CONTENTS
8 ARMOURY: VFC HK MP5SD3 GBBR
We’re sure you’re all aware of Stewbacca’s penchant for European firearms and particularly his #EverybodyLovesTheKoch mentality towards HK products in particular, so it’s no surprise he was first in line to snap up the latest MP5 release from VFC when its release was finally announced in mid-July, So what of it, was it worth the wait?
18 ARMOURY: SECUTOR VIRTUS IV MP5
Editorial Director: Bill Thomas
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Deputy Editor (USA): Dan Whedon
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As Stewbacca has headlined this month with the very latest gas MP5 we thought it only correct to offer another version, but this time AEG! Sticking with that “old skool MP5 vibe” Bill gets stuck into one of the most recent polymer models from SECUTOR, and finds a lot to like… and a lot to reminisce about it would seem!
26 ARMOURY: LCT AK MOE AEG
Stewbacca wasn’t given any room to rest on his laurels before LCT informed him of their latest release in their growing AK family, the small but beautifully formed ‘MOE’, and soon one was in his hands in Taipei! So what did one of the biggest guys in the AA Crew make of one of the smallest AKs in LCT’s ever-expanding lineup? As the man himself would say “Read on fellow shooters”!
34
ARMOURY: DELTA ARMOURY DA-A02-ETU ALPHA
Here we go again, yet another “M4 Review”, and why should this be any different from those that we’ve seen before? Bill reflects back on a little “AR History” as he brings in his evaluation of the latest ALPHA ETU AEGs from DELTA ARMORY and explains why the DA-A02-ETU is not an “M4” but is unique in its own special way and is totally worth your attention and time!
40 ARMOURY G&G ESG B-10
As you’ll see in our Red Cell report this month it’s very apparent that the world of airsoft shotguns has changed dramatically in the last few years, and although there have been numerous clones it would appear that Japan has once again been leading the way…. until now! With the ESG B-10 Taiwanese airsoft via G&G ARMAMENT has arrived to the shotgun party with an all-new gas model that’s just perfect for getting up close and personal!
66
AA LEGION UK: NAF 2024
Every year on August Bank Holiday weekend AIRSOFT ACTION make their annual pilgrimage to the New Forest to attend the UK NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL! It would seem that this flagship event is never without a bit of controversy, and with the cost of living crisis meaning price rises for just about everything, this year was no exception… but it turned out to be EXCEPTIONAL for many reasons!
48 RED CELL: SHOTGUN UPDATE
Since we took our initial look at airsoft shotguns three years ago, things have changed in this category… quite dramatically in fact! So we need to reflect this with new additions whilst at the same time updating older platforms. Once again as a true lover of pumps, breachers, and semi-autos Bill takes this task on himself to bring things fully up to speed!
76 AA LEGION UK: AUK ON DRAKES ISLAND
What happens when the guys at the AIRSOFT UK online players group decide to bring together a tight-knit group of committed airsofters, take them to a totally unique venue, and have at it? Luckily for us our newest “Legionnaire” Rich P was one of those lucky airsofters and now reports back from a very special day on DRAKES ISLAND!
62 INSIDE AIRSOFT: BESPOKE RANGE UK
Bill is usually out and about visiting our partners and friends each month, and in August his travels took him to the doors of the latest dedicated airsoft shooting range in the UK situated alongside the BESPOKE AIRSOFT store just outside London; with a literal range of high quality target systems and some surprising “airsoft hire packages” it’s well worth a visit!
84
AA LEGION: PORTUGAL
The UNDERCOVER series is part of ANA association’s yearly events, and probably the biggest ongoing roleplay and airsoft game in Portugal! It’s a series that follows General Pestá in his conquest of different territories around the country, while fighting against covert Special Ops groups and local militias! Miguel tells us more…
94 RELOADED: G&G FNC AEG
With Stewbacca (among many others!) eagerly getting his hands on VFC’s latest Cybergun-licensed FN FNC GBBR, our man in Japan Tama was feeling a little jealous (his IG handle is @FN_waifu after all, so we can understand his pining for the HEAT!) so he decided to share his experiences of the venerable G&G FNC AEG he’s been using during his airsofting, or ‘SaBaGe’ in the local parlance, exploits in Japan!
Image: Krios Photography
HI-CAPA
• TDC Hop-Up Chamber (Compatible with TM spec)
• MASTER MODS R-Hop System
• REVO.II High Performance Valve System
• Steel made fire control system components (Compatible with TM spec)
• SUS301 Stainless Steel Searing Spring (Compatible with TM spec)
• Adjustable Trigger
• RMR & DOC Mount
• 3-dot Luminous Sights
CHALLENGE MORE
The HI-CAPA CHALLENGER which is right the beast born to challenge. During the developments, ICS integrated our most delicate and advanced GBB pistol making craftsmanship. Furthermore, we refined all the minor imperfections and made it superior to any other competitors without sacrificing the compatibility with other Hi-Capa products.
SILENT SIEGE ENGINE
WE’RE SURE YOU’RE ALL AWARE OF STEWBACCA’S PENCHANT FOR EUROPEAN FIREARMS AND PARTICULARLY HIS #EVERYBODYLOVESTHEKOCH MENTALITY TOWARDS HK PRODUCTS IN PARTICULAR, SO IT’S NO SURPRISE HE WAS FIRST IN LINE TO SNAP UP THE LATEST MP5 RELEASE FROM VFC WHEN ITS RELEASE WAS FINALLY ANNOUNCED IN MID-JULY, FOLLOWING ITS ANNOUNCEMENT AND PROTOTYPE BEING DISPLAYED AT MOA 2023 LAST DECEMBER; SO WHAT OF IT, WAS IT WORTH THE WAIT?
Oh look, more satin-finish classic-MP5 stampedsteel receiver but with a chonkeh integral suppressor slapped on the front, he thinks to himself as he’s bumbling around VFC’s stand at QRF Magazine’s MOA Show last year in Taipei, eagerly awaiting the release date of yet another in their growing line of Umarex-licensed Heckler & Koch replicas.
They’re slowly filling up the dedicated H&K wall of his gun Stu-dio at this point, with the PSG-1, HK53, MP5k PDW, and soon to be an HK416A5 to supplant the earlier WE equivalent that’s showing its age… life is good, but it can be better; the handling feels nice, especially with the wide rubberised cylindrical cover installed and the telescopic stock extended.
Fast forward half way into the following year and I’d been given the usual heads up about likely release dates from the gents at VFC’s Pentagon Service Centre regarding a few of their products,
Instagram and public Facebook page for your viewing pleasure!
I ran it on its iron sights on the first outing just to get a baseline for performance and general consistency and accuracy without the usual whizzbangs the whipper-snappers use slapped on it, and it immediately impressed me in terms of the handling and recoil impulse during fast-paced IPSC drill stages and practise stage runs alike, knocking down poppers with ease and drilling papers with some nice tight groups when I look back over my head cam videos from that evening and the others that followed.
Our somewhat limited 10m square training space did not prepare me for the reality of the MP5 SD3’s true capabilities though! Given the big integral suppressor on the front end VFC seem to have bucked their usual recent trend of undersized inner barrels to keep the output power a little lower, and instead
At our Xindian site in the Southern foothills of Taipei the rear berm of the flat field safezone/prep and test range area has been clocked at around 85m away with our laser range finders, and just running fairly typical 0.30g BLS BBs on its first outing it was slamming rounds all the way into that berm from our staging area with ease and repeatability. Most. Impressed. As usual a queue of the guys formed to get their trigger time behind the new MP5 and share the usual appreciative and approving grunts and gleeful noises; seems everyone else was duly impressed as well, the handling and aesthetic just seem to sing to most of us.
INTO THE WILD
When I got it out into games it continued to perform well; even just running iron sights I managed to eliminate three opponents in the first round alone, and a further three across the
loads through it to keep the opposition’s heads down or even take them out at around 40-50 metres away with relative ease, I was having a whale of a time!
Although it is ‘dense’ being full on stamped and welded steel, and running up a weight of 3.2kg it’s very easy to handle and compact with the weight, the overall footprint is actually very comparable to the HK53, being 610mm long with the stock collapsed and 765mm long with it extended, the suppressor just sticks out an inch or so more than the muzzle of the HK53 when they’re both sat on the gun wall… very handy.
It certainly seems to put BBs down very snappily; the usual shorter stroke of the “9mm” platform and its related and curtailed bolt-throw makes for a much crisper recoil impulse and fast cycle time; even though the magazines are “30 rounders” and give you the same capacity as AR style platforms, the faster action just lets you pound through them a whole lot faster,
“THE PERFORMANCE OUT OF THE BOX IS SIMILARLY ASTONISHING! CLOCKING AT A FAIRLY CONSISTENT AVERAGE OF 135M/S (1.83 JOULE/444 FPS) ON A 0.20G BLS BB AND ‘12KG / GREEN GAS’ IN THE STU-DIO, THE VARIANCE WAS ALSO WITHIN 2M/S ABOVE OR BELOW THE AVERAGE, SO THE LOCK-WORK AND CONSISTENCY OVERALL SEEM VERY GOOD”
for a couple of months, an ideal indoor/outdoor CQB proving environment for the platform synonymous with silent siege action. In the real-steel realm the SD series MP5s are genuinely ‘Hollywood’ quiet with some of my former compatriots in the UK apparently having used them in the line of their [mysterious and naturally heavily redacted] work, the sound of the action cycling is reported to genuinely drown out the report of the muzzle and subsonic rounds flying downrange, and the MP5 SD3/5/6 models feature heavily in pop culture as a result, pairing nicely with full black or midnight blue overalls and tactical gear for the real ‘Milk Tray Man’ look. If you understand that reference, it’s time to schedule your first colonoscopy as well...
Suffice to say I grew up in an era of peak SAS shenanigans and the MP5 series naturally featured heavily in various forces’ repertoires, in fact in a pattern I’ve seen emerging, real steel manufacturers were once again sharing images of their products in use just as VFC were releasing their replicas, with my feed featuring the French GIGN operators sporting full on riot gear and an HK MP5 SD5 the very day I picked my own up… they’re clearly in cahoots, it seems!
Like the fabled ‘Milk Tray Man’ of British confectionery lore, I spent the Sunday ducking in and out of doorways and windows, sniping opponents quite effectively out to even 50 metres away with the VFC MP5 SD3, planting single shots or double taps on ‘tangoes’ at great range with ease, thanks in no small part to the addition of a genuine SIG Sauer Romeo 5 red dot I bought off my teammate prior and decided looked the part on the SD3.
Nabbing one of the B&T style claw picatinny rails from another HK replica on the wall to enable it to be attached, the very crisp 2 MOA dot allowed me to zero the whole setup superbly and I was exchanging accurate fire with opponents all day and posting BBs through narrow gaps or tagging small exposed bits of limbs with gleeful ease throughout the day’s game rounds.
Carrying all four of my MP5 magazines in two WMag pairs I had to reload on the go in practically all the game rounds I played at both the Xindian and Pewniversity sites; the MP5 does seem a lot more conducive to rapid double taps or strings and the
stout recoiling funtimes can make you get carried away easily it seems, chasing running targets around and planting BBs around them at distance! I am actually sorely tempted to buy another two or four magazines and actually run it at our upcoming POLK 4 MilSim event in October, given the sheer performance, ease of handling and aesthetic and the fact I can get two mags in the space of one AR mag on my gear… I just have too many great guns to choose from, it seems.
RANGE TOO!
Not wanting to hog all the funtimes to myself, however, I decided to take the MP5 SD3 and MP5k PDW along to my next CivDef pistol training class as another bit of a treat for the regulars who are more confident in skill at arms, and of course everyone was happy to get some time behind it, especially with the red dot enabling for rapid and accurate target acquisition compared to the more difficult iron sights setup of its smaller PDW sibling.
Our new-girl teammate, Ning, had come along too to get some extra trigger time in and despite being quite slight in build she actually found it reasonably comfortable to use compared to the full size M16A1 she’d fielded in skirmishes before, the weight distribution and chunky handguard really do seem to make it an ideal platform for everyone that picks it up.
On the Pewniversity outing I had also had time to take it to the firing range down behind the safezone buildings; the old university sports field serves as an ideal location to shoot out to 60m on the targets the administrative team there have constructed and distributed at known distances. I decided to go the whole hog and throw in my now somewhat typical 0.48g BLS BB loads to ensure maximum consistency and reach, of course having to dial the HOP unit up somewhat to lift the heavier rounds.
This is somewhat of a cinch compared to earlier models like the PDW where the vertical foregrip and its retention pin caused me some issues, similarly the actual adjustment system and dial wheel itself are far better, being much larger and residing at the very rear inside of the metallic ‘cage’ that sits under the rubberised grip handguard cover. You just need to
“LIKE THE FABLED ‘MILK TRAY MAN’ OF BRITISH CONFECTIONERY LORE, I
SPENT THE SUNDAY DUCKING IN AND OUT OF DOORWAYS AND WINDOWS, SNIPING OPPONENTS QUITE EFFECTIVELY OUT TO EVEN 50 METRES AWAY WITH THE VFC MP5 SD3, PLANTING SINGLE SHOTS OR DOUBLE TAPS ON ‘TANGOES’ AT GREAT RANGE WITH EASE”
“ON THE PEWNIVERSITY OUTING I HAD ALSO HAD TIME TO TAKE IT TO THE FIRING RANGE DOWN BEHIND THE SAFEZONE BUILDINGS; THE OLD UNIVERSITY SPORTS FIELD SERVES AS AN IDEAL LOCATION TO SHOOT OUT TO 60M ON THE TARGETS THE ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM THERE HAVE CONSTRUCTED AND DISTRIBUTED AT KNOWN DISTANCES”
peel the edges of this outwards at the front edge of the handguard to unseat them from the retaining slot, then pull the whole cover forwards an inch or so to expose the HOP adjustment wheel beneath; it clicks very positively and allows for accurate and consistent adjustments, with the detent clicks preventing unwanted movement under recoil once you have it set up how you prefer.
following the proper MP5 manual of arms for loading on a full magazine, and removing an empty one, always locking the bolt rearward in each case before fitting or removing the magazine.
The only real downside to watch out for is the same V2 problematic magazine and empty chamber cutoff system; unlike the much preferred PSG1/G3/HK53 side swinging interlock valve lever that interrupts the valve striker of the fire control group releasing gas from the magazine and giving you the actual ‘dead trigger’ and related click that lets you know the gun is empty, the MP5 SD3 follows on from the MP5k PDW with the same V2 magazines and bolt where the loading nozzle smacks into the exposed rear of the follower and stops the bolt’s forward stroke mid travel, giving you a ‘floating’ dead trigger rather than the actual ‘dead click’ and forcing you to get used to the tactile difference in a full stroke loading a round and the feeling of a partial curtailed stroke signalling an empty chamber and magazine.
As with the MP5k PDW I’ve been very diligent in
This realistic manner of operation should ensure minimal wear and tear on the bolt carrier group’s loading nozzle and the magazine followers, and while I haven’t personally had any issues thus far, it’s important to remember that although I am a blunt and abusive instrument, my abuse is spread across a lot of platforms, and while we put plenty of full magazine loads through both my VFC MP5 models at the various CivDef classes, I haven’t fielded them exclusively for long periods just yet. A cursory glance at the Heavy Recoil Club’s Discord (featured in last month’s issue) and you’ll see plenty of discussion of failed nozzles and modifications to the magazine feed lips; again I feel no need for such things thus far, and if things do break I have the great advantage of the VFC Pentagon Centre and their well versed staff being a short trip away, but do bear in mind wear and tear if you plan on running one of these hard and as a primary setup… having access to spare nozzles and followers or a couple on hand ready will likely alleviate the majority of complaints you’re likely to encounter.
Beyond that one functional caveat I haven’t seen much in the way of bad feedback for the VFC MP5 series in general, the overall build quality seems excellent all round with lots of steel internals, carrying over the earlier V2 fire control group with steel components, and marrying it with the latest HOP up system upgrades to eliminate any issues with earlier models. Of course I elected for the SD3 variant with the old school left thumb only larger lever S-E-F trigger pack which has become my preferred standard
“ALL THE MAGAZINES EASILY DUMPED TWO FULL LOADS OF BBS AND THEN SOME, GETTING MOST OF THE WAY THROUGH A THIRD MAGAZINE BEFORE GIVING UP THE GHOST! THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF A STARK IMPROVEMENT OVER VFC’S V1 MP5 AND UMP SYSTEMS I WITNESSED WHEN I FIRST ARRIVED IN COUNTRY”
now as it is much more positive in terms of locking into positions, and I don’t really need the burst feature anyway.
Similarly, Nonocat in New Zealand sourced herself the same albeit making it an SD2 with the solid stock for her tastes, but similarly she was shredding through magazines in short order in her online content and similarly getting great efficiency. I was having to reload magazines on the go with a speed-loader and ramrod in the field during most of my games, but didn’t have chance to recharge the gas until returning to the safezone; all the magazines easily dumped two full loads of BBs and then some, getting most of the way through a third magazine before giving up the ghost!
This is somewhat of a stark improvement over VFC’s V1 MP5 and UMP systems I witnessed when I first arrived in country, you really can get a lot of practical firepower out of these systems nowadays by comparison.
So, if you’re in the market for an H&K and are also a lover of the MP5 series, or if you just happen to be a big fan of Sicario’s Alejandro and his suppressed Koch, or likewise looking to get your SAS or GIGN classico loadout on, aside from the manual of arms and potential maintenance considerations to warn you about, I can’t really recommend the VFC HK MP5 SD3 enough to be honest. I was absolutely slaying paper, metal and meat targets alike throughout my testing regimen, and I’m sure the latest MP5 will be another platform that doesn’t just languish on my gun wall; it makes me want to balaclava up and rappel into unsuspecting environments to deliver premium quality British chocolates before disappearing into the night!
My thanks go to ‘Jerry’ Wu ChengYi (IG @ jerrywugaga) for his help with the action images shown in this review…do go and check out his other fine work if you can! AA
“SO,
IF YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR AN H&K AND ARE ALSO A LOVER OF THE MP5 SERIES, OR IF YOU JUST HAPPEN TO BE A BIG FAN OF SICARIO’S ALEJANDRO AND HIS SUPPRESSED KOCH, OR LIKEWISE LOOKING TO GET YOUR SAS OR GIGN CLASSICO LOADOUT ON… I CAN’T REALLY RECOMMEND THE VFC HK MP5 SD3 ENOUGH TO BE HONEST!”
OLD SKOOL... STILL COOL
AS STEWBACCA HAS HEADLINED THIS MONTH WITH THE VERY LATEST GAS MP5 WE THOUGHT IT ONLY CORRECT TO OFFER ANOTHER VERSION, BUT THIS TIME AEG! STICKING WITH THAT “OLD SKOOL MP5 VIBE” BILL GETS STUCK INTO ONE OF THE MOST RECENT POLYMER MODELS FROM SECUTOR, AND FINDS A LOT TO LIKE… AND A LOT TO REMINISCE ABOUT IT WOULD SEEM!
