when I looked at the CYMA GBB version of the N4 “Now I have to admit being somewhat (read MASSIVELY!) envious when Stewbacca got his hands on the RATech version of the Noveske N4, the carbine model that appears to be turning up in the hands of DEVGRU and others in the US Special Operations community if the images coming out are to be believed! The RATech N4 though really is a cutting-edge, high-performance and top-of-the-tree

“I GASSED UP THE MAG WITH GREEN AND LOADED UP THE 35 BB MAG WITH .20G THEN HAPPILY PUT SOME BBS DOWN THE 30M RANGE, THE CHRONO GIVING ME A MEAN OF 0.96 JOULE/323 FPS. THE TRIGGER IS NICELY CRISP WITH A VERY POSITIVE RESET, AND JUST A NUDGE SENDS BBS DOWNRANGE”

GBBR and no mistake; the more he writes about it, the more I WANT ONE, even with the hefty pricetag!”

I then went on to say of the CYMA version “would I recommend the EMG/CYMA NOVESKE N4 GEN III? So far, it’s an unqualified YES. If you are looking to step up your playing style, especially for MilSim, then take note as this might well be the GBBR you’re looking for.”

And this is truer too on a cost-basis when it comes to the Double Eagle, as it shatters the magic “GBBR £400” barrier, the cost that I personally feel starts to put things into the “highly affordable” category. The Double Eagle N4 in the UK looks to be sitting around the £350 mark which most definitely makes it competitive against a good AEG, but mags are still expensive. I know that there are other mags out there now that will work with the MWS system, but I’m still hearing that there are issues with the performance, especially in relation to the bolt-lock function… until I get the opportunity to try some of the non-TM mags I would advise that you stick with the EMG HELIOS versions or TM.

So, this means that in reality you’ll still be looking at somewhere iro UK£675 to run a Double Eagle N4 with a MilSim load of mags;, not too shabby, but this is before you add any accessories or optics which you are most definitely going to want to do! It’s still not quite “stock AEG and a bunch o’ mags” territory, but it also ain’t far off… and I know that a lot of you spend considerably more that this on your AEGs!

Again however, the Double Eagle N4 starts to put a GBBR out there that looks fabulous and works well, placing it easily into the mix for those of you that want a dedicated platform for their journey into the realms of MilSim; this is another platform you could run all day with, and perfect for the “hi-speed, lodrag” amongst you.

Ultimately if you want a GBB N4 though, what YOU pay will be what YOU want to spend, and I hope that between Stewbacca and I we have outlined the models available sufficiently well to give you an insight of what you’re going to get for your money. With the Double Eagle version though what you’re going to get is a solid, great-looking “mil-style” carbine, one that’s based on a very much tried, tested, and fully-supported “OS” that offers a solid level of

performance, and one that makes use of GBBR mags that are pretty easy to get hold of these days… and all at a relatively sensible price.

Is this the final piece of the EMG-GBBRcollaboration puzzle? Honestly I don’t know, but I’d be hard-pressed to think of how they might produce this carbine any cheaper. The fact is that the collaboration process across different manufacturers under one licence has undoubtedly worked, and our big old world of airsoft is all the better for that!

My thanks go to www.iwholesales.co.uk for supplying the test sample, and you’ll find the EMG “Noveske” models on their regularly updated website, and with all their retail partners throughout the UK and Europe. AA

“THE DOUBLE EAGLE N4 STARTS TO PUT A GBBR OUT THERE THAT LOOKS FABULOUS AND WORKS WELL, PLACING

IT

EASILY

INTO THE MIX FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT WANT A DEDICATED PLATFORM FOR THEIR JOURNEY INTO THE REALMS OF MILSIM; THIS IS ANOTHER PLATFORM YOU COULD RUN ALL DAY WITH, AND PERFECT FOR THE “HISPEED, LO-DRAG” AMONGST YOU!”

MORE WICKEDNESS!

LET’S FACE IT, WE’VE SEEN A LOT OF AIRSOFT REPLICAS COMING OUT OF THE “JOHN WICK” FRANCHISE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH THE TTI NAME ON THEM, AND IN GENERAL THEY’VE BEEN VERY COOL… BUT IN BILL’S OPINION THERE NOT AS COOL AS THE LATEST MOVIE-INSPIRED PLATFORM, THE FIRE-BREATHING GEN-12 DRACARYS SEMI-AUTO SHOTGUN FROM DOUBLE BELL!

Jeez, but I do like to write about unusual firearms, and when it comes to “unique and unusual” you can bet on the “Wick” movies to deliver! I love the fact that things appear in the franchise that make me sit up and go “Wow! Cool!” with a big cheesy gun-bunny grin on my face.

Through the four-movie run (and indeed spin-off) we’ve seen some absolute corkers in the hands of our favourite dog-lovin’ hitter, and the relationship between Keanu Reeves and Taran Butler both on-screen and in real life is undeniable!

scene in an abandoned apartment, moving room to room and immolating all who stand against him!

But before I get into the Dracarys, the “Dragon’s Breath” rounds ARE a thing!

Whilst I knew this academically, and I knew that they’re actually illegal in some US states, searching online tells me that “Dragon’s Breath is an exotic incendiary round for a 12 gauge shotgun. Dragon’s Breath consists primarily of magnesium pellets/ shards. When the round is fired, sparks and flames can shoot out to about 100 ft. Dragons Breath is normally chambered in 12 gauge 2 3/4” shot shell.

we’re talking about!

NOT YOUR AVERAGE AEG

With that bit of ammo-trivia firmly out of the way, let’s get onto the main event, the DOUBLE BELL (DB) GEN-12 DRACARYS AEG… and yes, it is a singlebarrel AEG that’s basically an AR that’s spent some serious time in the gym, but the design is unique enough that it will stand out amongst regular ARs as it’s not your average AEG by far… it is, as Dan and Stewbacca would say, “a chonky boi”!

“THE LOVELY PEOPLE AT DOUBLE BELL HAVE CREATED AN AEG VERSION OF THE GENESIS ARMS/TTI SEMI-AUTO SHOTGUN THAT WHILE IT’S NOT GOING TO SET YOUR OPPONENTS IN-GAME ON FIRE WILL GIVE AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF JOY TO ANYONE THAT’S A “WICK FANBOI”… AND YES, I COUNT MYSELF AMONG YOU”

the work of a moment…

The KeyMod rail again is a chunky affair too, held in place with no less than four bolts per side, and has a full length top-rail that matches perfectly with that of the upper; it also has seven KeyMod mounting points at 1, 3, 6, 9 and 11 0’clock so that acreage available for accessories is sizeable! It needs to be larger than usual too, as the 160mm inner rail diameter is there to accommodate a cool, aggressivelooking replica of the muzzle device that’s on the real thing to accommodate the JK Armament 12 Gauge

“BOTH

Dracarys doesn’t come with any form of front or rear sight, so I decided just to add a holosight like the one’s shown in the movie, a no brainer really as this is gives a wide field of “both eyes open” view, and it’s “supposed” to be a shotgun although it doesn’t actually shoot like one at all.

With the optic fitted and levelled I loaded up that cavernous 900 BB Hi Cap with .20g and got to work on the range. Although the Dracarys has a singlepoint QD point at the rear of the lower (along with QD points on the stock) I plumped again for the black

SLIDING STOCK AND PISTOL GRIP ARE SOLID REPLICATIONS OF THE BCM GUNFIGHTER AND BCM MOD 2 PARTS SIMILAR TO THOSE ON THE TARAN TACTIAL (TTI) REAL-DEAL, AND THE BLACK OF THE ACCESSORY PARTS REALLY SHOWS OFF THE COLOUR OF THE RECEIVERS AND RAIL”

best.

I have to say that as a dyed-in-the-wool airsoft shotgun lover, the Dracarys did leave me scratching my head a little; it is basically an AR AEG on steroids, but with a TTI Pit Viper in my holster as a backup I did, I will admit, feel just a little bit “Wick”, especially on the short 10m range! I actually enjoyed the semi-only setup as this to me say that DB have purpose-built the Dracarys as a CQB platform, and the power level as standard would appear to confirm this. In-game you’d need just some very basic gear to run the Dracarys as your primary (honestly, a single mag will do you!), with one of the TTI pistol replicas as your secondary; a good shooters belt, holster, some additional pistol mags, dump pouch, and possibly a couple of grenade pouches would do me!

With an iro UK£300 price-tag the DOUBLE BELL GEN-12 DRACARYS really gives you a great

an ACETECH

BIFROST or BLASTER muzzle device that would look totally awesome and really bring out the “Dragon’s Breath” feel completely!

My thanks go to www.iwholesales. co.uk for supplying the test sample, and you’ll find the Double Bell models on their regularly updated website.

The Dracarys AEGs are available now, so you’ll find them

LIGHTIN’ IT UP

ANDY N FROM CALIBRE RANGE RE-JOINS US THIS MONTH WITH ANOTHER ARTICLE FOCUSED ON THE ACCESSORIES THAT WE ALL USE ON OUR “LONG GUNS”, AND THIS TIME HE TURNS HIS SEASONED ATTENTION TO A REGULAR ADDITION, THAT OF PLATFORM-MOUNTED “WHITE LIGHT” TACLITES AND HOW WE CAN SET THEM UP AND USE THEM MOST EFFECTIVELY!

The “long gun”, the primary carbine or rifle be it airsoft or a real firearm, requires two hands to operate it accurately and safely at all times. So when it comes to operating the primary “long” in the dark and we need to use white light to make safe target acquisition, and assuming we don’t have (NVG) night vision goggles, what do we do?

The only way to do this is to use either a normal hand held flash light or use a dedicated weapon mounted light (WML). The dedicated weapon mounted light is the preferred method of choice as this enables the shooter to maintain a secure two-handed grip on the rifle at all times offering not only safety, but also maximum support to the rifle during firing; as the marksmanship principles go “the position and hold must be firm enough to support the platform”.

Try firing your rifle ‘safely’ and you will see why

two hands are needed to maintain accuracy and safety, so the dedicated weapon mounted light is the easiest to operate whilst using a long gun. It allows us to operate the rifle safely and not restrict the manipulation of all the rifles functions such as cocking levers, fire selection levers, bolt release buttons and safety catches. Most dedicated weapon mounted lights are just normal tactical lights that have been secured to the rifle via a weapons mounted light kit; I’ve even seen scope rings used with great effect. Many tactical rifles now come with Picatinny rails along the fore stock that will enable you to mount a whole host of additional kit to your rifle including lights. If you particular rifle does not have a rail mounting system fitted, you can usually add your own as spare rails are

readily available at most reputable shooting retailers. They are easy to fit and come in different lengths so you should be able to mount one to your rifle with ease.

Once the light has been mounted we then have the problem of physically reaching the light to switch it on and off; this can be overcome by the use of a remote switch that replaces the normal tail switch on most tactical lights. The remote switch is connected to the light via a cable that has to be secured to the rifle with hook and loop straps or cable ties to stop the cable from being snagged on any kit and so on. When using a live firearm, these cables can become damaged due to the heat of the barrel when the rifle is being fired, but this should have no effect on your AEG or GBB rifle but it may be a bit of a pain if you need to access the fore grip to change a battery for example.

“TRY FIRING YOUR RIFLE ‘SAFELY’ AND YOU WILL SEE WHY TWO HANDS ARE NEEDED TO MAINTAIN ACCURACY AND SAFETY, SO THE DEDICATED WEAPON MOUNTED LIGHT IS THE EASIEST TO OPERATE WHILST USING A LONG GUN. IT ALLOWS US TO OPERATE THE RIFLE SAFELY AND NOT RESTRICT THE MANIPULATION OF ALL THE RIFLES FUNCTIONS”

There are mounts on the market that allows the tactical light to be mounted in a vertical fore grip, and this vertical grip is then attached to the rifles Picatinny rail under or on the barrel and can be easily operated with one hand without destroying control of mounted on the point and shoot as the light is always shining in the same direction as the muzzle.

If you are using a rifle with the iron sights/carry handle in place, such as the AR/M4 type platform, then the light can be physically mounted onto the top rail of the rifle in front and below the carry handle. This will illuminate the front sights allowing quicker front-sight-acquisition. Be sure that if you are using this method that the light body does not obstruct your line of sight through any optics or the rear sights to the front sight.

TWO HANDS ON

Remember that you are using the light to illuminate a specific area for a short period of time in bursts and not have it on all the time as if you were searching a large area. Using a dedicated handgun light will also enable the shooter to use the controls of the light in the same way as they do on the handgun without any extra training. I have personally used this method for over 20 years and I have never encountered a problem during training or operations. So if we don’t have a dedicated weapon mounted light system, then just how do we use a hand held light and still work within the marksmanship principles?

It is possible to fit a handgun dedicated taclite to the rifle, such as a Surefire-style, and still operate both rifle and light easily and safely. One of the drawbacks to this is that the light tends to be mounted to the rear of the fore stock and to one side. Although it is easy to operate and use, it does lend a shadow to the opposite side of the rifle to which the light is mounted. This is not too much of a drama as you will soon get used to it and the shadow is not too big that it will cause any concern.

