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 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 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 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!”