Iknow that I go on about the “airsoft journey” we all share quite regularly, but for me this has been a long old path, one that I’ve enjoyed pretty much every moment of, and in different ways airsoft has now been a major part of my life for going on 30 YEARS! Yup, I am that old, and I’ve seen so many changes in the industry, and probably more importantly the “tools” that we use to play airsoft with, during that time… and guess what, the MP5 has been a pretty regular partner for me over all those years!
I won’t dwell on those changes in “our world” in detail here as I’ll be putting something together for the November issue as that is my “official 30th”, but what I will comment on is our “platforms”, and how things have changed in relation to them!
Once upon a time, on an airsoft field not so very far away from where I sit typing today, I discovered airsoft, and the introduction of the AEG in the mid1990s saw the beginning of what I will call “regular airsoft”, the game that we all know and love now, but it wasn’t until the early 2000’s that I actually
owned an MP5 AEG.
Although they were about at that time (ICS had their first around 2000 as I recall), most of us had moved on from the “FAMAS Days” to embrace the AR/M4 platform, and even back then I owned a few, mainly Classic Army who you have to understand were pretty huge in the day. I played with my “M4s” of different flavours quite happily, and loved them. However, in 2006 there was a major change in my life, and I went to live in the USA… where I stayed for the next four and a bit years!
Again, long story short, due to shipping issues I sold my ARs to some of the guys in my then-team and pocketed the proceeds with a view to setting up afresh when I arrived in Florida. Thanks to some excellent advice from my old mate (and somewhat airsoft mentor) John “Lionclaws” Lu I made contact with AEX and then Airsoft GI in California, and Andy Ho at AEX sorted me out with an superb “6mm care package” to get me started all over again.
Now having already made enquiries about airsoft in my new “AO”, and having arrived with a full set of DPM gear (which worked amazingly well in the mangroves and palmettos!) I decided to very much play the Englishman abroad… so NOT an AR! I scratched my head for a bit as it was not until a little later that an L85 AEG (STAR and then ICS for me if you must know) would make an appearance on the scene, as to what “primary” I would run with… as I’d played a couple of “pick-up games” with my new American mates and found the fields and sites to be fairly “up close and personal”, indeed full “jungle” in some places, I decided that an SMG would be the thing, and of course one sprang immediately to mind, with a very strong “Brit” connection!
Yes, it was the MP5, beloved of SF and especially the SAS, and very soon I had one of my own, a WELL version if I remember correctly as I wanted something cheap-ish to try out, to see if it “fitted me”. Lowpowered, plastic-creaky, and a little cranky, after I learned that upgraded hops were my friend that little AEG saw me through some righteous encounters for a good while and I came to love it, and I had the “maschinenpistole bug” good and proper. Soon the little WELL was passed on to a new player in our
“ONCE
UPON
A TIME, ON AN AIRSOFT FIELD NOT SO VERY FAR AWAY FROM WHERE I SIT TYPING TODAY, I DISCOVERED AIRSOFT, AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE AEG IN THE MID-1990S SAW THE BEGINNING OF WHAT I WILL CALL “REGULAR AIRSOFT”, THE GAME THAT WE ALL KNOW AND LOVE NOW, BUT IT WASN’T UNTIL THE EARLY 2000’S THAT I ACTUALLY OWNED AN MP5 AEG”
HAVE EVER BEEN, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE SECUTOR THIS AIN’T IN ANY WAY AT ALL A “PLASTIC FANTASTIC” OF YEARS PAST! WHEN I FIRST LIFTED IT FROM THE BOX I HAD TO THINK FOR A MOMENT BECAUSE IT FELT SO GOOD… IS IT OR ISN’T IT?”
up to engage fully and positively. Pulling back the charging handle and locking it open actually achieves nothing on the SECUTOR as the hop adjustment is a bit old-skool in that it’s a little slider-lever just behind the cocking-handle channel… I must admit not having seen one like this for a while, but when it comes to fine hop adjustment it appears to work just fine… as the “5”though is polymer and not metal I wouldn’t recommend you indulge in the “HK Slap”!
The front grip, which is also the battery compartment, is well made and sizeable, with a distinctive bulge where the rear of the taclite arrangement sits; this is held in buy a standard H&K cotter pin. The rear part of the taclite itself is fixed
the front grip; a quick press will give a constant visible light, but really pushing it down gives you a strobe, and on both settings the light is white, bright, and clean, perfect for some low-light CQB action! The battery compartment itself is big enough for a decent battery, especially a good-sized LiPo, to fit in nicely, so one battery should see you going all day long.
So, externally it’s pretty standard “5”, and apart from the obvious SECUTOR trades it’s darn tidy! Add to that a classic-looking handguard where the taclite is integrated, that the muzzle is threaded 14mm CCW to allow for easy attachment of accessories such as tracer units, and that it comes with a neat little
“THE FINISH IS ACTUALLY IMPECCABLE, WITH ONLY THE TINIEST OF MOULD LINES VISIBLE… IF YOU LOOK HARD…
AND THE IMPRESSION IS ONE OF A “MID-LIFE SWAT MP5” GIVEN THE INTEGRATED TACLITE… AND YES, THE TACLITE ITSELF DOES COME AS A PART OF THE DEAL, AS DOES A METAL CLAW-MOUNT RAIL UP-TOP TO FIT OPTICS IF YOU SO DESIRE”
encounters. Resetting the hop and moving up to .28g,
MP5 looks great, is very well finished and put together
can’t help but mentally wince in case the performance doesn’t live up to the good looks; in the past I’ve seen some truly stunning looking replicas that ultimately spat BBs with all the venom of a lazy worm, and the accuracy of a past-prime third-division striker!
Luckily with the SECUTOR MP5 its performance is every bit as good as its solid, blast-from-the-past looks. As stated earlier a 100 BB magazine is included in the package, and with this filled and the hop set it’s simply a case of pop in the battery, engage safety, insert the magazine and you are ready to rock n’ roll, and this is where the fun REALLY starts.
Using .20g BBs the “5” gave a mean chronograph
design for exactly what it is, and the SECUTOR certainly offers that. Whether you’re new to the game, or an older, greying airsoft hound like me, an MP5 should be in everyone’s armoury, and if you’re looking for good one that won’t break the bank, and that most certainly evokes “time and place”, then I’d suggest you take a good, long look at the VIRTUS IV “SWAT”.
My sincere thanks to the guys at www.iwholesales. biz for providing the test AEG; if you’d like to keep updated on the latest news about the SECUTOR line, and many other new developments, then do keep an eye on their website and socials!. AA
“USING .20G BBS THE “5” GAVE A MEAN CHRONOGRAPH READING OF 1.0 JOULE/329FPS WHICH WAS VERY CONSISTENT AND OBVIOUSLY PERFECTLY SITE FRIENDLY, ESPECIALLY FOR CQB ENCOUNTERS. RESETTING THE HOP AND MOVING UP TO .28G, MOVING THE FIRE SELECTOR TO SEMI-AUTO AND EASING THE TRIGGER SENDS BBS DOWNRANGE WELL”
SMALL GUN, BIG FUN!
HAVING ONLY JUST FINISHED OFF HIS LONGER TERM ASSESSMENT OF THE LCT AIRSOFT LCK74MN AND ZENITCO-THEMED Z-SERIES RANGE OF ACCESSORIES IN ISSUE 165, STEWBACCA WASN’T GIVEN ANY ROOM TO REST ON HIS LAURELS BEFORE OUR FRIENDS AT LCT INFORMED HIM OF THEIR LATEST RELEASE IN THEIR GROWING AK FAMILY, THE SMALL BUT BEAUTIFULLY FORMED ‘MOE’, AND SOON ONE WAS IN HIS HANDS IN TAIPEI! SO WHAT DID ONE OF THE BIGGEST GUYS IN THE AA CREW MAKE OF ONE OF THE SMALLEST AKS IN LCT’S EVER-EXPANDING LINEUP? AS THE MAN HIMSELF WOULD SAY “READ ON FELLOW SHOOTERS”!
MOE, so I’m told, is a Japanese name which implies something cute and petite; I’m inclined to agree given that one of the many Japanese lady friends I made at university bore the same name, and having joined me airsofting way back then she was also adorable and formidable, wielding submachine guns with a maniacal grin of pure joy that was infectious!
Thus, LCT’s newest addition to their AK range bears the same name - because it’s an ultra-short SMG or PDW style platform that the US’ ATF would likely term a ‘pistol’ because of their largely incomprehensible anti-fun rules!
bunch of additional goodies in the main box along with the PK403 LCK-16 electric drum magazine which adds another 670g of weight empty; a standard magazine release and trigger guard which are included within the main package as the MOE ships with the PP-19 magazine adaptor installed as standard and a PK275 50 round midcap, but can easily be changed out modularly to feed from 5.45mm style magazines like the LCK74MN I already have on hand; most handy to give you great versatility off the bat.
only being 366mm long in its stock format, the ultrastubby wood fore-end gives you somewhere to grab the front assuming you use either the standard 9mm PP-19 or 5.45mm AK74 style magazines; however fitting the drum mag to such a small platform makes it a bit of a handful to get to grips with!
This wooden fore-end can also be removed easily by unthreading the large diameter twin chambered muzzle brake, revealing a 24mm threaded section beneath which allows for the attachment of muzzle devices such as suppressors; Bella at LCT was also good enough to include the PP19 Silencer with
already racks up a 2.2kg heft despite
which allowed me to immediately install the ZPT3 stanchion stock which matches the receiver’s overall length nicely when fully extended and tightened, giving me a great-feeling setup that is compact but comfortable to shoulder and run around with. The stock also includes a sling point on its rear underside that allowed me to put my typical Fastex QD buckle to easily attach it to my plate carriers or chest rigs.
TANK-LIKE INSIDE AND OUT!
Internally you get the same ‘built like a tank’ gearbox with 9mm bearings, featuring a polycarbonate and steel piston, a QD spring change system, all coupled with a 22,000 RPM motor that is also compatible with ETUs of your choice should you wish to increase the responsiveness.
The battery storage is of course above the gearbox under the folding top cover; this is riveted to the front trunnion permanently making it easier to manipulate it and not have some of the same looseness of the typical AK top covers; my example came with a Dean’s / ‘T-plug’ connector on the wire loom out of the box… everyone is moving with the times on that front at least.
The barrel is a very short brass 143mm affair that still delivers surprisingly good output and ballistics, allowing me to easily reach out across rooms in the various CQB places I employed it, easily putting BBs out to the 40-50m range without much issue. The only drawback I found in this respect is the iron sights, the front one of course being part of the front trunnion and faux gas block, while the rear one is permanently affixed to the folding top cover; said cover does have some ‘play’ in it in terms of seating and latching at the rear with the usual sprung loaded button, so once a battery is fitted it tends to push the cover up and thereby ‘nose-down’ the rear sight meaning that you always end up shooting a bit high compared to your sight picture in my experience. Having the tracer fitted certainly helps alleviate those issues at least, and using it at close range allows some level of simple ‘point shooting’ capability anyway; however lacking the typical left side receiver ‘shoe’ mounted rail for cantilever attachments you can’t readily add a red dot to improve matters on that front.
“THE
My teammate also runs a cut down customised LCT AK74MN which features the same rear sight block welded to the top cover of his variant, and has a customised picatinny rail installed to allow a red dot or similar, so there are potential opportunities to install something if you feel the need; thus far I’ve been happily blatting away without much worry given the close quarters nature of the games I played with it, and clearly it’s the main intent for such a short package.
My own example was very consistently putting out 0.78 Joule/290 fps/88m/s on 0.2g BLS BBs with almost no variance, and this was more than ample for using 0.25g and 0.28g tracer BBs fed from either the electric drum mag, or the standard 140 round mid cap magazines. I took to loading these with ten BBs of red at the bottom and the rest green on top, a system which easily allowed me to predict when my ammunition was about to run out and prevent me running dry! Being used to gas blowback guns for most of my time here in Taiwan, a lack of a last round bolt-hold-open can take you unawares with an AEG!
INTO THE WILD
Our first outing that I took the ‘Moe’ along with me for also happened to be the first time we visited an old hotel site south of Taipei overlooking one of the local reservoirs, and we got to work in our usual fashion moving tactically down corridors and storming stairways.
The ‘Moe’ acquitted itself excellently given its very short and pointable profile, the standard AK74 magazines allowed me to grip the fore-end fairly easily and manoeuvre through the myriad doorways and tight spaces we had to deal with, putting BBs down readily and ‘following the tracers’ in to targets merrily, and giving my teammates the exciting ‘STAR WARS’ treatment and allowing me to point out targets with the old ‘follow my tracer’ trick… although of course they do work both ways… so I nonetheless got eliminated at times.
Using the drum mag lead to me supporting it with my hand splayed across the front face to pull the whole setup into my shoulder, and to also actuate the
MOE SHIPS WITH THE PP-19 MAGAZINE ADAPTOR INSTALLED AS STANDARD AND A PK-275 50 ROUND MIDCAP, BUT CAN EASILY BE CHANGED OUT MODULARLY TO FEED FROM 5.45MM STYLE MAGAZINES LIKE THE LCK74MN I ALREADY HAVE ON HAND; MOST HANDY TO GIVE YOU GREAT VERSATILITY OFF THE BAT”
“OUR FIRST OUTING THAT I TOOK THE ‘MOE’ ALONG WITH ME FOR ALSO HAPPENED TO BE THE FIRST TIME WE VISITED AN OLD HOTEL SITE SOUTH OF TAIPEI OVERLOOKING ONE OF THE LOCAL RESERVOIRS, AND WE GOT TO WORK IN OUR USUAL FASHION MOVING TACTICALLY DOWN CORRIDORS AND STORMING STAIRWAYS. THE ‘MOE’ ACQUITTED ITSELF EXCELLENTLY…”
winding mechanism; one thing I really like about the LCT drum mags compared to some of the alternatives I’ve used in the past back in the UK for AR and G36 series guns is the lack of obvious electronic controls. Instead of just ‘copping out’ and slapping an exposed push button on the rear face of the drum like so many others, theirs is hidden within the drum itself, and actuated by rotating the real drum winding control lever on the front face, thus it makes sense to lift and retain the drum with your support hand which allows you to push up on the lever as and when required.
The first outing also saw us allowed to use full auto fire, something we don’t often see at sites in Taiwan, and of course this allowed me to really stretch the legs of the drum mag and tracer unit combination, redecorating and dropping the red-green disco on the OpFor with understandable glee.
Throughout the first day I had no issues throwing down BBs and getting the ‘Moe’ itself with all the trimmings in and out of rooms and managed to eliminate a decent number of opponents throughout the various game rounds.
The HOP up unit is the usual longitudinal slider hidden behind the faux bolt which can be retracted against its return spring to allow adjustment, and once I had mine dialled in the consistent trajectory made the BB paths predictable enough even with the limitations of the stock sighting set up.
On its next outing we were once again visiting a new site to us for the first time, actually one surprisingly close to my home which makes it a tempting prospect for future games as well! It’s a vast disused hotel or club house of some description with multiple floors, sports facilities, swimming pools (which you definitely do not want to end up in, to be sure!) and other ballrooms or hallways and grand staircases to navigate and fight your way through.
Again, the ‘Moe’ seamlessly threw tracers downrange and allowed me to get really tight in against the walls and cubby holes to maximise my cover…I’m a pretty big target to be fair, but as such I managed to eliminate a large proportion of the opposing team in one of the game rounds. The only issue I had that day was the drum mag misfeeding slightly for some reason; it seems the coiled spring ‘hose’ which is fairly typical of electric feed drum mags
actually travels up through the main ammunition storage compartment, so I’m not sure if I overfilled the main chamber and caused it to deflect and jam up the BBs inside it, but emptying the drum mag out and resetting the winding mechanism seemed to resolve the issue.
It’s maybe worth adding further wrapping or protection to the coil spring hose yourself; I would also be tempted to line the ammunition chamber with a thin layer of self-adhesive foam of some description to lessen the ‘battle rattle’ noise of the BBs shaking
“AGAIN THE ‘MOE’ SEAMLESSLY THREW TRACERS DOWNRANGE AND ALLOWED ME TO GET REALLY TIGHT IN AGAINST THE WALLS AND CUBBY HOLES TO MAXIMISE MY COVER…I’M A PRETTY BIG TARGET TO BE FAIR, BUT AS SUCH I MANAGED TO ELIMINATE A LARGE PROPORTION OF THE OPPOSING TEAM IN ONE OF THE GAME ROUNDS”
against the drum body, sacrificing a little capacity is probably worth it for improved stealth… at least prior to the point you open fire with the drum mag itself, I suppose.
This was the only issue I encountered in quite a few rounds of play dedicated to fielding the AK ‘Moe’, and the drum mag itself has an excellent mechanism in its bottom half and a triple AA battery mounting unit that can be restrained within the chamber beneath the motor and winding system. The insides can easily be accessed by unscrewing the big rear central knurled knob allowing you to entirely remove the back cover for rapid loading, changing the batteries or otherwise dealing with the internals. However, you can also flip up the small access hatch at the front of the main magazine ‘tower’ in front of the main ammunition feed chute and pour BBs in from the top front with the rear panel installed.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The overall short receiver does make it a bit difficult to get a hand hold if you have the drum mag installed, but with standard 5.45 or 9mm magazines fitted you can get more purchase or use the magazine body as
somewhat of an improvised vertical grip. Otherwise there isn’t much opportunity for adding furniture or vertical grips, but hopefully that isn’t such a drawback given the performance despite the ultra-compact footprint.
I could certainly see this being an excellent backup platform for a sniper or other specialist player or command element player, you could easily sling it across your back with not much sticking out assuming you eschew the drum mag which you wouldn’t really want for a PDW style setup anyway, you would likely argue.
It’s easy to throw around in tight spaces but still gets the job done out to decent distances, so if you’re in the market for something a little smaller, and a little different, it’s definitely worth considering getting your hands on an AK ‘Moe’ of your own, fellow shooters, and I know from comments in our AA Crew chat that a few of the team are seriously looking to add one to their personal armouries already!
Many thanks as always to Bella and the LCT Airsoft (www.lctairsoft.com) team for facilitating the review and their ongoing support of our efforts here; dare I wonder aloud what they’ll send my way next? Watch this space, I suppose… AA
“IT’S EASY TO THROW AROUND IN TIGHT SPACES BUT STILL GETS THE JOB DONE OUT TO DECENT DISTANCES, SO IF YOU’RE IN THE MARKET FOR SOMETHING A LITTLE SMALLER, AND A LITTLE DIFFERENT, IT’S DEFINITELY WORTH CONSIDERING GETTING YOUR HANDS ON AN AK ‘MOE’ OF YOUR OWN”
TAP/CLICKIMAGESFORMOREINFORMATION
UNIQUELY AR!