There are two main methods to holding a hand held light whilst firing the long gun. The first is the Harries adapted method. This method requires the shooter to hold the handheld flash light in the normal Harries fashion. Instead of the strong hand wrist being supported by the weak hand wrist, support the fore stock of the rifle on the back of the weak wrist. This will give you the advantage of the long gun being held at the same height as the handgun method. For everyone that uses the Harries method with handguns, the Harries-adapted method should seem second nature. The disadvantage to this method is that it can be tiring on the weak arm and also it will not allow you to manage recoil effectively. Although this is a tried and tested method that is used by many Law enforcement agencies around the world, pretty well for airsoft due

“IT IS POSSIBLE TO FIT A HANDGUN DEDICATED

TACLITE TO THE RIFLE, SUCH AS A

SUREFIRE-STYLE,

AND STILL OPERATE BOTH RIFLE AND LIGHT EASILY AND SAFELY. ONE OF THE DRAWBACKS TO THIS IS THAT THE LIGHT TENDS TO BE MOUNTED TO THE REAR OF THE FORE STOCK AND TO ONE SIDE.”

The second technique is the Ayoob adapted method (so named after its inventor Massad Ayoob). With this method hold your rifle as normal but this time; hold the light by clamping it to the rifle with your weak thumb. This will only work with lights that have a conventional switch mounted on the side of the body of the light, such as the D-Cell Maglites. This will enable the shooter to operate the light with the thumb on the side of the light body. This is done by applying more pressure on the switch as you squeeze the rifle and light together. This method will allow you to hold the rifle in the conventional way so it will feel less alien to you but it will also weaken your grip on the rifle reducing the control of recoil. Some people may have a problem holding the light in this way depending on the size of the light and the size of their hand. Small lights with a body of one inch diameter are quite easy to use with this method but larger-bodied lights can be difficult to hold and control unless you have big hands. Again, due to the lack of recoil of airsoft rifles this should not be too much of a problem.

Whichever method you adopt and use it is always a good idea to practice using the light with the long gun. I always carry my weapon mounted light even in the day time as it serves me well when I enter a darkened building or when the light begins to fade and the possibilities of my adversary hiding in the shadows draws ever closer. There have even been times during the day when I have received light signals from a distance by my team mates to warn me of danger ahead so it is worth investing in white light for your long gun, but you must use it wisely and safely.

Tip: if you are using a hand held light it is a good idea to have a wrist-mounted lanyard attached. This will enable the shooter let go of the light during magazine changes and other rifle manipulations and still retain the light.

Stay safe and happy shooting.

For more insight on using the “tools of our airsoft trade” correctly do be sure to check out THE CALIBRE RANGE page on Facebook which gets regularly updated with tips, training and courses too! AA

“I ALWAYS CARRY MY WEAPON MOUNTED LIGHT EVEN IN THE DAY TIME AS IT SERVES ME WELL WHEN I ENTER A DARKENED BUILDING OR WHEN THE LIGHT BEGINS TO FADE AND THE POSSIBILITIES OF MY ADVERSARY HIDING IN THE SHADOWS DRAWS EVER CLOSER.”

THE CAGE: PLAYING IT OUT

AIRSOFT WAR NEVER CHANGES! YOU MUST HAVE BEEN AWOL IF YOU’VE MISSED THE EXCELLENT AMAZON TAKE ON THE FALLOUT UNIVERSE, AND WITH THIS IN MIND THE MEMBERS OF THE AA LEGION THOUGHT THEY’D TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO AN AREA OF AIRSOFT THAT’S LOATHED BY A FEW, BUT ABSOLUTELY LOVED BY MANY, AND THAT’S GAME-INSPIRED, THEMED AIRSOFT EVENTS WHERE COSPLAY MEETS FULL-ON 6MM ACTION!

For a while now, Ben and I have been discussing themed airsoft events, most especially where a degree of cosplay comes into things; I’ve had some great times at FALLOUT (there it is again!) and DIVISION games, but I wondered if other members of the AA Crew had thoughts on this?

Engaging that “suspension of disbelief” that’s a fundament of airsoft, for me video-game-inspired scenarios can be a whole lot of fun, and I’m obviously not alone in thinking this! If you search for weekend games online you’ll find a plethora of scenarios cropping up that centre around a sci-fi/post-ap/zombie theme, and in my experience these can be really cool if they’re run with imagination and a degree of dedication to whatever “canon” they feed from.

My faves I have to admit have been the DIVISION games where there are always puzzles to solve, and I’ve had great fun creating loadouts for these which are actually pretty straightforward. However, the series of FALLOUT games run by our old mate Posh were memorable and took a bit more effort; collecting “caps”, retrieving lost “vault children” (read gruesome plastic baby dolls), making “wasteland stew” from supplies stashed in “vaults”, and battling ghouls and raiders all made for an excellent series of games which everyone enjoyed… and remembers to this day!

So, for CAGE this month I thought it would be fun to look at themed games and cosplay-influences in airsoft... and what loadouts have been created within our own ranks!

Dan: Fallout-themed events have long been a staple out at Pegasus MilSim, and they have been doing these annually since 2010. Being that this is more of a LARPing event and not a straight-up skirmish, they tend to draw in lower player numbers. They are still great fun however, and truly the only limiter is one’s imagination on how they want to “play” the game. Many of the video game’s

mechanics exist here, with an in-game currency based on real bottle caps, consumables such as Nuka-Cola, RadAway, and Stimpaks, and plenty of bartering, conniving and good ol’ fashioned back-stabbing!

One of my favourite Fallout events was when I managed to convince everyone to swing over to the “Thunderdome”, which was being ran by a member of Caeser’s Legion. I purchased a Mini-Nuke with all of my caps, then promptly dropped it on everyone, waltzed in and collected up all their caps… sorta broke the game too... but we were pretty much at ENDEX by then lol!

I typically run as a Wasteland Wanderer, and have a set of home-brewed license plate armour that I wear. Lately I’ve taken to dressing my Kar98K up a bit for the look in lieu of running an AK like I previously used to use. The bolty is a lot of fun to run with, especially at these lower-intensity events where you don’t feel totally outgunned. As with any getup, it’s a continuous work in progress. I need to work on the undergarment side some more and come up with something a little shabbier and wastelander(ish).

Stewbacca: Most of my experience of themed games (besides Milsims focusing on a particular era such as Vietnam or the GWOT/BHD side of things) have been largely focused around Zombie games, taking part as both a human player in some of the more interesting game styles at the likes of The Gaol, where small competing units had to secure ammunition from caches hidden around the game area while avoiding detection by the already infected or in game atmosphere personnel! Usually we were frantically loading what little ammunition we could scavenge while covering each other off and moving through buildings not knowing what was going to be waiting for us behind the next door… sometimes in an entirely darkened room! Usually these are a great excuse for pistols and shotguns only action as well given the theme and gameplay style, as well as limited

“I PURCHASED A MINI-NUKE WITH ALL OF MY CAPS, THEN PROMPTLY DROPPED IT ON EVERYONE, WALTZED IN AND COLLECTED UP ALL THEIR CAPS… SORTA BROKE THE GAME TOO... BUT WE WERE PRETTY MUCH AT ENDEX BY THEN LOL!”

ammunition and desire to avoid overkilling the willing zombie players.

One of my most endearing memories was the first of the South Yorkshire Airsoft ResEvil games at the old Proteus former-RAF training base just north of Nottingham, way back on Halloween 2007, not long into my ‘career’ as such.

Our team decided to play for free that night as the escaped infected hive scientists, police and civilians and it’s a surprisingly fun night spent lurking in pitch black disused Anderson shelter style buildings littered with discarded mattresses, furniture, fake blood and general scattered detritus that noisily announced the arrival of stumbling and freaked out players swinging pistols and shotguns around with their torches furiously in the full moon night. I had some hilarious moments like brown-trousering the STARS team as I rounded a corner and they then tried to engage me only to endure of a comedy of errors of ‘the safety’s on, it’s not cocked!’ only managing to shoot me just as I was about to make contact with them… and their BRAIIINS! Sometimes in airsoft it’s when you’re unarmed you can have the most fun!

Ben: So my favourite is my take on the Call of Duty franchise character “GHOST”; I’ve also got two of the other main characters “SOAP” and “CAPTIN PRICE” looks that I can run, not screen-accurate unfortunately...but easily recognisable....we play airsoft to immerse ourselves in whatever role suits our fancy, be it SF, regular troops, Mercs or of some sort of cosplay style; ultimately we are all there to have fun!

Being that I’ve done cosplay before, I get that kick from knowing other people appreciate the effort you put into not just your enjoyment but also theirs....for instance when I played as a “Juggernaut” dressed up as a Terminator people’s reactions were just awesome!

It seems very rare, especially around our local area, to get such things or style of games like this, so I was more than happy to step up and bring this enjoyment to our local site and players....I highly recommend if you get the chance to be the BB magnet for a game or two or possibly the day and you dress up for it... then do so, as you only take away good memories and appreciative comments plus a few extra bruises... and if you’re lucky enough to get photos of your fine

self doing this then you have not the same old photos as the usual clobber!

So to help getting yourself started with your cosplay/fantasized character start with looking at what you can either relate or closely relate airsoft-wise to what they have already; clothes, weapons, kit. Build up a picture of what it is you can get hold of to make as good as you can get to resemble said character. For instance, my “Juggernaut” load out...I so wanted to have 3D printed parts to have that ultra-look and feel, but I didn’t have the money or equipment to do so; therefore I did some research on others online who have built this style of costume and I pinched some ideas off a number of them, not all was achievable so some out the box thinking is needed!

I found a “Terminator body suit” outfit which saved a lot of hassle, got myself a Terminator airsoft mask, a Michael Myers horror mask to which I turned inside out as this was there colour tone I was looking for regarding the rubber like skin effect that the T600 terminator has. I burnt and shredded it, did

“I ROUNDED A CORNER AND THEY THEN TRIED TO ENGAGE ME ONLY TO ENDURE OF A COMEDY OF ERRORS OF ‘THE SAFETY’S ON, IT’S NOT COCKED!’ ONLY MANAGING TO SHOOT ME JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO MAKE CONTACT WITH THEM… AND THEIR BRAIIINS!”

some hunting around charity shops for the wornout looking clothes, cut them up, burnt and dirtied them somewhat for that apocalyptic effect. I added my Classic Army M132 mini gun and the end result wasn’t too bad, ... again not screen accurate but had its desired effect! From what I’ve seen on YouTube regarding airsoft players who have made their own Terminator “Juggernaut” outfits (I’ll now blow my own trumpet) I believe mine is up there with an awesome turn out.

It’s a very similar process when it comes to doing my take on the “GHOST” character from the Call of Duty franchise, most important part was the mask! Now I was lucky to find this company who actually showcase what the product really looks like (thank god!)... most people who are doing the “GHOST” cosplay are after the 3D printed mask (understandable) yet I could not seem to find it with the balaclava or done particularly well or otherwise, so it was a case of DIY it all together; unfortunately I don’t have the time for that so needed the swift option lol!

Now I wanted my “GHOST” to be running a PMC look, yet I wanted to be of similar style to one of his skins in the game; a chest rig (Helikon tiger-striped)

with black pouches running around the back (various types of makes like VIPER, UK Tactical, etc), a drop leg for extra mag pouches also black on my left side (cheap Chinese copy bought online!), a Nuprol universal pistol holster with the deadly customs QLS mid ride holster strap also in black, blue worn jeans, the lush new green VIPER jacket, some BMX skeleton gloves and I believe Bigfoot’s Comms headset, nothing overly expensive. Karrimor trek boots in tan and some dark eyepro; mesh is still the better I believe as they have no issues with fogging up or sweat built up on your goggle... again I believe the overall look is badass and I’ve got so many good compliments on my take of this character with this style.

I’ve got a “GHOST” mixed-MC tactical look too but that’s a whole another list,... weapons; for my primary I prefer my G&G Fire Hawk to suit the fast and ready look, for side arm I will either run the new ICS Legacy (which runs bloody lovely I might add) or the ARMY JW3 TTI Combat Master.

My advice? Go out there and make someone’s day! You could very well be inspiring a new young wannabe player! This is the heart of airsoft for me, keeping it alive and FUN! AA

“MY ADVICE? GO OUT THERE AND MAKE SOMEONE’S DAY! YOU COULD VERY WELL BE INSPIRING A NEW YOUNG WANNABE PLAYER! THIS IS THE HEART OF AIRSOFT FOR ME, KEEPING IT ALIVE AND FUN!”

RED CELL ROCK OUT WITH YOUR GLOCK OUT!

ONCE AGAIN RED CELL COMES FULL-CIRCLE AS WE RETURN TO OUR G-SERIES POOL OF TEST PISTOLS, AND OF COURSE SINCE WE STARTED THERE HAVE BEEN SOME UPDATES IN THE WORLD OF AIRSOFT “GLOCKS AND NOTS” WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF THE 17 GEN5, SO WE’VE UPDATED THE LIST TO START BRINGING THOSE MODELS INTO PLAY AS IS RIGHT AND PROPER. THANKFULLY THESE ARE IN THE HANDS OF TWO OF OUR MOST ACTIVE PISTOL SHOOTERS, STEWBACCA AND BOYCIE SO BBS WILL BE GOING DOWNRANGE IN NUMBERS AS THEY GET TO GRIPS WITH THE LATEST ITERATION.