HERE WE GO AGAIN, YET ANOTHER “M4 REVIEW”, AND WHY SHOULD THIS BE ANY DIFFERENT FROM THOSE THAT WE’VE SEEN BEFORE? BILL REFLECTS BACK ON A LITTLE “AR HISTORY” AS HE BRINGS IN HIS EVALUATION OF THE LATEST ALPHA ETU AEGS FROM DELTA ARMORY AND EXPLAINS WHY THE DA-A02-ETU IS NOT AN “M4” BUT IS UNIQUE IN ITS OWN SPECIAL WAY AND IS TOTALLY WORTH YOUR ATTENTION AND TIME!
Aquestion that I am regularly asked is “How, after so many years of reviewing and writing about airsoft, can you find something new to say about an M4?”, and on the face of it this is a pretty valid question, one to which I have an equally valid answer I believe… when it comes not to the “M4” which is a very specific platform I instead look to all-things-AR, and that my good airsoft friends is a whole new ballgame!
The “AR”, in its many and myriad forms, is undoubtedly the “King of the Skirmish”, and I shudder to think just how many AEG and GBB “ARs” there are out there these days… but this is also true of the real shooting world.
Whilst yes, essentially there is only one true AR, that developed by Eugene Morrison Stoner and that “uses a true expanding gas system instead of the conventional impinging gas system”, the very nomenclature, “AR-15” goes back to the very roots of the story…
In 1959 ArmaLite, where Stoner did most of his development work, sold their patent and trademarks to Colt’s Manufacturing Company, most of the patents for the Colt AR-15 are believed to have expired in the late 1970’s, which opened the way for a whole host of clever creators to start producing rifles and carbines that were totally unique. While these were undoubtedly “AR” under the hood and still very much the original design of our man Eugene, things got “interesting”. It’s equally interesting though to note, that although those patents expired many moons ago now, Colt retained the trademark to the AR-15 name and is the sole manufacturer able to mark their firearms as such, although of course every “AR” as we now know it is not a Colt!
You could go as far as to say that a similar situation actually exists in airsoft, and that every airsoft “AR” out there is actually a Tokyo Marui, as how often do we use the phrase “TM compatible” as a benchmark? Just like Stoner came up with the idea of the AR design and operating system, it could be argued that every AEG essentially works around the old Tokyo Marui internal setup, and that what comes now is simply extended tinkering with this. In fact, the evolution of the “AR” is mirrored in airsoft,
with manufacturers striving via new gas systems and electronic components to bring new levels of performance and functionality to our “replicas”.
But just as the AR-15 morphed into countless external profiles, and eventually for military use became the “M4” that we all know and love today, the civilian shooting market has taken things ever-forward to new heights. Every single part of the “AR” externally has been chopped, changed, modified, and customised, and the “aftermarket parts” industry brings even more to this party. And once again this is mirrored in airsoft, not only via the wonderful companies that make accessories, many of them fully-licenced, but also by the manufacturers themselves that bring creative new designs not only to the internals but also to the externals of our beloved airsoft tools!
So how do I find something new to say about an AR? Actually it’s pretty straightforward and comes, not easily sometimes but eventually, when you’ve seen as many wonderful shooting creations as I have, both real and replica! Ultimately there is ALWAYS something to talk about, and I’m certain I could easily bore you silly by discussing the very tiniest of details.
But that, of course, is not what I’m here to do, is it? I’m here to talk about what makes a design, “ARshaped” as it may be, fundamentally and intrinsically unique. I’m here to tell you, after many years of working with replica “ARs” about the things that sing to me, and why you should consider specific models not over others, but alongside them, and when it comes to DELTA ARMORY (or DA for ease) it’s actually pretty easy to do, because they do things their own way.
FORGING THEIR OWN PATH
Back in ISSUE 152 I spoke about the very first AEG that I’d had my hands on from DELTA ARMORY, and I was enthusiastic to tell you about that as it was their take on the Mk18 which is one of my all-timefavourite “AR variants”.
I said at the time “The AEG has a very distinctive full-metal body with unique serial number; and I do mean “VERY distinctive”! Although it may cause some raised eyebrows among the “stitch-bitch” fraternity I
This is equally true of the latest model that’s come to me from them via Dom at DELTA ARMORY UK and www.patrolbase.co.uk (who are working directly with DELTA ARMORY for the UK market), the DAA02-ETU ALPHA M4A1 RAS AEG, as this features that awesome “billet-like” receiver-set setup that I liked so much in the Mk18.
A word of explanation and clarification here if I may...
There is something for everyone in the line-up that’s on offer from DELTA ARMORY, from solid entry-level ARs in the all-polymer CHARLIE Series, through polymer/metal-handguard BRAVOs to fullmetal APLHAs for the player looking for a well-priced backup, project AEG, or solid skirmish tool. And now even the ALPHA line has been differentiated further, as you now have ALPHAs and ALPHA ETU models. This at first may seem a little bit confusing, but bottom line is that it actually makes perfect sense, as some of us still actually prefer an AEG with LESS electronics as long as it does what it should… that is, shoot BBs accurately and consistently to a good distance!
Time and tide moves on though, and these days many of you want to have every single element of the “electronic control interface” for want of a better term at your fingertips, and this is what the latest
and this is even truer when it comes to their latest ETU models. Starting with a 6.03mm precision inner barrel and a metal, modern-style CNC A-type, flatface trigger, inside there are solid high-quality internal parts with an SHS piston featuring full metal teeth, SHS delayer, 8mm bearings, rotary hop chamber, and a reinforced gearbox that I’m told can handle a 120-130 spring with no problems; I’ll refer back to my initial conversation with the guys at DLETA ARMORY when they told me “we ran several long-term tests with our Delta Armory Springs, but please note that different brands have different strength of springs even when they are named with same number; M120 from SHS can have the same strength as our SP140!”
Add to this the DA QRS system; you can easily change out the spring in few minutes without disassembly of the entire AEG; DA have even gone as far as to create a quick simple video tutorial that can be accessed via their website, or by hitting the DELTA ARMORY YouTube channel direct. There’s also a Quick Motor Change function that’s pretty straightforward given the DA motor grip. But then you get even more! All these quality parts are driven along by a high-torque motor with and the addition of an ETU/ MOSFET system. What does this bring to the table for you to enjoy then?
“(EVERYTHING) ACTUALLY ALL WORKED PERFECTLY! BINARY TRIGGER? CHECK! IMPROVED ROF? CHECK AGAIN! BURST MODE? OH YEAH BABY! AND ALL THIS JUST BY JUGGLING WITH THE FIRE SELECTOR AND TRIGGER… NO CABLES, NO MUSS, NO FUSS… AND EVEN I COULD DO IT ALL… EASILY!”
as flashlights, grips, lasers and optics.
Another nice touch is that the package contains an older-style foregrip, a design that suits me well and is simple to fit onto the rail system. The outer barrel has a 14 mm CCW thread with a classic “birdcage” flash hider, so you can easily swap that out for a suppressor or tracer unit, and everything is finished off nicely with a singlepoint sling plate, and CRANE-style stock.
Overall it’s a modernised take on the tried and tested “M4 Carbine” design, and I couldn’t wait to get this on the range to see how all those extra functions performed!
DOWNRANGE
So it was off to the Short Range to see if this “technoluddite” had been able to work with the “electronic magic”, and it actually all worked perfectly! Binary Trigger? Check! Improved ROF? Check again! Burst Mode? Oh yeah baby! And all this just by juggling with the fire selector and trigger… no cables, no muss, no fuss… and even I could do it all… easily!
Moving up to the 30m range, on the chrono the AEG was as consistent as the Mk18 before it, settling in at 1.09 Joule/343fps on a .20g RZR. Performance was in line with the Mk18 too, with both range and
accuracy up there with the best of them. The 120 BB ridged polymer magazine supplied with the AEG feeds beautifully, but the ALPHA proved to be just as happy with all the other AR and STANAG-style mags I have too. As I fired the AEG I also noticed that the motor seemed quieter than the norm, and upon inspection I discovered that new High Torque version lurking, and that does indeed work very well!
At 30m everything seems solid and competent, even using the standard, out-of-the-box rotary hop and rubber, and it seems happy enough to hop a .30g to the extent of the range with a nice flat trajectory. On semi the trigger response is VERY crisp even at its most basic, and this strikes me as an AEG that could hold its own quite happily in either a woodland or CQB setting. I’ve put everything back now to “factory settings” and I’ll be continuing to test the ALPHA “M4” alongside the Mk18 over time… continue to watch this space!
I’m confident that although DELTA AMORY are a relatively new addition to our industry, they do appear to have a very open and forward-facing approach to creating some very workmanlike and durable performance AEGs, and obviously they’re not afraid to push forward with new technology either! They’re taking a solid line with their licenced FREYA project (of which I hope to hear more and report on it later this year!), and the fact that they spend so much time creating their own unique and attractive external designs really does sing to me.
Whilst the DA-A02-ETU ALPHA “M4” may not be a true replica of the military M4A1, it is most certainly a brilliant representation of a thoroughly modern and unique “AR” AEG that nods with great respect at its forebears externally whilst moving things forward yet again internally in airsoft terms at a very keen price considering what you’re getting! As such I believe we have even greater things to look forward to from DELTA ARMORY in the future as they move things ever onward in their own unique way… long may this continue!
My thanks go to DELTA ARMORY for supplying the test model featured here, along with Dom at DELTA ARMORY UK and the guys at www.patrolbase.co.uk (where you’ll find an extensive selection of the DA AEG models!) for expediting delivery to AAHQ! AA
“WHILST THE DA-A02-ETU ALPHA “M4” MAY NOT BE A TRUE REPLICA OF THE MILITARY M4A1, IT IS MOST CERTAINLY A BRILLIANT REPRESENTATION OF A THOROUGHLY MODERN AND UNIQUE “AR” AEG THAT NODS WITH GREAT RESPECT AT ITS FOREBEARS EXTERNALLY WHILST MOVING THINGS FORWARD YET AGAIN INTERNALLY IN AIRSOFT TERMS”
BREACH AND CLEAR
AS YOU’LL SEE IN OUR RED CELL REPORT THIS MONTH IT’S VERY APPARENT THAT THE WORLD OF AIRSOFT SHOTGUNS HAS CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS, AND ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS CLONES IT WOULD APPEAR THAT JAPAN HAS ONCE AGAIN BEEN LEADING THE WAY…. UNTIL NOW! WITH THE ESG B-10 TAIWANESE AIRSOFT VIA G&G ARMAMENT HAS ARRIVED TO THE SHOTGUN PARTY WITH AN ALL-NEW GAS MODEL THAT’S JUST PERFECT FOR GETTING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL!
Iwas truly honoured to visit Taiwan last year to cover the G&G ARMAMENT CQB WORLD CUP alongside Stewbacca; not only did I experience a lot of what this steadfast little island nation has to offer in the way of airsoft industry and culture, but I, and we, also got our hands on some of the latest yet-to-release platforms, and even some in still in development!
We got to see all the latest AEGs from G&G but we were also given the chance to see the finished prototypes for a whole new direction for them in the form of the LEVAR that I’ve already written about, and the ESG B-10 semi-auto shotgun; both models were gas-driven, but somehow made use of AR-style AEG magazines (yes, even hi-caps!) that we all already own! This was a new meeting of technologies to me, and I admit that I was taken with both the new models; good as the LEVAR is (and it is VERY good fun!) it appears to have stolen the spotlight, but I’m gonna tell ya that the ESG when used for its intended purpose is equally thrilling.
So what is it, and what exactly is its intended purpose? The name sets things up well as ESG refers to the fact that it’s an “Evolution Shotgun” whilst the B-10 part indicates it is a “Bullpup” capable of firing “10” BBs with each and every squeeze of the trigger! It’s a compact, solid bullpup room-clearer of futuristic design that looks and does exactly what it’s supposed to, and that’s to lay a hail of BBs down at short range that absolutely, definitely is going to help clear rooms and corridors with ease!
So, elephant in the room to be cleared and let me just check this off first… the ESG is not meant as a distance-tool at all, it’s meant for “up close and personal” work. Many of you may have seen
the video clips doing their rounds online, and you’ll see that after about 10-15m or so the BBs drop off fast, and with no hop you’re not ever going to really change this… although I’m certain that someone, somewhere will try their darnedest!
So, is this a platform that’s viable in a woodland setting then? Probably not to be honest as you simply don’t have range, although it still could be a fabulous “pointman tool” if your woodland site has really vicious areas of undergrowth or paths through thorny gorse areas. I’ll stress again, this is an airsoft platform that has been built for a specific role, and in that role it excels.
What strikes me most about the ESG and the LEVAR though is that G&G have yet again tried to be different, to push the boundaries of what is out there just a little bit further. Both platforms are beautifully made and finished, and the sheer ubiquity of being able to make use of magazines that we already own is unquestionably a good thing. Both models have very distinct characters, and you’re not going to mistake them for any else, and although, as I said earlier, it appears that the LEVAR has stolen the thunder the sheer number of players that came up to me at NAF to ask about the ESG indicates that there’s a real excitement for this punchy little powerhouse of a shotgun too.
GETTING TO GRIPS WITH IT
If you’re a CQB-focused player then the ESG is immediately going to be high on your list of “musthaves” as it is purpose-designed to impress you!
Weighing in at a solid 3140g with the weight most definitely to the rear where you can tuck it firmly into
“SO WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT EXACTLY IS ITS INTENDED PURPOSE? THE NAME SETS THINGS UP WELL AS ESG REFERS TO THE FACT THAT IT’S AN “EVOLUTION SHOT GUN” WHILST THE B-10 PART INDICATES IT IS A “BULLPUP” CAPABLE OF FIRING “10” BBS WITH EACH AND EVERY SQUEEZE OF THE TRIGGER!”
your shoulder, and at just 561mm long overall the ESG it a platform that you can move around easily, a real bonus in tight spaces; some of those who have tried it already have commented that they’re not keen on that rear-heavy weight distribution, but for me it feels just “right” as it means that the front end is easily, and swiftly, transitioned from threat to potential threat.
The “sharp end” looks nice and aggressive with that drain-pipe-like aperture saying to one and all “there’s a world of hurt lurking here”, but the fact is that the ESG is in no way overpowered; given that five BBs exit the muzzle one after another (and that ramps up to 10 BBs!) it’s hard to actually chrono this beast accurately, but on VORSK V6 gas it was hovering around the low to mid 300s on .20g BBs even on a belting hot day, with no reading I was able to take exceeding 330fps, or 1.01 Joule, so that’s fine for “close encounters”.
As the lower receiver and stock-continuation is largely made of polymer, the weight is really in the working parts and the gas reservoir… more on that later… Moving away from that vast muzzle up-top you get a three-quarter-length 240mm rail if you really want to fit an optic, but I genuinely wouldn’t bother as the groove down the centre finished off with a red fibre-optic front sight does all you need. A word of
caution here too, if you do decide to clamp anything onto this top rail go easy on the over-tightening as the channel inherently weakens the rail to a degree, and you don’t want to be an arse and crack the carry handle of your new shiny, now do you!
Moving down and to the front, the “upper” is alloy and finished a nice satin black which gives the ESG a feel of real “class”. This features a series of perforations which give a cool look, and beneath these on both sides you have three full-size M-LOKstyle fitting points to get lights and lasers into the game, and the removable handguard on the base of this reveals 150mm more picatinny should you wish to fit and AFG or foregrip.
The oversized trigger-guard protects a chunky old trigger, with an AR-style ergonomic pistol grip of G&Gs own unique design in place; I really like this as the grip-angle is very straight, and it’s slim so it feels great if you’re wearing gloves. This steep angle also has a useful function too as there’s more than enough space to work with and manipulate your magazine of choice which this being a bullpup is behind said pistol grip. The fire selector is above the pistol grip/triggerguard and is a simple ambi throw lever which allows you to engage safe/5 BBs/10 BBs. Moving further back again there’s an, again oversized, ambi mag-release paddle; this is nicely grooved to provide a tactile
“IS THIS A PLATFORM THAT’S VIABLE IN A WOODLAND SETTING THEN? PROBABLY NOT TO BE HONEST AS YOU SIMPLY DON’T HAVE RANGE, ALTHOUGH IT STILL COULD BE A FABULOUS “POINTMAN TOOL” IF YOUR WOODLAND SITE HAS REALLY VICIOUS AREAS OF UNDERGROWTH”
contact point for those not familiar with bullpup mag changes.
Other than that you have a sliding “ejection port cover” on both sides which you can lock back by lifting it slightly using the big knurled “biohazard” marked “cocking handle to reveal the outer working parts… which look darn cool, and can be placed lefty/ righty! Closing the cover is simply a case of lifting again and releasing the “action” forward (right, Ricky?). There are ambi QD sling points at the rear and midway to the front, and I would most certainly be running the ESG with a good two-point sling…. Basically folks, that’s all she wrote, and sometimes simplicity really is a very good thing!
DOWNRANGE
Oh my, now this is the bit I’ve been looking forward to writing about most, as the shooting of the ESG is really the best part about it, although the design is by no means unremarkable too!
With the provided G&G midcap magazine filled to the brim with.20g VORSK BBs and a gassed up it was finally time to head to the range for some testing; an interesting point to note is that the gas reservoir is “on board” and housed in the buttstock, and G&G have made life easy by placing the fill valve at
bottom-rear, and you basically fill this by inverting the ESG and filling with gas like you would a GBB pistol magazine… again, simples.
Once you’ve got the ESG gassed up and the magazine in place then the fun really begins, and this bit I truly, honestly love…
When you flick that selector across to five BBs then you can actually hear them loading up into the action! Then you squeeze the trigger (not the lightest, but most certainly not the heaviest I’ve ever felt!) and there’s a big thump as the BBs leave the barrel one after another, but soon spreading out respectably… then the trigger resets and you can hear the next five BBs loading up… on the 10 BB setting this is even more fun!
At 10m you’re going to get a spread that is also respectable, easily catching a “fast-mover” if they’re sensible and try to duck away… I certainly would if I saw that muzzle swinging my way! Again, the ESG is not supposed to be, and hasn’t been designed to be a tack-driver; it’s been put together to put a swarm of BBs roughly on target at relatively short ranges, and it does this brilliantly. In terms of gas efficiency I easily got five 100 BB midcaps out of one fill, so even on the “Ten BB” setting you’re going to get 50+ pulls of the trigger before you need to re-gas, and that’s more than enough for fast-paced CQB encounters! This
“WEIGHING IN AT A SOLID 3140G WITH THE WEIGHT MOST DEFINITELY TO THE REAR WHERE YOU CAN TUCK IT FIRMLY INTO YOUR SHOULDER, AND AT JUST 561MM LONG OVERALL THE ESG IT A PLATFORM THAT YOU CAN MOVE AROUND EASILY, A REAL BONUS IN TIGHT SPACES”
is a replica that will devastate the opposition when properly deployed.
As a dedicated CQB-beast, at a an asking price of iro UK£360 the ESG is never going to be an impulse buy, and although most will stick with midcaps I’m sure that someone will try putting an AR-drum on the ESG; personally I haven’t used a drum in years, or indeed a hi-capacity mag very often recently, but this beast would definitely tempt even me just for “S&G”!
So, have G&G done it again? Will the ESG B-10 be a huge success for them? Frankly I don’t actually care as what’s most important to me is that they keep trying new things and finding fresh directions to take things in! They’ve shown with the LEVAR that they can make an airsoft platform that reaches across our community successfully and delighting players across disciplines, and with the ESG they’ve proved that they can make the same technology work in different ways for different end results.
So, actually I do care, and I sincerely hope that the ESG is just as much a huge success for G&G ARMAMENT as the LEVAR already is! If they see a technology or platform proving popular, and sales are good then they will continue to work on and develop things, and I for one look forward to seeing where this particular technology can lead! Unlike many who work with proprietary parts and magazines the ESG is a breath of fresh air from an established manufacturer, and I love it!
With the story of the “FLAK 10” still somewhat bitter in the mouths of many, G&G have actually succeeding in bringing us one heck of a modern, semi-auto airsoft “combat shotgun”, one that’s purpose-designed to “get work done”. If you’re looking for that special “CQB tool” that will clear a room without a shadow of a doubt, and give you a huge grin while you do it, then check out the ESG B-10… I am 100% certain that once you’ve tried it you will fall in love it just as much as I have.
For more information on the ESG B-10 in the UK please head on over to www.nuprol.com; for other countries simply head to G&G’s own website, www. guay2.com to check out your distributor and their key retailers. My sincere thanks as always go to Mr Liao and Apple at G&G for sending over the ESG for me to check out! AA
“AN INTERESTING POINT TO NOTE IS THAT THE GAS RESERVOIR IS “ON BOARD” AND HOUSED IN THE BUTTSTOCK, AND G&G HAVE MADE LIFE EASY BY PLACING THE FILL VALVE AT BOTTOM-REAR, AND YOU BASICALLY FILL THIS BY INVERTING THE ESG AND FILLING WITH GAS LIKE YOU WOULD A GBB PISTOL MAGAZINE… AGAIN, SIMPLES”
“THEN YOU SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER AND THERE’S A BIG THUMP AS THE BBS LEAVE THE BARREL ONE AFTER ANOTHER, BUT SOON SPREADING OUT RESPECTABLY… THEN THE TRIGGER RESETS AND YOU CAN HEAR THE NEXT FIVE BBS LOADING UP… ON THE 10 BB SETTING THIS IS EVEN MORE FUN!”
RED CELL BREACHING OUT!!
Things have indeed changed when it comes to airsoft shotguns, and as you’ll see from my look at the new G&G ESG earlier in this issue (I won’t go into it further here) this area continues to evolve and improve both in terms of electric and gas-driven models.
I am VERY pleased to be able to note that the choice of humble springers, electric and gas powered shotguns is now absolutely staggering (but not good for my wallet!), so you may well ask if the humble “springer” still has a place in our armoury other than
SINCE WE TOOK OUR INITIAL LOOK AT AIRSOFT SHOTGUNS THREE YEARS AGO, THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THIS CATEGORY… QUITE DRAMATICALLY IN FACT! SO WE NEED TO REFLECT THIS WITH NEW ADDITIONS WHILST AT THE SAME TIME UPDATING OLDER PLATFORMS. ONCE AGAIN AS A TRUE LOVER OF PUMPS, BREACHERS, AND SEMI-AUTOS BILL TAKES THIS TASK ON HIMSELF TO BRING THINGS FULLY UP TO SPEED!
as a bolt-action sniper platform, and in the case of the airsoft shotgun for me the answer would be an unequivocal “of course!”
In recent years there have been a whole host of releases when it comes to both gas and electricpowered shotgun models, in some cases like the TM AA-12, SAIGA, and the CYMA take on the SGR12 making use of higher capacity magazines, and even the sideways step in to improved-performance shell-ejectors like the latest family of the APS CAM; whilst these are most definitely airsoft works of art
in their operation, as with all things electric they can suffer from “issues” as Tama pointed out last month in his look at the SAIGA SBS… and don’t even get me started on gas shotguns, especially the shellejecters! But the fact is that the choice is undoubtedly now a wide choice for all kinds of players, and both performance and durability continues to improve.
This is music to my ears (but again, not my wallet!) as I do love an airsoft shotgun, especially pumpaction spring versions, and my personal collection of “Model 870s” continues to grow when I see one at a reasonable price! I still have my original G&P “classics”, S&T have some cracking clones of the G&P and some unique models of their own, Secutor who produce both gas and spring VELITE shotties, NUPROL and CYMA provide an extensive range, and if you’re really pushed for cash there’s always good old Double Eagle which although cheap as chips actually perform astoundingly well.
And then you get to the “newer guys”, the AEG AA-12, SGR, The “Wick” Dracarys, and SAIGAs that take airsoft shotguns into a whole new paradigm! Gas is most certainly an option too these days as gasses themselves are further refined and optimised, so models like the TM 870, now joined by the ESG and some awesome models by continually-emergent brands like Double Bell and Golden Eagle mean that our choice here too is better and better! Although it is still a very “niche” model I have to say that the APS CAM MKIII is quickly reaching it’s pinnacle, and after many moons of faltering over dropping the hammer on one of these… well, you can see where I’m heading!
But with all this choice the not-now-so-humble “springers” to me, fixed or adjustable hop, single or tri-barrel and all, are the epitome of the airsoft shotgun world and are easy to live with and eminently upgradeable externally. They generally all shoot like lasers with excellent range, and with full metal construction now some are built like tanks, even though the “magazines” and shot-shells can still be
somewhat fiddly at times (looking at you S&T!).
Most players I know love the idea of an airsoft shotgun, and many will own at least one, more often these days one of the “new breed” AEG or gas versions. However, I took some of my old spring models down to NAF so I could test continued performance and shoot them at the longer ranges available there, and the sheer number of players who cooed over those old wood and metal “870’s” shows there is very much still an interest in them; I could have sold all of them there and then, probably for good money… but they are, and always will be “my babies”…
As well as for “Three or Multi Gun Action Air Competition”, and for the sheer joy of owning one, an airsoft shotgun fits in almost every loadout genre! The humble civilian pump-action shotgun has found a home in not just the military, but also amongst police forces worldwide too. Form that WWI “Trench Broom”, the US Forces continued to use the shotgun through WWII, Korea, into Vietnam, and even right up to this day as it proved the perfect weapon first for jungle environments, and then of course as a breaching tool. The SAS used the shotgun in both the jungle and then as a “breacher”, and of course these days the sight of a Benelli M4 Super 90 in the hands of UK Forces has become a common one. From WWII US loadouts through the modern day and even extending to “Post-Apoc” loadouts the shotgun is a model that just “fits”!
“THE SHEER NUMBER OF PLAYERS WHO COOED OVER THOSE OLD WOOD AND METAL “870’S” SHOWS THERE IS VERY MUCH STILL AN INTEREST IN THEM; I COULD HAVE SOLD ALL OF THEM THERE AND THEN, PROBABLY FOR GOOD MONEY… BUT THEY ARE, AND ALWAYS WILL BE “MY BABIES”…”
Image from Public Domain
UPDATING THE TEST POOL
So, now it’s on to individual models, and my initial notes of three years ago have been included and updated. What I can tell you is that ALL the original models are still kicking out BBs like new…. with the springers of course there’s almost nothing to go wrong with them, so as long as you keep the metal parts rust-free you’re always going to be in business with one of these bad bois!
Although it is truly knocking on a bit now, my first “serious” spring shotgun was from the “Wingmaster 870” series, by now-defunct G&P. The “Wingmaster” model was developed as a sporting gun so it’s quite unusual for the G&P series of replicas to bear this nomenclature; in fact if you search on the Remington website for “tactical” shotguns it’s actually the Model 870 “Express” which is used for the basis of them rather than the “Wingmaster” but this can honestly be forgiven as the quality of the replicas is simply stunning… If you can find one to buy, then buy it! These classics in my personal opinion really set the tone for what we see in the market today, and I’ve owned my long “Wingmaster 870” Overfolder for many years now, and it’s always been a bit
of a favourite as it’s the model that you’ll see in numerous movies and TV shows; mine is the model with the extended tube and metal overfolding butt carried by Linda Hamilton playing “Sarah Connor” in “Terminator II: Judgement Day”, but you’ll also see it in old home grown TV shows like “Ultimate Force” as the Remington 870 was indeed used by the SAS as a breaching weapon and was known by the UK Forces as the L74A1. I particularly like models that give a nod to history, and there’s even an “SAS private purchase” model in the Imperial War Museum!
The basic G&P 870 looks identical to the “Express Tactical” model. It’s full metal throughout apart from the parts that in real life are polymer; these are smooth finished in a very good quality matt black plastic which show minimal moulding lines. The metal parts are all satin finished to a very dull black and the whole thing feels solid and dependable in your hands. There is a manual “push through” safety on the rear of the trigger guard, coloured red when the gun is in fire mode. The short model magazine holds 22 BBs (spare magazines are available at minimal cost), although longer, higher capacity magazines can be purchased as aftermarket parts; to me though this spoils the attractiveness of the 870 as when inserted the short magazine just looks like the plate of the loading port.
In action the G&P 870 is still an absolute beast sending .20g BBs downrange at an impressive 382 fps and you can send them just as fast as you can pump the silky smooth action. I did some unsupported accuracy testing at 15 meters, probably the MED given the power level encounters, and all 22 BBs ended up in tight circle no larger than a UK£2 coin! Taking the range out I was easily able to hit a sandbag at a good 50 meters; this thing is absolutely no slouch, and upping to a .30g BB gives a super-flat trajectory with minimal loss of range. Impressive, especially considering the G&P has a fixed hop!
The entire G&P “Wingmaster” range uses the same core “guts” but then takes things in numerous directions, both classic and thoroughly up to date. The “Original” model is just that, a basic Model 870 with no frills. This was originally available with a short, medium, or long length barrel, and either a fixed butt or simple pistol grip. A pistol grip medium barrel
“WHAT I CAN TELL YOU IS THAT ALL THE ORIGINAL MODELS ARE STILL KICKING OUT BBS LIKE NEW…. WITH THE SPRINGERS OF COURSE THERE’S ALMOST NOTHING TO GO WRONG WITH THEM, SO AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THE METAL PARTS RUST-FREE YOU’RE ALWAYS GOING TO BE IN BUSINESS WITH ONE OF THESE BAD BOIS!”
APS CAM 870 MKIII-M (REAL WOOD)
Price: iro UK£400.00
Age: New!
Weight: 2700g
Length: 1000mm
Magazine Capacity: 7+1 Smart Shells
Cold Chrono: 1.15 Joule/353fps
Hot Chrono: 1.20 Joule/361fps
Taclite Compatibility: Dedicated Pump Handle
Supplied By: www.iwholesales.biz
TOKYO MARUI 870 (GAS)
Price: iro UK£300.00
Age: Eight Years
Weight: 2750g
Length: 960mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 BBs in 1 x TM Shot Shell
Cold Chrono: 0.81 Joule/296fps
Hot Chrono: 0.83 Joule/300fps
Taclite Compatibility: Dedicated Pump Handle
Supplied By: www.firesupport.uk
G&P M870 FULL LENGTH
Price: iro UK£225.00
Age: Many years!
Weight: 3500g
Length: 1040mm
Magazine Capacity: 22 BBs
Cold Chrono: 1.31 Joule/377fps
Hot Chrono: 1.35 Joule/382fps
Taclite Compatibility: Dedicated Pump Handle
Supplied By: www.fire-support.co.uk
S&T 870 FULL LENGTH (WOOD)
Price: iro UK£150.00
Age: Five Years
Weight: 2630g
Length: 1040mm
Magazine Capacity: 22 BBs
Cold Chrono: 1.07 Joule/340fps
Hot Chrono: 1.05 Joule/337fps
Taclite Compatibility: Nope!
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
DOUBLE EAGLE M58A
Price: iro UK£30.00 (max!)
Age: Eight Years +
Weight: 1705 g
Length: 915mm
Magazine Capacity: 10 BBs!
Cold Chrono: 0.78 Joule/290fps
Hot Chrono: 0.77 Joule/288fps
Taclite Compatibility: Um… no
Supplied By: Frenchie!
variant was also produced with an integrated tactical light. The long barrelled version with the overfolding butt and extended tube gave that real “movie look”, and for all the pistol grip models you could change that out for a full butt using a dedicated “butt-stock kit” if you so desired, and there is even a super-short “Mad Dog” version if you hunt hard enough!
I’ve owned my full metal G&P models for a long time and they’ve always been, just like the real thing, extremely rugged, reliable, and accurate. Yes, they only fire a single BB with every pump, but the accuracy means that this BB usually hits the target it was intended for! Although the G&P 870 is a lovely replica the fact of the matter is that the “classic” models a) feed from a rather fiddly magazine insert that makes it difficult to “show clear” and b) now go for some serious money even if you can get your hands on them!
I’m going to be blunt and say that the S&T 870’s are almost direct copies of the G&Ps, but they are absolutely stunning replicas so I knew from first time I saw one that I needed to get my hands on one! I have now added the “Police” and “Extended” versions to my original “Breacher” and they’ve all turned out to be awesome fun! Basically though the S&T is undoubtedly a direct “clone” of the G&P, but S&T have taken that original design and improved on it! The shotgun is still single-barrel magazine-fed, and that mag looks almost identical to that of the G&P, although now due to a couple of subtle design changes you can actually remove it more easily, but it’s still a fiddle. Well-finished external metal parts are used throughout (the quality every bit as good as the G&P!) and extend to include the inner barrel, inner slide, shell ejection port, sling swivels, barrel clasp, and chamber cover. The cut-down stock of the “Breacher” (read pistol grip) and pump handle are real wood, and of decent quality to boot.
Overall the S&Ts ooze quality, and feel absolutely great! Controls are simple with a push through safety and magazine release button; these are located right next to the trigger, which makes their operation very simple and intuitive. What I really love though about the S&T is the price as the “Breacher” will only set you back around UK£130. Most retailers shipping costs are very reasonable these days so you could have your
very own “870” delivered to your door for less than 140 quids! The “Breacher” looks almost identical to the shotgun used by Denzel Washington in “The Book of Eli”, but it would look equally as good in a Nam “point man” setting, or even as a modern day “breacher” attached to your Multicam pack!
For about UK£150 you can lay your hands on the longer “Police” and “Extended” S&T “870s”, and if you want one that’s really quite stunning the S&T LIMITED EDITION STAINLESS versions really ticks all the boxes, and they look awesome alongside the VORSK REQUIEM series pistols… just sayin’! Again, these models are made from high quality metal and wood parts. If you want to add a polymer butt or other furniture then the good news is that the S&Ts are completely compatible with old G&P parts; I tried a polymer slide and butt, a standalone pistol grip, on with the steel “overfolder” stock from G&P and they all mated up perfectly, meaning that you can still change “your 870” to suit your own individual style!
With the S&T models it’s never been easier to add a great quality shotgun to your armoury and believe me when I tell you that when you do you won’t be sorry as they’re great fun to own and skirmish with, and in my opinion you just can’t beat the S&T for the price. Popping BBs out accurately at 330fps on a .20g there’s no battery to contend with, no gas to vent on cold days, just a big old spring that’s cocked by the pump action.... quite literally “rack and run”!
For many though the “competition element” will never be a an area of interest, and those of you that fall into that category ultimately look at a shotgun more as a straightforward game day tool, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Even at the highest levels of MilSim where kit quite literally verges on the “living history” scale of accuracy in terms of loadouts, then the shotgun, especially the “breacher”, is a very necessary bit of kit to have in your armoury.
And this, my fellow airsofters, is where the guys at NUPROL have been very, very clever in their choice of shotgun as to front up their SIERRA STORM line of RIFs, the model they have chosen to replicate is none other than the Benelli M4, or to us Brits the L128A1! Okay, the airsoft version of this shotgun is pump-action rather than semi-auto like the real deal, but here we have a proper, full-on, “military style”
“THIS, MY FELLOW AIRSOFTERS, IS WHERE THE GUYS AT NUPROL HAVE BEEN VERY, VERY CLEVER IN THEIR CHOICE OF SHOTGUN AS TO FRONT UP THEIR SIERRA STORM LINE OF RIFS THE MODEL THEY HAVE CHOSEN TO REPLICATE IS NONE OTHER THAN THE BENELLI M4, OR TO US BRITS THE L128A1!”
CYMA CM363LM (“BENELLI”, METAL)
Price: iro UK£75.00
Age: Three years
Weight: 2700g
Length: 925-1040mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 (10 x 3) BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.58 Joule/250fps
Hot Chrono: 0.64 Joule/264fps
Taclite Compatibility: Hmmmm, possibly…
Supplied By: www.gunfire.com
NUPROL SIERRA STORM BRAVO (“BENELLI”, POLYMER)
Price: iro UK£55.00
Age: Six Years
Weight: 2000g
Length: 970-1090mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 (10 x 3) BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.85 Joule/303fps
Hot Chrono: 0.85 Joule/303fps
Taclite Compatibility: Possibly, railed available!
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
A&K SXR 002 TACTICAL
Price: iro UK£125.00
Age: Seven Years
Weight: 3055g
Length: 840-910 mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 (10 x 3) BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.77 Joule/288fps
Hot Chrono: 0.84 Joule/301fps
Taclite Compatibility: Yes, railed pump handle
Supplied By: www.nuprol.com
SECUTOR VELITES SV
Price: iro UK120.00
Age: Three Years
Weight: 1670 g
Length: 820-900mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 (10 x 3) BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.67 Joule/270fps
Hot Chrono: 0.68 Joule/272fps
Taclite Compatibility: Oh YES! Supplied By: www.iwholes.biz
CM355LM (“MAGPUL”) FULL LENGTH
Price: iro UK£100.00
Age: New
Weight: 2400g
Length: 1040 mm
Magazine Capacity: 30 (10 x 3) BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.88 Joule/309fps
Hot Chrono: 0.90 Joule/312fps
Taclite Compatibility: Nada! Supplied By: www.iwholesales.biz
shotgun model that will fit perfectly as part of any modern loadout, whether that be British, American, Australian, and many, many more! NUPROL really have pulled a blinder here as the SIERRA STORM series comprises of twelve models; in reality it’s six models to be fair as you have the choice, dependant on your budget, of either full metal-bodied or polymer-bodied, railed or non-railed versions, but that’s just
I’ve now tried all the metal and polymer versions and own a metal one, and I have to say I’m impressed by them all; performance-wise the NUPROL versions are as good as any out there, and I will go as far as saying that the finish of the metal SIERRA is very nearly as good as that of my rather more expensive 870s! Although I tested different variants I have to say that my personal favourite is the fully-railed, sliding stock metal version (yup, the “issue” one), but for competitive shooting I’d probably plump for the full stock, plain-pump version. All models are Tri-Shot and use standard 30BB shells (NUPROL produce their very own of course!) and are loaded via the trap underneath the main body which is opened using a latch next to the trigger guard; the push-through safety is also located to the upper rear of the trigger guard. Loading up a shot-shell is of course simplicity itself, and at the chrono using .20g you get a mean reading of 296fps which is spot-on for the intended
Now I will come right out and say this, Chineseairsoft shotguns are CHEAP, and the cheapest version from the manufacturer that’s out there means you can have yourself a Double Eagle M309 single shot pump action from
around UK£20! Yes, that’s right you can have an airsoft shotgun of your very own for about the same price as a bag of BBs and a can of gas!