So far the G-SERIES pistols that we have in house continue to largely perform very well indeed, especially the VFC/UMAREX models that are proper “old campaigners”, but at the other end of the price spectrum we’ve had some mixed results! The HUNTSMAN H17 is proving to be very good indeed, and the RAVENs just keep on trucking along, but sadly we’ve begun to see some issues developing on the ARMY R17.

Now we have heard reports from our retail friends that batch one of the R17 was very solid, but that batch two came replete with numerous issues, and although our own test model of the R17 came in the very first wave and has not failed catastrophically, it has begun to show some annoying traits like not locking back on empty, and failing to feed all the BBs in the magazine; in honesty the poor old thing has started to feel distinctly “tired” compared to the other models in the pool of a similar age. We’ll keep an eye on how these gremlins develop…

In the mid-ground of course the TM keeps giving steadfast results, and the WE, Armorer Works, Evolution, Redwolf and VORSK pistols are showing some wear externally but no real downgrade in performance at all. As most of us in the testing group use Kydex holsters that have an habit of showing up any poor external finishing very quickly indeed we can tell you that the “wear and tear” on all the models is minimal, even at the more budget end.

Apart from the new Gen 5 models all the pistols have been given basic maintenance using MAGLUBE on the working parts, and all magazines have been serviced at six-month intervals in a rolling basis. Thus far we’ve not seen any mag failures from any of the manufacturers involved in the long-term testing, not even broken feed lips, and although some O-rings have been replaced that’s about it!

Once again, all the models that are featured here are either held in the long-term-test pool or are owned by the members of Red Cell. Our aim as always with this category is not to find out “what am best gnu” but instead to treat every single pistol under evaluation equally to ensure that you have the information you need when you’re considering your next purchase; we’ll hammer them all the same so that when you do part with your “airsoft pocket

money” you at least have a good indication of what to avoid, and what will become a valued “airsoft sidekick” that will provide a great service life if you look after it!

Bill: I’ll come straight out and say it; when it comes to MilSim use or indeed for any kind of “6mm

upgrades it’s a great little “fightin’ secondary”. However, although the continued functioning and performance can in no way be

either on the range for fun, or during training scenarios that I’ve been run through. The plastic of the pistol whilst in all ways excellent just doesn’t give close to the real “feel” of a G17, and although this isn’t important for airsoft-game-use, it IS important to me when it comes to “skills and drills” training for when I have an opportunity to get my hands on the real thing.

The UMAREX though, itself a fine, accurate, and durable airsoft pistol actually goes some way to replicating the G17 GEN 4, and although it’s actually

“IN THE MID-GROUND OF COURSE THE TM KEEPS GIVING STEADFAST RESULTS, AND THE WE, ARMORER WORKS, EVOLUTION, REDWOLF AND VORSK PISTOLS ARE SHOWING SOME WEAR EXTERNALLY BUT NO REAL DOWNGRADE IN PERFORMANCE AT ALL”

a little lighter than the TM (go figure that!) it does benefit from an alloy slide and to me at least, just “feels” better. Once again this is still a “stock from the box” pistol, but it shoots insanely well and with just a modicum of maintenance continues to delight me. Now we may all have different opinions on this, but the fact that the UMAREX G17 is also a fullylicenced airsoft replica means that all the external “trades” are correct as they can be, and although the TM also benefits from similar markings I know that these are only there as Japanese law has allowed it; it looks like a Glock, but it’s “hokey” in this respect, and for some reason this diminishes it in my eyes; don’t get me wrong, it’s one cool shooter but I just wish TM would bite the BB and man-up when it comes to their use of real-world trades.

Moving away from strict replicas lands me onto another favourite of mine, and that’s the WE G17 MOS. Although I usually choose a “simple” secondary (pistol) myself, these days you can have pretty much any pistol model pre- fitted with a reflex red dot sight (RDS), and it’s most definitely something that I’ve been working on myself, as it does change the way you shoot a bit. Advancements in sighting systems have allowed us to enhance our pistols with options including adjustable sights, tritium, and fibre-optic inserts. Changes in iron sight options have enhanced our ability to see and track our sights but have offered no way to change the way we see both the sights themselves and the target; we’re all still stuck with the “front sight, rear sight and target” thing; with a RDS for this changes.

With companies improving red dot sights so they can be mounted directly to a slide and handle the rigours of slide-mounted recoil RDS systems can now be trusted, and better shooters than I have spent many a range hour proving this. Yes, it’s a personal decision whether to incorporate “technology” onto your pistol, and no doubt many a discussion will still be held over nice malt as to their efficacy, but the fact is that the technology itself works, and can be trusted

to work and perform.

When it comes to what I use on my AEGs and GBBs it’s always ALL about choice, and therefore I like the option to have a RDS mounted on my pistol, but in some games I also want the choice to be able to run my pistol “clean”, and this is where the WE Airsoft G17 Gen5 MOS gets my full approval. We’re talking a lot about G-Series models in some depth here this month, and although the MOS is featured here in its base form, it’s when you start to look at the modularity of the pistol that it REALLY begins to shine, as its core feature is the MOS platform on the slide, which allows you to adapt and install mainstream pistol red dot optics onto the slide directly without any permanent modification!

The WE G17 Gen5 MOS allows you to have a RDS 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, in my opinion the MOS delivers fully; however, Dan has been working on a few of these so I’ll hand over to him…

: The original WE G17 MOS generated much fanfare among WE fans as WE’s major foray into an ready Glock platform also replicating the newer Glock MOS specifically. These with several optics plates for wide compatibility with various red dot mounting footprints. Disappointingly, WE ships the MOS with a faux RMR that is non-functional and has a painted dot for aiming reference. This also looks nothing like a real RMR and is functionally useless to boot since you cannot zero it to the pistol. WE could omit this from the package entirely and nobody would miss it!

“INTERNALLY, THESE SHARE A LOT OF PARTS COMMONALITY WITH OLDER WE MODELS, BUT THE MAJOR CHANGE HERE ON THE MOS IS THE PROPRIETARY BLOWBACK HOUSING WHICH IS PROBABLY THE HEAVIEST AND CHONKIEST G-SERIES BBU I’VE EVER ENCOUNTERED”

TOKYO MARUI G17 GEN 4

Price: iro £150.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 709g

Length: 202 mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono:0.83 Joule/300fps

Hot Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No

Available From: www.fire-support.co.uk

RAVEN EU17

Price: iro £85.00

Age: Five 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: Five Years

Weight: 790g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 24+1

Cold Chrono:0.75 Joule/285fps

Hot Chrono: 0.78 Joule/290fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

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

VORSK EU17 VENTED

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Four Years

Weight: 500g

Length: 220mm

Magazine Capacity: 22+1

Cold Chrono: 0.95 Joule/321fps

Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/321fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

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

VORSK EU18 VENTED

Price: iro £145.00

Age: Five Years

Weight: 550g

Length: 220mm

Magazine Capacity: 22+1

Cold Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps

Hot Chrono: 0.98 Joule/325fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

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

Moving onto the rest of the exterior, these do not mark a major departure from WE’s usual fit and finish; though I would say the slides are looking nicer now and no longer have those visible milling marks as on the old WE models. These do not sport authentic trades but there is some unsightly text and WE trades on the grip frame. There is still the safety lockout serial number plate on the railed portion of the frame. It is still difficult to manipulate and few will ever use it in practice.

The slide itself is absent of any markings, save for the barrel hood. The barrel itself has fairly common (to GBB pistols, at least) 11mm threads, which allows it to mount suppressor adapters or tracer units. As on the real GEN 5 MOS, the grip backstraps are easily removable, allowing the user to tailor the width of the grip to their preference. Overall, it’s a pretty solid feeling sidearm and will certainly pass the “squint test” for visual form, but purists will no doubt feel a bit squeamish.

Internally, these share a lot of parts commonality with older WE models, but the major change here on the MOS is the proprietary blowback housing which is probably the heaviest and chonkiest G-series BBU I’ve ever encountered. This is also the biggest drawback of the WE MOS as the sheer mass of the BBU and a proper RMR contributes to rather poor efficiency. You can upgrade the barrel and bucking, which improves greatly on the out of the box accuracy, but there’s not much you can do with this BBU so far. Most of the examples I have encountered seem to average two magazines per fill, and I can sometimes extend that a little by upgrading the barrel and bucking, a new cup seal and polishing the guide rails and other points of friction. In a hotter climate, you might see better performance too.

WE’s generally always have had great magazines, and the newer version that comes with the MOS features an improved gas router and WE’s usual higher-flow (respective to TM’s designs) valves. WE so far have not jumped on the train of moving the inlet valve to the interior of the grip, so for now it’s still in the traditional exposed location on the bottom of the magazine.

In testing, every one of these I’ve seen comes heavily over-lubricated from the factory, so it’s a good

idea to give it a nice cleaning before you start. 9 times out of 10 the barrel and bucking are very greasy and this doesn’t assist with maintaining good accuracy. Aside from the aforementioned efficiency, these otherwise function well with respectable accuracy out to 30m or so, and have crisp recoil.

The primary attraction of this model is that it is optics ready out of the box and it has a much lower cost for entry, making it a more palatable purchase over the more expensive Glocks which continue to rise in cost. WE’s parts support is usually good, with the parts themselves being fairly inexpensive too. So for the player on a stricter budget or just starting out with GBB sidearms, this is a good first choice. Airsofters with a keen eye towards tuning and upgrading as much as possible will undoubtedly be better served by a VFC or Tokyo Marui, however, as those simply have a much larger aftermarket.

Bill: So, onto some of the other models! As I said at the outset, the only pistol we’re really having some issues with is the ARMY R17, but I want to run this

(and some of them even more than this!) through them it seems odd that just one is struggling, but that’s the truth of it.

At the “Uber-G” end of the spectrum, that of the funkier looking models both the VORSK EU models are really still kicking butt! The “EUs” continue to rock, and the muzzle wear I noticed on the slide of the grey RDS version seems to have abated, and now I know it was indeed just down to the sharpness of my Kydex as it’s not appeared anywhere else. I continue to run the EUs on the suggested NUPROL 2.0 and still

“BOTH THE VORSK EU MODELS ARE REALLY STILL KICKING BUTT! THE “EUS” CONTINUE TO ROCK, AND THE MUZZLE WEAR I NOTICED ON THE SLIDE OF THE GREY RDS VERSION SEEMS TO HAVE ABATED, AND NOW I KNOW IT WAS INDEED JUST DOWN TO THE SHARPNESS OF MY KYDEX”

UMAREX GLOCK 17 GEN 4

Price: iro £160.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 659g

Length: 210mm

Magazine Capacity: 24+1

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No

Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

ARMY ARMAMENT R17 V3

Price: iro £50.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 700g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibilty: No

Available From: www.allagesairsoft.com

WE G17 GEN 5 MOS

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 770g

Length: 186mm

Magazine Capacity: 25+1

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good Suppressor Compatibilty: No

Available From: www.weairsoft.com

UMAREX GLOCK 19X

Price: iro £185.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 641grams

Length: 185mm

Magazine Capacity: 20 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: No

Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

WE G19 X

Price: iro £120.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 690g

Length: 180mm

Magazine Capacity: 24 + 1

Cold Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good

Available From: www.weairsoft.com

have experienced with me, and they’re still a pleasure to shoot.

a Glock weighs in at 625g, so I was pleased to find out that the EXA came in iro 700g on the scales (see my comments on “feel” earlier!), and that 75g difference can be felt when transitioning between targets. As Jase said in his initial review of the EXA “I should say that a special mention should go out to the trigger on the EXA; I’m not exactly sure what stable has produced it but it really is quite lovely; the throw

The EVOLUTION WARRIOR was their first foray into G-style pistols, and they did their usual job of making a GBB that works very well indeed, and although the silhouette is unmistakeable it does still when slippery. Then the enhanced magwell for faster n easier reloads but the looks.... the look is superb! The Warrior has a solid heft that gives the feel of high quality from the start, with no rattle from anything as new, and this is still the case today. The quality really begins to show when shooting it; it continues to chrono really, really consistently. I was impressed by the concept of the Warrior, and then the realised pistol designs, and Evolution have created something that works efficiently and effectively and shows good durability so far.

The RWA Agency Arms Agency Arms EXA pistol is also a bit of a peach! In the real world of firearms

are really playing with longevity of design, hedging their bets at both ends of the “form V function” debate is Armorer Works (AW). These days AW are no longer the “new kid on the block” as they’ve been around for a good few years; AW’s apparent flair for the unusual yet functional means you are presented with great-looking, great-feeling products straight out of the box, fully loaded with parts that you would usually have to add yourself as

“THE EVOLUTION WARRIOR WAS THEIR FIRST FORAY INTO G-STYLE PISTOLS, AND THEY DID THEIR USUAL JOB OF MAKING A GBB THAT WORKS VERY WELL INDEED, AND ALTHOUGH THE SILHOUETTE IS UNMISTAKEABLE IT DOES STILL SHOW SOME PLEASING DESIGN DETAILS AND JUST A LITTLE BIT OF “ITALIAN FLAIR””

UMAREX G17 GEN 5

Price: iro £145.00

Age: New Weight: 637g

Length: 200mm

Magazine Capacity: 14 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.80 Joule/295fps

Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/301fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: No

Available From: www.landwarriorairsoft.com

EVOLUTION EO17 WARRIOR

Price: iro £145.00

Age: Three Years

Weight: 776g

Length: 180mm

Magazine Capacity: 23 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.76 Joule/286fps

Hot Chrono: 0.76 Joule/286fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good Supplied By: www.evolutioninternational.it

HUNTSMAN H-17

Price: iro £80.00

Age: Two Years

Weight: 690g

Length: 198m

Magazine Capacity: 25 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps

Hot Chrono: 0.92 Joule/315fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

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

ARMORER WORKS CUSTOM VX9100

Price: iro £110.00

Age: One Year

Weight: 670g

Length: 180mm

Magazine Capacity: 22 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.86 Joule/305fps

Hot Chrono: 0.88 Joule/309fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

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

RWA AGENCY ARMS EXA

Price: iro £160.00

Age: New Weight: 672g

Length: 195mm

Magazine Capacity: 23 BBs

Cold Chrono: 0.78 Joule/290fps

Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps

Holster Compatibility: Good

Taclite Compatibility: Good

Suppressor Compatibility: Good

Available From: www.redwolfairsoft.com

and weighing in at 664g with the 22 BB shortened magazine, it just goes to show that looks can be very deceptive! This is a short, small-frame pistol that’s designed to feel much lighter and be more “pointable” when it comes to engaging multiple targets at speed; the VX9100 has all the things that I like, and at 10m the VX9100 is just fine, thank you and it keeps BBs on target with consistency, and that’s really all that’s important at the end of the day, isn’t it? The VX9100 feels like, and acts like an accurate compact secondary from the get go, and in my opinion, where the many “Nots” are good, the VX is top notch, and is in fact far better than many of the other AW pistols I’ve tried to date, and as good as most models in the market in its category so far!

At the other end of the test we have the more “budget conscious” GBBs, and the HUNTSMAN H-17 certainly fits that bill! What a great choice they made for their initial models as they’ve concentrated on the ever-popular “G-Series” (H-SERIES in HUNTSMAN parlance!) style that’s popular amongst all kinds of airsofter! And what team have done with the HUNTSMAN H-SERIES is to create something at a very attractive price that will be affordable for any airsofter, but guarantees solid performance based on excellent QC from the get-go, pistols that whilst relatively cheap in price will make you extremely cheerful

is nicely put together, and everything is tight, with minimal wobble (and I mean minimal!) in the slide/frame interface which is creditable for a pistol at this pricepoint, especially as the slide is of alloy and not plastic. The H-17 has been designed to spit

BBs at a sensible power at a decent range, to go into your game-day holster for those “WSHTF” moments when you need a reliable secondary to get you out of the mire, and as such it performs very nicely indeed. I’ve run the H17 on green gas so far, and to date I’ve had no major issues with consistency of power, and the 28 BB magazine has performed well too with no leaks apparent. The action of the pistol has now been Maglubed and offers the smoothness that it had when it first arrived with me; in fact, if anything the action cycles even more efficiently the more you use it, and it just goes to prove that every model needs a little time and some use to “bed in”.

I was very pleasantly surprised late in 2017 when I was introduced me to the pre-production version of the new RAVEN EU17 and I’ve had one ever since in my personal airsoft armoury! Working directly with the factories in the Far East the team behind

your new “EU18” you’ll find a set of interchangeable backstraps (you might say here “Gen 4 style…), a little bag containing spare O-Rings and even a spare nozzle! In one go your maintenance issues are solved from the get-go!

In terms of operation both models perform extremely well; using RZR .20g BBs and NUPROL 2.0 Gas the “18” came in at 0.8 Joule/295fps with the “17” at 0.82 Joule/298fps; both readings were “means” over 10 BBs as new and there was very little drop-off from first to last, and this is consistent to this day. In terms of accuracy both pistols are happily hitting centre mass of a “Figure 11” at 10 metres which to me is perfectly acceptable. If you’re having to engage a target with a handgun over 10m then all

“THE H-17 HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO SPIT BBS AT A SENSIBLE POWER AT A DECENT RANGE, TO GO INTO YOUR GAME-DAY HOLSTER FOR THOSE “WSHTF” MOMENTS WHEN YOU NEED A RELIABLE SECONDARY TO GET YOU OUT OF THE MIRE, AND AS SUCH IT PERFORMS VERY NICELY INDEED”

I can say is that you must be having a REALLY bad day, although the “full-auto” function of the EU18 will certainly make opponents sit up and take notice!

But what of the latest GEN 5 models? Sadly to date I’ve not personally had the opportunity to get behind one of these pistols, although this is something I will remedy at the earliest possible opportunity; therefore I’ll hand over to Stewbacca to take things forward…

Stewbacca: I purchased my UMAREX/VFC G17 GEN 4 on a whim and never actually got around to even using it for the best part of a year, originally intending to fit it to my Archwick B&T USW-G chassis in lieu of my VFC Glock 18C which tends to fire full auto when I don’t want it to, however still haven’t gotten around to setting that up properly.

When I did finally come to use it, it was to lend to a teammate for CQB one weekend, only to find that it wouldn’t actually fire BBs; turns out the valve had gotten stuck forwards preventing any gas flow to the barrel. VPSC sorted it out easily enough and since then it’s been fairly flawless, with a stout recoil and nice handling, it just works and shoots fairly flat and accurately, being a no frills sidearm. Most of my team seem to run VFC Glocks or PPQs of some flavour as a default pistol that can be relied upon, and the only other issue I’ve found with any of the VFC Glocks is sometimes the newer magazines have misfeed issues where the plastic feed lip unit affixed on top can be slightly burred or misaligned leading to BBs getting hung up and essentially dry firing after the first shot or two as a result; this happened at the IDPA event I attended on my first magazine of one of the stages. Easily remedied, but spoiled an otherwise seamless effort.

Similarly I’ve used it along with the rest of my ever growing VFC Glock collection as a simple brick for entry level shooters at the CivDef pistol courses we run where I do the armourer bit as well as some of the teaching. When people ask me what to get it’s usually my first suggestion, unless you’re particularly hell bent on a different pistol for sentimental or loadout replication reasons you can’t really go wrong with them for the most part, draw, point click, bang… no additional safeties or whizz bangs to deal

with and reasonable handling for most hand sizes.

I acquired my UMAREX/VFC G17 GEN 5 more recently as part of my personal armoury expansion to better serve the aforementioned CivDef pistol classes by not only offering a greater number of handgun variations, but also serving the left handed shooters among the newcomers, some of which have since

plastic of the magazine well which does admittedly help guide magazines in a little better in my experience of using it, although the resulting reconfiguration of the magazine striping cutouts to the front edge of the magazine well does sometimes cause issues during reloading in a hurry if the feed lips slip forwards through the crescent opening, so it’s a little less forgiving for magazine alignment front to back in that respect. The slight rounding off of the front edge of the slide can also make it a little easier to reholster for new shooters it seems, but is probably more of an aesthetic preference for anyone who’s got their indexing down already.

The elongation of the front edge of the baseplates to account for the front magazine stripping cutout also makes them easier to retrieve from pouches during reloads, and helps identify which direction they are facing by touch alone; if you re-index partial magazines facing the other way to your full ones it appears to work for many for example.

Again, it’s been a fairly consistent shooter out of the box, although the guide HOP is a convenient solution to changing the HOP setting without having to remove the slide; sometimes I find the models

“THE AMBIDEXTROUS SLIDE-STOP RELEASE IS A GOOD FEATURE FOR SUCH PURPOSES, AND THE GEN 5 ALSO FEATURES THE SLIGHT FLARING TO THE PLASTIC OF THE MAGAZINE WELL WHICH DOES ADMITTEDLY HELP GUIDE MAGAZINES IN A LITTLE BETTER IN MY EXPERIENCE OF USING IT”

with it fitted do resist takedown a little more when you actually have to do maintenance, but it’s not a deal breaker by any measure. If you particularly want the left-handed release or flared magwell and front mag stripping cutout then it’s a worthwhile option, but otherwise the GEN 4 is probably comparable in performance if you want something slightly cleaner or simpler.

Boycie: As may be obvious to some, my love of Glocks is quite apparent; way back when I used to own a RS Gen 2, then Gen 3, to now when all barring two of my GBBs are Glocks. I’ve owned WE, Vorsk, KSC, KWC over the years but I keep going back to the Umarex (VFC) Glocks. For me the fit and finish just is better than anything else. Attention to detail of licensed markings and ‘trades’ just adds to the realism that, let’s face it, airsofters are all about. My current stable of Umarex (VFC) Glocks is GEN 3 17, GEN 4 17, G19, G19X, G45 and now the G42 (.380 replica) and GEN 5 17.

Despite the ambidextrous nature of the GEN 5, all these years using a “right handed” pistol, I still favour dropping the mag with my trigger finger (yes, I am left handed). It’s a drill which I have “perfected” over my 45 years of shooting and there’s no need for me to relearn a new way of doing it. When myself, L’il Stu, Steve and Dan were over in Vegas for Shot Show, we had the opportunity to handle the real steel Glocks and as all of us have now fired the 9mm Glock we have a good level to compare them on, Dan even more so as he has a LOT of experience with the RS Glocks ! The Umarex (VFC OEM) Gen 5 17 for me is another in the excellent line of replicas... the line is so good that they are supplied to at least one training company in the UK I know for Force on Force scenarios! AA

Red Cell is supported by:

MODERNIZIRIVANNY LCT:

MODERNIZIRIVANNY LCT: PHASE 2!

LOOKING BACK TO THE NOT TOO DISTANT PAST TO ISSUE 160 STEWBACCA BROUGHT IN PHASE 1 AND HIS INITIAL THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES USING THE LCT AIRSOFT ‘Z SERIES’ ZENITCO-THEMED ACCESSORIES FOR THEIR LCK PLATFORMS, SPECIFICALLY THEIR EXCELLENT LCK74MN MODERNISED AK IN THE 5.45MM FLAVOUR IN TERMS OF REAL-STEEL FOOTPRINT. GIVEN THE SHEER VARIETY OF COMPONENTS THEY SENT TO HIM WE KNEW THIS WOULD BE A LONGER TERM PROJECT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, AND NOW HE LANDS THE SECOND PHASE OF HIS TESTING AND THOUGHTS.

In my initial review I mentioned the issues I’d been having with reloading under stress as a result of the potential to over-insert the magazines at an angle and catch the lower lip of the front of the magazine’s top ends; as it happens I was informed of a solution on the part of our own man in the US

- Dan - who told me of the already available insert component Part No. PK170, which is a simple fix to

“I

properly align the top edge of the magazine during insertion to make the whole loading process a lot more repeatable and smooth.

Bella was good enough to immediately send me one of these upon my request, along with a pair of magazine clamps to provide an alternative ammunition organisation option as well.

To my mind it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make this a standard included component to alleviate any such issues with the AK platform, although I’m not sure if it has any adverse consequences in terms of magazine compatibility with any other existing products, but it’s a very easy installation which just snaps into place with its stamped steel sheet construction and integrated front lip which that latches into the barrel trunnion area around the HOP unit and feed tube and then snaps in at its rear end.

As for the magazine clamps, I initially tried to install them onto my two magazines side by side facing the same way, and while they fit together perfectly like this, at the time of testing at home I didn’t realise the

DIDN’T REALISE THE FACT THAT WHEN SWITCHING THEM OVER FROM HAVING THE RIGHT HAND MAGAZINE IN THE GUN TO MAKE USE OF THE LEFT, THE NOW OUTSIDE RIGHT MAGAZINE WOULD ACTUALLY PUSH UP THE FIRE SELECTOR LEVER FROM THE SEMI AUTO SETTING TO FULL AUTO…”

fact that when switching them over from having the right hand magazine in the gun to make use of the left, the now outside right magazine would actually push up the fire selector lever from the semi auto setting to full auto… which I of course had to go and find out right in the middle of an intense game where we were holding a ridgeline! After reloading I realised I was stuck in auto, so had to reload the right magazine instead given our semi-auto-only game rules, bad drills on my part!

Back at the safezone area I decided to try and fix the issue by raising the left hand magazine within the clamps so that the right one would sit lower after reloading and clear the fire selector. However then I had the problem of the left hand magazine then interfering with the sight mounting shoe on the left of the receiver. D’oh. So, the upshot is, if you want to use the standard magazine clamps (Part No. PK300) you have to put your magazines ‘top-to-tail’ so that the feed ends face away from each other, and rotate the set around vertically during reloading. In the UK using my previous AEG AK102, I taped my magazine pairs together with a foam spacer to ensure they sat far enough apart to keep clear of the fire selector lever but also allow them to be attached in the same orientation for rapid reloads by just shifting sidewards. If you don’t want to have to flip your mags, then maybe a traditional homemade ‘jungle’ or ‘W-Mag’ configuration is perhaps a more flexible option; I used to just tape the bottom end couple of inches so that

“I’VE

the main body could be clear to insert one side into magazine pouches and use one pouch to hold each pair, otherwise separate mags might just be easier, using them with the feed facing down is not ideal in outdoor/ dirty environs.