I will say that, personally, once upon a time (and not so long ago) I wouldn’t touch anything with an electric motor from the brand if you actually paid me, but how things move on and change, as I now have a couple in the armoury!
I’ve had an original Double Eagle single-shot M58 (which neatly resembles the “1897 Trench Gun”) for some considerable time and it’s proved to be a thoroughly sound little gun in every way. I bought it on a whim as it only set me back about US$25, but boy, for that money did it perform! Putting out somewhere in the region of 330fps when new, the rudimentary sliding hop-up meant that is was actually deadly accurate, and it impressed friends from the word go. I’ve now had several of this model and they’ve been chopped, cut down, sawn-off, and painted as “faux-wood” to suit a number of loadouts.
Looking at the number of Double Eagle shotgun models that are available today I have to say that there genuinely is something for everyone in the line. The build quality has improved since I bought my original, and although they are in majority of the “cheap-end” models are still made of plastic I would once again direct your memory to the fact that once upon a time all RIFs were made of plastic! The feel of the up-todate versions though is very solid indeed, especially the models with fixed stock and butts, and the Double Eagle “metals” for the money are as good as anything out there stock.
If you’re in the market for your very first airsoft shotgun, or, like me you want yet another variant for the collection, then the Double Eagles are most certainly worth a look and are superb value for money! Don’t expect a “full metal, weigh-yourloadout-down, might-use it occasionally” wall-hanger for the money, but do expect an airsoft shotgun that you will come to love and use on a regular basis as that “clack-clack” rack becomes absolutely addictive once you have one!
Which of course leads me nicely onto the newer kids on the block; the electric and gas models! We’ve covered off the G&G ESG this issue, the TM SAIGA SBS last issue, and the TM 870, CYMA SGR and
“I’VE HAD AN ORIGINAL DOUBLE EAGLE SINGLE-SHOT M58 FOR SOME CONSIDERABLE TIME AND IT’S PROVED TO BE A THOROUGHLY SOUND LITTLE GUN IN EVERY WAY. I BOUGHT IT ON A WHIM AS IT ONLY SET ME BACK ABOUT US$25, BUT BOY, FOR THAT MONEY DID IT PERFORM!”
TOKYO MARUI AA-12 AES (ELECTRIC)
Price: iro UK£485.00
Age: Eight Years
Weight: 4200g
Length: 839mm
Magazine Capacity: 93 BBs (Drum available!!!)
Cold Chrono: 0.62Joule/258fps
Hot Chrono: 0.64 Joule/263fps
Taclite Compatibility: No as standard
Supplied By: www.firesupport.uk
TOKYO MARUI SAIGA-12 SBS (GAS)
Price: iro UK£460.00
Age: New (Tama)
Weight: 3480g
Length: 755mm
Magazine Capacity: 90 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.63 Joule/262 fps
Hot Chrono: 0.95 Joule/320fps
Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK
Available From: www.firesupport.uk
CYMA CM.102 SGR-12 (ELECTRIC)
Price: iro UK£380.00
Age: Six Months
Weight: 4400 g
Length: 730mm
Magazine Capacity: 100 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.94 Joule/319fps
Hot Chrono: 0.99 Joule/327fps
Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK/Picatinny
Available From: www.taiwangun.com
DOUBLE BELL/EMG DRACARYS (ELECTRIC)
Price: iro UK£300.00
Age: New!
Weight: 2616g
Length: 745mm/825mm
Magazine Capacity: 900 BBs
Cold Chrono: 1.06 Joule/339fps
Hot Chrono: 1.09 Joule/343fps
Taclite Compatibility: KeyMod
Supplied By: www.iwholesales.biz
G&G ARMAMENT ESG B-10
Price: iro UK£360.00
Age: New!
Weight: 3140g
Length: 561mm
Magazine Capacity: 105 BBs
Cold Chrono: 0.89 Joule/310fps
Hot Chrono: 1.01 Joule/330fps
Taclite Compatibility: M-LOK/Picatinny
Supplied By: www.guay2.com
worldwide.
Whilst the USA expect things to be launched at SHOT, and we in Europe look forward to seeing new products at IWA, Tokyo Marui stunned the community by launching their AA-12 at the 54th Shizuoka Hobby Show in May 2015, in Japan!
Now I’ve not had my AA-12 THAT long, but it’s been with me for two years now, and this was the first Airsoft Automatic Electric Shotgun (AES) in the world; it comes with 3 inner barrels, and each inner barrel can be individually adjusted by sliding open the ejection port cover. Three hop-up wheels control the spread of how the BBs come out, and inside the replica a three cylinder mechbox drives 30 BBs out a second in full-auto mode!
This replica, although it looks quite “plastic” is, in truth, no lightweight as it weighs in at nearly 4kg. Up close though the polymer finish on it is beautiful, with some super chequering around the pistol grip and forestock. The shiny metal parts also look great and make it feel authentic to the real thing. Everything inside was newly designed, including the motor.
Tokyo Marui recommend using an 8.4V battery as anything lower than 8.4V will not drive the gun, and with an 11.1V the gun will automatically stop before any damage occurs thanks to a built in FET system (an electronic switch system with three cylinder adoption).
The AA-12 replica comes as standard with a 93 BB box magazine with the title “SLEDGEHAMMER” on it, but you need to be careful with this in use as spitting three BBs at a time will empty it in three seconds flat; the magazine will feed each and every BB though as it comes with a follower to drive them up into the gun.
Thankfully, since the initial release of the shotgun Marui also created a 3000 BB Electric Drum Magazine, which using 4 AAA batteries allows simple pushbutton electric winding.
This isn’t cheap but oh my, this is definitely what all AA-12 need; this, when filled with BBs and with batteries installed will add over a kilo to the weight of what is already a pretty heavy replica, but what a difference it makes!
I am not normally known for my love of drummags, but on the AA-12 it simply makes sense Rodney!
“I WILL JOYFULLY COMMENT ON THE TOKYO MARUI AA-12 AS I STILL LOVE THIS BRUTE OF A GUN! WHEN YOU POSITIVELY, ABSOLUTELY NEED TO PUT FIRE DOWNRANGE NOTHING FILLS THE AIR WITH BBS QUITE LIKE AN AIRSOFT SHOTGUN, ESPECIALLY A TRI-BARREL”
SPREADING THE LOVE
Airsoft shotguns are not for everyone, I get that, but I’d still suggest to anyone that they can be a reasonably-priced purchase that will serve you just as well on a skirmish day as in a Milsim, and the move towards more “user-friendly” competitive airsoft shooting gives just another reason to
An increasing number of truly good sites have always run “spring and gas only” days which are tremendous fun, and normally that means you’re going to run with a gas pistol and a spring shotgun. A good “springer” (and bear in mind again that a lot of airsoft sniper rifles are spring powered) can be superbly accurate, especially with a longer barrel…. and that’s all before you get to the joys of AEG and GBB shotgun variants which simply amp up the
instalment of “Red Cell” article is once again a personal one, and that’s because all of the models featured have come from my personal collection that has been built up over many years, and it’s a joy to share them with you. All of my shotguns have been constantly available for “The Cell” to try though, but I’ll wrap things up this time by including some comments from Iggy about “airsoft shotguns in
: “Shotguns ...as in guns that fire shot!”, to quote an old film (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)! I first experienced them in the early days of AEGs; my friend bought one and put it
up against us all running around with AEG’s. It was a TM SPAS 12 with the fold-over stock (like the one in Jurassic park). It had the 3 barrels and uses the shell that held 30 bbs (10 shots). He had learnt to reload extremely quickly, to my surprise….. I had been shooting it out against him and heard the change in sound of a shot when he was empty. I broke cover with my MP5 took aim only to realise that in the short time I took to do that he had me dead in his sights with a fresh shell in the chamber……. HIT!!! I was out!
Since then I bought a TM Benelli M3 Super 90; I used it as CQB but also anti sniper due to its incredible range. I have also owned a TM SPAS 12 that I replaced with a cheaper Remington that looks similar with the fold over stock. I always take a springer “shotty” to game-days as a back-up that is old reliable spring! I also often use them as a primary in a CQB field such as the old prison in Portsmouth; but beware, as even the most simple springer can have teeth!
In that setting I was engaging an enemy player in a prison cell further down one of the wings from the corner I was at, but another sneaky enemy popped out right in front of my shotgun barrel and under my sights as I aimed. Unbeknown to me he was then greeted with three BB’s to the face as I fired at my intended target much further away… all I saw was claret as he swore in shock and pain being hit point blank… suffice to say profuse apologies were made and hands shaken! I’ve also been on the sharp-end, being shot in the temple with a green gas underlever (8mm) shotgun; I was fighting my friend in a trench environment and I tried to go OTT to get the drop on him but he got me first… it felt like a punch to the head as I fell back into the trench I came from!
I have used a few IPS CO2 V2 Remington pump action shotguns; they look and sound great and are effective in CQB, even the sawn-off double-barrel as an emergency bunker protective last stand option, but for me, you can’t beat the old springer tri-shot ones. Their simplicity, reliability, effective range is great and their basic fun–factor is high, even good for those lazy can’t be bothered to charge batteries or do regular fills on gas days! AA
“I HAVE USED A FEW IPS CO2 V2 REMINGTON PUMP ACTION SHOTGUNS; THEY LOOK AND SOUND GREAT AND ARE EFFECTIVE IN CQB, EVEN THE SAWN-OFF DOUBLEBARREL AS AN EMERGENCY BUNKER PROTECTIVE LAST STAND OPTION, BUT FOR ME, YOU CAN’T BEAT THE OLD SPRINGER TRI SHOT ONES. ”
“FOR ME, YOU CAN’T BEAT THE OLD SPRINGER TRI SHOT ONES. THEIR SIMPLICITY, RELIABILITY, AND EFFECTIVE RANGE IS GREAT AND THEIR BASIC FUN–FACTOR IS HIGH, EVEN GOOD FOR THOSE LAZY CAN’T BE BOTHERED TO CHARGE BATTERIES OR DO REGULAR FILLS ON GAS DAYS!”
Red Cell is supported by:
EYES ON TARGET!
BILL IS USUALLY OUT AND ABOUT VISITING OUR PARTNERS AND FRIENDS EACH MONTH, AND IN AUGUST HIS TRAVELS TOOK HIM TO THE DOORS OF THE LATEST DEDICATED AIRSOFT SHOOTING RANGE IN THE UK SITUATED ALONGSIDE THE BESPOKE AIRSOFT STORE JUST OUTSIDE LONDON; WITH A LITERAL RANGE OF HIGH QUALITY TARGET SYSTEMS AND SOME SURPRISING “AIRSOFT HIRE PACKAGES” IT’S WELL WORTH A VISIT!
Ido love a good road trip, and I’m no stranger to putting miles under the wheels (and wings sometimes!) each month as I head out to visit the airsoft companies that we work with on a daily basis, and some that just plain interest me!
Personal, face to face communication is always the best way to find out about airsoft stories that are emerging, and given the excellent relationships AA is proud to have within the industry, it’s this level of the “personal touch” that keeps us at the top of our game.
Last month I paid a visit to our good friends and distributor of many fine, quality airsoft brands iWHOLESALES and as I’d already heard about the new
shooting range at BESPOKE AIRSOFT I thought that I’d pay this, and their spanky new store, a visit while I was in the neighbourhood… it’s all about efficiency, or something like that!
BESPOKE was always, if I’m frank, a bit of a “beeatch” to get to in their old store, tucked away as it was in a trading estate behind Heathrow Airport with really limited parking… those who visited would always get to see some really first-rate airsoft “shinies”, but it was a bit of a crusade to say the least, as regulars there will attest. The new store though couldn’t be more different!
Now based a little further out, the new store, and the attached range, is literally just off the M40; taking
“I’D ALREADY HEARD ABOUT THE NEW SHOOTING RANGE AT BESPOKE AIRSOFT I THOUGHT THAT I’D PAY THIS, AND THEIR SPANKY NEW STORE, A VISIT WHILE I WAS IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD… IT’S ALL ABOUT EFFICIENCY, OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT!”
Junction 3 it is just a minute or two’s drive to get to their door (they have 30 car parking spaces!), and if you don’t drive then there are also direct public transport links too; if you arrive in High Wycombe by train you can simply take a bus (number 32 if you must know!) straight from the station, and alighting at the Boundary Road stop BESPOKE is a short walk from there and well signposted when you arrive.
Now I have to admit that I knew it was coming, and we announced the launch of the new range on the web news back in May (www.airsoftaction.net/newuk-indoor-range-goes-live/) but I’d not been in the area or had the opportunity to visit since the purposebuilt airsoft range opened, and I am so glad that I made the time to do so!
First up the new shop itself; bright, airy, spacious, intriguing and welcoming… all these things are true! The new shop, up on Floor One of a super building, is much, much larger than the old one, and is very nicely laid out indeed. As you enter you’ll find numerous glass display cases absolutely chock-full of airsoft goodness, with pistols, optics, and all manner of accessories, grenades and consumables that they offer. On the left you’ll see a glass-fronted room with a sign on the door saying THE BUNKER, and I’ll come back to this later…
Moving on, the main “gun wall” on the right of the shop is huge, and simply amazing in the diversity of what’s on offer; I would challenge anyone, and I mean anyone, not to find something on that wall to drool over… and I certainly did! Opposite this is the main desk where you check in for the range itself… or pay for your new airsoft goodies. The guys at BESPOKE
are both friendly and knowledgeable, and whilst I was there I saw them in action helping a player who had experienced some issues with an AEG; said AEG had been fixed under warranty, the work was explained patiently and fully to him, and he left a happy bunny… what more do you need to know?
With more central display units showcasing even more accessories, clothing and tactical gear, and more gun displays in front of the windows you won’t know where to look next, and still there’s more! Tucked away to the rear right of the store is a recessed area, and it’s here that you’ll find some absolute airsoft gold; Lee Enfields, , Mausers, Arisaksas, MP40s, Stg44s, SLRs, Sterlings, a whole host of classic AKs, SVDs and even an RPG… oh my, it looked like they’d taken my personal dream airsoft collection… and then added to it with even more historical loveliness!
RANGING IN
But, ultimately, it was the big glass partition and the unassuming door at the far end of the store where it says simply “RANGE” that of course most interested me! And behind that reinforced glass partition was what I really came to see, but let me preface this with my own expectations first! I’ve been on many, many ranges in my time, both for “real and replica”, and some of them have been outstanding, whilst others have left me wanting much, much more… thankfully the BESPOKE RANGE sits most definitely in the first category as it is truly excellent, a delightful place to spend an hour or two wasting time and BBs!
The Range consists of four dedicated shooting lanes; lanes 1-3 currently have the latest AttackSense
“FIRST UP THE NEW SHOP ITSELF; BRIGHT, AIRY, SPACIOUS, INTRIGUING AND WELCOMING… ALL THESE THINGS ARE TRUE! THE NEW SHOP, UP ON FLOOR ONE OF A SUPER BUILDING, IS MUCH, MUCH LARGER THAN THE OLD ONE, AND IS VERY NICELY LAID OUT INDEED”
target system (the same one we use in our Red Cell testing) which includes 8 electronic targets per lane, with your choice of play mode accessed through individual tablets on the respective lanes. Lane 4 is a flexible lane that can be used for new shooters or those wishing to progress, and this lane has the flexibility to be used with either rifle or pistol, at static targets mounted up to 10 meters from the firing point, or with the G&G Target System as a fun introduction to airsoft target shooting!
The whole range is clean, and due to that big glass partition and some large windows behind the firing points it is superbly well lit; no grubby, grungy, dark and dingy rangetime here, it’s all 100% professionallooking, more like you’d expect to find at a highquality RS pistol range in the USA! For evening use the range is lit with a mass of micro-spots which can be turned on and off in isolation to potentially give some cool low-light range/training options, and the firing points themselves are all moveable and configurable should the range guys ever decide to offer a little “killhouse” action. Overall with the firing point/lane setup, the choice of target systems, and even the lighting options, the BESPOKE RANGE is versatile with a big V.
NUTS N’ BOLTS
So, in its current form you can already expect to encounter on the BESPOKERANGE in a nutshell:
• Dynamic Courses: Challenge yourself on four lanes equipped with a variety of targets and obstacles. Experience the thrill of engaging with AttackSense targets on three lanes and a G&G Target on the fourth lane.
• State-of-the-Art Equipment: In-use high-quality equipment from AttackSense and G&G to ensure accurate and reliable target feedback, enhancing your shooting experience.
• Safety First: Your safety is top priority; the Range staff provide comprehensive safety briefings and enforce strict rules to ensure a secure and enjoyable environment for all shooters.
• Experienced Range Masters: The Range Masters are experienced airsoft enthusiasts who are dedicated to providing guidance, support, and fair play throughout your time at the range.
As we reported in our web news item, the guys at BESPOKE told us that “We cater to diverse needs with our range of packages, ensuring there’s something for everyone, from beginners to seasoned players. Plus, dive into the ultimate adrenaline rush with our exclusive John Wick experience, featuring the iconic guns from the franchise. And if you need more firepower, worry not; additional magazines are readily available for purchase.”
I also saw the “Wick” package that’s on offer, and if I hadn’t already shot most of the models in testing I would most certainly have signed up for this! TTI licenced JW3 Combat Master and Custom 34, JW4 Pit Viper, Double Bell TTI M4, and the awesome Dracarys… yes please to all, and damn the High Table! There’s also some more “mundane” airsoft replicas to choose from if you so desire… or you could just go the whole hog and shoot everything, right?
So, lots to shoot on a literally “bespoke range”, but how does it all work? Pretty simply and
“THE RANGE CONSISTS OF FOUR DEDICATED SHOOTING LANES; LANES 1-3 CURRENTLY HAVE THE LATEST ATTACKSENSE TARGET SYSTEM (THE SAME ONE WE USE IN OUR RED CELL TESTING) WHICH INCLUDES 8 ELECTRONIC TARGETS PER LANE, WITH YOUR
CHOICE OF PLAY MODE ACCESSED THROUGH INDIVIDUAL TABLETS”
straightforwardly to be perfectly honest! You can book your range slot online in advance, securing your spot by booking your preferred time and date through the easy-to-use reservation system.
The guys at BESPOKE ask that you arrive 15 minutes before your scheduled time to complete your checkin process and attend the safety briefing, and that’s where that glass-fronted room, THE BUNKER, that I mentioned earlier comes in, as this is a dedicated, secure space where you can set yourself up, sort out your gear, and generally chill when you’re not actually shooting, and there are toilet facilities close by too… just if you get a little over-excited perhaps….