Sticking with the subject of magazines and reloading, I’ve really been enjoying using the PK343 extended magazine release component which not only has the elongated vertical release lever behind the magazine, but also features the extended horizontal paddles either side of the trigger guard which makes it very easy to release the magazine with your trigger finger while grabbing it with your support hand allowing for less overall movement. That said the only drawback I’ve found is that the cross pin it rotates on sticks out either side and somewhat prevents easy installation of the screws used to retain it, forcing you to use the thin allen keys at a bit of an angle that tends to cause cross threading or angled insertion of the screws. The screws are also a bit prone to stripping their hex socket heads too; while I’m changing things

REALLY BEEN ENJOYING USING THE PK343 EXTENDED MAGAZINE RELEASE COMPONENT WHICH NOT ONLY HAS THE ELONGATED VERTICAL RELEASE LEVER BEHIND THE MAGAZINE, BUT ALSO FEATURES THE EXTENDED HORIZONTAL PADDLES EITHER SIDE OF THE TRIGGER GUARD”

around a lot for the purposes of testing and do have spare fasteners, I’d advise caution and install it yourself very carefully or use some manner of short or ratcheting fashion of driver to install the screws without the angling or cross threading.

WHAT’S IN STOCK?

In my initial review I didn’t get around to switching out any of the butt stocks from the original side folding ‘solid’ variant supplied with the LCK74MN, and some of the reason for this was the sheer difficulty I had in trying to remove it!

Despite watching the youtube video on LCT’s channel (one of many very helpful instructional videos, easily accessed via the numerous QR codes among their literature that take your phone right to the videos) I just could not hammer the retaining pin out of the receiver and stock connection. Bella was good enough to rush out their own specialist tool for just this job, the “C32 utility buttstock replacement tool”

which is formed from fibre reinforced nylon and has four shaped bays in it to accept a wealth of LCT & GHK AK or VAL platforms; this allows you to remove your receiver top cover and faux bolt return spring and rod that it rides on, then insert it upside down into the appropriate bay; be mindful to keep the wiring loom clear of the retaining walls when inserting it.

Then it’s simply a case of using a pin punch and knocking out the retainer pin which will be captured in the corresponding vertical cutout in the tool.

At least it should be that easy, but despite having everything as it should be I just could not shift the retaining pin in my example; the stock had never properly closed and latched fully from the outset, so the pin or related retaining stamping on the stock itself must have been slightly out of spec as it was very tight and wouldn’t allow the stock to align exactly right in the open or closed position.

Eventually I resorted to drilling it from both ends with a pillar drill to alleviate the annular stress on it, which allowed me to finally beat it out!

“FIRST UP WAS THE VERY COOL LOOKING PT-1 TELESCOPIC SKELETONISED FOLDING STOCK (PART NO. ZPT-1, WEIGHT: 505G) WHICH IS CRAFTED FROM 6061 ALUMINIUM AND ALLOWS THE USER TO ADJUST THE OVERALL LENGTH OF PULL BETWEEN 180280MM BY VIRTUE OF THE FLIP-UP LOCKING LEVER”

The replacement pins included with the other stocks thankfully work fine, but I’ll be sending the stock and original pin back to LCT for further assessment; again, it’s unusual for me to encounter any quality control issues, but they will no doubt look into it based upon my feedback.

With that finally resolved, I managed to easily switch between two of the four additional stocks they supplied during this phase of testing.

First up was the very cool looking PT-1 telescopic skeletonised folding stock (Part No. ZPT-1, weight:

it home.

Similarly the very comfortable moulded rubberised plastic cheek piece also offers a great deal of adjustment, with three countersunk bolts sitting in one of six provided levels; loosened off with a 3mm hex allows the user to remove them far enough to shift the cheek piece up or down into other adjoining countersink cuts which overlap at 5mm intervals allowing the user to choose the appropriate height offset for their preferred sighting system.

It arrived with me at the second lowest setting

once set. The array of small holes in the non-moving portion’s spine are spaced at 5mm centres allowing twenty different positive positions to lock it in along its range of motion; you can hear the ratcheting mechanism soft-locking into each position as you unlock and extend it, before settling on a decided length and using the full locking lever to seat

“ENSURE

easily attach a sling that can run around to either side of the buttstock in a minimal-fuss-manner allowing for easier shoulder transitions without as much tangling.

One last note on this stock is to again ensure you understand how to install it properly; please watch the appropriate videos on LCT’s youtube channel via the

YOU UNDERSTAND HOW TO INSTALL IT PROPERLY; PLEASE WATCH THE APPROPRIATE VIDEOS ON LCT’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL VIA THE QR CODES ON THE LITERATURE AS THERE IS A SPRING LOADED RETENTION BUTTON ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE STOCK TANG WHICH MUST BE DEALT WITH”

QR codes on the literature as there is a spring loaded retention button on the underside of the stock tang which must be dealt with to allow the stock to fold without causing damage.

The whole thing is excellently constructed, with minimal wobble or rattle despite its wide array of adjustment, and really looks the part with its herringbone cutouts and black finish.

The other stock I tried out was the AK12 AR tube style adaptor tube (Part No. PK340; 380g) and K16 telescopic plastic stock (Part No. PK353, 306g) which gives the user the opportunity for a familiar AR pattern stock with the tube itself sporting four separate locking holes in the protrusion underneath, each spaced apart around 20mm.

The K16 stock slides over and latches on very positively the flapper lever allows the user to unlock and adjust the stock before it automatically latches into the nearest hole under spring pressure. To initially install the stock itself onto the tube, you need to unhook the two front end loops of the flapper from

the stock tube and then reposition the flapper’s loops afterwards for normal use.

The body of the K16 is comprised of very sturdy and comfortable to handle ABS plastic along with steel components for the moving parts. It includes a QD sling mounting insert which has retention cutouts accessible on both sides and works really well with standard spec QD units; the only thing to be aware of is that although they are ‘freewheel’ inserts rather than having lands in the detents to allow limited rotation, the sling loop I used interfered with the front end loops of the adjustment lever anyway, so it prevents the sling loop rotating more than 180 degrees anyway.

The rubberised butt pad can also be removed by pulling forward the retention slider in the front lower face of the stock body, which has a helpful finger cutout beneath it to allow you to pull it forward; you can then slide the buttpad up or down off its retainer dovetail to access the open rear of the stock body.

There is naturally a little bit of play in the whole setup, with the tube to receiver joint and tube to stock interface leaving a little wobble but this is fairly par for the course on many AR styled plastic over metal tube constructions.The receiver mount itself does feature a 2mm hex actuated grub screw which allows you to really drive the tension in of the stationary part of the hinge once it’s installed. To close the stock, simply pull the moving part of the hinge downwards and swing the body of the stock out left and back in towards the right, the standard stock release button on the left of the stock still enables

GETTING TO GRIPS

I also took the opportunity to swap out the pistol grip from the standard variant to the very cool looking (and to the touch, due to its 6061 aluminium construction) ZRK-3 ergonomic pistol grip (140g). This not only adds a great aesthetic with its slab sided construction and ‘golf ball’ dimpled side grip panels, but also has finger grooves on the front that are perfect for my bear mitts at least; this is easily switched out by unscrewing the large flat head bolt on the underside that attaches the grip to the motor cage of the gearbox inside.

In addition I mounted the longer variant of the foregrip (Part No. ZRK1, 165g) which again is made from 6061 aluminium and is long enough for me to get a full hand hold on it for a more traditional vertical grip, rather than the short grip’s C-Clamp style usage; installed further out along the front picatinny rail so that it’s well clear of the magazines when reloading, it’s very rigidly installed over the rail with two 2.5mm hex head bolts that clamp it solidly, as well as having a base plate which can be unscrewed to allow access to the small storage space inside.

leaf retaining slot to attach it with a cross bolt allowing you to fit a red dot or other small sight reasonably far forwards. It took a bit of cajoling into place, and you need to be aware of which part of the slotted hole the cross bolt is sitting in, and also ensure it is tight enough to avoid it loosening off and messing with your zero once installed.

If you plan on using it as a permanent replacement I’d suggest a dab of threadlocker to make sure it doesn’t come loose, I think some form of packing shim to sit under the front end of the rail to prevent it levering upwards unwantedly, really locking it down will make it a great solution, It’s possibly my favourite sighting set up yet, with a T1 style replica red dot mounted, it gives you a great snap shooting solution for short to medium ranges and CQB use, without causing any woes in terms of changing battery under the rear cover or sighting issues as with the earlier side shoe mounted scope rail or replacement rear receiver cover with integral rail. It also allows you to maintain more situational awareness than eyeballing through an ACOG or other magnified scope if you tend to play in closer range encounters or places with more avenues for you to get flanked.

The final switch I made was to remove the rear sight leaf (and its flat spring which has to be unseated and pulled out rearwards) to install the stub Picatinny rear rail (Part No. PK218; 42g) which uses the sight

So, that’s my experience of this next set of components I’ve been working through. I still have another two different butt stocks to try out, as well as some other handguards and small tweak components for comfort factors but I’ll have at least another article of testing, and perhaps a final preferred setup rundown of what I like best and a recap on why before the end of the year.

As always, many thanks to Bella and the wider LCT Airsoft team for supporting my experiences of their products. AA

“IN ADDITION I MOUNTED THE LONGER VARIANT OF THE FOREGRIP (PART NO. ZRK-1, 165G) WHICH AGAIN IS MADE FROM 6061 ALUMINIUM AND IS LONG ENOUGH FOR ME TO GET A FULL HAND HOLD ON IT FOR A MORE TRADITIONAL VERTICAL GRIP, RATHER THAN THE SHORT GRIP’S C-CLAMP STYLE USAGE”

NO WORD OF A LAI!

STEWBACCA HAD ALREADY MET WITH CLARENCE LAI WAY BACK IN 2021 SHORTLY AFTER HE FIRST ARRIVED IN TAIWAN HAVING LEFT HIS NATIVE HONG KONG, AND YOU CAN READ ABOUT HIS NEW ‘CLARENCE LAI PROJECT DESIGN’ (CLPD) EXPLOITS AND PLANS BACK IN ISSUE 130. BUT HOW DID HE COME TO BE ON TAIWAN, WHERE DID IT ALL BEGIN, AND WHAT WAS HIS JOURNEY LIKE TO BECOMING AN OBVIOUSLY INFLUENTIAL FIGURE IN GUNSMITHING AND CUSTOMISING SKIRMISH, COMPETITION AND EVEN REAL GUNS, AS WELL AS THE COMPETITIVE CIRCUIT AND ITS EVENTS AND ORGANISATIONS? STEWBACCA WAS ONCE AGAIN WELCOMED INTO HIS HOME IN THE SOUTH OF TAIPEI TO FIND OUT…

Hi Clarence, thanks so much for sitting down with me again, and I’ll cut straight to the chase; what got you interested in guns/airsoft/ militaria?

CL: Back as early as 7 years old, I remember having a passionate interest in guns, gleefully spending hours watching classic cowboy films and admiring the guns and gunplay involved; from this early age I knew real and replica firearms would always be of great interest to me.

In 1980s Hong Kong functional replica guns were still yet to enter the scene, and only ‘model guns’, those firing 5 or 7mm caps, were available, and during my primary school years I went off to the local model shop with the contents of one of my Chinese New Year “red packets” to avail myself of their services, coming back with my first ever gun purchase, a Colt model 25!

I immediately started enjoying it as well as learning to dismantle and reassemble it, setting myself goals to become ever faster at doing so, and igniting my interest in the inner workings of guns, poring over Japanese airsoft and model gun magazines, learning ever more about the different real guns and growing repertoire of replicas entering the market, cementing my intent to become skilled at working on them.

By around 18 years old I’d become a local yoyo champion

and began working for Coca Cola and travelling worldwide for half of the year on promotional tours. However, during the time still spent in Hong Kong you would find me working in the largest local model shop in in the city; as with most countries, airsoft guns tend to make an entry alongside the RC cars, planes and boats and other hobbyist products as they fall into a similar niche. This only fuelled my interest in essentially a library of available gun models being sold there.

I eventually bought myself an early JAC system; for all you puppers in the audience that’s the progenitor to HPA systems with remote tanks and hoses from the very early days of airsoft, what’s old is new again,

“I EVENTUALLY BOUGHT MYSELF AN EARLY JAC SYSTEM; FOR ALL YOU PUPPERS IN THE AUDIENCE THAT’S THE PROGENITOR TO HPA SYSTEMS WITH REMOTE TANKS AND HOSES FROM THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF AIRSOFT, WHAT’S OLD IS NEW AGAIN, EH?”

SMG model which developed a fault so I took it to a specialist shop in Mong Kok who wanted 200 Hong Kong Dollars to repair it for me (a not insubstantial amount of money especially back then!) and even after they did the work on it, it was still unsatisfactory, so in my abject annoyance I decided to dismantle it and experiment with it to further develop my own understanding and as a result I eventually fixed it myself, much to my own satisfaction.

With this initial success buoying me along I decided to offer my services to the model shop to maintain and gunsmith the growing range of airsoft guns they were offering to local customers; as with many manufacturers in Taiwan, the lack of support from Japanese companies for overseas parts or repairs pushed me along to provide that service for those who couldn’t work on their own guns back then.

Initially the shop owner tested my resolve and loyalty (as is somewhat typical in smaller family businesses of the sort) by having me help with deliveries and distribution efforts before finally allowing me loose on the airsoft gun side of the business after three years of service! Of course I immediately began setting to work learning all of the available models and their internals, dismantling and reassembling them and developing an encyclopaedic understanding of myriad models from

different manufacturers.

Around this time I also began doing custom work on MGC guns and taking an interest in Combat magazine along with American publications regarding real-steel competition guns; I was drawn in by the early red dot bearing race guns with all their flair and customised features, even having friends post me old VHS videos of competition techniques, after which I began enthusiastically promoting Action Air IPSC locally.

I began training the first Action Air shooters team in Hong Kong (‘Top Gun’) in 1993, with half of the original membership being drawn from my friends garnered in my earlier skirmish efforts from before I focused more completely on competition guns.

In these early days we relied on non-blowback pistol variants without reciprocating slides as result of local restrictions; however in 1995 we could finally make use of the first MGC Glock 17s with realistic slide operation, and the following year I took the first team to Osaka in Japan for the JPSA national championship with 5 Filipinos and 3 Hong Kongers in tow, having done a few dry runs of the competition myself in the year or so leading up to this first team effort.

One of our main stumbling blocks was the Japanese restrictions and use of lower powered ‘duster gas’, refrigerant propellants rather than the more typical ‘green gas’ propane alternatives used everywhere else in the world. Obviously this caused some issues making our own guns work reliably when competing in Japan, but we persevered and I began promoting Action Air overseas into the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and of course Taiwan, with the first ‘Airsoft Surgeon Championship’ in 2004, building off my own established personal acclaim as a competitor and gunsmith as well as contacts developed within the growing community.

This inaugural event drew in a crowd from local and visiting Taiwanese competitors alike, making use of standardised Western Arms pistols to great effect, and afterwards I continued

“I BEGAN TRAINING THE FIRST ACTION AIR SHOOTERS TEAM IN HONG KONG (‘TOP GUN’) IN 1993, WITH HALF OF THE ORIGINAL MEMBERSHIP BEING DRAWN FROM MY FRIENDS GARNERED IN MY EARLIER SKIRMISH EFFORTS FROM BEFORE I FOCUSED MORE COMPLETELY ON COMPETITION GUNS.”

teaching classes and growing the community of competitive shooters right through until 2007.

Around this era I was also a co-owner of DEN Trinity, one of the leading names for airsoft guns and custom components at the time, named for the last letters of the three owners names: RaymonD, myself ClarenceE and NelsoN. This also became the first online airsoft store in Hong Kong, with others springing up immediately afterwards.

However, I eventually left to focus on promoting my own ‘Airsoft Surgeon’ higher-end custom or bespoke gunsmithing efforts, built on the following I had gained during my work in various other stores beforehand. One model I produced in particular somewhat catapulted me to further fame.

Around this time the Schwarzeneggar action film ‘End of Days’ was making its rounds in the cinemas and proved popular, so I got to work replicating the epic MP5 with underslung grenade launcher which made a memorable appearance in the final

AEG and customising an early launcher onto the lower body.

Surprisingly some of my earliest successes were aimed more towards the more established skirmishing community, with 30 units of my CNCmachined custom Stoner LMG AEGs all selling out locally to avid players who would frequent the verdant hillside game sites long before they began being closed for redevelopment and pushing players indoors to more CQB style games and sites.

Following this awareness of my efforts grew overseas and I was honoured to become a model for numerous new gun offerings in the very Japanese magazines I’d spent my earlier years enjoying leafing through so avidly, supporting the releases of the Marui Mk23 NBB SOCOM, the Sig Sauer P232 GBB, KSC’s original Glock 17 GBB among others. This was very unusual at the time, with Japanese publications tending to favour local talents to promote products and serve as models.

AA: How do your friends and family react to your involvement?

CL: I became unusually distant and independent from my family from a relatively

“ONE MODEL I PRODUCED IN PARTICULAR SOMEWHAT CATAPULTED ME TO FURTHER FAME; AROUND THIS TIME THE SCHWARZENEGGAR ACTION FILM ‘END OF DAYS’ WAS MAKING ITS ROUNDS IN THE CINEMAS AND PROVED POPULAR, SO I GOT TO WORK REPLICATING THE EPIC MP5 WITH UNDERSLUNG GRENADE LAUNCHER…”

early age, and thus didn’t have to deal with the typical push-back regarding my hobbies and life choices, although this in itself made things more challenging as I also didn’t get the typical structure and guidance most Asian teenagers would.

As a result I genuinely had to carve my own path and deal with my own choices and consequences, and learned a lot about myself and life in general in the process, developing a respect for all facets and learning to treat everyone with the same care and attention regardless of social status, while also accumulating all of the knowledge that would direct me in my later gunsmithing efforts through a great deal of personal expense and destructive testing of an array of guns from various manufacturers. (Editor’s note - this financial ruin all sounds familiar…a man after my own heart!)

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

CL: From early on I realised the paradigm of just imitating others and making derivative works based off the efforts of the established industry leaders will

never drive innovation or hold people’s interest in the longer term. As a result I decided to take a more difficult but rewarding approach similar to the fashion industry; making fewer but more boutique high value custom guns for more discerning clients with higher demands of form and function… of course focusing on the flair and individuality of competitive shooters in particular.

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

CL: My own personal experiences and malaise with the market and its capabilities early on spurred me on to develop a more appealing personal ethos; build something of quality that won’t disappoint the end user, satisfy the niches and needs of those who can’t find products that do so elsewhere on the market, and above all else develop, extensively test and produce components which genuinely drop in without the fettling or modification numerous other offerings typically require. I never want my products to bring people extra work.

Furthermore I want to bring people products that

“I SPENT A LOT OF MY OWN PERSONAL TIME AND MONEY INVESTING IN THE ORGANISATION OF EVENTS AS WELL AS TRAVELLING ABROAD TO ATTEND, ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN OR OTHERWISE PROMOTE COMPETITION EVENTS”

can not only enjoy shooting well to develop their own highest ability, but will also be a talking point or even an extension of their own personality, individuality or ethos, something they can genuinely enjoy functionally and aesthetically as a functional work of art, with the handling and experience being as close to their real firearm counterparts as practicably possible through material choices and extensive development and care to detail.

AA: How did you get involved in real steel competitive shooting?

CL: I started by travelling to the Philippines in the early 1990s where I met my master who taught me both real-steel shooting and gunsmithing, the lessons of which were eventually transferred into my airsoft

products as well such as the hexagonal cuts becoming somewhat of a signature for my 1911 or revolver product’s aesthetics.

AA: How has the Hong Kong scene changed since you first started out, and how does Taiwan compare since you moved here?

CL: Through my own involvement I somewhat developed the early community and made the environment a product of my own efforts and ideas; previously manufacturers, stockists and enthusiasts had little interest in terms of making ‘not another AR’, and somewhat trailblazed the idea of a premium toy gun market through my own products, with other airsoft gunsmiths and gun customisation services springing up as the community, subculture and demand developed to support them. I spent a lot of my own personal time and money investing in the organisation of events as well as travelling abroad to attend, actively participate in or otherwise promote competition events and the general growth of the international competitive Action Air community and also enable these shooters to progress into real-steel shooting building on their existing skills if they so wish.

Real-steel manufacturers also began taking more of an interest in my products at trade shows due to me being well known, and I made some of the earliest lightweight skeletonised ARs (which started a trend in airsoft) that eventually the real steel manufacturers followed suit with!

A lot of aesthetic notes (porting, trigger geometry etc) were carried over by them into their own designs in the longer term, and I focused on bestowing guns with personalities of their owners or certain related concepts important to them in the design language of the finished results.

AA: What’s your favourite aspect of working within the airsoft community?

CL: The shared passion within the industry; most

“REAL-STEEL MANUFACTURERS ALSO BEGAN TAKING MORE OF AN INTEREST IN MY PRODUCTS AT TRADE SHOWS DUE TO ME BEING WELL KNOWN, AND I MADE SOME OF THE EARLIEST LIGHTWEIGHT SKELETONISED ARS THAT EVENTUALLY THE REAL STEEL MANUFACTURERS FOLLOWED SUIT WITH!”

participants are true gun lovers, so most of them and the manufacturers have a largely shared vision for the future to drive towards, improving the technology, performance, user experience and aesthetics throughout the industry to make a better product and grow a larger and more capable community.

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

CL: Once I moved to Taiwan I stopped building the more boutique custom guns due to time constraints and also a desire to be more relaxed and bring new products to the wider market.

As a result CLPD will focus on CZ products in the near term as they have greater appeal and application in the market of wider popularity guns and components at this time, and again were an otherwise unaddressed niche until I began making upgrade components for them.

AA: How do you feel about other shooters or gunsmiths viewing you as a role model?

CL: I’m not convinced people necessarily would; within the industry and practitioners base people always tend to forge their own path or decide on

their own preferences, many of them having strong personalities and individuality! I certainly don’t feel that I’m ‘the best’ or ‘the pinnacle’ of my art or capabilities, there’s always someone better out there that you might not know about, but my work and contributions do bring me great pride.

AA: How do you see the sport shooting community growing locally or further afield in the future/ how can people help to progress it?

CL: It can be difficult to enact change in the community at times; depending on the region, many people have established ideas of the disciplines and way things should be run, but hopefully with persistence new ideas can eventually come to the forefront… but it’s usually a long process, especially in Taiwan.

Many thanks as always to Clarence and his lovely wife Katherine (a very competent shooter in her own right!) for their warm hospitality and friendship, as well as supporting my own Action Air efforts in Taiwan as their crash test dummy!

Fellow shooters... Are you ready?...BEEP! AA

“I CERTAINLY DON’T FEEL THAT I’M ‘THE BEST’ OR ‘THE PINNACLE’ OF MY ART OR CAPABILITIES, THERE’S ALWAYS SOMEONE BETTER OUT THERE THAT YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT, BUT MY WORK AND CONTRIBUTIONS DO BRING ME GREAT PRIDE”

VORSK I S I O

LATE LAST MONTH BILL HAD AN INVITATION TO VISIT TO VORSK CREW AT THEIR “SKUNKWORX” TO CHECK OUT THE VERY LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AND UPDATES ON WHAT WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE FROM THEM IN THE VERY NEAR, AND MORE DISTANT, FUTURE! TAKING UP THIS PRIVILEGED OPPORTUNITY, HE NOW OPENS THE LID ON EXACTLY WHAT SHAPE THIS WILL TAKE!

It’s pretty much six years since I wrote my first ever article on VORSK, and oh my, what inroads they’ve made into our big, wide world of airsoft of adventures since then!

I’ve been with Airsoft Action for quite a few years now and moved on up to run the magazine on a day to day basis, but before that I played and ran games of my own. In my time within “the industry” I’ve seen some brands come, and indeed some brands go, but my relationship with those that have weathered the vagaries of the international airsoft market has, in some cases, moved from professional to real friendship!

Whatever industry you may work in, you will undoubtedly make real, deep and lasting friendships with certain individuals that are outside your own company, but that you deal with on a daily basis, and such is my relationship with Ross at VORSK.

I am incredibly proud of him, someone I genuinely call “friend”, having seen him flourish to become a massively key part of a successful and multinational airsoft business, and whilst I already knew he would go on to great things within the industry, as the “development head” behind the VORSK range, he and engineering guru Mark have truly established themselves as real innovators and true “gun makers”, and now Matt has joined them to ensure that we know all about the latest models as soon as they come into being!

It seems only yesterday that I was writing about the new VORSK models, both pistols and now a GBB SMG that I myself have come to love and trust, but these have been on sale for some time now and garnered superb feedback in terms of durability and performance already amongst the player base. However, Ross and his team don’t let the grass grow! Although the pistols have become an established and highly respected presence in the global airsoft market, the VMP-1 SMG has only been released to market for a relatively short time, and the next VORSK models, the

VMP-2s are set for release later this year… and the response from the industry and players both has been staggering!

The VORSK “project” has been ongoing for over six years, and the models already out there have proved that taking your time with your own concepts from just that, a concept in the form of a scribbled sketch, through formal design both traditional and 3D, creation of bespoke tooling, development and testing, and creating close relationships with their factories for final manufacturing has proved to be time very well spent indeed.

The existing pistol range is now pretty vast and encompasses some of my personal favourites, pistols like the VX-9, 5.1 Hi Capa, the Vengeance, and especially the highly collectible REQUIEM models that look simply stunning… in fact I’m waiting on a REQUIEM EDITION Vengeance that I saw at IWA as I just have to put one into my personal armoury!