The Safety Briefing is as I would expect, and that is slick but thorough; if you are using your own GBBs and AEGs to train (which is perfectly acceptable) these will be checked to ensure that they meet and comply with the range safety standards. The Range Wardens will familiarise you with the on-site rules and regulations, and ensure that you have the correct safety equipment; these same Range Wardens will be on hand to, as they state, “offer guidance, assist you, and answer any questions you may have”…. my advice, take a moment to listen to their advice as some of them are high-level competition shooters in their own right!
I do love a range as regular readers will know, and I spend a lot of time on my own, and I especially love a really good one such as that which has been created by the BESPOKE AIRSOFT team; it all sounded mighty darn fine to me in principle, and the reality lives up to the expectation! I’m genuinely pleased to see another fabulous airsoft shooting venue opening within easy
reach of London, and even within easy reach of Heathrow if you happen to be passing through from overseas! I’ll certainly be booking our own “Red Cell Slot” to go and check out the new range with the rest of the AA Crew soon; who knows… we may even see you there!
Check out more by visiting the dedicated Range Booking Page at https://bespokerange.simplybook. it/v2/ or by visiting www.bespokeairsoft.co.uk and following the links on their homepage. AA
“I SAW THE “WICK” PACKAGE THAT’S ON OFFER, AND IF I HADN’T ALREADY SHOT MOST OF THE MODELS IN TESTING I WOULD MOST CERTAINLY HAVE SIGNED UP FOR THIS! TTI LICENCED JW3 COMBAT MASTER AND CUSTOM 34, JW4 PIT VIPER, DOUBLE BELL TTI M4, AND THE AWESOME DRACARYS… YES PLEASE TO ALL!”
RINSE AND REPEAT!
EVERY YEAR ON AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND AIRSOFT ACTION MAKE THEIR ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE NEW FOREST TO ATTEND THE UK NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL! IT WOULD SEEM THAT THIS FLAGSHIP EVENT IS NEVER WITHOUT A BIT OF CONTROVERSY, AND WITH THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS MEANING PRICE RISES FOR JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING, THIS YEAR WAS NO EXCEPTION… BUT IT TURNED OUT TO BE EXCEPTIONAL FOR MANY REASONS!
Ialways look forward to the UK NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL (NAF) as it’s an event I’ve attended for many, many years, and indeed AIRSOFT ACTION has supported it from the very beginning! Friends always ask me why I head out to a multi-day event that, by my own admission, is not my “thing” when it comes to the actual gameplay, and I always respond “That’s not why I go”…
I’ve been an outdoorsman as well as an airsofter all my adult life, so I actually relish the thought of getting away for a few days in the tent, it is genuinely something I enjoy and it’s no hardship for me; I have good kit that I’ve built up over many years, and some great performance clothing so the elements don’t bother me overly, although I do keep a keen eye on the weather forecast leading up to any trip… and oh my, am I glad that I did this year!
As well as enjoying a few nights in my SNUPGPAK SCORPION 3 tent, I have to tell you that I usually enjoy the whole “vibe” of NAF as an event and a Festival that brings thousands of airsofters both old and new together in one place at one time. I enjoy the atmosphere generated by airsofters of all types coming together, and whilst I don’t play myself others of the AIRSOFT ACTION Crew do… and enjoy themselves as Ben will tell later.
What I love most is the energy of the event, and whether you play all weekend, for a little while, or not at all still you still get to experience what I’ll simply call “The Joy of Airsoft”. There are players, just shy of 3000 again for 2024, airsoft platforms of all flavours, some brilliant (and some downright crazy!) loadouts, and a LOT of friendly banter (what do you say to DELTA???)… add to this that you have great facilities onsite, portaloos (which this year there were more of, and they
were kept scrupulously clean!), shower facilities (again spotless, 2 quid a go…), food vendors, a bar, bands playing in the main marquee, and this year even more kit vendors and representatives showing the best of their new gear than ever before!
I am eternally impressed with the sheer size of the field and the diversity of terrain at Ground Zero, and that is just as you drive in! Ground Zero is situated about a mile from the nearest road on the private grounds of Somerley Estate in Ringwood, Hampshire, and boasts some 175 acres of playable terrain, with a massive 50 acres of Safe/Camping Zone! Now you may find that latter number “overkill”, but I’m going to tell you that with thousands of bodies and all the varied entertainment/logistics/industry staff on site 50 acres soon becomes very, very small and intimate.
So, this is why I go, and that’s before I start talking about meeting up with old mates, meeting new ones, and generally using the Festival and the superb Ground Zero woodland to get some pics in the bag for future reviews and articles… the fact I don’t enjoy the game-style is my choice, many others do, but for UK£65 for “camping only” for the weekend it’s 100% money well spent.
Let me address this, as the price-rise caused a LOT of hate pre-event! I am, again simply, going to point out that if you check out the campsite prices in the New Forest for August Bank Holiday weekend, even for a “bare-bones” field campsite with pretty much zero facilities, the UK£65 camping-only fee is a bargain, especially given what’s on offer at NAF. If you wanted to play then the price goes up to UK£130… an average gameday these days will set you back around UK£30 a day, and NAF offers two full days plus… So, add even two standard days gameplay
“I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I USUALLY ENJOY THE WHOLE “VIBE” OF NAF AS AN EVENT AND A FESTIVAL THAT BRINGS THOUSANDS OF AIRSOFTERS BOTH OLD AND NEW TOGETHER IN ONE PLACE AT ONE TIME. I ENJOY THE ATMOSPHERE GENERATED BY AIRSOFTERS OF ALL TYPES COMING TOGETHER”
to the camping fee and I make that UK£125 for the lot… adding a fiver for everything else seems perfectly reasonable to me… especially as the cost for creating the event has gone up as well…
Let me give you an idea, as the organisers at NAF made this all clear before the event. Okay, they probably didn’t communicate this as best they could have, but the information WAS, and IS, there on their website! They told me, and us...
“As you are well aware we had to put our ticket prices up this year, which seems to have caused controversy. With prices increasing exponentially in every aspect of life, we assumed that the reasons behind the rise would be apparent, or at least would become clear after some further thought. However,
this appears to remain a concern for some people and so we would like to explain why the rise was necessary.
Unfortunately everything has risen in price in the last couple of years, not only in the UK but worldwide. It’s everywhere and now part of everyday life. Food and drink prices are astronomical, car insurance renewals are hundreds of pounds more even though you haven’t made a claim, and gas/electric costs are huge!
As you can imagine, a festival demands a lot of equipment. Hire fees are also through the roof.
“WHAT
Subcontractor costs have massively increased. To give but one example we used to be able run our power generation on red diesel, costing around 60p/L. Now we have to use white diesel, at forecourt prices! That is around triple the price! Multiply this by the thousands of litres we use to keep the power on, and things soon add up.
Estate fees that we pay for use of the land & camping are substantial, and also rise every year. Our insurance premium (for this event) is in the tens of thousands. And of course let’s not forget increased wages for a team of more than 100 staff that make
the event what it is during the weekend. Multiply all these raised costs over so many different elements (and the above is not extensive!) and it’s no surprise prices need(ed) to go up.”
Yup, there it all is a nutshell! If, like me, you’ve noticed that your weekly supermarket shop has almost doubled over the past couple of years you’ll see what the guys at NAF mean. If you’ve filled your car tank, renewed your house insurance, or even paid your water bill then it’s as plain as day… if you haven’t noticed any of this I have to ask exactly which fantasyland or wondrous plane of existence you’re living in!
To me the controversy about the price increase, and other decisions made by the NAF team, has come about due to poor communication with the player community, and I sincerely hope that this will
I LOVE MOST IS THE ENERGY OF THE EVENT, AND WHETHER YOU PLAY ALL WEEKEND, FOR A LITTLE WHILE, OR NOT AT ALL STILL YOU STILL GET TO EXPERIENCE WHAT I’LL SIMPLY CALL “THE JOY OF AIRSOFT”. THERE ARE PLAYERS, JUST SHY OF 3000 AGAIN FOR 2024, AIRSOFT PLATFORMS OF ALL FLAVOURS, SOME BRILLIANT (AND SOME DOWNRIGHT CRAZY!) LOADOUTS, AND A LOT OF FRIENDLY BANTER”
be rectified for 2025 as guess what? NAF 2024 as a Festival of Airsoft ROCKED!
FESTIVAL FUN
Due to some last-minute logistics “issues” within our own team, this year it was just Ben and I who made the journey down to Ground Zero; even within the AA Crew there are still some “doubters” about the event, and I can understand that a festival with thousands of people on-site isn’t everyone’s cup of Earl Grey!
However, from what we saw from word “go”, the 2024 Festival was different from the last few years, and in a very positive way. Check in for camping was slick, and additional facilities meant that check-in for the game was just as much so. A full-time help point ran throughout the game this year, and site marshals, medics, and staff were generally much more visible, even making turns around the camping fields in buggies to make sure everyone was safe and cool. Lines for chrono, although still long at some points, appeared better managed overall (I think they had to be given the controversy online for this aspect too), and yes, I did say “lines” as this year there was a separate line for HPA-users… of which there were many, MANY more than I’ve ever seen before.
The facilities on-site were also much better managed this year; as I said earlier, portaloos, showers, and other facilities were kept scrupulously clean, and even though some moaned about pricerises for private loos there were more than enough even if you didn’t want to spend the money for your own.
Overall I have to say that the organisation for the camping side this time was slick, slick, slick, and by 1000 on the Friday the camping fields were FULL! This for me is where the fun-factor starts to build, as old friends arrived and made their way over to say hi; I was really pleased to see the return of my old mates from Team HAS/Crusaders that had come all the way from the Netherlands, and they assured me that AA Associate
and old mate Stef would be returning with them next year. Camped next to us were some excellent guys from Belgium, and I was told by NAF-Neil (another old friend) that there were players attending from Italy, Germany, from all over Eastern Europe, the USA, and even Australia, so it really was a multi-national gathering again, something we’ve not seen since before Covid!
Friday was a fun time, with players mingling and having fun in the sun, checking out the stalls and the second-hand sales in the camping area! I managed to get around to speak to vendors and those displaying early on Friday, and it was again a pleasure to see a multitude of gear-sellers around the village, with Jo and family from FLECKTARN UK, the Enola Gaye team, Kydex Customs, and AIRTAC among the number. We did however miss Ian and Dave (Ratty and Rocky to their friends!) with the VIPER TACTICAL stand this year who weren’t able to attend due to illness… we hope they’ll return next year as guys, you WERE missed!
It was fabulous to see Heroshark doing his paintingthing live, Scott from LOWA back at the event with all his new shiny things (I’ll be reporting on this in full at a later date!), and meeting Alex from Duffers Design in person. Other returnees were the guys from Optics Warehouse, the BLOC Tactical Eyewear team, and VORTEX; we’ll be working with all these great people in the year to come, and meeting them all in person again was just superb.
And as always you could have your photographic portrait done by Josh from Krios Photography; his awesome team put in 100% effort to ensure that everyone went away happy! It was a pleasure to meet
“THE PRICE-RISE CAUSED A LOT OF HATE PRE-EVENT; I’M, AGAIN SIMPLY, GOING TO POINT OUT THAT IF YOU CHECK OUT THE CAMPSITE PRICES IN THE NEW FOREST FOR AUGUST BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND, EVEN FOR A “BARE-BONES” FIELD CAMPSITE WITH PRETTY MUCH ZERO FACILITIES, THE UK£65 CAMPING-ONLY FEE IS A BARGAIN, ESPECIALLY GIVEN WHAT’S ON OFFER AT NAF”
up with James from and his whole crew from AIRTAC, and to get a chance to chat properly with Finchy from Finch Embroidery (and patches!) about the future of some new AIRSOFT ACTION LEGION team patches! Sincere apologies to others exhibiting and selling that we just didn’t get time to speak to… we hope you all had a GREAT time though!
Friday ended up with many sampling all the super food options available, enjoying a beer or two, and listening to the band; you could even hear the band down on the camping fields so Ben and I ended up cranking up the BBQ and chilling, whilst all around us fire-pits were lit, more music played (at a sensible level), and the hum of conversation faded into the dusk of a wonderfully relaxed evening… as the stars came out there were a few bangs and some shouts of what people would “do to DELTA” (a standing joke at NAF!) the next day, but very soon blessed silence reigned.
THE WASH CYCLE!
So, Saturday, GAME DAY! It rained… Oh boy, it rained in biblical proportions ...and it KEPT RAINING! To anyone that was at NAF 2024, especially all the brave souls that picked up their gear n’ guns and headed out into the woods, you have my utmost respect for your tenacity and passion for playing airsoft!
In those immortal words… “If you weren’t there you couldn’t know man!”
After a superbly swift and to the point safety brief (Team Briefs had happened well before this) due to the rain it was time for “Game On” and players headed out to their respective start points. Although
the site is HUGE it’s also broken down into smaller “game zones” that are eminently playable in their own right, and that on a regular “skirmish day” would delight anyone. There’s a small village, a “prison”, outposts, guard towers, trench systems and numerous other structures to play through. Of course for the weekend EVERYTHING is in play at the same time, and wherever you went there was the sound of a firefight taking place. All three teams had objectives to achieve and points to be earned from them and from what I saw every objective was hard-earned by the eventual victors.
And it was wet, VERY wet, but you know what? Everyone just dug in and gave their all, and as the game progressed I heard very little other than praise for the game from everyone. Ben was out playing and confirmed that even in-game there was virtually zero cheat-calling, and very little evidence of anyone doing anything other than playing airsoft as it should be played! Oaky, it was a BB-fest as always, and that is most definitely not the side of the game that I personally enjoy, but from everything I head it was a GOOD game with the full site being used to its best advantage.
Thankfully late afternoon finally saw the skies clear, and Saturday night after “H’s Raffle” proved to be just as enjoyable as the one before, with that same chilled vibe, especially with the “Airsoft Priest” wandering about and giving “liquid benedictions” on demand! After the weather we all went through I think some just wanted to get their heads down, especially those who were in “game mode” and wanted to be out bright an early Sunday for full-game-day two!
Sunday dawned bright and clear, and real bonus for all of those that wanted to get their kit packed away dry before heading home. The teams obviously felt there was still more to play for though, and the points tally showed this to be true! So they headed back to the game, and they just kept on playing, gaining objectives and points whilst having a thoroughly good time, although by early
“TO ME THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT THE PRICE INCREASE, AND OTHER DECISIONS MADE BY THE NAF TEAM, HAS COME ABOUT DUE TO POOR COMMUNICATION WITH THE PLAYER COMMUNITY, AND I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THIS WILL BE RECTIFIED FOR 2025 AS GUESS WHAT? NAF 2024 AS A FESTIVAL OF AIRSOFT ROCKED!”
afternoon a few players were heading back in; again I believe that this was in the minority though, as most players were still having a great time of it as we headed on out to be back in the office on Monday…
I’ll hand over now to Ben for his thoughts on the game itself as usual…
THE PLAYERS TAKE
Ben: NAF 2024...what a wet and wild weekend that was ...and I don’t mean the kinky kind either lol!
So, this year Bill and I decided to get to the Festival a day earlier than previously which turned out to be a good plan as we weren’t rushed to get things organized for the coming days; camp set up, photo shoots and gameplay plan all nailed!
However, something we couldn’t control was the typical good old blighty weather! There were a few hours of sunshine over the four days which we made the most of while it lasted, but nevertheless everyone there kept in good spirits and it seems as if the weather had an effect on people to just smile and wave and not get upset or over react even on the battlefield.
My first initial surprise was this year’s lines for
chrono; HPA was in full force on the Friday being about three times the size of AEG/GAS line - and even on the Saturday when the rest of the players had turned up on-site the lines were still in HPA’s favour. Okay, the overall player count wasn’t as big as the last two years but still was full of noobs and hardcore players alike. My hat’s off to you all, especially those that turned up new to this rocking the jogging bottoms hoodies and trainers!
I was also feeling somewhat hyped as I was given so many compliments on my take of “Call of Duty Ghost” loadout with a few people saying best loadout they’d seen this year!
I appreciate the effort that a lot of people make in relation to cosplay or dress up in all sorts or looks not just for their own entertainment but for others to enjoy too.
Now, as for the facilities and staff management; this year the game was upped from security and paramedics on patrols to the waste/rubbish and toilet cleaners. Bang on with keeping the hygiene to a higher level, top marks guys and girls doing that! There also was a few more stalls to visit this year too, which was very welcoming keeping it fresh for everyone.
“CAMPED NEXT TO US WERE SOME EXCELLENT GUYS FROM BELGIUM, AND I WAS TOLD BY NAF-NEIL (ANOTHER OLD FRIEND) THAT THERE WERE PLAYERS ATTENDING FROM THE NETHERLANDS, ITALY, GERMANY, FROM ALL OVER EASTERN EUROPE, THE USA, AND EVEN AUSTRALIA, SO IT REALLY WAS A MULTI-NATIONAL GATHERING AGAIN, SOMETHING WE’VE NOT SEEN SINCE BEFORE COVID!”
As for gameplay on the battlefield, this year felt evenly matched with one faction capturing here but losing there and the third holding grounds well; the final score was close between all three factions with team OTHERS as the victors...very well done!
Some of you were so lucky as I was meters away with the minigun from about fifty players stood in an open camp area just dossing! Unfortunately I was taken out by a sniper tucked up in a bush holding down a pathway.
An unknown hero of the OTHERS team saved so many lives... good play sir!
I look forward to returning to NAF next year with an expanded AA team (including a counter-sniper… Jimmy, looking at you!) and getting stuck in once again with all you like-airsoft-minded nutter’s lol! In the words of Skeletor... “’til we meet again!” Ha ha ha!
Bill: So there we have it, another year, another NAF, and as always I’ll say as I’ve said many times before; the site is superb and the organisation was better than it has ever been, even with numbers of people and players on-site.
The facilities were also better yet again this year and the scheduling spot-on. Once again I’ll echo my thoughts of past years as the play that I saw was hard, fast, and in the main fair, with hits taken and compliments given where they were due (and thanks to the players that shot past us carefully while we were doing pictures), and Ben would appear to agree with that.
The “after game” was just as much fun but far more chilled, and the bottom line is that everyone seemed to have a thoroughly bang-on time whether they played for the duration, for a few hours, or not at all! Well done to the players of THE OTHERS who took the win this year, and I’m certain that DELTA and BRAVO will be back to contest things next year!
Again - and as I now say after every NAF - whatever your style of play may be, the NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL has something to offer you!
The Festival is first and foremost just that, a joyful event that celebrates airsoft in all its diverse and wonderful forms, and a Festival that just happens to be set on an awesome site that has an enormous airsoft game going on at the same time.
For me this year was bitter-sweet as so many of
the “Old Guard” are beginning to fall away, and there were genuinely people that I missed seeing and enjoying time in the sun (AND RAIN!) with.
With so much negativity about the event online this year I had wondered if the NATIONAL AIRSOFT FESTIVAL was running down, but as seems to be the case these days there was much needless venting and the loudest of the “chairborne online warriors” are in my opinion, completely wrong about the event!
It genuinely makes me wonder if some of them have ever attended, or just repeat meaningless noise in the echo-chamber that is “(anti-)social” medialand…
My final thought on NAF 2024… BRING ON NAF 2025!
Our thanks as always go to AA LEGION associate Josh and his crew at www.kriosphotography.com for their help with additional photography. For further information for the 2025 National Airsoft Festival please keep an eye on www.airsoftfestival.com, and the AA Crew look forward to seeing you there, as usual, next year! AA
“I LOOK FORWARD TO RETURNING TO NAF NEXT YEAR WITH AN EXPANDED AA TEAM (INCLUDING A COUNTER-SNIPER… JIMMY, LOOKING AT YOU!) AND GETTING STUCK IN ONCE AGAIN WITH ALL YOU LIKE-AIRSOFT-MINDED NUTTER’S LOL! IN THE WORDS OF SKELETOR “’TIL WE MEET AGAIN” HA HA HA!”
yOu TO JOsh ANd The TeAm hy, whOse PhOTOs APPeAr iN Our rePOrT ANd ON bOTh Of These PAges. There Are, quiTe liTTerAlly, huNdreds mOre - if yOu wANT TO see Them (ANd mAybe buy A few) heAd Over TO Their websiTe: hTTPs://biT.ly/3myP6uN
YIELDING GLORY
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE GUYS AT THE AIRSOFT UK ONLINE PLAYERS GROUP DECIDE TO BRING TOGETHER A TIGHT-KNIT GROUP OF COMMITTED AIRSOFTERS, TAKE THEM TO A TOTALLY UNIQUE VENUE, AND HAVE AT IT? LUCKILY FOR US OUR NEWEST “LEGIONNAIRE” RICH P WAS ONE OF THOSE LUCKY AIRSOFTERS AND NOW REPORTS BACK FROM A VERY SPECIAL DAY ON DRAKES ISLAND!
Everyone has their favourite type of airsoft day; for some is your typical skirmish day and for others it’s a Battlesim or Milsim, while some like more of a LARP-themed game day. Personally I’ve done all the above games at one time or another but for me there’s one I will always attend if given the chance... The Private Day.
When I heard of a private game day at a very unique site organised by Chris of the AIRSOFT UK online players group I knew I had to be there, especially when the site was Drakes Island in Plymouth Harbour, run by Commando Force Airsoft. Overall the site is around six acres in size, and Drakes Island began to be fortified in 1549; the site really is quite unique and special, and a lot of the buildings and tunnels date from the Napoleonic era! A good number of the tunnels are playable but most of the buildings are inaccessible due to the condition of them, though a couple were open because of the weather (more on that later) during our time there.
Commando Force Airsoft was founded in 2019 by Bryan and Dave; both being military veterans (Bryan Royal Marines and Dave RAF Regiment) they decided to use their skills and knowledge to create a mobile range package which they run at shows and festivals,
most notably running military-style ranges using airsoft replicas at the “Bear Grylls Gone Wild” festivals each year.
In 2022, while looking to create an airsoft site in Plymouth, they were approached by the owners of Drakes Island to run skirmish events there, and January 2023 saw the first Drakes Island skirmish take place. From that start the numbers have grown to the point that most events sell out. Over the last 19 months more parts of the island have been cleared and opened up to allow a better experience and game play.
And so it was that myself, Harvey and James from the team I usually play with set out on the long trek to Devon. We got down there the day before on the Friday to set up the tent and then relax over a BBQ and a couple of beverages with banter thrown in too. All told with us, Chris and the guys from “Team Watch My 6” there were nine of us staying at the campsite, and it was a cool and friendly vibe that settled in.
But… BUT! Friday night it started to rain and when we woke up on Saturday we were faced with a deluge of rain to the point of a river running through the tent! Cooking breakfast was not an option and
“WHEN
I HEARD OF A PRIVATE GAME DAY AT A VERY UNIQUE SITE ORGANISED BY CHRIS OF THE AIRSOFT UK ONLINE PLAYERS GROUP I KNEW I HAD TO BE THERE, ESPECIALLY WHEN THE SITE WAS DRAKES ISLAND IN PLYMOUTH HARBOUR, RUN BY COMMANDO FORCE AIRSOFT”
seeing as we didn’t need to be at the ferry until 1300 we got our kit sorted and headed into Plymouth for a Maccy’s. At the fate of the “gods of airsoft” it seemed that we picked the only wet day as the Friday and Sunday either side were dry…
Once bellies were full we headed off to the ferry. Car parking is right by the quay, though the only option for the amount of time you’ll need is the 24 hour car park which is UK£13 for the duration, so best to go with a car-full and share the cost! It was at this point the deluge turned biblical, and we were soaked through before we’d even got on the ferry; when you walk to the ferry its best to keep all your kit in bags and cases as you have to walk past a couple of restaurants!
GETTING DOWN TO IT
At the top of the jetty you’re met by one of the marshal team who ticks your name off a list, then you walk down and get on the ferry for the short hop across to the island. Once disembarked from the ferry we were met by Bryan who directed us to the buildings opened up due to the weather.
After our kit was stowed we came back to the open area for the safety brief and group photo; thankfully the rain decided to ease up for this bit. After the brief we then had to chrono our AEGs and GBBs; Commando Force specify Bio BB’s only and chrono on the weight used with a limit of 1.14 joules on every platform. It’ not a site that lends itself to sniper set ups so it’s best to leave those at home. In total there were forty-six pLayers there that day, including three keen youngsters who were renting!
It was their first-ever game and it’s safe to say that at the end of the day they were hooked, with massive smiles on their faces.
We were divided into two teams of twenty-three and the first game was a Team Deathmatch in the tunnels and the lower level outside. Each time you were hit you went back to your respawn and pressed a counter to get back in to the game… a little bit on the tunnels, there is no light down there whatsoever apart from what you take in yourselves so a torch is a must! After a quick bomb up the spawns were swapped and the reverse was played with the banded team winning with around a twenty elimination
difference over both legs.
The next game was King Of The Hill and was played over the whole site. One team were defending and set up at the top of the hill; the defenders had two lives and on the third hit you were out and had to stand to one side to watch the fun. The attackers had a constant respawn when hit and they just had to walk back 30 paces and come back in. Once at the top the attackers had to touch the flagpole to stop the timer.
After that game we had a bite to eat and were encouraged to explore the island to take photos.
“THE SITE REALLY IS QUITE UNIQUE AND SPECIAL, AND A LOT OF THE BUILDINGS AND TUNNELS DATE FROM THE NAPOLEONIC ERA! A GOOD NUMBER OF THE TUNNELS ARE PLAYABLE BUT MOST OF THE BUILDINGS ARE INACCESSIBLE DUE TO THE CONDITION OF THEM”
Commando Force don’t provide food so it’s best to take your own, but they do have some snacks for sale in their onsite shop as well as BB’s and Pyro up to Mk5.
ATTACK AND DEFEND
Once we’d bombed up again the teams swapped sides and attackers became the defenders; when defending you had to look out all around you as you could be attacked from the outside and the tunnels underneath you… head-on-a-swivel time!
This game saw me running round with just a pistol, a single mag and a speed loader as the battery on my VZ58 decided to run down halfway through. Given the players, this particular game saw a new site record for the quickest time to complete it with “the bands” taking just twenty-one minutes!
After that we suggested a free for all, all against all game purely for the giggles. We were given a couple of minutes to spread out over the island before the shenanigans began! I had my journalist head on for this game so I just walked round taking photos and while speaking to one of the marshals he said it was strange, we were all shooting each other like mad but he’d not heard so much laughter during a game
“IN TOTAL THERE WERE FORTY-SIX PLAYERS THERE THAT DAY, INCLUDING THREE KEEN YOUNGSTERS WHO WERE RENTING! IT WAS THEIR FIRST-EVER GAME AND IT’S SAFE TO SAY THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY THEY WERE HOOKED, WITH MASSIVE SMILES ON THEIR FACES”
before.
There was around twenty minutes of the free for all before the marshals called endex to smiles all round. We had a few minutes to stow our kit in bags and cases before the ferry arrived at 1945 to take us back to the mainland.
All in all, it was a cracking day of airsoft despite the
weather, and though it’s quite a journey to get there Drakes Island is a site I would gladly visit again, and it’s likely I will do so again next year with a couple more of the AA Crew in tow! I’ll round this up though with a few words from Bryan and the organiser of the day, Chris.
Bryan: “On Saturday we had a large group from AIRSOFT UK attend our Drakes Island event. Despite the weather the players were in great spirits and their enthusiasm made it a brilliant day. Their players being mostly on the same team completed our King Of The Hill game in a record of 21 minutes.”
Chris : “This was our first event as AIRSOFT UK and it went better than I had expected and I’d like to thank everyone who attended and who made it what it was, a fun filled day of airsoft and giggles. My thanks to the guys of Commando Force Airsoft for hosting us at this great site; It’s safe to say we’ll be back in the near future!”
My sincere thanks go to Chris from AIRSOFT UK (you’ll find the group easily on Facebook!) for organising a brilliant day, and to Bryan, Dave and their crew at COMMANDO AIRSOFT (www. commandoforceairsoft.com) for being such excellent hosts! AA
“ALL IN ALL, IT WAS A CRACKING DAY OF AIRSOFT DESPITE THE WEATHER, AND THOUGH IT’S QUITE A JOURNEY TO GET THERE DRAKES ISLAND IS A SITE I WOULD GLADLY VISIT AGAIN, AND IT’S LIKELY I WILL DO SO AGAIN NEXT YEAR WITH A COUPLE MORE OF THE AA CREW IN TOW! ”
OP UNDERCOVER IV
THE UNDERCOVER SERIES IS PART OF ANA ASSOCIATION’S YEARLY EVENTS, AND PROBABLY THE BIGGEST ONGOING ROLE-PLAY AND AIRSOFT GAME IN PORTUGAL! IT’S A SERIES THAT FOLLOWS GENERAL PESTÁ IN HIS CONQUEST OF DIFFERENT TERRITORIES AROUND THE COUNTRY, WHILE FIGHTING AGAINST COVERT SPECIAL OPS GROUPS AND LOCAL MILITIAS! MIGUEL TELLS US MORE…
Iwant to point out that this introduction is an oversimplification; the game has been going on for four years, in different fields, with different characters, and the story follows the outcome of the previous event, as much as it can, of course.
In this 4th edition, General Pestá set his sights on dominating the Estreito area, in Oleiros, Castelo Branco, a location filled with several militias fighting for domination, but lacking the means to do so. But, his movements are under the watchful eye of Special Forces groups, trying to find a chance to “take him out” and put an end to his wave of “violence”. And this might be the perfect opportunity, with General Pestá moving most of his forces to a new location, where he will be busy fighting the local forces, while trying to expand his territory.
This year, the guys and I, went as militia forces, so this article will be mostly focused on how story as part of the “Cabelo de Rei” militia group. Each of the four groups had a real village to call home, which they had to defend and empower. The game also consisted of OpFor Forces, under the control of General Pestá and a Special Forces group who are undercover in the region. Each faction’s story would easily make a different article, because of how unique each one’s objectives and gameplay were. During the event we joined forces with our friends from the F.O.E. team, so... Let’s go Militia!
We made our trip North Saturday early and arrived at our village around 0800; each faction and each Militia had different check in points, so there was no mingle. It’s a great way to create a different atmosphere from most games,
where you interact with teams and players from enemy factions before the game. Here you start the game only meeting who you will play with, everyone else is a potential enemy. After arriving, we set up our camping site in the village, geared up as militia and gathered around our leader and fellow militia members to learn about our next steps. All four militia villages had one goal for the whole event, gather as much money as possible, by any means necessary; gathering “drugs”, selling information to the Special Forces or OpFor group, gambling, finding secrets, and any other chance that presented itself. And, at the start we were in direct competition with the forces from the Povoinha village, because the other two militia forces were kinda far away, and by far away I mean almost 4 km away (in a straight line), because the game area was just huge, it’s probably one of the biggest fields in the country!
PRIORITY MISSION
Our first mission was to control a “drug factory” that was abandoned after the OpFor group made its presence in the area felt, and find the remaining “drug packages”. The “drugs” had to be handled
“THIS YEAR, THE GUYS AND I, WENT AS MILITIA FORCES, SO THIS ARTICLE WILL BE MOSTLY FOCUSED ON HOW STORY AS PART OF THE “CABELO DE REI” MILITIA GROUP. EACH OF THE FOUR GROUPS HAD A REAL VILLAGE TO CALL HOME, WHICH THEY HAD TO DEFEND AND EMPOWER”
with a gas mask, and we could only take one package each 30 minutes, so with this information we started moving towards our objective.
In our diverse militia band, we also had a couple of players role-playing as priests, who had a personal objective of gathering collections to build a new church in our village. And to confuse the enemy who was also moving on the “drug factory”, the priests went to meet them halfway and get us some time to move freely. The plan worked, we found the factory and controlled the area with no opposition, and before the enemy even showed up, we already had our first “drug package” on the way back to our village.
From here onwards this part of the event was little more than the normal morning skirmish, with both militias fighting for a single objective; we went back and forward controlling the abandoned “drug factory”. But we had control at the right times, and got to extract most of the available “drug packages”. With all packages gone, we returned to our village and had a little lunch break, while we waited for the afternoon scenario.
After refuelling our much-needed energy, we rejoined our leader and learned that the OpFor group
from General Pestá were snooping around, but we didn’t want to wait around, so we pushed our leader to give us a mission. After waiting for a bit, with calls going back and forward, we got the objective of controlling the main crossroads that led to our village, as well as our main rival’s, and radio back any major movement in the area.
So, we gathered those who wanted to join us and moved out. A bit after we reached the crossroads, we got a call from our leader, a new objective just dropped, and we were the closest group. We were ordered to form a small group of three members and recon the enemy Militia village by taking photos of any important structures and anything noteworthy. For this task I selected Maximus, JMX and 3D, and they moved down, following the road that lead to their target. Meanwhile, the rest of the group stayed in the crossroad, following the previous objective.
Not long after, the group that was sent down started radioing in, informing us that the General’s forces were in the area. From the looks of it, they had control of the enemy militia village, which was one of the OpFor’s objectives, controlling the militias, to control the territory. So, it was not hard to guess that we were probably next. We called our leader to relay the news and got the order back to hold the crossroads for as long as possible.
AIRSOFT MEMORIES MADE!
Now, this is where one of my team’s most memorable moments in airsoft started! We got into position to hold the area for as long as we could, but knowing
“AND, AT THE START WE WERE IN DIRECT COMPETITION WITH THE FORCES FROM THE POVOINHA VILLAGE, BECAUSE THE OTHER TWO MILITIA FORCES WERE KINDA FAR AWAY, AND BY FAR AWAY I MEAN ALMOST 4 KM AWAY (IN A STRAIGHT LINE), BECAUSE THE GAME AREA WAS JUST HUGE, IT’S PROBABLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIELDS IN THE COUNTRY!”
that the biggest faction in the game was on the way, in addition to being a motorized force.
Not long after we heard the first engine sound, approaching fast, it was a 4×4 ATV, probably doing recon ahead of the main motor pool. They stood little chance against the ambush, and didn’t even have time to warn those who were coming behind them.
But, less than a minute after, we started hearing the rest of the vehicles, and oh boy... There were more vehicles than people ambushing! We always knew that it would be impossible to stop them completely, so our goal was to hold them and cause as much “damage” as possible, by sending them to respawn. And we succeeded! I don’t know how many, but many vehicles were forced to stop, and players had to go to respawn. But it doesn’t end here, after being eliminated, we moved towards our village to respawn, knowing perfectly well that it was the OpFor target.
Back at the village, everyone was warned about the upcoming attack, so it was time to get into some defensive positions. As predicted, soon the enemy players and vehicles started appearing all over, trying to encircle us. And of course, they started pushing into our village, knowing that they had a major advantage in numbers, and we had no respawn (while
the village was under attack). Sooner or later the defender would fall, but this isn’t the main part of this story.
Remember those three guys that I sent down in the recon mission? They stayed hidden through all this, and after the OpFor started their attack, I ordered them to come back and attack them from behind, even if it was to pressure the attacking enemy. But, that’s not what happened, when they arrived at the crossroads, before starting to head down, they found the enemy leader, General Pestá, and part of his personal guard, and were able to catch them by surprise! In a fast strike they eliminated the guards, captured the enemy General and radioed informing me about it. While in the middle of defending the village I just gave them the order “Disappear”, because we just got the biggest target in our hands, while his whole force was busy attacking us, and had no idea what just happened!
Even after our village defence failed, and our leader was “in chains,” we couldn’t help but laugh. The enemy forces were all “puffed out” while controlling the village, searching high and low for anything of interest and almost “bullying” the eliminated militias. They also tried to radio their leader, but with no answer.
Meanwhile, my guys handed Pestá to the Special Forces group who arrived in the village of Povoinha, just after the OpFor left. They paid a heavy sum to get the enemy General under custody because in the end, that’s what the Militias want, money.
Meanwhile, back in our village, the OpFor were still around, trying to know what to do next, but
“WE STARTED HEARING THE REST OF THE VEHICLES, AND OH BOY... THERE WERE MORE VEHICLES THAN PEOPLE AMBUSHING! WE ALWAYS KNEW THAT IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO STOP THEM COMPLETELY, SO OUR GOAL WAS TO HOLD THEM AND CAUSE AS MUCH “DAMAGE” AS POSSIBLE”
remaining unaware that their leader was in the custody of their main enemy. But, to get the game flowing, the information of their General’s capture appeared, and the whole force left our village in a hurry, but not without offering us a lot of money to help them recover Pestá. Little did they know that it was us that captured him from the start, and got money for that as well! Our pockets were getting quite filled!
We moved out toward the village of Povoinha, and during the walk there was talk of us backstabbing the OpFor while they were trying to save their leader. But, although this was a role-playing event, some aspects of the story had to follow some directives leading to the next scenario, so the organization “ordered” us to help them and keep our word.
When we arrived at Povoinha the confrontation was already underway, so we asked for our payment upfront (no fooling us!) and headed towards combat. The village was heavily defended, since the SpecOps members present had the help of the local militia, so it was difficult to push forward, but, little by little, our joint forces were gaining ground. Of course the OpFor were using us as the tip of the spear, but we couldn’t care less, we had one extra respawn via medic, and if we all died, our goal was already fulfilled. In the end, the OpFor were not able to reach their General in time and were forced to cut some sort of deal. But by the time, our militia forces were already eliminated and moving back to our village.
FIESTA TIME!
location, filled with the people who live there.
It was now time for the night scenario, which was the “La Conquista” party, an event that involved all factions and even the townsfolk, in a big party, with food, drinks and role-playing still on. So we changed our “garments” and head back to Estreito, a real
The party staff was composed by our friends from the USAC team, who were co-hosting the event, since this was their “home” and the game field was also theirs, so it was great to see so many known faces. So how was a party related to an ongoing airsoft game? Even more, a party where the townsfolk would also be present? Well, it’s quite simple... and elaborated at the same time!