Of course the VMP-1 has arrived and is now a settled model in the VORSK range, and although I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge there were some cosmetic teething issues with a handful of models, this neat little SMG has delighted thousands of owners already (including me and a number of the AA Crew!) and opened the eyes of many to the absolute delights of owning, and skirmishing with, a GBB! This is no mean feat in itself, as although we all embrace GBB tech for our secondaries, having a

“WHATEVER INDUSTRY YOU MAY WORK IN, YOU WILL UNDOUBTEDLY MAKE REAL, DEEP AND LASTING FRIENDSHIPS WITH CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE OUTSIDE YOUR OWN COMPANY, BUT THAT YOU DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS, AND SUCH IS MY RELATIONSHIP WITH ROSS AT VORSK”

gas-driven primary is still a surprisingly cool novelty for many. Simply put, VORSK have helped to move the GBB agenda forward in a very meaningful way… and that ain’t gonna stop any time soon from what I’m seeing, and what I saw last month!

FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY!

VORSK have never been afraid of doing things differently as their approach to date has illustrated very clearly indeed, with clever design work from concept stage, through to high levels of raw-material picking, to excellent QC and player support for their finished products. The VMP-1 project has shown this more clearly than ever, with direct support for owners via the online user-group and their retail partner network; players with even the smallest issue can ask for solutions direct from VORSK online, and in the most extreme cases can even return their VMP-1 to the retailer they bought it from for further direct assistance if needed!

In all my years of being involved with airsoft brands this is quite frankly unsurpassed, and brings a whole new level to the relationship between the manufacturing brand and the player; the team at VORSK are both visible and present, and their approach to their customers I believe tolls the death knell of companies who simply dump a product onto the market and then leave you to get on with it, good or bad! Our expectation these days, rightly or wrongly, is that we want to know not just everything about a specific product, but also who the people are behind it.

sufficiency, something that seems oft-lacking as I see it, and not just in airsoft…

But I begin to digress, so I will pull myself happily back to VORSK, and what that future holds for them, and for us, and oh boy, it is exciting!

DIVING DEEP

So, arriving on site and being greeted by Matt I was soon ushered, coffee in hand, into the depths of the VORSK “Skunkworx”, and I would challenge any airsofter not to have a little shudder of anticipation when offered this opportunity! I do already know the VORSK crew pretty well as I’ve stated, and they keep me largely up to date with their developments and projects, but I always know when I visit there will be MORE…

VORSK do this superbly, and I can only commend them for creating somewhat of a rod for their own backs so to speak. For me, I buy something and run with it, solving any problems that I find myself or with the help of my more tech-able comrades… but then I’m old and I believe in a high degree of self-

Sitting down with Ross, Mark, and Matt I’m always amazed at all the things that I see; they now prototype a lots of ideas and concepts, and indeed potential parts, in-house using first-class design software and high-grade 3D printing… there’s always little things almost casually laying in the background of their office space, workshop area, and photo/ video studio that I think I shouldn’t see (or perhaps I should?) that I will ask about but not comment upon publicly… such is the level of trust between AA and our brand partners that this is often the case, but it’s always more so with VORSK.

“SITTING DOWN WITH ROSS, MARK, AND MATT I’M ALWAYS AMAZED AT ALL THE THINGS THAT I SEE; THEY NOW PROTOTYPE A LOTS OF IDEAS AND CONCEPTS, AND INDEED POTENTIAL PARTS, IN-HOUSE USING FIRST-CLASS DESIGN SOFTWARE AND HIGH-GRADE 3D PRINTING”

IWA showed us all the pre-production samples of the VMP-2, and there are three models in what I believe to be “the first wave”; the VMP-2D is the semi-only DMR variant, the VMP-2MD is a shorterbarrelled semi-only “recce rifle”, and the VMP-2M will be the full-auto rock n’ roller for we more “take ground and take names” style players. They all look superb!

However, all three models have received some subtle and precise design changes since we saw them in Germany, mostly internal, to make them even more performance-oriented and durable when it comes to potential “service life”; Ross explained all the changes to me by way of excellent 3D design renders where he could show even the tiniest pin, bolt or internal mech spring, and this in itself was engrossing… if you want to know exactly what parts in a GBB platform are for, and just how they can be improved upon if you REALLY know what you’re doing, then this is simply amazing!

We then got into discussing materials and I was shown some new high-grade polymers and alloys that will be incorporated as things move forward again; I won’t go into all the precise changes that have been made to the original designs right now as I’ll cover that off when the production VMP-2s arrive later this year, but what I can tell you is that they are all sensible and meaningful, and will ensure that the final package

is just as good as it can be. Given the opportunity to actually shoot a VMP-2M for the first time I can only say… WOW… and this from a confirmed GBB primary user!

And of course the story doesn’t end with the arrival of the VMP-2s… there’s far, FAR more to come with the overall “VMP Program”! There are some new parts in development, and tweaks to existing parts, that will make the VMP-1 SMG even more missionadaptable and modular, and the range of accessory parts under discussion will 100% make sure that the modularity of the VMP family as a whole will offer we, the players, a level of personalisation that most companies would give a limb or organ to be able to provide.

The first one that is pretty much a done deal is a new, short 20BB VMP magazine, something that I personally asked for from the outset; this will mean that the VMP-1 can be made even more “concealable for scenario reasons”, as well as providing a shorter, more prone-friendly option for the VMP-2D DMR. Then there’s some new stock interfaces that will allow even more choice for the VMP models than what already exists… and we know that this choice is already first-rate, and then there’s some new, lowprofile, rail-mounted fibre-optic “irons”, another thing that pleases me greatly…

At the end of our time together Ross and the

“IWA SHOWED US ALL THE PRE-PRODUCTION SAMPLES OF THE VMP-2, AND THERE ARE THREE MODELS IN WHAT I BELIEVE TO BE “THE FIRST WAVE”; THE VMP-2D IS THE SEMI-ONLY DMR VARIANT, THE VMP-2MD IS A SHORTER-BARRELLED SEMI-ONLY “RECCE RIFLE”, AND THE VMP-2M WILL BE THE FULL-AUTO ROCK N’ ROLLER”

VORSK crew told me;

“At VORSK we are constantly looking for ways in which we can improve our products and build a community that loves what we are creating. With the success of the VMP-1 (which was above all expectations), we are always working away to bring new parts/products to build upon the modular design.

“Since IWA 2024 we have taken any and all feedback and gone back to the CAD software and tinkered with the VMP-2 to make it as user-friendly as possible. We are so excited for players to get their hands on it and see how people will take advantage of the modular platform.

“Not only is the excitement building for the VMP2M, MD, and D we are already working hard on the next iterations of the Vorsk Modular Platform to add something different to our repertoire. We have an exciting 18 months already on the drawing board and we can’t wait to continue bringing enjoyment to players with our products.

“Vorsk will always listen to feedback and design and create parts/products that people are after. We are very excited for the next 18 months and hope that

our communities will be just as excited as we are.

“Get Your Gas On!”

Overall the “VMP Project” is looking pretty stunning, and I for one eagerly await the first finished production models of the VMP-2! VORSK have shown that they can accomplish magnificence in innovative airsoft form, and with their comprehensive and friendly approach towards the end-user in terms of after-sales-support their formula continues to be a winning one.

I just wonder WHERE they’ll head NEXT! AA

“VORSK HAVE SHOWN THAT THEY CAN ACCOMPLISH MAGNIFICENCE IN INNOVATIVE AIRSOFT FORM, AND WITH THEIR COMPREHENSIVE AND FRIENDLY APPROACH TOWARDS THE END-USER IN TERMS OF AFTER-SALES-SUPPORT THEIR FORMULA CONTINUES TO BE A WINNING ONE”

KIA IV –NEXT GEN

IT’S TIME TO HEAD BACK TO PORTUGAL WITH MIGUEL TO CHECK OUT THE LATEST ITERATION OF THE “KIA” GAME THAT HE AND HIS FELLOW “GHOSTS” ATTEND EACH YEAR, MIXING IT UP WITH PLAYERS AND OTHER TEAMS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY! THIS IS WHAT THE AA LEGION IS ALL ABOUT, BRINGING STORIES FROM COMMUNITIES AROUND THE GLOBE TO ENLIGHTEN, ENTERTAIN, AND EXCITE, AND MIGUEL ALWAYS BRINGS US A LITTLE OF EACH ASPECT IN HIS OWN UNIQUE FASHION!

At the end of 2023, the national Association (ASSOCIAÇÃO NACIONAL DE AIRSOFT) that my team is part of normally divulges their calendar for the next year, and the “KIA” became the first event that they organize. It’s a special event for the community itself, since it pays homage to all players who are no longer among us, hence, the name, K.I.A. which we all know means “Killed In Action”.

We arrived early, even before the gates opened, so we could park and gear up with time to spare; of course it’s also crucial to engage in a few conversations with players from all over the country too! It’s great to see some players who you have known for years, trade a few words, laugh and check out new gear (it’s mandatory!). After gearing up, it was time to hit the check-in and chrono booths, and as always you get a bag with some trinkets, tickets for the post-game BBQ, a dog tag and this year a scratch card for the giveaways at the end. The chrono booths were divided by BB weight, and they would chrono your replica with the BBs that the players use.

Since the guys and I were some of the first to complete the check-in, we had some spare time to socialize a bit more, talk with the staff and even get a few photos done. But that’s not all, we also took some time in preparing our own booth to showcase some gear from Viper Tactical. The staff invited the ambassadors present at the game to set up a small stand and show the players the brand’s gear, and with many giveaways from Viper at the end, the players could see what they could win, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

As time went on, more and more players arrived at the area for the briefing; with that I also had the chance of talking a bit with the teams that were part of our “platoon”, since the factions were divided that way, and we would be doing missions together, it’s also important to have some organization among us. The guys and I were in the Tactical Faction (noncamo) and part of the 1st Platoon, along with the teams F.O.E., BTA and Tactical Triggers.

The briefing started with a few ceremonies with “awards” for the oldest Association member present, the team with the most members in game

and the player who travelled the most. After this we got to meet our faction commanders, who were all active members of the Portuguese Armed Forces, invited specially for the event, and something that has become a tradition in KIA. And of course, the reading of the names of those who are no longer among us followed by a minute of silence; a moment with a heavy symbolism that all respected.

GETTING THE GAME ON

Since ANA does an online briefing about the game mechanics and rules, not much was needed in this respect during the game day. In my opinion, it’s a good way to help the players’ preparations for the game; as you already know what you may find, you can prepare your loadout accordingly.

After the briefing and ceremonies ended, the players lined up at the gate and started walking

“IT’S ALSO CRUCIAL TO ENGAGE IN A FEW CONVERSATIONS WITH PLAYERS FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY TOO! IT’S GREAT TO SEE SOME PLAYERS WHO YOU HAVE KNOWN FOR YEARS, TRADE A FEW WORDS, LAUGH AND CHECK OUT NEW GEAR (IT’S MANDATORY!)”

toward the field itself. Once we arrived at our HQ, our commander gathered the group leaders in order to organize our starting strategy and assign missions. I was leading the Charlie group, which was part of the 1st Platoon, and the first mission of the game, giving our faction access to Ares Alpha, was given to us. The objective was simple, but speed was key! We had to get the activation keys (two of them) and use them in an antenna device in order to get access to the navigation app and complete the mission. But since the other two factions (CAMO and BLUE JEANS) were also on the move, it would be best if we didn’t get caught in time-consuming combat, so we planned our route fast and moved to pick up the keys which were close to our HQ.

After getting the keys, which were really close by, we moved in a fast pace toward the antenna; my group was in front trying to get ahead of any

potential enemy and set up a perimeter around the objective, but the whole platoon wasn’t far behind, and as soon as we found the antenna we quickly activated it and called in informing our HQ that the mission was completed. But, there was no time to rest, with the other platoons also on the move; we got the order to attack and control the Northern point (controlled by an Ares Alpha ATB), which was close to the CAMO faction HQ.

As we moved toward the Northern point, I noticed (in the Ares Alpha app) that the area was under the control of the CAMO faction, so we were up against an enemy force in a defensive position. With that in mind, we moved to a higher position and opened up a line to try and overwhelm the enemy, but with no luck. The “fight” lasted almost 40 minutes, with heavy casualties on both sides, but we were against the clock, because at 1200 we had to be present at

“AS WE MOVED SOUTH WE TRIED TO AVOID CONTACT AND GET TO THE MISSION AREA AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. OUR PLAN WAS TO BAIT THE ENEMY DEFENDERS TOWARDS THEIR NORTHERN FLANK, WHILE THE REST OF THE PLATOON MOVED FROM THE WEST. AND IT WORKED…”

our HQ to receive our next main assignment. Great job by the CAMO faction, they held their positions well and forced us to retreat.

After returning to our HQ, we got an urgent mission, the BLUE JEANS faction were going to sabotage our Ares Alpha app, meaning that we couldn’t use it for some time and that would hinder use, so we had to stop them. The bad news was that to stop them, we had to get deep inside their territory and “short-circuit” the ATB box that was in their control at the time, and we had only 15 minutes to do it, which was almost impossible! We started moving, even without the whole of 1st Platoon present, but we didn’t get far. The BLUE JEANS HQ was in our way, and with a misunderstanding in the rules (since the HQ couldn’t be attacked), we lost some precious time and our Ares Alpha got sabotaged.

That didn’t mean that the mission was completely lost, we could still get it back if we completed the objective. But now we couldn’t navigate with the app, we had to use a good old map! Fortunately for us, the location of the objective was close to our HQ in the previous edition of the game, so we know our way around! The area was defended by some enemies, but with an attack from several angles, and some knowledge of the area, some guys were able to reach the ATB and short-circuit it. Hence, mission completed!

RESUPPLY, REHYDRATE, BUT NO REST!

We returned to our HQ, and at this time the day’s heat was rising fast, and some players were feeling it! We had a few minutes to hydrate and eat something quick, but soon after we were called back to the commander’s tent. The mission that we just completed not only gave us navigation back, it also allowed the faction to get ahead in the score, but the BLUE JEANS were right behind us, and everything could change fast. So we were tasked with capturing the southern ATB point (the same point from the previous mission), and stop the enemy from gathering the points that it gives while under control. Once the 1st Platoon had gathered, we set out southwards, but this time through a path far from the enemy HQ. At this time in the game,

the CAMO faction was almost a no show, they were far behind in the score, and had pretty much no way of catching up with the TACTICAL and BLUE JEANS factions.

As we moved South we tried to avoid contact and get to the mission area as fast as possible. Our plan was to bait the enemy defenders towards their northern flank, while the rest of the platoon moved from the West. And it worked, while the enemy focused on our positions, and even advanced after us like crazy (some players are like that), they created a huge gap in their defences, and that allowed the rest of 1st Platoon to capture and control the objective. Of course, our bait group was completely eliminated, and since we had to be in our HQ by 1400, we returned and took some time to recharge our batteries and hydrate again.

The last mission was close; the faction in the lead would have to defend their commander in a last skirmish against the two other factions at the same time, until the end of the game. And with a strong shout, the commander ordered everyone to get ready and gather around for the last briefing. Our faction was in the lead (cheers all around!) and we had to set up defences, each platoon (from the 1st to the 4th) was assigned a specific area to defend, and 1st Platoon was in charge of defending the Northern sector, probably against the CAMO faction, since their HQ was in that direction.

It was time to defend, and it was our first time during the whole event! We designed a two line defence, with group Alpha and Bravo ahead of us, and Charlie (Ghost Ops and Tactical Triggers) entrenched behind them, in case they needed to ball back to a new position. Not long after, we could hear the fighting, coming mostly from the Eastern flank, but it didn’t take long for enemies to appear in our sector; fortunately for us, we had good defensive positions and even an LMG. The enemy had no chance, the defenders were well positioned, and until the end of the event we never had to fall back, and the mission was completed with success! It was time to head back…

The way back was tough, we were close to 30ºC and the players were tired; some even had to get a ride from the staff because they weren’t feeling

“WE HAD GOOD DEFENSIVE POSITIONS AND EVEN AN LMG. THE ENEMY HAD NO CHANCE, THE DEFENDERS WERE WELL POSITIONED, AND UNTIL THE END OF THE EVENT WE NEVER HAD TO FALL BACK, AND THE MISSION WAS COMPLETED WITH SUCCESS!”

well. As soon as I got to the “village” (the safe zone) I took my vest off and sat on the ground against a wall in the shade, it felt like heaven! But the event wasn’t over! We still had the BBQ, giveaways, and I was invited by the staff to set up a stand showcasing Viper Tactical gear. So there was still work to do!

With the help of my guys and Almeida (who is also an ambassador for Viper) we set up the stand and welcomed all who wanted to learn more about the brand, at the same time some of my guys brought me some most welcome food ...and a cold beer!

As always I am happy to put some words here from the event organisers themselves, the great team from ANA that made this game possible!

“Killed in action 4 – Next Gen, was once again developed to be more than just a game. In KIA, we want to create an Airsoft Festival Environment to complement the game experience. Every year we celebrate our community, and the Portuguese players or ex-players who passed away recently. And the best way to celebrate life and one community is with fun and good vibes!

This edition of KIA was named Next Gen. We wanted to modernize the military identity of this series for the new ages. War is way more modern now, with drones, technology and ways of battling as units. And we wanted to develop missions and ambiance set on modern days’ warfare. Players used several technology props, launched UAV, used Drone teams, dig up graves to confirm victims identities,

etc. And we wanted to give teams the Choice to select which missions to make. At the command center, all missions were showcased with a short synopsis tagged along and the distance to the objective. So, they would get the choice to do what they feel like it.

It was also Next Gen because we wanted to modernize and make Airsoft attractive to people who still don’t know this exists and are curious by action games. Weeks before the event, we worked together with video maker partners to develop social media clips and full-blown airsoft videos with KIA setting as a background. The reach of the videos was amazing, our metrics show that we made Airsoft reach several new targets outside the sport, that will ultimately grow our Portuguese community. Portugal’s Airsoft Scene is getting larger every week!

And it was Next Gen because new people reached our organization recently, new people volunteered to work with us, and new partners are now closer to us. The amount of sponsors that were part of this project was amazing! Together we were all able to create an amazing experience for all participants. 30+ giveaways was a record in our events, and you know how we drafted it? With a KIA 4 Prize Scratch Card. Now, that’s NEXT GEN!”

The event ended with some great giveaways, using a scratch system, and then it was time for all the factions to head home and get some well-earned rest… until the next time! AA

R-SERIES RELIABILITY!

THE M9-STYLE GBB HANDGUN APPEARS TO HAVE FALLEN A LITTLE OUT OF FAVOUR THESE DAYS, BUT NONETHELESS IT’S A SOLID SIDEARM THAT COVERS AN AWFUL LOT OF AIRSOFT BASES FROM THEMED GAMES THROUGH TO MILSIM, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN! IT’S ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE “MOVIE GUNS” FOR SURE, AND BILL BELIEVES THAT THE LATEST MODELS FROM RAVEN GIVE IT A WHOLE NEW LEASE OF LIFE!

I’ll come straight out and say it, I’m not really a fan of the “M9”; after so many years using G-series pistols for MilSims and training, and 1911/2011 styles for skirmishes and friendly competition, putting another pistol into the mix, one with a slightly different “OS” and that has different ergonomics again is, quite frankly, a bit of a ballache!

However, in all honesty the classic “M9” really does deserve a place in everyone’s airsoft armoury including my own! Quite apart from it being the service pistol of the US military as the Beretta 92FS (officially entering service in 1990) for some considerable time , if you hark back to those wonderful action movies of the 1980’s, absolute belters like “Lethal Weapon” and “Die Hard”, then firearms in the movies (and therefore the airsoft replicas of them) were actually very carefully chosen to tie into the characters that were using them, and rather cleverly showed a

cultural trend in the change from the wheelguns of old to more modern semi-automatic handguns.

In “Lethal Weapon” Riggs choice of the 92F over the revolvers used by most of the cops, including his long-suffering partner Murtaugh, shows a new approach to reliability and “superiority through firepower”, or as Murtaugh states “Nine millimeter Beretta, takes fifteen in the mag, one up the pipe, wide ejection port, no feed jams.” Riggs is also highly proficient with his pistol, able to “draw” a smiley face on a silhouette target at several dozen yards with it, much to the bewilderment of Murtaugh in one memorable scene.

And John McClane in “Die Hard” epitomises everything we love about the “Lone Wolf”. His ability to adapt and overcome, to improvise, take the punches and just keep on going, and of course his innate ability to come up with a cracking one-

“MURTAUGH STATES “NINE MILLIMETER BERETTA, TAKES FIFTEEN IN THE MAG, ONE UP THE PIPE, WIDE EJECTION PORT, NO FEED JAMS.” RIGGS IS ALSO HIGHLY PROFICIENT WITH HIS PISTOL, ABLE TO “DRAW” A SMILEY FACE ON A SILHOUETTE TARGET AT SEVERAL DOZEN YARDS…”

liner even when in the midst of a firefight make him the perfect airsoft hero-model… and of course his choice of handgun is the 92F… interestingly the selfsame “prop” pistol in reality that appears in “Lethal Weapon” too!

And then of course there’s one of my favourite game-series (and movie-series if I’m honest!), “Resident Evil” where the sidearm of the STARS is the awesome 92F Custom “Samurai Edge”! In the game universe this is said to be created by the Kendo Gun Shop, smithed by “Kendo, a Nikkei”, and likened to a katana due to its lustrous finish. Several variants of the “Samurai Edge” appear throughout the game franchise, and for me this makes an “M9” style pistol a must have!

Now I could go on and on like this (yes, spoiler, I’m a HUGE movie and game-universe geek!), but I think you get my point; every airsofter worthy of the name should have at least one “M9” in their armoury, and if I come back to my own personal rule of gaining proficiency with as many different platforms as possible, then that’s a good enough reason in itself to own one. In my mind you should be able to turn up at a game and use effectively whatever you’re handed or find in a scenario game…

But all of that aside my personal experience with airsoft “M9s” has not been a happy one; it may just be me, but every single model both gas and C02 that I’ve ever bought in the past (over MANY years!) has turned out to be a complete dog! I largely consigned this model as a viable “as stock” airsoft pistol to wall-hanger status, keeping just my old “Samurai Edge”… until I got my hands on the latest RAVENS!

GOOD TO GO

Back in Issue 138 I took my first look at the then-new RAVEN M9 and concluded that “Overall this is a really first-rate airsoft pistol and is worthy of a place in anyone’s armoury. It looks and feels great, shoots consistently and accurately, and cycles perfectly on “green-bottle” gas” and after a many, many more BBs downrange I stick with that statement.

The R9 has the solid heft of a full-metal handgun, and it weighs in just over 600g; it’s a big, 215mmlong chunk of fully-functional metalwork that, if you’re anything like me, will put a grin on your face! The R9 has a 20mm rail on the lower front of the frame, so it’s a snap to fit a taclite. The controls will be familiar if you’ve ever had an airsoft “Beretta”, and everything is on the left side of the pistol. The magazine release is a button-style where the trigger guard meets the frame, and the slide release can be found just above easily within reach of the stronghand thumb, and in front of this is take-down pin for slide removal, maintenance and for adjustment of the Hop.

Using it with .20g RZR BBs and NP2.0 green-bottle gas the R9 continues to send a full magazine of 25 BBs downrange with astonishing accuracy thanks to the 113mm 6.03 inner barrel, giving excellent groupings at 10 metres; the sights are a simple front

“I TOOK MY FIRST LOOK AT THE THEN-NEW RAVEN M9 AND CONCLUDED THAT

“OVERALL

THIS IS A REALLY FIRST-RATE AIRSOFT PISTOL AND IS WORTHY OF A PLACE IN ANYONE’S ARMOURY. IT LOOKS AND FEELS GREAT, SHOOTS CONSISTENTLY AND ACCURATELY, AND CYCLES PERFECTLY ON “GREEN-BOTTLE” GAS” AND AFTER A MANY, MANY MORE BBS DOWNRANGE I STICK WITH THAT STATEMENT.”

where the trigger guard meets the frame, and the slide release can be found just above easily within reach of the strong-hand thumb, and in front of this is take-down pin for slide removal, maintenance and for adjustment of the hop.

The grip angle is actually the same as that of the R9 but with slimmer grip panels and a more “upright” backstrap the pistol feels significantly different, almost like it has a much more modern and straight rake which feels great in the hand. Loaded up with the same .20g RZR BBs and NP2.0 greenbottle gas the R9-4 also sends a full magazine of 25 BBs downrange accurately and neatly, again from a 113mm 6.03 inner barrel .20g ammo and it chrono’s consistently around the same 0.83 Joule/300fps mark as the R9; RAVEN now offer a CO2 magazine as an accessory for both pistols though, and this will raise the power a little and will give greater consistency in the colder months of the year for those of us in “temperate” climates, although results with NP 2.0 are solid even in the chillier weather right now.

pistol, or an R9-4 as a loadout-specific military model, or indeed you just get one as an homage to a pistol that has been a HUGE part of silver screen/game history the fact is that RAVEN’s take on the venerable “M9” is going to serve you very, very well indeed!

As the R9 sits around that magic UK£100, whilst the R9-4 is a little more at the UK£110 mark neither are going to break the great bank of airsoft pocket money either, and you get a lot for your money. I’ve wanted a replica of the iconic “M9” that ACTUALLY WORKS in airsoft form for many years, one that would offer me reliability and durability, and now thanks to RAVEN I believe I’ve finally found the “M9s” I’ve been looking for!

My thanks as always go to the guys at RAVEN for letting me check out the new R9 and R9-4, and you can get more information on all the models they offer by simply heading over to www.rvnairsoft. com. Thanks also to Josh and his crew at www. kriosphotography.com for the awesome shots of the R9-4! AA

“I’VE WANTED A REPLICA OF THE ICONIC “M9” THAT ACTUALLY WORKS IN AIRSOFT FORM FOR MANY YEARS, ONE THAT WOULD OFFER ME RELIABILITY AND DURABILITY, AND NOW THANKS TO RAVEN I BELIEVE I’VE FINALLY FOUND THE M9S I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR!”