“IN A FAST STRIKE THEY ELIMINATED THE GUARDS, CAPTURED THE ENEMY GENERAL AND RADIOED INFORMING ME ABOUT IT. WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF DEFENDING THE VILLAGE I JUST GAVE THEM THE ORDER “DISAPPEAR”, BECAUSE WE JUST GOT THE BIGGEST TARGET IN OUR HANDS”
While the party was going on, the players could try to sell or buy information, create connections, “smuggle”, gamble, etc, all under the watchful eye of the OpFor members, who were there protecting General Pestá and investigating suspicious activities, this because members of the Special Forces were infiltrated in the “La Conquista” as militia members, also completing their own objectives. During the party, we were able to gather more money selling information to SpecOps members, and we even bought and “smuggled” an “anti-personnel mine” that would be used in the morning after. We had some fun as the party went on, a lot of people were dragged off by OpFor members for interrogation, General Pestá was still struggling to control the area, and every bit of information was crucial.
My three team members who captured the General during the afternoon were dragged off for almost an hour as punishment! But the damage was already done, and our pockets were filled! A bit after we all witnessed a speech made by El Presidente, the person who ruled Olérus (Oleiros), and that’s when it happened... during a toast between him and General Pestá, El Presidente falls to the floor, due to poison in this drink... and to make things worse, the person who handled the cups was a member of our militia, Liliana Beatriz (fake name). We knew that she was
ordered to do it, but it was time to flee, before OpFor came for us! So we got into our cars, and drove back to our village! It was time to rest. We knew that there was a night mission going on, but it was mostly thought out for OpFor and SpecOps, so we decided to call it a night.
RESTED AND REVVED UP
The next morning we relaxed a bit while having a good breakfast and laughing about the previous day, but soon we got the call, and it was time to gear up once again and meet with the militia leader. At our leader tent, we got the information that the SpecOps group were going to visit our village, but their purpose was still unknown. So, we waited a bit more, and even grilled a couple chorizos to share around!
A bit after, the first contacts with SpecOps members started to come via radio, and the order to let them pass was given. They joined our tent and after some mingling we learned about their goal, which was a raid to the OpFor home base. Since I’ve played that field a few times, I sold some intel to the guys in charge, like the best ways to approach the area where their target was. Remember, our goal was to make money! With that information, the SpecOps group departed, and it was the last time we saw them in-game.
While we were still waiting to learn about the morning scenario, a lone vehicle with a white flag appeared on the road leading to our base. It was a vehicle from the OpFor, trying to visit our base and talk with Liliana Beatriz, the militia member, who on the previous night handed the cups for the toast to General Pestá and El Presidente, but their intentions were different. They tried to push for more and in the end wanted to take her to General Pestá.
Of course, we didn’t
“WE ALL WITNESSED A SPEECH MADE BY EL PRESIDENTE, THE PERSON WHO RULED OLÉRUS (OLEIROS), AND THAT’S WHEN IT HAPPENED... DURING A TOAST BETWEEN HIM AND GENERAL PESTÁ, EL PRESIDENTE FALLS TO THE FLOOR, DUE TO POISON IN THIS DRINK”
stand for it, so after push came to shove and the OpFor members tried to grab our replicas and force their goal, but they ended up as our prisoners. We all knew what would mean; soon the whole force of the OpFor was back in our base, trying to get Liliana Beatriz and rescue their captured members. But this time we were not alone, before leaving, the SpecOps left some members just in case, probably trying to spring a trap against their enemy. Unfortunately, General Pestá also had a big card up his sleeve; he recruited members from the other captured militia villages to bolster their numbers greatly. A big confrontation took place, with militia forces trying to push back a much bigger force. While we were able to keep them at bay for a while, every defender eliminated was a heavy loss for us, and with no respawn we were destined to lose. As the chaos of the fighting went on, the General himself appeared and tried to put on a show of force, but at the last part he was injured by an unknown figure, and had to be escorted out. And so ended the 4th game of this series!
The game ended in a big lunch in a local festival called “Festa da Espiga” (Cob Festival), with the game staff, players and even the local population. We listened to a few speeches while eating, laughed about some situations in the game and of course, mingled a lot with players from everywhere. And to conclude, here are some words from the game staff!
“Undercover Uncovered! This game went wild! With a new location, in the amazing and populated Estreito, Oleiros, a region at the heart of Portugal.
This year, we wanted to give the Undercover to the players! Everyone was required to create their persona. Their Cover Story. We gave everyone their fake game information. A true ID CARD with all relevant info about that persona. Your cover story was to be put to the test. Study it well, or you might get your cover blown, and sent to the Prisoner of War Camp. A POW run by professional Spec Ops Sergeant from Portuguese Military Units. Let’s just say, comfort is a word that has a lot of meanings there. And that’s all we will uncover from it.
This year we moved to a new setting, a multi-
village setting in the mountain countryside of Portugal, fee to use as a huge airsoft playground, packed with roads, small villages, population, and their routines. And we had a cool option once again, into an ANA Event; a parachute experience was made available. Your cover insertion: jumping from an airplane, fully equipped, to kick-start your Undercover Experience.
Weeks before the game, all players received a covered letter on their mailbox at home; key information on the mission, the region, news, and their cover stories. We were free to play a true Role-play Game for 2 days in “Olérus”, the Fictitious name of a new region. OP Force, led by Gen. Pestá, started an Aggressive Expansion for TANGUS into this Mexican style new area. 4 Villages, habited by Militia Players, where Role-play was key. Players using their Cover Story Persona was huge fun! Their goal was to make the most “plata” and compete with other clans.
Op Force was on a path of Conquering these Villages, with some defending successfully and Spec Ops sabotaging the invaders and supporting locals. That was the engine of the game dynamic. With militia engaging back again into this series conflict.
Saturday Night we did what no other airsoft game has done; a village festival with local population engaged and inserted on the game, “La Fiesta de La Conquista”, a Mexican style day-ofthe-dead party. Players were there, covered doing covert missions. Locals were involved with music, fun “plata” activities, interacting with the game’s characters and interacting with airsoft.
Overall, a FUN weekend with great people, working together to try to create new #AirsoftMemories. A new identity for Undercover. An immersive role-play game, with an engaging boost of cover stories. Undercover became Uncover.
If you want to check the Official Recap of this game, check the ANA Airsoft YouTube channel. You will find contents related with ANA Portugal Airsoft Experiences. We invite you to check us out, sub into our social media, check our podcasts and activities and hopefully we will meet soon!
Love, from Portugal. Pestana.” AA
“SINCE I’VE PLAYED THAT FIELD A FEW TIMES, I SOLD SOME INTEL TO THE GUYS IN CHARGE, LIKE THE BEST WAYS TO APPROACH THE AREA WHERE THEIR TARGET WAS. REMEMBER, OUR GOAL WAS TO MAKE MONEY! WITH THAT INFORMATION, THE SPECOPS GROUP DEPARTED, AND IT WAS THE LAST TIME WE SAW THEM IN-GAME”
OLD SKOOL HEAT
WITH STEWBACCA (AMONG MANY OTHERS!) EAGERLY GETTING HIS HANDS ON VFC’S LATEST CYBERGUN-LICENSED FN FNC GBBR, OUR MAN IN JAPAN TAMA WAS FEELING A LITTLE JEALOUS (HIS IG HANDLE IS @FN_WAIFU AFTER ALL, SO WE CAN UNDERSTAND HIS PINING FOR THE HEAT!) SO HE DECIDED TO SHARE HIS EXPERIENCES OF THE VENERABLE G&G FNC AEG HE’S BEEN USING DURING HIS AIRSOFTING, OR ‘SABAGE’ IN THE LOCAL PARLANCE, EXPLOITS IN JAPAN!
The G&G GF76L is an AEG replica in airsoft form of the Belgian made FN FNC rifle, or as we gun geeks would likely see it, the gun of Al Pacino! So before we go to the actual thing we need to know the basics, so let’s start from the bottom, or rather the name.
FNC is an abbreviation that stands for Fabrique Nationale Carbine, so for those of you who don’t speak French, it means National Factory Carbine, a pretty confusing name right? So the first Factory National is basically the earlier name of FN or what is now called FN Herstal, and the last part is likewise a carbine made inside the country, which is Belgium; perhaps I should thank the airsoft gods I don’t speak French!
The real FNC is chambered in 5.56mm NATO, like other modern NATO rifles, and it has select fire semi and automatic modes, but it also features a fancy
3-round burst, a foldable stock, and an adjustable gas port. It uses the same STANAG mags like its counterparts the American M16 (AR15, M4, M4A1, whatever they’re largely the same base gun). The FNC is technically a Belgian take on the M16 with an AK operating system in it, a gas operated long-stroke piston system; thanks to this the FNC is also well known for its durability and versatility like the AK.
FN Herstal initially made the FNC to be the successor of the very famous FAL, a much loved rifle, and a gun geek’s wet dream; the 7.62mm NATO rifle sold like hot cakes, heck they even dubbed the FN FAL as the right arm of the free world! But they failed on the FNC; they only sold it to their own army and two other major national customers, Sweden and Indonesia, but even though it failed in the mainstream or top tier military market, the FNC is well known by the gun lovers community because it succeeded in
“THE FNC IS TECHNICALLY A BELGIAN TAKE ON THE M16 WITH AN AK OPERATING SYSTEM IN IT, A GAS OPERATED LONG-STROKE PISTON SYSTEM; THANKS TO THIS THE FNC IS ALSO WELL KNOWN FOR ITS DURABILITY AND VERSATILITY LIKE THE AK”
Hollywood, known by the public not as a rifle but a movie star.
It is the gun-fu of choice of Al Pacino in the movie “HEAT”, where Pacino starred as a detective in the LAPD, fighting his nemesis Robert De Niro who starred as a very talented bank robber. Spoiler alert; the FNC debuted on the last big shootout scene with its counterpart the M733 (a shorter carbine version of the M16), in a fight between the two biggest stars, but unlike Al Pacino the FNC isn’t quite as famous nor does it sell quite so well. With my movie geek moment out of the way though, let’s move to my beloved airsoft incarnation!
A HIDDEN GEM
G&G is one of the only two companies that make an AEG replica of the famous yet not widely used FN FNC, with the other being STAR (now known as ARES), and there’s furthermore the fact that G&G and
STAR both stopped making the FNC pretty early on; it’s thus a relatively rare replica, so rare in fact that in my time of playing airsoft, I’m the only person I’ve ever known to field the FNC AEG! It kind of makes me stand out like a sore thumb, but that’s the upside of having an unicorn gun.
So a bit of a back story regarding my own FNC...
Ever since I got into liking guns and starting airsoft, I’d always wanted to have an FNC, it’s my dream gun; ever since I saw the real thing on parade with the military back home in my native Indonesia, I wanted an FNC right away. So I bought mine second hand from an online auction for the amount of 40 thousand yen (about US$266 USD or €251 right now) which these days is a bit expensive for an AEG in Japan since you can get a second-hand Marui nextgen or a complete beginners pack with some support gear for that amount, but considering it is an FNC, a super cool gun and a dream gun of mine, I had
“IT IS THE GUN-FU OF CHOICE OF AL PACINO IN THE MOVIE “HEAT”, WHERE PACINO STARRED AS A DETECTIVE IN THE LAPD, FIGHTING HIS NEMESIS ROBERT DE NIRO WHO STARRED AS A VERY TALENTED BANK ROBBER. SPOILER ALERT; THE FNC DEBUTED ON THE LAST BIG SHOOTOUT SCENE WITH ITS COUNTERPART THE M733 IN A FIGHT BETWEEN THE TWO BIGGEST STARS”
no hesitation whatsoever; I bought it, and I never regretted a single thing about it.
The second it arrived on my doorstep, I couldn’t stop smiling until my face ached, and when you’ve finally acquired your dream gun, you know what you have to do; trial by fire, so I brought it to one
“SO
A BIT OF
A
of Tokyo’s biggest fields; Tenguyama, an outdoor field that is located in the outskirts of the city! It’s a field located between two small hills with dense forest, and since it’s between two hills, there are multiple elevations, high trees, small trees, small rivers, and bushes. Other than that the field also has some small man-made barricades, CQB areas and huts with bridges, but overall it’s a huge playing field, which is heaven for snipers.
But even snipers are not safe when the FNC is around because it can shoot where the enemy would least expect it!
The BBs fly fast and accurately out to midrange, while when used at longer ranges it still keeps its momentum and BBs fly really well for a gun that is old and more meant for LARPing in reality. The furthest I have hit is between the ranges of 50 to 60 metres during a game, and on the range 50 metres with minimum HOP up settings; it mostly sits on the same HOP up settings as when it first arrived with me, and mind you all this gaming experience has been done with iron sights; the FN FNC doesn’t come standard with any rail accessory, it comes with a pitchfork front sight and a peep hole shaped rear iron sight; the same design as its predecessor the FN FAL, and like the real thing the biggest peep hole setting which is the 100 metres
BACK STORY REGARDING MY OWN FNC; EVER SINCE I GOT INTO LIKING GUNS AND STARTING AIRSOFT, I’D ALWAYS WANTED TO HAVE AN FNC, IT’S MY DREAM GUN; EVER SINCE I SAW THE REAL THING ON PARADE WITH THE MILITARY BACK HOME IN MY NATIVE INDONESIA, I WANTED AN FNC RIGHT AWAY”
setting, is like a small peep hole for a 2 MOA shots, a super small hole.
If you think the M16 iron sight is bad, try the FN FNC! No way in hell you will quickly shoot a perfect snapshot with that peephole. But even with the bad iron sights, the accuracy of the gun has always been amazing in my experience.
Added to that is the fact it is made by G&G with proper steel parts, so the durability of the gun is a no brainer; it’s as strong as your grandpa’s Volvo! The decade-old mech box is still working like it’s intended with minimal maintenance, the furniture of the gun is practically bullet proof, although you might want to change it for an upgraded gearbox, or overall change it to use much more modern parts if you have one and the opportunity to do so.
ISSUES? NOT MANY!
After talking about all the good parts, let’s talk about the drawbacks of the G&G GF76L FN FNC; let’s start with the functionality of the gun.
One thing that stands out is the weight; it’s freaking heavy! The weight of the G&G FNC is a whopping 4.1 Kilograms, 4 Freaking kilograms for an AEG, it’s even heavier than the real gun, the real gun only weighs 3.8, so somehow the replica is even heavier! If you’re trying to get buff arms, you won’t need a dumbbell, just buy the FN FNC, because of the weight, you’ll feel very exhausted after fielding it a whole day!
Second is the battery space of the G&G FN FNC.
Located in the front end, inside the handguard, just like the old Tokyo Marui XM177E2 and MP5s. but unlike those, there’s almost no space for a battery, the only battery that fits into it is a thin nunchuk Li-Po battery and nothing else, not even the small brick LiPo battery even fits inside it.
You might think “how come that bulky looking handguard can’t fit a normal size Li-Po battery?” As with online dating, looks can be very deceiving; inside the handguard is the obvious outer barrel, and above it a very thick mock gas-block and gas tube made of steel, so there’s no space in the middle because of these two thick steel pipes taking up all the room.
Okay, so nunchuks are the order of the day, so you’d think you’d want maximum battery life so you want either a thick blocked nunchuk, longer blocks, or even a triple nunchuks, but you’d be wrong. Because of the weirdly shaped, short handguard, and the thick plastic that G&G use, thin shaped nunchuk Li-Po batteries are the easy option for the G&G FN FNC; if you’re doing a long skirmish and want to use 11.1v or higher voltage batteries, bringing more than one is a must!
Still focusing on the handguard; it’s pretty hard to
“EVEN SNIPERS ARE NOT SAFE WHEN THE FNC IS AROUND BECAUSE IT CAN SHOOT WHERE THE ENEMY WOULD LEAST EXPECT IT! THE BBS FLY FAST AND ACCURATELY OUT TO MID-RANGE, WHILE WHEN USED AT LONGER RANGES IT STILL KEEPS ITS MOMENTUM AND BBS FLY REALLY WELL FOR A GUN THAT IS OLD AND MORE MEANT FOR LARPING IN REALITY”
install; locked on by a steel latch on the front end and a spring-powered button below the flip up grenade sight, the latch is a bit of an annoyance as it’s a very strong latch that usually breaks your nails, and the handguard itself is a weird shape, so when you want to reinstall it on the gun, you kind of need to juggle it around to realign it to allow it to be locked in properly by the latch and the button.
Last but not least, the durability; I said that the gun is practically a tank in the shape of an AEG replica, but it’s not 100% fool-proof! It’s like your great-grandpa’s Tiger 1 tank, not always working as intended, especially some of the furniture of the gun. The usual symptoms are the stock pin breaking into pieces, and the pin is the only thing that holds the stock onto the gun, while the stock itself is also pretty heavy, G&G probably neglected to adequately reinforce this pin and thus it can be the source of problems in heavy use.
Next, is the charging handle, typical for a charging handle that is a separate part, it will break; just like
the old Tokyo Marui MP5 plastic charging handles, it’ll break off and you’ll forget where you put it. But unlike the Tokyo Marui, G&G did make it with steel, so it’s comparatively pretty strong and hard to tear off… unless your friend has arms like an orangutan’s, and literally jerks it off like crazy, it might break, and mine did break with the same circumstances, at least the footage went pretty viral, at least!
Also rust is a pretty common problem, specifically the upper receiver part; being an older model it’s basically made from steel that is not suitably coated with anti-rust paint, it’s just plain old steel, but usually it’s at least only cosmetic surface rust so it won’t actually affect the performance of the gun.
So what are my final, as-an-owner thoughts regarding the G&G FN FNC or the G&G GF76L as their nomenclature terms it?
It’s 100% an absolutely brilliant gun, the gun itself already has a cult following from real steel ‘gunheads’, but it is a rare novelty gun in the airsoft community.
Even though for a replica its very heavy, and pretty long, coupled with the annoying battery change, and the fact that it’s practically a dinosaur compared to 2024 equivalent gucci AEGs with brushless motors, ETUs, Perun, or any of those other high-tech options, the FN FNC is a much more barebone stock AEG. But even in its old age, it’s a great performing AEG that can outclass the new boys in the market, and of course with style. The HEAT style! AA
“IT IS MADE BY G&G WITH PROPER STEEL PARTS, SO THE DURABILITY OF THE GUN IS A NO BRAINER; IT’S AS STRONG AS YOUR GRANDPA’S VOLVO! THE DECADE-OLD MECH BOX IS STILL WORKING LIKE IT’S INTENDED WITH MINIMAL MAINTENANCE, THE FURNITURE OF THE GUN IS PRACTICALLY BULLET PROOF, ALTHOUGH YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE IT FOR AN UPGRADED GEARBOX”
“SO WHAT ARE MY FINAL, AS-AN-OWNER THOUGHTS REGARDING THE G&G FN FNC OR THE G&G GF76L AS THEIR NOMENCLATURE TERMS IT? IT’S 100% AN ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT GUN, THE GUN ITSELF ALREADY HAS A CULT FOLLOWING FROM REAL STEEL ‘GUNHEADS’, BUT IT IS A RARE NOVELTY GUN IN THE AIRSOFT COMMUNITY”
